communio ~ frrick

fecit mihi magna

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 13:37:17 PST

Many years ago, I read the biography of the then holy father, Pope John Paul II - 'Witness of Hope' by George Weigel (1999). One of the things that really struck me as I read his story, was the detail about his ordination as a deacon. It was essentially a private event, taking place during the darkest days of World War II, in the private chapel of his archbishop. Prevented from celebrating this occasion in the life of the future leader of the church in grander style, the young Karol Wojtyla made do with a hand-written prayer card to mark the occasion. He chose to quote from the Magnificat to express the wonder of what Mary experienced when the angel called her and announced to her that she would be the mother of the Lord. Like Mary, Blessed John Paul knew that anything that was good in his life was the gift of the Lord Jesus. So he was able to declare this truth in three words from the Latin Vulgate translation of the scriptures, quoting from the gospel of Luke, chapter 1, verse 49: 'fecit mihi magna' - fecit [he has done] mihi [to me] magna [great things].

When I was in turn ordained a deacon (3 Dec 2005), I chose to use this powerful quotation from scripture to express my gratitude to the Lord for all the wonderful and beautiful things that he has done in my life. So this website is a small way of helping to declare 'fecit mihi magna' - '[the mighty One] has done great things to me... and Holy is his name!'

I have now transferred all of my homilies across to the new website, and updated all the links on this blog to point to the new locations.
In addition to homilies from the past 4 years, the new website will also include talks, videos, and ebooks.

Immediately driven

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 17:11:37 PST

Every book in the biblical library has unique characteristics that set it apart from all other books in the bible. The passage that is our first reading today from the book of Job - dealing with suffering and pain - is fairly typical of this book. So also each of the gospels have particular ways of telling the story of Jesus that are unique. John features long and exalted speeches of Jesus; Matthew is marked by 5 large blocks of teaching that begins with the famous sermon on the mount, identifying Jesus as the new Moses; in the prayerful gospel of Luke, the most characteristic feature are the parables that are unique to him.

The gospel of Mark, that we are reading from this liturgical year, uses particular language. For example, the word euthus appears 72 times in the Greek New Testament - but 42 of those times are in the relatively short gospel of Mark. The word is usually translated into English as 'immediately' or 'straight away'. The use of the word helps to convey the breathless quality of this action-packed story of the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is on the move, bringing in the kingdom of God - through his teaching authority, but especially through the mighty works of God that Jesus does - to heal the sick, to forgive sins and to cast out devils. There is almost a child-like quality in the telling of the story: Jesus did this, and then he did this, and then he did this...

The gospel today also contains an insight into the reasons for the healing ministry of Jesus. When he goes euthus from the synagogue (last Sunday's gospel) to the house of his friend Simon-Peter, he is told euthus that his mother-in-law is sick with a fever - not a 'man-flu' either, but a serious illness that was potentially life-threatening. So Jesus goes to her bed, takes her by the hand and raises her to new life. Her response is key. She begins to serve them. This is the point of healing - it enables us to resume our rightful activity in the world in sharing in the love of God with those around us.

Then as evening falls (and the Sabbath ends) the crowds of people descend on the house to share in the mighty works of Jesus. This is what God does. This is what the kingdom looks like.

Even after an exhausting day of pastoral ministry, Jesus is up early in the new day - long before dawn - to spend time with the Father in prayer. Later, Simon and the other disciples will come to him, reminding him of the crowds that continue to press around their house, looking for him, wanting more of the action and the show.

The response of Jesus is amazing. He doesn't return to the crowd. He doesn't continue to heal. He declares that his place is somewhere else. His place is at another village, among other people who need to know the reality of the kingdom as it breaks into life on earth.

When we become so caught up in the activities of our jam-packed lives - full of so many good things - maybe we should take the time to do what Jesus does. Maybe we also need to go away to a lonely place and pray - to see if the Lord actually wants us to leave aside some of these good things - so that we can concentrate on the one necessary thing that the spirit will drive us to do?

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- note all my homilies and other resources can now be found on my new website: http://www.fecitmihimagna.com/

Recorded at St Paul's, 6pm (11'22")
Sunday 05B

Teaching with authority

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 02:57:41 PST

Any male who had completed his bar mitzvah was eligible to read from the Torah in a Synagogue service and to offer commentary upon the reading. What the commentary contained would always be a reflection upon what the student had learned from his rabbi - who in turn would offer the insights that he had learnt from his rabbi - and so forth all the way back to Moses, the lawgiver. No one would ever attempt to set aside the Torah or to teach something that was contrary to it; no one would ever claim divine guidance or insights that could not be traced back to the teaching that they had received. The old ways and the received wisdom was always preferable to anything that even had the hint of something 'new' or 'radical' about it.

So when Jesus of Nazareth stood up in the Synagogue in Mark 1, and begins to teach something that no one had heard before, it is no wonder that his listeners were 'astonished.' And then he backed up this new teaching authority with the deliverance of a man who had many demons ...

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Recorded at St Paul's, Camden 6pm (12'07")
Sunday 04, Year B; Deut 18:15-20; Mark 1:21-28

Called to follow

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:04:54 PST

Recorded on my mobile phone at Zero Gravity 2012, a summer camp for 200+ teenagers held at Mount Tamborine on the Gold Coaast hinterland. The Sunday Eucharist was the culmination of the four-day camp. The readings of the second Sunday provided a great reflection on discipleship and evangelisation.

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12'09"

All the nations

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:08:46 PST

We are so used to thinking about the Christmas story as told in the gospel of Luke, that Matthew's equally compelling story can get sidelined. When we do turn to Matthew's story, we can get so distracted by the crib scenes and carols that the true details also get lost. It is worth pondering the details of the visit of the magi and what challenge it still offers to the contemporary church.

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Epiphany Sunday. St Mary's Leppington, 8am (8'09")

Blessed by the face of God

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:09:15 PST

In the perception of the so-called general public, when people think about God - if indeed they ever think about God, the idea that will probably be conjured would be more like the idea of the force from Star Wars, then the biblical reality of God. Likewise, the idea of heaven as somewhere up there - a long way away from us - is a convenient place to store an inconvenient god. But this also is not the biblical vision.

As we celebrate today the feast day of Mary, the mother of God on this first day of the new 2012 calendar year, the readings that the church presents us with provide an opportunity to reflect anew on the place of God in our lives. So let us turn first to the teaching on blessing provided by Numbers 6. Just as we turn to the gospels - Matthew 6 and Luke 11 - to find the teaching of Jesus on prayer when he invites us to pray the Our Father, so we should turn to Numbers 6 to know what it means to receive and be a blessing.

When the Lord tells Moses to teach the sons of Aaron to pray and bless like this, we should hear the same direction being given to us, because in Exodus 19 the whole people are invited into covenant with God, as a kingdom of priests. In the blessing of Numbers 6, there are 6 elements in the three lines of the blessing. The first reminds us that whoever shares the blessing - priest or people - it is God who does the blessing; we simply share in this work.

1. May the Lord bless you
2. and keep you;
3. May the Lord shine his face upon you
4. and be gracious to you;
5. May the Lord uncover his face to you
6. and bring you peace.

When we turn to the Gospel today, from Luke 2:16-21, we see at least three elements that can help us to bring this teaching of blessing into our worlds. In reverse order within the text, they are: pondering and treasuring the word of God; being astonished by the words and works of God; and when we finally know what God wants of us (through this pondering and being amazed by God) then we cannot remain lost in procrastination - like the shepherds and like Mary - we must hurry to where God wants us to be.

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Recorded at St Paul's, 8am (9'13")

Grace, peace and purpose of Christmas

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:10:49 PST

Time magazine this year declared the Protester to be the 'Person of the Year' - and certainly 2011 was an extraordinary year of protests and revolutions. But it was not the first year to be noted as such - and one event that began a revolution that continues to this day was the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem, which we celebrate on this Sunday of the Nativity.

The revolution that Jesus began was not begun with riots and violence, but with a revolution of grace and peace.

Play MP3 (13'46")

Recorded at St Paul's, Camden

PowerPoint slides

The Kiva.org parish page can be found here: http://www.kiva.org/team/stpaulscamden

Christmas Proclamation

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:31:22 PST

At the midnight Mass on Christmas Day (or Christmas Eve if you prefer) there is a tradition of reading the 'Christmas Proclamation' - which powerfully situates the events of the Nativity in the historical context of salvation and secular history. This is a recording of the beginning of Mass and the proclamation...

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Recorded at St Paul's Camden, midnight Mass

David, Mary and the Ark

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:32:10 PST

After journeying through this season of Advent with the prophet Isaiah, and then for the last two weeks with the witness of John the Baptiser, it is only on this fourth Sunday of Advent that we finally are presented with the figure of Mary to accompany our Advent reflection. When we encounter her in the gospel of Luke 1:26-38, we are invited to reflect upon her in the light of the desire by King David to build a temple for the Lord - as a suitable dwelling place for the Lord (2 Sam 7:1-16). Clearly the church wants us to reflect upon these two figures together in order to understand the prophecy that David receives from Nathan about the House of David.

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Recorded at St Paul's, 10am (11'27")

Rejoice always

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:32:26 PST

On this third Sunday in Advent, the church issues a command - Rejoice! The teaching comes to us from the second reading today, taken from the very end of St Paul's first letter to the Thessalonians, and therefore the very earliest Christian writing that we have. In the few short sentences, Paul manages to pack in eight commandments, a short explanation, a benediction and a final promise. The teaching that Paul offers in some ways provides us with a summation of not just the Advent season, but also of the whole Christian life; perhaps he wrote it with new believers in mind, and wanted to have a series of short, easy-to-remember teachings that would help to form Christian disciples in the way of Christ, so that we would be ready to meet him when he comes (which Paul seems to believe was going to be real-soon-now).

The Commandments:

¹⁶ Rejoice always,
¹⁷ pray constantly,
¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. [explanation]
¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit,
²⁰ do not despise prophesying,
²¹ but test everything;
hold fast what is good,
²² abstain from every form of evil.

The Benediction:
²³ May the God of peace himself sanctify you wholly; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept sound and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Concluding Promises:²⁴ He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it. (NRSV)

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The Jesus Prayer has a number of versions; the one I quoted in this homily is:

Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of the Living God,
have mercy on me, a sinner.

Recorded at St Paul's, 8am (11'20")

Beginnings

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:32:41 PST

Literature in the classical world was often concerned to set the scene and provide an overview of the whole text from the very first line of the text. When we come to a text like the Gospel of Mark, we may be tempted to pass over the opening line of the Gospel - which we are presented with in our liturgy today for the Second Sunday of Advent - but that would be a mistake. When Mark sits down to compose his Gospel - more than likely the very first gospel to be written - he was very aware of his context. Most likely he wrote the Gospel from Rome while still living there after the death several years before of both Peter and Paul - both as victims of the Roman regime. Sometimes this Gospel is called the 'Gospel of Peter', because it is seen to reflect the thought and teachings of St Peter, and St Mark acts as the compiler and scribe for the memories of his friend and great Apostle.

