Mass Reflection: Sunday - 30th March 2025

 

1 SM 16:1B, 6-7, 10-13A; PS 23: 1-3A, 3B-4, 5, 6; EPH 5:8-14; JN 8:12; JN 9:1-41

For too many of us, Lent is a season of doom and gloom, a time to feel bad about all the ways we are not “measuring up” in our spiritual lives. But this view could not be further from the truth. Lent is a season of refreshment and love, of awakening and rebirth.

In fact, the word “lent” comes from the Old English word, “lencten,” which means spring. Lent is intended to be a springtime for us in our spiritual lives where all can become new again.

St. Paul tells us in the Second Reading today, “Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ.”

The Gospel Reading, too, is filled with this theme of awakening and the extravagant, life-changing love that the Father has for each one of us; it is the well-known parable of the Prodigal Son.

We are all familiar with this amazing story — the bratty younger son who has the audacity to ask his dad for his inheritance early, only to squander it sinfully away. It makes us bristle instinctively at his nerve when we read it. But isn’t that exactly what we do when we selfishly turn away from God (in big or small ways) in our own lives? We squander away the inheritance of grace He has given us.

In desperation from the mess he had made of his life, the son finally “comes to his senses”—awakening to the truth that he is a beloved son of a loving and merciful father and decides to return home. His contrition is faltering and imperfect and seems motivated in large part by his growling stomach.

But it was enough for the loving father. “While still a long way off, the father caught sight of him.” The son was still a long way off from a deep understanding of what he had lost and what he was about to gain. But that small and imperfect openness to the father’s love was enough. In fact, the father is “filled with compassion for him” and immediately sets about preparing feast and fine clothes for this son. What an extravagance of love! What a beautiful picture Jesus gives us of our Father’s love and mercy.

Oh, how this should fill us with gratitude for such a Father! Be refreshed in this love. We are new creations thanks to this reconciling love.

And what comfort this passage gives to those of us who watch with sorrowful hearts for a return to faith for own “prodigal” loved ones. Our Father is watching and waiting for their return to Him even more eagerly and patiently than we are.

We owe God everything! But let’s start by giving him one little thing. Take even a faltering step closer to Him — go to confession, join in the Stations of the Cross, call a family member or friend you are at odds with and try to reconcile. With just the tiniest bit of spiritual “spring cleaning” we can be sure we will be swept up in our Father’s loving embrace and find ourselves feasting in His presence. That is what lent is all about.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 30th March 2025

First reading
Joshua 5:9-12
The Israelites celebrate their first Passover in the Promised Land

    The Lord said to Joshua, ‘Today I have taken the shame of Egypt away from you.’ 

    The Israelites pitched their camp at Gilgal and kept the Passover there on the fourteenth day of the month, at evening in the plain of Jericho. On the morrow of the Passover they tasted the produce of that country, unleavened bread and roasted ears of corn, that same day. From that time, from their first eating of the produce of that country, the manna stopped falling. And having manna no longer, the Israelites fed from that year onwards on what the land of Canaan yielded.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 33(34):2-7

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

I will bless the Lord at all times,
    his praise always on my lips;
in the Lord my soul shall make its boast.
    The humble shall hear and be glad.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Glorify the Lord with me.
    Together let us praise his name.
I sought the Lord and he answered me;
    from all my terrors he set me free.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

Look towards him and be radiant;
    let your faces not be abashed.
This poor man called, the Lord heard him
    and rescued him from all his distress.

Taste and see that the Lord is good.

________

Second reading
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
God reconciled himself to us through Christ

    For anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Lk15:18

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

I will leave this place and go to my father and say:
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.’

Praise and honour to you, Lord Jesus!

________

Gospel
Luke 15:1-3,11-32
The prodigal son

    The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and the scribes complained. ‘This man’ they said ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them:

    ‘A man had two sons. The younger said to his father, “Father, let me have the share of the estate that would come to me.” So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

    ‘When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch, so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled his belly with the husks the pigs were eating but no one offered him anything. Then he came to his senses and said, “How many of my father’s paid servants have more food than they want, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your paid servants.” So he left the place and went back to his father.

    ‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him tenderly. Then his son said, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening, and kill it; we are going to have a feast, a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found.” And they began to celebrate.

    ‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. “Your brother has come” replied the servant “and your father has killed the calf we had fattened because he has got him back safe and sound.” He was angry then and refused to go in, and his father came out to plead with him; but he answered his father, “Look, all these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed your orders, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women – you kill the calf we had been fattening.”

    ‘The father said, “My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.”’

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reading: Sunday - 23rd March 2025

First reading
Exodus 3:1-8,13-15
'I AM has sent me to you'

    Moses was looking after the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law priest of Midian. He led his flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in the shape of a flame of fire, coming from the middle of a bush. Moses looked; there was the bush blazing but it was not being burnt up. ‘I must go and look at this strange sight,’ Moses said, ‘and see why the bush is not burnt.’ Now the Lord saw him go forward to look, and God called to him from the middle of the bush. ‘Moses, Moses!’ he said. ‘Here I am,’ Moses answered. ‘Come no nearer,’ he said. ‘Take off your shoes, for the place on which you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,’ he said, ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.’ At this Moses covered his face, afraid to look at God.

    And the Lord said, ‘I have seen the miserable state of my people in Egypt. I have heard their appeal to be free of their slave-drivers. Yes, I am well aware of their sufferings. I mean to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians and bring them up out of that land to a land rich and broad, a land where milk and honey flow, the home of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites.’

    Then Moses said to God, ‘I am to go, then, to the sons of Israel and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you.” But if they ask me what his name is, what am I to tell them?’ And God said to Moses, ‘I Am who I Am. This’ he added ‘is what you must say to the sons of Israel: “I Am has sent me to you.”’ And God also said to Moses, ‘You are to say to the sons of Israel: “The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.” This is my name for all time; by this name I shall be invoked for all generations to come.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 102(103):1-4,6-8,11

The Lord is compassion and love.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord
    all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
    and never forget all his blessings.

