Homilies by Revd George Kingsnorth (Deacon)

A Time For Preparation.

Homily for Second Sunday of Advent
4th December 2022
This Sunday’s theme is all about preparation. That’s a tough one in today’s world. We are usually up against the clock, last minute jobs needing to be done often coming in from the unexpected. The unplanned things disrupt our good intentions.
Finally, December has arrived. Christmas is three weeks away. Where did the year go? It seems like yesterday we were celebrating the New Year. But here we are again. Another rush to get all the work done before the holidays.
It was late Summer I realised this was going to be a cold and tough Winter. So, I planned to have a wood stove installed in my office cabin. What I hadn’t planned for was having to take out a wall to open the cabin up. It was hard to find someone to help and I didn’t know if I was capable. I knew I couldn’t do it on my own.
A lot of what was in the cabin had to be moved to other places. Where? In the end, I had to put flooring into the loft above the garage before I could do anything, and things seemed to get complicated. Thankfully, my son came down to help me with both jobs, the flooring and taking out the wall, but each job was weeks apart. I had to move everything else on my own.
It all seemed a bit overwhelming. But as I have heard before, how do you eat an elephant? The answer is one bite at a time. By breaking all the tasks down into small bits, I was able, with some help, to get the preparation done.
The cold nights started to come in. I had to wrap up with multiple layers. The expected date of installation was delayed. Everybody seemed to want a wood burner to save on electric heating. We were also worried about how high the bills were going to be. It seemed we couldn’t plan for those.
When you take on a project, the ideas you have in your head seem great, but it is only when you start to write things down or draw things out, make measurements and price things that you begin to see the true cost of labour and money. Are we prepared for the undertaking?
This second week of Advent is all about preparation, so we can see what needs to be done. Small jobs become big jobs because of the unforeseen. We must make bigger changes than we expect. And at that point, we can easily lose heart.
Our world seems to be more about how fast you can get things done, yet there is still not enough time. Joseph and Mary’s lives were disrupted when they were forced to go to Bethlehem because of the census Caesar Augustus had ordered. They only had time to prepare so much, but they expected to find no place to stay. Yet they were provided for, even though it was a stable full of animals.
John the Baptist was sent to prepare the way for Jesus, to baptise the people with the waters of repentance, knowing Jesus would come afterwards to baptise with the Holy Spirit. Yet, John was not prepared to see the Pharisees and Sadducees, those he called Vipers. But the unexpected brings opportunities. If those vipers were prepared to confess their sins and bear good fruit, they too could receive the promise of God’s eternal salvation.
There is always hope. The second reading encourages us not to give up. Not to lose heart. If we can find a way to treat others as Jesus treats us, with love and kindness, we will see the same fruit in them. Their kindness will come to us. We should be tolerant. We can get annoyed with others and that annoyance will spread. So, we are called to temper ourselves and be forgiving. Often, it is our self we must forgive the most. Are we the wolf or the lamb? The panther or the kid? If we can be willing to offer peace, we may be surprised to find the wolf is just a puppy and the panther is just a kitten, lashing out because they have been hurt. Are we prepared for the unexpected?
Our projects also can seem overwhelming, but we are not to give up. We may struggle but we can always stop for a moment to re-assess, take stock of what is going on and find a new path to help us complete things. We must have faith. Worrying won’t help as my dad always used to tell me.
As I wrote the final lines of this homily, the fire gave warmth throughout the cabin. I can write away without shivering and I have done as much preparation as I can. The project is over, and the stress has gone. Now I must place my trust in Jesus that all is ready for winter and that I will be given the strength to cope with the unforeseen. All I can do now is give praise to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for getting me through.  Amen.
 
 

The need to stay awake.

