23/11/14 The Lord is my shepherd

Our Lord Jesus Christ King of the Universe (Year A)

Welcome back to a little liturgy.  Thanks for logging on again!  This week we are focusing on kings and our relationship with God. I have tried to look at the idea of height and God being above us, whilst debunking the myth of God floating about in the clouds.  However, I couldn't resist referencing the glorious Michelangelo "Creation" which may throw the spanner back in the works!  I have talked to my son about seeing God in other people and trying to identify his character rather then becoming fixated on what he actually is.  For those of you who are new - the green section is designed to be printed and taken to Mass.  I hope you find something useful!

Summary of Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17
Ezekiel tells us that the Lord has promised to look after his sheep and rescue them if they are lost in the dark.  He will also care for any sheep that are injured  and watch over the healthy ones.  He will be a "true shepherd".

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 22:1-3, 5-6. R.v.1
The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.

Second Reading
1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28
St Paul tells us that just as Adam brought death into the world, Christ brings life.  He also describes how one day the world as we know it will end and earthly powers and authorities will cease to matter.  Death will be defeated and God will then be "all in all".

Gospel
Matthew 25:31-46
This week Jesus talks of the Last Judgement.  He says that there will be a time when God judges people and separates them out as if they were different like sheep and goats.  The sheep will be placed at his right hand and will be able to enter the kingdom of heaven.  The goats will be placed on his left hand and will suffer eternal punishment.  The people who are kind and generous to their neighbour are like the sheep; they have recognised God in the people they help.  The people who are like goats are those who neglected to follow Christ's example and did not behave like Christians towards their neighbours.

Discussion

This week's readings focus on God as shepherd, God as saviour and God as judge.  Recently we have heard about God being like a master or a rich man and have heard Christ use parables to describe what the kingdom of heaven is like.  Here the comparisons are more straightforward and God features as himself in the readings.  We however, are described as being like sheep or goats.

It is not easy for us to understand God as we are often trapped by our human perceptions of the world.  To help us understand we must listen to the scripture readings carefully and think about how the ideas presented affect our lives and the way we behave.

Ezekiel tells us that God will look after us as a shepherd and help us in difficulty.  This idea is continued in the psalm.  We hear the psalmist say how the Lord accompanies him on all his journeys and provides food and rest.  In the Gospel we are still encouraged to think of ourselves as sheep but are also warned about behaving like goats.  The sheep who have led a virtuous life are rewarded by being accepted into God's Kingdom but the goats who have behaved badly are thrown into eternal fire with the devil.  God will guide us and help us in many ways as a good shepherd but we have to take our part.  In this case, the virtuous people are those who have recognised Christ in others and shown charity and kindness to those in need.

St Paul talks about Christ coming to save us from death.  He says that in the end, we will all be subject to God who is "all in all".  This gives us an image of God as being beyond any human world and being the life in everything.

Activity at Mass

You might like to print out parts of the Mass from this website to help with this week's activity:

Liturgy Office Website

This week, as we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, we think about how we might honour God as King.  Often we think of God being above us because a king is superior and rules "over" his people.  (think of "long to reign o'er us" in the British national anthem")  We put ourselves below someone to show respect.  It is interesting to note that even on the cross God was above us.

We also have evidence from the Old Testament that God was found up a mountain or speaking from the sky.  Clearly, we do not believe that God is somehow sitting on a cloud but these spaces were often inaccessible to humans and showed the distance between God and us in a physical way.

We reflect the idea that God is high with our physical movements throughout the liturgy and with the design and layout of the church.  Look out for the things listed below.  Tick them when you see them:

we genuflect

we kneel down

the tabernacle is raised behind the altar

there are steps up to the altar

incense wafts upwards

the book of the Gospels is raised above our heads

the consecrated host is raised

the chalice is raised

the priest genuflects

the processional cross is raised high

Look out also for words to do with God being above us:

"You alone are the most high"

"He came down from heaven"

"he ascended into heaven"

"Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord"

"hosanna in the highest"

"and with eyes raised to heaven" (Eucharistic Prayer I)

We could also pay particular attention to the Gloria this week.  It is our song of praise for God and we will not sing it again until Christmas Day.

"Glory to God in the highest"  or "Gloria in excelsis Deo"

Make a special effort to join in with this today and think about all the different words we use to give glory. 

praise, bless, adore, glorify, give you thanks

Notice that we address God  by using the word "you" many times.  This makes us feel that we are talking directly to God.

In this prayer we also ask God to do two things for us.  Write these requests here:

1. 


2. 


Other activities and resources

Listen to the start of Vivaldi's Gloria which is sung in Latin.  How does the music encourage us to feel about God?