The Lord is compassion and love.

It is he who forgives all your guilt,
    who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
    who crowns you with love and compassion,

The Lord is compassion and love.

The Lord does deeds of justice,
    gives judgement for all who are oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses
    and his deeds to Israel’s sons.

The Lord is compassion and love.

The Lord is compassion and love,
    slow to anger and rich in mercy.
For as the heavens are high above the earth
    so strong is his love for those who fear him.

The Lord is compassion and love.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 10:1-6,10-12
The life of the people under Moses in the desert was written down to be a lesson for us

    I want to remind you, brothers, how our fathers were all guided by a cloud above them and how they all passed through the sea. They were all baptised into Moses in this cloud and in this sea; all ate the same spiritual food and all drank the same spiritual drink, since they all drank from the spiritual rock that followed them as they went, and that rock was Christ. In spite of this, most of them failed to please God and their corpses littered the desert.

    These things all happened as warnings for us, not to have the wicked lusts for forbidden things that they had. You must never complain: some of them did, and they were killed by the Destroyer.

    All this happened to them as a warning, and it was written down to be a lesson for us who are living at the end of the age. The man who thinks he is safe must be careful that he does not fall.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt4:17

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is close at hand.

Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God!

________

Gospel
Luke 13:1-9
'Leave the fig tree one more year'

    Some people arrived and told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with that of their sacrifices. At this he said to them, ‘Do you suppose these Galileans who suffered like that were greater sinners than any other Galileans? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did. Or those eighteen on whom the tower at Siloam fell and killed them? Do you suppose that they were more guilty than all the other people living in Jerusalem? They were not, I tell you. No; but unless you repent you will all perish as they did.’

    He told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came looking for fruit on it but found none. He said to the man who looked after the vineyard, “Look here, for three years now I have been coming to look for fruit on this fig tree and finding none. Cut it down: why should it be taking up the ground?” “Sir,” the man replied “leave it one more year and give me time to dig round it and manure it: it may bear fruit next year; if not, then you can cut it down.”’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 23rd March 2025

 

EX: 3:1-8A, 13.15; PS 103: 1-4, 6-8, 11; 1 COR 10:1-6, 10-12, 

LK 13:1-9

Today’s readings capture the essence of God’s Lenten message to us, His people, offering words of compassion and mercy as well as warning of the need to repent and make the most of the gift of time He has given us.

The First Reading, from Exodus, recounts Moses’ first encounter with the living God who provides reassurance of His nearness to the people in their suffering and tells of His desire to deliver them from slavery into freedom and fullness of life. He tells Moses, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore, I have come down to rescue them… and lead them… into a land flowing with milk and honey.” This compassionate God goes even farther, revealing His name to the people as a sign of intimacy with them and telling them, “This is my name forever; thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”

Our Second Reading, from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians, reminds us that God, though full of mercy and compassion, is also just, and that there will be consequences for our behavior. He admonishes us, “whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.”

Today’s Gospel passage includes the familiar parable of the unfruitful fig tree. It is preceded by an interesting dialogue between Jesus and some people reporting the news of the day, asking for His “take” on the matter. They tell Jesus about a bloody massacre that some Galileans had suffered at the hands of Pilate. They expected Him to confirm their view that the Galileans had done something to deserve such a death. But Jesus defies their expectation, telling them that the people who died such an awful death were no more sinful than they themselves are. He goes on to say the same of another recent event in which a group of people had been killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them. They, too, Jesus says, were no more sinful than anyone else. They were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when tragedy struck.

The point He is making is that life is precious and the gift of time on this earth is just that — a gift. None of us knows how much time will be granted to us, so we must use this gift intentionally to glorify God and serve our neighbor.

Jesus offers the parable of the fig tree to further illustrate this truth. The owner of the orchard came searching for fruit on a fig tree he had planted in his orchard. Finding no fruit on the tree after three years, he told the gardener to cut it down. But the gardener intercedes and asks for one more year to cultivate and fertilize the tree in hopes it would bear fruit in the future. The fig tree was not dying; it simply wasn’t doing much of anything at all. Can this be said of us and our lives as well?

The season of Lent is a time to reflect carefully on the way we spend our time. Do we give first priority to God, tending to our spiritual growth and sacramental life with diligence? Do we give next priority to our loved ones, focusing intentionally on them each day without distractions from phones, screens, or thoughts of work? If not, now is the moment to repent of our waste of time or of misplaced priorities on our use of time. God is merciful but just. Let’s turn to Him and ask Him to make our lives fruitful while we still have time to do so.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 16th March 2025

First reading
Genesis 15:5-12,17-18
God enters into a Covenant with Abraham, the man of faith

    Taking Abram outside, the Lord said, ‘Look up to heaven and count the stars if you can.’ ‘Such will be your descendants,’ he told him. Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted this as making him justified.

    ‘I am the Lord’ he said to him ‘who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldaeans to make you heir to this land.’ ‘My Lord,’ Abram replied ‘how am I to know that I shall inherit it?’ He said to him, ‘Get me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove and a young pigeon.’ He brought him all these, cut them in half and put half on one side and half facing it on the other; but the birds he did not cut in half. Birds of prey came down on the carcases but Abram drove them off.

    Now as the sun was setting Abram fell into a deep sleep, and terror seized him. When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, there appeared a smoking furnace and a firebrand that went between the halves. That day the Lord made a Covenant with Abram in these terms:

    ‘To your descendants I give this land,
from the wadi of Egypt to the Great River.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 26(27):1,7-9,13-14

The Lord is my light and my help.

The Lord is my light and my help;
    whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
    before whom shall I shrink?

The Lord is my light and my help.

