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Home / 2015 / February / 03
Weekday Homily Resources

3rd February. Tuesday of Week Four

The questions he asks

Jesus asks many questions in the four gospels. It can sometimes be worthwhile to notice the questions he asks and to sit with them. Today the gospel has one of those questions, “Who touched me?” The disciples found this a very strange thing to ask…

Read More 3rd February. Tuesday of Week FourContinue

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  • 1 comments

    Reposting from May 2022: John Wijngaards: We need a more democratic process of electing bishops.

    August 12 2022
    Paddy Ferry
    Reposting from May 2022: John Wijngaards: We need a more democratic process of electing bishops. Link to Comments on original post – scroll down page to Comments: https://associationofcatholicpriests.ie/john-wijngaards-we-need-a-more-democratic-process-of-electing-bishops/ From Paddy Ferry: Calling Joe and Seán. When the old format of this site changed -- God be with the old days -- Joe, you and I were discussing Apostolic succession and priesthood and Seán was thinking about sacrifice. I looked forward to continuing our conversation but, I expect, neither of you actually saw what I wrote immediately before the old order changed. I now share again below. I hope you are both well. Paddy Paddy Ferry writes: John Wijngaards: We need a more democratic process of electing bishops. Joe@14, thank you for such a comprehensive and prompt reply to my “bunch of juicy topics”. I have often wondered how long it takes you to produce stuff like this. Even when I have the knowledge in my head it can take ages due to my slow, elementary computer keyboard skills. When I read Raymond Brown’s Priest and Bishop I was already aware of his views on apostolic succession so I expected him just to be just as frank and uncompromising on the origins of priesthood. But, of course, he isn’t. Around the time I was reading Priest and Bishop I met the aforementioned Tom O’Loughlin who had come to Edinburgh to speak at our Newman Association and I shared my surprise with him having just read the book. Tom explained to me that Raymond was teaching in seminary guiding young men towards ordination so you would hardly expect him to be anything but positive about the origins of our priesthood. If I now remember correctly in the book he seems to be of the opinion that only Paul was worth his salt as an apostle and he wasn’t even one of the twelve. You mention Hebrews and Melchizedek, Joe, and I have read a bit around their significance. I read somewhere where it was said that St. Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews was not written by St. Paul, was not a letter and was not to the Hebrews. Yet, it was only in 1906 that our Church finally accepted that it was not written by Paul and it was you, Joe, who informed me of that fact three or four years ago. Why did it take so long!!? I must say I now find Hebrews a seriously dodgy document so much so that I now find it hard to listen when readings from it are part of the Liturgy of the Word during Mass. It will certainly not be part of the Liturgy of the Word in my funeral Mass Order of Service!! Of course, the mystery writer is the most polished and sophisticated writer in all of the NT using parts of speech and words not found anywhere else in the NT even beginning with a flourish of alliterated words. But his theology is the most eccentric in claiming that Jesus was a priest in the line of Melchizedek, this minor figure from the Old Testament. Perhaps of all the fallacies scholars have found in Hebrews the most silly is the so called Loins Fallacy. Even though he is intent on creating a new line of priesthood for Jesus apart from the Levitical lineage, the author still wants to keep his options open. He does this by suggesting that when Abraham had that chance meeting with Melchizedek in Genesis 14 and Abraham offered Melchizedek a tithe, Levi was also offering that tithe as Abraham was Levi’s great, great grandfather — I think — and, so, the contention is that Levi’s seed was, somehow, already in Abraham’s loins. Craig Koester has suggested that this may, in fact, be an attempt at exaggerated humour. Well, it certainly is hilarious! And, then there are the “strained parallels” which scripture scholars have also identified, where he sees a certain similarity which he grasps and runs with but fails to see where it might eventually lead him. One example being the Crucifixion of Jesus outside the city and the disposal of the remnants of the animal carcass in the