Homily
1st Sunday of Advent
27th November 2022
As this is the first Sunday of Advent, the Church begins a new year. The Psalm talks of the joy the people had going into God’s house. The people wanted to give praise to our Lord’s name and there was peace all around.
Paul’s letter to the Romans encourages everyone to wake up as our salvation is near. At this time, we reflect on how close we are to Christmas when we celebrate Christ coming into the world as a child. God becoming flesh and living amongst us. A fragile baby, needing the support of his mother Mary and Joseph who was asked by Gabriel to be Jesus’s human father. Not an easy job. Joseph had to suspend his concerns of following the law and to commit to being Mary’s husband. He had faith, as did Mary, that God would take care of them both. They were each there to support one another.
The Gospel of Matthew reinforces the need to stay awake because Jesus will arrive like a thief in the night, and so we need to be prepared because we have no idea when the Son of Man will appear.
Yet we are reassured that when the time comes Christ Jesus will have authority over all nations. There will be no need for weapons of destruction, and no-one will have to train to be soldiers. All thoughts of war will be over. There will be joy and there will be peace.
Christmas is a time for giving. Many begin to worry about what to get for each member of the family. When I was small, there was an apple, an orange, some sweets, an Airfix model of a boat or plane, and, if you were lucky, a Scalextric racing car set or Hornby railway set. Most of these you can still get today though the Harry Potter Hogwarts Express will set you back nearly as much as my first car.
Though these items are still available, the Apple isn’t edible, and many can be tempted into artificial reality becoming fully immersed in a digital universe, disconnected from everything around them.
Perhaps there is another way?
This Sunday has been designated as Volunteer Sunday. To allow this parish to function there are many volunteers who dedicate time and effort to making our experience of going to Church a little more meaningful. The sacristans, the eucharistic ministers, the cleaners, the choirs and musicians, the readers, the parish pastoral team, those who help run the parish halls, those who collect and count the offertory collections, those who prepare the flowers at different seasons or events, those who help raise funds by putting on concerts and the help the football club gave and others as church stewards during the pandemic. These are just a few. There are many more and I am sorry if I missed you out, but you are included.
It would be good to give these people applause for all the voluntary work they give to help the parish, to say thank you.
In the past year, we have lost a few of our cherished volunteers either through death or simply they have reached a point where their family needs them and so they have had to resign from their positions or cut down on the amount of time they can give.
This being Volunteer Sunday, which the Diocese intends to repeat each year on the first Sunday of Advent, we wish to ask for your help. Just a couple of hours every now and then so that those who are already volunteering don’t get burnt out and exhausted. The more volunteers we have the easier it becomes for everyone.
So, over Advent, have to think of how you might be able to contribute in some way, as a volunteer. I have mentioned only a few things but there could be others, things we have not thought about but would be ideal to help build up the parish. Are there societies we should think about organising such as The Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul, Bible Studies, Rosary groups, or Prayer groups to help get people out and about with a cup of tea afterwards?
Ways to discuss what our faith is about and to share our stories of being Catholics. There are people searching to find their spiritual home, like I was thirty eighty years ago, questioning what I believed and eventually finding my home in this Church. Each of us has something to offer that can be shared with others to help enrich our experience of being a church, the people who are the body of Christ.
Like the Israelites stepping within the gates of Jerusalem, we could all rejoice in hearing people say: ‘Let us go to God’s house.’ The time is near, our salvation is at hand. Let us wake up to the possibilities we have to make our church become a welcoming place for all who are searching for Christ.

No Throne, Dominion, Sovereignty or Power can stand against him.

