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I have been blessed to have celebrated many baptisms in my short time in Ministry. Pam and I also co-ordinate the Baptism Preparation Programme for Holy Ghost Parish with support from other parishioners. One of the key things we try to get across during our sessions; and also, during the Baptism Service; is that the parents and Godparents have to lead by example as they teach their youngsters in the ways of the Faith.

The readings today are a reminder for all with responsibilities in the Church that we must live our life in Christ. In our first reading the priests in the days of Malachi are warned that they must glorify God and not seek glory for themselves. They are also reminded of their responsibilities and the harsh punishment that awaits them if they lead anyone away from God.

The psalm is a beautiful psalm to pray during this month of November. What a lovely thought to have our soul resting in peace in the presence of the Lord. We remember all of our loved ones who have gone before us; hoping and praying that their souls are resting in His presence.

In St Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, we hear St Paul, like a proud parent, reminiscing on how the Thessalonians were nurtured and how that nurturing allowed them to grow in Faith. He is so thankful that they listened and accepted what they were taught as coming from God, allowing God’s message to be a powerful presence in their lives.

How does God’s presence influence or guide our lives?

Would the person [or people] who taught us about God be able to recognise that we have accepted the Good News; as coming from God?

If I am honest, there are often times when I try to get by under my own power, and then I wonder why I struggle. These are the times when I need to remember that I am an adopted Son of God and that by communicating with my Father in Heaven I can achieve far more than trying to do things by myself. There are also times when I let my frustrations get the better of me and those around me would fail to recognise that I am a man of God; accepting Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour.

In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus criticise the scribes and Pharisees again. This time it is in their attitude to the people they serve. Jesus identifies that these men were ‘Lording it’ over the people, giving them additional rules to follow and doing things just to be seen. To attract attention, making themselves the focus of the people’s attention and not God.

Pope Francis has spoken out several times during his Pontificate about Clericalism being a great danger to the Church. Clericalism – defined as ‘an effort by clergy to enhance their influence in non ecclesial affairs; an approach to pastoral and theological problems that seeks to concentrate everything in the hands of the clergy.’¹ Clericalism endangers the relationship between the clergy and the laity. As a deacon I am called to serve; I don’t always get it right, but I try to reach out to the people I am called to serve and be with them.

As a member of the clergy, I need to consider if there are ever times when I ‘Lord it over’ the people I am asked to serve or do I ever put on an air of superiority rather than love my neighbour? For me, I hope I never find myself in this position, and today’s readings are a reminder for me that I should never put myself above the people I am called to serve.

Of course, these are not just questions for the clergy, we all need to ask ourselves –

Are there times I Lord it over other people? And

Do I ever see myself as superior to the people in need I am called to serve?

One of the ways I can be with the people I am called to serve is in the way we have partnered with Christians Against Poverty. Last Thursday night we started the four-week coaching sessions on managing money. I was delighted with the turnout for this initiative and thankful that St Bede’s have begun hosting such an important event, reaching out to help empower people who need a little bit of support. There are more sessions planned in the New Year and if you know anyone who would like to manage their money better, then put them in touch with Christians Against Poverty through the link below or email me on adarroch@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 2044: moral life and Christian witness
CCC 876, 1550-1551: priesthood for service; human frailty of leaders

For more information on Money Coaching Money coaching | CAP UK | CAP UK

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation and those considering coming into the Catholic Church.
• The success of the Money Coaching sessions, which have started at St Bede’s.

1 Gerald O’Collins SJ & Edward Farrugia SJ, A Concise Dictionary of Theology, [T&T Clark, London, 2000]45.

Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.

These words, used by Jesus to the disciples of the Pharisees are a perfect answer to the trap they were trying to set. If Jesus had advised against paying taxes, he would have been denounced to the Romans as a rebel rouser. If He had said outright that the Jews were permitted to pay taxes to the occupying forces, He would have been denounced as being a Roman sympathiser. But these words also speak loudly to us. With these words we are being informed that we must contribute to society. The religious freedoms we enjoy come at a cost, the cost is paid for us through our taxes.

But our forefathers in faith paid for our religious freedoms with their lives. When we pay our taxes, we are buying peace, we are buying stability, we are buying good order, including the justice system to try and keep us safe, and the armed forces to keep our borders safe and contribute to keeping the world safe. In turn we elect a government to decide how and when our money should be spent. This is all for the common good.

The government, elected by the people, are there to represent the people and the people’s interests. For most people our involvement in politics is to turn up and use our vote when election time comes around. This vote, for the common man and woman was hard fought for; with some people losing their life in the fight to win the vote for everyone. We have a moral duty to honour those who fought for this right; to use our vote, and as Christians we have a moral duty to use our vote according to our conscience.

As Christians apathy should never be in our DNA; apathy is a tool of the enemy. As Christians we care about ourselves and those around us. That is because we belong to God. The second part of what Jesus says was “give to God what belongs to God.” Just as the coin had the image of Caesar and so belonged to Caesar, so we who are made in the image of God, belong to God. This was confirmed at our baptism when we became adopted children of God, and one day hopefully will return to God.

