RELIGION AND ART

Saturday Week 22 in Ordinary Time - Saint Teresa of Calcuta , Virgin 'What do you have that was not given to you?' First Reading 1 Corinthians 4:6-15  What do you have that was not given to you? Take Apollos and myself as an example and remember the maxim: ‘Keep to what is written.’ It is not for you, so full of your own importance, to go taking sides for one man against another. In any case, brother, has anybody given you some special right? What do you have that was not given to you? And if it was given, how can you boast as though it were not? Is it that you have everything you want – that you are rich already, in possession of your kingdom, with us left outside? Indeed I wish you were really kings, and we could be kings with you! But instead, it seems to me, God has put us apostles at the end of his parade, with the men sentenced to death; it is true – we have been put on show in front of the whole universe, angels as well as men. Here we are, fools for the sake of Christ...

Friday Week 22 in Ordniary Time ‘No one tears a piece from a new cloak to put it on an old cloak' First Reading 1 Corinthians 4:1-5  The Lord alone is our judge People must think of us as Christ’s servants, stewards entrusted with the mysteries of God. What is expected of stewards is that each one should be found worthy of his trust. Not that it makes the slightest difference to me whether you, or indeed any human tribunal, find me worthy or not. I will not even pass judgement on myself. True, my conscience does not reproach me at all, but that does not prove that I am acquitted: the Lord alone is my judge. There must be no passing of premature judgement. Leave that until the Lord comes; he will light up all that is hidden in the dark and reveal the secret intentions of men’s hearts. Then will be the time for each one to have whatever praise he deserves, from God. Responsorial Psalm:  The salvation of the just comes from the Lord Gospel Luke 5:33-39  When the bridegroom...

Thursday Week 23 in Ordinary Time - St, Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church ‘Leave me, Lord; I am a sinful man.’ First reading 1 Corinthian 3:18-23  The wisdom of the world is foolishness to God Make no mistake about it: if any one of you thinks of himself as wise, in the ordinary sense of the word, then he must learn to be a fool before he really can be wise. Why? Because the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As scripture says: The Lord knows wise men’s thoughts: he knows how useless they are; or again: God is not convinced by the arguments of the wise. So there is nothing to boast about in anything human: Paul, Apollos, Cephas, the world, life and death, the present and the future, are all your servants; but you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God. Responsorial Psalm:  The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness. Gospel Luke 5:1-11  They left everything and followed him Jesus was standing one day by the Lake of Gennesaret, with the crowd ...

Monday Week 22 in Ordinary Time -  ‘This text is being fulfilled today even as you listen.’ First Reading 1 Corinthians 2:1-5   The only knowledge I claimed was of the crucified Christ When I came to you, brothers, it was not with any show of oratory or philosophy, but simply to tell you what God had guaranteed. During my stay with you, the only knowledge I claimed to have was about Jesus, and only about him as the crucified Christ. Far from relying on any power of my own, I came among you in great ‘fear and trembling’ and in my speeches and the sermons that I gave, there were none of the arguments that belong to philosophy; only a demonstration of the power of the Spirit. And I did this so that your faith should not depend on human philosophy but on the power of God. Responsorial Psalm:  Lord, how I love your law! Gospel Luke 4:16-30  'This text is being fulfilled today, even as you listen' Jesus came to Nazara, where he had been brought up, and went into ...

22ND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself' Firsrt Reading Jeremiah 20:7-9  The word of the Lord has meant insult for me You have seduced me, Lord, and I have let myself be seduced; you have overpowered me: you  were the stronger. I am a daily laughing-stock, everybody’s butt. Each time I speak the word, I have to howl and proclaim: ‘Violence and ruin!’ The word of the Lord has meant for me insult, derision, all day long. I used to say, ‘I will not think about him, I will not speak in his name any more.’ Then there seemed to be a fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones.  The effort to restrain it wearied me, I could not bear it Responsorial Psalm:  For you my soul is thirsting, O Lord my God. Second Reading Roans 12:1-2  Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice Think of God’s mercy, my brothers, and worship him, I beg you, in a way that is worthy of thinking beings, by offering your living bodie...