Homily for Christ the King
Sunday 20th November 2022
Homily by Rev George Kingsnorth (Deacon)
This weekend television aired the Women’s Rugby League World Cup final between Australia and New Zealand. If you go on social media, you’ll find fans rallying around their favourite team. New Zealand took quite a beating, while the Australians are lapping up the glory, reclaiming their title from 2013 and 2017, winning three times in a row. Yet, New Zealand was able to claim the same title in 2000, 2003 and 2008. Each in their own way is a champion. BBC Sport applauded New Zealand for being the only team to make it to the finals in the last five World Cup games. Quite an achievement.
I’m sure the armchair warriors will have hurled abuse at the opposition and screamed at their own side when they slipped up. When we are away from the action, viewing from a distance or huddled in a mass of spectators we are inclined to have the courage of lions. Yet, when we are on our own, or even in a group that has a different view we can simply remain quiet and not show our true colours.
In today’s Gospel, the crowd hovered around watching to see what was going on. The Roman soldiers taunted Jesus while the religious leaders jeered at him for not saving himself. No one was prepared to side with Jesus like they had done only a week before when he entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Now, the people stayed at a distance. Even Peter had denied him three times the night before.
An inscription was placed above his head saying, This is the King of the Jews. Even one of the criminals, nailed to a cross beside Jesus, verbally abused him, echoing those in the crowd below. The only person to defend Jesus was the other criminal aware of his own crimes deserving the punishment he received but knew the man beside him was innocent. All he asked of Jesus was to remember him when came into his kingdom. He wanted nothing more.
In early 1960, before carrying out his research on Obedience to Authority, Stanley Milgram carried out a survey with Yale University psychology students which indicated that less than 3% of people would harm another using a high voltage shock. A year later, after his experiment, he recorded that more than 50% of the subjects recruited for the study did as instructed to administer 450 volts of electricity to a volunteer in another room they could not see. Before each experiment, the subject received a sample shock of 45 volts, which they then believed was going to be given to the volunteer, a 45-year-old male teacher with a slight heart condition. In reality, the volunteer was an actor, who left the room, and an audio recording was played back each time a shock was given. However, the subject, being instructed by someone in a laboratory jacket was told they had been paid and they had to do as instructed.
When Milgram presented his findings to an audience of 110 well-educated delegates, he initially asked them if they would give the full voltage. Everyone argued they would disobey the authority figure and stop the experiment. When they were told the result they refused to believe them. All finding it difficult people do not rebel against authority believing instead everyone is decent and not capable of intentionally harming another.
What motivated Milgram, who was Jewish, was why did a nation of people in Germany obey the authoritarian regime of the Nazis and allow 6 million people to be exterminated in the concentration camps? He also wondered if Americans would follow the authorities to the same extent.
For even suggesting such a possibility, Milgram was criticised in the American Psychologist magazine for being cruel to those involved in the experiment. Yet, what Milgram’s experiments, in controlled conditions, showed was ordinary people will follow orders, even committing evil acts, especially if they believe the person in authority takes the blame.
We may think that some 62 years later we also would not carry out such actions if ordered. It is only a small number that will. In one of Milgram’s experiments, it was a German nurse and a Polish electrician who refused to obey.
The Romans in their time were also cruel masters. Most of the people only stayed to watch Jesus dying on the cross. Those in authority jeered or taunted him. No one tried to challenge the cruelty, not even Pilot who washed his hands of the injustice.
Jesus knew what he was doing. He had the authority given to him by his Father but chose to obediently follow what was asked of him. He was to be the sacrificial lamb taking all our sins onto himself so we could be forgiven. Through him, all things in heaven and on earth were created. No Throne, Dominion, Sovereignty or Power on earth could stand against him. Jesus is not just the shepherd of the people of Israel but of all humans.
Out of the many people who stood around the three crucified men, it was the sinner who recognised his crimes and was promised ‘Today you will be with me in paradise.’ We are not to lose hope. Just be aware that we are not the heroes we often see depicted in movies, but we are ordinary people who have the capability of getting things wrong if we do not question them. God knows us for who we are and calls us to follow him, admit our fallings and place our trust in him, as our Lord and Saviour. If we place our trust in his authority, then our fear is not in what humans can do to us but it is our awe, respect and reverence of God that will help us find peace and life with him in paradise.
Amen.
 
 

Are we equipped to face the challenges ahead?

