Compendium Series: The mystery of the Father.

46. What did Jesus Christ reveal to us about the mystery of the Father? (CCC 24-242)

Compendium states:

Jesus Christ revealed to us that God is ‘Father” not only insofar as he is created the universe and mankind, but above all because he eternally generated in his bosom the Son who is his Word” the radiance of the glory of God and the very stamp of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3)

What does this mean for me?

1. I can thank Jesus that He revealed to me that God is my Father in Heaven.
2. I can ‘radiate the glory of God’ by my life as I am a child of God.

 Questions to consider:

1. What does it mean to me that God is my Father?
2. How can someone who had an abusive father relate to Father God?
3. How do I radiate the glory of God in my life today?

About the Mass Series: Eucharistic Prayer Part 5

4.  ‘Memorial Prayer-anamnesis’.

The Passover is a feast whose participants make memory, ‘anamnesis’ in Greek of the whole saving and liberating action of God in the historical past.  However, this is not a ‘remembering’ in the usual sense of the word; rather it is a making present, a re-actualizing for ‘today’ of something that occurred in the past.  Therefore the ‘anamnesis’ is the fulfillment of the command received from Christ through the apostles. The Church keeps his memorial by recalling his passion, resurrection and ascension. In other words, by doing what Jesus has done, the church makes living the memory of Christ’s saving deeds, and the fullness and power of the Pascal mystery continues to be present as an on-going reality when the church celebrates the Eucharist.

It is important to realise that this memorial prayer comes straight after the acclamation of faith, and although the wording is different in each of the Eucharistic prayers, the essential elements are embedded there to commemorate the death, resurrection of Jesus and to proclaim his glory.

Eucharistic Prayer 1: ‘Father we celebrate the memory of Christ, Your Son.  We, your people and your ministers recall his passion, his resurrection from the dead, and his ascension into glory’.

Eucharistic Prayer 11: ‘In memory of his death and resurrection, we offer you, Father this life giving bread and saving cup’.

Eucharistic Prayer 111: ‘Father, calling to mind the death Your Son endured for our salvation, his glorious resurrection and ascension into heaven’.

Eucharistic Prayer IV: ‘Father, we now celebrate this memorial of our redemption. We recall Christ’s death, his descent among the dead, his resurrection, and his ascension to your right hand’.

The Mass therefore is rich and gives us much to reflect upon.  
 

So why be bored at Mass?

Opening Prayer Series: Third Sunday of Lent Year A

The Opening Prayer for the Third Sunday of Lent Year A reads as follows:

Let us pray

(for confidence in the love of God 

and the strength to overcome all our weakness)

Father,

You have taught us to overcome our sins

by prayer, fasting and works of mercy, 

When we are discouraged by our weakness, 

give us confidence in Your love. 

In making this prayer tangible for this coming week, the following reflection questions emerged:

1. What place does the love of God have in my life?
2. How will I place more value on the love of God this coming week?
3. What are my weaknesses and what is my plan/strategy to overcome them?
4. How is my Lenten effort of prayer, fasting and works of mercy progressing? Does it need a revamp for the rest of Lent?
5. What value do I put on the sacrament of Reconciliation in my life?
6. Would a regular reception of the sacrament of Reconciliation prevent discouragement from my weakness and give me confidence in God's love?  ( for example: if you are not sure, or receiving the sacrament is not a regular part of your spiritual life, you may wish to try it out regularly for a set period and see for yourself).

Today's Gospel of the Woman at the Well encourages us to think and place God first in our lives. He knows we need the practicalities of life, but when these are in short supply, we must have faith to know that God will supply them for us. In fact God has already prepared an answer to our need, but we must have faith in Him.
It also encourages us to be a channel for others. God can take our little faith and use it to attract others to Him through us if we do our part. The woman at the well, once she was given the gift of faith, told others in her town about it, who also came to see Jesus. Once they saw, they believed not on her own testimony alone, but because their faith had been enlarged.