Jewish sacrificial ritual outside the camp, seemingly missing the point that one was sacred and the other was not. Luke Timothy Johnston speaks of carelessness on the author’s part. Myles Bourke calls them crippling difficulties in Hebrews. And, then of course there is his introduction of the idea of Jesus being a priest in the line of Melchizedek and the elevation of human sacrifice. Cultural historians have held that the change from human sacrifice to animal sacrifice was, in fact, a sign of a more enlightened civilization, and understandably so. Has anyone other than the author of Hebrews ever disagreed with that? But leaving that aside, there are serious problems with the idea of Melchizedek’s line of priesthood. Experts on this issue such as Fred Horton — author of The Melchizedek Tradition — suggests that those lines in Genesis Chap. 14 are in fact an implant, “intrusion”, is I think, the word Prof. Horton uses as there is nothing in the verses preceding that fleeting mention of Melchizedek and nothing in the verses that follow that is relevant to those three verses, 18-20, where he is mentioned. Scholars, in fact, now question all of Chap. 14 as it appears to show no sign of the work of the primary sources of Genesis. In fairness to this unknown author he did not think he was writing for the ages, composing a canon of sacred scripture. According to, once again, Raymond Brown and John Meier, he was simply trying to rally a group of second generation Christians in Rome who were “backsliding”, I think is the word he uses. They were reverting back to the security of God’s promises to Moses. Raymond Brown, as I am sure you know, Joe, identifies four groups with graded commitment to the new tradition of faith vis-à-vis the old Pact. And, also, it has to be said that Hebrews does not suggest a new line of priesthood that would follow Jesus. Rather Jesus is a one off, the one and only, and the final sacrifice which would make all other priesthoods redundant. But it has not worked out quite like that! It was only after Hebrews introduced this new idea of Jesus as priest that other aspects of Jewish practice could make their way into Christian tradition such as the idea of a continuing line of priests. So much is built on Hebrews and Melchizedek and it is very difficult now to argue that those foundations are, in fact, sound. Seán@ ?? where you say : “……And yet again I complain about the inability of clergy to see and explain the complete transformation of the meaning of sacrifice that Jesus achieves in the Gospel account. Has anyone ever heard, in a homily, a clear explanation of what Jesus could have meant in Matthew 9:13 in telling the Pharisees to read Hosea 6:6 ‘I desire mercy not sacrifice. …….’ If God the Father does NOT desire sacrifice, …….” Ever since I can remember thinking seriously about this I have always had a problem with the idea of Jesus having to offer himself to suffer this awful death on a cross to appease his wrathful Father’s anger. And, no matter how we may try and dress it up now, that was the teaching. And, why was there this great anger? Because of the sin of our ancient, probably mythical, ancestors which was transmitted through the generations to us who came to share in this guilt. And, so, Jesus had to die to save us. Was it Augustine who invented the idea of original sin which was, of course, all about sex? This always brings to mind Oliver J and his famous, never to be forgotten, performance on the Late, Late Show. Seán, I don’t understand “the complete transformation of the meaning of sacrifice that Jesus achieves in the Gospel account” I accept that you probably have a much greater understanding of all this than I have. However, Peter Abelard’s words sum up very well my own belief. He said: “It seems extremely cruel and evil to demand the death of a person without guilt as a form of ransom, or that one could take pleasure in the death of a guiltless one – and even more for God to accept his own Son’s death as the means of returning all the world to his esteem.” Before I discovered Peter Abelard, I had already read in Joseph Fitzmyer’s Romans that “Paul never says that Jesus was sacrificed for our sake. That notion enters the later theological tradition …” I have already referred to this on a few occasions here. I found it so reassuring when I first read it and to find confirmation that my own doubts were reasonably well founded. People of our ilk are so keen to believe what the Church tells us we should believe.
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    The young Catholics who ‘joyfully embrace’ Church teaching