St Mark was aware of the claimed power of the Roman Emperor, who would claim to be the divine 'Lord' and the 'Son of God'; who would declare an advent before his arrival anywhere, and who would send out messengers (angelos in Greek) to announce the good news (euangelion) of a new military victory. So Mark carefully chooses to undermine the whole of Roman propaganda when his first line is:

"Beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God".

Any book that is written to a Jewish audience and begins with 'Beginning' would automatically evoke the opening line of the very first book of Scripture - the creation poem in the book of Genesis: "In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth." St John will do something similar when he begins his gospel with "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God."

What does this beginning teach us?

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Recorded at St Paul's, 8am (11'20")

Images of sin in Isaiah

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:32:56 PST

As we begin the new liturgical year and this new season of Advent, it is fruitful to consider the readings that the Church presents to us on this first Sunday, because it sets the agenda for the whole of the season and the year. It has been said that if Christmas were removed from the bible, all that would be lost would be about a chapter and a half from the beginning of both Matthew and Luke; but if the sense of preparation, expectancy, hope and longing that lies at the heart of the season of Advent were removed from the scriptures, you would have to delete about half of the Old Testament and most of the New.

So the first reading, taken from towards the end of the prophet Isaiah, contains a reflection on the nature of sin. Today, I want to reflect on three of the images that Isaiah uses to describe sin - straying, withered leaves and clay.

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Recorded at St Mary's, Leppington 8am (7'10")

You did it to me

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:33:29 PST

The feast of Christ the King provides us with Christ the prophet presenting this ominous and dark scene of the judgement - not only of the people of Israel or the New Covenant - but of all the nations gathered before the Lord, being separated according to the way that we have recognised the presence of the Lord in our midst. This recognition is ultimately centred on whether we understand the power of the Christ who died for us as King on a Cross.

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Recorded at St Paul's, 5.30pm (5'38")
Feast of Christ the King, Year A. Matthew 25

Jacaranda trees and exams

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:33:47 PST

One of the lovely things about living in the Sydney area is the veritable plethora of jacaranda trees that are in full blossom at this time of the year. When I see one of these trees, I am often reminded of the beautiful tree in one corner of the main quadrangle at Sydney University, and the sage advice that was given to first year students - make sure that you have begun to study for the final exams before the first blossom appears - or else you are very likely to fail. Since the tree usually only blossoms a week or two before the exams begin, this advice had considerable gravitas! Although many students are currently undertaking exams, or waiting expectantly for their results, we should not read the parable today as if at the heart of Christianity is an exam that God will drop on us at his return. This parable, like all the ones that Jesus tells, must be read in the light of all of his teaching, and in this instance both against the whole of Matthew's gospel and this fifth and final section of teaching (Matthew 23-25).

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Recorded at St Paul's 8am (10'02")
Sunday 33, Year A. Matthew 25:14-30.

New eMissal now available

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:38:01 PST

The Cover of the epub and mobi editions.

The new translation of the Roman Missal has been available for use in Australia since Pentecost Sunday this year, but the text only becomes compulsory from the First Sunday in Advent (27 November 2011). This is also the first time that the text will be used at all in the United States. I received my copy of the Roman Missal which is being used in Australia, England and Wales, and Scotland about six weeks ago and the American edition yesterday. Although the US edition is much cheaper (only $80 posted via Amazon) it lacks the elegance of the $460 British edition that we are using here in Australia.

When around Easter this year, while preparing material for a seminar on the new translation, I came across the full text of the US edition of the Missal on WikiSpooks website, my interest was piqued. Since I had just bought my iPad about the same time and discovered how helpful it was in liturgy preparation and delivery, I began to wonder about creating an electronic Missal. After experimenting with various formats and programs to create an eMissal for use on both the iPad and Kindle, I began the task of converting the scans of the Missal pages into first a Microsoft Word document, and then standardising the formatting and beginning the project of creating a hyperlinked HTML document that would be the basis of the subsequent ebooks. I doubt that I ever really contemplated exactly how much work would be involved in this project! The printed text runs to over 1500 pages, but I decided early in the project that one great advantage of an ebook is that you don't have to be constrained by the limitations of the size and weight of a larger and larger book. So I have provided a seamless text where I thought this would be useful - so for example, in the Eucharistic Prayer of the Roman Canon, there are proper forms of the 'Communicantes' which need to be inserted (or not) at various times during the year. Why not provide a seamless version of the Canon for each form? This is what I have done. Likewise I have provided proper forms of the Eucharistic Prayers for Nuptial Masses and Masses for the Dead. In other instances I have provided links to appropriate Prefaces or Eucharistic Prayers to follow on from every 'Prayer over the Offerings' - which is more than can be said of the printed Missal!

I used an earlier draft of the eMissal during our Diocesan pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Madrid in August, which proved how useful, flexible and helpful the format can be when travelling. There was a certain delight in using the new texts in such ancient churches and shrines such as the Conversion Chapel of St Ignatius at Loiola, the Catacombs and even in St Peter's Basilica itself! By the end of the trip even Bishop Peter was getting the hang of the navigation around the eMissal.

The copyright of these texts remains with ICEL - the International Commission on English in the Liturgy Corporation. I wrote to them to see what I would need to do to publish these texts officially; they were helpful, but said that I would need to get the approval of the ACBC which in turn would need to get recognition from the Vatican. ICEL suggested that this final recognition - which was only the next step in the process - was unlikely. I submitted an earlier draft of the eMissal to the Bishops Commission for Liturgy for consideration at their September meeting - but it did not make it onto the agenda.

The huge US 'chapel edition' by Liturgical Press.

Over the last few weeks I have been gradually correcting the text and inserting the additional English, Australian, Welsh and Scottish feast days to the existing American ones, as well as additional Masses for Various Needs and so forth from the final printed Missals. The additional sample forms of the Penitential Act are also available directly from the Introductory Rites, as also is the Blessing and Sprinkling Rite.

So in this spirit I offer this electronic Missal to the Australian and the Universal (English Speaking) Church, complete with the Proper of Saints that includes feast days for Australia, England and Wales, and Scotland as well as USA. If you have electronic texts of the Proper of Saints for other countries, please let me know!

This should still be considered a draft text.

If you spot errors or have suggestions for improvements, please let me know. I have not as yet included any of the music; I'm not sure that it is even on the agenda.

If using this eMissal on the Apple iPad, I recommend using the Apple iBooks app. I have just ordered a copy of the Kindle Touch to use in outdoor liturgies or in other situations where glare is a problem. Using the text on a PC, I recommend using Adobe Digital Editions (ePub) or Kindle for PC. If you would like the resource available in another format, please let me know...

So grace and peace to all who find and use this resource!

Mobi format (for use on Amazon Kindle): Roman Missal - eMissal
ePub format (for everything else): Roman Missal - eMissal

The hope of the Lord's coming

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:39:04 PST

During the month of November, there is a tradition of remembering the dead and praying for them - particularly during the Eucharist. Our liturgy this Sunday provides an opportunity to reflect upon this practice in the light of the Lord's coming and the judgement. When Paul writes his earliest letter, to the Thessalonians, he still had an expectancy that Jesus would come again soon. He knew that everything was now different because of the resurrection of Jesus, which was the first fruits of the new creation that God would bring about. So he describes the reasons that the church has to live in hope - even as we pray and mourn for those who have already died. We continue to do the same.

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Recorded at St Paul's (9'20")
Sunday 32, Year A: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18; Matthew 25: 1-13.

This was 'Thanksgiving Sunday' - the culmination of a four week 'Planned Growth Mission' renewal program; the homily was replaced by a video presentation as a lead-in to the pledge renewal, so I didn't actually preach this homily - it is just some thoughts on the readings today.

Don't call me father

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:39:21 PST

One of the things that you really have to admire about Catholics, is that we have taken the warning that Jesus offers us in today's Gospel (Matthew 23:1-12) so seriously, that there is almost no risk in finding room in the seats of honour at the front of the church - with people crowding around the back seats to ensure that there is always room at the front of the church for those that are more honoured. For those who humble themselves will be exalted. Well done! Although addressed to the scribes and Pharisees, clearly this Gospel is directed to all priests and leaders in our church and to challenge the attitude of everyone who follows the gospel.

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Recorded at St Mary's, Leppington 8am (7'52")
Sunday 31, Year A.

Learning to love

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:40:04 PST

There is nothing unusual in the question that Jesus is asked in our Gospel today (Matthew 22:34-40) - students would regularly ask visiting Rabbis this question - which is the greatest commandment. When there are 613 mitzva (commandments) to choose from in the books of Moses (the Torah or Pentateuch) it is no wonder that various people had attempted to rank and order them to make them more useful. So we see, for example, in Luke 10, that Jesus poses the question back to another lawyer who asks him what he must do to receive eternal life (which leads into the parable of the Good Samaritan) and we have a range of alternative answers available in the Rabbinic writings that support the choices of Jesus or offer alternatives.

The first commandment that Jesus calls upon is the most logical choice of any devout Jew who was called upon to recite the Shema at least twice daily - 'Hear O Israel, the Lord is God, the Lord is one' (Deut 6:4) which leads into the prescriptive commandment (rather than the proscriptive commandments like 'you shall not steal' or 'you shall not kill' - which comprised 365 of the laws - one for each day of the solar year; leaving 248 prescriptive commandments like 'honour your father and mother' - one for each of the organs in the human body) to 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul'. For the second commandment, Jesus jumps two books earlier to Leviticus, quoting from the end of Lev 19:18 to provide the missionary outcome of the first commandment - 'to love your neighbour as yourself'.

The first commandment then provides the basis of the first reason that the Church exists - to gather for worship and adoration of God as our expression of our love. The second commandment then addresses our need to share that love in works of compassion and evangelisation.

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Recorded at St Paul's, 6pm Vigil (10'30" - including final blessing)
Sunday 30, Year A.

Images and coin inscriptions

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:40:25 PST

The heat continues to rise between Jesus and his persecutors. Now the Herodians, who normally would not associate with the Pharisees, join forces to ask an impossible 'yes or no' question of Jesus - either answer would get him into trouble with his supporters or even arrested and killed by the Romans. The answer that Jesus provides is much more nuanced than we often imagine, and demonstrates the amazing gift of our Saviour to lead us through similar troubled waters.

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Recorded at St Pauls, Camden 5.30pm (11'34")
Sunday 29, Year A. Matthew 22:15-21

Come to the wedding

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:40:44 PST

In this final parable in the trilogy of parables that Jesus addresses to the scribes and elders of the people after his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Jesus draws on the image of the wedding banquet that Isaiah uses as a reminder that God has been inviting his people to share in the fullness of life with him as his Son and the bride (the Church) are united in the covenant of marriage. Just as many ignored or refused the invitation in the time of Jesus, so also many still refuse to come to the feast, or if they come, they fail to allow the hospitality of the Lord to impact upon them to change into the new life garments of justice, grace, mercy, love and peace.

