Traversing Emmaus

Homily for the Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles (Friday in Thirtiet  Week in Ordinary Time), delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’..." (Eph 2:19-22).

"Jesus went out into the hills to pray; and he spent the whole night in prayer to God. When day came he summoned his disciples and picked out twelve of them; he called them ‘apostles’." (cf. Luke 6:12-19).

Artwork: "The Martyrdom of Saints Simon and Jude", (c. 1370-75).

Homily for the Thursday in the 30th Week of Ordinary Time, delivered at St John the Baptist Primary School, Gladstone, Qld.

Note, pending*. Readings were chosen for the class celebration.

Artwork: "Separation of David and Jonathan" by Rembrandt, (c. 1642).

Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at Sacred Heart Church, Yeppoon, Qld.

"The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds, until it arrives he is inconsolable, nor will he desist until the Most High takes notice of him, acquits the virtuous and delivers judgement. And the Lord will not be slow, nor will he be dilatory on their behalf." (cf. Eccl 35).

"The Lord is close to the broken-hearted; those whose spirit is crushed he will save. The Lord ransoms the souls of his servants. Those who hide in him shall not be condemned." (cf. Ps 34).

"My life is already being poured away as a libation, and the time has come for me to be gone. I have fought the good fight to the end; I have run the race to the finish; I have kept the faith; all there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that Day; and not only to me but to all those who have longed for his Appearing." (cf. 2 Tm 4).

"Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’..." (cf. 18:9-14).

Artwork: "Adorazione dei Magi" by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, (c. 1655-60).

Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at St Agnes Church, Agnes Waters, Qld.

"The Lord is a judge who is no respecter of personages... he listens to the plea of the injured party... the orphan’s supplication... the widow as she pours out her story. The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted, his petitions will carry to the clouds...." (cf. Eccl 35).

"The Lord heard the cry of the poor." (cf. Ps 34).

"The first time I had to present my defence, there was not a single witness to support me. Every one of them deserted me – may they not be held accountable for it. But the Lord stood by me and gave me power, so that through me the whole message might be proclaimed for all the pagans to hear; and so I was rescued from the lion’s mouth." (cf. 2 Tm 4).

"Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’..." (cf. 18:9-14).

Artwork: "The Pharisee and The Tax Collector" by Master Freser (c. 1688).

Homily for the Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered at Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"The Lord is a judge who is no respecter of personages. He shows no respect of personages to the detriment of a poor man, he listens to the plea of the injured party. He does not ignore the orphan’s supplication, nor the widow’s as she pours out her story. The man who with his whole heart serves God will be accepted, his petitions will carry to the clouds. The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds... and the Lord will not be slow, nor will he be dilatory on their behalf...." (cf. Eccl 35:12-19).

"The Lord heard the cry of the poor." (cf. Ps 34).

"The Lord will rescue me from all evil attempts on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." (cf. 2 Tm 4:16-18).

"Jesus spoke the following parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else: ‘Two men went up to the Temple to pray, one a Pharisee, the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood there and said this prayer to himself, “I thank you, God, that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind, and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes on all I get.” The tax collector stood some distance away, not daring even to raise his eyes to heaven; but he beat his breast and said, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” This man, I tell you, went home again at rights with God; the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the man who humbles himself will be exalted.’..." (cf. 18:9-14).

Artwork: "The Pharisee and The Tax Collector" by James Tissot, (c. 1886-94).

The Sacraments: God’s manifold effort to grace us with his healing, transforming presence.

This presentation was given for the Women of Worth, Star of the Sea Parish, Gladstone. Below are the "intended learning outcomes" and the bibliography. If you would like the script for the talk, please request it by contacting me. My phone and email contact is easily found.

ILO 1: To access a richer experience of the Sacramental life of the Church.

ILO 2: To see the seamless thread running through each of the Sacraments.

ILO 3: To encourage recourse to each of the sacraments at the proper time.

Bibliography:

Understanding the sacraments: How many sacraments? (by Father Randy Stice, September 5, 2012), on The East Tennessee Catholic website, accessed via https://etcatholic.org/2012/09/understanding-the-sacraments-how-many-sacraments/

The Sacraments (in “Christianity”), accessed 22nd October 2022 via https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/The-sacraments and The Sacraments (in “Greek Orthodoxy”) accessed 22nd October 2022 via https://www.britannica.com/topic/Eastern-Orthodoxy/The-sacraments 

Catechism of the Catholic Church (2nd Ed.). English Translation of the 1994 Latin text promulgated by Pope Saint John Paul II. See Part Two: The Celebration of the Christian Mystery, Section One: the Sacramental Economy (two internal chapters), and Section Two: The Seven Sacraments of the Church (four internal chapters).

Rite of Baptism

Rite of Matrimony

How Not To Say The Mass by Dennis C. Smolarski, SJ. (3rd Ed., 2014).

Homily for the Friday in the Twenty-nineth Week in Ordinary Time, delivered in Our Lady Star of the Sea Church, Gladstone, Qld.

"I, the prisoner in the Lord, implore you to lead a life worthy of your vocation. Bear with one another charitably, in complete selflessness, gentleness and patience. Do all you can to preserve the unity of the Spirit by the peace that binds you together. There is one Body, one Spirit, just as you were all called into one and the same hope when you were called. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and one God who is Father of all, over all, through all and within all." (Eph 4:1-6).

"Jesus said to the crowds: ‘When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times? ‘Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny.’" (Lk 12:54-59).

Artwork: "The Blind Girl" by John Everett Millais, (c. 1854-56).

Reflection with some of the St Francis of Assisi children (and parents and friends) at St Peter Chanel Church.

Artwork: Girl in garden, retrieved from Pinterest.

Lectio Divina discussion on the readings for the Twenty-nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time, in the park outside St Mary's Church, Ubobo, Qld.

"The Amalekites came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Pick out men for yourself, and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek. I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.’ Joshua did as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage; when he let his arms fall, the advantage went to Amalek. But Moses’ arms grew heavy, so they took a stone and put it under him and on this he sat, Aaron and Hur supporting his arms, one on one side, one on the other; and his arms remained firm till sunset. With the edge of the sword Joshua cut down Amalek and his people." (cf. Ex 17).

"Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (cf. Ps 121).

"You must keep to what you have been taught and know to be true; remember who your teachers were, and how, ever since you were a child, you have known the holy scriptures – from these you can learn the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and can profitably be used for teaching, for refuting error, for guiding people’s lives and teaching them to be holy. This is how the man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work." (cf. 2 Tm 3).

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’..." (cf. Lk 18).

Artwork: "Parable of the Unjust Judge" by Братья Белоусовы (the Belousov Brothers, c. 1881-82).

Homily for the Twenty-nineth Sunday in Ordinary Time, delivered St Peter Chanel Church, Tannum, Qld.

"The Amalekites came and attacked Israel at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Pick out men for yourself, and tomorrow morning march out to engage Amalek. I, meanwhile, will stand on the hilltop, the staff of God in my hand.’ Joshua did as Moses told him and marched out to engage Amalek, while Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill. As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage..." (cf. Ex 17).

"Our help is from the Lord, who made heaven and earth." (cf. Ps 121).

"Before God and before Christ Jesus who is to be judge of the living and the dead, I put this duty to you, in the name of his Appearing and of his kingdom: proclaim the message and, welcome or unwelcome, insist on it." (cf. 2 Tm 3).

"Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’..." (cf. Lk 18).

Artwork: "The Creation of Adam" by Michelangelo, (c. 1508–1512).