So what are we waiting for this Lent? Let us make it a habit to trust in God who supplies all our needs, and where we can, share our faith with others. You may be surprised how far your stream of living water ( Holy Spirit) will extend.

1. 
   

Reflection and Prayer Series: A work in progress

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. I hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit.

My post is called:

A WORK IN PROGRESS

We strive to achieve but God says...Learn

We strive to run but God says...Walk

We struggle to do but God says...Be

And trust Me with your destination.

Lord let my prayer always be

not what You will do for me

but what You will make of me

Since You are the potter 

We are the clay

In Your hands, I am a work in progress.

Let us be good students this week with the lesson that God wishes to teach us this coming week.

The Feast of the Annunciation-9 months to Christmas

Today is the feast of the Annunciation, when the Angel Gabriel visited Mary on God's behalf to ask her to be the mother of the Saviour.  We are familiar with the scripture passage and thankfully for us, Mary's yes meant that not only did we have a Saviour, but we also have a spiritual mother.

This feast is important because:

• Mary says yes to God and is an example for all disciples.
• it is a reminder that is 9 months to Christmas- albeit for some of us that is not a positive reminder.
• it is a pausing place in the Lenten calendar when we can relax our Lenten effort for the day.

Perhaps during the day we may wish to pause and say thank you to Mary for her yes to God, since Mary's yes also gives us a spiritual mother. For children(adults) who have had a difficult mother, having a 'real' mother can be inspirational for them.  We can ask Mary to bless our mothers and to encourage us always to say yes to God.

Compendium Series: the mystery of the Trinity.

45. Can the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity be known by the light of human reason alone? (CCC 237)

God has lefts some traces of the trinitarian being in creation and in the Old Testament but his inmost being as the Holy Trinity is a mystery which is inaccessible to reason alone or even to Israel’s faith before the Incarnation of the Son of God and the sending of the Holy Spirit.  The mystery was revealed by Jesus Christ and it is the source of all the other mysteries.

What does this mean for me?

1.     By God’s love I am able to be in relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit through faith.

2.     I can praise God that the mystery of the Trinity was revealed by Jesus.

Questions to consider:

1.     Where are the traces of the Trinitarian being in creation?

2.     Where are the traces of the Trinitarian being in the Old Testament?

3.     What does the sending of the Holy Spirit mean to me in my life?

4.     Why is the Trinity the source of all the other mysteries?

About the Mass Series: Eucharistic Prayer part 4

3. ‘Memorial Acclamations after the Consecration’

Straight after the Consecration, the priest invites us as he says:

‘Let us proclaim the mystery of Faith’.  If a deacon is present, he invites us with these words instead. This phrase was used in the oldest manuscripts of the Roman Canon, but now since Vatican 11, this phrase has been transferred from the words of institution to the invitation calling forth our acclamation.  Its meaning is clarified by our response.  The mystery of faith is the Pascal mystery amongst us, the mystery of Christ dying, rising, and present among his people.   We support one another’s faith in the Pascal mystery, and the acclamation is properly a memorial of the Lord’s suffering and glorification, with an expression of faith in his coming.

Whereas the Latin had only three acclamatory formalae, the English versions present 2 translations of the first Latin acclamation.  With the exception of the first, all four English options remain faithful to the Latin by being addressed to Christ.  Options one and two are based on a formula borrowed from the Syrian rite, and it recalls the death, resurrection and Second Coming of Christ.  The third option almost word by word echoes 1 Corinthians 11:26.  Option four is the only acclamation that does not mention the final coming of Christ.

The memorial acclamation not only helps sustain our attention from the end of the Holy, Holy (Sanctus) to the Great Amen, but also is a manifestation of our active participation in the Eucharistic Prayer.  Sharing in the Eucharist by virtue of our baptismal priesthood, we express and affirm belief that the whole mystery of the Risen Christ is present and active in the celebration of the Mass.               

