Mass Reading: Sunday - 30th June 2024

First reading
Wisdom 1:13-15,2:23-24
God takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living

Death was not God’s doing,
he takes no pleasure in the extinction of the living.
To be – for this he created all;
the world’s created things have health in them,
in them no fatal poison can be found,
and Hades holds no power on earth;
for virtue is undying.

Yet God did make man imperishable,
he made him in the image of his own nature;
it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world,
as those who are his partners will discover.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 29(30):2,4-6,11-13

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me
    and have not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O Lord, you have raised my soul from the dead,
    restored me to life from those who sink into the grave.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

Sing psalms to the Lord, you who love him,
    give thanks to his holy name.
His anger lasts a moment; his favour all through life.
    At night there are tears, but joy comes with dawn.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

The Lord listened and had pity.
    The Lord came to my help.
For me you have changed my mourning into dancing:
    O Lord my God, I will thank you for ever.

I will praise you, Lord, you have rescued me.

________

Second reading
2 Corinthians 8:7,9,13-15
The Lord Jesus became poor for your sake, to make you rich

    You always have the most of everything – of faith, of eloquence, of understanding, of keenness for any cause, and the biggest share of our affection – so we expect you to put the most into this work of mercy too. Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty. This does not mean that to give relief to others you ought to make things difficult for yourselves: it is a question of balancing what happens to be your surplus now against their present need, and one day they may have something to spare that will supply your own need. That is how we strike a balance: as scripture says: The man who gathered much had none too much, the man who gathered little did not go short.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
cf.Jn6:63,68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Your words are spirit, Lord, and they are life;
you have the message of eternal life.

Alleluia!

Or:
cf.2Tim1:10

Alleluia, alleluia!

Our Saviour Jesus Christ abolished death
and he has proclaimed life through the Good News.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Mark 5:21-43
Little girl, I tell you to get up

    When Jesus had crossed in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered round him and he stayed by the lakeside. Then one of the synagogue officials came up, Jairus by name, and seeing him, fell at his feet and pleaded with him earnestly, saying, ‘My little daughter is desperately sick. Do come and lay your hands on her to make her better and save her life.’ Jesus went with him and a large crowd followed him; they were pressing all round him.

    Now there was a woman who had suffered from a haemorrhage for twelve years; after long and painful treatment under various doctors, she spent all she had without being any the better for it, in fact, she was getting worse. She had heard about Jesus, and she came up behind him through the crowd and touched his cloak. ‘If I can touch even his clothes,’ she had told herself ‘I shall be well again.’ And the source of the bleeding dried up instantly, and she felt in herself that she was cured of her complaint. Immediately aware that power had gone out from him, Jesus turned round in the crowd and said, ‘Who touched my clothes?’ His disciples said to him, ‘You see how the crowd is pressing round you and yet you say, “Who touched me?”’ But he continued to look all round to see who had done it. Then the woman came forward, frightened and trembling because she knew what had happened to her, and she fell at his feet and told him the whole truth. ‘My daughter,’ he said ‘your faith has restored you to health; go in peace and be free from your complaint.’

    While he was still speaking some people arrived from the house of the synagogue official to say, ‘Your daughter is dead: why put the Master to any further trouble?’ But Jesus had overheard this remark of theirs and he said to the official, ‘Do not be afraid; only have faith.’ And he allowed no one to go with him except Peter and James and John the brother of James. So they came to the official’s house and Jesus noticed all the commotion, with people weeping and wailing unrestrainedly. He went in and said to them, ‘Why all this commotion and crying? The child is not dead, but asleep.’ But they laughed at him. So he turned them all out and, taking with him the child’s father and mother and his own companions, he went into the place where the child lay. And taking the child by the hand he said to her, ‘Talitha, kum!’ which means, ‘Little girl, I tell you to get up.’ The little girl got up at once and began to walk about, for she was twelve years old. At this they were overcome with astonishment, and he ordered them strictly not to let anyone know about it, and told them to give her something to eat.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 30th June 2024

 

WIS 1:13-15, 2:23-24; PS 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13; 2 COR 8:7, 9, 13-15; MK 5:21-43 OR 5:21-24, 35b-43

Our readings today remind us that our God is a tender and loving God.