Homily for the 33rd Sunday of Ordinary Time
13th November 2022
The readings today, in many ways, seem quite bleak. Malachi talks about evildoers being burnt up like stubble in a furnace. Luke’s Gospel reminds us of the wars and revolutions we see going on all around us. Promoted every day on our news, and in our social media. It can seem hard to get away from it all. We can feel despondent, asking what is the point?
But Jesus tells us not to be deceived. To refuse to join in with those who promote these ideas, trying to scare us into following them. Following a false narrative. We may consider that we are not equipped to face the challenges ahead and need more education to help us deal with the problems. Yet, Jesus tells us that we do not need to be prepared to defend ourselves because he will give the eloquence we need and the wisdom beyond what those who are against us are able to muster. Even if people hate us for what we believe not a single hair on our heads will be lost. Our endurance will win us our lives.
Many of us are so distracted by what is going on around us that we tend to forget so much. We forget what we are capable of, and what we have to offer others. All of us have talents, many of them can be hidden from us and we may not realise what we are capable of doing or being.
At times, our lives may seem to be full of difficulties. We may worry that those difficulties are beyond our capabilities of coping. Yet often they are simply challenges for us to explore new ways of looking at the life we have been given. It is not all about sorrow, but it can be joyful.
We may have to find work that will allow us to pay our bills but we also need to seek out opportunities in which we can have time to explore new hobbies, things that don’t have to earn us money but can earn us friendships. Can earn us respect for demonstrating the talents we have.
We may think that God is not talking to us. Yet stories in the Bible tell us that he does speak to people in their dreams. He told Joseph to marry Mary after he discovered she was pregnant with Jesus. He told another Joseph how to interpret the dreams of the cupbearer and the chief baker who were in prison with him and what would happen to them. One died and the other was promoted but forgot about Joseph, until several years later, when Pharaoh needed his dreams interpreted. The cupbearer then remembered Joseph. Through being in the right place at the right time Joseph was able to help these people. He may have thought his life was a disaster, simply because of his jealous brothers selling him into slavery. But when famine came some years later, Joseph was put into a high position where he was able to help 70 members of his family and rescue them. In turn, many years after Joseph’s death, Moses was able to lead the massive tribe of Israel out of Egypt towards the promised land.
Everything was set in place for a specific purpose and time. We often forget this.
God is with us all the time. He is within each and everyone of us. He had not simple made us and then left us to our own devices, he has a plan for us. There is a purpose for us being here, we simply have to find out what it is. This can be achieved through trial and error. Yes, error. We all learn by making mistakes, but we have every opportunity to make corrections and see different outcomes. New opportunities will then arise that we had not expected, and would not have been able to see if we had not taken the actions that led us to the point we find ourselves in the present. At this moment.
Nothing goes to waste. We can try things out and if we do not like how things turn out we can make changes. If we worry too much about what might happen, we may never know what possibilities there are. If we let fear take hold of us we can become paralysed. This is not what God wants for us. God is the God of the living, not the dead. If we are paralysed, we have stopped living and life can become hell. Through God, all is possible, especially through working for what we need, even if this means slaving away and straining. We will eventually be rewarded, nothing is lost, not even a single hair on our head, if we continue to endure and put our faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ.
With everything we must practice and not give up. Then there will come a time when you do not have to think about what you are doing, it will have become second nature. This is when we have to thank God for helping us through the trials endured to learn those skills. That can also be applied to building relationships with others, friends, siblings, and lovers. No one should be taken for granted.
So do not let the fear of disaster the world wishes to stress us with. Turn away from such news or influences and choose God to lead you in a direction that, though hard at first, will bring you the rewards that will bring confidence and freedom that only Our Lord Jesus Christ can bring to you.
 

Astounded by the courage and faith.

Homily
32nd Sunday of Ordinary Time – Year C
6th November 2022
The focus of today’s readings is the Resurrection. For the seven brothers being faithful to God was more important than their lives because they believed in the resurrection. For the Sadducees, there was no such thing as the resurrection. This was it. They did not believe it. There was no life in them. The same as what the fourth brother told his tormentors: “For you, there can be no resurrection, no new life”.
The King and his men were astounded by the courage and faith of the brothers and their mother. For not only, did the mother have to witness all her sons being tortured and put to death, one by one, but she also lost her life to the corruption and brutality of the king.
What endured was their faith. The mother and her sons all believed in God’s promise that they would all be raised by him. So, to the family, death had no meaning because they were alive in their faith.
St Paul prays that the Thessalonians, and we, are given the strength to continue to believe and have faith in Our Lord Jesus Christ, to be confident to talk about what we believe with others, and never to lose heart. Especially when those who do not have faith attempt to put us down and try to force us to go against what we believe.
Like the king in the first reading, many in this world have their hearts hardened and will continue to do evil, enacting even harsher cruelties. We see this in our news feeds as Russian weaponry destroys Ukrainian cities and towns to break the spirit of the people, with the potential hardship that will be brought on by Winter. We see the anguish of young Russian men finding themselves conscripted to fight against those who were their brothers and sisters yet given inappropriate clothing or equipment. To their leaders, they are just numbers. We see young Russian men and women who protest against the war, even by simply holding up a blank piece of paper, finding themselves punished with 15 years of prison.
Closer to home, we see people struggling to pay bills, and trying to find food. The supplies to charities are drying up because those who normally give are struggling themselves. In some way or another, we are all finding life to be tough.
Frustrated, the cruel king, tried to persuade the mother to get her sons to break to save their lives. Though she had suffered the pains of motherhood to bring them into the world, her advice was to trust in God who had created them and given them life. She told her sons not to fear the executioner. They all believed in the resurrection.
The Sadducees tried to trick Jesus. In their cleverness, they tried to disprove the resurrection. Using a story of seven brothers they asked Jesus who would be married to the widow at the resurrection. In Jewish tradition, a man’s widow was to marry his brother to help bring up the children. Each brother, though married to the same woman died without children, until at last the woman died. The Sadducees were more concerned about worldly possessions, instead of building treasures in heaven.
In this world, people marry. Their children become their heirs. In Heaven, we are all children of God because we will be resurrected from the dead, becoming children of the Living God.
The Gospel of Luke tells us Mary treasured all the things that happened in Jesus’s life. She even told the angel Gabriel that nothing was impossible for God. She told Elizabeth the Almighty had done great things for her. She treasured what the shepherds told her about the heavenly host when they came to visit her child in a manger. She watched him grow.
The Gospel of John tells us Mary instructed the servants at the Wedding Feast of Cana to do as Jesus said, knowing what he could do. She was beside him as he was led to Golgotha, carrying the cross after being scourged. Mary had to endure seeing her son nailed to the cross and saw his pain as the cross was hoisted upright.
Knowing he was approaching death, Jesus placed Mary in John’s care as though he was her son, and she was his mother. Mary put her trust in God. She believed and three days later the tomb his body was placed in was empty because Our Lord Jesus Christ had been resurrected. He conquered death and all who believe in Him have eternal life.