Prayer Night for WYD

Have you and/or your pilgrim group organized or thought to organize a prayer night in preparation for WYD?
I remember fondly our prayer night where there was

• time for exposition and you could hear a pin drop-such peace!!!
• time for community prayer.
• time for individual reception of the sacrament of reconciliation.
• time for Mass.
• time for a social afterwards
• time for helping eat and buying chocolates to assist the chocolate drive towards WYD.

Bringing your pilgrim group and or interested people together long before the pilgrim begins is vital for pilgrims to be able to get to know each other, leaders to understand pilgrims needs and personalities and for time to pray together, since a group that prays together and for each other and takes the pilgrimage seriously before they leave their own country will bond together in difficulties in a foreign country. 

It is also advantageous at this stage to begin to pray for all the pilgrims in your group as well as be allocated someone in the group to pray for. Each person does not need to know who is praying for them, just that each person is praying in a particular way for someone else in the group.  

Another way of bonding and preparing spiritually is to set aside some time and have a retreat day/w/end.  This gives people time to get to know each other, pray together, share hopes and fears of the pilgrimage and  for leaders to learn to become leaders who lead by listening and understanding.

I hope your spiritual journey so far is progressing towards WYD. I am praying for you.

Gospel of Matthew Series: Selected discussion from Chapters5-7

In this post, I have decided to select some passages from Chapters 5-7 to discuss and illustrate the significance of the sermon on the Mount.

Mt 5: 14-16:

Jesus said to his disciples:

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid. Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a bushel, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

 

This passage is challenging.  When a person feels hesitant about himself/herself or about the Church, it is tempting to retreat to a private world, where his/her faith is his/her business and no one else’s.  It is safer or so it seems.  It is riskier putting the lamp on the lamp stand as it might fall and break.  But the risk has to be taken if the lamp is to give light…. God’s light.  But radiating God’s light is not just an end in itself.  We need to radiate God’s light, so that others may give glory, not to us, but where the glory truly belongs- Your Father who is in Heaven. 

 

Mt 5:17-19:

"Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them.   For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.  Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

  

In the Gospels, Jesus talks about God’s mercy and love.  However, we can tend to forget that He is also a God of justice whose laws we must obey.  God doesn’t want us to follow his commands out of a fear of punishment, or out of a desire to make him happy with us.  The call to obedience goes much deeper.  It has to do with our dignity as the crown of His creation.  God demands our obedience because He has a plan to fulfil, and he has called us to be co-workers with Him in bringing that plan to fruition. 

 

At creation, God told our first parents to ‘fill the earth and subdue it and to have dominion over creation (Gen 1:28).  As heirs of this commission, we are called to make this world – and our heart into a fit dwelling place for the glory of God.  We are called to manifest His character to the world and bring His love into every aspect of life on earth.  The commandments of God are not just chores to which we must diligently apply ourselves.  They are part of our heritage as a royal people (I Peter 2:9)

 

Mt 5: 20-26:

For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.'  But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire.

So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.    Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny".

 

Forgiving and being reconciles with those who have hurt us is probably one the most challenging thing we face in life.  On the one hand, we want to be free of our hurt.  Yet, at the same, time, we feel justified in our anger because we have been wronged.  In many cases, if left to our own resources, we would never be able to bring about true reconciliation. 

 

We need to ask ourselves though, who delights in divisions and broken relationships more than Satan, the ‘accuser of the brethren’ (Rev 12:10). Here, spiritual warfare with Satan can be quite strong.  In his relentless attacks again the people of God, the evil one constantly seeks to accuse us to each other, to remind us of our own and other people’s faults so that we will suspect, blame and accuse them ourselves.  Jesus however, told us to make peace with our accuser (Mt 5:25).

 

We can ‘make peace’ with the devil- and so silence his accusations- by agreeing (to a point) with the thoughts he suggest to us.  When he reminds us of how deeply someone has hurt us, we can say ‘Yes that is true.  I have been deeply hurt.  However, I know the power of the Cross-.  Jesus has forgiven me and has forgiven that person as well.  I have been hurt, but Jesus is my healer and he can restore this relationship.’ 

