Blog Archives - Our Lady of the Rosary Parish

Rev Kev's - The Feeding of the Five Thousand

31/7/2014

The Gospel begins with the very human insight o Jesus’ reaction to the death of John the Baptist. He sought privacy and seclusion, he sought to get away from it all. He was grieving.

But the crowds followed Him. There were thousands of them. Jesus worked the miracle of the Loaves and Fishes.

This miracle is mentioned in all of the four Gospels. In fact there are two different miracles recorded. There are six different accounts in the four Gospels!!!

Why is it so important?

Some of the recurring themes in the accounts are these. Jesus is the Son of David. He is the Shepherd King who feeds his flock and leads them to safety, and of course in the Gospel of John it is the lead story for the teaching on the Eucharist.

I love to reflect that the miracle happens in the hands of Jesus. When all is impossible and there is neither time nor money, when all we have with us is five loaves and two fish, when we put them into the hands of Jesus, all things are possible!!!!!

Deak's Diary - A Call to Faith

31/7/2014

Jesus must be playing “games” with the disciples, when he tells them to, “give them something to eat yourselves” (Mt 14:13-21) Surely he realises that it would be impossible for them to feed 5,000 men, “not counting women and children”?

No, Jesus isn’t playing games or tricks in this situation; there is only a call to faith, a call to use what you have been given to build up the kingdom, and therefore to use your gifts for the greater glory of God.

Did you notice that the “little boy” with the loaves and fishes isn’t in Matthew’s story? Instead, it’s the disciples themselves who have the “little bit” - they say, “All WE have with us is five loves and two fish.” That is a perfect setting, because it highlights for every Christian (i.e., disciple) that their little bit is what’s being called into focus.

WOW! what a leap of faith we’re asked to make! We see no problem in urging on “Indiana Jones” to step out in faith across that invisible bridge at that gorge in Arabia. But we hesitate when the “actor” is us! God is asking us to make available whatever gift(s) we have; to offer those gifts to Him for His blessing; and then to make them available for others. St. Paul would say later, this is the way we build up the mystical Body of Christ.

So, there’s the Key, one that so many spiritual writers have discovered over the centuries: whatever you have, and whatever you offer, if given in a true spirit of love, God will bless that offering and make it become nourishment for many others. It is His presence that is found in such a gift, because it comes from your Heart, where God dwells!

My friends, this “massive” feeding of so many thousands of needy people forecasts the “superabundance” of this unique bread of the Eucharist. The first Christians recognised this miracle of the breaking of the bread, not only as the reality of the Real Presence of Jesus, but also as the sign of their call to be in communion with one another as the united Body of Christ. That is ALSO your call, and my call!

Last week we heard a call for men to think about life as a priest or permanent deacon. Were our ears open to this call? Are we ready to accept that call to ordination or the other call to regular prayer for these vocations?

Also see articles #1335, and #1329 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Rev Kev's - Three More Parables

21/7/2014

Today we have three more short Parables – a treasure hidden in the field, a merchant finding a pearl and a net cast into the sea. All of them are descriptions of the Kingdom of Heaven.

As before, the parables are very simple. They are taught in the outdoors and to big crowds. The message is for those who have ears to hear.

Working from the last to the first, the net cast into the sea explains an aspect of the Church with which we are very familiar. The church is full of good fish, but it also has bad fish. The warning of the parable is: it is not our work to sort out the good from the bad. That is the job of the fisherman, the Lord. The punch line of the parable is do not judge others, simply mind your own business.

The merchant who finds a pearl of great price is clearly Jesus Christ who has paid a great price for the Church, the people of God. He has given his life on the Cross.

Again the treasure hidden in the field is an image of the Church. What we said about the pearl applies here too. But I would like to put another side to this parable. Each one of us is the treasure hidden in the field. The parable has said that someone has found us and hidden us again, and goes off happy and sells everything he owns and buys the field! This is a story of my salvation history. I am redeemed, i.e., bought back at the priceless cost of the Blood of Jesus.

The parables are simple, but profound. They are meant to lead us to commitment. A good story teller will bring stories from the storeroom, both new and old. That is how a scribe becomes a disciple.

Deak's Diary - Great Treasure

21/7/2014

In today’s Gospel, Matt 13:44-52 the parables Jesus is telling about: buried treasure, expensive pearls, dragnets full of fish seem to be taking to us about getting rich. That’s certainly true but not in the way you would expect.
Jesus tells his disciples about the man who found a buried treasure. It is really all about Discipleship, and when you have the opportunity, you have to do everything that is necessary to possess it. It’s a very subtle point, but notice that the owner of that field isn’t aware that he has a Great Treasure within his grasp! Matthew’s community needed to hear this parable because they were being shunned by the Jewish community, and had to give up family and friends to be a disciple of Jesus. But he reminds them that if you want the treasure, you have to be willing to pay the price!

