tag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:/blogs/father-kev-s-blog--2?p=3Father Kev's Blog2017-04-07T23:24:09-04:00Bread of Life Fellowshipfalsetag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/45626802017-01-24T20:17:32-05:002017-01-24T20:18:24-05:004th Sunday Ordinary Time YearA<p>The Sermon on the Mount <br>A very frequent question to me is : What does “poor in spirit” mean? <br><br>The Beatitudes are part of the three chapter long “Sermon on the Mount” in the Gospel of Matthew. The sermon is a collection of the moral teaching of Jesus. <br><br>The sermon is not addressed to the crowds. It is directed to the disciples. Jesus is the Rabbi. “He sat down”. Rabbi’s sat down to teach! <br><br>The word “Blessed” is sometimes translated as “Happy”. Also note that Jesus does not teach in any negative way. There are no “Thou shall nots”. His instructions are fulfilling the Old Law. “I did not come to destroy but to fulfil”. All of the Old Law is in the Beatitudes. <br><br>By going up the mountain as Moses went up the mountain to receive the 10 Commandments, Jesus is shown as the new Law giver. <br><br><strong>What is this new Law? </strong><br><br>“Blessed are the poor in Spirit.” The first commandment in the Old Law is to love the Lord our God with all our heart and soul and mind. Poverty in Spirit is to have no material thing more important than the Lord. The Spiritual is more important than the material. God is more important than our family or our wealth or anything else. This will be further explained with the verse: “seek first the kingdom of God and his justice and all these things will be added”. <br><br>A good paraphrase of the verse could be: If you want to be happy, put God absolutely first. The kingdom of heaven is already yours. <br><br>I repeat. This message was to those who came up the mountain to be taught by Jesus. It is not my job to explain the message. It is the evangelists’ job to get people to leave the crowd and come up the mountain!! Jesus is the teacher. <br><br>We can never be totally poor in Spirit in this world. But we can aim to be. We will be poor in Spirit in eternity. The beatitudes are not commandments. They are ideals of happiness promised by Jesus to disciples. We will reach them in heaven. In the meantime, we can be canonised for trying.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/45524832017-01-16T20:56:30-05:002017-01-16T20:57:10-05:003rd Sunday Ordinary Time YearA<p style="text-align: center;">Jesus begins his Public Ministry </p>
<p>We are beginning the Public Ministry of Jesus. He has been baptised in the Jordan by the Baptist and the Spirit came down on him. <br><br>Our section today begins with the words : “hearing that John had been arrested Jesus went back to Galilee, and leaving Nazareth he went and settled in Capernaum”. The implication is that Jesus has left home. He is no longer the boy from Nazareth. He is fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. He sets up in the “Galilee of the Nations”. He began his preaching with the message, “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”. <br><br>Some notes. This message is exactly the same as the Baptist’s. It is word for word. Mark will add: “here is a message that is new and with authority behind it”. The basic call is to ‘metanoia’, repentance. We must turn away from the old ways. This we can do. All else is the grace of God. <br><br>Today’s Gospel tells us of Jesus calling his Apostles. Firstly Simon (Peter) and Andrew. The drama in Matthew is succinct. The fishermen were making a cast in the lake. Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men”. “And they left their nets and followed him at once.” <br><br>It is reasonable to believe that Jesus made his home for ministry at Capernaum. Tradition has it that he lived in Peter’s home. We know Peter was a widower and the mother-in-law lived there. It is also reasonable to conclude that Mary stayed in the family home in Nazareth. The two places are close to each other. <br><br>Matthew’s theme is Jesus is King and he proclaims the Good News of the Kingdom. His ministry is the curing of diseases and sickness among the people.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/45118052016-12-15T00:43:52-05:002016-12-15T00:43:52-05:004th Sunday of Advent Year A<p>Joseph, Son of David <br> <br>Matthew is writing to the Jewish Community. He is aiming to teach them that Jesus is Royal family, the son of David. The first words of his Gospel are: “Jesus, son of David, son of Abraham.” His genealogy is the male line. He believes strongly in the virgin birth. So how can Jesus be a descendant of David? <br>“She will give birth to a son and you must name him Jesus….” In the Hebrew tradition the father of the child is the one who names the child. Fatherhood is much more than being the one who propagates. The father is the one who takes public responsibility for the support and upbringing of the child and especially the religious upbringing. (Would that it still be so!) Joseph is the father of Jesus by adoption. The angel calls him to this vocation. He is a man of honour. <br>This is how Matthew gives great emphasis to his beliefs. He believes in the Virgin Birth and can prove it from the Old Testament. He believes that Jesus is the Son of David because he has been adopted by Joseph whom the angel calls the Son of David. He believes that Joseph is the husband of the Virgin Mary. <br>So much to pray about in Christmas week!!!! May Mary and Joseph and the child Jesus bless you abundantly! <br>Happy and Holy Christmas.