Running the risk

In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard considers the risks that people have taken because of their faith in God. What are we prepared to risk for him?

Readings for Tuesday of 33rd week of Ordinary Time: 2 Maccabees 6.18-31; Psalm 3.2-3, 4-5, 6-7; Luke 19.1-10

Are you a risk taker? Some people love to take what seem like crazy risks, and enjoy the adrenaline rush that comes with it. It might be racing fast cars, jumping out of aeroplanes, or scaling a sheer rock face with no safety rope. For others, the greatest risk they might take in life is going out of the house on an overcast day without an umbrella!

In our readings today we see people being prepared to take great risks, but also reaping great rewards. Our first reading at mass at the moment is taken from the books of the Maccabees, which tell of how the Jewish people were oppressed by the Seleucid Empire in the second century BC. The Seleucids tried to eradicate the Jewish way of life, and in today’s passage, they try to force Eleazar, an important Jewish scribe, to eat pig’s flesh, which was contrary to Jewish law. He takes the huge risk of refusing, and will not even pretend to do so to save his life. Eleazar is killed for his resistance, but we are told he becomes a great example of courage to his fellow Jews.

In the Gospel Jesus runs the risk of scandal by not only approaching a hated tax collector, but also by going to his house for tea. Zaccheus, meanwhile, risks the nice livelihood he has developed by cheating people of more than they owe when collecting their taxes. And yet both gain a reward: Jesus, in his own words, has rescued a lost soul, while Zaccheus is finally able to live an honest life and is now in a right relationship with God and his community. Jesus is always ready to run the risk of reaching out to us in love, no matter what we have done. Are we prepared to risk everything by responding?

Have a good heckle

In today’s reflection on the daily mass readings, Fr Richard considers how prayer can be likened to heckling God – and he doesn’t seem to mind at all!

Readings for Monday in the 33rd week of Ordinary Time: 1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-64; Psalm 119.53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158; Luke 18.35-43

Heckling in political speeches or meetings has been around for a long time. Someone objects to what is being said on stage, and so they make their feelings known very loudly. The difference today is that the moment when a heckler gets up is often captured on television or smartphone cameras, and all of the action – from the startled look on the face of the speaker, to the heckler themselves, to the person being being bustled out of the hall by security – is replayed endlessly on the news or online. Often it’s not very clear what the heckler wants. Do they have a genuine grievance, are they seeking simply to disrupt the speech or meeting, or are they wanting publicity?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus faces a sort of heckler, though he’s not speaking at the time. He is simply drawing near to Jericho and passes a blind beggar at the roadside. Hearing that Jesus is coming past, the man starts shouting out, ‘Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me’. A bit like in a political meeting, those around Jesus try to tell him to be quiet, but this makes him shout all the louder. Jesus himself doesn’t seem to mind this noise and disturbance. In fact, he comes up to the man and asks what he wants, what is causing him to shout out, and the man replies that he wants his sight back. Perhaps it was his desperation for healing that led him to make such a scene. Once the man has been healed, we are told that he doesn’t pipe down – he is still vocal, but this time his words have changed from a cry of anguish and a plea for healing to glorifying and praising God.

The passage tells us a lot about how we should approach God in prayer. He doesn’t mind if we shout or holler, or cry out in despair. He will never shoo us away, but will come to us in our need and gently ask what is on our heart. He will always seek to bring healing in the midst of our difficulties, so that, like the blind man who was healed, our cries of despair may turn into shouts of joyful praise.

Can I be bothered?

Don’t lose heart is the message in today’s gospel. Can we really be bothered with God? How persistent are we in prayer and faith? Here’s our daily reflection.

BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Saturday of Week 32 here (Universalis Website)

There are many derogatory terms used for Christians. Some of them are formed in the playground, often used to bully others— words such as “Bible Bashers” or “Bible Thumpers.”

Another such phrase is “God Botherer” which is actually used for those who appear to bother others with their faith even when it’s unwelcome. In some parts of the world, it’s used to describe those who go from door to door promoting their beliefs.

Perhaps we can turn that phrase on its head after hearing today’s gospel. Jesus tells a parable to his disciples about persistence in prayer.  The widow in the story is constantly bothering the judge for justice. The judge appears to be full of himself, not really concerned about what God or others think about him—but in the end he relents simply to get rid of her.

We can’t entirely equate the judge with God because the focus of the story is really on the widow as an example of persistence. She just doesn’t give up. So, too, in our lives as Christians, Jesus says we should persist in prayer, reaching out to God constantly. It’s not so much about bothering God, but about being bothered with God.

