Opening Prayer Series: Fifth Sunday of the Year

OPENING PRAYER SERIES.

The Opening Prayer of the Mass for the Fifth Sunday of the Year reads as follows:

THE MASS: OPENING PRAYER SERIES ICON.

Let us pray

(that God will watch over us and protect us)

Father,

watch over Your family,

and keep us safe in your care,

for all our hope is in You

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

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

1. What does it mean for you for God to watch over you? 
2. What does God's protection mean for you?
3. Name the obstacles that prevent you from remaining safe in God's care?
4. What does placing all our hope in God mean for you this week?
5. Each time a burden, worry and anxiety comes your way during this week, focus and place them in God's hands. Reread the Opening Prayer making it personal and/or think of the words 
6. (a) God watches over me; (b)God keeps me safe in His care; (c) all my hope is in my God
7. How might I express my gratitude to God for His loving protection?

God is our Creator who loves us. He created us in His image and likeness. Let us savour God watching over us, protecting us and keeping us safe as we place all our hope in Him.

May our hearts sing during this week with the psalmist:

" Keep me safe O God, You are my hope"

Enter the Light

 Reflection and Prayer.

Light of Christ :Reflection and Prayer Series Icon.

My reflection and prayer series is about sharing reflections and Prayers which have impacted upon me and have provided food for thought. II hope that they will also nurture your soul and spirit. I acknowledge the author when it is known, whilst others I am unaware of the author.

If you missed the previous posts in this series, why not take a look.

My third post in this series is called: 

ENTER THE LIGHT

'Come out of the shadows,

away from the night'

Is the Saviour's invitation.

'Be Done with the darkness,

enter the light

Of the Son and His Salvation'

'Come near to God and He will come near to you’ (James 4:8)

Lent is around the corner

Lent is around the corner THINKING ABOUT LENT. 

Lent.. already. You might be thinking. can’t think about that just yet... everyone has their own need.

Lent over the years for me have been varied- some have wonderful Lents, some real shockers- they did not happen at all...and of course a mixed Lent with some progress. Inevitably, I start well with great ideas and by the time we have completed Ash Wed, Thurs, Fri and Sat of that first incomplete week, I feel that Lent has been a long time. I always seem to fall into a slump in week 3 and 4 and then I get moving again for week 5 and Holy week.

So, what makes my Lent effective or a disaster?  I have discovered it is all in the planning and the preparation.

This year my focus image is one of a journey- a Lenten vacation with the Lord. I am reflecting on

1.   What do I need to do for this journey?

2.   Where is my destination?

THE JOURNEY

My journey plans so far include:

1.   1. Decide on the destination: what do I want to achieve throughout this Lent? What grace does God want to give me during this Lent? Brainstorm and make notes of what the Holy Spirit may be suggesting. Giving myself time before Lent begins allows for some fine tuning.
2.    Prepare with enthusiasm:  This is my spiritual journey, my Lenten vacation- a holiday with the Lord. Enthusiasm is the key to unlocking my venue- I want the Lord to come and knock at my door.
3.    Pack the bags- what do I need for the journey/holiday? Pack the spiritual bags- travel light for the journey. What are the ways I might fulfil prayer-fasting and alms giving during Lent?
4.     Prepare the itinerary: Having a plan provides a focus as a starting point even if I change it during the journey and visit other places on different days. Leave room for the Holy Spirit to be your guide.
5.    Review your plan: Does your Lenten plan match your personality? My disastrous Lents have been ones which did not have enough variety, since my personality thrives when there is a good balance between variety and focus. 
 
6.    Experiment: Having a dry run on one or two of my Lenten ideas before Lent begins provides me with more information about myself and how  my Lenten ideas may be effective- how might I resist that temptation- how am I going to deal with that situation? 

Whether planning for Lent is your style or not, I hope that your Lenten journey is enriching.

Imagine- The Year of the Priest

THE YEAR OF THE PRIEST.

THE MASS: THE YEAR OF THE PRIEST ICON.

Welcome to my fourth post on 'The Year of the Priest' Series. Each week until end of June 2010, this series will provide food for thought on the Year of the Priest’, examine how we, as laity, can appreciate the gift of Priesthood in the Sacrament of Holy Orders, and encourage our priests in this special year. If you missed my last three posts on this series, why not take a look.

I wish to focus our attention on how we might actively help our priests. I will use the acrostic form P-R-I-E-S-T

 PRAY...REFLECT...IMAGINE...ESTEEM...SUPPORT ...THANK  

Last week I wrote about REFLECT 

 Let us continue with IMAGINE.  

