21st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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There is a very simple theme to this Sunday’s readings: it is the principle of authority in the community of the Church: we are introduced to the idea that God gives authority to someone in the first reading, where Shebna is dismissed by God and replaced. This is a prelude to the Gospel story of Peter being given authority: not because he is powerful or wise in the world’s sense, but because he was able to profess his faith in the one sent by the Father. This is the principle of all authority in the Church: it is to spring only from God and our faith in God, professed by our way of life and rooted only in Christ, for ‘to him all authority, in heaven and on earth, has been given.’

First Reading: Isaiah 22:19-23.

Res: Your love, O Lord, is eternal, discard not the work of your hand

Second Reading: Romans 11:33-36.

Gospel: Matthew 16: 13-20

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TWENTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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Today is one of those occasions when, even though the second reading is not chosen to correspond to the theme of the Gospel and first reading, it does in fact fit very well. Indeed, much of the letter to the Romans is explained in this Sunday’s Liturgy of the Word: the whole theme is summed up in this: the Messiah came first of all to the people of Israel, to whom the promises were made in the past – but it could not remain there. The good news had to be taken to the ends of the earth, so that all peoples, indeed the whole of creation could welcome the Messiah and take a place in the Kingdom of God. All nations are welcome on God’s holy mountain: “Let all the peoples praise you, O God!”

First Reading: Isaiah 56: 1, 6-7

Res: Let the people praise, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

Second Reading: Romans 11: 13-15, 29-32

Gospel: Matthew 15: 21-28

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NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

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How does God reveal himself to us? Most of the time, in precisely the way we do not expect! This is what happened to Elijah: we expect God – all-powerful, almighty – to appear in dramatic effects of nature; but no, God is in a gentle breeze. Similarly in the Gospel: the disciples do not expect Jesus to come towards them walking on the lake – but he does. And when God is revealed in the unexpected, he gives courage and strength: Elijah was afraid when he went to Horeb, but was strengthened by his encounter with God to continue his mission; in the same way the disciples are given courage and faith by the Lord who walks to them on the waters.

First Reading: Kings 19: 9, 11-13

Res: Let us see, O Lord your mercy and give us your saving help.

Second Reading: Romans 9: 1-5

Gospel: Matthew 14: 22-23

 

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EIGHTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

They all ate as much as they wanted

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Divine providence is a wonderful thing: God is so generous with his creation (it is human greed that denies some their rightful share). The Kingdom of God is the time and place when this vision will be fully realised, when all who wish may ‘come to the water’, when all who are hungry may ‘eat as much as they want’, when what is left over is still enough for all the twelve tribes of Israel. Our contemplation of the kingdom of God, through the parables and miracles of Jesus, should stir us up to build this kingdom here and now. The miracle of Divine providence is allowed to work when human greed and selfishness give way to the power of the Spirit working within us, and we share all we have with those in need. Our hearts are set on the kingdom of God, where there is corn and wine and milk in abundance.

First Reading: Isaiah 55:1-3

Res: You open wide your hand, O Lord, you grant our desires

Second Reading: Romans 8: 35,37-39

Gospel: Matthew 14: 13-21

 

 

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SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

He sells everything he owns and buys the field

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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.

First Reading: Kings 3:5, 7-12

Res: Lord how I love your law!

Second Reading: Romans 8: 28-30

Gospel: Matthew 13: 44-52

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SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

Let them both grow till the harvest

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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.

First Reading: Wisdom 12: 13, 16-19

Res: O Lord, you are good and forgiving

Second Reading: Romans 8: 26-27

Gospel: Matthew 13: 24-43

 

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FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

A sower went out to sow

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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?

First Reading: Isaiah 55:10-11

Res: Some seed fell into rich soil and produced its crop

Second Reading: Romans 8: 18-23

Gospel: Matthew 13:1-23

 

 

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FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

I am gentle and humble of heart

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Today’s Gospel in 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 a 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.’

 

First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10

Res: I will bless your name for ever, O God my King

Second Reading: Romans 8: 9, 11-13

Gospel: Matthew 11: 25-30

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ST PETER AND ST PAUL (Solemnity)

You are Peter, and I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

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Peter and Paul are the two great heroes of the Apostolic Age ‑ Peter for leading the first Christian communities and binding them in unity, a role that springs from his profession of faith in Caesarea Philippi, and Paul for travel­ling throughout the Roman Empire as the Apostle to the Gentiles, ensuring that the Gospel could be heard by all. They both ended up in Rome, the heart of the Empire, where they crowned their lives of witness by shedding their blood for Christ. As the ancient hymn for this feast day (“Decora Lux aeternitatis”) says: “”Rejoice, O Rome, this day; thy walls they once did sign With princely blood, who now their glory share with thee.  What city’s vesture glows with crimson deep as thine? What beautyelse has earth that may compare with thee?” In celebrating the death of these apostles and martyrs, we celebrate the triumph of life and death offered fully to God.

First Reading: Acts 12: 1-11

 Second Reading: Timothy 4: 6-8, 17-18

Gospel: Matthew 16:13-19

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THE BODY AND BLOOD OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST (SOLEMNITY)

My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink

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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.

First Reading: Deut 8: 2-3, 14-16

Res: O praise the Lord, Jerusalem!

 Second Reading: 1 Cor 10: 16-17

Gospel: John 6: 51-58

 

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