 

Or when the devil brings up our own sins- either of the distant or the recent past- we can take a similar approach.  ‘ Yes, I have done wrong. You’re right; I’m not worthy of God’s love.  But He loves me anyway and he sent His Son to free me from guilt and condemnation.  Thank God I’ve been forgiven. The evil one when tempting Jesus used Scripture.  We too can use Scripture as our safeguard and strength in his attack against us.

 

The whole truth, therefore, includes not only our sin, but also the blood of Jesus that has overcome sin for everyone.  If we want to experience peace and freedom, we need to start by accepting God’s forgiveness for ourselves on a very personal level, and then it is more possible to forgive others as well.  Each day we must ask the Holy Spirit to help us as we start taking steps to forgiveness.  Even if they are small, Jesus will pour out unexpected blessings on us.

 

Mt 5:43-48:

"You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.   For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect.”

 

Loving one’s enemies can be daunting but Jesus is not telling us to have warm feelings towards everyone who has ever hurt us.  In some cases, that would be truly impossible!  Love is an act of the will, not a matter of emotion.  Loving our enemies is a matter of reigning in our bitter thoughts, refusing to be mastered by resentment, and consciously choosing to offer people goodness and kindness.. It means choosing to pray a blessing on them, especially the right blessing of eternal life with God. 

 

By ourselves, we cannot measure up to Jesus’ call to perfection.  But we are not alone.  Christ is in us, and He is our hope of glory.  Ultimately, the call to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect rests in the hands of God. Only He can bring the changes in our hearts that will enable us to fulfil such a high calling.  Our task is to cooperate with His transforming grace.  Jesus was crucified not only for us, but also for those we resent.  If we ask Him to fill our hearts with His mercy, He will bring us closer to His perfection by empowering us to choose to love and bless at all times.

 

God loves all people.  He wants His gospel to come to each person- even our enemies.  When He set us free from our sins, he commissioned us to bring the Good News of His freedom to others.  Through our decisions to forgive and to love, the Holy Spirit will move freely in his world that so desperately needs him.  The Spirit will enable us to pray for those who have wronged us.

 

Chapter 6:5-15:

"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.   But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.   And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name; Thy kingdom come;       

Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, As we also have forgiven our debtors; And lead us not into temptation, But deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

 

There are many aspects of this passage, but underpinning it all is that Prayer renews.  Deep silence leads to acceptance.  A Person who prays is one who stands with his/her hands open to the world.  He/she knows that God will show Himself in the nature, which surrounds him/her in the people he/she meets, in the situations he/she runs into. He/she trusts that the world holds God’s secret within it, and he/she expects that secret to be shown to him/her. Prayer creates that openness where God can give himself to man/woman.  Indeed, God want to give Himself; He want to surrender himself to the human He has created, He even begs to be admitted into the human heart.

 

This openness however does not simply come of itself.  It requires our confession that we are limited, dependent, weak and even sinful.  Whenever we pray, we profess that we are Not God and we would not want to be, that we have not reached our goal yet, and that we never will reach it in this life, that we must constantly stretch out our hands and wait again for the gift which gives new life. 

 

However, without solitude it is virtually impossible to live a spiritual life.  Solitude begins with a time and place for God, and Him alone.  If we really believe not only that God exists but also that He is actively present in our lives- hearing, teaching and guiding – we need to set aside a time and space to give Him our undivided attention.  Solitude is one the most necessary but also most difficult disciplines for the disciple.

 

Mt 6:24-34:

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon.

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life?  And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?

Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?' or `What shall we drink?' or `What shall we wear?' For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day's own trouble be sufficient for the day.”