O Lord, hear my voice when I call;
    have mercy and answer.
Of you my heart has spoken:
    ‘Seek his face.’

The Lord is my light and my help.

It is your face, O Lord, that I seek;
    hide not your face.
Dismiss not your servant in anger;
    you have been my help.

The Lord is my light and my help.

I am sure I shall see the Lord’s goodness
    in the land of the living.
Hope in him, hold firm and take heart.
    Hope in the Lord!

The Lord is my light and my help.

________

Second reading
Philippians 3:17-4:1
Our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes Christ to transfigure us

    My brothers, be united in following my rule of life. Take as your models everybody who is already doing this and study them as you used to study us. I have told you often, and I repeat it today with tears, there are many who are behaving as the enemies of the cross of Christ. They are destined to be lost. They make foods into their god and they are proudest of something they ought to think shameful; the things they think important are earthly things. For us, our homeland is in heaven, and from heaven comes the saviour we are waiting for, the Lord Jesus Christ, and he will transfigure these wretched bodies of ours into copies of his glorious body. He will do that by the same power with which he can subdue the whole universe.

    So then, my brothers and dear friends, do not give way but remain faithful in the Lord. I miss you very much, dear friends; you are my joy and my crown.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt17:5

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

From the bright cloud the Father’s voice was heard:
‘This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.’

Glory and praise to you, O Christ!

________

Gospel
Luke 9:28-36
Jesus is transfigured before them

    Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up the mountain to pray. As he prayed, the aspect of his face was changed and his clothing became brilliant as lightning. Suddenly there were two men there talking to him; they were Moses and Elijah appearing in glory, and they were speaking of his passing which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were heavy with sleep, but they kept awake and saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As these were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is wonderful for us to be here; so let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ – He did not know what he was saying. As he spoke, a cloud came and covered them with shadow; and when they went into the cloud the disciples were afraid. And a voice came from the cloud saying, ‘This is my Son, the Chosen One. Listen to him.’ And after the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. The disciples kept silence and, at that time, told no one what they had seen.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 16th March 2025

 

GN 15:5-12, 17-18; PS 27:1, 7-9, 13-14; PHIL 3:17-4:1 or PHIL 3:20-4:1; LK 9:28B-36

In last week’s Gospel, we followed Jesus into the desert where He fasted and prayed. This week, He leads us up a mountain to witness His Transfiguration. Why both of these experiences?

He is preparing us to go with Him in a few short weeks to a hilltop, Golgotha, where He will lay down His life for our sake — and finally to take us to an empty cave where He triumphed over sin and death once and for all.

Jesus perfectly understands our humanity. He knows we need desert experiences — times of self-denial and testing — in order to arrive at mountain-top moments when we see and feel His glorious presence in our lives. The purpose of these two types of experiences is summed up in the description of the Apostles who were with Jesus at that mountain-top experience in today’s Gospel: “Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory….”

The reason for all of our fasting and prayer and almsgiving during lent is to be reawakened to all God has done for humanity and to all that He has done for each of us personally. It is all too easy to get lulled into complacency in our daily routines, to “sleepwalk” through life, getting up and getting ourselves and maybe kids out the door, going to work, returning home for dinner and dishes, meetings, or sports activities, and finally flopping on the couch to watch TV until bedtime. While there is nothing inherently sinful in this routine, as Christian stewards we are called to so much more!

We are called to be fully awake and fully alert to the love of the Holy Trinity that dwells within us through our Baptism and surrounds us at every moment. How do we know this is true? We wouldn’t be alive at all but for the love of God that sustains us second by second! And we would not have eternal salvation and the perfect joy of heaven awaiting us if Jesus had not come and died for us.

The disciplines of lent are not meant to make us miserably “hangry” until Easter arrives, and we can eat chocolate in peace once again. The prayer and fasting and offering of ourselves to the poor are intended to shake us free from any apathy that has crept into our lives so that we can see His glory in everyday moments.

When we intentionally set aside time for prayer, He will give us exactly the wisdom we need to face what comes later in the day. When we bring a little discomfort into our lives by the sacrifices we make, we realize just how weak and dependent we are on Him. When we reach out to those who have less materially, we realize the abundance of blessings we have. These are mountain-top moments. They bring us back to our senses and fill us with gratitude to God — which in turn spurs us on to give Him more of ourselves in the sharing of our time, talents, and treasure.

In this way, we train ourselves, or more precisely, we allow Him to train us to say “Yes” to His will and to offer our lives back to Him. In so doing we, too, become “transfigured.” This is what it means to live fully awake; this is a stewardship way of life, and it is glorious indeed.

Mass Reading: 9th March 2025

First reading
Deuteronomy 26:4-10
The creed of the Chosen People

    Moses said to the people: ‘The priest shall take the pannier from your hand and lay it before the altar of the Lord your God. Then, in the sight of the Lord your God, you must make this pronouncement:

    ‘“My father was a wandering Aramaean. He went down into Egypt to find refuge there, few in numbers; but there he became a nation, great, mighty, and strong. The Egyptians ill-treated us, they gave us no peace and inflicted harsh slavery on us. But we called on the Lord, the God of our fathers. The Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, our toil and our oppression; and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great terror, and with signs and wonders. He brought us here and gave us this land, a land where milk and honey flow. Here then I bring the first-fruits of the produce of the soil that you, the Lord, have given me.”

    ‘You must then lay them before the Lord your God, and bow down in the sight of the Lord your God.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 90(91):1-2,10-15

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: ‘My refuge,
    my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!’

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

Upon you no evil shall fall,
    no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels,
    to keep you in all your ways.

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

They shall bear you upon their hands
    lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper you will tread
    and trample the young lion and the dragon.

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

His love he set on me, so I will rescue him;
    protect him for he knows my name.
When he calls I shall answer: ‘I am with you,’
    I will save him in distress and give him glory.

