Eighth Sunday of the Ordinary Time, year A

I regret that I am late in my preparation this week: I will post later. 

Jesus said to his disciples:
“No one can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?
Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.
Are not you more important than they?
Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span?
Why are you anxious about clothes?
Learn from the way the wild flowers grow.
They do not work or spin.
But I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor
was clothed like one of them.
If God so clothes the grass of the field,
which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow,
will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith?
So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’
or ‘What are we to drink?’or ‘What are we to wear?’
All these things the pagans seek.
Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Sufficient for a day is its own evil.”

Thanks

Thank you, one and all, for visiting this blog over the last few months. I hope some things have been of benefit.  Please feel free to share any ideas or comments. As we share in the ministry of preaching, I would like to invite you to pray for all who are finding this ministry challenging. No one finds it effortless, and it can be easy to get discouraged.

I am reminded of a story of the Cure of Ars: Once, the great Dominican Lacordaire visited Ars. When we got back home he was asked what he thought of the simple curate. He replied that when he preached in Notre Dame or any other wonderful place, people would leave the place and say "How great is Lacordaire!" When people leave the chapel at Ars, after the Cure has been in the rickety old broken pulpit they say "How great is God!"

May Christ bless our hearts and mind so that we may proclaim his holy Gospel.

The Sermon on the Mount by Blessed (Fra) Angelico

Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A

An eye for an eye.

Dates often stick in our mind. There are certain calendar dates they strike a cord with us. If I were to say December 25th, in the Western Church we would automatically say 'Christmas'. In America July 4th or 9/11 will conger up all kinds of emotions and feelings. In Ireland we have a few of them as well. March 17th is St Patrick's Day when we celebrate the national apostle. Another such is July 12th.

July 12th celebrates the anniversary of the Battle of the Boyne. Members of the Orange Order celebrate the victory of King William of Orange over King James II, an event that radically changed the history of Ireland. For all kinds of historical reasons, the commemoration of this date has not always been easy. For many, the date brings up bad communal memories and has seen tension between the traditions that have lead to violence and hatred. Thankfully, in a very changed Ireland, all sections of the community have moved along down the road of reconciliation.

July 12th also marks a little known feast day in the Catholic Church. It is the memorial of St John Gaulbert, priest and abbot.

The story of St John's conversion is impressive. He was son of a noble family in central Italy in the 12th century. In a fight one day his brother was murdered. The assailant fled, and St John made a vow that he would find the murderer and avenge the killing. Having searched and searched throughout the country side, one Good Friday he entered the gate of a certain town. At that moment he came face to face with his brother's murderer. He drew his sword, but as he did, the man fell to his knees, stretched out his hands in the form of the Cross and in the name of Jesus begged mercy. St John froze. All of a sudden he was faced with a choice; to exact revenge or to forgive. He dropped his weapon, helped the man up, embraced him and forgave him. Later that same Good Friday he prayed in the Church and promised to give his life to Christ; the Crucified One bowed His head in acceptance. St John went on to be a priest, a founder of a branch of the Benedictine Order - and a saint.

St John could have killed and the cycle of violence would have continued. His memory would have faded into the bloodstained history of humanity. He chose to forgive and his story is still being told.

In following Christ we have made a choice. No longer is it 'eye for eye'. The challenge is to love all people as ourselves, not just the ones we depend on, but all. As we celebrate the Eucharist, may we always remember the price that was paid for our salvation and do our best to make it known everywhere.
Just like St John, the choices we make can help build the Kingdom of God or hinder its growth.

The Merciful Knight by Edward Burne-Jones

(St John Gaulbert)

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year A.

No one is dragged into Heaven.

It is a stark warning "You will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven". Over the last few Sundays the Gospel has reflected on the reality of who we are as God's children - the blessedness of the Beatitudes, and the significance of discipleship. Our following of the Lord is salt to the earth and light to the world. This week there is a slight change of emphasis. No one is dragged into service of the Lord, and likewise no one is dragged into heaven.

