Sixteenth, Seventeenth Sunday and the Transfiguration of the Lord 23 and 30 July and 6 August
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 13:24-43)
How do I cope with the evil I see around me?
Do I have the patience to wait for God’s purposes to be fulfilled?
We pray for constancy in seeking what is good.
We pray for a true understanding of the forbearance of God.
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 13:44-52)
Do I consider the gospel preached by Jesus to be a unique treasure?
Do I seek wisdom and understanding as God’s greatest gifts?
We pray for the wisdom truly to embrace and live the gospel of Jesus.
We pray for balance in dealing with what is new and what is old.
The Transfiguration of the Lord (Matthew 17:1-9)
Why do we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord?
What is the sense of the presence of Moses and Elijah?
We thank God for the faithful witness of Christ, who encourages us on our journey.
We pray for a deeper appreciation of the witness of the prophets and evangelists.
Fr Adrian Graffy
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 9 and 16 July 2023
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 11:25-30)
Today’s reading is made up of the words of Jesus. The initial two verses are addressed to the Father, the remainder addressed to his listeners.
Jesus rejoices in those whose hearts are open to receive and to learn. He makes clear that he is the way to the Father. It is through knowing him that we come to know the Father. It is the Son alone who fully knows the Father and it is through the Son that those who are ready to receive and learn come to know the reality of God.
Do I allow the life of God, Father, Son and Spirit, into my mind and heart?
Do I welcome and trust in the loving care of Jesus?
We pray for those who are overburdened with the problems of life.
We pray for the courage to take up the yoke of Christ and follow him.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 13:1-23)
The central discourse in chapter 13 is a collection of the parables of Jesus. Our reading this Sunday extends for twenty-three verses. The opening parable of the Sower is all about hearing, about really listening, about responding and about bearing fruit.
Later in the chapter Jesus will explain that the seed represents the ‘word of the kingdom’, and that it falls into different situations and suffers serious fates. The obvious question is what kind of reception are we providing for God’s word. The challenge is to produce a hundredfold, which in agricultural terms would be a fantastic, indeed impossible, yield. With the grace of God we can yield a harvest. Our lives may be marked by suffering and struggle, but we know from the life of Christ that this is the way to true life. It is by his grace that we reach ‘the freedom and glory’ of the children of God.
How do I react to ‘the word of the kingdom’?
Am I able to see my sufferings as part of a process of being born to new life?
We pray for all those who sow the seed of the word, that they may do so with wisdom and love.
We pray for those who resist the attraction of the gospel.
Fr Adrian Graffy
Eleventh, Twelfth and Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) 18 and 25 June and 2 July 2023
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 9:36-10:8)
This speech of Jesus’ is known as the Missionary Discourse. The opening words tell us that the motivation of Jesus in his preaching is compassion for those who are lost. This must be our motivation too in offering the good news to others. Jesus selects his twelve apostles. At first it may come as a surprise that with his first words to them Jesus apparently limits the mission of the apostles. The first priority must be the people of Israel “the lost sheep”. Later the mission will be extended to all the nations. The message being ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near’. The message and the healings are to be given freely.
Does my attitude to those who are lost imitate the compassion of Jesus?
Do I encourage and support those who are called to work for the spread of the gospel?
We pray that the Church may maintain its fidelity to the gospel of Jesus.
We pray that the Jewish people may be faithful to God’s covenant.
Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 10:26-33)
We continue with the Missionary Discourse of Jesus. Jesus encourages the apostles to speak out and foresees the persecution of the missionaries. At the same time he recognises that great courage is necessary to preach the gospel.
Do I have the courage to speak up for Christ when others mock my religion?
Do I trust in the providential care of the Father?
We pray for all those who speak up for the Christian message at the risk of their lives.
We pray for faith and courage amid all the difficulties of life.
Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Matthew 10: 37-42)
In the concluding words of the Missionary Discourse, Jesus challenges the disciples, and us too, to put no other person before our faith in him. The cross is mentioned for the first time, not the cross of Jesus, but the difficult burden that each one must bear in imitation of him. We are called to give our lives as Christ himself will give his life.
Do I place my faith in Jesus first in my life and relationships?
Am I willing to embrace my cross, whatever form it may take?
We pray for those who make great sacrifices in their service of the gospel.
We pray for generosity to the little ones of God.
Fr Adrian Graffy
Seventh Sunday of Easter, Pentecost Sunday, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi Sunday 21, 28 May and 4, 11 June 2023
Seventh Sunday of Easter (John 17:1-11)
What does Jesus mean when he says he is glorified?
How best can we hold firm to the teaching Jesus has given us?
Pray that the Church will be always aware of the prayer of Christ on our behalf.
Pray for strong faith which trusts that where Jesus has gone, we too will follow.
Pentecost Sunday (John 20:19-23)
Do I allow the Holy Spirit to transform my life?
Do I seek the peace and forgiveness offered to me through prayer and the sacraments?
Pray for the whole church, that Christians everywhere will be enlivened by the Holy Spirit.
Pray that the Easter gifts of Christ will always be with us.
Trinity Sunday (John 3:16-18)
Have I accepted in my heart that God is ‘a God of compassion’?