Vivaldi's Gloria on youtube

At the Epiphany the three Kings visited Jesus and brought gifts for a king:  gold, frankincense and myrrh.  Look up the significance of these gifts at:

Gifts for a king

You might also enjoy looking at these paintings that appear in the Sistine Chapel in Rome.  They show the ideas that a past generation used to portray our relationship with God.  You could think about making your own piece of art to describe how you feel about God and the kingdom of heaven.

Michelangelo's Creation of Adam

Michelangelo's Last Judgement

Questions

Last week's question

Why do we sometimes say "Christ" and sometimes "Jesus"?

Answer

The name "Jesus" is related to the Hebrew name "Joshua" which means "God saves".  In Luke's Gospel we see the Angel Gabriel telling Mary that this is the name she should give her son.

"Christ" is a Greek title meaning "anointed".  It is a translation of the Hebrew word meaning "Messiah" or "chosen one".  When Jesus asks Peter who he thinks he is  Peter says "You are the Christ" (Mark 8,29).

So when we use the term "Jesus Christ" we are referring to a name "Jesus" and recognising who we believe him to be i.e."Christ" (God's chosen one).  This is a bit similar to how  we might refer to "Mrs Smith, the teacher"; we use a personal name and then a job title.

The different writers of the New Testament swap between these names.  Often they refer to "Jesus" when they are telling us stories about what happened in day to day life and "Christ" or "Lord Jesus Christ" when they are referring to the purpose of Jesus as Son of God.  

We use many different titles for Jesus in our liturgy and prayers.  I think we tend to use "Jesus" when we are being a little less formal and want to stress our friendship with God and "Christ" when we are showing more official respect.  What do you think?

Consider these lines from famous hymns:

Christ the Lord is risen today
The little Lord Jesus asleep on the hay
Shine Jesus Shine
Christ be beside me


Of course the words "Christmas" and "Christian" are derived from the name "Christ".  They mean "Mass of the anointed one" and "follower of the anointed one".  

This week's question

How will I be able to tell that it's Advent when I come to church next week?

Have a good week!

Maria

16/11/14 We do not belong to the night or to darkness.

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)

Welcome again to a little liturgy.  This week as we reflect on talents, I am acutely aware that I am still at the bottom of the blog learning curve and am hoping to enable comments for next week but no promises!  It also occurs to me, as I delve deeper into matters ecclesiastical and theological, that I am also at the bottom of the faith learning curve.  I am hoping that this is a good place to start!

Summary of the Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
In the Book of Proverbs we find a description of the perfect wife.  It is not someone who is extremely beautiful but a very good person who "holds out her hands to the poor" and "opens her arms to the needy".  The passage ends by saying that the wife should be praised and rewarded for her work.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 127:1-5. R. v.1

O blessed are those who fear the Lord

Second Reading
Thessalonians 5:1-6
St Paul talks of the "Day of the Lord" meaning the end of the physical world for us.  He says it will come like a thief in the night when everything seems calm.  However, he says that we are lucky because we have been given light so that we may be awake and sober when the time comes.

Gospel
Matthew 25:14-30
Jesus uses another parable to illustrate what the kingdom of heaven is like.  He tells a story of a man who was leaving his house and land for a while.  He decided to summon his servants to leave instructions about who was to look after his property.

The story mentions three servants.  One received a gift of five talents.  Another servant received a gift of two talents and the last one received a gift of one talent.  They were to be responsible for this money while the man was away.

On his return, the man called the three servants and asked how they were managing his money.  The first, who had received five talents, had made five more.  The second who had received two talents had made two more.  However, the man who had received just one talent had been too scared to trade or invest and had buried the single talent in the ground; he was only able to give back one talent.

The man was very annoyed with this servant and called him wicked and lazy.  He thought that he should have made some extra money for him.  He took the one talent and gave it to the servant who had five saying "As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him out into the dark, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth".

Discussion

Rather oddly in the reading from the Book of Proverbs we are given a description of what it could be like to have a strong wife.  This is less odd when put in the context of the whole book which is a set of verses giving short pieces of advice from different people.  Scholars usually suggest that the good wife is a personification of the quality of Wisdom.  So we may think that being wise is a bit like finding the most amazing wife in the world!

St Paul tells us that we should be able to be ready for the day when Christ comes again because we have been given the light which helps us.  By this he means that we have been given the opportunity to know God through Christ.

This week we hear in the Gospel that we are expected to make a profit from the gifts that God gives us.  The master in the story, who can be compared to God, seems rather harsh.  We can imagine that the servant who only received one talent may have been a nervous, anxious man who simply did not have a talent for making money!  He is, however, punished for being lazy; we cannot help but feel sorry for him.

It seems that we are being told that God expects us to be productive.  This means that we cannot simply sit back comfortably and enjoy being Christian.  This Gospel is often interpreted to mean that we should use our God given "talents" to serve God through our communities.