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Recorded at St Paul's Camden, 10am (6'50")
Isaiah 25:6-14; Matthew 22:1-14

The fruit of creation

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:41:08 PST

The parable in today's Gospel from Matthew 21 continues directly from the parable last week (and leads naturally into the final parable of judgement in this trilogy, which we will have next Sunday) and again is addressed to the chief priests and elders gathered in the temple forecourt, while the crowd looks on, on the Monday of Holy Week. The listeners would have immediately thought of the similar parable from Isaiah 5 (our first reading) or Psalm 79(80) which tell the history of the people of God through the allegory of a vineyard. The parable is entirely poignant - especially given the setting and timing and drives home the reality of the pending passion of Jesus. The parable provides the church with an opportunity for a sobering reflection upon our own lives and the call of the Lord to bear good fruit as the tenants of the vineyard.

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Recorded at SJV, 7'30" (the final weekend in the parish)

The empty God

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:41:55 PST

To make sense of the gospel today, you need to see what has been happening earlier in chapter 25 of Matthew's gospel. At the beginning of the chapter Jesus and his disciples have made their triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the day that we now call Palm Sunday. He then proceeded to cleanse the temple, driving out the money changers and sellers. It is at this point that he is confronted by the scribes and chief priests who ask by whose authority this country-bumpkin from Galilee is acting like this? Jesus, as the good unoffical Rabbi, responds by putting a question to them about John the baptist's authority - from God or man? When they refuse to answer he then tells the story that is the Gospel today. Closely related to this passage is the utterly sublime hymn that forms the major part of our second reading today, taken from the letter of St Paul to the church in Philippi. The hymn called the Carmen Christi, is usually considered to pre-date the letter and thus is the earliest declaration of the church to this question of the authority of Jesus to act like this - 'his state was divine.'

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Recorded at SJV, 8.30am (9'23")

At the end of Mass, it was announced that Bishop Peter has appointed me as assistant priest to the parish of St Paul's Camden (Fr Michael Williams is the parish priest). Camden is the largest parish in NSW and the Diocese, and is growing rapidly with many young families. I will live in the presbytery in Camden; Fr Michael lives in Narellan. The appointment will take effect on 6 October 2011. At this stage there is no priest available to take my place here in the Lumen Christi Pastoral Region.

First and last

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:42:19 PST

The parable that Jesus tells today, from the beginning of Matthew 20, about a landowner hiring workers for his vineyard throughout the day - some who begin work at 6am and work for 12 hours for the agreed standard wage, and then various other groups who are employed at 9am, 12pm, 3pm and 5pm - is probably not your favourite - nor even in the top ten of the 40 parables that Jesus told. Many people find this parable annoying and unfair - particularly people who have been actively involved in the church for a long time!

Strangely, when it comes time to make payment, the owner calls the latest arrivals first and begins by paying them the standard rate - not for an hour's work, but for 12 hours work. Of course, those who had worked longer therefore expected that they would receive a more generous rate of pay - instead they only get what they agreed to in the first place. No matter how much the owner protests that he is not being unfair - he is paying what they had agreed to work for - the parable goes against our deeply ingrained sense of fairness and justice - a sense that even the youngest of children are able to know. To demonstrate this, just try setting unequal portions of icecream before a group of children, or cakes that are different sizes!
So how do we make sense of this parable?

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Recorded at SJV, 8.30am (9'29")

Breathing and forgiveness

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:42:47 PST

On this tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, it is providential that the Church offers the profound reflection that Jesus offers to Peter in response to his question 'how often must I forgive?' The answer that Jesus gives to Peter's already generous question - as many as seven times, when the standard Rabbinic answer at that time was three times - is stunning.

Whether we interpret the Greek text (ἕως ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά) to mean seventy-seven or seventy-times-seven, the point of this declaration and the parable that follows is clear - in the way of the kingdom of heaven, there can be no limit to the number of times that we forgive. Yet learning how to live like this - especially in the face of the world that we live in - requires a profound understanding of the nature of forgiveness.

Perhaps it is a bit like learning to breathe again?

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Recorded at SJV, 8.30am (8'54")
Sunday 24, Year A. Matthew 18:21-35.

The way of forgiveness

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:44:07 PST

Sometimes we might imagine that scripture is full of good advice and nice parables that are of quaint historical interest to those kind of people, but it is of little practical use to the rest of us living somewhere in the early twenty-first century. Today's passage from Matthew 18 should provide a necessary antedote to any such ideas! This compelling passage provides clear and deeply practical counsel about how to deal with any dispute that may arise within the Christian community. How different our world would look now if we had the courage to embrace this as a way of life!

The first thing to note is that Jesus realises that disputes will happen - a Christian community is full of saints-in-the-making - not people who are already holy and who have everything all together. Members of the body will sin and make mistakes. And we need to learn to deal with this. But dealing with it does not mean ignoring it or pretending that nothing happened in the first place. Forgiveness does not mean saying that it doesn't matter. Sin does matter. Anything that breaks the unity of the body does matter, because it is serious.

When there are disputes, when someone has done something that breaks the communion of the body, then we need to resolve this, to ensure that the concern of the Father - that not even one of these little ones should be lost - is fulfilled. We are rarely told in the pages of Scripture what the will of God is - so when we are told so clearly, we need to sit up and take notice!

So when a dispute happens - when someone has done something that is against the teachings of Jesus and the spirit of the kingdom of heaven, then we have in Matthew 18 a four-stage process to follow. One of the great tragedies of Christian history is that this clear process has so rarely been followed, and leaders and others have been too quick to jump to stage four and neglect the first three stages.

So first we need to ask for the courage to confront our brother or sister in love with the concern that we have. Note - take it directly to the person. Not your friend down the road, or to talk about it at work, to write about it on your blog, or on Twitter or Facebook; not call your local radio station and discuss it with the shock-jock or write a letter to the editor of the local newspaper. No, go in love to the person and share your concerns. If they listen - you have won back your brother or sister into the communion of the church. If not, and only then, take it to stage two.

Here Jesus invites us to seek the wisdom of others in the church - take it to one or two others, who can listen to both sides of the questions - who may be able to offer other insights and discern with both of you a way forward. If the person does not see a way through to reconciliation here, then you should take it to stage three - involving the wider body of the church. Note, there are only two cases where the word for church - ekklesia (the called out ones - the community that have been called from the world, into new life together with God) is used in the four Gospels - here and in Matthew 16, which we had two Sunday's ago. For Matthew and Jesus, their idea of the church community is probably much smaller and more intimate and way less institutional than our usual idea. The church community were those that you shared life with, and were able to know the essential details of the whole situation. They don't have in mind nameless and faceless bereaucrats on the other side of the world!

If there is still failure to win back the one who is breaking communion with the church after this three-stage process has been thoroughly undertaken - then, and only then - should the fourth stage be contemplated - which is to treat the person as a pagan or a tax collector. We must note, of course, that we find this passage in the Gospel of Matthew, the one who is called by Jesus in chapter 9, and who is a tax collector himself. He knows very well that the way that Jesus treats tax collectors is with great kindness and compassion - he eats with them, forgives them and shares life with them. A great model for true excommunication!

What would our church look like if we applied this passage with great courage and compassion?

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Recorded at SJV, 8.30am (12'20")

The power of kindness

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 05:24:24 PDT

I just had the most extraordinary conversation with a random man who turned up at the front door of the presbytery here at St John Vianney. He was quite distressed and wanted to share his story. About 30 years ago he had been mixing with the wrong kind of people, who taught him how to swindle clergy for money - which they used to buy alcohol of course. He told of the various stories that they made up - an aunt had died in Albury or Armidale and an uncle was able to drive him to the funeral, but as a pensioner he needed help with money for petrol, etc. (The stories are still much the same today!)

This particular day he came here to SJV and the priest wasn't willing or able to give him any money, but gave him his lunch instead. The man was so annoyed that he couldn't take money back to the others that he began cursing the kind and loving priest, spitting in his face, blaspheming, etc. Through all this the priest continued to show patient compassion, simply wiping the spit from and face and still tried to help the man. This is what caused so much distress over the years. He couldn't believe that the priest didn't get angry and strike back.

Although convicted for armed robbery, assault, drug dealing, etc and spending many years in and out of gaol - including some years in maximum security, it is this act of compassion that had stayed with him. He had to ask for forgiveness. He said that he has driven past this presbytery many times and he wanted to stop - but it was only tonight that he finally found the courage to not only ring the door bell but also wait for the answer.

I don't know who the priest was or if he is still alive, but his kindness and cool head that day had a profound impact upon this man (call him BM). It was a wonderful privilege to be able to share the gospel of grace, mercy and forgiveness with him tonight, to pray with him and watch the burden of so many years begin to lift and freedom finally begin to dawn in his shattered soul.

Bless his name!

Waiting for God to answer

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:45:07 PST

This homily was recorded in the conversion chapel of St Ignatius in Loiola in Spain, while on pilgrimage to World Youth Day in Madrid, which would begin the next day. The Gospel of the day was the story of Jesus and the Canannite woman in Matthew 15:21-28 - a very strange story indeed! The image of Jesus that is presented is not flattering and goes against so many of our ideas about what he should have been like. What might Jesus be doing in this story?

Waiting and growing...

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Recorded in Spain 6'25"

The way of grace

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:45:21 PST

The Gospel today begins with Jesus withdrawing to a lonely place to mourn and pray after hearing of the death of John the Baptist - his cousin, friend and comrade - only to find that this secret place has been invaded by crowds of people. Although he could respond in many ways, Jesus chose the way of compassion and grace. He demonstrates in this reading all that we have heard during the month of July about the way of the kingdom of heaven - hidden from the learned and the wise but revealed to infants.

Now he shows the disciples how to live in the way of grace - how to move beyond the despair of not being able to solve all the worlds problems, into the realisation that this way of grace means you can do what you can, with what you have, where you are - when it is blessed and broken by the Lord.

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Recorded at St John Vianney Church (10'36")

Leviticus and Jubilee

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:46:27 PST

The book of Leviticus doesn't get much of a run within the lectionary readings - just two weekday readings and a single reading during the Sunday cycle in Year A and Year B. Since there were none during the leactionary readings before the Second Vatican Council, this is a vast improvement. Nevertheless, Leviticus still has the record for stopping many valiant attempts to read the whole of the Bible. What this reading from Lev 25 does remind us about is the concern for justice that our God has. The Jubilee - even if it was never fully practiced in the life of Israel - speaks of God's desire to return people back to their basic freedom and their connection with the land.

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Recorded at the Catholic Fraternity Regional Meeting, Brisbane (8'03")

What do we want from God?

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:46:41 PST

Although we know many things about the life of King Solomon, we do not know how old he was when he came to the throne of Israel, to succeed his father David. Solomon is the tenth of David's sons, and as I Kings opens, he is described as not yet being an adult. So it is to a young and vulnerable Solomon , who doesn't "know how to go out or to go in" that the Lord appears in our first reading today, when He says "Ask what I shall give you." This kind of question occurs with some regularity across the pages of the scriptures and throughout Christian history: it seems that God wants to see what it is that we desire. How would we answer this question? What is our treasure hidden in a field? What is our pearl of great price?

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Recorded at St John Vianney Church, Mass with Disciples of Jesus Community (7'36")
Sunday 17, Year A. I Kings 3:5-14; Matthew 13:44-46

Wheat and weeds in the shining sun

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:47:02 PST

How many times have we heard something described as an 'act of God' or a disaster of biblical proportions, and wondered in our hearts - if God is indeed all-loving and all-powerful - then where is he in these times? Why doesn't he step in and prevent these disasters? Why do we see such powerful signs of evil in the world?

