Word in the Hand

Gospel Matthew 5:1-12 The Beatitudes are so important that they return more than once in the Church's calendar. They are subversive and challenging; questioning the way we live and the way that will lead to God's Kingdom. Jesus tells us that the Kingdom already exists here on earth; on our planet. But how hard is that to believe? The Beatitudes shout out for a faith in social justice that is almost too hard to fight for because it means that you (and me) become less and less important. The current economic and political climate screams 'Me first'.  Exploitation and suffering is never right; but  we believe there is little we can do about it. It is a global problem in more ways than one. Away in Jesus' time, the Lord was able to say that the lilies of the fields and the sparrows of the sky could live without worry because their Father was looking after them. Now the fields and the skies are empty. The humans that God gave dominion to are not taking their res...

Gospel  Matthew 22:15-21  The Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap Jesus in what he said. And they sent their disciples to him, together with the Herodians, to say, ‘Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in an honest way, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because a man’s rank means nothing to you. Tell us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?’ But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, ‘You hypocrites! Why do you set this trap for me? Let me see the money you pay the tax with.’ They handed him a denarius, and he said, ‘Whose head is this? Whose name?’ ‘Caesar’s’ they replied. He then said to them, ‘Very well, give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God.’ I guess it's hard for people who are so used to things the way they are - even if they're bad - to change. 'Cause they kind of give up. And when they do, everybody kind of loses.(Pay it forward) M...

Gospel Matthew 5:1-12 Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up the hill. There he sat down and was joined by his disciples. Then he began to speak. This is what he taught them: ‘How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy the gentle: they shall have the earth for their heritage. Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted. Happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right: they shall be satisfied. Happy the merciful: they shall have mercy shown them. Happy the pure in heart: they shall see God. Happy the peacemakers: they shall be called sons of God. Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Happy are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.’ These are the Beatitudes, part of the Sermon on the Mount, and possibly the most difficult of all of Jesus’ teachings to rea...

Luke 6:17,20-26 Jesus came down with the Twelve and stopped at a piece of level ground where there was a large gathering of his disciples with a great crowd of people from all parts of Judaea and from Jerusalem and from the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon Then fixing his eyes on his disciples he said ‘How happy are you who are poor: yours is the kingdom of God. Happy are you who are hungry now: you shall be satisfied. Happy are you who weep now: you shall laugh. Happy are you when people hate you, drive you out, abuse you, denounce your name as criminal, on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice when that day comes and dance for joy, for then your reward will be great in heaven. This was the way their ancestors treated the prophets. ‘But alas for you who are rich: you are having your consolation now. Alas for you who have your fill now: you shall go hungry. Alas for you who laugh now: you shall mourn and weep. ‘Alas for you when the world speaks well of you! This was the way their...

Opening Prayer Here I am Lord, Listening Speak to me within my heart and soul. I am listening. James 1:22 ‘keep oneself unstained by the world’ Reflection ‘Dirty Old Town?’ It is easy to see all that is wrong with the world. You have only to turn on the television to see terrifying pictures of what is going on all around us. And even the so-called entertainment often seems cruel and demeaning. The radio, the internet, the newspapers have the same focus – we question the decency and behaviour of others. We ask ourselves ‘what is the world coming to?’ Just reading that paragraph makes me feel old. I remember being young enough to be able to laugh off such comments, to wonder why anyone would spend their time worrying about things that did not concern them and that they could do nothing about. Because my life was fine, the lives of those around me were fine. My world was very small. If you had said to me then ‘keep yourself unstained by the world’, I would have said ‘I do. I don’t get i...

The Beatitudes Gospel of Matthew And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He taught them, saying: Blessed are the poor in spirit, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, For they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, For they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, For they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. The Beatitudes are one of the most well known of Jesus...