In the first reading we hear Isaiah tells us that God calls us by our name, giving us a title even though we do not know Him yet. He continues that God is with us every day and “apart from God, all is nothing.” As Christians we are taught to respect authority, but respect does not mean that we should allow that authority to rise roughshod over what we believe in or allow them to impose laws which are unjust or discriminatory. When we see this, we need to exercise our conscience and speak out either verbally or in writing to oppose injustice.

The psalm today reminds us to give praise and glory to God and one of the options for the dismissal at the end of Mass uses the words “Go in peace, glorifying the Lord with your life.” If we do glorify God with our lives, then others will notice and hopefully be drawn towards God through our actions.

In the world today there are great injustices being carried out and innocent people including children and the elderly are being indiscriminately killed or displaced. These include Christians, Jews and Muslims. Every death through violence is wrong regardless of who commits it or who the victim is. We hear the numbers on the news, and they label them as so many Israelis killed on such and such a day and so many Palestinians killed in this attack. Every one of these horribly high numbers was a person, with a family and a life has been cut short. The people who espouse violence and hatred do not come from God; regardless of what they claim. This war, in the land where Jesus walked, is a human tragedy on a Biblical scale. Good governments work tirelessly to bring peace for the people who elect them, indiscriminate killing of a whole people for the acts of a few of them fuels the spiral of destruction giving the terrorists new political energy and eager recruits.

I would urge everyone to extend the words of Psalm 122 which calls for us to ‘Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem’ to extend those prayers to the whole Holy Land and that all peoples can live in peace and harmony. Pope Francis has called for a Global Day of Prayer and Fasting on Friday 27^th October¹ to bring an end to the Israel-Hamas conflict. Maybe those of us who fast can donate any money we save as a result to the Missio collection next week, helping people less fortunate than ourselves.

Like many people, in the early years of our marriage we struggled financially, sometimes getting extremely fed up that just after pay day we knew we had very little; if anything; to see us through to the next pay day without having to go into the overdraft or use a credit card. For many this is still the case. I wish that back then we had access to something like the Money Coaching sessions which are on offer from Christians Against Poverty [CAP]. These are available at St Bede’s Church on the 2^nd, 9^th, 16^th and 23^rd November at 7pm, all are welcome, but booking is essential, please book at Get to grips with your finances | CAP UK, booking helps us to allocate you a space and helps us with catering. The sessions are FREE and start with a FREE MEAL. If you would like more information before committing to this please email me on adarroch@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 1897-1917: participation in the social sphere
CCC 2238-2244: duties of citizens

For more information on Money Coaching Money coaching | CAP UK | CAP UK

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation and those considering coming into the Catholic Church.
• The success of the Money Coaching sessions, which are coming to St Bede’s.
• Those attending the Called and Gifted session at St Bede’s this weekend.
• Those attending RCIA at St Bede’s next Wednesday.

1 Pope Francis calls for global day of fasting and prayer for peace in Israel-Hamas conflict (christiantoday.com)

The scriptures today speak of banquets and riches, and of how the Lord will prepare a feast for those who will dwell on His Holy Mountain. How the Lord will remove all sorrow and destroy Death for ever. This will result in people praising God as never before, because on that day, they will see His power, as they have never seen it before. These last few weeks we have heard Jesus tell the chief priests and the elders about the kingdom of heaven. In each of the parables He has described these leaders of the Jewish people and pointed out to them the errors of their ways. Jesus gives them every opportunity to change their ways, but these stubborn people refuse and instead go on to plot the destruction of Jesus; just as Jesus predicted in the parable we heard last week.

This week, we hear of a lavish wedding feast, a feast that the very wealthy are initially invited to. But these people are either too busy looking after their land or their business or they attack the messengers, killing them. The king, furious with them dispatches his soldiers to wipe them off the face of the earth; killing all those who live there. This leaves the king with a predicament; he still wants to have the lavish banquet, so he asks his servants to find others to invite. The hall fills and the king enters the banquet hall but finds one guest who is ill prepared, he has come without the necessary attire. The king approaches him, calling him friend, and asks “where is his banquet dress?” The guest stays silent, unable to reply; his lack of preparation sees him thrown out of the banquet; suffering the same fate as those originally chosen as guests.

The message for us; is to put God first. Those who tended their farm in the parable, only had a farm because it was God’s will; those with a business, again using talents and resources provided by God; those who attacked God’s servants only had power because it was God’s will. None of these people in the parable were putting God first; they were all serving their own interests. The person who was called unexpectedly is an example for us too; we may be willing to go to the feast but how well prepared are we?

