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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4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Saturday 5:00 p.m. Mass at Transfiguration
Sunday 10:30 a.m. Mass at Transfiguration
First reading: Zephaniah 2:3; 3:12-13
Responsorial: Psalm 146 "Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs!"
Second reading: 1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Alleluia. Alleluia. Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom curing every sickness among the people. Alleluia.
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12
The Sermon on the Mount - the Beatitudes
Homily Notes
The Kingdom of God is not visible in the world as are worldly things: architecture, engineering, society, politics, economics, finances, roads, and so on. Rather, as Jesus taught, the Kingdom of God, his "reign", is within us.
As we open ourselves to God, pray to Him, praise and adore Him, and seek to obey Him and do his will, we are drawn by the Holy Spirit into communion in the Most Holy Trinity. This is how we allow God to manifest his divine power through us and radiate his Divine Light into dark places and to light the way for others in life. We are God's "secret agents" and bearers of his Divine Light.
Faced with life's challenges and all the troubles of our world, we are inclined to wonder and ask what God is doing about it all. The Jewish Scriptures, which we call the Old Testament, speaks much about "the ways of the Lord" and how we need to learn to recognize and know the ways of the Lord, what God is like, and what He is doing.
The "Ways of the Lord" - What God is "doing" in our lives while life's events whirl around us like a tropical storm... here are 8 "keys" for recognizing and beginning to understand the ways of the Lord.
1. God comforts us as a mother comforts her baby.
2. God disciplines us as a father disciplines his children.
3. God equips us to do battle with the evil forces pushing against us, both from within (our human weaknesses and temptations) and from outside (others and the world).
4. God purifies the thoughts of our mind, the intentions of our heart, and the movements of our soul.
5. God strengthens our will and builds up our character.
6. God lets life stretch us and expand the capacity of our spirit to receive his Divine Presence as Holy Trinity and to receive his great gifts, especially eternal life, which begins even now.
7. God fans the flame of holy desire He first lit in our soul at our Baptism... This holy fire comes from the Divine Fire which is the Holy Spirit, who tends this flame and grows our desire for God's love and to love in our turn as God loves.
8. We find all these "ways and works of the Lord" in Jesus as we observe Him in the Gospels. We are God's "handiwork", his "works of art", his "masterpieces"... and He works for good all that He allows to happen to us in this life on Earth.
For the Gospel and Homily - Audio File... please email me.
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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.
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© 2006-2026 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2026 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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