Further to the blurb for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Further to the blurb for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time I would like to add that, although the Eucharist is efficacious for the forgiveness of venial or minor sins, Catholics, to be in good conscience, are required to repent of serious or grave sins before receiving Holy Communion:

Canon 916 A person who is conscious of grave sin is not to celebrate Mass or receive the body of the Lord without previous sacramental confession unless there is a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess; in this case the person is to remember the obligation to make an act of perfect contrition which includes the resolution of confessing as soon as possible.

The holiness of the Eucharist demands our love and respect. This applies to every aspect of our activity within the church building: comportment, language, clothing, bowing or genuflecting to the tabernacle, conversation, attitude to others, fasting before Mass, consideration of others, control of children, etc. That society as a whole is less respectful and more casual is no excuse for Catholics to be lax in their behaviour especially towards the Blessed Sacrament.

27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Gospel today makes me think about how we respond to God in faith, especially when prayers are answered. It is first of all necessary to be conscious of praying for particular and identifiable situations. Every time I go to Mass I need to articulate, at least in my own mind, a specific intention to bring before the Lord. It is only in the light of subsequent events that I can then be aware that a prayer has been answered! Sometimes my prayer is answered in ways I had not imagined or I realise that I have prayed for something which was self-indulgent or selfish. Then the words of Saint James may occur to me: "You do not have, because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, in order to spend what you get on your pleasures." (Jm 4: 2-3) The fruit of an answered prayer is gratitude, joy and wonder. It is not to be found in an attitude of entitlement. It does not make me feel superior to others or incline me to compare myself favorably to them. How can I avoid such attitudes? James words, again, are of help: "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep. Let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into dejection. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." (Jm 4: 7-10)

Reflection from Retreat

While on retreat last week this reflection from St. John Henry Newman's "Meditations and Devotions" struck me as being particularly powerful:

                         To possess thee, O Lover of my soul, is happiness,
                         and the only happiness of the immortal soul!
                         To enjoy the sight of thee is the only happiness of eternity.
                         At present I might amuse myself with the vanities of sense and time,
                         but they will not last for ever.
                         We shall be stripped of them when we pass out of this world.
                         All shadows will one day be gone.
                         And what shall I do then?
                         There will be nothing left to me but Almighty God.
                         If I cannot take pleasure in the thought of him,
                         there is no one else then to take pleasure in;
                         God and my soul will be the only two beings left in the whole world
                         so far as I am concerned.
                         He will be all in all, whether I wish it or no.
                         What a strait I shall then be in if I do not love him,
                          and there is nothing else to love!

                          

First Communion

First Communion is always a special time for children, family and the parish. Youngsters, most of whom were baptised as infants, now come forward under their own steam to receive the Lord. In this age we tend to emphasise the ecclesial nature of receiving Holy Communion. As a result, we do not stress the need for a pure conscience as a pre-condition to receiving the Host and the Precious Blood. This is evident in the low numbers of people frequenting the confessional on Saturday mornings. This I think is a positive things as the Eucharist is not a reward for good behaviour but is itself a means of reconciliation and healing. We tend to look at how the Eucharist binds us as Church and focus on our willingness to participate in her mission as members of the Body of Christ.  Nevertheless, the Eucharist does continually challenge us to repent of our sins and to strive to live a better life. As a Communion sacrament, a sacrifice sacrament and a meal sacrament it is a great mystery yet we can know this for certain - it is an encounter with Christ. Whether we respond to this reality as Mary and Martha, Peter, Zacchaeus, Nicodemus or others did in the Gospels depends on us. Whatever my situation is the Eucharist should never leave me unchanged. Even if that means I leave Church feeling gratitude and joy for being blessed with faith and embark on my week with a light heart I can be assured that the Eucharist is at work in me. 

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we hear about the Rich Man (or Dives as he is called sometimes) and Lazarus. I think that we are often tempted to see this parable as referring to others. To apply it to ourselves is discomforting. Often we do not think of ourselves as rich. We think of others who have more than us. Perhaps, Dives would have said that too as he looked at Herod and the High Priest, or even the Roman Emperor himself, in comparison. Yet, it remains, Dives is in torment and Lazarus is in paradise. Imagine looking at things from the point of view of Lazarus today. Individually, would he look at me as rich, or collectively, would he, as a nation, look at New Zealand as rich, acting as Dives did? Dives dressed, ate and lived in luxury without a thought for Lazarus to whom he gave nothing. Even, tormented in flames in Hell, he thinks of Lazarus as his servant and of Abraham as his father. Such self-indulgence, arrogance and disregard for others is clearly noxious to God, so much so, that there is a great chasm fixed between Abraham and Dives which no one can cross. Is there a chasm in my heart? Do I wallow in entitlement and self-justification? For Dives it was too late but for me I can bridge the chasm, here and now, through prayer, mercy and almsgiving. Selfless acts of mortification mean we die to Dives and live to Christ. 

Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Jesus speaks to us today about the danger of greed. It not only distorts the minds and lives of those who are greedy but also brings misery and suffering to those whom they exploit with their schemes. Those afflicted by greed are never satisfied. Like most sins it has a compulsive element to it that robs life of pleasure. The individual is enmeshed in the consequence of his or her own obsessions and is ultimately shown to worship a false God. St Paul tells us: "Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly... greed (which is idolatry)." (Col. 3: 5) Jesus is unequivocal: "You cannot serve God and wealth." (Lk. 16: 13) Greed, in turn, leads to death: "For the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6: 23). If we are slaves to greed our end is certain not only after after death but also in the here and now. Some people can even be said to be dead while they are alive. Just as narcotics can consume people and hollow them out so too can the desire for money and the possessions we can obtain with it bring desolation and sadness. How can I know satisfaction? How can I avoid the addiction of possessions and aspiration? The fourth of the Beatitudes taught by Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, promises: "Blessed  are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." (Mtt 5: 6)