Be with me, O Lord, in my distress.

________

Second reading
Romans 10:8-13
The creed of the Christian

    Scripture says: The word (that is the faith we proclaim) is very near to you, it is on your lips and in your heart. If your lips confess that Jesus is Lord and if you believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, then you will be saved. By believing from the heart you are made righteous; by confessing with your lips you are saved. When scripture says: those who believe in him will have no cause for shame, it makes no distinction between Jew and Greek: all belong to the same Lord who is rich enough, however many ask his help, for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt4:4

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

________

Gospel
Luke 4:1-13
The temptation in the wilderness

    Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, being tempted there by the devil for forty days. During that time he ate nothing and at the end he was hungry. Then the devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to turn into a loaf.’ But Jesus replied, ‘Scripture says: Man does not live on bread alone.’

    Then leading him to a height, the devil showed him in a moment of time all the kingdoms of the world and said to him, ‘I will give you all this power and the glory of these kingdoms, for it has been committed to me and I give it to anyone I choose. Worship me, then, and it shall all be yours.’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Scripture says:

You must worship the Lord your God,
and serve him alone.’

Then he led him to Jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the Temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said to him ‘throw yourself down from here, for scripture says:

He will put his angels in charge of you
to guard you,

and again:

They will hold you up on their hands
in case you hurt your foot against a stone.’

But Jesus answered him, ‘It has been said:

You must not put the Lord your God to the test.’

Having exhausted all these ways of tempting him, the devil left him, to return at the appointed time.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 9th March 2025

 

DT 26: 4-10; PS 91:1-2, 10-15; ROM 10: 8-13; LK 4: 1-13

And so, it begins — the holy and, for some, daunting, season of Lent. This is the season in our liturgical year when the Church encourages us to increase our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving to enter more deeply into the mystery of our Lord’s Passion and Death and to celebrate more fully His Resurrection. Our outlook as Christian stewards can help us embrace this season with enthusiasm and even joy.

The First Reading, from Deuteronomy, presents a beautiful and positive way to approach Lent. The passage begins with Moses speaking to the people. He reminds them that the Lord saw their affliction and responded mercifully to their cry by delivering them from oppression in Egypt, and by bringing them to a land flowing with milk and honey. Moses teaches the people how they should respond to such a wonderful God. He instructs them to approach the Lord with these words: “Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me.” In other words, Moses teaches the people to respond as grateful stewards for all that God has done for them.

As grateful stewards ourselves, we can look at these 40 days as “soil” that God is giving us as a gift to grow closer to Him and become more like Him. We can choose to use each of these days intentionally to make a generous response to our God, who sent His own Son to deliver us from the affliction and oppression caused by sin.

Jesus, by His own example in today’s Gospel, demonstrates the necessity of setting aside a period devoted especially to prayer and fasting as a means of strengthening our spiritual muscles. Just before the launch of His public ministry, He is “led by the Holy Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.” In imitation of Jesus, we should ask the Holy Spirit to lead us into the desert, too — the desert of our interior lives where our thoughts and desires reside.

While our Lord was strong enough to withstand the temptations of the devil on His own, we most certainly are not! We must turn to the Holy Spirit and ask Him to show us where we need to grow interiorly and then rely on the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance throughout these forty days of growth.

We may discover we are weak in our knowledge of the faith and can devote these Lenten days to spiritual reading or Bible study. We may discover our prayer life has gone by the wayside, and we must discipline ourselves anew and commit to a regular, daily time for prayer. Perhaps we have given in to selfishness and comfort-seeking and we can determine to give up our favorite coffee drink or social media “fix” and find a project that serves the poor in our community.

If these spiritual exercises hurt a little, that means we are doing them right! It means we will have some wonderful “first fruits” to present to our Lord at the close of this season; we will be prepared to enter the grace-filled days of the Triduum, and we will, through the power of the Holy Spirit, be resurrected as a new creation with our Lord come Easter. Let us begin!

Mass Reading: Wednesday - 05th March 2025

First reading
Joel 2:12-18
Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn

‘Now, now – it is the Lord who speaks –
come back to me with all your heart,
fasting, weeping, mourning.’
Let your hearts be broken, not your garments torn,
turn to the Lord your God again,
for he is all tenderness and compassion,
slow to anger, rich in graciousness,
and ready to relent.
Who knows if he will not turn again, will not relent,
will not leave a blessing as he passes,
oblation and libation
for the Lord your God?

Sound the trumpet in Zion!
Order a fast,
proclaim a solemn assembly,
call the people together,
summon the community,
assemble the elders,
gather the children,
even the infants at the breast.
Let the bridegroom leave his bedroom
and the bride her alcove.
Between vestibule and altar let the priests,
the ministers of the Lord, lament.
Let them say,
‘Spare your people, Lord!
Do not make your heritage a thing of shame,
a byword for the nations.
Why should it be said among the nations,
“Where is their God?”’

Then the Lord, jealous on behalf of his land,
took pity on his people.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 50(51):3-6,12-14,17

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness.
    In your compassion blot out my offence.
O wash me more and more from my guilt
    and cleanse me from my sin.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

My offences truly I know them;
    my sin is always before me
Against you, you alone, have I sinned;
    what is evil in your sight I have done.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

A pure heart create for me, O God,
    put a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
    nor deprive me of your holy spirit.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

Give me again the joy of your help;
    with a spirit of fervour sustain me,
O Lord, open my lips
    and my mouth shall declare your praise.

Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.

________

Second reading
2 Corinthians 5:20-6:2
Be reconciled to God

    We are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God. As his fellow workers, we beg you once again not to neglect the grace of God that you have received. For he says: At the favourable time, I have listened to you; on the day of salvation I came to your help. Well, now is the favourable time; this is the day of salvation.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Ps50:12,14

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

A pure heart create for me, O God,
and give me again the joy of your help.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Or:
cf.Ps94:8

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

Harden not your hearts today,
but listen to the voice of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!