IMAGINE

Imagine having to plan a Sunday liturgy that would not use a priest. What would you do? Would you: 

• attend and yearn for the Mass
• stay at home and have a sleep in.
• say some extra prayers or none at all
•  read the bible readings of the day or read a good novel that you have been wanting to read
• watch a religious programme or have a festive meal. 

 Even if you attended for one Sunday, would you attend a Sunday liturgy without a priest, week in and week out? 

To develop a higher appreciation of our clergy, try to imagine how well we would manage without them?  

We might even imagine that we would be better off without our priest's homilies. How many times have you or other parishioners joked or made some comment about the homily you heard?

As St Augustine said: 'a good listener never heard a bad sermon'.  All homilies can provide some particles of soul food for those who are really listening.

The parish is not just a place for people to be baptized, married and buried. The highlight of any parish has to be the daily and Sunday Mass celebrated by a priest. 

Eucharistic ministers can distribute communion ONLY as long there are consecrated hosts in the tabernacle.

Without a priest our spirituality would be hampered- there would be no Bread of Life on which to be nourished. There would be no need for a tabernacle in the church and without Jesus, why would there be the need to have his servants in our midst.

Let us PRAY, REFLECT, IMAGINE, ESTEEM, SUPPORT, THANK our priests. 

Our priests need us and we need our priests -

let us be partners in the spiritual journey.

A Saint for our time.

PIER GIORGIO FRASSATI

Pier Giorgio Frassati was put forward during World Youth Day in 2000 and 2008 as a saint and role model for today’s young people.  He was said to be a friend of the poor, in whom he saw Christ.  He combined his love of mountain climbing, music and friends as well as political activism with fervent work for social justice. He lived his short live “to the full”

Pier Giorgio was interested in charity, society and politics, but his sharpest characteristic was that he was a man of prayer.  He developed a deep spiritual live which he never hesitated to share with his friends.  Beneath the smiling and lively exterior of the restless university student was concealed the amazing life of a mystic.  Love for Jesus motivated his actions.  So evident were the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit in Pier Giorgio’s life, that he has come to be known as the man of the eight Beatitudes.  The late Pope John Paul 11 remarked of Pier Giorgio,

“Behold the Man of the eight Beatitudes who bears in himself the grace of the Gospel, the Good News, the joy of salvation offered to us by Christ.”

Pier Giorgio Frassati died on July 4 in the Holy Year of 1925 when he was about to receive his degree in Engineering.  In The Great Jubilee Holy Year 2000, we celebrated the 75th anniversary of his birth into Heaven.  As young people from all over the world gathered in Rome and in Sydney for the World Youth Day Celebrations, the figure of Pier Giorgio was held up as an example and as a special patron for these events.  His body, which is normally kept in his own town of Turin, was specially brought to Rome, and placed in a central church.

In 1981 a remarkable thing happened. His tomb was opened for investigation into his cause for sainthood.  The discovery was that his body had remained incorruptible. 

  Pope John Paul 11 said in Rome in May 1990:

“ He left this world rather young, but he made a mark upon our entire century, and not only on our century, his life, enlivened by the Spirit of God, is transformed into a wonderful adventure”.  He continued

“Have models from whom you are inspired.  I think for instance of Pier Giorgio Frassati, who was a modern young man, open to the value of athletics (he was a valiant mountain climber and skier), but he knew how to give at the same time a courageous testimony of generosity in the faith and in the exercise of charity toward his neighbour, especially toward the poorest and those who suffered.  The Lord called him to Himself at only 24 years of age, but he is still living well in our midst with his smile and his goodness to invite his contemporaries to the love of Christ and the virtuous life.”

The Eucharist and the Blessed Virgin were the two poles of his world of prayer.  He assisted at Mass and communion daily, often serving Mass and making a lengthy thanksgiving afterward.  He felt a strong, mysterious urge to be near the Blessed Sacrament and would often spend hours at night on his knees in profound prayer.  He always encouraged his friends to pray and influenced other students to make the annual university retreat given by the Jesuits.

Throughout the world, the Frasati Society has been established.  I know that in my own parish after WYD in 2008, the Frasati Circle was formed and has continued since that time.

How am I known to others?  Would I be known as a person of the 8 beatitudes?  Do I know what are  the spiritual poles of my life?  God is always ready to assist us in the way we need most. 

May God strengthen your spiritual poles of your life and may you continue to be an example to others.

The Virtue Series: Wisdom Part 1

The Virtue Series: Wisdom Part 1 THE GETTING OF WISDOM

In the last three posts in this Virtue Series, my focus has been to address the issue of explaining the virtues.

In the following posts, I will explore each of the 4 cardinal virtues individually-Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Self-Control and also the Theological Virtues- Faith, Hope and Love.

