The Transfiguration of the Lord on Mount Tabor came to strengthen the faith of the disciples, for trying times lay ahead: the Son of Man would be put to death and all that the human eye could see was weakness, humiliation and suffering. Beyond the shame of the cross, however, is the light and glory of Easter, and it is this that the Transfiguration reveals. It shows the disciples and us, Christ’s divinity – he who is Light from Light – anticipates the glory of Heaven.
LORD of the Harvest,
BLESS young people with the gift of courage to respond to your call.
Open their hearts to great ideals, to great things.
INSPIRE all of your disciples to mutual love and giving—
for vocations blossom in the
good soil of faithful people.
INSTILL those in religious life, parish
ministries, and families with the confidence
and grace to invite others to embrace
the bold and noble path of a life
consecrated to you.
UNITE us to Jesus through prayer and sacrament,
so that we may cooperate
with you in building your reign of mercy
and truth, of justice and peace. Amen.
— Pope Francis
Adapted from the Message on the 51st World Day
of Prayer for Vocations.
He sells everything he owns and buys the field
What a gift it is, to be able to recognise the true value of things, and choose those which will last forever and bring us true happiness! Solomon, renowned for wisdom, is able to make the right choices when offered the chance to have anything he wants. What would we choose? The parable in the Gospel tells us that, in a sense, the choice is already before us: we can see the kingdom of heaven waiting for us: it is of greater value than anything else, and so all our hearts should be set on it. Nothing should stand in our way.
17th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME 2017 NEWSLETTER
Let them both grow till the harvest
There is no room in a good field for weeds and rubbish: so in the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no room for all things that provoke offences, and all who do evil’. They must be got rid of, for the sake of the good wheat, for the sake of the good subjects of the kingdom. But this weeding out will not take place until harvest time – in case one piece of good wheat is destroyed with the weeds. This shows the mercy of God: everyone has chance after chance to prove that they are wheat, not darnel; there are no quick judgements in the kingdom of heaven, and things are never as black and white as we think. Only at the end of time will evil stand out clearly, so that it can be disposed of, and only the Son of Man can judge.
16th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2017 Newsletter
A sower went out to sow
The Gospel today is the beginning of a new section in Matthew, called ‘The Parabolic Discourse’ – a section of parables Jesus tells the crowd, which we will read over the next three weeks. A parable is a story with a hidden meaning: we can easily remember the story, and gradually the true meaning becomes clearer and clearer. Today is a famous example: the Parable of the Sower. In itself it is a story that would easily be understood by Jesus’s audience – people who lived in an agricultural economy. Jesus uses their understanding to make an important teaching about the message he has brought: it is like a seed that is thrown out and received in different ways – the ideal is when the seed finds good soil, and produces a crop that can be seen and harvested: so the ideal listener to the word is one who allows it to lodge in the heart, but also produces a visible result. What is the harvest we should yield, when we have heard the word?
I am gentle and humble of heart
Today’s Gospel is an answer to a very simple question: who is this Jesus we follow? What is he like? He tells us himself: he is gentle, and humble of heart. There is simplicity about this Gospel which speaks very clearly to tired hearts. Indeed, it is often the case that we overlook the simplicity of the Gospel message – which is why it is valuable to be as children, constantly wondering and marvelling at the beauty and fascination of Jesus. How much God must love us: the message of salvation is so easy to receive, the promise is so welcome. This is a Sunday to wallow in the wonder of a God who is kind and full of compassion.
14th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 2017 NEWSLETTER
Anyone who does not take his cross is not worthy of me. Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me.
The Gospel and First Reading this Sunday can be summed up in one word: “hospitality. But not hospitality in general – this is a very specific hospitality: welcoming the word of God. We must welcome the message of salvation into our homes and hearts, and show this by welcoming the messenger who brings us this good news. Perhaps when we consider the messages we allow into our homes nowadays this theme reveals its relevance to us: television, radio and newspapers are all welcome in our homes. Surely the Gospel tells us to keep our eyes peeled for the holy man who brings real news. This Gospel also tells us about our mission: if we are welcomed or rejected, we should neither be proud nor worry for ourselves, but for Christ, because it is Christ who is welcomed or rejected.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body
Today’s Gospel turns our thoughts to the strange phenomenon of persecution: throughout the history of mankind, the truth has been a commodity that often leads to persecution: the prophets of the Old Testament were attacked because of their message, as was the Lord Jesus himself. For his followers, the same may be true. The point of the readings is not simply to face up to the reality of the opposition the Gospel may meet, but to remember where the truth of the Gospel comes from: the Father in heaven, who knows us and values us. So we can be confirmed in our mission to witness to the truth, not fearing those who merely kill the body.
12th WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME 2017 NEWSLETTER
My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink
The Eucharist – the Body and Blood of Christ – is a mystery with so many layers and a depth that takes more than a lifetime to penetrate. It is not just a thing that we receive however reverently it is a person, a relationship, a belonging and a transformation that we consume, that becomes part of us: Receive what you are the Body of Christ. The readings invite us to reflect on how our celebration of the Eucharist brings Christ’s words to our reality: who eats my flesh and drink my blood lives in me and I live in him. The people of the Old Testament had God living in their midst, walking with them on their journey, feeding and nourishing them with the gift of manna from heaven. Jesus walks with us, not looking on from afar, journeying in communion with us living within us, as we eat and drink the gifts he extends from the Last Supper. And as Saint Paul reminds us, our communion with the One Christ is also a communion with each other God lives in us as the Church, as we become His Body.
Corpus Christi 2017 Newsletter
God sent his Son so that through him the world might be saved.
We begin our Summer ‘Ordinary Time’ by celebrating a strange feast – not of a particular saint or event, but of the awesome paradoxes of our God, the Three-in-One, Father, Son and Spirit: so immeasurably distant, yet so amazingly close, so full of power and so full of love. It is love that is the key to the mystery: the revelation of God, to Moses and in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, shows a perfect love – a perfect unity. In the beginning, in the story of Creation in Genesis, God made man and woman ‘in the image and likeness of God’, to live together as a community of love. So too, the Church is an image of this perfection of community which is Father, Son and Spirit. We, as many members of one Church, strive in our everyday lives to imitate God who is Three and One, perfect unity and perfect love.
The Most Holy Trinity 2017 Newsletter
As the Father sent me, so am I sending you: receive the Holy Spirit
We arrive at the fiftieth day – the completion of the Easter Season, and the completion of the Paschal Mystery: the Lord has died, is risen, has ascended to heaven and now gives birth to his Church, by sending the Spirit upon the apostles. This feast of the gift of the Spirit is so significant for us, because it marks the handing on of Jesus’s ministry to the Church – in the Church we are guaranteed the presence of the Lord, in his sacraments, in his ministers, in the Blessed Sacrament and in his Celebrated Word. It also marks the fulfilment of our thoughts about baptism throughout this season: the gift of the Spirit which we receive in Confirmation is the ‘seal’ of our baptism, guaranteeing and confirming all that baptism achieves.
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