How is our wedding garment looking? This is not about wearing the right clothes. Our wedding garment, for the ‘eternal banquet,’ is sown together by all of the little acts of kindnesses which we perform throughout our lives; from sharing our toys as children, giving to the poor, by giving our life for another in Matrimony or Holy Orders, by all of the things we do to love God and our neighbour. All of these acts of kindness, all of the times when we decide to love instead of being selfish; these bring together our wedding garment.¹

At times my wedding garment can become a bit frayed as I drift into selfishness. Some of the loving things I have done become undone, as my selfish acts pulls at the threads of my wedding garment. The times when I pray in a robotic way instead of putting my heart and soul into my prayers are times when I am not loving God; I am paying Him lip service, these times also pull at the threads of my wedding garment. If I really want to enter the eternal banquet and be permitted to stay there, I have to lose any notion that I, as a Christian, have automatic right of entry, because the original Chosen people rejected Christ, I can be thrown out in the same way that they have been excluded.

In the second reading we hear today, St Paul says that we are all empowered to endure any trial if we fully trust in Christ. The image of the banquet is a lavish one; it is there for all of us. Trust in Jesus and we can rightfully take our place there, but only if we love God and our neighbour in the ways we act.

[Just a reminder that we are partnering with Christians Against Poverty to bring Money Coaching sessions to St Bede’s Church on the 2^nd, 9^th, 16^th and 23^rd November at 7pm, all are welcome, but please book at Get to grips with your finances | CAP UK, booking helps us to allocate you a space and helps us with catering. The sessions are free and start with a free meal. If you would like more information before committing to this please email me on adarroch@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk or call Pam on 07833059529.]

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 543-546: Jesus invites sinners, but demands conversion
CCC 1402-1405, 2837: the Eucharist is the foretaste of the Messianic Banquet

For more information on Money Coaching Money coaching | CAP UK | CAP UK

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation and those considering coming into the Catholic Church.
• The success of the Money Coaching sessions, which are coming to St Bede’s.
• The families completing the Baptism Preparation Course this Sunday at St Bede’s.
• The forthcoming Called and Gifted Programme.

1 Maurice & Margaret Magee, I am With You, Year A, [Two in One Flesh, Caterham, 2013]118.

The imagery of the vine and vineyard is a recurring theme throughout Scriptures, as can be seen today from Isaiah, the psalm and the Gospel and it always refers to God and his people Israel. This link between the vineyard and the Jewish people would have been very familiar to the chief priests. The Gospel passage we hear today comes straight after the criticism of the chief priests and elders we heard in last week’s Gospel. Last week we heard Jesus criticise these leaders of the Jewish people for not reading the signs God had given; for not listening to John the Baptist nor to Jesus and for not repenting.

Today again, there is a fresh warning to these leaders; as Jesus lists the crimes of their forefathers and also predicts their own crimes stating that the ‘tenants’ [those charged with looking after the vineyard] would kill the Son of the landowner. Jesus makes it quite clear to them that these tenants, will be replaced by new tenants who will bear fruit. The chief priests and the elders were so focused on the rules they had imposed upon the people, that they failed to hold a mirror up to themselves. This focus also meant that they were unable or unwilling to change. These same leaders were only too happy to criticise and condemn, and their condemnation bounced straight back at them as Jesus said they would lose their ‘tenancy’.

If we believe that this message was purely for those chief priests and elders; then we are in line to suffer the same fate as they did. They pointed their fingers at others, accusing them of being sinners, forgetting that they too were sinners. Jesus calls all sinners to repent, to turn away from sin and to live according to His teachings. It is only through doing this that true happiness can be found.

I have often quoted from the late Benedictine priest Dom Placid Murray; in a Homily for this Sunday a few years ago he challenged the people [and himself] with these words – “How many messengers have we rejected: perhaps a father’s entreaties, a mother’s tears, a sister’s kindness, a teacher’s warning, a priest’s advice. How short of a harvest are we when the Lord comes to collect his produce?” ¹

When I think of these questions I can remember my mum’s tears, as she urged my brothers and I not to make some of the same mistakes our Dad had made, I can remember the headteacher who warned me to be careful who I chose to call friend’s as some of the friend’s I had chosen would get me into trouble and I can remember good people at work who mentored me; encouraging good behaviours, a good work ethic and to treat people the way I would want to be treated. At times these messengers were heeded, but at other times I have turned away from some of these good principles and had to find a way back.

This was not easy, looking back I am very grateful to those who accompanied me, there are various people who I have mentioned in previous reflections who challenged me and made me think that I was not on the right path; these people were voices crying out to me in my wilderness prompting me to change my ways.

Within our Faith we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation, where we can confess the times we have failed to live up to the message of Christ, there we seek absolution from Jesus through His priest who at that time is there present in the person of Christ. In fact, the Catechism states –

When he celebrates the sacrament of Penance, the priest is fulfilling the ministry of the Good Shepherd who seeks the lost sheep, of the Good Samaritan who binds up wounds, of the Father who awaits the prodigal son and welcomes him on his return, and of the just and impartial judge whose judgement is both just and merciful. The priest is the sign and the instrument of God’s merciful love for the sinner.