Our First Reading, from the book of Wisdom, helps answer a common question in our Catholic faith — why is there suffering and death?

We are tempted to be angry at God for death of loved ones or innocent people. We are also tempted to be angry at Him our sufferings — like illness, car troubles or a terrible week at work. Wisdom teaches us, “God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living.” Rather, “God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him.”

It was in God’s original plan for man to not suffer and to not die. This is how the world began with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It is when they sinned that suffering and death entered our lives, as Wisdom states, “by the envy of the devil, death entered the world.”

To restore God’s original plan, and to save us from the state of sin and death, He sent His only Son to revive our souls. Through Jesus Christ, we once again are imperishable when we enter eternal life.

Because of Him, our suffering is not meaningless. As we’re told in the Scriptures, God did not create suffering and death. However, because He loves us, He allows it so that we might become united to Him and have an opportunity to participate in His work of salvation.

In our Gospel, Jesus heals two people — a sick woman and an ill child. The woman and the father of the child approached Jesus because they heard of His healing works.

The first healing was a woman who suffered physically for many years. She believed that, “if I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.” As Jesus questioned who touched Him, she fell at her knees and confessed the truth of what she had done. Jesus replied with such tender words, “Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction.”

These words that Christ spoke are very similar to the words He speaks to us during the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As we kneel before a priest with sorrow in our hearts and profess the entire truth of how we have offended our Lord, Christ can only reply with such tender words, “Daughter or son, your sins are forgiven. Go in peace.”

As this woman got on her knees and felt ashamed of what she did, Jesus could only look at her with eyes of love. So too, as we kneel before Christ, feeling ashamed and unwanted, all He can do is look at us with love and see our great faith.

The second healing was of a 12-year-old girl. An anxious and loving father sought after Jesus so that his daughter might be cured of her illness. As Jesus was traveling to heal her, they got word that the daughter had died. In that deeply painful moment, a moment no parent wants to experience, Jesus turned and said, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.”

Recall a moment when you felt like you hit rock bottom. Maybe you received devastating news, someone died, you lost your job, you were fighting addiction, or you were suffering mentally, spiritually or physically. Maybe you are living that moment or maybe that moment is yet to come.

In that time, imagine Jesus looking at you and saying, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Remember this verse. May it bring you peace and comfort in tribulation. Recall, as Wisdom tells us, God does not rejoice in our suffering and death. He rejoices in our faith and our trust in His glorious plan for our lives.

Whether we are healed like the little girl in our Gospel in this life, or we carry our suffering with us until we reach the next, if we remain faithful, Jesus will one day say to us, “Little girl or little boy, I say to you, arise!”

Today, let us reflect on how much our Good and Gracious God loves us. Remember that whatever we are suffering in this life, do not be afraid, God is right there with us. Offer it to Him, seek His healing and remain faithful so that one day we might rise.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 23rd June 2024

First reading
Job 38:1,8-11
From the heart of the tempest the Lord gives Job his answer

From the heart of the tempest the Lord gave Job his answer. He said:

Who pent up the sea behind closed doors
    when it leapt tumultuous out of the womb,
when I wrapped it in a robe of mist
    and made black clouds its swaddling bands;
when I marked the bounds it was not to cross
    and made it fast with a bolted gate?
Come thus far, I said, and no farther:
    here your proud waves shall break.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 106(107):23-26,28-32

O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.

Some sailed to the sea in ships
    to trade on the mighty waters.
These men have seen the Lord’s deeds,
    the wonders he does in the deep.

O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.