________

Gospel
Matthew 6:1-6,16-18
Your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you

    Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men’s admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

    ‘And when you pray, do not imitate the hypocrites: they love to say their prayers standing up in the synagogues and at the street corners for people to see them; I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you pray, go to your private room and, when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in that secret place, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.

    ‘When you fast do not put on a gloomy look as the hypocrites do: they pull long faces to let men know they are fasting. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that no one will know you are fasting except your Father who sees all that is done in secret; and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reading: Sunday - 02nd March 2025

Entrance Antiphon
Cf. Ps 17: 19-20

The Lord became my protector.
He brought me out to a place of freedom;
he saved me because he delighted in me.

________

First reading
Ecclesiasticus 27:5-8
The test of a man is in his conversation

In a shaken sieve the rubbish is left behind,
    so too the defects of a man appear in his talk.

The kiln tests the work of the potter,
    the test of a man is in his conversation.

The orchard where a tree grows is judged on the quality of its fruit,
    similarly a man’s words betray what he feels.

Do not praise a man before he has spoken,
    since this is the test of men.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 91(92):2-3,13-16

It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
    to make music to your name, O Most High,
to proclaim your love in the morning
    and your truth in the watches of the night.

It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.

The just will flourish like the palm tree
    and grow like a Lebanon cedar.

It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.

Planted in the house of the Lord
    they will flourish in the courts of our God,
still bearing fruit when they are old,
    still full of sap, still green,
to proclaim that the Lord is just.
    In him, my rock, there is no wrong.

It is good to give you thanks, O Lord.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 15:54-58
Death is swallowed up in victory

    When this perishable nature has put on imperishability, and when this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the words of scripture will come true: Death is swallowed up in victory. Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and sin gets its power from the Law. So let us thank God for giving us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

    Never give in then, my dear brothers, never admit defeat; keep on working at the Lord’s work always, knowing that, in the Lord, you cannot be labouring in vain.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

Or:
Ph2:15-16

Alleluia, alleluia!

You will shine in the world like bright stars
because you are offering it the word of life.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 6:39-45
Can the blind lead the blind?

    Jesus told a parable to his disciples: ‘Can one blind man guide another? Surely both will fall into a pit? The disciple is not superior to his teacher; the fully trained disciple will always be like his teacher. Why do you observe the splinter in your brother’s eye and never notice the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, “Brother, let me take out the splinter that is in your eye,” when you cannot see the plank in your own? Hypocrite! Take the plank out of your own eye first, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the splinter that is in your brother’s eye.

    ‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 02nd March 2025

 

SIR 27: 4-7; PS 92: 2-3, 13-16; 1 COR 15: 54-58; LK 6: 39-45

Today’s readings exhort us Christian disciples to form ourselves — mind and heart — in imitation of Christ so we can better reflect His goodness in our daily lives.

The first reading from Sirach offers timeless counsel: “the fruit of a tree shows the care it has had: so too does one’s speech disclose the bent of one’s mind. Praise no one before he speaks.”

Jesus uses the very same analogy in today’s Gospel reading from Luke. “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. For every tree is known by its own fruit.” Jesus explains, “A good person out of the store of goodness in his heart produces good… for from the fullness of the heart the mouth speaks.”

Everything we have is a gift from God to be used for His honor and glory. This includes the gift of speech and, even more broadly, all forms of modern-day communication — email, text, TikTok, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and the rest. What comes forth from our mouths, or keyboard, or phone, reflects what is in our minds and hearts. Our ability to communicate with each other is itself a gift that we must steward well.

In the same Gospel passage, Jesus reminds us, “No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.” We must therefore be trained by Jesus our teacher so that our minds and hearts will be aligned with His mind and heart, and our speech (and actions for that matter) will reflect His goodness.

How do we obtain this training? Thankfully, we have an abundance of supernatural “training materials” at our disposal.

First and foremost, we can spend time with the Teacher, our Lord: we can study His life through reading the Scriptures, and we can listen and speak with Him in quiet, regular times of prayer. We can expand our faith knowledge through study of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. We can find healing and strength in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Amazingly, we can partake of His Body and Blood in the Eucharist.

The more intentionally and frequently we make use of these means, the more we will become like our Teacher and Lord. Then, all that we do and say (and tweet and post) will bring others closer to Him. This is the life’s work of the Christian steward. It is privileged work indeed.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 23rd February 2025

 

First reading
1 Samuel 26:2,7-9,11-13,22-23
Do not lift your hand against the Lord's anointed

    Saul set off and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, accompanied by three thousand men chosen from Israel to search for David in the wilderness of Ziph.

    In the dark David and Abishai made their way towards the force, where they found Saul lying asleep inside the camp, his spear stuck in the ground beside his head, with Abner and the troops lying round him.

    Then Abishai said to David, ‘Today God has put your enemy in your power; so now let me pin him to the ground with his own spear. Just one stroke! I will not need to strike him twice.’ David answered Abishai, ‘Do not kill him, for who can lift his hand against the Lord’s anointed and be without guilt? The Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed! But now take the spear beside his head and the pitcher of water and let us go away.’ David took the spear and the pitcher of water from beside Saul’s head, and they made off. No one saw, no one knew, no one woke up; they were all asleep, for a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen on them.

    David crossed to the other side and halted on the top of the mountain a long way off; there was a wide space between them. He called out, ‘Here is the king’s spear. Let one of the soldiers come across and take it. The Lord repays everyone for his uprightness and loyalty. Today the Lord put you in my power, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 102(103):1-4,8,10,12-13

The Lord is compassion and love.

My soul, give thanks to the Lord
    all my being, bless his holy name.
My soul, give thanks to the Lord
    and never forget all his blessings.

The Lord is compassion and love.