CCC 1465

When we hear the way Jesus criticises the chief priests and the elders, we can think that Jesus was condemning them, in fact Jesus was very frustrated with them, if only they could have listened with their heart to the words of Jesus, then they too could have been saved. Jesus calls everyone to turn away from their wrong doings and to turn to Him.

This may be a good time for us to ask ourselves, what messages from God do I fail to listen to?

What is God trying to tell me? What do I need to do to produce the harvest God requires of me?

Our answers to these questions could have a profound effect on our own eternal future and the future of those God intends us to help to bear fruit.

[Just a reminder that we are partnering with Christians Against Poverty to bring Money Coaching sessions to St Bede’s Church on the 2^nd, 9^th, 16^th and 23^rd November at 7pm, all are welcome, but please book at Get to grips with your finances | CAP UK, booking helps us to allocate you a space and helps us with catering. The sessions are free and start with a free meal. If you would like more information before committing to this please email me on adarroch@portsmouthdiocese.org.uk or call Pam on 07833059529.]

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 755: the Church as God’s vineyard
CCC 1830-1832: gifts and fruits of the Holy Spirit
CCC 443: prophets are the servants, Christ is the Son

For more information on Money Coaching Money coaching | CAP UK | CAP UK

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation and those considering coming into the Catholic Church.
• The success of the Money Coaching sessions, which are coming to St Bede’s.
• The families starting the Baptism Preparation Course starting this Sunday at St Bede’s.
• Those attending the RCIA next Wednesday.
• The forthcoming Called and Gifted Programme.

1 Dom Placid Murray OSB, 100 Liturgical Homilies, [The Columba Press, Dublin, 1988]81.

In the past, I often struggled with today’s Gospel, I thought, wrongly that Jesus was criticising the chief priests and the elders for getting the answer to his question on the two brothers wrong. However, Jesus is not criticising their answer for being wrong, He is criticising them because they get their words right; but their actions wrong. Today’s parable is aimed at these same ‘chief priests and elders of the people.’ They did not listen to John the Baptist who preached the coming of the kingdom, and thus did not respond; whereas ‘the tax collectors and prostitutes’ did listen and did respond. Like the words of Ezekiel; in the first reading; addressed to the leaders of Israel, Jesus insists that only an honest acceptance of the call and a response of conversion is adequate.

We also hear in the passage from Ezekiel, that this response will always be accepted; , regardless of the delay or the history of those called. The son who refused to go into the vineyard; like the hated tax collectors and despised prostitutes; in the end did accept the call and respond. The condemnation of the elders is both that they did not listen to John, nor did they allow the witness of repentance of sinners make them ‘think better of it’ and change their minds -which is what repentance means.¹

The message is clear for all of us, Jesus is more interested in what we do than what we say.

Do we come to Mass each week praising God, and then with the same lips, create havoc in our household saying one thing and doing another?

Do we to come to God’s Altar to receive the Eucharist, but fail to share a meal civilly with our family at home?

I know that it can be difficult living in a family, I often joke that I would hate to live with me. I can be moody and self-centred, demanding my own way and not prepared to listen at times. This can either lead to stony silence or periods of challenge, where I am left in no doubt that I have been selfish or moody and need to remember that things are not ‘all about me’, at these times I need to decide whether I want to live out the Gospel, which I proclaim, or live life to my own agenda. [Another example of saying one thing and doing another]

Jesus is asking us to only talk the talk but to also walk the talk. If we are followers of Jesus, He is asking us to always follow Him; not just when we are at Mass or when we feel like it. Just like the parable today, Jesus is asking us to follow the will of the Father. He gave us the greatest example of this just before He was taken prisoner the night before He died when He said “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done.”

The words in the second reading are beautiful, St Paul, writing to the followers in Philippi, asking them to put others first, to be self-effacing, consider the other person better than oneself, asking us to be the same as Jesus, putting ourselves at the service of others, humbly bearing whatever we are asked to bear. If we can do that then God will raise us high because we have bent our knee at the name of Jesus and acclaimed Him as Christ the Lord by our words and by our deeds.

We are all aware that these are difficult times, for many the cost-of-living crisis has hit hard, some people are struggling and we are all called to try and help where we can. We have invited an organisation called Christians Against Poverty to come to St Bede’s Church to provide Money Coaching Sessions on how to manage money. This is not just for those who are struggling, but for anyone who would like to know how to make their money go further. The sessions are free and each session will start with a free meal. They will be held on Thursday evenings starting on the 2^nd November with follow up sessions on the 9^th, 16^th and 23^rd. Spaces are limited, so, we are encouraging people to book their place early. There are leaflets available after Mass at St Bede’s this weekend and posters in the entrance for more information. Or you can have a chat with me or Pam after Mass. [Places can be booked at Get to grips with your finances | CAP UK]

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 1807: just person distinguished by habitual rectitude toward others
CCC 2842: only Holy Spirit can give us the mind of Christ
CCC 1928-1930, 2425-2426: the obligation of social justice
CCC 446-461: the Lordship of Christ
CCC 2822-2827: “Thy will be done”

For more information on Money Coaching Money coaching | CAP UK | CAP UK

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation and those considering coming into the Catholic Church.
• Black History Month, which starts today, may the focus on what has happened in the past lead to a brighter future for race relations.
• The success of the Money Coaching sessions, which are coming to St Bede’s.

