Twenty-first Sunday, C

Sir, will there be only a few saved?

Today’s 1st reading presents us with the teaching that the salvation of God is extended to all the nations of the earth and it is our task to 'proclaim his glory,' (c.f., Is 66:19) inviting all to the Kingdom of God. And although salvation is offered for all, not all will succeed (c.f., Lk 13:24).

Often the hard sayings of Jesus are ignored. Although heaven is offered to all, Jesus’ Blood was poured out “for many, for the forgiveness of sins.” Of course these are the words of consecration, instructing us that those who do not receive forgiveness remain eternally separated from God.

Dear brothers and sisters, it is not God who holds back his unfathomable mercy, it is those who cannot understand their need of God’s mercy and reject it, who come to separate themselves from God. So, “Try your best to enter by the narrow door” (Lk 13:24) is the Lord’s exhortation to us.

Twentieth Sunday, C

“Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division”

When we follow the Lord, it often puts us at odds with others. Even within Christian communities we may find strong differences and sometimes outright conflicts. Sometimes such differences and conflicts are truly based on striving to do God’s will but generally they come about because we want to do things our way and are not willing to compromise.

To come to true and lasting peace, we must follow the Letter to the Hebrews and struggle with the sin that is within us. We must be willing to lay down our life for others. We must be willing to suffer for the sake of others. So much suffering is brought about by not be willing to give our lives for others. Instead, we insist on our rights and the obligations of others toward us. Jesus must be our leader and our model: willing to speak the truth and willing to give His life up so that others might have life. https://christdesert.org/2007/08/homily-for-20th-sunday-of-ordinary-time-2007-cycle-c/

Nineteenth Sunday, C

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”

Jesus' instructions on how to be ready for the coming judgment continue in the stories and sayings found in today's Gospel. We are not to be like the greedy rich man in last Sunday's Gospel who planned to store his great harvest in barns rather than share it. Our treasure will be in heaven where it will not wear out or be destroyed.

The other major way to be ready for the coming judgment is to be watchful. We must be like servants waiting for the master's return from a wedding banquet. Peter asks if this parable is meant for the apostles or for the large crowd.

Without answering Peter's question, Jesus responds with another parable about servants awaiting the return of their master. “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?” This parable adds to the theme of watchfulness; it explains how to wait and reminds us of the reward for the faithful follower at the heavenly banquet after the judgment.

Watchfulness means living in such a consistently moral and obedient way that we are always ready to give an account to God of how we have lived. https://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/sunday-connection/19th-sunday-in-ordinary-time-c-sunday-connection

Eighteenth Sunday, C

“This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Jesus tells the crowd a parable. A rich man's lands have yielded more crops than expected. His response is not to consider how he might share all the extra food with others but to wonder how he can possibly store it all. He has what he thinks is a brilliant idea: to tear down his present barns and build larger ones. Then he will have many things stored up for years of eating, drinking, and making merry.

“You fool” is God's response to this man because that very night his life will be taken away. To whom will everything belong then, God asks. The rich man's world is small, just him and his possessions, and now he learns that he is to lose his life. What good are his possessions now? Jesus states the moral of the story. This is how it will be for everyone who stores up treasure for himself or herself but is not rich in what matters to God.

Seventeenth Sunday C

“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”

Today’s gospel tells us the two important conditions for answered prayers. It is relationship and persistence. This is clear in the statement by Jesus Christ: I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.

The first is presumed because our relationship with God is that of Father and son. The human person lives with this assurance. It is beyond moral probity because: What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? This explains why God allows the sun to shine on both the righteous and the unrighteous.

The second is the human effort at perseverance in prayer. This is a test of faith, especially when God wishes to teach us a lesson. The first reading showed and encounter between Abraham and God. God needed some level of fidelity in order to save Sodom and Gomorrah. God replied to Abraham, “For the sake of those ten, I will not destroy it.” Persistence in prayer comes with an effort at righteousness. The transforming power of prayer moulds the individual into a loving relationship with God. The delay is not out of hatred because the first condition nullifies it. Rather it is a test of our fidelity to God https://www.anthonyekpunobi.org/seventeenth-sunday-in-the-ordinary-time-year-c/

Special Calendar Events

Moora
• Assumption Mass 9am Thursday 15th August
• School Reconciliation 9am Tuesday 20 August
• 1st Holy Communion Mass 10.30am Sunday 25th August
• All Saints Mass 9am Thursday 1st November
• School Reconciliation 9am Thursday 12 December
• School Mass 9am Friday 13th December

Fr Chris' annual holidays: 3rd September-3rd October 2019

Can Catholics Receive Communion If They Fail In Their Sunday Obligation?

Parish Launch of 2020 Plenary Council

Holy days of obligation

What are the Holy Days of obligation in Australia? Is missing Mass a sin?

Do you know the five precepts of the Catholic Church?

Is Missing Mass a Mortal Sin?

Given how precious the Mass is the Code of Canon Law (#1246) proscribes, "Sunday is the day on which the paschal mystery is celebrated in light of the apostolic tradition and is to be observed as the foremost holy day of obligation in the universal Church." Moreover, "On Sundays and other holy days of obligation, the faithful are bound to participate in the Mass..." (#1247).

Therefore, the Catechism teaches, "Those who deliberately fail in this obligation commit grave sin" (#2181), and grave sin is indeed mortal sin. http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/catholic-contributions/is-missing-mass-a-mortal-sin.html

Preparing for Confession

Teacher resources

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