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/44993032016-12-06T20:51:53-05:002016-12-06T20:51:53-05:003rd Sunday of Advent Year A<p>John the Baptist (2) <br> <br>Today we meet John the Baptist in his relationship with Jesus. He is in prison. We remember the circumstances. He has challenged Herod and he will suffer the consequences. <br>The Scripture says that John had heard what Jesus was doing. This obviously causes John some concerns. He sends a message to Jesus asking him about the truth of what he has heard. He is not at peace. What has John heard? He has heard that Jesus is healing on the Sabbath, he is dining with Tax Collectors, and he is letting women of ill repute touch him. The gossipers have been filling him in on all the news!!!!!! Hence the question: Are you the one who is to come, or have we got to wait for someone else? <br>The question can only mean that John is scandalised by the behaviour of Jesus. Jesus gives a clear answer. “Go back and tell John what you see and hear: the blind see again, and the deaf hear, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the Poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.” <br>I remember the old English translation of the verse. It was: “blest is the man who is not scandalised by me.” Jesus is saying to John and to all of us that we must understand that his ministry is not about political power. It is about healing and the poor. Jesus stated clearly to John and to us that we must listen to him and not to the gossip. If his ministry is a scandal to us we need to change our thinking. He will not change. <br>Clearly, John got the message. Now he is ready to die for his Master. Now he is not scandalised by Jesus ministry of Good News. He has read all about it in the prophecies. <br>The birth of Jesus reminds us again of His mission to the humble and poor, The God Man is among us. We thank John the Baptist for announcing Him and helping us focus on the meaning of Christmas.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/44910692016-11-30T20:49:56-05:002016-11-30T20:49:56-05:002nd Sunday of Advent Year A<p>John the Baptist. </p>
<p>Today we meet John the Baptist, whom Jesus describes as the greatest. John knew his role in Salvation History. He knew when to start and he knew when to stop. He was the precursor, the one who prepared the way. He is the link between the Old and the New Testament. </p>
<p>John was a very successful preacher. He lived frugally in the dessert and proclaimed a message. “Repent for the kingdom of God is at Hand”. He preached a baptism of Repentance. His message was “Shape up or ship out”. It was the old testament message of “Turn around” or “Change your ways”. John baptised thousands in the Jordan. He was a most successful preacher. He was especially hard on the hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees. </p>
<p>But John knew there had to be more to the message. He said one is coming after him, one so much greater than he. John knew there had to be more and he called this more the baptism of the Holy Spirit. John prepared the world for this. He pointed to Jesus. His beautiful words: “He must increase, I must decrease.” He knew when to start his ministry and he knew when to hand over to the Lamb of God. </p>
<p>The word “baptise” means to soak or immerse or perhaps to dunk. The phrase in the scripture means that the Messiah, Jesus, will totally immerse or soak us in the Holy Spirit. We must repent, we must turn away for sin, but the rest of the spiritual journey is a grace of the Holy Spirit. John knew there was more. He was waiting for it. We join with him in this expectation.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/44831382016-11-24T21:25:50-05:002022-05-21T12:29:06-04:001st Sunday of Advent Year A<p>STAY AWAKE </p>
<p>We begin the New Year of the Church. The Gospel this year (A) will usually be from the Gospel of Matthew. </p>
<p>The new year begins where the old one finished – the Coming of Christ at the end of Time. The Theme is to “STAY AWAKE.” Advent is a time to prepare for the Coming of the Saviour, but clearly this event will be overshadowed from the beginning by the Cross. One cannot be celebrated without the other. </p>
<p>Again, the apocalyptic accounts in the Gospels talk in the present tense of events, present and future and past. There is a reference to the destruction of the Temple, to the End Times and to the present moment. They appear in a Code that is known to the Christian readers. (Called Apocalyptic writing). The readers know already about suffering and persecution and the destruction of the Temple, but this destruction and death will lead to glory and eternal life. </p>
<p>Jesus remarks that what happened in Noah’s day will happen again. One taken, one left. Ordinary events like eating and drinking and marrying suddenly have turned to disaster when the Flood came. It will be like that when the Son of Man comes. One will be taken, one will be left. </p>
<p>“Son of Man”. This is a term that Jesus uses to describe himself. It is taken from the Book of Daniel. I mentioned in this article that the early Christians understood the code of Apocalyptic literature. They knew their Bible. The simple message is to stay awake, to be on guard, to be watchful and ready for the coming of the Lord. Tough times are coming but so is our Saviour. </p>
<p>“Therefore, you must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” </p>
