Archive for June 15, 2019

Trinity Sunday

Posted: June 15, 2019 by CatholicJules in Sunday Reflections
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Glorious Processions: Scott Hahn Reflects on Trinity Sunday

Readings:

Proverbs 8:22–31
Psalms 8:4–9
Romans 5:1–5
John 16:12–15

In today’s Liturgy we’re swept through time in glorious procession—from before earth and sky were set in place to the coming of the Spirit upon the new creation, the Church.

We begin in the heart of the Trinity, as we listen to the testimony of Wisdom in today’s First Reading. Eternally begotten, the first-born of God, He is poured forth from of old in the loving delight of the Father.

Through Him the heavens were established, the foundations of the earth fixed. From before the beginning, He was with the Father as His “Craftsman,” the artisan by which all things were made. And He took special delight, He tells us, in the crowning glory of God’s handiwork—the human race, the “sons of men.”

In today’s Psalm, He comes down from heaven, is made a little lower than the angels, comes among us as “the Son of Man” (see Hebrews 2:6–10).

All things are put under His feet so that He can restore to humanity the glory for which we were made from the beginning, the glory lost by sin. He tasted death that we might be raised to life in the Trinity, that His name might be made glorious over all the earth.

Through the Son, we have gained grace and access in the Spirit to the Father, as Paul boasts in today’s Epistle (see Ephesians 2:18).

The Spirit, the Love of God, has been poured out into our hearts—a Spirit of adoption, making us children of the Father once more (see Romans 8:14–16).

This is the Spirit that Jesus promises in today’s Gospel.

His Spirit comes as divine gift and anointing (see 1 John 2:27), to guide us to all truth, to show us “the things that are coming,” the things that were meant to be from before all ages—that we will find peace and union in God, we will share the life of the Trinity, we will dwell in God as He dwells in us (see John 14:23; 17:21).

On Dressing Up

Posted: June 15, 2019 by CatholicJules in Life's Journeys
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On Dressing up for the Eucharistic Celebration

Why make a big deal about dressing up for the Eucharistic Celebration? Afterall the Lord knows what is in my heart, he himself wore sandals and a robe! Those who insist we dress us are simply stiff necks who needs to get a life! Yes I can identify with all the above statements because I had uttered them myself. Such bravado comes from misplaced pride and certainly not from having any real relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ.

As I was growing in my faith I decided to try and attend morning Mass as often as I could mostly on Saturdays. I even wore Bermudas or track pants from time to time. Slowly as I started growing in love with my Lord, I began to feel uneasy about simply dressing down instead of up. The reality sunk in that if He is truly the Lord of Lords, King of Kings in my mind and heart how could I not reverent Him as I should? How could I continue to take short cuts, cut corners in my faith. Was I not standing on sacred ground where my Lord resides?

We have a higher calling as disciples, to be witnesses of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ working in our lives. Can we then show up to serve him in our sleeping attire, beach wear etc. instead of offering the very best of ourselves, morning, noon or night! Most church ministries will have their own code of conduct or handbook which members are required to adhere to as something basic and foundational. What good is it to have them if members do not see themselves as disciples after Christ obedient unto Him and the leaders He has sent?
We must know that we too can be sacraments of the faith we hold dear. An outward sign of an inward grace. By our dressing and our demeanour we can lead others into the sacred. Especially those of us who serve in ministry or some other ways in our Parish, we have to be aware that parishioners are observing us at all times whether we realise it or not.

So sisters and brothers, if you truly love the Lord Your God then you will most definitely dress up for Him. And I promise You that by simply dressing up for Him, you and your family will be greatly Blessed. You will slowly begin to witness an inward change within yourselves, a greater sense of worship and love for the Lord Your God. Amen

On Today’s Gospel

Posted: June 15, 2019 by CatholicJules in Personal Thoughts & Reflections
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Anyone who has lived with sin knows the heavy burden we carry riddled with guilt. Sometimes it feels as though the gravity of it disqualifies us from mercy of any sort. Know that all of us are so loved, that Christ Jesus our Lord was sent by God our Father to liberate us from all our sins. By His life, death and Resurrection we have been set free to live in His love.

The great gift of the Sacrament of reconciliation had been handed down over the generations so that we may know that we are forgiven. The love and sanctifying grace of the Lord our God is conferred upon us through the hands of His priests.

The love of Christ overwhelms us, such that we desire to live as disciples obedient unto Him. His love convicts us to remain true to our word such that all will know our yes means yes and our no means no. We are ambassadors of our Lord Jesus Christ to lead all who have strayed back to Him, that all may live fully in His love. Amen

First reading

2 Corinthians 5:14-21 †
From now onwards we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh

The love of Christ overwhelms us when we reflect that if one man has died for all, then all men should be dead; and the reason he died for all was so that living men should live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised to life for them.
From now onwards, therefore, we do not judge anyone by the standards of the flesh. Even if we did once know Christ in the flesh, that is not how we know him now. And for anyone who is in Christ, there is a new creation; the old creation has gone, and now the new one is here. It is all God’s work. It was God who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the work of handing on this reconciliation. In other words, God in Christ was reconciling the world to himself, not holding men’s faults against them, and he has entrusted to us the news that they are reconciled. So we are ambassadors for Christ; it is as though God were appealing through us, and the appeal that we make in Christ’s name is: be reconciled to God. For our sake God made the sinless one into sin, so that in him we might become the goodness of God.

Gospel

Matthew 5:33-37
Do not swear: say ‘Yes’ if you mean Yes, ‘No’ if you mean No

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘You have learnt how it was said to our ancestors: You must not break your oath, but must fulfil your oaths to the Lord. But I say this to you: do not swear at all, either by heaven, since that is God’s throne; or by the earth, since that is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, since that is the city of the great king. Do not swear by your own head either, since you cannot turn a single hair white or black. All you need say is “Yes” if you mean yes, “No” if you mean no; anything more than this comes from the evil one.’