Homily - 4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday) - Sunday 10th March 2024

Homily4th Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)Sunday 10th March 2024Hanging in St Paul’s Cathedral is a painting by William Holman-Hunt called “The Light of the World”. It is in the pre-Raphaelite style and is one of three paintings depicting the same image. One is displayed in Keble College in Oxford, another in Manchester City Art Gallery and the third in St Paul’s Cathedral, London (Anon., 2023). The first painting was begun in 1849 and finished in 1854. It was then exhibited in the Royal Academy. The second was made as a gift to the widow of one of Holman-Hunt’s patrons, Thomas Combe who died in 1872. The third, painted between 1900 to 1904, came about because Holman-Hunt was displeased Keble College was charging people to see his work, so he painted a life-size version that now hangs in St Paul’s Cathedral, London (Anon., 2023).The third painting has been the most viewed piece of art in the last century (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024). It is said to be a “sermon in a frame” (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024). As soon as it was finished it toured “Canada, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia” (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024) and millions have gazed at what the image depicts.The painting was inspired by a verse from St John’s Gospel: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.’ (John 8:12). The painting is orientated vertically, as we view our mobiles. Jesus is the only figure, positioned centrally. It is nighttime, and in his left-hand hangs a lamp. A second light source comes from a halo around Jesus’s head. The first light from the lantern is said to represent the human conscience, while the second is the light of salvation (St Paul's Cathedral, 2024). In the background, there is an orchard of apple trees. Some fallen fruit is near Jesus’s feet.His right hand is poised to knock on a door, or could it be that he has knocked and is waiting for a response? There is no handle on the outside, so the door must be open from within. The occupier must answer the door for Jesus to come in. It looks as though the door hasn’t been opened in a long time as there are old vines of ivy and other weeds growing over it. But Jesus is patient. In Chronicles, we hear the Temple of God had been defiled by the Israelites, who were following practices from other nations. They had turned their back on God, resulting in their kingdom being destroyed and the destruction of the first temple by King Nebuchadnezzar. As the people were led away to Babylon, their captors asked them to sing songs from Zion, but they had no heart for it.The Israelites had forgotten to keep the Sabbath, but, in their exile, they turned back to God and followed his teachings. Their punishment lasted seventy years, when Cyrus of Persia destroyed the Babylonian kingdom, restored the Israelites to Jerusalem and was commissioned by God to rebuild the temple. God had heard the cries of the people in exile, they repented for their sins and through His grace were saved. Not because of what they had done themselves but for the love God had for them. Seventy years after Jesus came into this world, the second temple was destroyed when the Jews revolted against the Romans, trying to use their own power to change the world. The third temple, Jesus, had already been put to death. God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son so that we might all be saved. In his death he took on all our sins, making it possible for us to have a relationship with God.In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells Nicodemus that if we believe in him, we will not be condemned, we will not be lost but will have life eternal. If we do not open the door to Jesus and refuse to believe that he is there, waiting for us, we will be condemning ourselves. The light of the world waits patiently outside, wishing to give us the light of salvation, but we need to open the door to let the light come in. It is our choice. God loves us so much. Jesus says, “Men prefer darkness to light because what they do is evil,” and are scared the light from Him will reveal what they have done. Yet as Paul says to the Ephesians: “We are God’s work of art, created in Christ Jesus to live the good life.” This was how it was meant to be from the beginning. Therefore, let us not avoid the light, but allow it into our lives. Through the muddle of this world, the distractors and influencers try to darken our world. Let us listen for the sound of Jesus knocking on our door and be eager to open it to let the light in. God sent his only begotten Son, so that through him the world might be saved. Amen.ReferencesAnon., 2023. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.. [Online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Light_of_the_World_%28painting%29[Accessed 9 3 2024].St Paul's Cathedral, 2024. The Light of the World by William Holman Hunt. [Online] Available at: https://www.stpauls.co.uk/light-of-world-by-william-holman-hunt[Accessed 9 3 2024].