    August 9 2022
    Sean O'Conaill
    The young Catholics who ‘joyfully embrace’ Church teaching From now on could we all observe a rule of never referring to 'church teaching' without specifying which 'teaching' or 'set of teachings' is being referred to? And challenge editors not to accept blanket pieces on 'church teaching' that do not observe this rule? Given the size of the Catechism and the ever-expanding pronouncements of churchmen on the entire range of human concerns - not to mention the 'cancellation' of Limbo just a few years ago - who nowadays can credibly claim a detailed grasp of the whole of current 'Catholic church teaching'? The phrase on its own is about as useful 'as global government policy' or 'current scientific opinion' or 'the totality of things known by the dogs in the street in Ballina'. I am not forgetting that not too long ago Joe O'Leary opined on these ACP pages that the phrase 'church teaching' used on its own in this way is nothing other than code for 'church teaching on sexual morality' - or that in February 2022 it was reported that Pope Francis gave the CDF a new remit to study the issues "posed by the progress of sciences and the development of society" - and that in the wake of that there was speculation this could well involve a new look at LGBT+ issues. E.G.: https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2022/02/14/pope-francis-cdf-242382 Just how much confidence could anyone have that the 500 young Irish people credited with 'embracing church teaching' by the Irish Catholic are even aware of that? The fiction that the church has never, and can never, change its 'teaching' on anything springs eternal - as a necessary component of Good Old Catholic Chauvinism - and the 'embracing' of the latter is still a thriving industry. Let's not forget either what Ireland's Seán Fagan insisted upon when it comes to 'teaching': it hasn't even happened until someone has learned something. Only when our Irish Church leaders have explained why they do not publish research on how much 'church teaching' has been learned by the alumni of our Catholic schools will we know just how much teaching is actually happening. Until then the 'embracing of Catholic church teaching by Ireland's youth' will be about as credible a construct as the 'hundreds of thousands of Irish teenagers who will never in 2022 agree to miss weekly Mass - to the growing consternation of the Gaelic Athletic Association, now in rapid decline!'
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    7 Aug 2022 – 19th Sunday (C)