For he spoke; he summoned the gale,
    tossing the waves of the sea
up to heaven and back into the deep;
    their souls melted away in their distress.

O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.

Then they cried to the Lord in their need
    and he rescued them from their distress.
He stilled the storm to a whisper:
    all the waves of the sea were hushed.

O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.

They rejoiced because of the calm
    and he led them to the haven they desired.
Let them thank the Lord for his love,
    for the wonders he does for men.

O give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures for ever.

________

Second reading
2 Corinthians 5:14-17
We do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh

    The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.

    From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
cf.Ep1:17,18

Alleluia, alleluia!

May the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ
enlighten the eyes of our mind,
so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.

Alleluia!

Or:
Lk7:16

Alleluia, alleluia!

A great prophet has appeared among us;
God has visited his people.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Mark 4:35-41
'Even the wind and the sea obey him'

With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 23rd June 2024

 

JB 38:1, 8-11; PS 107:23-24, 24-26, 28-29, 30-31; 2 COR 5:14-17; MK 4:35-41

Our readings today remind us that God always has our best interests in mind. No matter what is going on in our lives, God is with us.

Our First Reading is from the end of the book of Job. The book of Job is an incredible story of God allowing trial and suffering to occur in Job’s life. The devil thinks that the only reason Job is faithful to God is because the Lord has blessed him with wealth, family, etc. God knows that Job is a faithful man and will not turn away from Him despite hardships. So, the Lord allows destruction in Job’s life.

Let’s think for a moment what it was like to be Job. He lost all that he had, including his children. He must have felt completely alone and confused as to why all of this happened to him.

During his trials, Job laments and wallows, but never completely loses faith in God. Our First Reading finds us at the end of his trials. After questioning God, the Lord responds to Job, “Who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb… When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but not farther, and here shall your proud waves be stilled!”

Finally, the Lord responded to his questioning heart. God essentially responds by reminding Job to have faith in His power.

It is the Lord who has the power to create, power to allow suffering, and the power to calm the storms of life. It is in this response that we are reminded God is in control and God is always with us. He sees us in every moment, whether we are rejoicing or suffering.

This is re-echoed in our Gospel today. Jesus and His disciples are traveling in a boat when heavy winds and violent waves begin to overwhelm the boat. Jesus was there sleeping in the boat in the midst of this horrific storm.

The disciples woke Jesus and questioned Him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” Jesus calms the wind and the waves, and then asks them in return, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

Think back to a time that you endured great suffering, a hard trial or felt overwhelmed with life. You might be living it right now.

How did you respond?

In moments of trial, we often live our days in a panic. It is as if our life is like the life of those disciples. We see the water coming into our boat and we do all that we can in our power to stay afloat. We aimlessly try to throw the water overboard, and we become exhausted because it is thrown right back into our face. We are frantic, so we fail to stop and recognize that our Savior is in the same boat with us. Although it might feel like He is sleeping and His presence is lacking, He is right there suffering with us.

Our First Reading and Gospel remind us that God won’t allow anything that we cannot handle. He sees the whole picture. We can only see the right now. And in a moment of suffering, we might feel trapped. Yet, God sees the way out. He sees the moment of peace and still waters.

Therefore, during our trials, cling to Jesus. Know that there is an end, and whether we see the end in this life or the next, God allows it all for our salvation.

Today, let us thank God for His presence in our lives, and ask for the eyes of faith to see that He is right here with us always.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 16th June 2024

Entrance Antiphon

Cf. Ps 26: 7, 9

O Lord, hear my voice, for I have called to you; be my help.

Do not abandon or forsake me, O God, my Saviour!

________

First reading

Ezekiel 17:22-24

I will plant a shoot on the high mountain of Israel

The Lord says this:

    ‘From the top of the cedar,

from the highest branch I will take a shoot

and plant it myself on a very high mountain.

I will plant it on the high mountain of Israel.

It will sprout branches and bear fruit,

and become a noble cedar.