We make mistakes until we see our errors.

Homily for 31st Sunday of Ordinary Time
30th October 2022.
We are told there are two certainties in life. Death and taxes. A bit of a cliché really, but an interesting one because today’s Gospel is really about both. Why you may ask? Well, Our Lord does not judge sinners the way most of us do. He shows compassion for the sinner because to him it is the sin that needs to be put to death, not the sinner. Jesus wants to save the sinner so that he or she can have a new life. However, we must not be coerced one way or the other but allowed to choose willingly to go, in either direction. And God will allow us to make mistakes until we can see the error of our ways.
In the story of the rich man who followed the Law to the letter, his downfall was that when Jesus asked him to give up everything he owned to follow him, he was too reluctant to give away his worldly possessions. He was too comfortable with what he had and walked away from Jesus.
Zacchaeus chose differently. He was a chief tax collector, over other tax collectors. And the people judged him as a sinner and were hostile against him. From their perspective, he was in the pocket of the Romans, hired to collect taxes for them, but in doing so was able to turn this opportunity to his advantage by charging extra to make a profit.
Like many of us, Zacchaeus was probably concerned about his mortality. He was small, probably getting old, well let’s say mature, but with the sentiment of the crowd being hostile there may have been a threat to his life. The average age of people living in Greek and Roman times is said to be between 30 – 35. Yet, St. Augustus lived until he was 75 and to be eligible to become consul you had to be over 43. So it was possible to live longer, but a lot was going against most people. It was a hostile world. You could be wrongly accused by jealous people and crucified if there were enough witnesses against you. So, Zacchaeus knew life could be short, even though he could make a decent living, from his perspective.
When Jesus arrived in Jericho, Zacchaeus had a change of heart, and his curiosity was pricked. Enough to want to see who Jesus was. Being small the only way he could achieve this was to get up high above the crowds. He found a suitable tree to climb. Then, to everyone’s surprise, including himself, Jesus announced he was going to stay at Zacchaeus’s house. The sinner is the one who robs everyone of their money to make a profit. Can you believe it?
Zacchaeus objected to what the crowd were saying. He could be different. His mind was changed. Any wrongdoing on his part he would pay back four times and give half his property to the poor. He wanted to follow Jesus.
Zacchaeus, in Jesus’s eyes, had proved himself worthy of being saved. Jesus came to seek and save those who were lost.
St. Paul tells the Thessalonians to continuously pray to God in the hope that we shall be found worthy through our faith so that through our desires to be good and our actions of faith we will be glorified through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. St. Paul living after the death, Resurrection and Ascension encourages us all to turn to Jesus who will come again, but tells us not to be impatient or over-excited because the Day of the Lord is still some way off.
We live in a world that almost daily, keeps throwing alarmist ideas at us, with war, turbulence, global catastrophise and political unrest. We live in a time when most are anxious or depressed, uncertain of how to move forward. In such uncertain times, we can be paralysed with fear.
The Book of Wisdom reminds us that God sees this planet, Earth, as a grain of dust. We might think from what we can see through the James Webber telescope that we are insignificant. Yet, through God’s mercy, our sins can be overlooked the same as Jesus did with Zacchaeus if we repent and change our ways. Our small grain of a world can tip the scales away from evil and back to good. All that is asked of us is that we trust in the Lord.
Perhaps, we need a little bit of imagination to believe that our world can be changed for the better. Where everyone is given the respect they deserve, no matter who they are, where they come from, or what they have, rich or poor. Remember, we can’t take it with us. It all remains here. Gold, money, and dust. It is not needed. What is needed is that would put our faith in Jesus, and that slowly we can be corrected for our offences, see what harm they do to others and turn away from evil, by putting our faith and trust in God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Zacchaeus did.

The Sin of Pride leads to other sins.