The parables that Jesus tells in today's Gospel begin to answer these questions. The wheat and the weeds in the field do grow together; good and bad are not separated by nations or religions - both are present in the world and both are present in our hearts. Our call is to recognise that there will be a judgement day and there will be a separation - the weeds will be gathered and burnt; but the wheat will be the righteous who will shine like the sun in the kingdom of the Father.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 10am (9'59")
Sunday 16A. Matthew 13

Creative word

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:47:24 PST

The Word of God is so creative, powerful and fruitful, that sometimes we need to go to a high place to see the incredible vista that the Lord provides before us. This is the image that St Paul uses in Romans 8 when he lifts us with him to see the vision of all creation groaning and longing for the revelation of the children of God. The powerful and prophetic Word of God (dabar) never returns empty - that is why the parable that Jesus tells of the sower of the seed is even more intriguing. The scattering of the seed willy-nilly suggests a farmer who is extremely foolish with such a precious commodity in first-century Israel. The grace the Lord offers is never stingy; he is always generous.

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Recorded at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, 10.30am (9'33")
Matthew 13:1-23; Isaiah 55:10-11; Romans 8:18-23

Resting in the Father

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:47:39 PST

As we return to the ordinary season of the year, we are given a most magnificent Gospel to land on, in Matthew 11:25-30. This gospel passage is unusual in the first three Gospels that rarely take us into the inner life of Jesus in his prayer to the Father. Here we are plunged into this moment when Jesus rejoices in the possibility that those around him might be able to share in the incredible intimacy that he shared with the Father - a secret that the inarticulate infants are able to grasp, but which is hidden from the learned and clever. If we wish, this secret is available to us as well - especially if we labour and are overburdened and want to finally find our place of rest.

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Recorded at the Kairos Young Adult weekend, QCCC Centre, Mt Tamborine. (11'17")

Liturgical Dance

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:48:01 PST

Reality TV shows like MasterChef have reminded us of the art involved in preparing a meal - you need the right equipment, the right techniques and especially the right ingredients in the correct balance to prepare the culinary masterpiece. The feast of the Body and Blood of Christ provides an opportunity to reflect on the interplay between the essential ingredients in the celebration of the Eucharist - the priest, the people and the ritual - especially in the light of the introduction of the new translation of the Third edition of the Roman Missal in Australia. Over the history of the church we have seen that too often one of these essential ingredients have been overly emphasised - to the detriment of the others and of the life of the church community.

Does the new translation offer a way forward to finding the correct balance between all three elements in a new spiritual liturgical movement?

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Recorded at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, 9'55".
Corpus Christi.

God is love

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:48:16 PST

When you read through the scriptures, one thing that modern readers might expect are passages that point to proofs for the existence of God. And yet there is not a single place that we can turn to to find something even remotely close to a De Deo Uno (Concerning One God) treatise that you find in classical and medieval theology. In fact the closest that you get is the statement that begins Psalm 14 and 53 - 'The fool says in his heart, "There is no God".' The bible - like all of the ancient near east, simply takes for granted the existence of God.

So what does the bible tell us about the nature of God? What are the images that you find that can help to illuminate the profession of faith of the early Church that God is three in one?

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Recorded at St Brigid, Gwynneville, 9am (10'49")
Trinity Sunday | John 3:16-18

Come Holy Spirit

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:48:36 PST

This feast is a demonstration of the unique Christian understanding of grace and salvation. Before this day, although the disciples knew of the reality of the resurrection of Jesus and the fulfillment of the many prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures, they were still huddled together in fear - until the Spirit comes - then they become the Church.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 10am (9'45")
Pentecost Sunday, Year A.

Heaven and earth together

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:49:10 PST

The feast of the Ascension can be one of those feast days that seems utterly bizarre and irrelevant - it is so mythological and pre-scientific to border of pointless. Or if we can reclaim it somehow in our understanding of its place in the life of Jesus, we can still be left wondering what this means for us. One bridge that we first have to cross is the acknowledgment that much of our thinking is not biblical - we are more formed by the systems of thought that the western world has taken from the ancient Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle than they are by the rich eastern and Hebrew spirituality of the Bible. We tend to think of the world in a dualistic way - divisions between spirit and matter, between good and bad, here and there, now and then. When we think of heaven and earth, we try to fit them into one or several of these dichotomies. But this doesn't help us to approach the Ascension and its meaning - to do this we must dive into the original biblical vision.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 8.30am (11'15")
Ascension Sunday. Acts 1:1-11; Matthew 28:16-20.

Renovations at SJV - Stage 2

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 19:32:31 PDT

Photo gallery showing some of the recent works in the renovations...
View the album for the whole set of photos.

https://picasaweb.google.com/richard.healey/RenovationsAtSJVStage2

Signs of the Spirit

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:50:03 PST

As we move through the Easter season, the liturgy today moves in its focus from looking back to the events of Easter, to looking forward in anticipation of the gift of the Holy Spirit poured out upon the Church at Pentecost. All the readings today provide insights and guidance concerning the life in the Spirit and how this can be recognised and discerned. We are given a range of different hints across the readings today about what it means to live in the Spirit and to long for the Spirit to work in our lives.

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Easter 6A. 8'21".

Chosen race and royal priesthood

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:50:19 PST

During Easter we have been reading from the first letter of St Peter, and we come today to what must be one of the most extraordinary declarations in scripture. Peter addresses a mixed community - young and old, men and women, gentiles and Jews, leaders and members - and to each person he reminds us that Jesus has drawn very near to us and wants to make us into living stones to form a spiritual house. Then, using words that were once addressed to the tribes of Israel gathered with Moses around the mountain of Sinai, he then declares that we share in this same dignity and more - of being a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. Strangely the liturgy omits verse 10, which declares, 'You were once no people, but now you are God's people; once you had no mercy, but now you have received mercy.'

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 12noon (Mass with Disciples of Jesus Community, 8'54")
Sunday 5A in Easter. 1 Peter 2:4-10.
Post #150!

The road from Emmaus

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:50:33 PST

This powerful resurrection story is well known and often repeated. It shows the creative power of Luke's narrative and has intrigued saints and scholars over the centuries. One saint who has a wonderful commentary on the story is St Bede the Venerable, the famous 8th century English historian and doctor of the Church. He brings his analytical insights to the narrative to provide us with the power of this story for our own lives.

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Easter Sunday 3A. Luke 24. 9'36"

Peace be with you

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:50:50 PST

'Peace be with you' - this is the greeting that Jesus proclaims to the disciples when he appears to them - even if they are locked behind closed doors for fear of the same fate falling on them as has just happened to Jesus. But the peace that Jesus promised, and the peace that he now gives to them is much more than the absence of fear, conflict, violence or noise. This peace, the true 'shalom' of the Lord, is infinitely creative and becomes one of the true signs of the new creation that happens in the resurrection. This is the peace that we are invited to share in and to be ambassadors of the peace that is only known in the wounds of Jesus.

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Recorded at St Brigid's, 9am (9'43")
Easter Sunday 2A - Octave Day (John 20)
Divine Mercy Sunday, Beatification of Pope John Paul the Great

Living on the third day

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:51:03 PST

Welcome to the third day - the day when everything is different because of that day - which John calls the first day of the new week, when the tomb was empty. On Friday we waited in silence and we mourned and lamented. We so often live our whole lives on Friday. We are shocked by the latest scandal, disaster, war or sin. We live in quiet despair, in anxiety and fear. We imagine that the darkness that we see around us is all that there is. But that is not the end of the story. Jesus didn't stay on the cross and his body is no longer in the tomb. Everything is different now because we live on the third day. The day when we remember that resurrection changes the game. Resurrection shows us that God has not finished with the world yet - the world that he loved into creation. This world that we call home is slowly being changed and transformed, renewed and restored. God has not abandoned our world and God will not abandon our world, because this is the world that he loves. But it is only when we leave Friday behind that we have the eyes to see how and why everything is different on the third day - on Resurrection Sunday. But the choice is ours. We can choose to stay and live on Friday. Or we can believe in the one who left Friday behind and begin to live with him on the third day - to be children of the resurrection.

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Recorded at St John Vianney (8'49")
Easter Sunday morning.

Resurrection Day (Vigil)

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:51:18 PST

The Easter Vigil provides us with the opportunity to be immersed within the story of our salvation and the continuing work of God - from creation to redemption. So it is only appropriate that we make Alleluia our song as we celebrate the day of Resurrection and become builders of the new creation.

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Recorded at St John Vianney (11'55")

Music included Gospel Acclamation 1 from Rivers Youth Mass (emmanuelworship) and Alleluia (Iona Community)

Betrayal, lies and grace

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:51:36 PST

The Palm Sunday liturgy crams an amazing array of emotions into an hour - from the jubilation of the triumphant entry into Jerusalem to the heartbreak and desolation of betrayal, sleep, violence, cowardice, lies, false witness, racial abuse, denial, pride, anger - the reality of so much human sin on display. It is precisely into all of this sin that the person of Jesus enters and journeys - until he can take it all on board in the violence of the cross and allow love to win the final victory.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 10am (5'35")
Palm Sunday. Matthew 26-27.

Roll the stone away from the stink

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:51:58 PST

This most powerful healing story - perhaps the ultimate miracle with the raising of a man four-days dead - begins so simply with a description of the fact that a man called Lazarus was ill. Most of our English biblical names have come to us via the Latin Vulgate translation. In the original Hebrew, Lararus would have been called El'Azar - which means God helps and he lived with his two sisters Miryam and Marta in Bethany (or Biet'Anyah, which means 'house of the afflicted') - an appropriate place for someone who was ill. El'Azar then becomes a sign for anyone who is afflicted in anyway, and who needs the help of God. So why does Yeshua (Jesus) wait two days to visit his beloved friends?

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Recorded at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, 9.00am (12'06")
Lent Sunday 5A. John 11:1-45

Blinded by the light

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:52:13 PST

To truly appreciate the full scope of this sixth sign in the gospel of John - the healing and faith of the man born blind - we need to remember the full scope of John's spiritual vision. John is always leading us to look back to the beginning of creation and forward to the wonders of the new creation that was already breaking in through the ministry of Jesus and would find its final fulfillment in the resurrection of Jesus. Let us journey with the man in his encounter with Jesus, the neighbours and the pharisees across the eight scenes of this story to see where we also may be led.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 10am (10'59")
Lent, Sunday 4A. John 9:1-42.

Thirst quenched by living water

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:52:27 PST

The story of the woman at the well presents many strange scenes in this most beautiful Gospel. John 4 begins by telling us that Jesus learnt that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was baptising and making more disciples than John the Baptist (although it wasn't Jesus who was baptising, but his disciples - apparantly) and for this reason he has to leave town and head north to the more peaceful lands of Galilee. But rather than go to usual - albeit longer road down to the Jordan river valley and up to the Lake, Jesus takes the shorter but riskier road through Samaritan territory.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa during Mass with the Disciples of Jesus Community. (12'07")
Lent, Sunday 3A.