Every kind of bird will live beneath it,

every winged creature rest in the shade of its branches.

And every tree of the field will learn that I, the Lord, am the one

who stunts tall trees and makes the low ones grow,

who withers green trees and makes the withered green.

I, the Lord, have spoken, and I will do it.’

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

2 Corinthians 5:6-10

We want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord

    We are always full of confidence when we remember that to live in the body means to be exiled from the Lord, going as we do by faith and not by sight – we are full of confidence, I say, and actually want to be exiled from the body and make our home with the Lord. Whether we are living in the body or exiled from it, we are intent on pleasing him. For all the truth about us will be brought out in the law court of Christ, and each of us will get what he deserves for the things he did in the body, good or bad.

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:

Alleluia, alleluia!

The seed is the word of God, Christ the sower;

whoever finds this seed will remain for ever.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel

Mark 4:26-34

The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all

    Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’

    He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’

    Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 16th June 2024

 EZ 17:22-24; PS 92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16; 2 COR 5:6-10; MK 4:26-34

As we enter back into Ordinary Time, our readings today remind us that heaven is our true home and that we cannot make it there without God’s assistance.

In our First Reading, the prophet Ezekiel foretells the coming of the Kingdom of God. It is through a newly planted cedar that God will bear fruit. As he says, “Birds of every kind shall dwell beneath it… And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, bring low the high tree, lift high the lowly tree.”

We can see that Jesus is the cedar that will become refuge for all people. He will humble the proud, lift up the lowly and produce good fruit in the weakened. It is God who does the wondrous works.

We often go through life wanting to be in control. We try to solve all our problems, as we think, "I can do it myself." We cling to our own ideas by putting certain events, future plans or even day-to-day moments into a perfect little box, "This is the way I want it." We can even push back in moments of suffering by trying to find every possible way to get out of it. We are "in control."

Imagine what life would be like if we surrendered a little more. It is easier said than done — but, oh, how freeing it would be.

What if we opened our clenched hands to God and said, “Thy will be done”? What if we allowed God to be our problem solver or trusted in His plans for our lives? What if, instead of pushing away suffering, we actually resided in it with Christ Himself?

We would become free from attachment and more blessed than we could ever imagine.

Only God can do all that He promised in our First Reading. We need Him. All we need to do is surrender. To help us on this journey of total surrender, try starting each day with a prayer of surrender, “Lord, I give You this day and all that You have in store for me, my family and friends.”

Our Second Reading reminds us that we are not at home in this life, but in the next, as St. Paul says, “We would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.” This message is easy to say, but difficult to believe with our whole heart. We might look at our lives and think, "I like my home, I love my family and friends, and I enjoy the little comforts in my life. I don’t want to give that up."

Eternal life will surpass anything we could ever imagine and hope for. It will fulfill our deepest desires and aching hearts, and we will be filled with lasting peace and pure joy. If we only knew how incredible our heaven is, then we would give God everything to get there. But as St. Paul reminds us, it is not something we can see — “We walk by faith, not by sight.” We are called to have eyes of faith and hearts of trust. Pray for the grace to have overwhelming faith.

In our Gospel, Jesus expresses two parables about the Kingdom of God. The first mentions a man scattering seed on the land. As time passes, the seed sprouts and grows — yet, the man does not know how it happened.

This parable reminds us of our call to scatter seeds of faith to others. Over time, God will work with those seeds and produce fruit. It is not our doing, but God’s doing. We need Him to produce the effects — all we can do is be good stewards of the knowledge and love for our faith.

We must ask ourselves, what are the ways I am scattering seeds of faith to others?

There are countless ways to do just that — teaching a faith formation class, leading RCIA or a Bible Study; reading saint stories or discussing the Sunday readings with your kids; praying with your spouse; openly discussing your faith with those around you, both Catholics and non-Catholics; actively living out your faith through service, prayer and sacraments. God will not only produce fruit from the seeds you scattered by your witness, but He will also grow more fruit in your life.