1 Robert Draper, Breaking the Word Sundays, Pastoral Review Vol 19 Issue 4, [The Tablet Publishing Company, London, 2023]75.

I was speaking with someone last week who was complaining about the number of migrants and refugees being allowed to settle in their country. They were saying that there was insufficient infrastructure, that housing costs were spiralling out of control and that their children will never be able to afford a house. I pointed out to him that many of the people working in our hospitals and in care homes were migrants and that we rely heavily on them to keep people safe and to help treat people who are ill or elderly. He would not be moved on this and still complained. I then pointed out to him that he was actually a migrant having moved to the country 30 years earlier. He started his next sentence with the word ‘but’ indicating that his migration was somehow different to those arriving nowadays.

There are similarities between my conversation and today’s Gospel. Those who had arrived earlier expected more than those who arrived later, and both are looking for fairness. However, the Gospel is more about how God addresses need. In the currency used back then, a denarius was the wage a labourer needed to maintain their family; so all of the labourers had a similar need. The landowner needed the work done in his vineyards and agreed to pay the daily rate.

The way mankind has set up our economies is a sort of tit for tat methodology. You have something I need, so you give me what I need, and I replace it with something you need. In this case the work gets done in the vineyard and the labourers get paid. However, we also look for equity. As humans we often believe that if we put in more effort than someone else then we should get more benefit than the other person. Jesus is telling us, yet again, that God’s ways are not [hu]man’s ways. If we come to the Lord late in life, we can inherit the same Kingdom as someone who has been a believer for 100 years; after all there is only one God and one Kingdom. Jesus gave a great example of this on the cross when He said the thief who was being executed beside Him, would be with Him in His Kingdom that very day.

Where in our lives do we think we deserve more than other people?

Is it when others seem to have better ‘luck’ than us in work? Maybe we don’t see what the bosses see. Is it when we see someone with a better house than us or a better car than us? But we don’t know what they have had to do to have those things or how much stress they may have caused themselves to get them. In the past I would often whinge that others seemed to be getting ahead of me at work, but when I look back now; I can see that they put in more effort and were prepared to risk; whereas I was too worried about failing to even apply for promotions.

The first reading today from Isaiah fits perfectly with the Gospel, where Isaiah relays the words of God “for my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are not your ways.” As he urges us all to change our ways and turn back to the Lord.

In the second reading we hear the torment St Paul puts himself through as he wrestles with his thoughts on whether he wants to be with the Lord now or whether he should carry on the mission God gave him; he concludes that he needs to leave these worries in the hands of God.

As Christians we are called to follow Christ. We are to treat people as Jesus did, we are not to worry about things we cannot change; we are to seek God’s graces in everything we do and when we see Christ face to face on the last day we hope to hear the words “welcome good and faithful servant, I have a room prepared for you in my father’s house.”

Today is the 109^th World Day for Migrants and Refugees; in his message to mark this day¹ Pope Francis reminds us that the Holy Family were refugees and that several times in Holy Scriptures we read about people fleeing famine or persecution to look for a place of safety for them and their families. In his briefing headed, ‘Free to choose whether to migrate or to stay,’ Pope Francis states that it requires international efforts to allow people to have the opportunity to live and raise their families within their own lands so that they still have a choice whether they wish to stay where they are and prosper or to seek a better life elsewhere. He adds that as Christians we are expected to help those in need wherever they are, quoting Matthew 25:35-36, where Jesus uses the parable of separating the sheep and the goats to highlight how God will separate those who loved their neighbour from those who neglected that duty.

When I started, this reflection I highlighted a recent conversation on immigration. Where we live has many factors and involves countless decisions made by our ancestors down throughout the centuries, however, it may involve a decision that we have made ourselves. Regardless of how we got here, we still have a duty to look out for those who are vulnerable, may we see them as Jesus sees them and tend to their needs, just as He tends to our needs.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 210-211: God of mercy and piety
CCC 588-589: Jesus identifies his compassion to sinners with God’s

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those completing the Baptism Preparation Course this Sunday at St Bede’s
• Charlotte, Maximilian & Mia-Rose, who will be baptised at St Bede’s this Sunday.
• The success of the new Pastoral Area formation programme which starts on Monday 25^th September.
• The success of the RCIA programme which starts on Wednesday 27thth September in St Bede’s Hall.