<p>The Four Sundays of Advent put before us the message of the ancient Prophets in week one, John the Baptist in weeks two and three and Mary in week Four. We are then ready for Christmas!</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/44693892016-11-16T06:13:56-05:002017-04-07T23:24:09-04:00THE FEAST OF CHRIST THE KING<p>This is the last Sunday of the year. It is the Feast of Christ the King. The year concludes with proclaiming Jesus as King of Heaven and Earth. <br><br>The Gospel of Luke today gives us the comments of three witnesses to the death of Jesus – the leaders, the soldiers and the “good” thief. Firstly, the leaders: “he saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen one”. Then the soldiers: “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself.” Above him there was the inscription: “This is the king of the Jews.” And finally, the good thief: “Save yourself and us as well”. <br> <br>Surely three different concepts of Kingship. It is always amazing to me that there can be so much badness in the presence of such goodness. Jesus is on the Cross in his last agony and some people can be so unkind. Yet Jesus can still be offering salvation and forgiveness to those who are open to him. “Indeed, I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.” <br> <br>Jesus is Lord and King of the world and Lord of our lives. The Feast today reminds us of our obligations to our King. Jesus wants to be the Lord of our lives- everything. We renew our dedication and consecration to the King of our lives. And Jesus renews his promise: “I promise you, today you will be with me in paradise.”</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/44352002016-10-24T20:03:15-04:002016-10-24T20:03:52-04:0031th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p style="text-align: center;"><span class="font_xl">Zaccchaeus </span></p>
<p><span class="font_regular">“Jesus entered Jericho.” Luke’s Gospel is about the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem, to the Cross. We are almost there. Jericho is a little more than a Sabbath walk from the Temple. <br><br>We meet Zacchaeus, one of the characters of the Bible. Zacchaeus is a publican, a senior tax collector, a wealthy man. He was not tall. He was anxious to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was passing by. <br><br>Because of his small stature he climbs the sycamore tree to get a better view. <br><br>He receives the invitation from Jesus. “Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry because I must stay at your house today”. “And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully.” <br>I would like to make a few comments. “They all complained”. Every time Luke mentions the word ‘they’, they are complaining. The people in the gospel are always complaining.!!!!! <br><br>I owe Zacchaeus an apology. Over the years I have always thought that the visit of Jesus was the cause of his conversion. But the text needs correction. It says: “Look sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor…….”. The Greek clearly says “I am giving half my property to the poor…..”Jesus is visiting Zacchaeus because he is already converted. He is not a man full of promises. He is already making restitution. Jesus is inviting himself into Zacchaeus’ house to confront the complaining crowds who do not accept his conversion. This eating with publicans gives rise to the three parables in Ch 15. <br><br> It is the complaining crowds that need conversion. No matter what is his past, Jesus wants to assure Zacchaeus that “salvation has come to his house”. <br>The Conclusion says it all. “The son of man has come to seek out and save what was lost”.</span></p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/44254472016-10-18T22:04:26-04:002016-10-18T22:04:26-04:0030th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>The Pharisee and the Publican <br>Obviously one man’s prayer is salvific and “at rights with God”. The other man’s prayer does not make him at rights with God. So we need to have a good look at the difference between the two. <br><br>Luke begins: “Jesus spoke this parable to some people who prided themselves on being virtuous and despised everyone else” Obviously, this does not apply to us!!. Or maybe it does? <br><br>The Pharisee’s prayer. Luke says that he stood there and prayed this prayer to himself. This could mean that he prayed silently. Luke seems to play a pun on the words. Prayer is of course directed to God. If you start praying to yourself, you are in trouble! <br><br>“I thank you God that I am not grasping, unjust, adulterous like the rest of mankind.” This part of the prayer could earn a pass. I am sure that there are times when you and I can thank God for our life. We can thank God for differences in culture and creed. For example, I can thank God for my Catholic education, for my Australian culture. I can thank God for the many blessings I have being in a Community. That part of the Prayer earns a Pass. But the next part earns a condemnation and the wrath of God, “and particularly that I am not like this tax collector here.” That’s the bit that does the damage. It is fine that he fasts and tithes. It is bad that he judges. <br><br>The lesson is to keep the bad naming of other people out of our prayers. To sit in judgement is to call judgement on one’s self. To thank God for everything in life is a good prayer. To exalt yourself is to seek humiliation. <br><br>On the other hand, the prayer of the Publican is the other extreme. He is the image of a backslider, a non-practicing member of the religion. He lays his life open to the gift of Divine Mercy. <br><br>Jesus teaches again on Prayer. The prayer of preference is: “God, be merciful to me a sinner”. “This man I tell you went home at rights with God”. <br><br>This is another of Luke’s great stories. It tells the story of two extremes. e.g. the Prodigal Son. This story is a contrast between a religious person and a non-practicing believer. You and I are somewhere in between and we must not miss the point.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/43880162016-09-24T02:06:05-04:002016-09-24T02:06:05-04:0026th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>The Rich Man and Lazarus. </p>
<p>Last week we mentioned that Jewish Parables present a difficulty for the western minded Luke. He has no problem with the way he tells stories. Luke is the best story teller. He has given us the story of the Prodigal Son, the story of the Good Samaritan and now the story of Dives and Lazarus. In a way these three stories need little explanation, yet the truth is that we can meditate on them for a lifetime and never exhaust the depth of their spirituality. </p>