Jesus’ second parable relates the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed. It is one of the tiniest seeds, that grows rapidly into a field of weeds. However, in the parable, Jesus compares the Kingdom to a mustard seed that grows into the largest of plants.

The beginnings of the Kingdom started out small, but have grown and continue to grow into something grand. This seems unlikely, since Jesus is comparing it to a mustard seed, but we have to recognize that He is describing the Kingdom of God — something that is out of this world and beyond what we can imagine.

As Christian disciples, we hope to reside in the branches of heaven, along with our family and friends. We cannot do this on our own. As our other readings mention, it is through the total surrender, complete faith and actively living out our faith as a witness to Christ that we can hope in eternal life.

As we settle into Ordinary Time, let us not become complacent, but keep our hearts and minds fixed on the Kingdom of God.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 09th June 2024

Entrance Antiphon
Cf. Ps 26: 1-2

The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life; whom should I dread?
When those who do evil draw near, they stumble and fall.


_______

First reading
Genesis 3:9-15
'I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid'

    The Lord God called to the man after he had eaten of the tree. ‘Where are you?’ he asked. ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden;’ he replied ‘I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.’ ‘Who told you that you were naked?’ he asked ‘Have you been eating of the tree I forbade you to eat?’ The man replied, ‘It was the woman you put with me; she gave me the fruit, and I ate it.’ Then the Lord God asked the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’ The woman replied, ‘The serpent tempted me and I ate.’

    Then the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this,
‘Be accursed beyond all cattle,
all wild beasts.
You shall crawl on your belly and eat dust
every day of your life.
I will make you enemies of each other:
you and the woman,
your offspring and her offspring.
It will crush your head
and you will strike its heel.’

The word of the Lord.


________



Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 129(130)

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

    Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord,
    Lord, hear my voice!
    O let your ears be attentive
    to the voice of my pleading.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

    If you, O Lord, should mark our guilt,
    Lord, who would survive?
    But with you is found forgiveness:
    for this we revere you.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

    My soul is waiting for the Lord.
    I count on his word.
    My soul is longing for the Lord
    more than watchman for daybreak.
    (Let the watchman count on daybreak
    and Israel on the Lord.)

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

    Because with the Lord there is mercy
    and fullness of redemption,
    Israel indeed he will redeem
    from all its iniquity.

With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.



________



Second reading
2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1
We are being trained to carry the weight of eternal glory


    As we have the same spirit of faith that is mentioned in scripture – I believed, and therefore I spoke – we too believe and therefore we too speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus to life will raise us with Jesus in our turn, and put us by his side and you with us. You see, all this is for your benefit, so that the more grace is multiplied among people, the more thanksgiving there will be, to the glory of God.

    That is why there is no weakening on our part, and instead, though this outer man of ours may be falling into decay, the inner man is renewed day by day. Yes, the troubles which are soon over, though they weigh little, train us for the carrying of a weight of eternal glory which is out of all proportion to them. And so we have no eyes for things that are visible, but only for things that are invisible; for visible things last only for a time, and the invisible things are eternal.

    For we know that when the tent that we live in on earth is folded up, there is a house built by God for us, an everlasting home not made by human hands, in the heavens.

The word of the Lord.


________



Gospel Acclamation
Jn14:23

Alleluia, alleluia!

If anyone loves me he will keep my word,
and my Father will love him,
and we shall come to him.

Alleluia!


Or:
Jn12:31,32

Alleluia, alleluia!

Now the prince of this world is to be overthrown,
says the Lord.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I shall draw all men to myself.

Alleluia!



________



Gospel
Mark 3:20-35
A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand

    Jesus went home with his disciples, and such a crowd collected that they could not even have a meal. When his relatives heard of this, they set out to take charge of him, convinced he was out of his mind.

    The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘Beelzebul is in him’ and, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.’ So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.

