Collect for 21st Sunday of Year A

 

COLLECT SERIES

 

COLLECT

 

The Collect for the 21st Sunday of Year reads as follows:

 

O God, who cause the minds of the faithful to unite in a single purpose,

Grant Your People to love what You command and to desire what You Promise,

That, amid the uncertainties of this world,

our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

 

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

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

 

1.    1.   Is my mind united in the single purpose of God?
2.    What does God command?
3.    Do I truly love what God commands?  What steps will I take this week to improve this love?
4.    What does God promise? 
5.    How passionate am I in desiring what God promises?
6.    What is my response to uncertainty in my life?  How can I strengthen trust in God through uncertainty?
7.    Do I live every day fixed on the goal of Heaven?

 

 GOSPEL REFLECTION

How can we ever thank Christ for these marvellous gifts to his Church, that is, to us?

Today’s Gospel from St. Matthew 16:13-20.  Shows us that Jesus, the true Son of God, became man in order to make all men His brothers and co-heirs with Him, to the divine, eternal kingdom. However, in order to carry on His divine mission on earth (after He had ascended into heaven), He founded the Church on the twelve Apostles. This Church was to be God's new Chosen People (hence perhaps the twelve Apostles take the place of the heads of the twelve tribes of the Chosen People of old). It was to be made up of all races from all parts of the world. As its mission was to bring the message of salvation to all people, it was to continue until the end of time. For this Church,  which was divinely instituted by Jesus Himself, to carry out its mission of helping all  people to reach their eternal kingdom, it was necessary to be sure of the road and the aids offered to its members.

In other words, the Church should be certain that what it told people to believe and to practice was what God wanted them to believe and to practice. Today's reading from St. Matthew tells us how Christ provided for this necessity. In making Peter the head of the Apostolic College, the foundation-stone of his Church, the guarantor of its stability in the symbol of the keys and the promise that all his decisions would be ratified in heaven, Christ gave him the power of freedom from error when officially teaching the universal Church in matters of doctrine and dogma.

In other words, Peter received the primacy in the Church and the gift of infallibility in his official teaching on matters of faith and morals. As the Church was to continue long after Peter had died, it was rightly understood from the beginning that the privileges given to him and which were necessary for the successful mission of the Church, were given to his lawful successors-the Popes.

This has been the constant belief in the Church from its very beginning. The first Vatican Council solemnly defined this dogma and it was reconfirmed recently in the second Vatican Council. In giving these powers to Peter and to his lawful successors Christ was planning for our needs. In order to preserve and safeguard the right conduct of all its members He provided a central seat of authoritative power in His Church. Through the gift of infallibility, He assured us that whatever we were commanded to believe (faith) or to do (morals) would always be what He and his heavenly Father wanted us to believe and to do.

It is important that we understand in what way and circumstances he uses this gift of infallibility. He does not use it of course for the weather or for foretelling what might happen in a month’s time.  Many Christians and some Catholics have an incorrect concept of this dogma.  If that  is you, then why not correct it today.

Do we know our faith and are part of our everyday lives?  If you would like some insight into what the Catholic Church teaches, you may wish to learn it from the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church.  I have a weekly blog series called Compendium Series where I examine one teaching and explore how we might incorporate that teaching into our lives.  Why not check it out?

So, on this Sunday, why not stop and ask ourselves how can we ever thank Christ for these marvellous gifts to his Church, that is, to us? Let us say a fervent: "thank you, Lord; You have foreseen all our needs and provided for them, grant us the grace to do the little part you ask of us in order to continue our progress on the one direct road to heaven."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Collect for 20th Sunday of Year A

 

COLLECT SERIES

 

COLLECT

 

The Collect for the 20th Sunday of Year reads as follows:

 

O God, who have prepared for those who love You

Good things which no eye can see,

Fill our hearts, we pray, with the warmth of Your love,

So that loving You in all things and above all things,

We may attain Your promises, which surpass every human desire.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

 

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

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

1.How would I describe my relationship with God?

2. How would others describe my relationship with God?  Is there any difference? What changes might I make this coming week?

3.What does the love of God mean to me especially the warmth of His love?

4. What priority do I give to God?  Is He no 1? Do I love Him in all things and above all things?

5. What are the priorities I give before God?  Remember these priorities can be good in themselves but are a lesser choice when God is no 1 priority.

6.What are the promises of God? How do I find out about the promises of God?