Goat or Calf?

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:52:57 PST

During this Mass for the Anointing of the Sick, the Gospel of Lent week 2 Saturday was from Luke 15 - the parable of the Prodigal Son. We often focus on the younger son, but this brief reflection looks at the older son and compares the two by way of the two animals that the guests gather around in the party that is held to honour the return of the younger son - the fattened calf and the scrawny goat.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 9am Mass (4'45")
Note, the first word of the recording was cut-off: it should be 'To..."

The recording was made with the iPhone sitting on the pulpit, so the quality is not as good - but not bad.
Thanks also go to Rob Bell for the insights about the goat and calf in his new book, 'Love Wins.'

The voice of justice

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 19:42:49 PDT

If justice and injustice were in the flesh, what would they say to us?
Which voice would commend, which would rebuke — and whose voice would be most familiar?

The Voice of Justice from The Justice Conference on Vimeo.

See more: http://www.thejusticeconference.com/

Changed by cross and glory

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:53:18 PST

On the second Sunday in Lent each year we join Peter, James and John to witness that incredible moment when Jesus is changed (in the Greek, metamorphoo, which you can probably discern from the word is an aorist indicative passive third person singular verb, which is a form of 'metamorphosis' meaning 'to remodel' or 'to change into another form') before their eyes to show his glory as the Son of God. The three apostles are joined by two other, more ancient witnesses - Moses and Elijah - as together they worship before the presence of the Lord. In Matthew's Gospel, there are three prominent mountains - the one that we have journeyed with over many weeks before Lent began - the mountain where the Sermon of Matthew 5-7 was delivered; our mountain today (traditionally listed as Mt Tabor, but Mt Hermon, being closer to Caesarea Philippi where Mt 16 ends is more likely - but it is more inaccessible and less pilgrim-friendly); and the 'high place' of Calvary. All three need to be seen in the light of each other.

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa, 6pm Vigil (8'25")
Lent 2, Year A. Matthew 17:1-9

Garden and wilderness

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:53:42 PST

As we begin this new season of Lent, we are taken back to the garden of Eden to witness both the life of tranquility and peace that originally existed and then the condition during and after the fall. When the serpent entered into the picture, the lies and deception begin to flow and the consequences are immediately felt. The coexistence of heaven and earth - with God living in peace with the humans in the garden and sharing life and enjoying each others company - all of this changes, and the man and woman discover they are naked. Now shame becomes a reality and they try to hide from one another by covering up behind their fig leaves. We think we are more sophisticated and hide behind titles, honours, work, houses, toys and gadgets. But the choice that Eve and Adam made are still open to us. Will we stay with the Lord in the garden, or will we allow the exultation of human freedom to drive God out of lives as we flee into the wilderness?

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8'02" (St Brigid's, Gwynneville)
Lent 1A

(Last week was the Bishop's Pastoral Letter for Lent, which was played in the place of the homily across the Diocese.)

Worry, money and insurance

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:54:02 PST

The fact that Jesus repeats a phrase seven times in our Gospel reading today perhaps suggests that there is something he wants us to learn. In a world that values money, security and wealth much more highly than the glories of God's creation, the words of Jesus invite us to embrace a different way of being. One imagines that when Jesus preaches the sermon on the mount, he was surrounded by the lilies of the field in the Galilee spring and as he gestures upwards to the birds of the air there were many wheeling and flying free - just the same as Jesus lived and calls his disciples to live in the same freedom - embracing the amazing gifts of creation and the bounty and generosity of God.

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Recorded at SJV, 8.30am (8'45")
Sunday 08A. Matthew 6:24-34

Renovations at SJV

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sat, 26 Feb 2011 21:37:23 PST

The parish Church at Fairy Meadow is soon to undergo a range of renovations - improvements to the sanctuary, the main body of the church and to the entrances and landscaping. Some of the work will require that the church is closed (during which time all Masses will be transferred to the parish church in Balgownie). The architects who are preparing the work have prepared a 3D fly-though of the church - so I thought it may be of some interest!

You can find out more information at the Parish website: www.lumenchristi.org.au

Offer the left cheek

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:54:33 PST

A story told by Eugene Peterson (the author of The Message Bible - a translation in very contemporary English) of the day when the tables were turned on Garrison Johns - the school yard bully who had beaten up on Eugene every day after school for seven months - highlights the way that we have often read this teaching of Jesus. Perhaps if we reconstruct what this teaching would have meant to the first hearers, we can discover a richer source for reflection.

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 8.30am (9'35")
Sunday 07 in the Year (A)
Matthew 5:38-48

But I say to you

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:54:48 PST

Often we imagine - to tell you the truth - that the teaching of Jesus was much softer that the hard edges of the laws of Moses. Yet - to be honest with you - what we discover in today's Gospel (Matthew 5:17-37) is the very opposite of this. In the face of an ages' long understanding that the role of a Rabbi was to simply repeat what they had been taught by their master Rabbi, Jesus dares to teach something new. And when he declares that 'you have heard it said' and then he goes on to say 'but I say to you...' the new teaching that he gives does not soften the laws - they sharpen them into instruments that are capable to reaching deep inside each of our hearts with frightening effect.

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 8.30am (7'48")

Sunday 06 A

Salt and Light already

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:55:03 PST

As we continue to journey through the sermon on the mount, lest we imagine that the kingdom of heaven is only something that will happen in the distant future, today we are given two promises that serve as concrete declarations of the kingdom breaking into our present reality. Jesus tells the crowd of disciples (who lets face it are rather daft at times - not like us?) that 'You are the salt of the earth' and 'You are light of the world.' It is interesting that he says 'you', not 'them'; he says 'are' not 'should be' or 'will be' and he says 'of' not 'from' - so what does this mean?

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Recorded at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, 5'45" on a 44 degree day!
Sunday 5 in the season of the year (A)

Blessing of Mercy and Peace

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:55:15 PST

We begin to sit at the feet of Jesus as he shares the sermon on the mountain with his disciples (including us) and begins by reminding us that at the heart of Christianity is the desire of God that we should know fullness of life (blessing) in him. When we examine the series of eight blessings, perhaps we should first start with the ones that seem closest to the nature of God (sharing his hesed / mercy and peace) and conclude with those that might point in the direction of things that could prevent us from experiencing this life of beatitude.

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Sunday 04A.
Recorded at St John Vianney, 8.30am (10'21")

I did not record a homily last Sunday during my time with NET Ministries in Queensland.

Longing for the Lamb

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:55:35 PST

In last Sunday's feast of the Baptism, we saw that Jesus - despite the expectations of John the Baptist - identified with sinners and went down into the muddy waters of the Jordan River. This week in Brisbane we saw first hand the destructive power of nature in the floods that have devastated so many communities and destroyed so many lives and properties. The question naturally is asked - where was God in the midst of all this. In light of last Sunday's Gospel, and our first reading today (1 Corinthians) we can see that God is where Jesus is - right in the midst of the water. Where was God? Well, where was the body of Christ - the Church? And we saw that the Church was right in the midst of the Brisbane community - helping people to evacuate, preparing houses, providing shelter, helping to clean up, offering couselling, praying for protection.

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Sunday 02A.
Recorded at St Mary Magdalene Church, Bardon (9'11")
Isaiah 49; I Cor 1:1-3; John 1:29-34

Baptism of the Lord

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:55:53 PST

The Baptism of the Lord. When we celebrate the feast, we can forget just what it would have meant for those who were there the day that Jesus arrived at the Jordan River to be baptised by John. John preaches that the Messiah will come to cleanse and purify with his fire and power - instead, Jesus presents himself as just another sinner needing to be cleansed and purified. Rather than the Holy One of Israel, the first public action of Jesus is the sinner of Israel, joining other sinners like us in the muddy waters of the Jordan. What does this teach us about our lives?

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Recorded at Emmanuel Community Eucharist, BEAT School of Music, St Laurence's College, Brisbane (7'51")

The journey of the Magi

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:56:31 PST

Feast of the Epiphany. The journey of the magi provides us with an opportunity to reflect on our own relationship with Christ and the lengths that we go to seek out truth and bring our lives in worship before the child king in Bethlehem.

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Recorded at SJV, 6pm (7'00")

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Recorded at SJV, 10.30am (6'41")

Family Models

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:25 PST

On the feast of the Holy Family, we are presented with various images and models of family. St Paul encourages us to be clothed in love as we allow the message of Christ to find a home within us. In the gospel, St Matthew in Herod and Joseph gives us two figures that provide powerful reflections on the place of family in society.

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Recorded at St Francis Xavier Cathedral, 10.30am (7'37")

The word revealed in the sight of all the nations

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:00:43 PST

We are reminded in the prologue to the Gospel of John of the incredible power of the word of God - a word that changed the course of human history in ways that we will never understand. Some of the most defining moments in human history have been shaped and defined by human words - speeches like that of Abraham Lincoln at the declaration of the Gettysburg Memorial during the American Civil War (19 Nov 1863); or the words of Pastor Martin King Jnr on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington almost a century later (28 August 1963); or the words declared by Pope John Paul in Victory Square in Warslaw soon after he was elected pope, on his first visit to his homeland in June 1979. Human words have such power. How much more the word of God?

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Christmas Day - Mass during the day.
St JohnVianney Church, 8.30am (10'54")

Rethinking familiar stories

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:01:10 PST

When we hear the Christmas story proclaimed in the Gospel of Luke, we are more than likely so very familiar with the basic story line, that we simply switch off, or switch into sentimental childhood memories replete with lots of non-biblical details. When we actually look closely at the story, perhaps what we see in some of the deeply biblical details will surprise us. For example, who is the first person who is mentioned in the story that was just read (Luke 2:1-14)? And how does that fit with standard story-telling in the first century middle-east?

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Recorded at Mater Dolorosa Church, Balgownie, 8pm Christmas Eve (9'43") - including part of Michael Card's Overture to the Trilogy that I began Mass with.

Big dreams and promises

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:01:28 PST

In our final Advent Sunday, the magnificent prophecies from the book of Isaiah turn with a very specific promise made to a very specific king - the young man Ahaz (only 20 in 735BCE) who finds himself hemmed in from every side by enemies. He doesn't know where to turn and is most likely quite justified in his depression, when the Lord himself comes to him with a most extraordinary request - ask me for a sign. And no ordinary small one - as deep as Sheol or as high as the heavens. But Ahaz demonstrates a lack of imagination when he feigns humility and piety by saying it isn't right to put the Lord to the test. A strange response when it is the Lord who made the request. Listen to hear the rest of the story and how it connects with the Gospel from Matthew.

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Advent 4A. Isaiah 7:10-14; Matthew 1:18-24
Recorded at SJV, 6pm and 8.30am (9'25") with 'Waiting for the Child' by Michael Mangan.

Waiting and growing

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:01:53 PST

As we celebrate Gaudete (Rejoice!) Sunday, we remain with the figure of St John the ~~Catholic~~ Baptist - but now, we are not at the very beginning of his prophetic ministry, but almost at the end. He is in prison because of his objections to the marriage of the claimed king of Israel, Herod (who used a reed swaying in the breeze as his emblem) and perhaps he is pondering why Jesus is not exactly like the one that he prophesised about (which we read in the Gospel last Sunday). Or perhaps he is simply pushing the boundaries of his disciple's minds - wanting them to think more deeply and wait patiently for the answer to who Jesus truly is. Perhaps we are being called to do exactly the same?

