Mass Reflection: Sunday - 31st August 2025

SIR 3: 17-18, 20,28-29; PS 68: 4-7, 10-11; HEB 12:18-19, 22-24A; LK 14:1, 7-14

Today’s readings remind us of a chief virtue that characterizes the Christian steward: humility. This is a virtue that is widely thought of as a form of self-abasement. But that understanding is off the mark. Humility is simply the awareness of who (and Whose) we truly are.

On one hand, we are children of the Most High God who loved us into existence; children whose Father sent His son to die for our sins, children who, by virtue of our Baptism, have the Holy Trinity dwelling within us. On the other hand, we are children who are completely dependent on God for our very existence and for every breath we take. The Christian steward lives with an awareness of these two realities — our great dignity as sons and daughters of God, and our total dependence on Him for all that we are and all that we have been given.

Our First Reading, from Sirach, instructs, “What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not.” As Christian stewards, aware of our total dependence on God, we must be content with “being little.” We recognize that all that we have and all that we are is an unmerited gift from God. All bragging rights belong to Him, not us.

Our Lord speaks of true humility and the kind of outlook that goes along with it in our Gospel passage from Luke. While at a dinner party in the home of one of the leading Pharisees, Jesus observes the guests at the party jockeying for the most prestigious spots at the table.

He takes the opportunity to tell a parable (which sounds amazingly like the real-life situation that is happening at the very dinner party Christ is attending (our Lord really has a wonderful sense of humor!) He says if you get invited to, say, a wedding banquet, not to take a place of honor at the table. He warns that a more distinguished guest might arrive and then embarrassment would ensue as you have to make your way to a less prestigious spot.

In sharing this parable, Jesus has in mind much more than an etiquette lesson. He is reminding us that all glory belongs to God. The visual image He offers in having to slink down to a lower seat at the table points out how silly we are when we forget to give God the credit for our blessings and talents. Jesus says, “Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” When we live in humility — recognizing that all we have is gift from God and using those gifts to serve Him and others, then God “exalts” us, by filling us with even more of Himself and His grace.

Jesus goes on to encourage us to actively seek to serve and share our blessings with people facing circumstances that would make it impossible for them to offer us any worldly advantage or prestige — people who are in poverty or have disabilities or infirmities of any kind. "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.

Our attitude and how we serve and share should be centered on true humility — recognizing that we are all “little” ones in the eyes of God. We are all His children; brothers and sisters invited to our Father’s heavenly banquet.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 01st September 2024

 

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
DT 4:1-2, 6-8; PS 15:2-3, 3-4, 4-5; JAS 1:17-18, 21B-22, 27; MK 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Our readings today call us to pause for a moment and consider how we respond to God’s love for us each day.

Our Gospel recounts a dialogue between the Pharisees and Jesus. The Pharisees questioned why Jesus’ disciples did not practice the ritual washing before eating a meal.

Jesus simply responded by quoting scripture, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”

The Pharisees were good at doing what they were supposed to. They knew all the traditions and customs, ensured they followed them, and ensured that it would be made known if someone else did not follow them.

Jesus’ response reminds us to ask ourselves ‘why.’ Why do we remain faithful to God’s commands? Why do we pray or go to Mass? Why do we participate in the sacraments? Why do we love others?

Do we do these things because we know we ‘should’ or because we are afraid of what might happen if we do not? Are we just checking boxes? Or do we do these things out of love for our Good and Gracious Giver?

Oftentimes we are living our faith a certain way out of obligation, fear, or duty. But Jesus reminds us that the greatest way to live out our faith is through love. Our faith has obligations to provide us opportunities to love, honor, and praise the Lord. They are meant to aid us on our personal journey with Jesus Christ. And we are called to not go through the motions by “honoring God with our lips” only, but with our whole hearts.

St. James reminds us in our second reading how to do just that, as he says, “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” He reminds us that every moment of each day is an opportunity to respond to God’s infinite love for us with love and gratitude in return.

If we approach our relationship with Jesus with this in mind, then we begin to realize that the gift of the Mass is an opportunity to worship God, the sacraments are ways to draw us closer to Him and His commandments are opportunities to love Him more faithfully.

And if we approach our day-to-day moments with this in mind, then we begin to see just how many blessings God has given us. Looking at life through the lens of gratitude helps us to see each moment as a gift with endless opportunities to respond in love.

It begins by rising each day with a prayer of thanksgiving, offering our daily tasks as a prayer to the Lord, seeking ways to share our gifts and talents with others, saying a prayer of thanksgiving before meals, sharing words of affirmation to a loved, or taking time to reflect on how much God loves us and how we can best love Him in return.

