Mass Reading: Sunday - 27th August 2023

First reading
Isaiah 22:19-23
I place the key of the House of David on my servant's shoulder

Thus says the Lord of Hosts to Shebna, the master of the palace:

I dismiss you from your office,
I remove you from your post,
and the same day I call on my servant
Eliakim son of Hilkiah.
I invest him with your robe,
gird him with your sash,
entrust him with your authority;
and he shall be a father
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem
and to the House of Judah.
I place the key of the House of David
on his shoulder;
should he open, no one shall close,
should he close, no one shall open.
I drive him like a peg
into a firm place;
he will become a throne of glory
for his father’s house.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 137(138):1-3,6,8

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

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.

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

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.

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

The Lord is high yet he looks on the lowly
    and the haughty he knows from afar.
Your love, O Lord, is eternal,
    discard not the work of your hands.

Your love, O Lord, is eternal: discard not the work of your hands.

________

Second reading
Romans 11:33-36
All that exists comes from him; all is by him and from him.

How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord? Who could ever be his counsellor? Who could ever give him anything or lend him anything? All that exists comes from him; all is by him and for him. To him be glory for ever! Amen.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
2Co5:19

Alleluia, alleluia!

God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself,
and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled.

Alleluia!

Or:
Mt16:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

You are Peter 
and on this rock I will build my Church.
And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Matthew 16:13-20
You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said, ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’ Then he gave the disciples strict orders not to tell anyone that he was the Christ.

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 27th August 2023

IS 22:19-23; PS 138:1-3, 6, 8; ROM 11:33-36; MT 16:13-20

Our readings today reveal beautiful truths about our God, and they challenge us to look at the truth about ourselves as well.

 
The second reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans describes the attributes of God in powerful, eloquent terms. “Oh, the depths of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways!”

It makes you want to stand up and cheer. Paul ends the passage with this with final shout of praise, “For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” We can and should join in this chorus of praise. 
 
But mere words are not enough — sentiment alone will not do for this perfect, all-loving and all-powerful God of ours. We must love Him with our whole being. We must make our very lives a grateful gift of love to Him. This is how we can truly give Him “glory forever.”
 
Our Gospel passage, from Matthew, leads us to take a serious look at whether our lives give God the glory He deserves. It comes in the form of a question that Jesus poses to the disciples. He leads up to it gently enough: “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” And they offer varying responses. Then, Jesus gets personal with them. “But who do you say that I am?” Peter gets the answer right: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
 
Jesus is getting personal with us today. He poses the same question to each one of us who call ourselves His stewards and modern-day disciples. Surely, we would not hesitate to answer just as Peter did, that Jesus is the Christ, Son of the living God. 
 
But do our lives truly reflect this answer? If we really believe that Christ is the Son of God, sent to save us from our sins and lead us to heaven, then we must say so — not just with words, but with our actions. Do my ambitions and priorities in life say that Christ is my Savior and I am His disciple? Does my budget, my family life, my entertainment say so?  
 
The gifts and blessings that God has given us — our time, our talents, our material possessions — are meant to be used in a manner that says "Christ is my Savior and I am His disciple." The most eloquent praise we can offer Him is a life lived in grateful response to His unfathomable love. This is the beauty and power of a stewardship way of life.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 20th August 2023

First reading
Isaiah 56:1,6-7
I will bring foreigners to my holy mountain

    Thus says the Lord: Have a care for justice, act with integrity, for soon my salvation will come and my integrity be manifest.

    Foreigners who have attached themselves to the Lord to serve him and to love his name and be his servants – all who observe the sabbath, not profaning it, and cling to my covenant – these I will bring to my holy mountain. I will make them joyful in my house of prayer. Their holocausts and their sacrifices will be accepted on my altar, for my house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 66(67):2-3,5-6,8

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

O God, be gracious and bless us
    and let your face shed its light upon us.
So will your ways be known upon earth
    and all nations learn your saving help.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

Let the nations be glad and exult
    for you rule the world with justice.
With fairness you rule the peoples,
    you guide the nations on earth.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

Let the peoples praise you, O God;
    let all the peoples praise you.
May God still give us his blessing
    till the ends of the earth revere him.

Let the peoples praise you, O God; let all the peoples praise you.

________

Second reading
Romans 11:13-15,29-32
With Israel, God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice

    Let me tell you pagans this: I have been sent to the pagans as their apostle, and I am proud of being sent, but the purpose of it is to make my own people envious of you, and in this way save some of them. Since their rejection meant the reconciliation of the world, do you know what their admission will mean? Nothing less than a resurrection from the dead! God never takes back his gifts or revokes his choice.

    Just as you changed from being disobedient to God, and now enjoy mercy because of their disobedience, so those who are disobedient now – and only because of the mercy shown to you – will also enjoy mercy eventually. God has imprisoned all men in their own disobedience only to show mercy to all mankind.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn10:27

Alleluia, alleluia!