However, our prayer shouldn’t be a simple shot in the dark, isolated from every other part of our lives—a desperate attempt to manoeuvre God into place.  Our prayer should be full of faith, drawn from a life of faith which is persistent and ever present.  His words today are words of encouragement. Don’t lose heart.

So the question is, “Can we really be bothered?”

 

MASS TODAY

Mass today on Saturday 15 November is at S Mary’s Church at 1130am.

There is also Sung Mass to celebrate St Dyfrig’s Patronal at 12 noon. You’re welcome!

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

 

Watch and wonder

“Meditating upon the world around as and at our feet, can raise our hearts and minds to God. Today’s reflection from the Daily Mass

BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Friday of Week 32 here

Pablo Picasso said, “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up.”

As we grow up, we can so easily lose our sense of imagination and creativity, thinking that play is just for children. What we think is possible can become clipped, and we can settle for the ordinary. That’s not to suggest that the ordinary isn’t important. Perhaps it would be better to say that we can so often fail to see the wonder in the everyday.

“From the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator,” we read in the book of Wisdom. Perhaps we can relate to that at times. A beautiful sunset, a vast open landscape, a sky-blue sea. But we don’t have to climb mountains or travel abroad for awe inspiring moments in the midst of creation.

We know that being grounded in the natural world can help improve our mental health. But as Christians we know that we can’t separate the creation from its creator. So meditating upon the world around as and at our feet, can raise our hearts and minds to God. He reveals himself to us in so many ways, if only we can pause awhile and watch and wonder. 

 

MASS TODAY

Mass today on Friday 14 November is at S Saviour’s Church at 10am. You’re welcome!

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

 

Whatever the weather

“The seeds of Gods kingdom grow within us through lives filled with love for God and one another.” Today’s reflection from the Daily Mass

BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Thursday of Week 32 here

 

Oscar Wilde said conversation about the weather was the last refuge of the unimaginative. And yet the British seem obsessed with talking about the weather.

According to research, 94% of British respondents admitted to having talked about the weather in the past six hours, while 38% say they have in the past 60 minutes. Whatever Oscar Wilde said, we will no doubt carry on being obsessed by the weather, wishing for sun, hoping for rain, wondering when the storm will come.

In the gospel reading, the Pharisees are viewing the kingdom of God like the weather. “When will it come?” they ask Jesus. His response is that that Kingdom of God won’t come in ways that can be observed. You can’t point it out ands say here it it or there it is. There is no weather forecast for the Kingdom of God. The kingdom of God is among you.

The seeds of Gods kingdom grow within us through lives filled with love for God and one another. It is revealed when we allow the Law of God’s love to control our lives. We experience the Kingdom when we seek peace and reconciliation, and when God’s justice prevails—when the hungry are fed and the poor have good things.

By the way, today’s weather forecast is sunny intervals and light winds with a high of 15 degrees. 

 

MASS TODAY

Mass today on Thursday 13 November is at Ss Dyfrig and Samson at 630pm. You’re welcome!

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

 

Doing what’s asked

“Discipleship is not about sitting back with open hands and an empty lap, expecting gifts to fall from heaven.” Here’s today’s reflection from the readings at Mass

BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Tuesday of Week 32 here

“Don’t ask what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country,” is,of course, a famous quote from JF Kennedy in his 1961 inaugural address. It’s an effective quote which gets us to look at our lives and relationships to others in a different way.

In the gospel reading, Jesus’ parable is rather stark and, on first hearing it, we may side with the servant rather than with the rich man who seems to approach life with a sense of entitlement. Perhaps we think the servant is entitled to a rest rather than having to wait on his master, especially one who shows such ingratitude. But, as the servant says, he’s just doing his job.

Likewise, this is how we should view our relationship to God. We know his commandments, we have decided to follow Christ, we are called to lay down our lives as he did— not for personal gain or because we feel entitled to all the benefits, but because we are his faithful and obedient servants. Discipleship is not about sitting back with open hands and an empty lap, expecting gifts to fall from heaven. But getting up and getting on, and putting God’s commands into action as his good and faithful servants.

 

MASS TODAY

Mass today on Tuesday 11 November is at S Mary’s Church, Butetown at 630pm. You’re welcome!

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

 

‘Increase our faith’

We are called to faithful to God in the small things of our lives. Here’s our daily reflection from today’s readings at Mass

You can find the readings for Monday of Week 32 here

St David’s words are so well known, perhaps you don’t need to be reminded of them. “Do the little things you have heard and seen me do.”

In a society and world that seems so demanding of our time and energy, our money and attention, St David teaches us to value the small things.

