Mass Reading: Sunday - 15th September 2024

First reading
Isaiah 50:5-9
I offered my back to those who struck me

The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance,
neither did I turn away.
I offered my back to those who struck me,
my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;
I did not cover my face
against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help,
so that I am untouched by the insults.
So, too, I set my face like flint;
I know I shall not be shamed.

My vindicator is here at hand. Does anyone start proceedings against me?
Then let us go to court together.
Who thinks he has a case against me?
Let him approach me.
The Lord is coming to my help,
who will dare to condemn me?

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 114(116):1-6,8-9

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

I love the Lord for he has heard
    the cry of my appeal;
for he turned his ear to me
    in the day when I called him.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

They surrounded me, the snares of death,
    with the anguish of the tomb;
they caught me, sorrow and distress.
    I called on the Lord’s name.
O Lord, my God, deliver me!

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

How gracious is the Lord, and just;
    our God has compassion.
The Lord protects the simple hearts;
    I was helpless so he saved me.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

He has kept my soul from death,
    my eyes from tears
    and my feet from stumbling.
I will walk in the presence of the Lord
    in the land of the living.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

________

Second reading
James 2:14-18
If good works do not go with it, faith is quite dead

    Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.

    This is the way to talk to people of that kind: ‘You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds – now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show.’

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;
No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

Or:
Ga6:14

Alleluia, alleluia!

The only thing I can boast about is the cross of our Lord,
through whom the world is crucified to me, and I to the world.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel
Mark 8:27-35
The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously

    Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.

    And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

    He called the people and his disciples to him and said, ‘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, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

 

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 15th September 2024

 

IS 50:5-9A; PS 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9; JAS 2:14-18; MK 8:27-35

“You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Jesus’ words in our Gospel today challenge us to become imitators of Christ. This is not an easy request. It takes sacrifice, endurance, and commitment. Yet, it is profoundly rewarding.

As Peter professes that Jesus is Christ, Jesus begins to share that He will suffer, die, and rise. We can imagine that Peter, who is a close follower of Jesus, is taken back by these words. In his humanity Peter rebukes Him. Little does Peter know that this act is the greatest act of love that man will ever know.

In our humanity, oftentimes we too rebuke Jesus. We become angry when things don’t go our way, despair when we suffer, complain when life gets hard, cringe when we are uncomfortable, or selfishly live to satisfy ourselves. We want life to be easy, comfy, free from hardships, and in our best interest. We are missing profound moments to love and serve when we live a life like that.

Jesus encourages us to think, not as human beings, but as God. He is calling us not to look at life in relation to ourselves. Rather, He wants us to be open-minded and look at life in relation to God. This requires acceptance on our part — accepting the will of God and allowing it to mold us into Christ-like people.

Jesus re-echoes this message as He addresses His disciples saying, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” We are Jesus’ disciples, and He is speaking those same words to us here and now.

Living a life of discipleship is not always easy. It requires us to be imitators of Christ — who suffered, died, and rose from the dead out of total love for each one of us. This means we are called to share in Christ’s sufferings by taking up our cross and following Him daily.

But what does this look like in our day-to-day lives?

We can start by making a firm resolution to follow Christ today, here and now, and renewing that resolution each day when we rise. This requires time with Him each day — speaking and listening.

We should also strive to pick up our crosses each day with Christ by our side. Our cross might be suffering from an illness, fighting an addiction, a day of screaming kids, or a period where things just don’t seem to go our way. Instead of avoiding these sufferings or complaining through them, we are called to carry them with Christ, allowing Him to transform us through them.
And we should strive to remain committed to Christ in every joy and every trial, never ceasing to follow Him. This means serving others even when we feel like serving ourselves, being open to what God is asking of us, and praising Him for every gift.

If we live life constantly focused on us, we will ultimately lose ourselves, but if we surrender our lives for Christ and His mission, we will gain eternal life and become more alive than we could have ever imagined, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” This takes daily commitment and requires endurance in our faith, which can only be done through active discipleship.

St. James reminds us that active discipleship is lively, meaning, our lives must be an extension of our faith. Everything that we do reflects what we believe. We cannot just hold that belief in our hearts, but we need to share it by how we live each moment of each day.