Do I understand that faith is essentially trusting in God who loves and saves me?
Pray for a renewed sense of the awesomeness of God.
Pray for those who struggle with the notion of a God who loves them.
Corpus Christi (John 6:51-58)
How can you avoid receiving the Lord in a routine manner?
What can you do to increase your reverence for the Blessed sacrament?
Pray that we will allow the reception of the Eucharist to transform our lives.
Pray for fidelity to our Sunday Mass obligation, that all may be strengthened in communion.
Fr Adrian Graffy
Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A) 30 April, 7 and 14 May
Fourth Sunday of Easter (John 10:1-10)
Today, we are presented with the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The Risen Lord is ‘the way, the truth and the life’.
Jesus comes ‘so that we may have life and have it to the full’. The Easter season is a prolonged celebration of the gift of life which we received from the moment of Baptism, and the anticipation of our full sharing in it in the life to come.
How effective is the image of Jesus as the ‘good shepherd’?
Does the evangelist’s use of images confuse or enlighten you?
Pray Psalm 22 (23) and ask for a deeper awareness that ‘the Lord is my shepherd’.
We support by our prayer all those called to priesthood and the religious life.
Fifth Sunday of Easter (John 14:1-12)
Thomas asks about the way to the place where Jesus is going. ‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life’ says Jesus. The words of Jesus in John’s gospel constantly underline that in him truth and life are to be found. Philip. On the other hand, is impatient to see the Father. Jesus’ reply echoes the constant teaching of this gospel that ‘the only Son has made God known’. Both the answer to our searching and the satisfaction of our longing are found in Christ. To know Jesus is to know the Father. To see Jesus is to see the Father.
Do I recognise Jesus as the Way or do I reduce him to a talented prophet and healer?
How often do I give In to despondency and anxiety?
Pray for a deeper faith in the person of Jesus, our Lord and our God.
Pray for confidence in the continuing presence of Jesus in his Church.
Sixth Sunday of Easter (John 14:15-21)
In the speeches of Jesus his references to the Spirit prepare us to celebrate the feast of Pentecost., which concludes the Easter season.
‘Love one another as I have loved you’. This Spirit-inspired love, shown in living he commandments and loving the brothers and sisters, keeps us fully alive in the new life of the Risen Jesus, drawing us deeper into the life of the father.
These precious words of Jesus are like a symphony in which the different themes are played and played again in their various forms. The words of Jesus, with the Eucharist and the priesthood, are treasured parting gifts of the Lord to his friends, gifts which maintain his presence in a troubled and unbelieving world.
Which of these words of Jesus speak to you most powerfully?
How might you be more prepared to receive the Spirit of truth?
Pray that you may experience the bond every disciple has with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Pray for all those who seek to bring God’s love to a suffering world. Fr Adrian Graffy
Easter Sunday, Second Sunday of Easter and Third Sunday of Easter 9, 16 and 23 April 2023
The Resurrection of the Lord (John 20:1-9)
Today we read John’s account of the discovery of the empty tomb.
Christian faith proclaims: ‘Christ has died! Christ has risen! Christ will come again!’ Without the resurrection, the real rising of Jesus to new life in a transformed and glorified body, there would be no good news to proclaim. The God of love is more powerful than death and sin, and God has shown this in raising Jesus, who became a victim of sin, to the life of the resurrection. The world is in dire need of news that is true, amid so many messages which are false, undermining, and deceptive. True hope lies in the God who raised Jesus from the dead.
Do I appreciate the fundamental significance of the resurrection of Jesus?
Do I have the vision to see the wonders God works in each human life?
We pray for those baptised and those received into the Catholic Church this Easter.
We pray for Christians for whom the cross is a daily and painful reality, that they will know that the risen Christ is at their side.
Second Sunday of Easter (John 20:19-31)
The Gospel of John provides an account of the appearance of Jesus to the eleven in the upper room and a second account one week later. Jesus brings the gift of peace and the gift of the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus., who has died for sinners, ensures the gift of forgiveness for all those who will seek it, the forgiveness available to us through the Sacrament of reconciliation.
The reluctance of Thomas provokes Jesus’ praise for those who believe without seeing. But Thomas should also be remembered as the one who gives the fullest declaration of faith in Christ found anywhere in the gospels: ‘My Lord and my God!’.
Do I treasure the gospel as showing the way to faith and life?
How does the experience of Thomas provide encouragement for believers?
We pray for a deeper appreciation of the Sacrament of reconciliation.
We pray for all those plagued by hesitation and doubt.
Third Sunday of Easter (Luke 24:13-35)
The story of the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is perhaps the most endearing of the Easter appearances. The Risen Jesus brings new hope to two men who have lost all hope. He feeds their minds and their hearts by explaining the Scriptures to them. His true identity is revealed in the bread he breaks for them. Their experience is offered to us too at every Eucharist, as we receive the Word and the Sacrament and are strengthened in holiness.
Do our hearts burn within us as we are nourished by the Scriptures?
What can we do to ensure this is so?
We pray for a deeper appreciation of the gift of the Eucharist.
May the hope brought by the Risen Christ truly transform us. Fr Adrian Graffy