Homily for 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday 23rd October 2022
Pride is classed as the sin that leads to all the other sins. We are proud of our accomplishments often in the self-centred belief that we achieved them on our own.
“I did that. Isn’t it great?” we tell ourselves.
It may be great, but an individual is not alone in completing the task at hand. We forget about those who created the tools we have used, that allowed us to craft what we have done.
Part of my professional life was as a video editor. I took the work of others and fashioned them into a story. For nearly thirty years, those stories have been edited on a computer. To get to that point, a writer came up with an idea and wrote a script. A storyboard artist turned the words into drawings. The cinematography framed up an actor or two composing his shot to match the storyboard. The images were transferred onto the computer, and I would then edit the shots together based on how the director wanted the shots to line up.
I may change where the shots start and finish and suggest a few alternative ideas but to be able to do this about fifty or more software engineers had to use all their talents and skills to compile the coding, design a graphical interface for me to operate, all to give me the impression I was editing on film. I was not alone. There was a team of people working behind the scenes.
No matter what we do, we are not alone. Jesus tells us that where there are two or three people gathered in his name, he is there also. So, you could say that there is always a minimum of three people in a conversation. Or should we say two?
When we are on our own in prayer, we are talking to Jesus. He is there with us. Even Paul says that when everyone else had abandoned him, the Lord stood by his side and gave him power, allowing him to be a vessel to proclaim the Good News to the pagans. The Lord rescued him from all who had evil intent and brought him to safety in heaven.
None of us can do this on our own. If we think this way even for a moment, we have proudly separated ourselves from God. Why? Because we have put ourselves above him. We have forgotten what he had done for us to put us in the position we find ourselves in. We have not given him his recognition for being our creator. God knows we make mistakes. He designed us that way. Through our mistakes we can learn, we can make amends and we can become better. We can improve. It may take a lifetime, but if we recognise that God is with us helping us along the way, we can achieve the goals he desires for us.
We may have ambitions. That’s okay. But it is important to realise where those ideas came from. How they got into our heads. Ideas seem to just seep into our minds. We need to test them to see where they came from and whether they are good or bad. What fruits do they bring? Do they make us selfish or consider the needs of others? Are we the only ones who are going to benefit from the actions we take, or will others also be helped?
If following the rules makes us think we are better than others, the ones who we have judged not worthy because they have broken the rules, are we right? Not according to what Luke tells us about the proud Pharisee, who knew the law inside out, being meticulous in every ritual but in doing so sinned because he thought he was better than the tax collector. Yet the tax collector simply asked God for mercy because he recognised where he had gone wrong and knew he was not worthy.
We cannot exalt ourselves. That is God’s place, if we recognise where we have gone wrong and can learn from our mistakes, we can be forgiven. If we can humble ourselves to see our faults, we are told in Ecclesiasticus that through being humble our prayers can even pierce the clouds and God will answer and rescue us from our distress.
When we are under pressure, see ourselves for what we are, and can recognise our downfalls, it is God who will lift us, who will raise our spirit and rescue us because it is at that point that we can fully come to terms with the fact that we are not alone. That we have a partnership with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That our life is about teamwork, trying things out, failing, trying again, and learning from what had not worked the first time around.
If, however, we think we are perfect, like the Pharisees, our pride will be our downfall and we will have separated ourselves from God. Then we will truly be on our own because we have not given room for God to have a place beside us.

You’ve got that wrong.

Homily for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
16th October 2022
 
One of my anxieties over the last few weeks was whether I would be able to complete a course I was doing. No, matter how hard I tried I could not seem to get into place two volunteers for a case study I had to carry out. This led to stress, headaches, and frustration. I completed all the tasks necessary up to that point but no matter what I did nothing fell into place. I was being persistent but one thing after another simply failed, and I was getting exhausted. What was going wrong?
My wife asked me, “Who’s will is it?” I had to think about this one: “Who’s will?” Then it dawned on me. This was my will, not God’s will. I was putting my trust in my efforts, and in what I could do to make things happen. Very scientific, but not the way God works. I was not following his will. It was time for me to give up.
You may be thinking here: “Hang on, George. You’ve got that wrong. Didn’t the Gospel show that the widow’s persistence broke down the corrupt judge? He got to the point where he gave up because he did not want to be bothered by the old woman's nagging. The judge had been stubborn in doing what he wanted not fearing God and not respecting man. He did not respect the widow. But he gave in.
Moses could only keep up his arms for so long. Every time he slumped the Amalekites had the advantage. Aaron and Hur had to sit Moses down and prop up his arms so they could hold up the staff. This allowed the Israelites to beat the Amalekites. Moses using his own strength could not achieve this. He needed others to support him. Moses’ will on its own could not achieve what he wanted.
Many commentaries about these readings tell us that if we are persistent in our prayers, we will achieve our goals. Yet, that sounds like a scientific experiment. If you look at science, you will find definitions such as: “Science is the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behaviour of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” Phew, that’s a mouthful.
Another definition says, “Science is defined as the observation, identification, description, experimental, investigation, and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena”. It sounds like you need a PhD to decipher that sentence and could probably spend quite a few years doing so.
But let’s stop with all the big words for a moment. Nowhere in either of those two definitions was there the mention of God. God the Trinity is not there.
It seems that in an America University, they put together an experiment to test if prayer worked. They took two groups of people, one prayed for and the other, a control group, had no prayers. The result - there was no difference between each group. What was missing?
God was not asked what he wanted. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked God if it was possible, to let this cup pass me by. He knew what was about to happen. He knew he would be scourged at the pillar, crowned with thorns, mocked, forced to carry the cross, and crucified until he died. The thought alone brought beads of sweat to his brow like blood. This was how anxious he was. Yet, as he continued to pray, he said: “Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.”
In the Gospels of Luke and Matthew, we are taught to say:
Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.
We are told that it is God’s will that should be done on earth because that is the way it is done in Heaven. Timothy tells us by dedicating ourselves to God through what we have been taught through Holy Scriptures since we were children we will be equipped and ready to do the good works God wishes us to do.
I said earlier, that it was time for me to give up. What I was being asked to do, was give up my will, and let God’s will be done. I had to trust his will. Once I did this my prayers were answered. On the last day, two people presented themselves to me to be my volunteers for my Case Study. Jesus gave his will to God the Father. He went through death on the Cross and God’s will was that three days later Christ Jesus was Resurrected and Saved the World. Amen.