This week let us sit in Jesus’ presence and listen to what He is calling us to at this point in our lives. Let us rise each day with a commitment to follow Him, carry our daily crosses with Him, and live in total gratitude and service to God, family, and neighbor.

Mass Reading: Sunday - 17th September 2023

First reading
Ecclesiasticus 27:33-28:9
Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you; and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven

Resentment and anger, these are foul things,
    and both are found with the sinner.

He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the Lord,
    who keeps strict account of sin.

Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you,
    and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.

If a man nurses anger against another,
    can he then demand compassion from the Lord?

Showing no pity for a man like himself,
    can he then plead for his own sins?

Mere creature of flesh, he cherishes resentment;
    who will forgive him his sins?

Remember the last things, and stop hating,
    remember dissolution and death, and live by the commandments.

Remember the commandments, and do not bear your neighbour ill-will;
    remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook the offence.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 102(103):1-4,9-12

The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

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, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

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, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

His wrath will come to an end;
    he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
    nor repay us according to our faults.

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.
As far as the east is from the west
    so far does he remove our sins.

The Lord is compassion and love, slow to anger and rich in mercy.

________

Second reading
Romans 14:7-9

Alive or dead, we belong to the Lord

    The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and came to life: it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation
1S3:9,Jn6:68

Alleluia, alleluia!

Speak, Lord, your servant is listening:
you have the message of eternal life.

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
Matthew 18:21-35
To be forgiven, you must forgive

    Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered, ‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.

    ‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him, saying, “Give me time and I will pay you.” But the other would not agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they saw what had happened, and they went to their master and reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each forgive your brother from your heart.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 17th September 2023

SIR 27:30-28:7; PS 103:1-4, 9-12; ROM 14:7-9; MT 18:21-35

As Christian stewards, we recognize that all we have and all that we are is gift from God, and we live our lives in a grateful response to such extravagant love. This calls for continuous conversion of heart. The practices of giving a portion of our time, our talents and our treasure are essential steps on the path to conversion. But they serve an even deeper purpose than helping us remember our good intentions. They open our minds and hearts to ever-deepening surrender to the Lord, Who has given us every good thing. 
 
Today’s readings call us to look inward to the state of our hearts, those aspects of ourselves that cannot quite be quantified or measured, but which are the deepest part of us — our thoughts and emotions. 
 
Our first reading, from Sirach, addresses the complicated emotion of anger. “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight... Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?... If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” We have all been wounded by others at some point, some perhaps quite deeply. Our emotions are gifts from God. But we must steward them well, rather than allowing them to overcome us. 
 
How do we do this? Sirach tells us. “Remember your last days, set enmity aside... Think of the commandments… remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.” We embrace the stewardship mindset — not brooding over hurts, but recalling all the gifts our good God has given us, all the love He continually pours out upon us, and we put our focus and trust in Him.
 
In other words, we live for God and not ourselves. What freedom this approach to life brings! All we have is a gift from the Lord. He loves us completely and we can rest in this truth. Knowing this, we need not cling to anger over injustices. God is Lord over all. St. Paul puts it this way in our second reading from Romans: “For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”
 
In our Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus gives us a provocative reminder of the true position we have before Him in light of all that He has done for us. He compares the kingdom of heaven to a “king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.” In the parable, a debtor is brought before the king, owing such an overwhelming debt that it could not possibly be repaid. Yet, the king is filled with compassion for the servant, forgives the debt and lets him go free.
 
Doesn’t that sound like each of us in relation to the King of Kings? The Father has given us life, and then sent His only Son to die for us to free us from our sin “debts” and make eternal life with Him possible for us. Like the servant in the parable, it is impossible to repay this debt. All we can do is thank God by giving Him our whole selves —  our outward actions and our inner selves — and by treating our fellow debtors with the same compassion and forgiveness He has shown to us. In fact, Jesus rightfully and justly commands us to “forgive your brother from your heart.”
 
What joy and freedom of heart we find in the stewardship way of life!

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 11th September 2022

 

EX 32:7-11, 13-14; PS 51:3-4, 12-13, 17, 19; 1 TM 1:12-17; LK 15:1-32 or LK 15:1-10

Today’s readings focus on the personal, passionate, and merciful love of God which should fill us with unending gratitude to Him. This gratitude is the fuel, if you will, that keeps the stewardship way of life rolling along.
 