Saturday Week 21 in Ordinary Time: The beheading of John the Baptist ‘I will give you anything you ask.' First Reading  1 Corinthians 1:26-31  God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, to shame the wise Take yourselves for instance, brothers, at the time when you were called: how many of you were wise in the ordinary sense of the word, how many were influential people, or came from noble families? No, it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything. The human race has nothing to boast about to God, but you, God has made members of Christ Jesus and by God’s doing he has become our wisdom, and our virtue, and our holiness, and our freedom. As scripture says: if anyone wants to boast, let him boast about the Lord. Responsor...

Friday Week 21 in Ordinary Time : Saint Augustine, Bishop, Doctor of the Church 'So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour' First Reading 1 Corithians 1:17-25  We preach a crucified Christ, the power and wisdom of God Christ did not send me to baptise, but to preach the Good News, and not to preach that in the terms of philosophy in which the crucifixion of Christ cannot be expressed. The language of the cross may be illogical to those who are not on the way to salvation, but those of us who are on the way see it as God’s power to save. As scripture says: I shall destroy the wisdom of the wise and bring to nothing all the learning of the learned. Where are the philosophers now? Where are the scribes? Where are any of our thinkers today? Do you see now how God has shown up the foolishness of human wisdom? If it was God’s wisdom that human wisdom should not know God, it was because God wanted to save those who have faith through the foolishness of the m...

Thursday Week 21 in Ordinary Time - Saint Monica ' God by calling you has joined you to his Son, Jesus Christ' First Reading 1corinthians 1:1-9  You have been enriched in many ways in Christ I, Paul, appointed by God to be an apostle, together with brother Sosthenes, send greetings to the church of God in Corinth, to the holy people of Jesus Christ, who are called to take their place among all the saints everywhere who pray to our Lord Jesus Christ; for he is their Lord no less than ours. May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace. I never stop thanking God for all the graces you have received through Jesus Christ. I thank him that you have been enriched in so many ways, especially in your teachers and preachers; the witness to Christ has indeed been strong among you so that you will not be without any of the gifts of the Spirit while you are waiting for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed; and he will keep you steady and without blame until the la...

TUESDAY WEEK 21 IN ORDINARY TIME The Lord comes to rule the earth First Reading   2 Thessalonians 2:1-3,14-17  Stand firm and keep the traditions we have taught you To turn, brothers, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and how we shall all be gathered round him: please do not get excited too soon or alarmed by any prediction or rumour or any letter claiming to come from us, implying that the Day of the Lord has already arrived. Never let anyone deceive you in this way. Through the Good News that we brought God called you to this so that you should share the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand firm, then, brothers, and keep the traditions that we taught you, whether by word of mouth or by letter. May our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father who has given us his love and, through his grace, such inexhaustible comfort and such sure hope, comfort you and strengthen you in everything good that you do or say. Responsorial Psalm:  The Lord comes to rule the earth ...

Saturday 22 Aug. Week 20 in Ordinary Time I saw the glory of the God of Israel Ezekiel  43:1-7  The vision of the coming of the glory of the Lord to the Temple The angel took me to the gate, the one facing east. I saw the glory of the God of Israel approaching from the east. A sound came with it, like the sound of the ocean, and the earth shone with his glory. This vision was like the one I had seen when I had come for the destruction of the city, and like the one I had seen on the bank of the river Chebar. Then I prostrated myself. The glory of the Lord arrived at the Temple by the east gate. The spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; I saw the glory of the Lord fill the Temple. And I heard someone speaking to me from the Temple while the man stood beside me. The voice said, ‘Son of man, this is the dais of my throne, the step on which I rest my feet. I shall live here among the sons of Israel for ever.’ Responsorial Psalm:  The glory of the Lord will d...