    August 7 2022
    Patricia Gamgort, OSB
    Readings: Sunday 7th August 2022 I enjoy the daily homilies. Thank you for nurturing my spirit. But I had a difficult time with Thara Benedicta’s saying that Ishmael was not part of God’s plan. I believe God had quite a plan for him. He, too, became the father of a mighty nation of our sisters and brothers.
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    7 Aug 2022 – 19th Sunday (C)

    August 7 2022
    THARA BENEDICTA
    Readings: Sunday 7th August 2022 Key Message: When we walk in faith, we rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus. Homily: Our Almighty Father inspires us to live with faith, through our second reading of the day. Father Abraham waited for 25 years for the promise of a child to get fulfilled. He was a big landlord with lot of slaves working for him. He and Sarah would have named many babies born to the slaves. When people had ten or twenty children according to the custom of those times, Abraham trusted in God for one little baby!! It was not for 5 or 10 but for 25 years. This may be a great lesson for us. Abraham trusted that God had a prosperous plan for him. In spite of all the impossibilities that his human eyes could see, he trusted in the possibility that God had promised him. In spite of all the challenges we see currently, we should trust in our Almighty Father who will provide for us. God always has answers to every impossible situation. Regardless of how many mistakes we make, when we go to Him, He will run towards with arms wide open, hugging us. That's why when we really indulge our soul in prayer, we feel a lot of peace. This peace is due to the arms of our big Almighty God embracing us close to His heart. Our Lord Jesus Christ carried the same love in His bosom. The Bible says that during the last supper the Apostle John was lying on the bosom of our loving Lord Jesus Christ. It was not a happy time for our Lord Jesus Christ and all the Apostles, inclusive of Apostle John. All the Apostles were worried, including Apostle John. But only the Apostle John reclined on the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ during his suffering time. Can't we recline at the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ during our suffering times?   Is the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ reserved for the Apostle John alone? What made the Apostle John alone rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ, when other Apostles were also seeing it? It is the love of the Apostle John towards our Lord Jesus Christ. It gave him the boldness to lie down in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the presence of the rest of the Apostles. St. John owned Him - "Jesus is mine"!! Have you seen a small child feeling shy about lying down in the bosom of his father? The child always has a feeling "My daddy is mine". This is the same feeling of ownership we should have towards our loving Jesus Christ. His bosom is waiting for us to lie down and take rest!!! We may say that since we cannot see the physical body of our Lord Jesus Christ how can we recline at His bosom? Father Abraham sets the perfect answer for us!! Neither did he have the privilege of seeing our Lord Jesus Christ physically during his lifetime on earth. But he rested on the bosom of our Almighty Father through his trust in Him. The Lord Jesus Christ says "Trust in me", he did not say "trust in someone else". Why do we go out of our way, reducing our self respect, also sometimes to people who mistreat us and seek their help? Our Lord Jesus never rejected any one who came to Him. Our Lord Jesus does not want us to undergo unnecessary crucifixion. Once we are done with our duty, the next step is to wait in peace for the saving help of our Lord. Our Lord has promised us "I will never leave you, nor forsake you". When we receive the calling of our God through the silent voice of the Holy Spirit or through the Holy Bible or through messages to do something we have not experienced, we tend to ignore them. We hesitate because we do not know where the call is leading us to. Father Abraham also went through the same path. God called Abraham to go to a far off place, which He would show Him. Abraham was not aware of the destination, but he was aware of the God who knew the destination. Abraham obviously would not have had any answer when Sarah and others who followed him were asking "Where are we going?". He would have replied "I don't know, but God knows". We may wonder where our life is going? We may not know but we know the one who knows. Are we getting frustrated when our Lord keeps us in the waiting room? Are we losing our faith and starting to look for alternatives? Sarah lost faith when she was in her waiting room (Abraham and Sarah were waiting for 25 years). Sarah forced Abraham to have a child from her maid. It was not God's plan. So the child was not able to stay with Abraham. But God promised to take care of Ishmael and make him a mighty nation, though he was not part of God's plan. Out of frustration, when we do something outside God's plan, even then God our Father will set it right. God our Father will reimburse our foolish acts with His acts of wisdom, when we trust in Him. Let us have a quick look at the Gospel reading of today: "“Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom" - Our Father is happy to grant us the kingdom of Heaven. Our Lord Jesus will build mansions for us in Heaven and He is also asking us to store our treasures in Heaven when we sojourn on earth. Our Lord Jesus is asking us to be dressed up for action. Certainly He talks about the dress we are going to wear when our time is done. He is asking us to live ready, since he may come at an unexpected hour. How great it will be, if we are able to smile at seeing Him, instead of fearing Him. He explains with the parable of the slave and the master. Then as usual the Apostle Peter asked whether these requirements are only for the Apostles or for everyone. Our Lord Jesus Christ explains the greater responsibility on the Apostles, since they are also in charge of other souls. In the earlier parable, our Lord was explaining the duties of a person who was responsible for his own soul only. Now he elaborates about the persons who are responsible for other souls. Carrying other souls on our shoulders is a huge responsibility. Our Lord Jesus will grant us grace, we should carefully utilize that grace. How can we carry other souls on our shoulders? Let us analyze how our Lord Jesus Christ performed it beautifully. 1. Prayer - 1.a : All the anointed souls will have the Holy Spirit abiding within them. The Holy Spirit will guide you on what to do at the correct time. Especially before celebrating Mass, being filled with the presence of God will be necessary. When we are filled with the presence of God, we can simply radiate the presence of God to the congregation. Please pray for more and more infilling of the Holy Spirit. Our Lord Jesus Christ never asked us to pray for food or clothing or shelter. But He asked us to pray for the Holy Spirit. He is our loving Father isn't He? Won't He know what we require? God our Father will happily pour out His Holy Spirit!! 1.b : Pray for all the souls placed in our responsibility. The Bible says how our Lord Jesus prayed for us. He was our intercessor. 2. Preaching - Our Almighty Father sadly said, "My people are perishing for lack of knowledge". What did our Lord Jesus mainly do in the three years of His public life? He preached the Word of God. People are always willing and longing to hear the Word. Our preaching should go out into the world in such a way that Our Almighty Father will not say the same sad words again. 3. Sacrifice - Our Lord Jesus sacrificed His own life for us. He underwent shame, people opposed Him, tried to kill Him by pushing Him down from the cliff and so on. But He was always kind to them and continued doing the task allocated to Him. 4. Helping the people - Our Lord Jesus took care of everyone who came to Him. If we do not have the power to do miracles, we can welcome the suffering people with open arms like our Lord Jesus. Let us do all our best to save the souls in our care!!!
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