In our First Reading from Exodus, we see the Israelites whom God has just rescued from slavery, behaving like ungrateful brats. The Lord provides them divine rescue from their enslavement, and they turn their backs on Him to create a false idol in the form of a molten calf to worship. What hubris! Yet Moses pleads for God’s mercy towards them, and once again, God grants it in abundance.
 
In our Second Reading, from St. Paul’s letter to Timothy, we find a grateful Paul who says of himself, “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and arrogant, but I have been mercifully treated… Indeed, the grace of the Lord has been abundant along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.” St. Paul is well aware of the sins he has committed. But this does not hold him back from ministry. Rather, it makes him all the more grateful to be God’s steward. How encouraging to know that this is true for us as well. Our past sins, and even our present struggles, do not disqualify us from becoming God’s grateful stewards. 
 
In fact, the more we have been forgiven and live with the awareness of our continuing need for forgiveness, the deeper our gratitude to God, and thus the more fuel we have in our tanks to live the stewardship way of life.
 
Jesus Himself gives us several poignant illustrations of His merciful love in today’s Gospel reading from Luke. Let us focus on one, in particular — the story of the lost sheep. Jesus begins this parable by asking, “What man among you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it?”

The natural response is no one!  It simply does not make sense to spend the time and energy searching for one lost sheep when there are so many others to tend to. But God’s logic, God’s mercy, defies human logic. 
 
Jesus does go after the lost one and continues to pursue him “until he finds it.” And when he finds the lost one, Jesus does not bring him back into the fold begrudgingly, with annoyance and frustration at having had to go after him. No, He brings the lost one back with great joy, carrying him upon His own shoulders. And who is the lost one?  It is every one of us when we stray away from God through sin, great or small.
 
What gratitude we owe to such a personal, passionate, loving God! Just think, even our sins, once forgiven, become a source of fuel for our stewardship way of life as we reflect with deep gratitude on the powerful mercy of our Savior.
 
How can we demonstrate our gratitude to such a God?  By living as His good stewards. We thank Him by offering back to Him the very best of ourselves — the talents He has given us (to use for His glory), the time He has given us (to spend with Him in prayer), the material resources He has given us (to advance His kingdom). 
 
In so doing, we can make the words of St. Paul, a former enemy of Christ, our own stewardship motto: “I am grateful to Him who has strengthened me, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he considered me trustworthy in appointing me to the ministry,” We must keep rolling, Christian stewards!

 

Mass Reading: Sunday - 11th September 2022

First reading
Exodus 32:7-11,13-14
The Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened

    The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Go down now, because your people whom you brought out of Egypt have apostatised. They have been quick to leave the way I marked out for them; they have made themselves a calf of molten metal and have worshipped it and offered it sacrifice. “Here is your God, Israel,” they have cried “who brought you up from the land of Egypt!”’ the Lord said to Moses, ‘I can see how headstrong these people are! Leave me, now, my wrath shall blaze out against them and devour them; of you, however, I will make a great nation.’

    But Moses pleaded with the Lord his God. ‘Lord,’ he said ‘why should your wrath blaze out against this people of yours whom you brought out of the land of Egypt with arm outstretched and mighty hand? Remember Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, your servants to whom by your own self you swore and made this promise: “I will make your offspring as many as the stars of heaven, and all this land which I promised I will give to your descendants, and it shall be their heritage for ever.”’

    So the Lord relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 50(51):3-4,12-13,17,19

I will leave this place and go to my father.

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.

I will leave this place and go to my father.

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.

I will leave this place and go to my father.

O Lord, open my lips
    and my mouth shall declare your praise.
My sacrifice is a contrite spirit.
    A humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn.

I will leave this place and go to my father.

________

Second reading
1 Timothy 1:12-17
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, and who judged me faithful enough to call me into his service even though I used to be a blasphemer and did all I could to injure and discredit the faith. Mercy, however, was shown me, because until I became a believer I had been acting in ignorance; and the grace of our Lord filled me with faith and with the love that is in Christ Jesus. Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life. To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

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:
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!