<p>The story of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a story about REVERSAL of roles. The story begins with Lazarus outside the rich man’s house and finishes with him in Abraham’s bosom. The rich man lives in a grand house but spends eternity in Hades. There is food aplenty for the rich man on earth, but in Hades he is tormented by thirst. The constant point in the story is the GAP between them, a gap that never can be bridged! </p>
<p>It is a story about contrasting events and contrasting people. The two people in the story are neither paraded before us as saints nor sinners. The facts of the story are there. You can draw your own conclusion. </p>
<p>Luke gives us this story as a story from Jesus. The last part of the story shows how Luke’s community has meditated on it in the post Resurrection Church. Then Abraham said to him, “if they will not listen to either Moses or the prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone should rise from the dead.” </p>
<p>Is this a reference by Luke to the resistance to change in the early Christian Community to the basic teaching of Jesus? Do they not share with the poor? Luke’s mention of eternal punishment would be a timely reminder in those days as much as it is today for us. A good lesson on the fear of Hell is always salutary!! There will be a reversal of roles in the future. “If someone comes back from the dead they will repent”. </p>
<p>Not likely, says the story!</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/43694782016-09-13T02:24:31-04:002016-09-13T02:24:31-04:0025th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>The Astute Steward <br>The Gospel today is in two parts. Firstly, there is a parable and secondly there is a collection of sayings of Jesus about money. The two parts are not connected. <br>Firstly, the Parable. The parable is called the parable of the Astute Steward or the Crafty Steward. He prepares for his impending dismissal by using his money (or the Bosses money?) to make friends. He is not strong; he would be ashamed to beg. He prepares by making “sure that when I am dismissed from office there will be some to welcome me into their homes”. <br><br>He calls the debtors one by one and renegotiates their debt. His actions are morally doubtful. But Jesus ”praised the dishonest steward for his astuteness”. The reason and the inspiration of Jesus is that the “children of this world are more astute dealing with their own than are the children of light”. <br>Jesus himself gives the punch line of the Parable. “Use money, tainted as it is to win you friends, and thus make sure that when it fails you, they will welcome you into the tents of eternity”. <br><br>Clearly Jesus says: use money. He says money is tainted. He says to use money to win you friends. He says to use money for eternal investment!!!!. <br>We do this by supporting the poor and foreign missions, by helping out in so many ways. There can so easily be an eternal use for our money. Jesus commends the children of this world for being astute and wishes that we learn to be astute with our money as children of light. <br>Money has a heavenly use! <br>Secondly, there are a few statements that Jesus put together in the Gospel. They are only vaguely connected with the parable. They are from a different teaching of Jesus. <br><br>“The man who can be trusted in few things can be trusted in great”. <br>“If you cannot be trusted in what is not yours, who will give you what is your very own”. <br>“No man can serve two masters……You cannot be slave both of God and money”. <br>The teaching of Jesus about money never says: Give it to me! They say : Give it to mine!</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/43619202016-09-07T23:25:47-04:002016-09-07T23:26:08-04:0024th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>The Prodigal Son. </p>
<p>When we study the story of The Prodigal Son in the Gospel of Luke it is very important to put the story in the context that the Gospel writer has put it in. The context is very simple. This story is told in answer to the question why does Jesus eat with sinners? </p>
<p>The parable. </p>
<p>If you think the parable is only about the mercy of God you have made a mistake. It is certainly about the mercy of God. But there is much more. You have missed some of the point. </p>
<p>To repeat. The parable is an answer to the question why does Jesus eat with sinners? The parable is about a banquet which both sons are invited to attend. The Lord in the parable invites both his sons to eat. But only one of them comes. The older son does not come. The elder son does not want to be a part of the banquet. </p>
<p>In the scriptures the banquet is often a sign of Heaven. The elder son refuses to enter the banquet. The younger son accepts the invitation to the banquet. Jesus is a great teacher. If you think the oldest son got a bad deal, you have missed the point of the parable. We all know that the youngest son got a great deal from the mercy of his father. But the Parable is equally about the eldest son. His resentment and unforgiveness of his brother leads to his refusal to attend the banquet. </p>
<p>Why does Jesus eat with sinners? The answer is this. Jesus eats with everyone who is invited to the banquet. The price of entry is forgiveness. </p>