CARDINAL VIRTUE OF WISDOM

According to Josef Pieper in 'The Four Cardinal Virtues", the virtue of Wisdom is the 'perfected ability to make the right decisions' (p.6).   

It is a crucial gift since our eternal destiny is contingent upon how we use our freedom.  The power of self-determination, to freely choose who we are and who we will become is a gift from God.  It is not only a gift, which gives us a freedom, because it loosens us from the slavery of animal instincts, but it is also a responsibility, as it requires us to be accountable for our actions.  We are free to make our own decisions on who we are to become and on our actions. 

WISDOM IN SCRIPTURE

Wisdom is the virtue that helps us choose the ways and means of achieving our good.  Wisdom is concerned with the means to our end. The following scripture passages discuss God's judgement of our works and the reward we will gain for them.  We need to know what good we must do to inherit eternal life, and how to apply Christian principles to our lives.

·                     Matthew 16:24-27: We will be judged based upon our works. We need wisdom to do what is right.

·                     Matthew 25:31-46: We will be judged on how well we treated others and whether we performed works of mercy as if for the Lord Himself.

·                     Romans 14:10-12: We will each give an account of our lives to God.

·                     2 Corinthians 5:10: We will each receive good or evil according to what we have done in this life. 

The virtue of wisdom is therefore the cornerstone of the other virtues, and helps lead us to heaven.

HOW TO GAIN WISDOM

Scripture instructs us that we are to gain wisdom by:

1.            Asking God in prayer for the increase of the gift of wisdom ( James 1:5 and Proverbs 2:3-5))

2.            Fearing the Lord since it is the beginning of wisdom. (Proverbs 1:7)

3.            Loving God wholeheartedly since wisdom is a gift that God freely gives to those who love Him (Sirach 1:10).

So what are the characteristics of someone who has the gift of wisdom?  Do you consider yourself to be wise? You might like to ponder this during the week and evaluate yourself according to the standards set in these scripture passages:

·                     Proverbs 14:8,14-18.

·                     Proverbs 27:12.

May God grant you an increase in the gift of wisdom--the 'perfected ability to make the right decisions' 

May He journey with you as you apply them to your daily life. 

Wisdom is the means to the end- The goal is Heaven.  

                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Scripture Series: The need to Interpret Part 5.

Scripture Series: The need to Interpret Part 5.

THE BIBLE "NEED TO INTERPRET SERIES ICON

‘READING A GOOD TRANSLATION?’

Welcome to my Fifth and final post in a series of 5 on the need to Interpret the Bible.  If you missed the last four posts, check it out in the category of Scripture- the need to interpret. You may also find the posts in the 4-part series Scripture- Bible Reading Methods useful as well.  

In choosing a good translation we need to know something of the science of translation. The translator must make textual and linguistic choices which can affect us.  The translator has a number of problems in relation to the question of text including:

1. No original copies exist (manuscripts)

2. Thousands of copies produced by hand over a period of 1400 years vary.

3. Vast majority from later medieval times are similar, but they differ from earlier era translations.

The reader should also be aware of: -

1. Textual criticism is a science that works with careful controls. The translator has to consider external and internal evidence.  In the Old Testament the quality and age of the manuscripts have to be considered as well as a choice between Hebrew and Greek manuscripts. Sometimes neither the Hebrew nor the Greek makes sense, so conjecture is made. In regard to internal evidence, copyists and authors make mistakes and translators decide which variant is correct, based on a proper analysis of scribal habits and tendencies, their style and vocabulary. The best external evidence combined with the best internal evidence provides a high degree of certainty about the original text.

2. Textual criticism is not an exact science because of too many human variables.

3. There are many versions available, but some have accumulated mistakes over 1000 yrs.

CHOOSING A GOOD TRANSLATION.

So, in choosing a translation keep in mind that there are problems associated with both literal and free translations including:

1. Language and grammar (literal) where the Greek or Hebrew is translated into English in an inappropriate way.

2. English may be ambiguous to the reader as compared to the clear reading of the Greek and Hebrew.

3. A free translation tends to update the language too much, becomes like a commentary and is completed by one translator, which may lead the reader astray.

4.Gender inclusive language might be appropriate in some texts but not in others.

5. Finding appropriate equivalents for weights and money can destroy the true meaning of the parable.

6. Finding appropriate Euphemisms for matters related  to matters of sex and toilet.

7. Vocabulary- finding the right English word that means the same in Hebrew or Greek, does not have foreign connotations to the original language, and takes into account the shades of meaning in the languages.

8. Grammar and Syntax: each language has its own preferred structures as to how words and ideas are related in sentences. This does not necessarily produce idiomatic English.

We must not despair- the Holy Spirit is our guide.