24th Sunday A: Forgiveness

Gospel reading: Matthew 18:21-35

Michel DeVerteuil 
General Comments
Today’s passage deals with the crucial issue of forgiveness, surely the most pressing of all our human problems, as individuals, as communities and as a human family. The future of humanity is in the hands of those who can forgive.

23rd Week: Sept 7-12 Reflections

Sept 7 Monday: Lk 6: 6-11: 6 On another Sabbath, when he entered the synagogue and taught, a man was there whose right hand was withered. 7 And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find an accusation against him. 8 But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man who had the withered hand, “Come and stand here.” And he rose and stood there. 9 And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?” 10 And he looked around on them all, and said to him, “Stretch out your hand.” And he did so, and his hand was restored. 11 But they were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm

23 Sunday A: Liturgical Prayers

Greeting

Jesus tells us today:
Where two are three have come together in my name,
there I am among them.
We are here in his name
and so he is among us.
May he always stay with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction b

23rd Sunday A: Prayer and Reconciliation

Michel DeVerteuil 
General Comments
This passage is very different from those of the two previous Sundays. They were dramatic stories, marked by deep emotions and with deep implications for the characters involved. This is a little gem of a passage but with little drama, a very practical, common-sense teaching on that most common and most prosaic of community problems – conflict. It is deep wisdom teaching which continues to be valid for our time. Management has become a science today, and Jesus’ teaching stands up well as a model of how to “manage” conflict in any situation.

22nd Week: Aug 31st to Sept 5th

Aug 31 Monday: Lk 4:14-30: Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee, and a report concerning him went out through all the surrounding country. 15 And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified by all. 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood up  to read; 17 and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written,

22nd Week, Monday, August 31

1 Cor 2:1-5 / Luke 4:16-30

I spoke with no eloquence: The Spirit, however, spoke through me.

Malcolm Muggeridge, the BBC-TV celebrity, interviewed Mother Teresa of Calcutta. The verdict on the interview was that it was hardly usable on TV. Mother Thresa's delivery was halting, and she spoke with a rather thick accent. One BBC official, however, felt that the interview had a mysterious power and held out for its use on a Sunday night. To everyone's surprise, viewer response to the program was amazing-both in terms of mail and contributions. 

22 Sunday A: Liturgical Prayers

Greeting

The Lord speaks to us, his disciples today:
"Come, follow me, renounce yourselves,
take up your cross and come after me."
May these words call us away from ourselves
and may the Lord go always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

August 29 MARTYRDOM OF JOHN THE BAPTIST

Stand up to evil and oppose it. 

The book Ah, But Your Land Is Beautiful by Alan Paton contains a moving conversation between a white man and a black man. Both are putting their lives on the line for racial justice. At one point the white man turns to his black friend and says, "Things may be very rough for you. It won't be easy. What is your thinking about that?" The black man responds, "Well, I look at it this way. When I get up there, the great Judge will say, 'Where are your scars?' 

22nd Sunday A: If you wish to Follow me, Take up your cross

 Gospel Text: Matthew 16:21-27 

Michel DeVerteuil 
General Comments
In meditating on this passage, we need to make some choices – guided, as always in lectio divina by feelings, not reason. For example, we can focus on the disciples, and Peter in particular, so that the passage speaks to us about our relationship with Jesus or with someone who has been Jesus to us. We then celebrate the times when we have been brought to see how our way of thinking was “human” and not according to God’s plan.

21st Week: Aug 24-29: Reflections

Aug 24 Monday (St. Bartholomew/Nathaniel, Apostle) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-bartholomew/ : Friday  Jn 1:43-51: 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”