________

Gospel
Luke 15:1-32
There will be rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner

    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:

    ‘What man among you with a hundred sheep, losing one, would not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the missing one till he found it? And when he found it, would he not joyfully take it on his shoulders and then, when he got home, call together his friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” he would say “I have found my sheep that was lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine virtuous men who have no need of repentance.

    ‘Or again, what woman with ten drachmas would not, if she lost one, light a lamp and sweep out the house and search thoroughly till she found it? And then, when she had found it, call together her friends and neighbours? “Rejoice with me,” she would say “I have found the drachma I lost.” In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner.’

    He also said, ‘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.

The Liturgy of the Word:. Sunday - 12th September 2021

First reading
Isaiah 50:5-9 ·

I offered my back to those who struck me

The Lord has opened my ear.

For my part, I made no resistance,

neither did I turn away.

I offered my back to those who struck me,

my cheeks to those who tore at my beard;

I did not cover my face

against insult and spittle.

The Lord comes to my help,

so that I am untouched by the insults.

So, too, I set my face like flint;

I know I shall not be shamed.

My vindicator is here at hand. Does anyone start proceedings against me?

Then let us go to court together.

Who thinks he has a case against me?

Let him approach me.

The Lord is coming to my help,

who will dare to condemn me?

The word of the Lord.

---

Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 114(116):1-6,8-9

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

I love the Lord for he has heard

  the cry of my appeal;

for he turned his ear to me

  in the day when I called him.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

They surrounded me, the snares of death,

  with the anguish of the tomb;

they caught me, sorrow and distress.

  I called on the Lord’s name.

O Lord, my God, deliver me!

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

How gracious is the Lord, and just;

  our God has compassion.

The Lord protects the simple hearts;

  I was helpless so he saved me.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

He has kept my soul from death,

  my eyes from tears

  and my feet from stumbling.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord

  in the land of the living.

I will walk in the presence of the Lord in the land of the living.

---

Second reading
James 2:14-18 ·

If good works do not go with it, faith is quite dead

Take the case, my brothers, of someone who has never done a single good act but claims that he has faith. Will that faith save him? If one of the brothers or one of the sisters is in need of clothes and has not enough food to live on, and one of you says to them, ‘I wish you well; keep yourself warm and eat plenty’, without giving them these bare necessities of life, then what good is that? Faith is like that: if good works do not go with it, it is quite dead.

  This is the way to talk to people of that kind: ‘You say you have faith and I have good deeds; I will prove to you that I have faith by showing you my good deeds – now you prove to me that you have faith without any good deeds to show.’

The word of the Lord.

---

Gospel Acclamation	Jn14:6

Alleluia, alleluia!

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, says the Lord;

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Alleluia!

---

Gospel	Mark 8:27-35

The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously

Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.

  And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

  He called the people and his disciples to him and said, ‘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, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it.’

The Gospel of the Lord.

Reflection on Readings - Sunday, 13th September 2020

SIR 27:30-28:7; PS 103:1-4, 9-12; ROM 14:7-9; MT 18:21-35

As Christian stewards, we recognize that all we have and all that we are is gift from God, and we live our lives in a grateful response to such extravagant love. This calls for continuous conversion of heart. The practices of giving a portion of our time, our talents and our treasure are essential steps on the path to conversion. But they serve an even deeper purpose than helping us remember our good intentions. They open our minds and hearts to ever-deepening surrender to the Lord, Who has given us every good thing. 

Today’s readings call us to look inward to the state of our hearts, those aspects of ourselves that cannot quite be quantified or measured, but which are the deepest part of us — our thoughts and emotions. 

Our first reading, from Sirach, addresses the complicated emotion of anger. “Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight... Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord?... If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” We have all been wounded by others at some point, some perhaps quite deeply. Our emotions are gifts from God. But we must steward them well, rather than allowing them to overcome us. 

How do we do this? Sirach tells us. “Remember your last days, set enmity aside... Think of the commandments… remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.” We embrace the stewardship mindset — not brooding over hurts, but recalling all the gifts our good God has given us, all the love He continually pours out upon us, and we put our focus and trust in Him.

In other words, we live for God and not ourselves. What freedom this approach to life brings! All we have is a gift from the Lord. He loves us completely and we can rest in this truth. Knowing this, we need not cling to anger over injustices. God is Lord over all. St. Paul puts it this way in our second reading from Romans: “For if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord; so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.”