 

 

GOSPEL REFLECTION

The Gospel is from St. Matthew 15:21-28. In this Gospel Jesus highlights the need to persevere in our prayers of petition. Prayer has many elements to it such as adoration and thanksgiving as well as intercession.  Prayer of Praise and adoration and thanksgiving should be the start of every prayer before we ask for our spiritual and temporal needs, needs which we cannot provide by ourselves. Christ himself has told us to ask Him for these needs: "ask and you shall receive."

When we pray we need to pray with faith as it is essential to the prayer being granted.  It is also important to remember that we may pray incessantly for something and not necessarily receive it exactly as we ask.  We may be tempted to think that Jesus did not answer our prayer but we need to remember that Jesus always answers our prayers in the most loving way for us.  Sometimes when our prayer is not granted in the way we want, we are being saved from a lot of pain. We need to accept as part of our faith in our prayer that Jesus does know what is best for us and will do the most loving thing for us.

We also need to ask with fervour and perseverance. God hears our prayer the first time we ask so it is not like we think God is deaf or He has forgotten about us.  Praying with perseverance helps us build our faith.  Do we ask with the fervour and perseverance which prove that we have "great faith"?

In today’s Gospel, the Canaanite woman gives us an example of that deep-seated faith and trust in Christ's power and Christ's goodness. Even though He seemingly ignored her she continued to beseech Him, and when He answered with what seemed a direct refusal, her faith and trust did not waver. She answered His reason for refusal with another statement which showed that the granting of her petition would not in any way interfere with or impede His primary task, His mission to His father's chosen people. This was the proof of great faith which He required. He granted her request.

When we intercede for ourselves for a particular spiritual or temporal need, our faith must be sincere and we must be unwavering.  Today is also a good reminder to see what we ask of Jesus.  Are our requests always for temporal needs or do we have a good balance between asking for spiritual needs and temporal needs?  You might like to check this over a day/a week and a month to see what we pray for most or what is missing in our intercessory prayer. 

This Gospel invites us to imitate and learn from this pagan mother. Her love for her child made her ready to undergo every hardship or suffering for the restoration to health of her loved one. When we turn to Christ in our needs is our faith in Him as sincere and unwavering as was this woman's? No doubt it often is, and yet we do not get the desired answer. As Christians we know that our particular request may not always be for our good, or for the final good of the person for whom we are praying. In that case, the good God will not grant what would be to our eternal disadvantage. But if our prayer is sincere and persevering, we shall always get an answer, and one which is better than what we asked for.

Perhaps we may go through phases where we wonder at or perhaps doubt God's mercy. We might even say where is God's mercy?  We might even feel like this as we pray for an end to the covid 19 pandemic and yet, see the numbers each day on the TV.  Where is His answer to these sincere prayers?

In this time of doubt or wonder, we must continue to pray and persevere. We may even tell God about our doubt and wonder.  However, when we realise this situation, we may wish to acknowledge it and ask in prayer ‘help our unbelief’. 

 

We do not understand the ways of God, but we know in faith that God loves us.  God will bring good out of any situation. We need to pray with trust and with faith and never give up hope. Sometimes this can be overwhelming for us to continue to pray when we see no result or no result we want.  Can we leave the result up to God and pray with faith and trust and continue to intercede for our world, for others we know in need and for ourselves for our spiritual and temporal needs?

It is only when we get to heaven - and getting to heaven is our purpose in life - that we shall see how our prayers, sincere and persevering, were answered by God.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the Feast of the Assumption

 What is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary?
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This day of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary means that Mary was assumed (taken up) into Heaven body and soul.  It is so important for the Church that it is a holy day of obligation, that is, a day on which the whole church comes together in offering the Mass. Even when the feast falls on a weekday, the feast is still a holy day of obligation, and Catholics are required to make the effort to attend Mass on this feast.

In Australia, there are only two holy day of obligations, the assumption being one of them and the other Christmas Day.

 WHAT HAPPENS TO THIS FEAST DURING PANDEMIC IN 2020

However, in 2020, because of the pandemic and the closures of the church, the holy day of obligation is waived for those countries where Mass is unable to be celebrated publicly For those countries who have returned to public Masses, the holy day of obligation is in place.  Hopefully it will encourage all Catholics in those countries to attend Mass not only because of the feast and its obligation but in solidarity for other Catholics world wide who cannot attend a  public Mass.

 Because of the significance of the Feast, Catholics should make the effort whether it be publicly or through live streaming to attend Mass on this day.

 

 WHY IS THIS FEAST IMPORTANT.

Why is this feast so important?  This feast:

1.            Is celebrated in the Church because it recognizes the greatest honour that belongs to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and mother of God to be the perfect disciple of Jesus and the most perfect fulfillment of His work of salvation.