    ‘I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.’ This was because they were saying, ‘An unclean spirit is in him.’

    His mother and brothers now arrived and, standing outside, sent in a message asking for him. A crowd was sitting round him at the time the message was passed to him, ‘Your mother and brothers and sisters are outside asking for you.’ He replied, ‘Who are my mother and my brothers?’ And looking round at those sitting in a circle about him, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers. Anyone who does the will of God, that person is my brother and sister and mother.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 09th June 2024

 
GN 3: 9-15; PS 130: 1-8; 2 COR: 4:13 – 5:1; MK 3: 20-35

The Feasts of May and June have been called a “liturgical love feast.” They should help us to realize the persistent love of God. On May 20 we received the Holy Spirit Who pours the love of God into our hearts. The following Sunday we celebrated the Blessed Trinity. On June 3, last week, we celebrated the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. Out of love Christ gave us the gift of Himself. He is always available to us, ready to listen and ready to support.

This past Friday we commemorated the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In the revelations of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, Jesus promised, “Sinners shall find My Heart the source of an infinite ocean of mercy. I will console them in all their troubles.” What we hear in the Word at every Mass should be a source of inspiration and affirmation about the love of God toward us.

Adam and Eve were certainly aware of God’s love. In the First Reading from the Book of Genesis, when they “hear” that God is in the garden, they know full well that He wants to be with them. It is difficult for us to conceive of how intimate and close God was to that first couple. What made them “afraid” of God was sin, something that probably makes all of us afraid of the Lord at times. Ever since Adam we as humans have tended to run from God’s presence and we surely do not always wish to listen to His Word.

Nevertheless, we must always keep in mind that we are made in God’s image, so as fearful of Him as we may be, we still want to be in the presence of God. As we note in the reading, Adam tried to blame Eve for his sin. That is something we may tend to do as well — blame others for our sins and faults. In 2 Samuel David declares, “I have sinned against the Lord.” Each of us must consider taking that responsibility for our actions as David did.

St. Paul had a way with words to be sure. During Paul’s lifetime many felt his Paul’s life was a failure. At the height of his success in life, he chose to leave it for a career that from our perspective is much higher. We view St. Paul as the great evangelizer and the equivalent of an Apostle. Paul left a comfortable life for a life of hardship, suffering and persecution.

His message to us and to the Corinthians in this reading is that faith creates testimony. Paul believed deeply that God had a purpose in his, Paul’s, sufferings. Paul understood and embraced and truly believed in resurrection. Al the trials he faced, and all the trials we may face, are trivial in relationship to the life that is to come. Suffering can destroy us; they could have destroyed Paul. Paul recognized that we tend to see the outward, not necessarily the unseen eternal things. He speaks, nevertheless, of the “eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.” That is where his focus was and where our focus needs to be — not the present but what is in our future.

President Abraham Lincoln is often given credit for saying “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” This was the theme of a speech he gave when he was nominated for the United States Senate in 1858. However, we see it in today’s Gospel Reading from St. Mark: “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.”

Jesus is quoted as saying that in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).

Lincoln was a man familiar with scripture, and he knew that Jesus said this. He also knew most likely that most of his audience knew that. Jesus gave this answer to the Pharisees in all three instances in the Bible, including today’s reading. It was a response the Lord made when accused of being the agent of Satan. It is a logical thought because we all know that any community, including our parish, which is divided will run into problems. Success and cohesion, whether in a family or in an organization or the Church itself, is reliant upon congruency.

We face this in many ways in daily life all the time. It does not matter whether it is a sports team, a government, a family, or our own minds things must work together to accomplish goals. God expects unity among believers because once conflict enters the picture, the whole organization becomes weaker. That is part of what stewardship demands of us. There are times when each of us must place his or her personal preferences to the side for the good of the group. That is never easy to do, but to be the kind of community we wish to be and need to be it is necessary. Psalm 133 says, “How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in unity.” Indeed!