<p>God Bless</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/43056512016-08-02T00:53:39-04:002016-08-02T00:54:12-04:0019th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>The Treasure of my Heart <br>The Gospel today follows directly on from last Sunday’s reflection on possessions. Jesus assures us of his confidence in the words “there is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom”. Wealth in the kingdom is not about material things. The Kingdom is about a ‘treasure that will not fail’, and a purse that will not wear out or be destroyed by moths. Security is about the kingdom values. “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also.” <br><br>This verse would be enough for a Sunday reflection. We could reflect on our treasures. Possessions, family, hobbies and friends are all important parts of our life. It has pleased the Father to give us the Kingdom. Where does the Kingdom stand in our order of values? <br><br>Jesus gives us the Parable of the Master’s Return. We are expected to be ready at any hour. This Parable appears in the other Gospels. The difference in this one is the ending that the Master will sit down and eat with the vigilant servant. “You must stand ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect”. <br><br>Peter asks for an explanation, or rather perhaps for an exemption! “Lord, do you mean this parable for us, or for everyone”? Jesus clearly states that even more will be expected of Peter and us. To the loyal ones “he will place him over everything he owns”. The unfaithful ones will be “cut off and sent to the same place as the unfaithful”. <br><br>Luke in this passage only hints at the ‘end times’. His focus is more on the NOW. Service in the Kingdom is a 24/7 duty. It demands constant readiness and vigilance. It has duties and it has rewards. “When a man has a great deal given him on trust, “even more will be expected of him”.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/42977472016-07-27T19:05:16-04:002022-05-21T13:25:52-04:0018th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>18th Sunday C 31 July 21016 <br>Avarice <br>Like the story of Martha and Mary, this section is found only in Luke’s Gospel. It is made up of two parts, a teaching on avarice and a parable to illustrate the point of the teaching. <br>Firstly, the teaching. A man in the crowd asks Jesus to solve a family dispute about an inheritance. This has echoes of the family dispute between Martha and Mary. Jesus’ answer is in different words, but to the same effect. “Who appointed me your judge, or the arbitrator of your claims?” As mentioned before, it is obvious that Jesus doesn’t wish to relay second hand messages, especially in a dispute. <br>To the crowds Jesus says, “Watch and be on your guard against avarice of any kind, for a man’s life is not made secure by what he owns even when he has more than he needs.” <br>Then to the parable. It is a parable about making ourselves rich in the sight of God. This is a constant theme in Luke. It is one of his favourite themes. It is at odds with the world of advertising and Storage Centres for excess possessions. It is against the culture of having plenty of good things laid by for many years to come, the culture of eat, drink and be merry and have a good time. “Fool” is the comment of the story teller. <br>Trust in God can alone bring the security that we seek in possessions. This is ‘poverty in Spirit.’ <br>Do we need to reassess our priorities? We need to be good stewards of God’s gifts. We need to be good providers for our families. We need to be insured and superannuated and have a nest egg for an emergency. Where do I stand on the scale of being avaricious? <br>That is the point of the story. Materialism and consumerism are all around us. <br>As a Pastor it is not always easy to explain to people the exact meaning of Jesus’ teaching. Of course we have to provide for the future within reason. Some of us are blest with more than others. I like to put it this way. We can all grasp what it means to be ‘rich in spirit’ or to be avarice in spirit. It means that our whole life is dedicated to making more money and even when we have enough we build bigger barns. The rich man in the gospel story was ‘rich in spirit’. He is building bigger barns. <br>To be ‘poor in spirit’ is precisely the opposite. Money is the means to the end, not the end. At the end of our life our Balance Sheet will need to show the Fruits of the Holy Spirit, not Cash. The Fruits of the Holy Spirit are peace and joy and love, characteristics of Gods.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/42880682016-07-21T00:21:20-04:002016-07-21T00:21:59-04:0017th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY </p>
<p>There is so much in this passage. Let us take it piece by piece. </p>
<p>“Jesus was in a certain place praying”. This seems to clearly state that Jesus had a sacred space for his prayer time. This gives rise to the recommendation of a fixed place for our prayer. It is not beyond deduction to suggest that the Garden of Gethsemane was the sacred place for Jesus. He certainly was there in his darkest hour. </p>
<p>“When he had finished”. It is possible to imagine the awe of the disciples watching Jesus at prayer. One of the disciples is so moved that as soon as Jesus finishes praying, he asks the question, “Lord teach us to pray.” Thence follows the teaching of the version of the Lord’s prayer that we find in Luke’s Gospel. </p>
<p>At this stage we should note that this is not the prayer of Jesus. It is not the way Jesus prayed. It is the way he taught us to pray. For example, when Jesus prayed, he said “to my father and to your father.” He certainly had no need to pray for forgiveness!! </p>
<p>“Father in heaven”. “Abba”. This entirely new and provocative teaching of God as being close and familiar caused great unrest with the Scribes and Pharisees. It was totally against the vision of the time that God was “Adonai”, the LORD, remote and unapproachable. Jesus teaches that we should approach God as “daddy” in our prayer. </p>
