Parish of Our Lady & Saint David, Cwmbran

Advent opens with a great cry, and a great promise: “Oh that you would tear the heavens open and come down! is the cry, of a people who need God. “…The master is coming is the promise, not to breed fear, but to answer our cry. Advent begins, not with thoughts of the past, with the coming of the Lord we celebrate at Christmas, but with the future, and the promise that He is coming back. We are encouraged to treat every day as the day the Lord will come; we do not do this out of fear for a Master who beats his servants, but out of love of a Master who always treats us with love and mercy. Nevertheless we must always be watchful, because we can grow sleepy and complacent, saying that we can leave this prayer or that confession or the other change in the way we live to tomorrow. Even as we look forward to the tomorrow of the Lord’s coming, we must remember that it might be today!

First Reading: Isaiah 63: 16-17, 64: 1, 3-8

Second Reading: 1Cor 1:3-9

Gospel: Mark 13: 33-37

Psalm (All)

O shepherd of Israel, hear us, shine forth from your cherubim throne. O Lord, rouse up your might, O Lord, come to our help.

God of hosts, turn again, we implore, look down from heaven and see. Visit this vine and protect it, the vine your right hand has planted. May your hand be on the man you have chosen, the man you have given your strength. And we shall never forsake you again: give us life that we may call upon your name.

Our Lord Jesus Christ, Universal King

“Shepherd-King o’er mountain steep, homeward guide thy wand’ring sheep.” This hymn which we will probably sing today captures the readings perfectly: our King is not a cruel tyrant or despot, but a shepherd who loves his flock, who would (and did) give his life for them. Love for the flock means that he will have to judge them, separating the sheep from those who do not belong to him. Coming to the end of the Church’s year leads us to look to our final ending, the homecoming the hymn speaks of. The judgement of the end of time we do not view as a trial or a terror, but as a coming home: look back to the Isaiah reading on the 28th Sunday to see what a homecoming party is offered. All we do is put our lives in order, living just and holy lives, longing for the day of the lord to come.

First Reading: Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17                                                                                                                                                            

Second Reading: 1Cor 15:20-26, 28

Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

Psalm (All)

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want. Fresh and green are the pastures where he gives me repose. Near restful waters he leads me, to revive my drooping spirit. He guides me along the right path; he is true to his name. You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes. My head you have anointed with oil; my cup is overflowing. Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and ever.

You have been faithful in small things; come and join in your master’s happiness

We must be very careful that the real point of today’s first reading is not washed away in genuine concerns over what one can and cannot say about the responsibilities of spouses. This is not, in fact, a recipe for ‘the perfect wife’, but an illustration, from one age, of the virtue of fully employing the talents God gives us. Some things are timeless, such as holding out a hand to the poor, while other talents shift and change. The point is that all of us are gifted in varying ways and degrees: none of us should begrudge anyone else their talents, for fear that we overlook our own. We work wisely and well, looking forward to the master’s return, when we can hand over to him not just what he gave us, but also the fruits that our labours have gained.

First Reading: Proverbs 31: 10-13, 19-20, 30-31

Second Reading: Thess 5: 1-6

Gospel: Matthew 25:4, 5

Psalm (All)

O blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways! By the labour of your hands you shall eat. You will be happy and prosper. Your wife like a fruitful vine in the heart of your house; your children like shoots of the olive, around your table. Indeed thus shall be blessed the man who fears the Lord. May the Lord bless you from Zion in a happy Jerusalem all the days of your life.

A most unusual feast! The Lateran Basilica is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Rome an ancient church first built near the walls of the city of Rome by the Emperor Constantine at the beginning of the fourth century. Every Diocese in the world celebrates the feast of the Dedication of their own Cathedral, since the cathedral is the mother and head of all the churches in the Diocese. The Lateran Basilica, since it is the place where the Pope has his “cathedra” or Episcopal throne, has the title “Mother and Head of all the Churches of the City and the World”. On this day we both celebrate and pray for the unity of those churches gathered in communion with the successor of Saint Peter. The marbles and mosaics of the Lateran, which together form a splendid and beautiful building, are a sign of the beauty of God’s family, the Church, gathered in worship – the living stones of the temple of the Lord. This is a day to reflect on how this building, and cathedrals and churches everywhere are not just meeting-places, but visible signs to the world of the Body of Christ in prayer.

First Reading: Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

Second Reading: 1Cor 3:9-11, 16-17

Gospel: John 2: 13-22

Psalm (All)

God is for us a refuge and strength, a helper close at hand, in time of distress:

so we shall not fear though the earth should rock, though the mountains fall into the depths of the sea. The waters of a river give joy to God’s city, the holy place where the Most High dwells. God is within, it cannot be shaken; God will help it at the dawning of the day. The Lord of hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our stronghold. Come, consider the works of the Lord, the redoubtable deeds he has done on the earth.