It is he who forgives all your guilt,
    who heals every one of your ills,
who redeems your life from the grave,
    who crowns you with love and compassion.

The Lord is compassion and love.

The Lord is compassion and love,
    slow to anger and rich in mercy.
He does not treat us according to our sins
    nor repay us according to our faults.

The Lord is compassion and love.

As far as the east is from the west
    so far does he remove our sins.
As a father has compassion on his sons,
    the Lord has pity on those who fear him.

The Lord is compassion and love.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 15:45-49
The first Adam became a living soul; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit

    The first man, Adam, as scripture says, became a living soul; but the last Adam has become a life-giving spirit. That is, first the one with the soul, not the spirit, and after that, the one with the spirit. The first man, being from the earth, is earthly by nature; the second man is from heaven. As this earthly man was, so are we on earth; and as the heavenly man is, so are we in heaven. And we, who have been modelled on the earthly man, will be modelled on the heavenly man.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
cf.Ac16:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Open our heart, O Lord,
to accept the words of your Son.

Alleluia!

Or:
Jn13:34

Alleluia, alleluia!

I give you a new commandment:
love one another just as I have loved you, 
says the Lord.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 6:27-38
Love your enemies

    Jesus said to his disciples: ‘I say this to you who are listening: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who treat you badly. To the man who slaps you on one cheek, present the other cheek too; to the man who takes your cloak from you, do not refuse your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for your property back from the man who robs you. Treat others as you would like them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

    ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 23rd February 2025

 

1 SM 26: 2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; PS 103: 1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 COR 15: 45-49; LK 6: 27-38

In today’s Gospel, taken from the sixth chapter of Luke, Jesus offers a very challenging, seemingly impossible approach to daily life. “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak do not withhold even your tunic.”

It makes one want to say, “Seriously, Lord?” And He doesn’t stop there. Jesus adds, “Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back.”

It seems so unfair! Unless, that is, we look at this way of life from a stewardship point of view. Then, not only does it seem doable (though challenging), but it also actually makes perfect sense. A steward understands clearly that all he has and all that he is — his very life — is a gift from God given to him from an unfathomable abundance of love. This changes everything! This means “my” cloak, “my” tunic, “my” money, and time — all of it ultimately belongs to God. He has entrusted these things to each of us in love to use for His purposes and His glory.

Does this mean we are to be passive “doormats” to anyone who wants to take advantage of us? Certainly not. Jesus explains this in the next verse of this passage when He says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” As the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus understands human nature well. He knows that we naturally desire only good and nothing bad for ourselves. And there is nothing wrong with loving oneself since God loves us and has made us in His own image and likeness. Jesus is simply asking that we also approach others, and the sharing of our gifts, with this same attitude. He is giving us a definition here of real love, a steward’s love!

In fact, Jesus tells us that anything short of this is not love at all. “For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same.”

We are made for much higher than that. Jesus says instead, “Love your enemies and do good to them and lend expecting nothing back.” That is true greatness in God’s view. When we love like that, He promises our “reward in heaven will be great.” A stewardship way of life is a life worth living because it is modeled after nothing less than our Most High God.

And if that is still not incentive enough to embrace this way of life, Jesus gives us one more bit of loving motivation. “Give and gifts will be given to you: a good measure, packed together, shaken down and overflowing will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.” Our wonderful God and Father simply will not be outdone in love.

Be generous with your gifts — with your life — and just watch what He will do!

Mass Reading: Sunday - 16th February 2025

First reading
Jeremiah 17:5-8
A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord

The Lord says this:

‘A curse on the man who puts his trust in man,
who relies on things of flesh,
whose heart turns from the Lord.
He is like dry scrub in the wastelands:
if good comes, he has no eyes for it,
he settles in the parched places of the wilderness,
a salt land, uninhabited.

‘A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord,
with the Lord for his hope.
He is like a tree by the waterside
that thrusts its roots to the stream:
when the heat comes it feels no alarm,
its foliage stays green;
it has no worries in a year of drought,
and never ceases to bear fruit.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 1:1-4,6

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Happy indeed is the man
    who follows not the counsel of the wicked;
nor lingers in the way of sinners
    nor sits in the company of scorners,
but whose delight is the law of the Lord
    and who ponders his law day and night.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

He is like a tree that is planted
    beside the flowing waters,
that yields its fruit in due season
    and whose leaves shall never fade;
    and all that he does shall prosper.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

Not so are the wicked, not so!
For they like winnowed chaff
    shall be driven away by the wind:
for the Lord guards the way of the just
    but the way of the wicked leads to doom.

Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 15:12,16-20
If Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins

    If Christ raised from the dead is what has been preached, how can some of you be saying that there is no resurrection of the dead? For if the dead are not raised, Christ has not been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, you are still in your sins. And what is more serious, all who have died in Christ have perished. If our hope in Christ has been for this life only, we are the most unfortunate of all people.

    But Christ has in fact been raised from the dead, the first-fruits of all who have fallen asleep.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt11:25

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessed are you, Father, 
Lord of heaven and earth,
for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom
to mere children.

Alleluia!

Or:
Lk6:23ab

Alleluia, alleluia!

Rejoice and be glad:
your reward will be great in heaven.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 6:17,20-26
Happy are you who are poor, who are hungry, who weep

Jesus came down with the Twelve and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said:

‘How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God.
Happy you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied.
Happy you who weep now: you shall laugh.

Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets.

‘But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now.
Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry.
Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep.

‘Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their ancestors treated the false prophets.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 16th February 2025

 

JER 17: 5-8; PS 1:1-4,6; 1 COR 15:12, 16-20; LK 6: 17, 20-26

Today’s readings speak of an essential quality for the Christian steward — hope. This is especially fitting this year, as Pope Francis has designated 2025 as a Jubilee Year with the theme, "Pilgrims of Hope."