"If your virtue does not exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven"

People often ask, how could a God who is love send people to Hell? In other words, is it possible for the Father of Light to allow any of his children enter into eternal death? God is Love, is He not? Well, the truth of the matter is, God sends no one anywhere.He invites us to follow him, to enter into His life and if we choose otherwise; we are free to do so.

I often reflect on the Love of God. It is eternal, accessible and never ending. It is so big we could never begin to understand it, still we treat it as something ordinary, almost banal. God loves me, so what?! A teacher told me once of an encounter she had with a student. It was Lent and she decided to bring her 14/15 year olds to the church to do the Stations of the Cross. She got to the third Station, Jesus falls the first time. The teacher explained that the Lord was so tired after all he had gone through the previous night, loosing so much blood being whipped, that he collapsed under the weight of the Holy Rood. A girl said to her, "That's stupid Miss, why didn't he just put it down?" The teacher explained that he couldn't and that he was carrying it for her and all the world. The girl quipped back, "He is wasting his time, I never asked him to carry it!"

It is the Cross that is a sign of God's love. That is the Love of God: the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. As soon as we forget that, as soon as we forget we are bought and paid for, our faith become ordinary and irrelevant.

Christ asks us to live in a way that reflects the mystery of our faith: dying you destroyed our death. He does not compel us to do anything. He invites us to be close to him, and by being close to him we will imitate him. Even though we are children, we are not dragged kicking and screaming into the Kingdom of Heaven. We have to chose. And that choice is lived out every moment of our lives, in every context we find ourselves in.

The philosophy of our age, echoing Paul, tells us to do what you want as you like. Christ points another way, HIS way, which is truth and life. The Servant of God, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen asked once; Do you know the national anthem of hell, the song which the fallen angels and the damned are forced to sing???..........."I did it my way!"

Christ's way is the only way.

http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html (have a look at this!)

Fifth Sunday of Ordinary Time. Year A

Salt and Light. Matt 5: 13-16

The ultimate accolade my late grandfather could give to someone was "they are the salt of the earth!". Some who proved themselves to be good and decent were so described. The Lord uses to very common things in the Gospel to refer to disciples; light and salt. Both were simple every day phenomena, both were essential for life.

There is a story of a king with three daughters. The kings wife had died and he knew he could not go on for ever. One day, in front of his court in a very King Lear style, he asked them how much they loved him. The one who showed she loved him most was to succeed him on the throne.  The first gave a speech on gold and how her love was like the gold of the treasury. The second said her love was like the army-strong, faithful, never failing. The third, the youngest, shyly said her love was like salt. The King was furious. How could she love him as much as salt, that worthless thing. She was his favourite and he wanted her to be queen, but now, how could it be? He was shamed in front of his officials and the nobles of his kingdom. So he banished her to the highest tower of his castle, never to be seen again.
In her room she sat on the bed crying when an angel appeared to her. The angel asked what was wrong, and she duly explained. "Your father, despite all his power, is a stupid man"said the angel. "We will have to show him what you meant. Imagine all the salt of his kingdom was to disappear." And with that every grain of salt in the land 'lost its saltiness'. There was no salt for cooking. All the meat preserved in salt began to perish. The sea changed. Animals died. People got sick. The world was in chaos.
After a few days the king came to his senses. He realised he had been wrong and summoned his daughter. "I have been so wrong" he said. "I now know what your love means, forgive me." And the saltiness returned.

Salt and light. So simple, so common, so everyday. Without them we could not survive. As we listen to the Gospel, we should keep in mind that our Christian witness is the same; taken for granted, but vital. If we remove Christ from our lives and society, the void must be filled with something else. If not with light, then with darkness. Now more than ever we must (imperative!) be salt and light. With God's grace, we will remain faithful the scripture and the breaking of bread.