Saying thank you and recognising the help given.

Homily
28th Sunday of Ordinary Time
9th October 2022
 
Thank you for coming to Mass today. Thank you for listening to the words I am about to say. Let’s thank God for helping us make it through the day, as we thank him for getting us through the night just gone. Today, the Gospel message is all about saying thank you. In giving thanks and recognising the help we are given in every moment of our lives. Even when things are difficult, and we don’t know what is going on or cannot understand how we managed to get to this point.
About thirty years ago we lived in Belfast, and life was tough. It was hard to find work. Some people were giving up hope. Things seemed dark. You could be shot walking down the street for simply being there. There was a lot of uncertainty. I remember walking to a local shop to get some milk. My mind was full of anxiety. Where could I get work? How could I make some money in time to pay various bills? How could we go on? I was totally looking inward on myself. Hardly noticed what was going on around me. I passed a car. There was some activity going on around it. I wasn’t really taking it in.
“Please can you help me?”
The words cut through my noisy thoughts. I snapped out of myself to see a young woman struggling to change the wheel on her car. Her tyre was flat, and she needed to change the wheel. The pneumatic drill at the tyre service station had screwed the bolts on too tight, and she could not budge them. Without thinking, I said yes. I was younger then and had a bit more strength in me than today. Together we managed to get the wheel off and put the spare on. And she was on her way, but not before saying, “Thank you. I appreciate your help.”
It made me think about how, with all that was going on in my life, all that seemed to be a struggle, I was there just at the right moment to be able to help that young woman in her moment of need. All the decisions I had made up to that point, whether good or bad, put me at that spot.
Before I knew it, the young woman was driving away, a smile on her face. I didn’t get the chance to thank her. In many ways, she had done me more of a service snapping me out of myself and becoming more aware of what was going on around me. It’s not all about me. It’s about us. You and me, together.
Elisha told Naaman to immerse himself in the Jordan seven times, and by doing so the leprosy left his body. Elisha did not want to be rewarded, saying he was only serving the Lord. Praise should go to God for the miracle that had happened.
Jesus meets ten lepers and when they ask for his pity, he tells them to see the priests. On the way, they were cured but only one returned to give him praise and thanksgiving. Only the foreigner had realised he needed to say thank you. His faith had saved him.
The Good News is that Jesus Christ took on our sins and died for us. He is risen from the dead. Through Christ Jesus, we have salvation and the eternal glory that comes with it. For this, we need to be thankful.
You may have heard the story of the driver late for work trying to find a place to park. “Dear Lord, please give me a place to park my car?” Suddenly, a car moves out of space and drives off. “It’s okay, Lord. I’ve found one. Don’t worry.”
Like the nine cured lepers, the driver forgot to praise God and give thanks. He did not recognise what had been done for him. How often have we done the same?
So, thank you for being here with me today, to listening, and remember we are all here to give praise and thanks for what Our Lord Jesus Christ has done for us.
Dear Lord, your words are spirit, and they are life; you have the message of eternal life.
Amen.