In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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16th Sunday in Ordinary Time
VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....
Gospel & Homily MP3 version - PDF version
Brief meditation after Holy Communion - "On the Communion of Saints" - remaining connected to our dearly departed - The Meditation MP3 version
LSM Gospel & Homily MP3 version - PDF version
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen to my cry of supplication!”
Our God hears us as we ask the questions that trouble us. Why, Lord, do You allow so many people to do all kinds of evil to others, and apparently get away with it and even enjoy the fruits of their evil schemes? How are we to react, and what are we to do when we see evil people go on doing all manner of evil with apparent impunity? How are we to continue walking in the ways of the Lord when we find ourselves surrounded by so much evil and godlessness?
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen to my cry of supplication!”
Last week we remembered that birth pains are a necessary and inevitable transition through which the pregnant woman must pass in order to be delivered of the infant she carried in her womb for nine months by giving birth, by pushing it into the world. Just as the infant must leave the security of its mother’s womb in order to pass into a world that is much bigger, richer in possibilities, and with infinitely more space to explore and enjoy; so too must we eventually leave this world in order to be brought by God into his eternity. God our Creator reassures us that we, that the whole Creation, “groans in labour pains” because we are all in transition from a worldly, insecure, fearful, and selfish life towards the fullness of life by loving God and our neighbour. In bearing all our trials, our prayers are often “sighs too deep for words”.
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen to my cry of supplication!”
Although we go through many trials and tribulations and experience at times prolonged pain; it is no reason to seek a quick exit by ending our life prematurely. Just as the caterpillar needs to slowly push itself out of the cocoon in order for its new wings to be fully inflated, and just as we had to squeeze through our mother’s birth canal in order to enter this world; so too do we need the fullness of every human experience – both pleasant and painful – in order to become capable of entering into eternal life. Our Creator God and Father knows what He is doing, and we need to put aside our fears and put all our trust in Him and his divine will.
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen to my cry of supplication!”
Today, the Lord Jesus grants us the grace of a detailed yet simple explanation in answer to our questions about the presence of evil in the world, and also what action God intends to take. We, “the children of the Kingdom”, we are “the good seed which Jesus, the Son of Man, sows in the world. The weeds are the children of the evil one”. If God were to uproot and trash bad people out of this world, this act of power and violence on God’s part would make us terrified of our Creator. He doesn’t want to frighten us. Moreover, He behaves with great patience even with bad people, in the hope that they may decide to repent and ask our Father for his mercy.
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen
to my cry of supplication!”
The power of God, our Creator, is evident everywhere in his Creation: in nature, in the universe, and even in our own body. If we choose out of audacity, or temerity, or foolishness to ignore the limits; then, we suffer the consequences. Everywhere on Earth, at the bottom of the oceans, on mountaintops, and in the darkness of space, those who ignore the limits are often wounded or lose their life. By accepting to learn and to respect the limits, we can experience God’s goodness, wonder at his beauty, feel his mildness, and acquire his wisdom.
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen to my cry of supplication!”
Our mortal life on this Earth is brief, even if we live over a hundred years. Our Father has designed us to share in his eternity with his Son Jesus and the Holy Spirit, in communion with all the saints, and in the company of all his angels. To get there, we must begin living in heaven now, by trying every day to love our God with our whole heart, our whole mind, our whole soul, and our whole strength, and our neighbour as ourselves. The three Divine Persons offer to dwell within us, in order to enable us to begin sharing even now in the divine love which unites them. For those who insist until the end of their lives on doing evil and making others suffer; God will respect their choices, and they will be able to prolong their miserable life into eternity.
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen to my cry of supplication!”
It’s not possible for us to fully understand the mysteries of God. It is enough for us to nurture the desire to better understand the ways of the Lord. Jesus invites us to contemplate the Word of God and carry it within us as we go through our day’s activities. Then, with his Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus does within us what only God can do. Day by day, little by little, their thoughts come to transform and enrich our thoughts, their love comes to inflame our heart, and their creativity comes to stimulate our desire to serve the common good of humanity. At Mass, we offer to the Father all that we experience and do, and all that we endure out of love.
“Lord, you are good and forgiving; listen to my cry of supplication!”
“Mary Mother of God, St. Joseph, walk with us in the steps of Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
In silence now, the Holy
Spirit helps us to unite our offering of ourselves to that of Jesus….
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In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
© 2006-2023 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2023 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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