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Advent 3A. Recorded at St Francis Xavier, 9am (9'06")

Washed in the desert

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:03:51 PST

As we continue our journey through this sacred season of Advent, we are again given the majestic vision of the glory of the Lord bringing peace and unity to all creation - all as the fruit of a small shoot that grows from the root of Jesse. As Christians, we profess that this shoot is the Messiah that we worship every time we gather for the Eucharist, our Lord Jesus. Before we can understand the place of the Messiah, first we need to reflect on the ministry of John, as he calls the people to join him out in the desert to confess our sins and be washed in the waters of the Jordan.

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Advent 2A. Recorded at SJV 6pm (8'50")

Gathering on the mountain

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:04:06 PST

As we begin a new liturgical season, and indeed a new year - the first year in our three year cycle of readings - it seems appropriate that the first image that is presented to us is something that is so deeply ingrained in my psyche - the mountain as a sacred place. I grew up in the shadow of a beautiful mountain - Mumbulla Mountain in the Bega Valley, a place that is sacred to my family and to the Aboriginal people. Our readings begin with the vision of the Prophet Isaiah of all the nations streaming up to the holy mountain of the Lord, and being changed and transformed by the law and ways of God, as we worship together. (7'19")

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Advent 1A.

A king on a cross

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:04:39 PST

Christ the King - the final Sunday in the Season of the Year. This feast, and the image of king, undoubtably invokes many images. This week it was announced that Prince William and Kate Middleton were finally engaged which caused many hearts to race in anticipation of a royal wedding in the middle of 2011. As much as I would like to be excited by such things, the British monarchy doesn't really do anything for me. When we think about a king, I am sure the many plays and movies that we have watched would supply a myriad of imagery - huge thrones, crowns with bling-galore, magnifent state rooms and equally splendid attendants bowing and scraping before the exalted presence. And although this image sometimes appears in scripture, the dominant image that is given to us this Sunday is so radically different.

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Recorded at SJV, 8.30am (7'04")

Asteroids and kingdoms

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:04:53 PST

Sunday 33 in Year C; Luke 21:5-19. In the Gospel, which takes place in the final days of Jesus ministry in Jerusalem, the country-yokel disciples remark on how magnificent the temple is. Thinking back to the impression that the very first time that I beheld the incredible magnificence of St Peter's Basilica in Rome some sixteen years ago, I wonder how I would have reacted if we had met a crazy Cardinal who told us that not a single stone would be left standing on another. Then Jesus begins to tell us of all the possible calamities that may befall the earth, kingdoms and families. Cheery stuff indeed!

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Recorded at SJV Vigil, 8'49"

Life, death, hands, feet, bodies and couches

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:05:10 PST

Now that our journey with Jesus to Jerusalem has finally reached its climax in the triumphant entry into the city, the tension only continues to increase. Likewise, as the liturgical year rapidly draws to a close, the church this week offers readings that invite us to reflect on what happens to us - and very specifically what happens to our bodies after we die. So why do our bodies matter? Shouldn't we only worry about our souls? Or is it okay to buy a new couch? Listen in for all this and more!

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Recorded at SJV 6pm

The today of salvation

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:05:42 PST

As we move into the final stage of our journey to Jerusalem in the gospel of Luke we find Jesus on the move through the town of Jericho. On the wings there appears this short, wealthy chief tax collector who for some unknown reason decides that climbing a tree is a good way to avoid becoming the centre of attention. In short order, the despised and socially outcast Zacchaeus is hurried and welcomed into the presence of Jesus, as the Lord decides that his house is the place to be and all heaven breaks loose as the kingdom of God breaks into the life of this son of Abraham.

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Recorded at St JohnVianney, 8.30am (10'41")

Religion binds us

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:06:09 PST

The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) invites us to reflect not just on what true prayer is about, but also on what religion is all about in the first place. The parable encourages us to ponder deeply about the truth of what we share in common - especially as we commemorate Mission Sunday and we are invited to understand our connection to the church around the world, and in a particular way this year, with the many needs of the people of Timor Leste. (8:30)

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Trusting in God's goodness

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:06:24 PST

The Gospel (Matthew 6:25-34) chosen for the feast of St Mary of the Cross provides an amazing antidote to the modern (and ancient) tendency to worry about just about everything - what we are to eat, drink, wear. Is the vision that Jesus expresses simply Utopian or does this teaching of Jesus and the lived experience of St Mary provide a most brilliant model for how to live in the present moment?

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Recorded at St John Vianney (08'08")

Naaman's spiritual odyssey

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:06:39 PST

Sunday 28C - The healing of ten lepers in Luke 17 is a classic Lukan story that has its proper place on the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem. But to truly understand the power of this story for our own lives we need to revisit the full story of the healing of Naaman that we read only a small extract from 2 Kings 5 to see what lessons we can learn for our own lives. The work of Russian linguist and folklore analyst Vladimir Propp (1895-1970) may also be helpful in understanding what is at stake when Naaman listens to the advice of a enemy and foreign slave girl to travel to Jerusalem to enlist the help of a prophet by the name of Elisha.

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Recorded at St John Vianney (11'17")

A hunger to be fed

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:07:05 PST

Celebration of First Holy Communion (Readings from the feast of Body and Blood of Christ) in St John Vianney Parish. The final of two special Masses.

Like when Jesus gathered with his disciples, we continue to gather to be fed by the Lord in the readings and to be united by him in this meal of new life and new hope. Jesus fed the huge crowd first with his word of life and then with food. When the disciples ask Jesus to feed the crowd, he first asks them to give them something to eat. The disciples forget that Jesus can do anything - he did after all just walk across the water.

This is especially the case as we also are invited to allow the kingdom of God to break into our lives, so that we can be changed by our encounter with the very presence of the Lord.

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Recorded at St John Vianney Church, 12noon (4'44")

Before this Mass (like last week) I asked the Year Three children to suggest a few words that I had to include in the homily that I shared with them. Initially they suggested words like 'Jesus', 'bread', 'wine', 'bible', 'God', 'eucharist', but then their words became a little more left-field, like 'random', 'rubber suit' and 'chocolate'. Hopefully this may explain why there appear to be these slightly random words today and last Sunday ;-)

The decision of the dishonest manager

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:07:21 PST

Sunday 25C - Luke 16:1-13

Across the Gospels, Jesus tells something like 40 parables (a good biblical number); there are 23 in Matthew, 9 in Mark, 28 in Luke but none in John; seven are found in all three of the Synoptic Gospels (Mt, Mk, Lk) and various ones are found in two gospels; some are unique to Matthew (10); one is unique to Mark; 15 are unique to the Gospel of Luke. Among these parables that are unique to the Gospel of Luke are some of the most-loved of all the parables that Jesus told - ones like the Good Samaritan and the ones that we had last Sunday - the lost sheep (also told in Matthew), the lost coin and the lost son. But I doubt if there are many people (if any?) who would claim the Parable of the dishonest manager as their most loved parable. Do you?
The parable has perplexed scholars and saints across the centuries - in part because it is not absolutely clear where the parable ends and the words of Jesus begin. Is the master (Greek kyrios) in 16:8 the master in the story or the Lord Jesus? Mostly today the parable is considered to finish at 16:8a, and the words of Jesus begin with "for the children of this age..." which makes sense.
So is it possible to read this powerful parable in a new way so that it may even become your favourite? Probably not, but let's try...

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Recorded at St John Vianney (11'26")

New life and new hope

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:07:36 PST

Celebration of First Holy Communion (Readings from the feast of Body and Blood of Christ) in St John Vianney Parish at the first of two special Masses. Like when Jesus gathered with his disciples, we continue to gather to be fed by the Lord in the readings and to be united by him in this meal of new life and new hope. This is especially the case as we also are invited to allow the kingdom of God to break into our lives, so that we can be changed by our encounter with the very presence of the Lord.

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 12noon (4'26")

Grace is found beyond justice

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:08:19 PST

Sunday 24 (Year C) - Luke 15:1-32
I heard during the week of an Australian policeman who has been working for many years in the highlands of Papua New Guinea with the local tribes people there. For many generations their custom has been to seek vengeance for any slight or injury through violence, and consequently the incidence of injury by axe and machete is very high. But through this policeman, slowly this community is discovering a different way of dealing with conflict - the way of justice. We could dismiss this as just being the behaviour of people who are much more primitive then ourselves. And yet...
Today, many people around the world are remembering what we were doing nine years ago, when we heard about the events of September 11, 2001. I was on a silent retreat, so it was only when I went to Mass that morning that I heard the brothers in the monastery pray about the events in the Prayer of the Faithful. I am sure that everyone here is able to tell exactly where they were and what they were doing when they heard the news; news that continues to have ramifications across the world, as Australia continues to be part of the so-called coalition forces in Afghanistan and Iraq. We also heard during the week of an American pastor who thought that the most appropriate response to a mosque being built near ground zero was to burn copies of the Koran. All of these responses are simply one level of responding within the boundaries of justice.
But although we worship a God of justice, our God is so much more than just. He doesn't just deal with us according to the demands of justice - he treats us with the mercy that we never deserved. This is one of the reasons that the Pharisees - good, God-fearing, upright and religious men and women who are faithful to the demands of the law, and cannot understand how this Jesus person can bear to share with these notorious tax-collectors and sinners. Unlike St Paul, himself a former Pharisee, who knew that he never deserved to be treated specially or that he deserved to be saved, these people think that they merit the kingdom of God because of their good works and deeds. It is in that context that Jesus tells the three parables that comprise the whole of Luke 15 - the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 8.30am (7'50")

Happy Fathers' Day - so hate your mother and father!

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:08:34 PST

Sunday 23 - season of the year (C); Fathers' Day
In the Gospel today, we have this most striking response by Jesus as the crowds of people flock to hear him - 'unless you hate your father, mother, sister, brother, wife/husband, children and even hate yourself, you cannot be my disciples.' Clearly Jesus needs to go back to leadership training and reread those famous books on how to win friends and influence people. This Gospel was even more striking for me, since we celebrated this weekend with my family my parent's Golden wedding anniversary. It seemed a little odd as I began Mass last night with, "well, Mum and Dad, as we gather as a family to celebrate with you this incredible milestone in our lives, let me begin by being faithful to the Gospel today and declaring how much I hate you. Oh, and happy anniversary!"

So what is all this about then? What is Jesus asking of would-be disciples? What are we called to be and do? How can we find contentment, fulfillment and happiness? How do our relationships fit into this discipleship way of life?