“A huge number, impossible to count” – that is the picture this Solemnity creates. In every age there have been men and women who have followed the Lord faithfully, and who now rejoice in the Liturgy of Heaven, as they stand before the throne of the Lamb. These are the “anonymous” saints, whose names we don’t remember ‑ but even though their names are not on our lips, their memory, inspiration, example and prayers are set before us today, so that we too can be encouraged in our own “journey of perfection”. What does it take to be a saint? Surely the Gospel that is appointed for today (the Beati­tudes) shows us that it is in the small things that we triumph: gentleness, mercy, making peace, faithful mourning, purity of heart, poverty in spirit ‑ these are not grand, public ways to sanctity. They are domestic, and homely, to be practised and perfected with those closest to us. We sometimes exalt the “named” saints to the degree that we can feel they are distant from us. Today’s feast, as well as celebrating the memory of the many whose name we do not know, also prompts us to see holiness as within our grasp.

First Reading: Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14

Second Reading: 1 John 3:1-3

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

Psalm (All)

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness,

the world and all its peoples. It is he who set it on seas: on the waters he made it firm. Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? Who shall stand in his holy place? The man with clean hands and pure heart, who desires not worthless things. He shall receive blessings from the lord and reward from the God who saves him. Such are the men who seek him, seek the face of the God of Jacob.

You must love the Lord your God, and your neighbour as yourself
When you look at something like the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and see its 691 pages, or look at the 2,000 pages of the big Jerusalem Bible, you can be forgiven for thinking that Christianity is a complicated affair. But Jesus reminds us today that it is essentially very simple: everything can be summed up in two basic rules: love God, love your neighbour. Exodus backs this up, by talking about the simple love that we must show to each other. Not that this is easy – love is always costly, and involves some degree of sacrifice. We will have to change, to become perfect in love; but it is possible, and when we do, like the people of Thessalonica, we become a great example to people everywhere.

First Reading: Exodus 22:20-26

Second Reading: Thessalonians 1:5-10

Gospel: Matthew 22:34-40

Psalm (All)

I love you Lord, my strength,
my rock, my fortress, my saviour.
My God is the rock where I take refuge;
my shield, my mighty help, my stronghold.
The Lord is worthy of all praise: when I call I am saved from my foes.
Long life to the Lord, my rock!
Praised be the God who saves me.
He has given great victories to his king
and shown his love for his anointed.

The Church’s year is drawing to a close: in a few weeks we will be thinking very clearly about the end of time – but here we have a preview. The parable of the banquet is a link between the Gospels of recent weeks (which have as their theme: ‘Just who is going to be saved?’) and the looking forward to the end times which will follow. The big danger is complacency: we are baptised, we go to Church, we’ve got our invites to the wedding. But when the big day comes, will we be ready for it? Or will our thoughts be on the other things of life? Jesus speaks of himself as the Bridegroom, and today points out to the chosen people that they are in danger of missing the celebration. Our faith is that the Bridegroom will come again; let us be careful that the same parable is not addressed to us.

First Reading: Isaiah 25:6-10.

Res: In the Lord’s own house shall I dwell for ever and   ever

Second Reading: Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20

Gospel: Matthew 22: 1-14

“He will lease the vineyard to other tenants.”

Today we focus on the vineyard: frequently we see the vineyard as an image or parable of the Kingdom of God. A vineyard takes a great deal of work, throughout the year; it must be tended, watered, pruned, cared for if there is to be any fruit – there are no quick results with vines. So the financial and labour investments made would create high expectations for a good crop. How heartbreaking when the fruit is as sour as vinegar! So it was with God and his people: he invested immense care and love on them, tending then and giving them what they needed – but the fruit was rotten and sour. What can God do? Hand the vineyard over to some tenants who will bring in a harvest. That is us, the new people of Israel: but what sort of harvest will we produce?

First Reading: Isaiah 5:1-7.

Res: The vineyard of the Lord is the House of Israel

Second Reading: Philippians 4:6-9.

Gospel: Matthew 21:33-43

Once a sinner, always a sinner.” That seems to be the attitude of the self-righteous in the first reading and the Gospel; they object that God is unjust, because he gives sinners another chance. But God tells them quite clearly that such attitudes are the real injustice – to allow prejudice and hardness of heart to come between repentance and forgiveness. The words of Christ in the Gospel must have struck a chill into the hard hearts of the so-called righteous chief priests – even today they can make us stop and think: “Prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.” All our outward show matters little, if it does not correspond with what is deep in our hearts; all our words are meaningless, if they do not correspond with the way we live our lives.

First Reading: Ezekiel 18:25-28.

Res: Remember your mercy, Lord

Second Reading: Philippians 2:1-11

Gospel: Matthew 21:28.32