2.            Has its primary focus on Mary, rather than a secondary one. In other feasts of Mary, the focus is primarily focus on Jesus first and then Mary.

3.            Teaches us that 'it is greater thing that Mary be the Lord's disciple than His mother'. We honour hat greatness of Mary as we recognize the full outcome of being the disciple of Jesus: entry into eternal life of the blessed, in the company of all the saints, in the vision of the eternal goodness and beauty of God.

4.            Helps us to look forward in faith to the resurrection of the body, in the hope of which we bring all those who have died to the Catholic funeral rites.

The Second Vatican Council, in the Constitution on the Church, reaffirmed the article of faith that 'having completed the course of her early life, Mary was assumed in body and soul to heavenly glory’. In this document Lumen Gentium, the Second Vatican Council reiterated the words of Pope Pius X11 in defining this doctrine as a divinely revealed dogma in 1950.

 

The document also gave this further explanation about this feast. It says

 

'In the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she exists without spot or wrinkle, and further in the bodily  and spiritual glory which she possesses in heaven, the mother of Jesus continues in this present world as the image and first flowering of the Church as it is to be perfected in the world to come.  Likewise Mary shines forth until the day the Lord shall come as a sign of sure hope and comfort for the pilgrim People of God.' (Lumen Gentium 59,65,68)

 

So these are a few thoughts about this feast of the Assumption.  As you attend Mass today, you may reflect further on this feast and what it means to you.

 HOW ELSE CAN i CELEBRATE THIS FEAST.

Of course, you also have the opportunity to reflect on this Feast when you recite the Glorious mysteries of the Rosary- the Fourth decade is of course The Assumption of Our Lady.  On this feast of Our Lady, why not at least say one decade of the Rosary if you cannot manage to say 5 decades.

Consider your relationship with Mary.  Catholics do not worship Mary.  They honour her but do not worship or adore her because worship and adoration is only meant for God alone.

However, Catholics can honour her because she is the mother of Jesus and is our spiritual mother since Jesus gave us Mary just before He died on Calvary.  ' Woman behold your Son' and behold your Mother'.
The scripture says that John the beloved disciple took Mary into her home from that moment on. 

It is fitting that Mary who was sinless from the time of her conception was taken up body and soul into heaven and crowned Queen of Heaven and earth. We reflect on this mystery when we recite the 5th Glorious mystery of the Rosary.  Mary had to be sinless if she was to carry Jesus, the Son of God in her womb and give birth to Him.  She had to be sinless for her to be able to mother Him on earth until the crucifixion and it is fitting therefore that as the first disciple she is taken up body and soul. She was sinless on earth so it stand to reason that taking her up to Heaven body and soul.  

 

God's Perfect Love

 REFLECTION AND PRAYER SERIES.

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 Scripture reflection is 

 

''There is no fear in love. But perfect loved drives out fear”’   
(I John 4: 18)

 

Christ The Redeemer.

 

 

My post is called:

 

God’s Perfect Love.

 

Lord, I fear only when I forget Your providence and Your promises.

 Let me live every day mindful of all

Your have done for me in the past

and hopeful of all You will do in days to come.

 

 

No 121. What happened in the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane?

 

COMPENDIUM SERIES

JESUS THE TEACHER:  Compendium Series Icon.

 

 

No 121.   What happened in the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane? (CCC 612
 

WHAT DOES THE COMPENDIUM SAY?

Compendium states:

Despite the horror which death represented for the sacred humanity of Jesus “who is the Author of Life (Acts 3:15), the human will of the Son of God remained faithful to the will of God the Father for our salvation.   Jesus accepted the duty to carry our sins in His body ‘becoming obedient until death (Philippians 2:8).’

 

What does this mean for me?

1.    I can contemplate the horror of what Jesus experienced in the Agony of the Garden and His death whilst reciting the sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary.   I can take the opportunity to really connect with the suffering of Jesus during this time.

2.    I can thank God daily that Jesus chose to be obedient to His Father and suffer and died for me so that I can have salvation.

3.    I can ponder on what the suffering and death of Jesus means to me in relation to my thoughts/desire for salvation.

 

Questions to consider.

1.    What does the salvation of my soul mean to me and how does that make any difference to the way I live my life daily?

2.    How can I offer up my sufferings/ annoyances, inconveniences or pain so that they may have a redemptive quality to them?

3.    If Jesus as Son of God was obedient to His Father by suffering, dying and rising again, what response might I have towards God as Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit?

 

 

 

 

 

Collect for 19th Sunday of Year.