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Hope is the theological virtue by which we desire the kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ’s promises and relying not on our own strength but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1817).”

In many ways, this is the very definition of a stewardship way of life — focusing on eternity as we live our daily lives and relying on God to provide for our needs and satisfy our deepest longings for meaning and happiness right now.

The First Reading from Jeremiah paints a vivid picture of the difference between the person who puts his trust in fellow humans versus the person who relies on — or, in other words, hopes in — the Lord. “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh... He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season but stands in a lava waste.” Not a pretty picture!

On the other hand, the prophet teaches, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is in the Lord. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green.”

Notice that the one who trusts in the Lord does not escape the heat any more than the one who has put his trust in human strength — his own or another’s. The difference between the two is that the one who fails to trust in the Lord becomes barren in the heat, while the one who trusts in God is given the means to persevere and even thrive in the midst of the challenging times. “Its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress but still bears fruit.”

In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that it is foolish to think of hope in the Lord with only an “earthly” vision since God desires nothing less than our eternal happiness. “If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all.” To aim only for comforts or pleasure or honors in this life is actually an impoverished way of living.

In today’s Gospel from Luke, Jesus describes the true richness of life that is possible for those of us who are willing to live as his disciples. We are all familiar with this passage in which Jesus reveals the Beatitudes: blessed are the poor; they have the kingdom of God. Blessed are those now hungry because they will be satisfied. Blessed are those who weep because they will laugh. Blessed are those who are hated, excluded, and insulted because they are disciples of Jesus; they will be greatly rewarded in heaven. Jesus is describing here the character of one who is living a life of hope — the life of a Christian steward whose trust is firmly rooted in God and who is focused on others and eternity. It is not always an easy life, but it is a deeply meaningful life and one that leads to eternal reward.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 09th February 2025

First reading
Isaiah 6:1-2,3-8
'Here I am: send me'

In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord of Hosts seated on a high throne; his train filled the sanctuary; above him stood seraphs, each one with six wings.

    And they cried out to one another in this way,
‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts.
His glory fills the whole earth.’

The foundations of the threshold shook with the voice of the one who cried out, and the Temple was filled with smoke. I said:

    ‘What a wretched state I am in! I am lost,
for I am a man of unclean lips
and I live among a people of unclean lips,
and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of Hosts.’

Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding in his hand a live coal which he had taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. With this he touched my mouth and said:

    ‘See now, this has touched your lips,
your sin is taken away,
your iniquity is purged.’
    Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying:
‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’
I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 137(138):1-5,7-8

Before the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

I thank you, Lord, with all my heart:
    you have heard the words of my mouth.
In the presence of the angels I will bless you.
    I will adore before your holy temple.

Before the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

I thank you for your faithfulness and love,
    which excel all we ever knew of you.
On the day I called, you answered;
    you increased the strength of my soul.

Before the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

All earth’s kings shall thank you
    when they hear the words of your mouth.
They shall sing of the Lord’s ways:
    ‘How great is the glory of the Lord!’

Before the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

You stretch out your hand and save me,
    your hand will do all things for me.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
    discard not the work of your hands.

Before the angels I will bless you, O Lord.

________

Second reading
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
I preached what the others preach, and you all believed

    Brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, the gospel that you received and in which you are firmly established; because the gospel will save you only if you keep believing exactly what I preached to you – believing anything else will not lead to anything.

    Well then, in the first place, I taught you what I had been taught myself, namely that Christ died for our sins, in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; and that he was raised to life on the third day, in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared first to Cephas and secondly to the Twelve. Next he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died; then he appeared to James, and then to all the apostles; and last of all he appeared to me too; it was as though I was born when no one expected it.

    I am the least of the apostles; in fact, since I persecuted the Church of God, I hardly deserve the name apostle; but by God’s grace that is what I am, and the grace that he gave me has not been fruitless. On the contrary, I, or rather the grace of God that is with me, have worked harder than any of the others; but what matters is that I preach what they preach, and this is what you all believed.

The word of the Lord

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn15:15

Alleluia, alleluia!

I call you friends, says the Lord,
because I have made known to you
everything I have learnt from my Father.

Alleluia!

Or:
Mt4:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

Follow me, says the Lord,
and I will make you into fishers of men.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 5:1-11
They left everything and followed him

    Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd pressing round him listening to the word of God, when he caught sight of two boats close to the bank. The fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats – it was Simon’s – and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat.

    When he had finished speaking he said to Simon, ‘Put out into deep water and pay out your nets for a catch.’ ‘Master,’ Simon replied, ‘we worked hard all night long and caught nothing, but if you say so, I will pay out the nets.’ And when they had done this they netted such a huge number of fish that their nets began to tear, so they signalled to their companions in the other boat to come and help them; when these came, they filled the two boats to sinking point.

    When Simon Peter saw this he fell at the knees of Jesus saying, ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ For he and all his companions were completely overcome by the catch they had made; so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were Simon’s partners. But Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid; from now on it is men you will catch.’ Then, bringing their boats back to land, they left everything and followed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 09th February 2025

 

IS 6: 1-2A, 3-8; PS 138: 1-5, 7-8; 1 COR 15:1-11 or 1 COR 15:3-8, 11; LK 5: 1-11

Our readings today remind us of the great privilege we have in calling ourselves children and disciples of the Most High God.

The First Reading from Isaiah describes a vision of the prophet in which angels surround the Lord. They proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts! All the earth is filled with his glory!” Our God invites us to such deep intimacy and friendship with Him that we sometimes can forget just how majestic and unspeakably holy He truly is.

While we can approach Him with the confidence of a child before his father, we must also remember the deep reverence and awe that we owe to Him.

This sense of awe and reverence should motivate us to deepen our stewardship way of life as well. As we contemplate the holiness of God, we come to a heightened awareness of what a privilege it is that He has chosen to include us in His work of spreading the Gospel to others through the grateful sharing of the gifts He has given us. We can make the words of the prophet Isaiah our own: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send” Who will go for us? Here I am, I said, send me!”