The pearl of great price story sounds like it is the same thing as the buried treasure, but again Matthew has introduced another subtle difference. The man who found the buried treasure was surprised when he accidentally found it, and gave up all he had to buy the field where the treasure was located. But in the case of the pearl of great price, the merchant had been seeking that pearl for a long time; his was a deliberate search. Nevertheless, his response was the same: he gave up all he had to possess it. The message for those listening to Jesus, and the listeners in Matthew’s community fifty years later, was the same. Discipleship will cost you! Following Jesus will cost you! But the rewards are incredible!

Finally, there is the parable of the dragnet. The message to the disciples is encouraging, one they needed to hear. “Don’t worry about the opposition to your discipleship. Jesus will do the sorting out come judgment day.” And you will notice, when you read that parable, that the bad fish are not returned to the sea; they are “thrown away,” which means they will die. If you have ears to hear, then hear!

For all of us the parables of Jesus ask us to make a radical choice: give up everything to gain the kingdom. The Holy Spirit has guided the Catholic Church to recognise the “treasure” we have in the seven sacraments. Use them!

Also see articles #546, and #1117 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Happy 55th Anniversary of Ordination Fr Kevin O'Grady

17/7/2014

Today Rev Kev celebrates 55 years of faithful service in the Lord's vineyard and still going strong. We love you Fr Kevin and thank you for everything you do for us here at The Entrance.

Rev Kev's - The Parable of the Wheat and the Darnel

17/7/2014

Many parables begin with the words: “the kingdom of God is like….”. Let us look at this phrase. The reign of God in the parables is the CHURCH, the people of God. I say this because the kingdom of God has good wheat and bad wheat; it has good fish and bad fish. We are not talking about the afterlife. We are talking about now!

The story is that here the Church is in trouble. Someone has planted bad things and what should we do about it? The answer is: it is not our business. The harvest is the Lord’s. He will deal with it at harvest time. Keep sowing the seed.

THE MUSTARD SEED

A few thoughts on the mustard seed: it is the yellow one in the canary seed packet. It is very small but it is not the smallest. The seed for the Sequoia is smaller for example. In Jewish law it was the standard of smallness when considering ritual impurity from bleeding. If you cut yourself shaving, for example, if the cut is bigger than a mustard seed, you are considered ritually unclean. Anything smaller passes the test.

The parable simply means that great things have small beginnings.

LISTEN ANYONE WHO HAS EARS!!

Rev Kev's = Parables

9/7/2014

I would begin by asking you to compare Matt 5:1 with Matt 13:1. When Jesus teaches disciples he teaches them on the mountain. They leave the crowds. When Jesus teaches the crowds he uses the Hebrew art of Parables.

It is important to understand the difference between a parable and an allegory. In the culture of Jesus a parable was a very simple thing. It was taught outdoors, it related to what was going on behind the teacher and it had a punch line. Nothing else mattered, the details of the story are not important. Later on in the Greek culture, the details became part of the story. We see this today in the longer version of the Gospel.

THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER.

This takes place outdoors. Behind Jesus around the lake, there is a farmer sowing his crop. Not all of the seed will be part of the harvest. Some fell on good soil and produced a harvest.

The punch line. If you want a harvest you must sow the seed. Not all of it will bear fruit. The only sure way to have a harvest is to sow the seed.

This parable is of great comfort to parents. When they have disappointment in their children as regards the practice of the Faith, it is well for them to remember that their job is to sow the seed. The harvest is the Lord’s. A parent’s role is to continue to sow the seed. They can continue to do this all through the lives of their children. Not all of this works. But there will be a harvest, some thirtyfold, some fiftyfold, some one hundredfold.

One sows, another reaps, one waters, one irrigates but God gives the increase.

Parables are simple and to the point. They are about the kingdom God, the reign of God. We will see later how this refers to the Church.

Deak's Diary - Preparing our souls to produce good fruit.

9/7/2014

Today’s First Reading (Is 55:10-11) seems to have a kind of “magical” quality being applied to the way this reading is understood, and, somehow, this seems to weaken its message.

The first word out of the Lord’s mouth, as conveyed by Isaiah, is very important: “as”… A powerful comparison is being drawn here between something to which every human being can relate to – rain – and the Word of God. Note that the one long sentence which comprises the entire First Reading conveys several meaningful images. “Rain and snow” do many things: they provide moisture to the earth which prepares it for farming, which produces the seed which is later used to plant in order to produce more seed; and eventually that seed becomes the bread we eat which sustains our life.