1 Message for the 109th World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2023 | Francis (vatican.va)

A few years ago, I was approached on social media by a man I had been at school with. For a few years at school, he had bullied me. Merely seeing his name took me back to the pain and misery he caused me at that time and made me feel like the frightened little boy I was back then. I didn’t want anything to do with this approach, but I shared with Pam that he had approached me, and she advised me that maybe he wanted to say sorry for what he had done. I said, there’s no way that would be the case, that she did not know him or what he had put me through. I saw his approach as a way of him being able to get to me again and I refused to have anything to do with him.

Around six months after his approach, I heard through some school friends that he had died and I wondered; in fact I still wonder to this day, if Pam had been right. Was he aware of whatever it was that was killing him and did he want to reach out to say sorry or maybe even ask for forgiveness? The little boy in me still says ‘no way’, but the man I am now says maybe I missed an opportunity to forgive him. This is a regret that, because I did not give him the opportunity, I need to live with and pray about.

Our readings today tell us that if we expect God to forgive us then we really need to forgive those who offend us. In the parable Jesus uses in the Gospel, He relates sins to debts. Money is something people can relate to. Jesus asks us to be like the man who owed the thousand talents in the way that he asked for forgiveness; but not to be like him in the way that he dealt with his fellow servant; when he was asked to forgive. How can we, approach God and ask for forgiveness when we hold resentment in our heart for another person?

In the first reading, from the Old Testament, we hear the words “resentment and anger, these are foul things, and both are found with the sinner.” A little later in the same reading we hear “Forgive your neighbour the hurt he does you, and when you pray your sins will be forgiven.” The message Jesus was giving was not something new, Jesus was confirming the words from the Old Testament and fulfilling the words of the prophets.

In the psalm, we hear that God does not treat us according to our sins; perhaps it’s just as well, as only we know what sins we have committed and the possible harm they may have caused both to ourselves and others.

In the second reading St Paul reminds us that the way we live influences those around us.

If we call ourselves Christians, how will those around us know that we are Christians?

Is it because we come to church each Sunday, or is it the way we care for those we encounter?

Do we only love the people who love us, or do we share God’s love; even with those who persecute us?

I will never know in this life whether I missed an opportunity to forgive my bully, but I will always wonder. I know first hand how that wonder can; every now and again; catch me out and give me feelings of regret. The message in today’s Gospel is to forgive and avoid having this type of regret. Our forgiveness may lead to something wonderful, or it could lead to other situations where we need to forgive again. We are not called to second guess the future or the motivation of the other for asking for forgiveness; we are called to forgive as Our Father in Heaven forgives.

[As part of my preparation for this reflection, I checked what I had written three years ago for the same scripture readings. I see from my reflection then that we were still under restrictions for Covid-19 and I was recommending a song which I am very fond of; Matthew West’s Forgiveness¹. I clicked the link to hear it again and found that the link has been played over 6 million times [not as a result of me posting the link] imagine if each of those 6 million plays resulted in someone being able to forgive another, wouldn’t that be wonderful!]

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 218-221: God is love
CCC 294: God manifests his glory by sharing his goodness
CCC 2838-2845: “forgive us our trespasses”

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those attending the Baptism Preparation Course starting this Sunday at St Bede’s
• Francesca, who will be baptised at St Bede’s this Sunday.

1 Matthew West, Forgiveness, available from https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/matthewwest/forgiveness.html#:~:text=%22Forgiveness%22.%20It%27s%20the%20hardest%20thing%20to%20give%20away.,you%20have%20just%20to%20say%20the%20word%E2%80%A6.%20Forgiveness. Accessed 15^th September 2023

Within the Scriptures this weekend we are reminded of our responsibilities when we claim to be followers of God. In the first reading we hear how Ezekiel was told that he had a responsibility to speak up; when God told him that someone was doing wrong. We have been informed of what is right and what is wrong through our upbringing and through the word of Scripture throughout our life, therefore, we are not to stand back idly when we see another person stray from the faith.

This message continues in the Gospel where we hear Jesus give instructions on what to do if a brother does something wrong. We are initially to have a quiet word; one to one; encouraging the person back to good behaviour. Jesus then outlines steps to use if this method fails. We hope it never gets to the stage where we treat them as tax collectors or pagans. I use this ‘quiet word’ approach in my professional life as well as when communicating with friends and parishioners, I find it easier to have a quiet word than to wait until there are others around; I also think it is a more personable approach, engaging with the individual in a non-threatening way.

In the 1960’s The Beatles sang a song called “All you need is love”, don’t worry, I’m not going to compare the Beatles to Jesus; John Lennon already made that mistake. But the essence of their song that all you need is love is true. This is the message Jesus gave all those centuries ago. Love is the answer to all of the Commandments; this is what St Paul is telling the Church in Rome in the excerpt used in our second reading today.

Elsewhere in Matthew’s Gospel Jesus says, ”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” [Mat 22:37-40]. Jesus is telling us that love is everything; without love we cannot exist, love is the essence of life.