 

This is a particularly challenging one for our society today  and it  could benefit from this Scripture passage.  Living tomorrow instead of today is enslaving and more enslaving than our occupations, are our pre-occupations.  To be pre-occupied means to fill our time and place long before we are there.  This is worrying in the most specific sense of the world.  It is a mind filled with ‘what ifs’.  Much of mankind’s suffering is connected with these pre-occupations. Preoccupations can make people feel anxious, fearful, suspicious, greedy, nervous and morose.  This prevents them from feeling a real inner freedom.  Since the person is always preparing for eventualities, they seldom fully trust the moment.  Much human energy is invested in these fearful pre-occupations.

 

Mt 7: 1, 3-5:

“Judge not, that you be not judged.  For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when there is the log in your own eye?   You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.”

 

Jesus warns us that once we begin to play God, we begin to play judge.  When we judge others, we let it be know that we have not even begun to come to grips with sin in our life. Once we begin to see the truth of our own sin, we stop playing God.  Then we can see clearly- clearly enough to forgive.

 

Mt 7: 24,26-27.

"Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock.  And every one who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand; and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it."

 

Jesus is telling us that we must build our lives on and in Him who is the rock, the cornerstone.  The prophet Isaiah also reminds us of the same concept-

‘ therefore thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am laying in Zion for a foundation  a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation:  `He who believes will not be in haste.'(Is 28:16).  I Peter 2:6-10 also is worth noting in this regard.

‘For it stands in scripture: "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and he who believes in him will not be put to shame.  To you therefore who believe, he is precious, but for those who do not believe, "The very stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner, and "A stone that will make men stumble, a rock that will make them fall"; for they stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, and God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. Once you were no people but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy but now you have received mercy.”

 

The rain and the flood always come when we least expect.  It seems so much cheaper and easier to build on the sand. Perhaps we think it is nicer and it is close to the sea, with a superb view.  It would have been so much more costly for his listeners to build up there on a rock and so much harder.  But like them, he tells us that we would still have a house if Jesus Christ is the cornerstone.

 

During this coming week, you may wish to focus your attention on one or more of these scripture passages and work out your action plan that is relevant for your Lenten journey and your life right now.

Next week we will move forward in our discussion of Matthew's Gospel and focus on the next intervening chapters (chapters 8-9) before moving on to the second major central theme in chapter 10.

May your inner work on these chapters sustain you through this coming week.

Opening Prayer Series: Second Sunday of Lent Year A

The Opening Prayer for the Second Sunday of Lent reads as follows:

Let us pray

(for the grace to respond to the Word of God)

God our Father,

help us to hear Your Son,

Enlighten us with Your word, 

that we may find the way to Your glory.

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged.

1. What grace do I need to respond to the Word of God?
2. What hinders me from responding to the Word of God?
3. How can I hear Jesus speak to me this coming week
4. What steps will I take to invite Jesus to speak to me?
5. What hinders me from hearing God's word to me?
6. How will I find the way to Your glory this coming week?
7. What adjustments do I need to make (if any) to my Lenten effort.

Today's Gospel has two aspects to consider as disciples. First we must take up our cross daily and follow Christ, and secondly we receive the glory after the cross has been conquered. We are disciples- and no disciple is greater than His master.  Jesus suffered and died on the cross and on the third day rose from the dead.  However, He gave His disciples hope of future glory in the Transfiguration event.  We too are given hope each time we conquer our cross through the grace of God.  We are given glimpses of future glory in our lives if we become more attuned to them. We need to keep focused on our ultimate goal of Heaven, but be open to transfiguring moments in our lives. These moments give us both light and buoyancy. These moments become a lighthouse for our dark and gray days,beaming light and clarity on the crosses in our lives.

God is always kind and merciful, but we need to place our trust in Him. Let us rejoice today as we hear this gospel again, knowing that Jesus is giving us hope of future glory as we journey and struggle on our way.  

Let us hear the words' Listen to Him' and take them to heart this coming week as we begin week 2 of Lent.

Reflection and Prayer Series: Abide in Me

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. I hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit.

My post is called:

ABIDE IN ME

Lord help me to abide in You, 

casting all my cares on You.

resting as I lean on You 

and trusting in Your love.