The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice, 
says the Lord, 
I know them and they follow me.

Alleluia!

Or:
cf.Mt4:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

Jesus proclaimed the Good News of the kingdom
and cured all kinds of sickness among the people.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Matthew 15:21-28
The Canaanite woman debates with Jesus and saves her daughter

Jesus left Gennesaret and withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. Then out came a Canaanite woman from that district and started shouting, ‘Sir, Son of David, take pity on me. My daughter is tormented by a devil.’ But he answered her not a word. And his disciples went and pleaded with him. ‘Give her what she wants,’ they said ‘because she is shouting after us.’ He said in reply, ‘I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.’ But the woman had come up and was kneeling at his feet. ‘Lord,’ she said ‘help me.’ He replied, ‘It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ She retorted, ‘Ah yes, sir; but even house-dogs can eat the scraps that fall from their master’s table.’ Then Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.’ And from that moment her daughter was well again.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 20th August 2023

 IS 56:1, 6-7; PS 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8; ROM 11:13-15, 29-32; MT 15:21-28

Our readings today remind us that God is ever-faithful, even when we are not. They challenge us as Christian stewards to show our love for this faithful God through actions, and to lean in to our trust in Him even when it seems He is not answering our prayers.
 
The First Reading, from Isaiah, teaches that all of humanity is invited to become the Lord’s disciples. But we have to actually take Him up on the invitation by the way we live our lives. “Observe what is right, do what is just… All who keep the sabbath free from profanation and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain… for my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Our parish is not a country club. It is meant for all and must be a welcome place for all — where we roll up our sleeves together to serve and worship our God.
 
God knows we will not always get this right. We will choose selfishness and stay in our comfort zones at times, rather than embracing the daily call to discipleship. But God will never withhold His love and His gifts from us. 
 
Our Second Reading, from the letter to the Romans, shows us, “For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.” God is patient and merciful with us when we falter in the stewardship way of life. He brings good from even our failures as long as we continue to attempt the challenging path of discipleship. The reading closes with this reminder: “For God delivered all to disobedience that he might have mercy upon all.” 
 
And because God is indeed faithful and merciful, He wants to lead us to the joy of heaven to spend eternity with Him. For that, we must be strong in faith and live our lives as an act of love and gratitude to Him. In other words, we must allow Him to transform us into saints. This is what the stewardship way of life is meant to do. Sometimes, that will feel painful to us. Often, it will be challenging. 
 
Jesus certainly challenged the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel passage from Matthew. She called out to Him on behalf of her daughter, who was being tormented by a demon.

What did Jesus do in reply to this mother’s desperate plea? Nothing. He “did not say a word in answer to her.” But she was undeterred and continued to call out to Him — so much so that the disciples asked Him to send her away. Jesus does not send her away, but He does not give her what she asks for immediately either. 
 
Instead, He continues to challenge the woman’s faith. And she rises to the challenge to such an impressive degree that Jesus exclaims, “O woman [a term of deep respect in that day], great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Imagine hearing those words proclaimed over us by God. Truly, there could be no higher honor than hearing our Lord say that to us. 
 
So we must accept the difficulties that come with the stewardship way of life. Some days will be a true challenge to our trust in God. But those are the days when God is making saints of us. Let’s embrace the hard days. The deep joy that eventually comes, the eternal reward He promises, will be so worth it. And He wants us — all of us— to have it.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 13th August 2023

First reading
1 Kings 19:9,11-13
The Lord was not in the wind, or the earthquake, or the fire

When Elijah reached Horeb, the mountain of God, he went into the cave and spent the night in it. Then he was told, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.’ Then the Lord himself went by. There came a mighty wind, so strong it tore the mountains and shattered the rocks before the Lord. But the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind came an earthquake. But the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire. But the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there came the sound of a gentle breeze. And when Elijah heard this, he covered his face with his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 84(85):9-14

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

I will hear what the Lord God has to say,
    a voice that speaks of peace.
His help is near for those who fear him
    and his glory will dwell in our land.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

Mercy and faithfulness have met;
    justice and peace have embraced.
Faithfulness shall spring from the earth
    and justice look down from heaven.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

The Lord will make us prosper
    and our earth shall yield its fruit.
Justice shall march before him
    and peace shall follow his steps.

Let us see, O Lord, your mercy, and give us your saving help.