This week we are asked again to focus on the kingdom of heaven.  St Paul talks about the Day of the Lord.  These are both abstract constructs for us as we have no experience to compare them with.  Jesus tried to help us understand that the kingdom can be created by our behaviour here on earth and that we do not have to wait until we die to enter it.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus described the behaviours that would make us part of this kingdom.  In the parables he uses he talks of us being servants, guests at a feast or workers in a vineyard. Think about how these roles might reflect the relationship we have with God.  

Activity during Mass

Think about the servant in the Gospel story who did not make a profit with what the master gave him.  He is accused of being wicked and lazy.  He didn't do what he was supposed to do in his job as servant.

Below is a list of some of the things that we are expected to do in our job as Christians.  Mark yourself out of 3 for how well you did on these tasks this week.  

3= did this well
2= sort of did this
1 = didn't really do this

Underline the ones you would like to try to do next week.  

A) loving God:

praying
reading about God
asking questions and thinking about God

B) loving your neighbour

including others in activities
helping with chores
showing gratitude for things
saying sorry
being generous in our opinions

C) taking care of God's gifts to us

eating sensibly
exercising
talking about problems
concentrating at school
thinking carefully about our actions
saving resources
not wasting food
keeping things clean and tidy

You might want to add your own examples to this list.

The master in the Gospel admits "I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered".  This does not sound like the action of a fair master.  Jesus is saying that God expects a great deal from us.  

Look out for the following words in the Creed:

"He will come again to judge the living and the dead
and his kingdom will have no end."

Many theologians suggest that the master in today's Gospel story is like Jesus returning to judge people at the end of time.  When he left the world he gave us a responsibility for its people and resources.  He wants us to do a good job.   

A specific way that we can show that we are doing a good job is by celebrating the Eucharist with our community.  At the Last Supper, Jesus took the bread and wine and said:

"Take this, all of you, and eat of it..."
"Take this, all of you and, and drink from it ..."

and then 

"Do this in memory of me. " 

By taking part in the liturgy we are following the instructions that Jesus gave us before he went away.
Listen out for these instructions at the consecration.    

Other Activities and Useful Resources

Below is a link on youtube to a short clip recounting today's parable:

The parable of the talents

And here is a discussion of what it might mean:

Brief discussion of the parable

more thoughts on this parable here:

further discussion

The Gospel we heard today, often called the Parable of the Talents, was read at Nelson Mandela's funeral.  Find out about his life and listen to him on the link below:

Youtube clip of Nelson Mandela

Think about why this reading was chosen.

Take a look at the link below to learn more about the book of Proverbs and the advice offered there.

The Book of Proverbs

Last week's question

How do you become a saint?

Answer

This is an interesting question.  I would suggest that we split the answer into two parts:

A) What are the qualities that might make someone a saint? 
and
B) How do you get the title Saint in front of your name?

A) Think again of the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus says, for example, "Blessed are the peacemakers for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".  To be blessed and to enter the kingdom of heaven is really what we mean by being a saint.  A person who behaves in a way that Jesus would approve of and follows his example, often in very difficult circumstances, is regarded as being particularly close to God.  There are many people like this who are not officially recognised as saints.   

B)  The process the church follows when it is deciding whether to make someone an official saint or not is very strict and can be very lengthy.  There are two stages to becoming a saint "beatification" and "canonisation".  There is a great deal of investigation into the life and character of the person and the church requires proof that the potential saint is close to God.  One way that this is demonstrated is by miracles resulting from praying to the person.  

Click on the link below which takes you to a website focussed on Saint Mary MacKillop where you will find a clear, yet detailed account of the process.  

Canonisation process explained

We should remember that there are many ways of being a saint and that many recognised saints struggled with lots of things during their lives.  They were not perfect!  Recent canonisations are those of John Henry Newman, Pope John Paul II and John XXIII.  

This week's question

Why do we sometimes say "Christ" and sometimes "Jesus"?

Log on next week for some ideas on this one.


I hope you have found something useful this week.

Maria

3/11/14 Happy are the poor in spirit.

The Solemnity of All Saints

The focus of the liturgy this week is life after death.  This is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of our faith.  We teach that life does not end on physical death but we have limited comprehension of what will happen.   I hope that this week's a little liturgy will prompt some fruitful discussions.  



Summary of the Liturgy of the Word

First Reading
Apocalypse 7:2-4, 9-14

John tells us about a vision he saw where the servants of God received a seal on their head so that they would be saved from the devastation to come.  He says 144,000 people received the seal.  Then he saw a great number of people from every nation standing in front of God and praising him.  They were dressed in white robes and held palm branches.  He also saw angels prostrating themselves (bowing down) in front of the throne of God and elders and "the four animals".   One of the elders said to him that the people in white robes were those who "have been through the great persecution, and they have washed their robes white again in the blood of the Lamb."