As we celebrate the feast of St Joseph, we may wish to pray to him, asking him to show us  how he was able to abide in God and to give us persistence in our learning. 

St Joseph is also known as the patron saint for the dying. We may wish to offer a prayer for all those who are in the twilight moments of their life, asking St Joseph to intercede for them for a happy death. We may wish to pray to St Joseph for a happy death also.

Compendium Series: the central mystery of Christian faith and life

44. What is the central mystery of Christian faith and life? (CCC 232-237)

Compendium states:

The central mystery of Christian faith and life is the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity.  Christians are baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

What does this mean for me?

1 I am grateful for the gift of faith and in faith I believe in the mystery of the Most Blessed Trinity.

2. I am thankful that I am a child of God made possible by Baptism.

Questions to consider:

1. What does my baptism mean to me in my life?
2. What is my relationship with Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
3. How will I celebrate my own baptism anniversary? (visiting the church where I was baptized, or attending a baptism around the anniversary of my own baptism)

 During this time of Lent, we may wish to include a greater understanding of the sacrament of Baptism in our journey towards Holy Week.

About the Mass Series: Eucharistic Prayer Part 3

2. ‘Words of Institution-Consecration’.

Christ is truly present to us in the Mass in at least four ways at Mass. They are:

1. In the Consecrated bread and wine.

2. In the presence of the priest representing Christ in our midst.

3. In the Proclamation of the Scripture.

4.  In the presence of each of us as the congregation.

Each of these 4 ways are important, as they are the means by which Christ nourishes his Church and gives us food for the journey here on earth.  He provides the means for his people. 

When the priest says the words of institution-consecration ‘This is my Body’ and ‘This is my Blood’, the bread and wine are transformed and Christ is truly present, yet under the form of bread and wine.  In other words, we are provided with food for the journey, so that we can be fed, nourished and strengthened by Christ himself. This transformation is a mystery, yet in our beliefs, it is not an optional extra.  It is a core Catholic belief.  Christ is truly present, yet under the form of bread and wine.  

During this crucial part of the Mass   Christ becomes truly present to us.  It is not a symbol or a re- representation of the Last Supper. The bells being rung alert us to the importance of this moment in the Mass.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) says:

‘It is by the conversion of the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood that Christ becomes present in his sacrament.  The Church Fathers strongly affirmed the faith of the Church in the efficacy of the Word of Christ and of the action of the Holy Spirit to bring about this conversion.  St John Chrysostom declares: It is not man that causes the things offered to become the Body and Blood of Christ, but he who was crucified for us, Christ himself.  The priest, in the role of Christ, pronounces these words, but their power and grace are God’s.  This is my body, he says. This word transforms the things offered’. (Para 1375 p. 346)

The Catechism goes on to comment:

‘The Eucharistic presence of Christ begins at the moment of the consecration and endures at long the Eucharistic species subsist.  Christ is present whole and entire in each of the species and whole and entire in each of their parts, in such a way that the breaking of the bread does not divide Christ’. (Para 1377 p.347)

How do we welcome Christ truly present at Mass?   

Gospel of Matthew Series: Expectations of the Disciple towards His neigbour

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW SERIES.

The Bible: Gospel of Matthew Icon.

EXPECTATIONS OF THE DISCIPLE TOWARDS HIS NEIGBOUR.

In chapter 7, the following themes highlight the expectations of the disciple towards his/her neighbour.

The theme are as follows: 

1.     Verses 1-5:  Judgmental Attitude. 

2.     Verses 7-12: (a) Role of the Heavenly Father in Giving and 
 (b) the benefits for the disciple in carrying it out.

3.    Verses 13-14: ‘Enter by the Narrow Gate’

4.    Verses 15-20:  Beware of false prophets and how to discern a
 true disciple.

5.   Jesus is giving us the clues here and helping us to enter by the
 narrow gate.  He wants us to be true disciples and not be led astray by  the world.