The theme of awe before God continues in the Gospel passage from Luke, where we again see the juxtaposition of a God who is so near to us, yet who is altogether holy and powerful. In this passage we find Jesus preaching to a crowd who is pressing in on Him to listen. (What an inspiring image! Do we “press in” as we listen to the readings proclaimed in Mass with this same sense of wonder and urgency?) In response, Jesus uses very ordinary means so that the crowd can hear Him. He simply gets into one of the nearby boats belonging to Simon so that His voice will better carry over the water. He finishes speaking and then tells Simon the fisherman to lower his nets for a catch. Simon is skeptical about this instruction but obeys, putting his fishing talents to use as Jesus asks.

The result is a catch of fish beyond Simon’s wildest imaginings. Overwhelmed, he fell at Jesus’ knees, “for astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him.”

When we truly embrace a stewardship way of life, putting our talents, time and treasure at the service of the Most High God, we, too, will be astonished at what God will do. Our lives may take a direction beyond our wildest imaginings.

But just as Jesus reassured Simon, “Be not afraid,” He reassures us, too. We need not fear a stewardship way of life. Rather, we should embrace the adventure it presents us and prepare to be astonished by what our awesome God will do. “Here I am Lord, send me!”

Mass Reading: Sunday - 02nd February 2025

First reading
Malachi 3:1-4
The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple

    The Lord God says this: Look, I am going to send my messenger to prepare a way before me. And the Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple; and the angel of the covenant whom you are longing for, yes, he is coming, says the Lord of Hosts. Who will be able to resist the day of his coming? Who will remain standing when he appears? For he is like the refiner’s fire and the fullers’ alkali. He will take his seat as refiner and purifier; he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and then they will make the offering to the Lord as it should be made. The offering of Judah and Jerusalem will then be welcomed by the Lord as in former days, as in the years of old.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 23(24):7-10

Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.

O gates, lift high your heads;
    grow higher, ancient doors.
    Let him enter, the king of glory!

Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.

Who is the king of glory?
    The Lord, the mighty, the valiant,
    the Lord, the valiant in war.

Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.

O gates, lift high your heads;
    grow higher, ancient doors.
    Let him enter, the king of glory!

Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.

Who is he, the king of glory?
    He, the Lord of armies,
    he is the king of glory.

Who is the king of glory? He, the Lord, he is the king of glory.

________

Second reading
Hebrews 2:14-18
He took to himself descent from Abraham 

    Since all the children share the same blood and flesh, Christ too shared equally in it, so that by his death he could take away all the power of the devil, who had power over death, and set free all those who had been held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death. For it was not the angels that he took to himself; he took to himself descent from Abraham. It was essential that he should in this way become completely like his brothers so that he could be a compassionate and trustworthy high priest of God’s religion, able to atone for human sins. That is, because he has himself been through temptation he is able to help others who are tempted.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Lk2:32

Alleluia, alleluia!

The light to enlighten the Gentiles
and give glory to Israel, your people.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 2:22-40
My eyes have seen your salvation

    When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, – observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord – and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.

    Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:

‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’

    As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected – and a sword will pierce your own soul too – so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’

    There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.

    When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 02nd February 2025

Mal 3:1-4; PS 24:7-10; HEB 2:14-18; LK 2:22-40 or LK 2:22-32

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, when Mary and Joseph brought their infant Son to the Temple in obedience to the laws of their Jewish faith. This is a beautiful, and in many ways, mysterious feast — and one that is filled with lessons for a stewardship way of life.

Our first reading, from the book of Malachi, includes a prophecy of the event we celebrate today. “Lo, I am sending my messenger [a reference to John the Baptist] to prepare the way before me; And suddenly there will come to the temple the Lord whom you seek….” Our first lesson is contained in that verse, “the Lord home you seek.” Do we truly seek the Lord through the prioritizing of our relationship with Him above everything (and everyone) else in our lives? If we want to know Him and His will for our lives, we must spend time with Him in daily prayer, regular participation in the sacraments, and the study of our faith. Only in this way will be ready when he “suddenly appears” in our lives — perhaps through a new opportunity to serve Him or an unexpected difficulty or blessing He wants to entrust to us. This is how a steward stays “spiritually fit” for whatever God may be asking of him or her next.

Our second reading, from Hebrews, is a poignant lesson in why we should embrace the stewardship way of life as both a true privilege and a serious responsibility. It reminds us that our Lord “had to become like his brothers and sisters in every way” and further that “because He himself was tested through what He suffered, He is able to help those being tested.” What amazing intimacy our Lord desires to have with us, and what amazing humility and love He shows us in His incarnation and the suffering He chose to take on for us. Of course, we can trust Him with ourselves and our gifts! Truly, how can we have any hesitation to do so for a Savior who has done so much to prove His love for us?

Our Gospel passage from Luke, recounting the details of the Presentation of our Lord, teaches us a stewardship lesson through the example of St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, the “Holy Parents.” Even knowing their Son was God, they still carefully observed the faith practices of their day bringing him to the temple “to present Him to the Lord just as it is written in the law of the Lord.” Later in the passage we read that, “When they had fulfilled all the prescriptions of the law of the Lord, they returned to their own town of Nazareth.” The Holy Parents were good stewards of their child, teaching Him to live in obedience to the practices of their faith from his infancy and throughout His “growing up” years. Those of us entrusted with the care of children, whether our own children, godchildren, nieces, and nephews, grandchildren, or students, have a vital role to play in the faith formation of these young ones. We, like the Holy Parents, must steward these children well, forming them in the faith by both instruction and example throughout their lives.

What a privilege and high calling we have as Christian stewards. Let us take these stewardship lessons to heart and present our gifts and our young ones joyfully to the Lord.