Last week I gave an example of a policeman who gave his life to try and help someone who was in deep distress. At the end of the 09:00 Mass, where I preached, Fr Jean-Patrice linked what I had said with the policeman who is integral to the story in the film Sound of Freedom,¹ this is a film which highlights the horrors of slavery, where children are kidnapped to become sexual slaves in the so-called developed world.

I went to see this film last week with some other parishioners [as it turns out I was at the same showing as Fr JP], the efforts of the people who made this film to get it to the cinemas is worthy of another film in itself. The producers faced so much resistance from the establishment; both in and outside of the media. This film is something all right minded people should see. Whilst the topic may be harrowing, the resolve of the policeman who sacrificed and risked so much to help these children is remarkable. When we look at this film and remember the words from our first reading today, we become duty bound to highlight the way these children are being wronged.

When we love God and love our neighbour then we are living as Christ taught us. We are called to put our love into action. It is not enough for us to say, we love God, or we love our neighbour. We need to demonstrate love. Thankfully we are not all called to be like the policemen I mentioned above, but we can all make a difference to the lives of those we meet. Little acts of kindness go a long way, a smile as you pass by someone in the street; saying good morning to them might be the first words they have heard someone speak that day [or sadly maybe even longer than that].

Another way of putting our love in to action is supporting things like the Foodbank. Our local Foodbank is running low on some everyday items like tinned pasta, tinned fruit, jams or other spreads, a full list is available at their website. If you are reading this from another area then you can view the items most needed at your local foodbank using this link.

Remember, we are created in the image of God [Gen 1:27] and God is love [1John 4:8], therefore we are made not only in the image of love, but we are made to love, because; as we heard in our second reading today; that is what Jesus commanded us to do.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 2055: the Decalogue summed up in one command to love
CCC 1443-1445: reconciliation with the Church
CCC 2842-2845: “as we forgive those who trespass against us”

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• For all caught up in people trafficking or enslaved in any way.
• All those involved with education.
• Bishop Philip as he goes on his Sabbatical.
• The priests and parishes who are experiencing changes at this time.

1 Sound of Freedom (2023) | Official Website | Angel Studios

Last week Peter was called the rock upon whom the Church would be built, this week; in a passage from Matthew’s Gospel which immediately follows the one we heard last week; Jesus tells Peter to get behind him as he is being influenced by Satan. How can this be? Peter was seeing things as man sees them, he had just had confirmation that Jesus was the Messiah; the One who would save the Jewish people. His vision, his hopes were that the Jewish people would rule their own land again and be freed from the tyranny of the Romans. But that was not God’s way. God does not want to conquer the world through the power of violence; God’s vision is to conquer the world by love.

When Jesus died on the cross, it was a violent death, but it was not a victory for violence. Jesus freely offered his life for every one of our lives. This was an ultimate act of love. We know that Jesus could have avoided death if it had been the will of the Father. During His trial, Jesus told Pilate “…if my kingdom were of this world, my men would have fought to prevent me being surrendered to the Jews. But my kingdom is not of this kind.” At the time of today’s Gospel Peter did not understand; he had not received the Holy Spirit at that time, therefore he was unable to comprehend that Jesus had to die to save us. Jesus then tells the disciples that all of his followers must renounce themselves and take up their own cross.

Every one of us has our own cross to bear. For some it may be illness or a disability, others it may be grief, for some it is poverty, others again may have to endure martyrdom. Whatever cross we have, we are asked to endure it in a way that helps us stay close to Jesus. In his letter to the Romans St Paul urges us not to model our behaviours on the world around us.

As Christians we live in the world but are encouraged not to be of the world. Living in a way that is not of the world is another way of carrying our cross; it sets us apart. St Paul encourages us to let our behaviour change be modelled on our new understanding; this will help us to discover the will of God.

In our first reading today, the prophet Jeremiah find himself in mental turmoil. He has followed the will of God and finds he has become a laughingstock and ridiculed by others. He is struggling to bear his cross and tries not to think about God anymore; but the more he does this the more God pulls at him drawing him back. As a result of this he feels he has been smitten by a deep longing to be closer to God again. In some ways Jeremiah and Peter are very similar. They are real human examples for us to emulate. Sure, they got things wrong at times, but so do we. They both loved God and served God by taking God’s word to God’s people.

There are times in life when it is difficult to follow Jesus. These are the times when we need the mutual support of friends and family; asking them to become prayer warriors on our behalf. When we are asked to pray for someone, we need to do so as soon as possible, otherwise the world gets in the way. Remember St Paul urges us not to model our behaviour on the world around us. The prince of this world has no love for Jesus, he is our enemy.

The more I develop in my ministry as a deacon, the more people I find I need to pray for. While I remember most of the people I am asked to pray for or who I offer to pray for, there are times when I worry that I may have forgotten someone. So, I now list these intentions in a notebook so that I remember these people in my prayers.