6.  Verses 21-23: Our relationship with God must be real, more than just words, but with action also.

7.   Verse 24-27: Relationship between the living God’s Words and  
 the benefits to him.

8.   Verses 28-29: Jesus teaches with authority not like the Scribes
 and Pharisees.

 

In other words, Chapter 7 highlights the fact that Jesus is the truth, not just another prophet. The crowds felt the difference when Jesus spoke to them.  The question we need to reflect upon is Do We?

 

During this first full week of Lent we may wish to reflect on each of this 7 themes- one per day and/or choose which themes directly impact on our lives. Then let us devise our action plan since it is not just hearing the Word but putting it into action that counts.

 

May you have a blessed week.

 

Grief continues but changes

Grief continues but changes

 

It is now 21 months since Dad died today. When I wrote a post about grief around his first anniversary, I posed the question of what does one say to a bereaved person- is what we say something heard so many times before or do we really think carefully of the words and sentiments we express to the bereaved?

 

Today, although I still miss dad and always will, I feel a sense of satisfaction that I have lasted the distance of these 21 months- they have been a turmoil on so many levels, but I have negotiated them with tears at times, with frustration, with peace and with a sense of joy. Now at this juncture, it is a sense of satisfaction because not only have I had to learn new skills and situations, I have survived.

 

What I wish to express in this post is that grief continues but it does change too overtime. There are still moments that we can share with the deceased- after all they are alive in Heaven and I live in hope that one day, I will see dad again there too.   I share my day with dad every day- the good, the bad and the in between- I know he understands.  The bond of the relationship never dies. The grief softens but is still present, but it does change.

 

So for all those who are recently bereaved, take all the time you personally need to grieve. Grief is ongoing but it does change- so hang in there and continue to have your loved one part of your life and conversation.

 

Opening Prayer Series: First Sunday of Lent Year A

Opening Prayer Series:

The Mass: Opening Prayer Series Icon.

 OPENING PRAYER

Opening Prayer Series:

 

The Opening Prayer for the first Sunday of Lent Year A reads as follows:

Let us pray

(that this Lent will help us reproduce in our lives the self-sacrificing love of Christ)

 

Father, through our observance of Lent, 

help us to understand the meaning of Your Son's death and resurrection 

and teach us to reflect it in our lives. 

 

In making this prayer tangible, the following reflection questions emerged:

 

1.            What is the self-sacrificing love of Christ?

2.            How may I be able to reproduce it in my life this coming week?

3.            How does my Lenten observance support this goal of self-sacrifice?

4.            What does Christ's death and resurrection mean to me?

5.            How can I reflect its meaning in my life this coming week?

6.            How have I succeeded in my Lenten commitment so far?
          Have I kept to the commitment I set myself or have I already strayed
          away from what I started?

7.            What alterations do I need to make to my Lenten commitment during
          this week? 

8.            What extra supports do I need to ensure progress during the first full
          week of Lent.

 

On the first Sunday of Lent each year, we are given the Gospel of the temptations of Christ. Each of the temptations invite Jesus to be the false Messiah by being the political Messiah, a powerful ruler and to accept human privileges of power, wealth and glory.  Like Jesus, in his humanity, Satan still tempts us. The temptations have many forms and guises but underneath each of them, their purpose is twofold, that is to provide a short-term gain or attraction since Satan's goal is to lead us away from God.

 

The response of Jesus to Satan also needs to be our own. Jesus chooses complete dependence on God, a recognition that God and his will must always come first, a willingness to obey God at any cost.  In effect Jesus states that nothing- not pleasure, not power, not wealth must ever come between us and saving will of God. Jesus does not fool around with temptation but stamps on it decisively. We too need to stamp decisively on the temptations that come our way so that we remain faithful to God.

 

During this first full week of Lent, let us ask God to be merciful to us and pray that when temptation comes our way, we will call on God to assist us to be strong. Let us stand up to Satan and all his works this week. Let us remember our goal- Heaven.