In the same way, the Word of God is not an empty gesture, it produces an effect. Like rain, the Word is sent for a purpose; it fulfills that purpose by preparing our souls to produce good fruit. Furthermore, since it is part of God’s plan, God’s Word cannot fail in finishing what it was sent to do, despite all the “weeds” and vandalism which it encounters. Some seed (God’s Word) will not be successful because of the hardness of the ground (hearts) it encounters. But there is always a faithful remainder who will “hear” God’s Word and respond in faith by acting upon that word.

Because it is God’s plan, there is no “magical” quality about it. God’s Will will always be completed through human beings, even though resistance and dissent may delay the final generous harvest.

Catholics encounter this “everlasting seed” of the Word of God in our Baptism, where it produces its life-giving effect. We Catholics pray daily for our daily Bread of Life, which our Faith tells us is the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of Christ received in the Eucharist.

Also see articles #1228#459, and #2835in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Rev Kev's - The Revelation to the Simple

9/7/2014

We revert today to the Sundays in Ordinary time and we resume this years study of the Gospel of Matthew. We pick up the Gospel at chapter 11, after the Mission sermons and just before the long session on the Parables.

The Gospel today begins with a prayer of Jesus. It is important to note that the Lord’s Prayer is not a prayer of Jesus. It is a prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. (Jesus has no need of forgiveness!) Today we have one of the many prayers of Jesus. “I bless you Father Lord of heaven and earth for hiding these things from the learned and clever and revealing them to mere children. Yes Father, for that is what is pleased you to do”.

Jesus prayer is to the Father. It is a prayer of praise and thanksgiving. Jesus knows that everything has been entrusted to him by the Father and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom he chooses to reveal him.

How privileged are we to be chosen by the Son for revelation of the Father. Like Peter last Sunday, flesh and blood did not reveal this to us, but heaven itself.

How about the last sentence!!! Does it need any explanation? “Come to me all you who labour and are overburdened, and I will give you rest…..Shoulder my yoke and learn from me…..for my yoke is easy and my burden light”.

Sometimes (don’t we know it) the children are wiser than the learned and the clever.

Deak's Diary - Why do it yourself?

3/7/2014

An important point of the today’s readings seems to be about a desirability for “humility” [Zech 9:9-10; Rom 8:9-13; Matt 11:25-30]. Perhaps such “meekness” is calling for a milk-sop attitude on our part.

Well, the First Reading points out a contrast between the two favoured kings of Israel: David and his son Solomon. David was powerful yet he never owned a chariot; he was truly humble and was totally dependent upon God. Solomon, on the other hand, was powerful and intelligent, yet totally dependent upon his many chariots. In the Second Reading, St. Paul captures this contrast beautifully when he talks about dependence on the “flesh” without the “spirit” – a dependence upon self rather than upon God’s assistance.

If you have ever visited the Grand Canyon, you may have taken a ride on the donkey from the rim of the canyon down to the canyon floor. That meek little donkey has only one purpose in life (as far as I know), and that is to help carry the burdens of others - - either you as a passenger, or to back-carry the supplies for others on his back. The message we get from this is: why do it yourself, when you can have help with your burdens?

We learn this lesson from the actions of Jesus himself. He humbly accepted his situation in life, and always trusted totally in his heavenly Father. Jesus tells us the same thing in the Gospel: don’t depend upon yourself, trust in Jesus to help carry your burdens. More importantly, learn to carry your own burdens with His yoke - - he is there to help you, to lighten your burden. That is what Humility is all about, learning to turn humbly to Jesus, acknowledge your need, and accept His help.

Jesus who was All-Powerful did not cling to his power, but became flesh, to offer us his Yoke as our model of holiness. By his own poverty, he gives us the example to follow in our every-day confrontations with trials and burdens. We will never enter the kingdom without humility, because humility is the antidote to sinful Pride.

Also see articles #459, #520 and #2559 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

About Our Lady of the Rosary

Since its inception in 1947 the parish has grown and today boasts one of the most beautiful and prayerful Churches in our Diocese. Substantially designed by Fr Reg Reynolds, the parish church caters for the permanent Catholic population as well as the many visitors who holiday here.

Site designed by Lisa O'Sullivan

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Our Lady of the Rosary Parish
239-243 The Entrance Rd
THE ENTRANCE NSW 2261
T: +61-2-4332 2216
F: +61-2-4333 5344