 

COLLECT SERIES

 

COLLECT

 

The Collect for the 19th Sunday of Year reads as follows:

 

Almighty ever-living God,

Whom, taught by the Holy Spirit, we dare to call Our Father,

Bring, we pray, to perfection in our hearts

the spirit of adoption as Your sons and daughters,

That we may merit into the inheritance which You have promised.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son,

who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,

one God for ever and ever.

 

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

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

1.    What is my relationship with God Our Father? 

2.    What is my relationship with Holy Spirit?

3.    How do I acknowledge in my daily life that I am a son/daughter of God? 

4.    How am I preparing to receive my inheritance in Heaven? 

5.    If my focus has been on myself rather than God,  what decision will I make and what steps will I put into place to change that focus this coming week? 

6.    Examine my spiritual life- take a stock take in my prayer life, my attitude towards God i.e. Is God no 1 in my life, my top priority or is He not even on my list in my life, my reception of the Sacraments, knowledge of my faith and my commitment to share my faith with others.  What do you discover and what needs to change? Develop an action plan.

GOSPEL REFLECTION

Today’s Gospel takes place on the sea of Galilee.  It is important to take into consideration that the disciples were fishermen so were well acquainted with the water. The other point to remember about the sea of Galilee is that it can be calm but it can become stormy quickly.  However, Jesus did not send the disciples out on a stormy sea. It was calm at the beginning of the story.

The first part of the Gospel shows us that Jesus, as a human being felt the need to pray, to be alone and be with His Father to pray.  When we hear this part of the Gospel, what is our reaction?  Do we sit up and take notice, even though we are standing?  Does Jesus ask us what is our relationship with Him, with Our Father and how we communicate with Him in prayer?  Is prayer a daily occurrence in our lives or something we do only when we are afraid or in need?  It also shows us the importance of being alone with God.  Community prayer through the Sacraments is necessary and important but we need to develop our own relationship with God through prayer, through being faithful to a time, a place to be alone with Him. 

 

The second part of the story highlights our need to trust.  Peter believed in Jesus and when he trusted Jesus and looked straight at Him, whilst he walked on water, he did not sink. When he looked down and took his focus from Jesus, he lost faith, lost his trust and panicked.  So what happens when we trust Jesus and keep our focus on Him? Do we do more through His grace than we expect is possible?  What happens when the focus is removed from Jesus and we focus on ourselves?  What happens when we no longer trust Jesus and try to live our lvies in our own strength?

 

In this time of pandemic, we may wish to reflect on our world.  Many people have turned their back on Jesus or worse still, thumbed their noses at Him, living lives with every known sin possible. As Catholics, we may not have thumbed our noses at Jesus blatantly, but we may have become lukewarm, tepid or taken Jesus for granted.

 

Now is the time to review our lives and put Jesus as no 1.  If He is not no 1, turn to Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  Do not worry how many years it might have been, even if it is since the ice age since you last received the Sacrament.  Make an appointment to talk to a good holy priest and he will help you turn back to Jesus.

Take a stocktake of our spiritual lives.  Consider our prayer lives.  Turn to Mary our spiritual mother and ask her intercession.  If you have not prayed the rosary in years, find a pair of rosary Beads and make a start.  If you find 5 decades too much at first, start with reciting one decade well prayed.  Then be faithful to that one decade and ask Mary to help you in your spiritual life.

 

On a personal note, I have to say that as a regular cradle catholic, most people would think my spiritual life was fine.  However, it was not.  When I took a stock take during the first lock down, I realised where the gaps were  my spiritual life. I realised that Jesus had slipped from first priority and I was no longer on fire for the Lord.

I know many people have suffered considerably through this pandemic in many ways. I have as well, but I have to say it has been a time of true blessing for me spiritually.  I took the stocktake and decided to take action. Attending Mass online has been a true blessing for me because although I have not been able to receive Jesus sacramentally, I have been able to receive Him spiritually and this time of pandemic and not being able to receive Jesus has given me a fresh hunger for Jesus. It has also brought me closer to understanding and appreciating the Mass more.  My attitude is one of attending Mass online not watching Mass online.  Attending Mass means truly active and present whereas watching can become a passive activity and not really a praying moment. There have also been many other wonderful changes too.  I could share with you all these changes.

However, if we consider today’s Gospel, it invites us to trust Jesus, to let us know that we can do impossible things if we keep our focus on Him and when we fail and take our eyes from Him, we can call out to Him who is always there to take our hand and help us up.

Who will I choose this coming week as my no 1 priority?

Will I turn to Jesus and ask Him to come into all areas of my life?

Will I trust Jesus this coming week?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God's Grace

 

REFLECTION AND PRAYER SERIES.

