A Way Forward - Week # 3

Our Message Series continues: A Way Forward. It’s all about doing what disciples do and, in the process, finding our way to more successful living

Week One invited us to be “of God”. To know that we belong to Him, that we accomplish what we do with His inspiration and that we must be people who are firmly rooted not solely in our religious tradition, but also our ability to relate to the person of Jesus.

Week Two challenged us to take the last place, to be servants. The only way we know who we are is by who He is – and that comes through service especially to the least, the last and the lost.

The Gospel of today, as Jesus talks to us about the importance of our example for others. He uses dramatic and severe examples of how serious our rejection of temptation and sin should be. By sharing in His life, He is empowering us to choose grace over temptation, and redemption over condemnation. Today's challenge highlighted in the readings is that we have to actively wage peace, promote it, and base our critical decisions on the common good as we make our Way Forward – one rooted in peace which comes not from an outwardly found happiness but an inwardly rooted happiness.

Although we may think of our Gospel as filled with condemnation, there is a glimmer of hope. Jesus tells us that "For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward." Again – to be “of God” and to be “people of service”. But here we come to understand the next step – we must also walk on this Way Forward as people of mercy!

Mercy paves the way for peace with self, with others, with God. Mercy roots us in peace. A peace that comes from within. A peace that comes from Him and is founded on His principles. Without this peace we live as people of judgement, we live as people who are self-absorbed, we live lives that are self centered and we live without happiness or joy.

Are you of Happy?   Do you have Mercy in your life ? The answer to that should not depend on an outward force, person or event, rather it should come from within as we make every effort to be people of Mercy.

At this point please use the video Message for this series – Week # 3

Your group may wish to listen again to the Audio of the Lord’s Day Message

A Way Forward - Week # 2

This Lord’s Day Weekend we continue our four week Message Series called “A Way Forward”. Any journey, long or short, is just a series of steps which we take seeking to find a way forward. Faith, as is often said, is a journey and it all comes down to simple steps moving us in His direction. We think there are basically four steps that the Bible teaches us to take toward greater maturity in our Catholic faith. To kick off the 2015-2016 year we’re offering an all-new series taking a fresh look at those steps as we seek to discern A Way Forward. It’s all about doing what disciples do and, in the process, finding our way to more successful living

Last week we discerned that we must be “of God”. That this is essential to our way forward. To know that we belong to Him, that we accomplish what we do with His inspiration and that we must be people who are firmly rooted not solely in our religious tradition, but also our ability to relate to the person of Jesus.

This week our readings reflect the fact that often we tend to be much more interested in who are the most successful, the richest, the most glamorous. In a culture rich in examples of selfish ambition and jealousy, righteousness is not a quality to be prized. While we expect people to be honest, we are more apt to applaud the clever, those who know how to get ahead. Yet, we are reminded today that righteousness is a pillar of the reign of God, The righteous ones strive to be people of peace, to be willing to take the last place, to be servants

St. James, the author of our 2^nd Readings, locates the center of the conflict as being seated in our passions—the spirit of coveting, of envy and of aggression. The fruits of righteousness, he tells us, can only be sown in peace. But to have peace we have to deliberately cultivate it. Peace, James insists, is more than the absence of war. Today's challenge highlighted in the readings is that we have to actively wage peace, promote it, and base our critical decisions on the common good as we make our Way Forward.

In this action, Jesus makes the message even clearer on the Way Forward, not only is He saying, as He did last week, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” But now also the element of service and humility arrive at our pathway. Thus, for us the next step on the Way Forward is not only to Be Of God, but that we must know who we are and therefore we will know what to do?

See the Disciples knew who Christ was - “the Son of the Living God” - remember Peter last week! The Disciples understood what He was to do - “die and rise again” - they got that!  They said to themselves - we will accept this and Be of God, but they forget that had been commissioned - to do the same in His name! They did not take the time to discern what it meant in relation to their friendship with Christ - that can happen to us on our way forward...we can say.... I am of God and I know He is important, His Son died for me, the Holy Spirit guides me. But when it comes then to applying it to my life and how I live day to day - I am of God - is that not enough?  That attitude and question is what made the Disciples argue about who was “the greatest”…who was “more of God”. Instead they should have focussed on who was seeking to see their relationship “of God” to being in the service of the least, the last and the lost. We are made for it - we are co missioned for it, this is part of who we are. We are not who the world say we are, we are commissioned by Christ to go forth in service – in His name. The only way we know who we are is by who He is – and that comes through service especially to the least, the last and the lost.

At this point please use the video Message for this series – Week # 2

Your group may wish to listen again to the Audio of the Lord’s Day Message

A Way Forward - Week # 1

This Lord’s Day Weekend we begin a four week Message Series called “A Way Forward”. Any journey, long or short, is just a series of steps which we take seeking to find a way forward. Faith, as is often said, is a journey and it all comes down to simple steps moving us in His direction. We think there are basically four steps that the Bible teaches us to take toward greater maturity in our Catholic faith. To kick off the 2015-2016 year we’re offering an all-new series taking a fresh look at those steps as we seek to discern A Way Forward. It’s all about doing what disciples do and, in the process, finding our way to more successful living

There are so many different responses to Jesus, the Messiah, and many of them are firmly rooted in our religious tradition. This very fact causes much of our misunderstanding and explains our inability to relate to the person of Jesus. The people of Jesus’ time held various views as to who he was. They commonly expected Him to act in a certain way, and almost always misunderstood him. Even the disciples were confused by what he said, and they too misunderstood him. Can we be so sure that we have the kind of insight they lacked? Can we claim to understand him? Or are we more like the people in James’ community (2nd reading): people who professed faith in Jesus but who did not always live it out; people who often spoke pleasant words to others and said the right things but often failed to back up their words with how they lived their lives—their good works? 

Our focus on this first week of our message series is to remember that our call is foremost to be “Of God”. St James is saying as much in today's Second Reading: "Faith without good works is dead." It is one thing to make a verbal declaration of faith weekly, to pray piously daily but if both are not backed up by a lifetime of authentic service and charitable outlook then it becomes – well odd! Our mission as Christians to build up the reign of God; it is quite clear what God requires of us: to be compassionate as Jesus was, to take care of the poor, to forgive each other, to welcome your enemy as a brother or sister. In other words, all our religious behavior is intended to get us to the starting gate of good works. But it must not end there!

When the journey of faith seems too difficult, when we are prone to experience to fatigue before the sea of human suffering, it seems that there are times when we really struggle to believe in the person of Jesus. At such times it is good for us to remember the wrenching struggle of the apostle, Peter in the Gospel.

Peter heard Jesus’ words about suffering and that is all they could comprehend. Hence Jesus for the moment became a stumbling block for them. Jesus knew their thoughts; He turned to them and sharply rebuked Peter in the hearing of everyone. “Get behind me, Satan!” By trying to dissuade Jesus from the cross and death, by trying to deflect Him from His divinely appointed purpose, Peter was renewing the vicious temptations Jesus had experienced in the desert. Jesus reacted to this TEMPTATION as He had done elsewhere to temptation with a fierce and determined reflex: “Get behind me, Satan!” Peter, and eventually all the disciples, must proceed to a deeper and holier understanding. Jesus wins for them the grace to realize the folly and the glory of the mystery of the cross. It is only then that they are truly able to say “You are the Messiah, the very Son of God.” In today's Gospel Jesus, asked the disciples "Who do you say that I am?" Peter then makes a great act of faith in Jesus as the Messiah. This is precisely what Jesus is now asking of us!

At thispoint please use the video Message for this series – Week # 1

Youmay also as a group wish to listen again to the Audio of the Lord’s Day Message