This is how we ought to live our lives as Christian stewards — by recognizing our lives as a gift and an opportunity to love God in response to how He has loved us.

So let us look inward at our hearts and ask ourselves why we live our faith the way we do. Let us strive to pray with meaning, attend Mass with attention, serve others out of love for God and recognize just how blessed we are. It is in these simple moments that we love extraordinarily and honor God wholeheartedly.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 28th August 2022

First reading
Ecclesiasticus 3:19-21,30-31

Behave humbly, and you will find favour with the Lord

My son, be gentle in carrying out your business,
    and you will be better loved than a lavish giver.
The greater you are, the more you should behave humbly,
    and then you will find favour with the Lord;
for great though the power of the Lord is,
    he accepts the homage of the humble.
There is no cure for the proud man’s malady,
    since an evil growth has taken root in him.
The heart of a sensible man will reflect on parables,
    an attentive ear is the sage’s dream.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 67(68):4-7,10-11

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

The just shall rejoice at the presence of God,
    they shall exult and dance for joy.
O sing to the Lord, make music to his name;
    rejoice in the Lord, exult at his presence.

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

Father of the orphan, defender of the widow,
    such is God in his holy place.
God gives the lonely a home to live in;
    he leads the prisoners forth into freedom:

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

You poured down, O God, a generous rain:
    when your people were starved you gave them new life.
It was there that your people found a home,
    prepared in your goodness, O God, for the poor.

In your goodness, O God, you prepared a home for the poor.

________

Second reading
Hebrews 12:18-19,22-24
You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God

What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant and a blood for purification which pleads more insistently than Abel’s.

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:
Mt11:29

Alleluia, alleluia!

Shoulder my yoke and learn from me,
says the Lord,
for I am gentle and humble in heart.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Luke 14:1,7-14
Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled

    On a sabbath day Jesus had gone for a meal to the house of one of the leading Pharisees; and they watched him closely. He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, ‘When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, “Give up your place to this man.” And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place. No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, “My friend, move up higher.” In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’

    Then he said to his host, ‘When you give a lunch or a dinner, do not ask your friends, brothers, relations or rich neighbours, for fear they repay your courtesy by inviting you in return. No; when you have a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; that they cannot pay you back means that you are fortunate, because repayment will be made to you when the virtuous rise again.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 29th August 2021

Our readings today call us to pause for a moment and consider how we respond to God’s love for us each day. 
 
Our Gospel recounts a dialogue between the Pharisees and Jesus. The Pharisees questioned why Jesus’ disciples did not practice the ritual washing before eating a meal. 
 
Jesus simply responded by quoting scripture, “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines human precepts.”
 
The Pharisees were good at doing what they were supposed to. They knew all the traditions and customs, ensured they followed them, and ensured that it would be made known if someone else did not follow them. 
 
Jesus’ response reminds us to ask ourselves ‘why.’ Why do we remain faithful to God’s commands? Why do we pray or go to Mass? Why do we participate in the sacraments? Why do we love others?
 
Do we do these things because we know we ‘should’ or because we are afraid of what might happen if we do not? Are we just checking boxes? Or do we do these things out of love for our Good and Gracious Giver?
 
Often, we are living our faith a certain way out of obligation, fear, or duty. But Jesus reminds us that the greatest way to live out our faith is through love. Our faith has obligations to provide us opportunities to love, honor, and praise the Lord. They are meant to aid us on our personal journey with Jesus Christ. And we are called to not go through the motions by “honoring God with our lips” only, but with our whole hearts. 
 
St. James reminds us in our second reading how to do just that, as he says, “All good giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” He reminds us that every moment of each day is an opportunity to respond to God’s infinite love for us with love and gratitude in return. 
 
If we approach our relationship with Jesus with this in mind, then we begin to realize that the gift of the Mass is an opportunity to worship God, the sacraments are ways to draw us closer to Him and His commandments are opportunities to love Him more faithfully. 
 
And if we approach our day-to-day moments with this in mind, then we begin to see just how many blessings God has given us. Looking at life through the lens of gratitude helps us to see each moment as a gift with endless opportunities to respond in love. 
 
It begins by rising each day with a prayer of thanksgiving, offering our daily tasks as a prayer to the Lord, seeking ways to share our gifts and talents with others, saying a prayer of thanksgiving before meals, sharing words of affirmation to a loved, or taking time to reflect on how much God loves us and how we can best love Him in return.
 
This is how we ought to live our lives as Christian stewards — by recognizing our lives as a gift and an opportunity to love God in response to how He has loved us. 
 