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 Scripture reflection is 

 

''God is able to make all grace abound to you”’   
2 Corinthians 9:5)

 

Christ The Redeemer.

 

 

My post is called:

 

God’s Grace.

 

Nothing of the word can ease

My emptiness or give me  peace.

Only You, Lord, can replace

Life’s barrenness with warmth and grace.

 

11th Promise: Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

 PROMISES OF THE SACRED HEART

 

In this series called Promises of the Sacred Heart, which I began in January 2019, there will be posts on the Promises of the Sacred Heart on each First Friday. However,  I was unable to complete the series last year in November and December since I was in hospital.  

I wish to complete the series over the next 2 first Fridays as I am up to 11^th Promise on this first Friday in August. You may wish to check out previous posts in the series under the Category Promises of the Sacred Heart.

 

When I commenced the series I suggested:

 There are 12 months to the year and 12 promises.  Why not join me in praying for each promise to made manifest in our lives during 2019. Apart from our own personal needs, there are many needs- The Church itself, our own parishes, families, friends, people in the world we do not know but need our prayer and so on.  We could take a different need/ group each day in the month as we consider the promise.  You may be able to do this in your family or parish too.  If you do not wish to focus on the promise every day, then why not choose to focus on it on Fridays of the Year.  Whatever you decide, choose something that works for you.

  

As I recommence this series on this first Friday in August 2020, let us consider the 11^th Promise:

 

 

DEVOTION OF THE SACRED HEART.

 

THE PROMISES OF OUR LORD.

"I promise you, in the excessive mercy of my heart that my all-powerful love will grant to all those who receive Holy Communion on the First Friday for nine consecutive months, the grace of final repentance; they shall not die in my disgrace nor without receiving the sacraments; my divine Heart shall be their safe refuge in that last moment." 

 

 

11th Promise: Those who propagate this devotion shall have their name written in My Heart, and it shall never be effaced.

 

When we consider this 11^th Promise, Jesus is calling us to action.  Obviously, we must love Jesus first with our heart and soul and mind and strength (to the best of our ability). However, our Catholic faith is not only private experience between God and myself. It is also community based since humanity is a social being.

 

Consider for a moment something natural that you love in your life.  It might be your spouse, your boyfriend/girlfriend or some special activity such as a hobby you like to talk about with others. You share your experience of ‘love’ with others. Perhaps your spouse gave you an unexpected gift which helped you to appreciate Him/her even more.  In some cases, you might even fall in love all over again. Perhaps you have taken up a new hobby and you are so excited about it that you just have to share this news with your friends, family, parishioners, work colleagues and so forth.

 

How passionate are we when it comes to making God known, to spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ with family, friends, parishioners, work colleagues and other people whom we meet. Many Catholics shy away from sharing their faith with others thinking that is a personal relationship or that they have nothing to offer or that people may think they have some mental illness or people might think they are holy. So many Catholics sadly stay quiet.

 

The challenge of the 11^th promise to propagate this devotion comes with the guarantee from Jesus of the reward He will provide. If we truly love Jesus, then surely, we will want to share Jesus with other people and help other people know the love He has for them. It is out of love that Jesus has for us that we want to share the Good News.  It should not be out of our love for Jesus foremost in our minds.

How much does Jesus love you? 

Enough to:
1. Come down from Heaven and become one of us.

2. Lve on this earth 33 years, experiencing all the difficulties and trials and joys too we do in our daily lives but is without sin, For example did you ever think of Jesus learning carpentry from Joseph, His foster father?

3. Leave us with the Eucharist- His very body and blood so that we can receive Him every day at Mass.

4. Suffered the worst possible death available at the time by crucifixion

5. Rose from the dead so that the gates of Heaven could be reopened and then if that was not enough,

6. He ascended into Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to be our constant guide and friend so that we are never alone.

 

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

1.    Bring the family together for a meeting in how each individual and as a family may put this into practical application for this month. Obviously, the discussion needs to be age appropriate Consider what family members might say/feel so that you, as the driver for the discussion can ensure the emotional and spiritual safety of the family when having this discussion.

2.    Ask the Holy Spirit to show you ways that you can fulfil this promise during this month.

3.    Remember to get each member to be specific so that the process of practical application is viable and able to be managed.

4.    Think about how you might apply this promise not only In your own life and family but in your parish and extended world.

5.    If you live alone, then you can reflect on it yourself first and decide on how you may carry out/live the promise during the month. Discuss it too with Jesus. He wants to know how you feel about this promise.  There may be opportunities during the month to discuss it with other people in your life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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