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 8.30am (5'10")

Mount Zion and the heavenly Jerusalem

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:08:51 PST

In the liturgy of this 22nd Sunday (Year C), we are given an insight into exactly what is really happening when we gather for the Eucharist, with this magnificent reading from the book of Hebrews. All that we see around us, as rich and as beautiful as it usually is, is only a glimpse of the untold beauty of the worship that is actually happening as we gather in the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 8.30am (10'25")

Entering the gate of Jesus

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:10:49 PST

Many years ago, when I was a uni student in Sydney, I wanted to head back home to Bega for a family function. These was the days before the Internet (remember those?) so I bought the bus ticket from a travel agent and duly headed into the Coach Terminal at Central Station to catch the designated bus. I arrived nice and early at the terminal, and was a little surprised that there were no other passengers waiting around. I waited for the scheduled departure time, checking my ticket and the clock tower to make sure that my watch wasn't playing up. And so I waited. And waited. When more than thirty minutes after the scheduled departure time had passed and realised there was a number for the coach company on the ticket, so I gave them a call. Apologetically, they informed me that they had that week changed their departure schedule, and the travel agent had put the old time on the ticket. The bus I was supposed to catch had left an hour before and no other buses were running that day; so I had no other choice but to go back to my Sydney home and try again the next day. (My dear mother did write to the company and get a refund and a travel voucher, so all was not lost!)

So, do you have a ticket to heaven? Is it valid? Or has the salvation bus already left?

Have you ever had the experience of meeting evangelical or fundamentalist Christians who have asked you the question, "if you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?" There only seems to be one question that they ask. So, if you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven? What about your brother/sister/mother/father/son/daughter/grandchild/neighbour/friend/colleague?

In the gospel today, Jesus is asked the question, 'will there only be a few saved?' Although this is a question we rarely think about, it is one that many people, from the Rabbis in the days of Jesus right through the centuries have often pondered and attempted to answer. In the Gospel, Jesus doesn't answer, but tells us to 'strive to enter by the narrow gate.' So what exactly is going on?

So how many will be saved? Do we think that Origin of Alexandria (3rd century) was correct when he surmised that in the end, because of the love and mercy of the Lord, the goodness of creation and that we have all been created in the image and likeness of God - that all would end up being saved? Or do we more tend to think that St Augustine of Hippo was right, who wrote in the fourth century that most of humanity were going to be damned and only a very few would be saved?

When Jesus tells us to enter by the narrow gate - what makes the gate narrow, and who or what is the gate? Does the Gospel Acclamation today help us? - when we are reminded of one of the seven declarations of Jesus in John's gospel, usually called the "I am" statements - "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me." But then what do we make of this final vision of the book of Isaiah with all the nations who do not know the Lord finally coming to see the glory of God; or the second reading (Hebrews 12) about the Lord correcting and training his children.

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[8'51"] Sunday 21 C

Mary and the Ark

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:11:13 PST

The liturgy of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin presents a cacophony of images to us: the Ark of the Covenant in the temple of heaven; a woman clothed with the sun with the moon at her feet and a crown of twelve stars; a pug-ugly, fearsome and hungry dragon; and then by contrast the ordinary and humble scene of a woman visiting her kinswoman which results in this most magnificent declaration of praise for what God has done by breaking into the world. Added to all these images is the equally striking declaration of St Paul when he writes to the Corinthians about the effects and consequences of the bodily resurrection of Jesus. What are we to make of all these images and how do they relate to the Assumption of Mary?

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 8'49"
Background music - Memorial (by Explosions in the Sky)

It has pleased the Father to give you the kingdom

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:11:26 PST

19th Sunday, Year C (Feast of Blessed Mary MacKillop)

It is appropriate that the Australian church remembers Blessed Mary MacKillop today, with the opening line of the Gospel (Luke 12:32-48) being a powerful reminder to us the idea of grace - 'There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.' In the Father's kingdom, there is the need to both give and receive - so sell your posessions and give alms. A great image of this that I have found helpful is the process that I like to do regularly - breathing. Because the only way to breathe well is to both breathe in and breathe out.

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Recorded at St Brigid's, Gwynneville, 9am (8'36")

Vapour, riches and hell

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:11:50 PST

18th Sunday (Year C): Luke 12:13-21 & Qoh 1:2, 2:21-23

We have in today's Gospel one of only two times in the parables of Jesus when he describes some action committed by a person that it deserves only one judgement - death. Like the other story (the rich man and Lazarus, also in the gospel of Luke, 16:19-31) the cause of this terrible judgement is not because the person has broken one of the ten commandments, but because of an incredible greed and a selfish disregard for the needs of the poor. This view is reinforced by the selection of the first reading - the interminably depressed writings of Qoheleth (also called Ecclesiastes, from the Greek translation) who at the end of a life filled with riches and pleasure, knows that all of these things are mere vapour ('hebel') - meaningless vanity. So where do we find our hope?

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Recorded at St John Vianney, 8.30am (7'08")

Praying honestly

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:12:04 PST

17th Sunday - Season of the Year. Luke 11:1-13 - Lord teach us to pray.

If we are honest, I suspect that most of us would admit that we are not very good at praying, or at least that our prayer life is not nearly as good as it should be. So what do today's reading have to offer in answer to the question that the disciples put to Jesus?

What can we learn from the way that Abraham bargains with God - and how does that compare with the way that Noah responded in a similar situation - being told that the Lord was going to destroy not just a city but the whole world because the 'sons of men' had lost the plot so badly...

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Recorded at St John Vianney (8.30am, 7'54")

Two visions of discipleship

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:14:05 PST

The short story of Martha and Mary (Luke 10:38-42) is often told in terms of the contemplative life versus the active life. Even though Mary seems to be the hero of the story, it is Martha who is honoured with the feast day (29 July) - perhaps that at least provides some balance for the weight of history going down in favour of her sister?

In fact, if we examine the story in terms of the practices of that society, we will be struck with the realisation that more than likely something else is actually at the heart of this story. This is especially the case if we remember that Luke seems to want us to read this story straight after last Sunday's gospel of the Good Samaritan, where we see Jesus tearing down the boundaries between who is in and who is out; who is acceptable and who is not. It was clear last week that Jesus was wanting us to identify with someone who was deeply despised in Jewish society - a Samaritan. Perhaps the boundaries that exist between nations is not nearly as clear as we once thought? Now this week, we arrive at the house of Martha and Mary - which in the other Gospel accounts is in Bethany, which doesn't fit at all with Luke's chronology or geography - so he doesn't tell us that detail. (Jesus doesn't arrive in the region of Jerusalem - where Bethany is - for another 9 chapters). So if last week we saw that the boundaries that divide one nation from another are being dissolved in the kingdom proclaimed by Jesus, what boundary is being reviewed today?

In traditional societies, men and women both had very clear roles, positions, places and spaces - especially in public. In houses, there were areas that were reserved for men, and others for women. We quickly realise that what is at stake here is not that Mary is being passive or neglecting the place of hospitality, but that she is in fact positioning herself at the feet of Jesus as a disciple. More specifically, she is saying to Jesus that she wants to learn from him, so that she can be like him - a teacher and a Rabbi. (We see something similar when St Paul tells us that he sat at the feet of Gamaliel, the greatest Rabbi and teacher of his day.) And Jesus is happy with this choice. Suddenly it is clear that in this kingdom the old barriers and divisions are being broken down. As St Paul tells us in his letter to the Galatians: "No longer Jew or Greek; no longer slave and free; no longer male and female; all are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal 3:28)

This is the invitations that is being made to all alike - to enter into the worship of Jesus, by becoming first his disciples. This is the one thing that is necessary in each of our lives.

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NB. The homily was much shorter than usual today to allow for the reading of Bishop Peter's pastoral letter on Sexual Abuse, "When Trust is Broken"

Recorded at St John Vianney Church, 8.30am (4'30")
16th Sunday, Year C

The Samaritan redeemer

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:14:26 PST

In the parable of the 'Good Samaritan' in Luke 10, the Fathers of the Church saw so much more than a simple moral parable. They saw the whole story of salvation of every one of us as the one who stops and shows compassion provides healing, nourishment and redemption for every person who journeys down from Jerusalem to Jericho.

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Recorded at St John Vianney (10'23")

On a mission from God

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:14:52 PST

14th Sunday in the Season of the Year (C)

Having just moved from Nowra to Fairy Meadow parish, I can see why Jesus instructs his disciples not to move from house to house: for any of you who have moved recently, you will know what a pain it is to pack and move. In this Gospel (from Luke 10) we are given deep insights into the wider mission - not just of the apostles or leaders of the Church - but of the whole community to the world at large. Let us join Jesus as he continues his journey to Jerusalem and be consoled by the beautiful and lyrical image given from Isaiah 66 of a mother tenderly caring for her child.

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Recorded at St John Vianney's (7'48")

Freedom and the iPhone 4

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:15:21 PST

13th Sunday in the Season of the Year (C) - Setting our face toward the Lord.

In the first reading from I Kings, we meet Elijah at the end of his ministry, when his service begins to be more about Elijah than the Lord, so the Lord essentially tells him that his services are no longer required: go and anoint Elisha to succeed you as prophet. To his credit Elijah is faithful to the Lord, and finds Elisha ploughing - not by himself but behind 12 yoke of oxen (a sign of hid great wealth) and places his mantle over him. Immediately Elisha leaves behind the oxen and follows after Elijah - requesting only that he can kiss his parents goodbye. Although Elijah gives him leave to do so, it is not clear whether Elisha does - but what is clear is that he makes a decisive break with his current way of life when he kills the oxen and uses the yoke and the plough to prepare a meal for his men - and then follows Elijah.

This becomes for us a sign and example of freedom - what it means to live in liberty. To have the freedom that St Paul speaks about in Galatians 5:1 doesn't mean being hard pressed to make the right decision - it means being so focussed on what is true, good and beautiful that we know when and where to do the right thing. The Gospel provides a powerful example of this in the ministry of Jesus - when he 'sets his face resolutely towards Jerusalem.' (Luke 9:51) The remainder of Luke's gospel will now be about this journey - and we are reminded of this decision and movement towards Jerusalem again in Luke 13, 17, 18 and 19 (when Jesus finally arrives in triumph in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday).

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Recorded at Sacred Heart, Bomaderry, 9.30am (8'04")

Jesus in 3D

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:15:46 PST

Experiencing Jesus in 3D. Often we are content to stay with the images or ideas that we had about Jesus from our childhood. But there is so much more that we can experience about the historical and spiritual reality of Jesus of Nazareth, as he puts the same question to us that he put the disciples - 'who do you say I am?'

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Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (7'43")

Hair and tears

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:16:22 PST

11th Sunday in the Season of the Year. Also Immaculate Heart of Mary (Diocesan Feast) and Mission Sunday Appeal. Also the Sunday when my move to Fairy Meadow Parish was announced...

Announcement of Co-Cathedral

Like a great artistic masterpiece, Luke tells the story of the day that a Pharisee invited Jesus to a festive meal, and the party was crashed by a woman who only wanted to anoint Jesus in gratitude to the immense love that he had shown in the forgiveness that she received.

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Recorded at Sacred Heart, 9.30am (9'34" - The recording also includes the Gospel)

A priest of El Elyon

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:17:47 PST

The first reading from Genesis presents the intriguing character of Melchizedek, king of Salem, and priest of El Elyon (God Most High) who offers Abram a sacrifice of bread and wine. Why is this significant for the celebration of this feast of the Eucharist?