________

Second reading
Romans 9:1-5
I would willingly be condemned if it could help my brothers

What I want to say now is no pretence; I say it in union with Christ – it is the truth – my conscience in union with the Holy Spirit assures me of it too. What I want to say is this: my sorrow is so great, my mental anguish so endless, I would willingly be condemned and be cut off from Christ if it could help my brothers of Israel, my own flesh and blood. They were adopted as sons, they were given the glory and the covenants; the Law and the ritual were drawn up for them, and the promises were made to them. They are descended from the patriarchs and from their flesh and blood came Christ who is above all, God for ever blessed! Amen.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
cf.Lk19:38,2:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

Blessings on the King who comes,
in the name of the Lord!
Peace in heaven
and glory in the highest heavens!

Alleluia!

Or:
cf.Ps129:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

My soul is waiting for the Lord,
I count on his word.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Matthew 14:22-33
Jesus walks on the water

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he would send the crowds away. After sending the crowds away he went up into the hills by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, while the boat, by now far out on the lake, was battling with a heavy sea, for there was a head-wind. In the fourth watch of the night he went towards them, walking on the lake, and when the disciples saw him walking on the lake they were terrified. ‘It is a ghost’ they said, and cried out in fear. But at once Jesus called out to them, saying, ‘Courage! It is I! Do not be afraid.’ It was Peter who answered. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘if it is you, tell me to come to you across the water.’ ‘Come’ said Jesus. Then Peter got out of the boat and started walking towards Jesus across the water, but as soon as he felt the force of the wind, he took fright and began to sink. ‘Lord! Save me!’ he cried. Jesus put out his hand at once and held him. ‘Man of little faith,’ he said ‘why did you doubt?’ And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 13th August 2023

 I KGS 19:9A, 11-13A; PS 85:9-14; ROM 9:1-5; MT 14:22-23

Stewardship spirituality invites us to surrender control of our lives to God in grateful recognition that all that we have is a gift from Him. 
 
While today’s readings remind us that, of course, God is always in control of His creation and His creatures, they illustrate what amazing things can happen when we fully permit God to take charge of our lives — in other words, what can happen when we embrace the stewardship way of life.
 
In our First Reading, from the First Book of Kings, Elijah the prophet is instructed to go outside and wait for the Lord. Elijah goes out and a series of spectacular phenomena occur — strong and heavy winds that crush rocks, followed by an earthquake, and then a fire. Yet, the Lord was not found in any of those. Rather, the Almighty was found in a “tiny whispering sound.” How unexpected! And how like our wonderfully mysterious God, who comes into our lives sometimes in the most unexpected ways. Do we stay alert and sensitive to His presence to receive the instruction and the countless gifts He is always sending us?
 
It is all too easy to fail to recognize His presence and gifts in our lives. Taking things — friends, family, material gifts, even God Himself — for granted seems to be part of our human condition. Paul remarks on this in our Second Reading in his letter to the Romans. He laments that some of his fellow Israelites, God’s chosen people who have received so many gifts from God — the law, the promises, the patriarchs — fail to see the gift of Christ now offered to them. 
 
This happens to us modern-day disciples, too. We have received all the riches of Church teaching and the Scriptures, and the overwhelming treasury of graces in the sacraments, including the gift of Christ Himself in the Eucharist. Our family, our friends, our work, our parish — all these things are gifts from God as well. When we take our eyes off God, we fail to see that all is a gift from Him, we lose trust in Him and we do not make our lives a grateful response to Him. 
 
Peter makes this mistake in our Gospel passage from Matthew. Just after the multiplication of the loaves and fish, Jesus sends the disciples in a boat ahead of Him to the other side of the shore. Later that evening, Jesus casually strolls up to the boat, walking on the sea. Peter says, “Lord if it is you, command me to come to you on the water,” and Jesus responds, “Come.” As Peter begins to walk on the water, he momentarily takes his eyes off Jesus to notice the strong wind surrounding them. With that, he sinks.
 
But what if Peter had not taken his eyes off Christ? What if he had not allowed that moment of doubt, that lack of trust to overcome him? What a grand adventure he could have had out there walking on the sea with Jesus! When we take our eyes off Christ, the many blessings He has given us, and the loving way He treats us, we sink, too. 
 
But when we embrace the stewardship way of life, letting go of a tight hold over our money, time, and talents, our lives become a grand adventure, rooted firmly and gratefully in the God Who always cares for us.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 06th August 2023

 DN 7: 9-10, 13-14; PS 97: 1-2, 5-6, 9; 2 PT 1: 16-19; MT 17: 1-9

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. According to most Catholic scholars and theologians, the Transfiguration is the culminating point of the Lord’s public life. His Baptism is considered to be the starting point of that public life, and the Ascension is the end. Our Gospel Reading today, which reports this event, is from the Book of Matthew. However, the Transfiguration is also reported in Mark and Luke, and St. Peter refers to it in one of his letters, and by St. John as well.