Psalm
Ps 23:1-6. R. Cf.v.6
Response: Such are the men who seek your face, O Lord.  
(The Lord's is the earth and its fulness)

Second Reading
1John 3:1-3
St John tells us that God must love us very much as he allows us to be called God's children.  He says that our journey is not over but when it is we shall be like God.  So for now we must try hard to be like Christ.

Gospel Acclamation
Mt 11:28
Come to me, all of you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest, says the Lord.

Gospel
Matthew 5:1-12

Because there was a big crowd, Jesus went up a hill to teach them.  He says that people who are poor and disadvantaged either in physical ways on in spiritual ways will be blessed by God and receive their reward in heaven.
Some of the people he mentions are:
people who stand up for what is right
people who are mourning
people who show mercy to others.

Discussion

This week the focus of the readings is on what will happen to us after this life.  The writer of the Book of the Apocalypse (John) gives us a physical description of what he saw in a vision.  It is a fairly traditional picture of what heaven might be like.  Some of the elements present are familiar to us from Christian and Jewish tradition. e.g. people being marked to be saved, dressing in white robes and bowing down and waving palms.  It is important to consider what lies behind these images.  The main emphasis is on the praise of God by a great crowd.  (note the white garments - think back to the wedding guest who did not have the appropriate garment - also the white symbolism associated with Baptism)

In the second reading, St John is much more vague.  He says that when God chooses to reveal things to us "we shall see him as he really is".

As Christians, we believe that we enter a new life with God after death but it is very hard for our human minds to imagine what this might be like.  Jesus spoke of "My Father's House".  One way to try to understand what it might be like is to learn more about the Father by reading and thinking about scripture.  We could also focus on what the next life with God might feel like rather than on what it might look like.  

The Gospel is one of the most famous passages in Christian teaching.  It shows Jesus reassuring those who suffer that they will have a reward in heaven.  It is the basis of many of the Christian ideas that we believe today.  This passage is often called "The Sermon on the Mount" and parts of it are sometimes called "The Beatitudes".

Activity during Mass

Listen for the phrases listed below at Mass today.  They either mention Angels and Saints or refer to life after death.  Tick them off when you hear them.  

1)  In the Confiteor (I confess...)
"blessed Mary ever Virgin, all the Angels and Saints and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God".

2)  In the Creed 
"I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come"

3)  In today's preface (the part of the Mass that comes after the priest says "Lift up your hearts...") 

"the great array of our brothers and sisters already gives you eternal praise"

and

"the glory bestowed upon those exalted members of the Church".

4)  Before the Sanctus (Holy, Holy)
"and so we glorify you with the multitude of Saints and Angels"

List any names of particular saints that you hear in the liturgy:

You could also make a list of the types of qualities you think a saint should have.  You might start with:

patience
humility
happiness




Other activities and useful resources

Use the clip below to bring today's Gospel to life.  Consider what Jesus' words mean to us in our everyday life.  

film of the Beatitudes on Youtube (includes image of man being whipped)

Look at the text of Eucharistic Prayer I in a missal.  Read through the list of saints near the start.  Pick two that you are not familiar with and research them.  

This week's feast is also know by its Old English name of "All Hallows".  Note that we use this word in the Our Father.  It is also used today when we speak of Halloween (All Hallows' Eve) - the eve of All Saints.  

Below is a sensible discussion of popular culture regarding Halloween - particularly last two paragraphs:

discussion of Christian approach to Halloween

Last Week's Question:

My Muslim friends pray several times a day at set times.   Why don't Christians do the same?  

Some Christians do follow set times for their prayers and many stick to the habit of praying in the morning and at night.  Early Christian practices would have been closely linked to Jewish ways of praying and through the ages new traditions developed.  Early religious orders had set patterns for their prayers: some monks, nuns and priests still follow these patterns and many lay people also pray in this way.  You may hear of evening prayer (vespers) or morning prayer (lauds) at your church.  This way of praying is known as praying "the Office" and the printed book for this is known as the breviary.  

The usual names for these prayers at different times of the day are:

matins, lauds, sext, vespers, compline (dawn, morning, midday, evening, night)

A priest or member of a religious order prays the office every day.  The prayers are made up of readings, psalms, hymns and some familiar prayers.  Often people gather together to do this.  Below is a link to a youtube clip from Ampleforth Abbey in Yorkshire:

click here to hear monks singing compline

Glenstal abbey in Ireland have introduced an App so that you can pray with the monks wherever you are.  

more info here

Often different Christian churches have different routines.  For example the Anglican Church often celebrates evensong on Sundays.  Other traditions can depend on which country you live in.  In Ireland there is a prayer called the "Angelus".  It is said three times every day at 6am, midday and 6pm.  People used to be called to prayer by the church bell.  This is similar to the Muslim call to prayer which happens five times a day.

This week's question:

What language did Jesus and his apostles speak?

All the best for the week!

Maria