<p>Can we skip to the verse, “Ask and you shall receive”? Let us clearly and briefly look at the conditions of this wonderful instruction of Jesus. Clearly, it is conditional. If it were true, I would have won the Lottery by now!!! I certainly asked for that in early years! Jesus gives three examples here. One is about the stone and the bread, one about the snake and the fish and the other about the egg and the scorpion. It is important to look at these. </p>
<p>1. The stone and the bread. In the desert places of the middle east a child could be confused between a loaf of bread and a river stone. Both are round, one would be covered in sand, the other in flour. If the child asked for the stone, a parent would know better and refuse to grant it. God knows better and sometimes refuses our prayers. All prayers are answered, not necessarily as they are asked! </p>
<p>2. The snake and the fish. The Red Sea has one of the deadliest snakes in the world. It sheds its skin near the sandy shore. A child could mistake it for a fish. But the parent knows best. </p>
<p>3. The scorpion and the egg. A scorpion has a white belly and when attacked is rolls up in a ball in self-defense. Again a child could mistake this round white shape for an egg. Parents know best! </p>
<p>We should ask and we will receive. But we always leave the answer of our prayer with the Lord. He knows best!! </p>
<p>What a challenge today. We have barely skimmed the surface of the text. But we had a go!</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/42147032016-06-05T20:34:59-04:002016-07-21T00:21:48-04:0010th Sunday Ordinary Time Year C<p>THE WIDOW OF NAIN </p>
<p>We resume today the cycle of Ordinary Time. We pick up the Gospel of Luke at Chapter 7. Perhaps it is the appropriate time for a little revision. </p>
<p>This year it is Cycle C of the Gospel readings. That means we are reading Luke. We have had nine Sundays of Ordinary time since January. </p>
<p>We have been stressing that Luke in his Gospel portrays the life of Jesus as a journey towards Jerusalem, his death and resurrection. We know from the other Gospels that the ministry of Jesus lasted three years. Luke uses the image of one long journey to describe the life of Jesus. </p>
<p>The early part of the Gospel is about the birth of Jesus and the beginning of his ministry. In the Gospel today, Jesus has reached Nain. He has left Nazareth. He is about two miles down the road. He is on the road to Jerusalem! </p>
<p>What happens at Nain? </p>
<p> This is the beginning of the journey to Jerusalem. It is only 2 miles down the road. There is a large crowd following Jesus. His disciples are with him. They come across a funeral procession. There is a large crowd, a dead youth and a widowed mother. </p>
<p>The scene is set. It is a sad scene. The woman has already lost her husband and now her only son. She would be completely destitute with no means of income. The scripture says” the Lord saw her and felt sorry for her”. “Do not cry,” he said. This woman is destitute and powerless. Jesus comes to her help. </p>
<p>The story is about the COMPASSION of Jesus. In a strange town and with a crowd of strangers, Jesus is overwhelmed with compassion. He simply goes up to the bier and says “Young man, I tell you to get up”. “And the dead man sat up and began to talk, and Jesus gave him to his mother”. </p>
<p>What a start to the missionary journey of Jesus. Everyone was filled with awe and praised God saying, “a great prophet has appeared among us. God has visited his people.” </p>
<p>Is it any wonder that the opinion of Jesus spread throughout the whole of Judea and the whole countryside? We are beginning to see the signs and wonders that accompanied the compassion of Jesus as he walks towards his triumph in Jerusalem. He has only just begun. He has raised a young man from the dead.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/41552322016-04-26T22:25:19-04:002016-04-26T22:25:19-04:006th Sunday of Easter Year C 2016<p>Jesus assures his disciples that he will send The Holy Spirit <br><br>We are celebrating the 50 days of Easter. We fast approach the Feast of Pentecost. In this time we are living life in the Spirit though we are yet to read Luke’s account of Pentecost. <br><br>We are listening to the last discourse of Jesus at the Last Supper. We have heard of the Good Shepherd and the new Commandment of Love. Now we listen to a very private conversation of Jesus with his eleven. Judas has departed into the dark. Jesus shares deeply his love for his team. <br><br>There are ambiguities in this passage that are worth noting. Jesus is sharing his love for the Father and his disciples. It is as though the past and the present and the future are all happening NOW. <br><br>He speaks of “my word”, then says it is not his own word but the Father’s. “My word is not my own”. He says that he and the Father will make their home with the disciple, yet speaks of going to the Father. Two Sundays ago he said, “I and the Father are one”. Today he says that “the Father is greater than I”. <br>These thoughts can help us in prayer in this Holy time. God is eternal. A thousand years is like a day. Jesus was really praying for each and every one of us in his last prayer. For God it is always NOW. <br><br>What was his Prayer? “If anyone love me he will keep my word and my Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home in him”. God is dwelling in my heart! What a promise. It is conditional on not just hearing but keeping the word. There is a simple test. “Those who do not love me do not keep my words”. If we love God, he dwells in us. <br><br>But like all the good adverts say, there is more! ‘the Advocate, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all I have said to you”. We are being taught by Jesus what will happen in the future. We are being taught about the Holy Spirit. <br><br>Today’s teaching is that the Spirit will teach us everything and will remind us of the teachings of Jesus. These themes will reoccur in the Pentecost Season. <br>Note. Early in all the Gospels the theme of Jesus is that he will be with us always. As we get nearer to Calvary, the theme changes to “I am going away” and this causes some anxiety. Today the assurance is in the words “I am going away and shall return”.