Naturally, Peter and John would allude to the Transfiguration as they (along with St. James) witnessed it. Jesus took the three Apostles and led them to a “high mountain” where He was transfigured before their eyes. The mountain is never directly identified, but tradition has ascertained it to be Mt. Thabor. Of course, it is not the mountain but what occurred there that is important. In the original Greek from today’s Gospel St. Matthew uses the Greek word metemorphe (μεταμορφόω) to describe the Transfiguration. It means “a complete change of form, structure, or substance.” Most of us are familiar with the term metamorphosis, the word used to describe what occurs when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly.

However, the Transfiguration is something beyond that. Jesus allows the three Apostles who were present (as well as those of us who hear the Word) to view what eternal life in heaven is like. Christ’s divinity is on full display. To use Matthew’s words, “His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white as light.”

Our First Reading from the Book of Daniel contains almost the same description as that found in the Gospel. The prophet Daniel describes what will occur as follows: “His clothing was bright as snow, and the hair on his head as white as wool.” As if that prophecy was not enough, Daniel takes it to the next step by going on to say, “One like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven.”

The term Son of Man is one that Jesus was most likely to use in indication of Himself. Seeing it in a prophecy, and especially one which is so clearly the Transfiguration merely more closely associates Jesus with the Transfiguration which is to come and described so perfectly in the New Testament.

In our Second Reading from St. Peter’s Second Letter the Apostle Peter also alludes to the Transfiguration. Peter writes, “…we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty…when that unique declaration came to him from majestic glory, ‘This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him (Jesus) on the holy mountain.” 

Those words from God are reported quite accurately in our Gospel Reading from St. Matthew, but this is Peter repeating them. You can almost sense Peter remembering the experience clearly. At the time Peter mistakenly placed Jesus as an equal to Moses and Elijah at the Transfiguration, and this was the way God made it quite plain to Peter that this was not the case. This may have been a rebuke to Peter, but now it is a valuable memory to him.

The Transfiguration was not a different miracle; it was part of an ongoing miracle. Perhaps the real miracle was that Jesus kept away from displaying His glory most of the time. When the three apostles present became aware of the full divinity of Jesus, it is reported that “They fell prostrate and were very much afraid.” Is that how we react when we become aware of the presence of God? Are we a bit fearful? 

Knowing God, appreciating God, and embracing God should give us confidence. God’s grace is amazing, and that needs to be our reality. Remember that Jesus is on His way to crucifixion and temporary death. We are on that same path, but the Transfiguration is a reminder to us of the hope we have in the saving grace of the Lord.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 06th August 2023

First reading
Daniel 7:9-10,13-14

His robe was white as snow

As I watched:

Thrones were set in place
and one of great age took his seat.
His robe was white as snow,
the hair of his head as pure as wool.
His throne was a blaze of flames,
its wheels were a burning fire.
A stream of fire poured out,
issuing from his presence.
A thousand thousand waited on him,
ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him.
A court was held
and the books were opened.

I gazed into the visions of the night.

And I saw, coming on the clouds of heaven,
one like a son of man.
He came to the one of great age
and was led into his presence.
On him was conferred sovereignty,
glory and kingship,
and men of all peoples, nations and languages became his servants.
His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty
which shall never pass away, 

nor will his empire ever be destroyed.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 96(97):1-2,5-6,9

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,
    let all the coastlands be glad.
Cloud and darkness are his raiment;
    his throne, justice and right.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

The mountains melt like wax
    before the Lord of all the earth.
The skies proclaim his justice;
    all peoples see his glory.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

For you indeed are the Lord
    most high above all the earth,
    exalted far above all spirits.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

________

Second reading
2 Peter 1:16-19
We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven

    It was not any cleverly invented myths that we were repeating when we brought you the knowledge of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ; we had seen his majesty for ourselves. He was honoured and glorified by God the Father, when the Sublime Glory itself spoke to him and said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour.’ We heard this ourselves, spoken from heaven, when we were with him on the holy mountain.

    So we have confirmation of what was said in prophecies; and you will be right to depend on prophecy and take it as a lamp for lighting a way through the dark until the dawn comes and the morning star rises in your minds.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Mt17:5

Alleluia, alleluia!

This is my Son, the Beloved:
he enjoys my favour.
Listen to him.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Matthew 17:1-9
His face shone like the sun

    Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain where they could be alone. There in their presence he was transfigured: his face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as the light. Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared to them; they were talking with him. Then Peter spoke to Jesus. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘it is wonderful for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.’ He was still speaking when suddenly a bright cloud covered them with shadow, and from the cloud there came a voice which said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him.’ When they heard this the disciples fell on their faces overcome with fear. But Jesus came up and touched them. ‘Stand up,’ he said ‘do not be afraid.’ And when they raised their eyes they saw no one but only Jesus.

    As they came down from the mountain Jesus gave them this order, ‘Tell no one about the vision until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.’

The Gospel of the Lord.