None of us fully know the cross that those around us are carrying. This is why we should always do our best to love those around us; even if they think they are unlovable or reject our attempts to love them. Earlier this week, news broke of the death of Sergeant Graham Saville, who was a policeman, who when he saw a man in distress on a railway track went to try and comfort him. Tragically Graham was struck by a train while he was doing this. The men and women who serve our communities by protecting the vulnerable, moving towards danger while everyone else moves away in the opposite direction, are people with an inner strength; whose first thought is to do something when others are in danger. Our thanks go out to these brave men and women who have lost one of their own this week and our prayers go to Graham’s family.

No greater love a man can show that he gives up his life to save another.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 618: Christ calls his disciples to take up the Cross and follow him
CCC 555, 1460, 2100: the Cross as the way to Christ’s glory
CCC 2015: way to perfection by way of the Cross
CCC 2427: carrying our cross in daily life

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• Those returning to school after the summer holidays.
• Those who may have been disappointed by their exam results that they can navigate the next stage in their education clearly

Imagine being with Jesus and the disciples that day in Caesarea Philippi. Caesarea Philippi was a city in the time of Christ located in the foothills of Mount Hermon, about fifteen miles north of the Sea of Galilee. The natural spring near Caesarea Philippi is the largest source of the Jordan River. Caesarea Philippi is mentioned only in the New Testament gospels of Matthew and Mark, both recording this same incident.

Caesarea Philippi was named by Herod Philip, whose father, Herod the Great, had built a temple there. Philip took a special interest in the village and enlarged it; attaching his name to that of Caesar. The name Philip gave the town, also served to distinguish it from another town called Caesarea (Acts 10:1). While Caesarea was located in Judea on the border of the Mediterranean Sea, Caesarea Philippi was in Galilee within the land allotted to the tribe of Naphtali. The gospels record Jesus going to Caesarea Philippi only once, possibly because it was sparsely populated and situated on the northernmost border of His travels.¹

As Catholics we remember this location, as it is where Jesus said ‘you are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church’. This is the first time Jesus mentions ‘Church’ in the New Testament. This remote sparsely populated place in the footsteps of Mount Hermon is where Jesus informed the disciples that He is Christ.

It is probably an unfair question to ask, but what would our answer have been that day, to the question ‘who do you say I am’? We are blessed with so much more knowledge than the disciples had. We have their testimonies; we have the teaching of the Church Fathers and the many saints down throughout the ages who have developed our Catholic Faith and given us a wealth of sources to choose from. The disciples had the one, true, original source from which all of our teachings come. They were first hand witnesses to Jesus as the Christ.

So, who do we say Jesus is? The Creed gives us some of the answers. In the Creed we have a summary of our belief in God, which includes what we believe about Jesus. We say these words every week; but do we ever stop to think about the words we are saying?

For example, do we know what ‘consubstantial with the Father’ means? It means that God and Jesus are of the same substance. Jesus is God. When St Peter said, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’, he was laying down the foundation for what would become our Profession of Faith, which was ratified by the bishops of the Council of Nicaea in the year 325 AD and expanded upon by the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD.² The Creed became part of the Mass in the 6^th century and is said after the Homily every Sunday and on certain Holy Days throughout the year.

In our daily lives, do our actions conform to what we say each Sunday?

In what ways do I live out my faith?

Do my actions reflect that I believe I will be judged when Jesus comes again?

I know there are parts of my life when I act as if I am my own judge, where I excuse some of the things I have done and assume that God will forgive me. Forgetting that first of all I need to go and ask for forgiveness and also be truly sorry for what I have done. There are times also, when my prayer life becomes stale and almost robotic, with little in the way of feeling going in. Does that reflect my love for Jesus? At these times I need to concentrate more fully on my relationship with Jesus, not allowing distractions to get in the way; giving my prayers my full attention.

Thinking back to that day in the region of Caesarea Philippi, when Jesus told Peter he would be given the keys of the kingdom of heaven. What must the disciples have felt hearing the man they were following was the Son of God? They were standing in God’s presence, they had been eating and drinking with Him, they had wept with him, laughed with him, theirs was a genuine intimate relationship. We are called to that same intimacy. We may not see Jesus face to face until our judgement day; but that is what faith is all about. We do not have to see to believe, we do not have to understand to believe, but we need to believe to understand and we need to believe to see that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Further Reading

The Catechism of the Catholic Church

Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

CCC 551-553: the Keys of the Kingdom
CCC 880-887: foundations of unity: the college of bishops with its head, the successor of Peter

What is the significance of Caesarea Philippi in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

The Meaning of the Nicene Creed: Why It’s Still Relevant (catholicfaithstore.com)

Please keep in your prayers this week

• Those who are sick, those recovering from surgery, those who are dying, the recently deceased and those who mourn.
• All those struggling to feed their families at this time.
• Those working to help others who are struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.
• Those discerning a vocation.
• The five children being baptised at st Bede’s this weekend – Levi, Gabriella, Avery, Anna and Tilly

1 What is the significance of Caesarea Philippi in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

2 The Meaning of the Nicene Creed: Why It’s Still Relevant (catholicfaithstore.com)