In the gospel reading one can feel the desperation in the voice of the disciples. “Increase our faith,” is their request to him. Jesus, response is remarkable. In one sense, he suggests they don’t have much faith at all, because all they need, he says, is faith as small as a mustard seed. Perhaps they have found his previous teaching of constantly forgiving others, too much to take and so they recognise that perhaps their faith doesn’t enable them to do that.

Our experience and living out of our Faith, doesn’t consist in thunderclaps and bright lights, angel voices in the sky or great miraculous feats. It consists of being faithful to God in the small things of our lives—recognising the miracles which already surround us and embracing the opportunities which God drops into our path. It could mean forgiving others or turning to them in repentance for what we have done wrong. It may be offering a smile or a small act of kindness, giving a few moments of our time to someone in need, or treating someone with the dignity they deserve. In other words, doing those little things which are within our grasp. Who knows what effects they will have?

 

Mass today on Monday 10 November is at Ss Dyfrig and Samson at 630pm

 

Take pride

“Whenever we achieve good things, we give praise to Christ.” Here’s today’s reflection from the readings at Mass

BIBLE READINGS: You can find the readings for Friday of Week 31 here

Have you ever been proud of yourself? Maybe you’ve achieved something, but you didn’t want to boast about it. Or you did something that made a real difference, and no one seemed to acknowledge it.

We have a strange relationship with our own achievements. Some people flaunt their successes, whilst others hide behind them.

In his letter to the Christians of Rome, St Paul says, “I have reason to be proud of my work for God.” That may sound rather arrogant and self opinionated. Except he goes onto say, “For I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me.”

Each of us has the potential to do great and good things. Depending on our personality, we may or may not want to take credit for them. If we can say, as St Paul does, that we won’t speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through us; then we will be leaving our selves behind and give praise to him who works through us. Whenever we achieve good things, we give praise to Christ. So, don’t be afraid of acknowledging your gifts. They are God given. And they give God glory.

 

MASS TODAY

Mass today on Friday 7 November is at S Saviour’s Church, Splott at 10am. You’re welcome!

DAY BY DAY

If you’d like more resources for daily prayer then check out our DAY BY DAY pages.

 

What makes angels sing?

How do we welcome people who have their lives turned around for the better? Do we sing with the angels? Here’s our daily reflection.

You can find the readings for Thursday of Week 31 (memorial of St Illtyd) here

According to government figures, around 75% of ex-prisoners reoffend within nine years, and 40% within the first year. Adult offenders have a proven reoffending rate of over 27%

We often think of prison as being a place where those who have broken the law are punished—which of course it is, but it is more than. It also keeps society safe from the most violent and hardened of criminals. However, an important part of the prison system is rehabilitation. With the numbers of those reoffending, we have every right to ask the question, whether the system works.

In the gospel, Jesus is criticised for welcoming sinners and eating with them. In his response through his parables, he illustrates how God goes out of his way to rescue those who have lost their way in life. “I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.’

We know that many people are affected by the criminal justice system: offenders and their families, victims and the wider community. How do we view those who have gone astray? Are we intent solely on punishing offenders, or do we want to give them a chance to rehabilitate and become responsible citizens? Do we rejoice like the angels when one person turns their life around? Or do we view them with cynicism and suspicion? How often do we pray for those who have done something wrong?

 

Mass today on Thursday 6 November is at Ss Dyfrig and Samson at 10am

 

Having a full house

In today’s reflection from the Daily Mass readings, we reflect on the church of God and the banquet of heaven.

You can find the readings for Tuesday of Week 31 (St Charles Borromeo) here

Depending on your personality and circumstances, a full house can be either  a burden or a joy. Or maybe you enjoy having visitors to stay, and have an equal joy when they leave.

Whatever is the case for you, if you arranged a party or a special celebration, you’d be left rather joyless and disappointed if nobody came.

It’s the picture Jesus paints in his parable. Like all parables, he reveals something of the mystery of God’s kingdom. There is an open invitation to all. God has a desire for all to be saved.  But each of us can make the simple decision of whether we wish to accept this invitation.

Our churches may not be as full as they were. The church may not be blessed with numbers as before or as is experienced in other countries.  But we can fill this house of prayer with joy at the presence of Jesus. We can fill this house with prayer and praise. We can fill this house of the church with a generosity for all that God has given to us, and all that he promises. Though life may be difficult and our hearts not always in it, we can keep our sights set on God’s Kingdom, of which, in this Mass, we receive the first fruits. Here we have a taste of the heavenly banquet, and a vision of what life will be.

Mass today on Monday 4 November is at Ss Mary’s Church, Butetown at 630pm