In our Gospel passage from Matthew, Jesus gives us a provocative reminder of the true position we have before Him in light of all that He has done for us. He compares the kingdom of heaven to a “king who decided to settle accounts with his servants.” In the parable, a debtor is brought before the king, owing such an overwhelming debt that it could not possibly be repaid. Yet, the king is filled with compassion for the servant, forgives the debt and lets him go free. 

Doesn’t that sound like each of us in relation to the King of Kings? The Father has given us life, and then sent His only Son to die for us to free us from our sin “debts” and make eternal life with Him possible for us. Like the servant in the parable, it is impossible to repay this debt. All we can do is thank God by giving Him our whole selves —  our outward actions and our inner selves — and by treating our fellow debtors with the same compassion and forgiveness He has shown to us. In fact, Jesus rightfully and justly commands us to “forgive your brother from your heart.”

What joy and freedom of heart we find in the stewardship way of life!

Mass Readings: Sunday, 13th September 2020

FIRST READING
A reading from the Book of Ecclesiasticus   27:30-28:7
Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray,
your sins will be forgiven.

Resentment and anger, these are foul things,
and both are found with the sinner.
He who exacts vengeance will experience the vengeance of the
Lord,   who keeps strict account of sin.
Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you,
and when you pray, your sins will be forgiven.
If a man nurses anger against another,
can he then demand compassion from the Lord?
Showing no pity for a man like himself,
can he then plead for his own sins?
Mere creature of flesh, he cherishes resentment;
who will forgive him his sins?
Remember the last things, and stop hating,
remember dissolution and death, and live by the commandments.
Remember the commandments,
and do not bear your neighbour ill-will;
remember the covenant of the Most High, and overlook the offence.

The Word of the Lord.

Responsorial Psalm   Ps 102

Response:  The Lord is compassion and love,
slow to anger and rich in mercy.

1. 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.

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

3. His wrath will come to an end;
he will not be angry for ever.
He does not treat us according to our sins
nor repay us according to our faults.

4. For as the heavens are high above the earth
so strong is his love for those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west
so far does he remove our sins.

SECOND READING
A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Romans   14:7-9
Alive or dead we belong to the Lord.

The life and death of each of us has its influence on others; if we live,
we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord, so that alive or
dead we belong to the Lord. This explains why Christ both died and
came to life, it was so that he might be Lord both of the dead and of
the living.

The Word of the Lord.

Gospel Acclamation   1 Sam 3:9

Alleluia, alleluia!
Speak, Lord, your servant is listening: you have the message of
eternal life.
Alleluia!

Or Jn 13: 34

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

GOSPEL
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew 18:21-35
I tell you, not seven, but seventy-seven times.

Peter went up to Jesus and said, ‘Lord, how often must I forgive my
brother if he wrongs me? As often as seven times?’ Jesus answered,
‘Not seven, I tell you, but seventy-seven times.
‘And so the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who
decided to settle his accounts with his servants. When the reckoning
began, they brought him a man who owed ten thousand talents; but
he had no means of paying, so his master gave orders that he should
be sold, together with his wife and children and all his possessions, to
meet the debt. At this, the servant threw himself down at his master’s
feet. “Give me time” he said “and I will pay the whole sum.” And the
servant’s master felt so sorry for him that he let him go and cancelled
the debt. Now as this servant went out, he happened to meet a
fellow servant who owed him one hundred denarii; and he seized
him by the throat and began to throttle him. “Pay what you owe
me” he said. His fellow servant fell at his feet and implored him,
saying, “Give me time and I will pay you”. But the other would not
agree; on the contrary, he had him thrown into prison till he should
pay the debt. His fellow servants were deeply distressed when they
saw what had happened, and they went to their master and
reported the whole affair to him. Then the master sent for him. “You
wicked servant,” he said “I cancelled all that debt of yours when you
appealed to me. Were you not bound, then, to have pity on your
fellow servant just as I had pity on you?” And in his anger the master
handed him over to the torturers till he should pay all his debt. And
that is how my heavenly Father will deal with you unless you each
forgive your brother from your heart.’

The Gospel of the Lord