7 Sunday C: Radicality of Christian Love

From The Connections:

HOMILY POINTS:

In every relationship, in every set of circumstances, the faithful disciple of Jesus seeks to break the cycle of hatred and distrust by taking that often-formidable first step to love, to seek reconciliation above all else.
Seeing beyond hatreds and differences, borders and boundaries, flags and uniforms, languages and cultures, suspicions and unsettled scores is the cutting edge of the Gospel.  The relationship we seek with God we must first seek with one another.

6 Sunday C - Beatitudes - Blessed are you ..

From The Connections:

THE WORD:

In Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks of “Beatitudes,” but in Luke’s Sermon on the Plain, Jesus drops a series of bombshells.  He takes the accepted standards of the times and turns them upside down:  To those who are considered the “haves” of society, Jesus warns “Woe to you!” – wealth and power are not the stuff of the kingdom of God; but to the “have nots,” Jesus says, “Happy and blessed are you” – love, humble selflessness, compassion and generosity are the treasure of God's realm.  Jesus promises his followers poverty, suffering, persecuting and grief -- but their hope in God will be rewarded with perfect and complete joy.

This will be a constant theme throughout Luke’s Gospel: Jesus teaches that wealth and power are not the stuff of the reign of God, but humility, selflessness and compassion are the treasures of God’s kingdom.

5 Sunday C - Mission- Catchers of People

From Fr. Jude Botelho:

The first reading is a well-known passage from the Old Testament, in which Isaiah describes his vision of Yahweh in heaven with imagery from the earthly temple of Jerusalem. The call of Isaiah is striking due to the sharp contrast between Isaiah's utter unworthiness and the overwhelming holiness of God. Isaiah confesses his sinfulness, and is purified by the symbolic action of the seraph touching his lips. Then God asks, "Whom shall I send?" to which Isaiah generously responds: "Here I am, send me!" Every vision of God implies a choice and an invitation. Every vision implies a mission. Each time we come to God he sends us on a mission. We cannot come to God unless we are ready to go forth in His name!

4 Sunday C - Prophets?

From Fr. Jude Botelho:

The great prophets were directly called by God and sent to bear witness to the people. The fact that they were sent by God constituted their mission. In today's reading we hear of Jeremiah's vocation to be a prophet. The Lord tells him that he was chosen for the task even before he was born, that he was consecrated in his mother's womb. The calling of a prophet was not an easy task. A prophet was never popular and he had to speak the plain and difficult truth and say harsh things that needed to be said. Their message would be rejected and so would they, but God would be on their side and He would be their support. Jeremiah, like any true prophet, was rejected by the people but he carried on.

3 Sunday C - Mission of Jesus

From Fr. Jude Botelho:

This passage narrates an extremely important event: the reconstituting of the people of Israel after their return from exile. It was a new beginning for Israel. The law-centred religion, Judaism, began with that solemn convocation recounted in today’s reading. The Law was read and explained to them. Ezra, the priest, who reads from the Book of the Law, is entrusted with ‘giving the sense’ in order that the people understand and obey God’s word contained in the Law. The people raise their hands and cry out, “Amen! Amen!” indicating their acceptance of the Law. This scene resembles the first part of our Eucharist, called the liturgy of the word where scripture is read and explained to elicit our response to God.

2 Sunday C - Wedding at Cana

The destruction of their city and the temple by the Babylonians shattered the Israelites.

Baptism of the Lord

From  Fr. Jude Botelho:

The people of Israel had shown signs of repentance for their sins, and received from God a promise of consolation: the glory of the Lord will be revealed. The passage from the first of the Servant songs refers to a servant figure who could point to the forthcoming messiah. In the liturgy today, this servant is identified with Jesus, who is manifested as such in his baptism. The latter part of the servant songs speaks of the task of the servant: to establish peace on earth, to be a covenant to Israel, a revelation to the gentiles, and to proclaim the liberation of captives. The description of the servant aptly fit Jesus and his future ministry.