So let us look inward at our hearts and ask ourselves why we live our faith the way we do. Let us strive to pray with meaning, attend Mass with attention, serve others out of love for God and recognize just how blessed we are. It is in these simple moments that we love extraordinarily and honor God wholeheartedly.

The Liturgy of the Word: Sunday - 29th August 2021

First reading
Deuteronomy 4:1-2,6-8
Observe these laws and customs, that you may have life

Moses said to the people: ‘Now, Israel, take notice of the laws and customs that I teach you today, and observe them, that you may have life and may enter and take possession of the land that the Lord the God of your fathers is giving you. You must add nothing to what I command you, and take nothing from it, but keep the commandments of the Lord your God just as I lay them down for you. Keep them, observe them, and they will demonstrate to the peoples your wisdom and understanding. When they come to know of all these laws they will exclaim, “No other people is as wise and prudent as this great nation.” And indeed, what great nation is there that has its gods so near as the Lord our God is to us whenever we call to him? And what great nation is there that has laws and customs to match this whole Law that I put before you today?’

The word of the Lord.

__

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 14(15):2-5

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

Lord, who shall dwell on your holy mountain?
He who walks without fault;
he who acts with justice
and speaks the truth from his heart;
he who does not slander with his tongue.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

He who does no wrong to his brother,
who casts no slur on his neighbour,
who holds the godless in disdain,
but honours those who fear the Lord.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

He who keeps his pledge, come what may;
who takes no interest on a loan
and accepts no bribes against the innocent.
Such a man will stand firm for ever.

The just will live in the presence of the Lord.

________

Second reading
James 1:17-18,21-22,27
Accept and submit to the word

It is all that is good, everything that is perfect, which is given us from above; it comes down from the Father of all light; with him there is no such thing as alteration, no shadow of a change. By his own choice he made us his children by the message of the truth so that we should be a sort of first-fruits of all that he had created. 

    Accept and submit to the word which has been planted in you and can save your souls. But you must do what the word tells you, and not just listen to it and deceive yourselves.

    Pure, unspoilt religion, in the eyes of God our Father is this: coming to the help of orphans and widows when they need it, and keeping oneself uncontaminated by the world.

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:

James1:18

Alleluia, alleluia!
By his own choice the Father made us his children
by the message of the truth,
so that we should be a sort of first-fruits
of all that he created.
Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Mark 7:1-8,14-15,21-23
You put aside the commandment of God, to cling to human traditions

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:

This people honours me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.

You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ He called the people to him again and said, ‘Listen to me, all of you, and understand. Nothing that goes into a man from outside can make him unclean; it is the things that come out of a man that make him unclean. For it is from within, from men’s hearts, that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, malice, deceit, indecency, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within and make a man unclean.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Readings: Sunday, 30th August 2020

First Reading    Jeremiah 20:7-9 ·

The word of the Lord has meant insult for me

You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced;
you have overpowered me: you were the stronger.
I am a daily laughing-stock,
everybody’s butt.
Each time I speak the word, I have to howl
and proclaim: ‘Violence and ruin!’
The word of the Lord has meant for me
insult, derision, all day long.
I used to say, ‘I will not think about him,
I will not speak in his name any more.’
Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart,
imprisoned in my bones.
The effort to restrain it wearied me,
I could not bear it.

The word of the Lord.

 

Responsorial Psalm   Psalm 62(63):2-6,8-9

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

O God, you are my God, for you I long;
    for you my soul is thirsting.
My body pines for you
    like a dry, weary land without water.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

 So I gaze on you in the sanctuary
    to see your strength and your glory.
For your love is better than life,
    my lips will speak your praise.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God

 So I will bless you all my life,
    in your name I will lift up my hands.
My soul shall be filled as with a banquet,
    my mouth shall praise you with joy.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

 For you have been my help;
    in the shadow of your wings I rejoice.
My soul clings to you;
    your right hand holds me fast.

For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God.

  

Second Reading    Romans 12:1-2 ·

Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice

Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him,
I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings,
by offering your living bodies as a holy sacrifice, truly pleasing to God.
Do not model yourselves on the behaviour of the world around you,
but let your behaviour change, modelled by your new mind.
This is the only way to discover the will of God and know what is good,
what it is that God wants, what is the perfect thing to do.

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!

 

Gospel   Matthew 16:21-27

'Get behind me, Satan!'

Jesus began to make it clear to his disciples that he was destined to go to Jerusalem
and suffer grievously at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes,
to be put to death and to be raised up on the third day. Then, taking him aside,
Peter started to remonstrate with him. ‘Heaven preserve you, Lord;’ he said

‘this must not happen to you.’ But he turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! 
You are an obstacle in my path, because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?

‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour.’

 The Gospel of the Lord.