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/40794322016-03-08T23:36:17-05:002016-03-08T23:36:17-05:005th Sunday of Lent C 2016<p>We are almost at the end of Lent. We are nearly there. <br><br>The Gospel readings on the Sundays of Lent have been about repentance and preparation for the Resurrection of Jesus. Today we have a real story from John’s Gospel, the woman caught in the act of adultery. <br><br>The context in John is the Mount of Olives and the preparation for the Passion. That is a Lenten theme. Jesus is teaching in the Temple and the Scribes and Pharisees together conspire to trap Jesus with an unanswerable question. They humiliate this poor woman (note no male offender!), make her stand there in front of everybody. They said to Jesus, “Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery and Moses has ordered us to condemn women like this to death by stoning. What have you to say?” It is a catch 22. You are wrong if you say “Yes’ and you are wrong if you say ‘No”. <br><br>We know well the story of Jesus writing in the sand. What did he write? The simple answer is we do not know! Did he just scribble meaningless words? We do not know. Did he write their sins? That hardly sounds like Jesus. We do not know. His words cause a gradual dismissal in order of seniority, the oldest first. Everybody has gone. Only Jesus and the woman remain. No one would throw the first stone!!! <br><br>I love this part of the story. I point out especially the respect that Jesus has for the woman. He calls her ‘woman’. This is a special word in John’s Gospel. John uses it a few times. At Cana to his mother, to the woman at the well and to his Mother from the Cross. It is a special word of respect. I think it is fair to say that the woman in the story picks up this notion of respect very quickly. She calls Jesus ‘Sir’. Remember her answer: ”No one Sir”. I suspect that she was extremely outraged with her accusers.<br> <br>We do not know anything about conversion or repentance in the life of the woman. But we do know that there was respect. Respect earns respect. Names and titles are important. Who knows how the story ends? Where there is respect there can be love. Jesus leaves the door open. <br><br>Take into the week and into Holy Week the great words: “Neither do I condemn you, go away and sin no more”. </p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/40680432016-03-01T17:44:46-05:002016-03-01T17:44:46-05:004th Sunday of Lent C 2016<p> “THIS MAN WELCOMES SINNERS AND EATS WITH THEM”. <br>Jesus addresses this charge in the parable of the Prodigal Son. Any study of the parable must address the context and this question. It is not a parable about which son is the better or even the outstanding mercy of the father. It is about why Jesus eats with the ritually unclean, the publicans and sinners. <br>The mercy of the Father explains why Jesus eats with sinners. The younger son is an example of Gods’ compassion and infinite forgiveness. For him the fatted calf is prepared, the banquet is ready. There is a celebration of resurrection. O Happy day! <br>The older son is not so happy! “Look, all these years I have slaved for you, I have never once disobeyed your orders, yet you have never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate”……. This is the key to the teaching of Jesus. Do you think the elder son got a bad deal? If you do you have missed the point. <br>Let us look at it this way. Banquets in the Scriptures are often another word for “Heaven”. In the parable the younger son and the father are at the banquet. The elder son is invited and he refuses to come. He spends all his life in long and obedient service to his master and yet he missed out on heaven. It is because of his angry response, “this son of yours when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his women…..”, his resentment. “He was angry and refused to go in”. <br> Consider the two brothers. Which one got the good deal and which one got the bad deal? It is not about that. It is about which one got to dine with Jesus. The only one who got a bad deal was the fatted calf!!!!. Both boys were very naughty. Like all of us we fall short of the high standards that Jesus expects. Jesus is happy to dine with us always. The condition of entry to the banquet is forgiveness of one another. God is welcoming to the lost who are found. There is no limit to how lost we have been as long as “we come to our senses”. <br>Do you want Jesus to dine with you? If we can keep our mouth free of angry words and insults and “come to our senses” we will be treated like sons and daughters of the King. <br>Why does Jesus dine with sinners? The good people are invited but they choose not to come. Not too subtle!</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/40553302016-02-23T03:59:51-05:002016-02-23T03:59:51-05:003rd Sunday of Lent 2016 <p>The wrong place at the wrong time. <br>We move on from the desert and the mountain to the journey to Jerusalem. Jesus is told about two items of news of the day. These items are not found in secular history. They were important news to the locals. Pilate had persecuted and murdered the Galileans and a tower had fallen at Siloam and killed 18 people. <br>The locals ask Jesus the question: “Do you suppose those who suffered like that were greater sinners than others”? This was old time belief. It was a big part of Job’s friends’ arguments. Remember they would say that Job was suffering because of the sins of his youth. They constantly called him to repent. They were convinced that God was punishing Job for past sins. Though Job continually denied this, they never gave up. Don’t always listen to theologians!!!! <br>Here Jesus gives us an insight into his teaching on suffering. Suffering is a mystery. We will never fully understand it. Here Jesus is clear that the death of the Galileans and the construction workers in Siloam had nothing to do with the retribution of God. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Jesus then gives a short lesson on the events. Be prepared, be ready. “Unless you repent you will all perish as they did”. <br>Some suffering is unexplainable. Accidents happen. God is not vindictive. <br>The Fig tree parable is complementary to the above. The fig tree gets a second chance. We all get another chance to bear fruit. Sometimes that takes a good dose of manure!!! It is not always pleasant. <br>God is patient. <br>When we read of great disasters in the world or at home, it is not Christian to blame the anger of God. Jesus teaches us that personal sin is not the cause of national disasters. But he hastens to add in the parable of the Fig Tree that there is a limit to God’s patience. As long as we have breath in our bodies we have the freedom to change our ways. We are half way through Lent and we should be conscious of that, especially as we could be at any time in the wrong place. Accidents happen. Be prepared.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/40494072016-02-18T23:52:41-05:002016-02-18T23:52:41-05:002nd Sunday in Lent Year C<p>The Transfiguration of the Lord. </p>
<p>This miracle is always the scripture reading for the second Sunday of Lent each year. Seemingly the Liturgy wishes to give life to any depressive memories that might be left over from last week’s temptation stories! This is a promise of glory. </p>
<p>This Gospel will remind us of other gospel stories. Firstly “This is my Son, the chosen one” relates easily to the words at the Baptism of the Lord. They also answer the evil one’s triple question: “if you are the Son of God…..?” There are other occasions when Peter and James and John are singled out. Notably we remember the Garden of Gethsemane and Jesus’ prayer and agony. </p>
<p>This miracle is a special manifestation of the divinity of Jesus. It is in the order of a special miracle, a special grace for three people. It is in the order of a private audience granted as a special favour to special individuals for reasons that we can only imagine, but we can ponder in deep meditation. </p>
<p>This Miracle is different. It is not about healing nor deliverance, about sickness nor health. There are no petitioners. There are no crowds. Peter and James and John are taken by Jesus and led by him to be alone. They are given a private audience and they see the glory of God shining on the face of Jesus. They witness echoes of God revealing Himself as thunder and lightning and storm. They are linked with the great figures of the Old Testament like Moses and Elijah. They hear the voice of the Father anointing Jesus as Son, the Beloved – listen to Him. No wonder they kept silent. </p>
<p>We know from the second letter of Peter that the apostles remembered this encounter all their lives. (2 Peter 1:18). </p>
<p>We all have religious experience of one kind or another. I believe this Gospel is meant to encourage us to remember and share our experience of the glory of God. It is a special grace given for a future need. It is one thing to be in awe of the glory, it is another to tackle the day to day effort of living. I believe Peter and James and John were given special graces to help them in future difficulties. We remember again the teaching of Jesus that his gifts are not prizes for our virtue, but presents from his love.</p>Bread of Life Fellowshiptag:breadoflifefellowship.net,2005:Post/40314742016-02-08T21:13:17-05:002016-02-08T21:14:03-05:001st Sunday Lent C 14 Feb 2016<p><br><span class="font_large">The Desert Experience of Jesus </span><br><br>We begin Lent each year reading one of the versions of the Temptations of Jesus in the Desert. This year of course it is Luke’s account. <br>“Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit through the wilderness, having been tempted by the devil there for forty days”. <br> Jesus is filled with the Spirit. This is something God does. Jesus of course is Son of God. Jesus is part of Creation. Jesus was filled with the Spirit in his mother’s womb. This is a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit and it has consequences. <br>He is led by the Spirit into the wilderness. This again is God’s doing. The Spirit of God leads Jesus into the desert. This is an important Biblical concept. It reminds us of the desert experience of the Chosen people. For forty years they journeyed through this strange land. They learnt to depend on God. It was God who provided the water and the food and the protection. They learnt to lean on God for everything. The desert is a good place to be. It is better than Pharaoh. It is not as good as the promised land. But it is safe and secure for the moment and God will bring us to the other side. <br>This Jesus was to learn in the forty days. <br>Also the Scripture is clear that the Spirit of God is leading Jesus to be tempted by the devil. Mark uses the word that the Spirit is driving Jesus to this end. All this is God’s plan. <br>This is also our experience. It is God who fills us with his Spirit, not just once but many times in our lives. But life in the Spirit is always followed by a desert experience where we learn how to depend on God for everything in our lives. This learning experience leads to a struggle with the evil one. Not only does God allow this, but He actually leads us into this. Like Jesus we will come out the other side with the “power of the Spirit in us”. <br>The key to conflict with the evil one is a good use of the Holy Scripture.</p>Bread of Life Fellowship