There are two significant points of distinction about the passage from Genesis 14:18-20. The central character, Melchizedek, is only mentioned in this one brief passage, and then again in Psalm 110 (the Responsorial Psalm today) across the whole Old Testament - and yet Melchizedek comes into the theology of the New Testament (through Hebrews 7) and the early Church as a symbol of the priesthood of Jesus and as a model for the ordained ministry.

The name Melchizedek comes from two Hebrew words - Melek meaning king, and sedeq meaning justice or righteousness. So already his name means the King of Righteousness (Heb 7:2). But additionally he is described as the King of Salem - a name that is connected both to the Hebrew word for peace (Shalom) and to the city of Yerushalem / Jerusalem. Genesis 14:17 says that this event takes place in the King's Valley which leads up to the site where Jerusalem was established. Finally, this king of righteousness, and prince of peace is a priest of God Most High (El Elyon) brings a sacrifice (that is what 'kohen' / priests do) of bread and wine. So it is no wonder that the early Church sees in Melchizedek a figure of Christ.

The second point is that when Melchizedek meets Abram (his name has not yet been changed to Abraham) he blesses (baruch) Abram in the name of 'El Elyon'. El is the most generic name for God or divinity in the Semitic languages, including Canaanite. Abram is returning after doing battle with the Canaanite kings to rescue his nephew Lot who had been captured by them. In the Canaanite pantheon, El is also the father of their main god, Ba'al. So perhaps you can understand the reticence of the Hebrews to refer to their God by the most generic name 'El'. Before the revelation of the sacred name of God to Moses, described in Exodus 3, YHWH - which becomes the most common way of calling upon the Lord, and is usually translated in English bibles as LORD - over 6000 occurrences - God was often referred to as Elohim (strictly the plural form of El) or using a descriptive word with El - such as El Elyon in the text here, or in forms like El Shaddai (meaning something like God of the mountains, but the exact meaning of the Hebrew is unclear; it is only when it is translated into Greek in the LXX text that the meaning 'God Almighty' is offered) or El Olam (Everlasting God). But this specific name for God - El Elyon, God Most High - is only used in this passage out of all the Old Testament. And we don't know why.

The descriptive Elyon is found regularly enough across the pages of the OT, but not connected to El as it is in this passage - until you arrive at the New Testament. There, (in Luke 1) when the angel appears to Mary, she is told that she will give birth to the son of the Most High God. Zechariah is told that his son will be a prophet of the Most High. And then right across the ministry of Jesus he clearly sees himself to be the fulfilment of the ministry of Melchizedek - the king of righteousness, the prince of peace, and priest of El Elyon. Paul understands these connections when he describes (20 years before any of the Gospel accounts) the Last Supper, using the language of covenant and sacrifice.

Jesus likewise in the Gospel today first welcomes the crowd and teaches them - as a king and priest was meant to do. Then he invites his disciples to feed the people - but they continue to be thick and miss the prophetic point; all they suggest is to send the people away. Jesus instead reminds them that a king is meant to gather into unity, so he takes what is available (the bread and fish) and says the baruch (blessing) over the gifts and then gives the abundant food to the disciples to distribute.

Although Jesus is the perfect fulfilment of the priest Melchizedek, he also shares this ministry with his disciples, and continues to invite us to be fed and nourished by no less than his very body and blood, so that we in turn can welcome others to share at this feast; as we are transformed by these most precious gifts, so also we are invited to transform all that we bring to the altar of El Elyon.

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Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (11'10")

Trinity and wisdom

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:18:03 PST

Trinity Sunday C
- The heart of our faith; everything flows from it and to it; the distinctive message of Christianity.
- The first reading from Proverbs personifies Wisdom (she in the Hebrew) comes forth from God, yet not a creature, since she exists before all creation (before the springs and the mountains)
- She is with God – by his side – as with an artisan / crafts(wo)men. We recite this in the creed each week – ‘begotten not made, of one being with the Father; through him all things were made.’
- Book of Genesis begins with the declaration of the community of God: In the beginning God created; and God spoke; and the spirit of God was over the waters… ‘let us make humanity in our image’
- Psychological analogy (St Augustine) – I can project myself as another. When we say something even as simple as 'I love myself' we recognise a subject (i), an object (myself) and a shared object (the love) - yet we maintain an essential unity.
- St Augustine - Mind. Self-knowledge. Self-love.
- “I was by his side, a master craftsman, delighting him day after day, ever at play in his presence, at play everywhere in his world, delighting to be with the sons of men.” Importance of play.

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Recorded at St Michael's, 6pm Vigil (8'46")

Pentecost and Mount Sinai

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:18:18 PST

In the first reading from Acts 2 we hear a whole series of quite bizarre events - most of which we probably have no idea what they mean. To get a better sense of what we celebrate, we need to revisit the Jewish festivals of Pesach and Shavuot in the book of Exodus and remember the day that the Lord appeared in fire and thunder to all the people (including the erev rov - the mixed nations) to make covenant with his people on Mount Sinai.

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Recorded at St Michael's 9.30am (11'03")

The same power

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:18:38 PST

Ascension Sunday (Year C) | Eph 1:15-23; Luke 24:46-53; Acts 1:1-11

I had my washed car yesterday - at one of those automatic car washes. When the weather is a bit warmer, I like taking it through the do-it-yourself section, so that I can play with the power hoses! It is amazing the difference that you get from the normal water pressure that comes out of the hoses, and the cleaning power when you pull the lever and let the compressor do its work. I remember as a kid when dad, who was a builder, brought home the huge new compressor that was mounted permanently on the back of his work truck. Just about every job - from cleaning down to nailing timber together was made so much easier with the power of the compressor. (You'll also hear the story of the day my brothers and I were shooting at a target with an air-rifle and we got a much bigger blast than we expected!)

All the readings today talk about the power of the Holy Spirit being unleashed upon the disciples. Since Jesus had just spent the past few years teaching and preparing these boofheads, he knew they needed it! St Paul, when he writes to the community at Ephesus (from his prison cell in Rome) today is aware of the amazing power that was unleashed when Jesus was raised to new life on Resurrection Day and new creation began. But he also knew that the church there, like the church today, would need extra help - wisdom and understanding - just to know that the power was really available and real.

How would we be different if we knew the power that lay within us - the same power that conquered the grave lives in me and lives in you? Let us pray the prayer of St Paul today and expect the power of the Spirit to be unleashed within our lives...

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Recorded at Sacred Heart 9.30am (8'20")

It seems good to the Holy Spirit

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:18:52 PST

Sixth Sunday in Easter (Year C). In Acts 15 we have a quite extraordinary moment in church history. At issue is how a Jewish community, gathered in worship at a Jewish synagogue around a Jewish Messiah, in the midst of a Jewish nation, keeping Jewish festivals and rituals - how does it welcome non Jews into this worship? What do these Gentiles have to do? Do men have to have that 'little operation' to be a part of this community? As they gather in Jerusalem for the Council, we read the decree that the disciples issue, which declares that "it seems good to the Holy Spirit and ourselves not to lay any unnecessary burdens on you" - which is an amazing thing in itself.

What might the teaching of this Council of Jerusalem (AD 50) mean for us today?

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Recorded at Sacred Heart, 9.30am (9'38")

Everything is spiritual in the city of God

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:19:36 PST

Fifth Sunday in Easter (Year C).

Sometimes we get caught in the idea that there are spiritual moments in our lives (when we are in Church; praying; reading Scripture; listening to music or whenever) and all the rest is just secular and to some extent doesn't count. But that's not the story of the Scriptures. We are familiar with how the story begins - with the creation of everything from nothing - and it is all declared 'good'. But we are less familiar with the end of the story. This is precisely what we have in the second reading - from the penultimate chapter of the bible (Rev 21).

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Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30 (10'22")

Every nation, tribe, people and tongue

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:19:53 PST

Fourth Sunday in Easter (Year C) - Commemoration of Anzac Day.

In the reading from the book of Revelation, John the Divine has this vision of an immense crowd - impossible to count - of people from every nation, tribe, people and language who have all been through the persecution / tribulation and have had their clothes washed clean by the blood of the Lamb. Although it has some strange imagery, I believe this vision has a lot to offer us as we commemorate Anzac Day today.

When John has this vision - almost an interlude between all of the calamities that surround the breaking of the seals on the scroll - we are catapulted into both the present reality of heaven, and the vision of the final fulfillment of all things when heaven crashes into earth in the great wedding banquet of new creation which is the vision of the final two chapters of the bible (Rev 21-22).

Everyone who has ever suffered, and especially those who have given their lives in martyrdom are united with the 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel in this absolutely inclusive vision of paradise as every nation, tribe, religion, people, and way of life gather in worship before the throne (God) and the Lamb (Jesus). All these people - our brothers and sisters - are united no longer by flags and creeds, but because we have allowed the Lamb to wash away our sins in his blood.

Because of this, then there will be no more hunger or thirst, no more pain or tears - but all will be united in the worship of God around the throne. An amazing vision that can lift our efforts to continue to bring heaven to earth and bring into effect this vision of peace and justice reigning here through our worship.

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Recorded at St Michael's, 9.30am (8'15")

Called to follow in the light of the Son

richard.healey@dow.org.au (Fr Richard Healey) — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 12:20:24 PST

Easter 3C - John 21

In this final chapter to John's Gospel - probably written later than the rest of the Gospel - John provides a magnificent summary of the Christian life. He starts with the disciples returning to Galilee and with Peter in the lead, they head back to their old way of life and go fishing. Without the blessing and presence of the Lord, they are fruitless and catch nothing. But then the new day dawns and now the risen Son is on the beach and invites them to cast out their nets for a catch. When they catch such a huge haul that it is difficult even for the seven of them to pull in the nets, this is enough for the beloved disciple to recognise who it is on the shore: 'It is the Lord.'

Peter at this then takes action. Strangely we are told that he is on the boat in the nuddy. Why this is the case is unclear. It probably is not the custom of Jewish folk to be naked around each other - usually in scripture nakedness is a sign of sin and shame, but perhaps he has been around enough Greeks or Romans - who did have the custom of working and playing sport naked - that he finds it easier to work unencumbered. Whatever the reason, when we find someone who is naked throwing on clothes (to jump into the water!) we should be reminded - especially in John's Gospel where the creation story is never far from view - of Adam's shame after he sinned when he covered his nakedness. So Peter - perhaps reminded by the charcoal fire that is burning on the shore - is reminded of the time some days before when he had denied Jesus while standing next to another charcoal fire (Jn 18:18).

So Peter swims ashore, while the others bring the boat and the fish. On the shore they find Jesus cooking breakfast - bread and fish. So although he doesn't need to fish that they have just caught, he invites Peter to bring the contents of the net to him. Whereas it took all the strength of the disciples to haul the net onto the boat - now in the strength of the presence of Jesus Peter is able to bring the net all by himself.

Finally, Jesus begins to question Peter. 'Do you love me more than these?' - which could refer to boat and the nets (his old way of life), or his love for the other disciples and friends, or their love for Jesus. As each question is asked and each reply is given, Jesus slowly restores Peter and commissions him to his role as apostle and shepherd - 'feed my sheep/lambs.' Then he calls him to 'follow me.'

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Recorded at Sacred Heart, 9.30am (11'58")