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yukiwrites · 3 years

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Meeting Again, Now and Forever

Thank you for the support and patience as always, @breeachuu! I hope you like it! >v<)

Summary: After getting acquainted with the Traveler, Venti approached her for help with something as important, or even more so, than with the issue with Dvalin: He wanted to find his long-lost love, Auria, who was undoubtedly also looking for him...

Commission info HERE and HERE!

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It hadn’t been long since the Stormterror Crisis had been dealt with (not to mention how the party had to bolt out of the temple before the illusion on the Holy Lyre wore off), so Lumine -- and, by extension, Paimon -- went to Angel’s Share to rest her weary bones for a bit.

The sight that welcomed her the moment she stepped in, however, shouldn’t have been surprising, but given the state of their goodbyes just a day ago, Lumine hadn’t expected to meet Venti again so soon.

“Ah, Lumine!” The youthful bard smiled brightly once he saw the Traveler step into the tavern, cutting his performance short as though he had already been about to bring it to a close. “Good timing!”

“... What do you mean, ‘good timing’? You look like you’ve been waiting to ambush us!” Paimon crossed her tiny arms defiantly as she flew behind Lumine to snark at the Archon.

“Little old me? Why, I’d never!” Venti giggled adorably before stepping closer to the duo. “To be honest, I wanted to ask a last favor of you, but given how we got separated after our… elegant exit, I waited here!”

The way he smiled brightly could deceive many people (especially elderly), but Paimon only growled and narrowed her eyes. “What do you want NOW, Tone-Deaf Bard? We already went all over the place to help with that dragon business-”

“Paimon, it’s okay.” Lumine waved to shut the little fairy up. “If there’s anything I can help with, of course I’d want to. Is it anything serious?”

Venti smiled in a mature yet lonely way that didn’t go well with his youthful appearance -- it was perhaps the smile of an immortal being as it was confronted with its own endless life. Or perhaps it was a way to make himself seem more mysterious; there was no way for Lumine and Paimon to know.

“Actually, I’m looking for someone.” He bobbed his head to the side, walking towards the counter to sneak some alcohol into his system. “Her name’s Auria. We kind of missed each other during some time of turbulence.”

“...” Paimon sat on Lumine’s shoulder as the Traveler stood beside Venti by the counter. “That’s it? No more hints? What does the Tone-Deaf Lady Friend look like? Where did you meet last? You’re not gonna ask Paimon to look for someone without saying anything, right?”

Bluntly ignoring the talkative little fairy, Venti turned his unmatching mature smile to Lumine. “She’s my special someone; the muse I drink my inspiration from -- the one who’s been with me the longest. I keep sensing her in the wind, but it’s like we always barely miss each other.” He twirled his fingers around as a tiny current danced within his palm before he closed his fist. “Will you help me look for her, Traveler? I’m absolutely sure she’s here in Mondstadt, so the search shouldn’t take long.”

Lumine took a few seconds to nod, somehow appreciating the new side of this mysterious god as she felt the affection that dripped from his words when he spoke of Auria. Paimon shook her head once she saw the Traveler accepting yet another ridiculous request, but even she was unable to fully voice her complaint after sensing the weight of Venti’s words.

“Really?” Venti brightened up like the sun, jumping out of his seat with a spring in his step. “This calls for another song! Lo and behold, as the best bard of the land plays for all of you tonight!” He bowed extravagantly before hopping to the stage he had been earlier, a lyre ready at hand.

Lumine laughed and clapped along with the other patrons, happy that Venti’s mood seemed to have improved.

From the outside of the tavern, a young-looking girl looked up at the starry sky, wondering why the wind seemed so unstable that night…

________

Auria had been hiding amongst the humans for 500 years while she waited for Barbatos to wake up from his slumber, so she was well-versed in dealing with people; though she wasn’t one to stay in a place for long.

“Hmm, what I mean is that… why is it so hard to catch up to a single bard? I hear whispers here and there of his whereabouts, but by the time I arrive, it’s like he’s carried by the wind!” Auria grumbled under her robe which concealed her body, “of course, that wouldn’t be strange, considering Barbar’s personality…”

Sighing, the fairy-turned-sylph looked up to the endlessly blue sky. She had heard through the grapevine about those bard contests -- innumerable, considering the amount of stories to be sung by the many traveling bards in the land -- and had ignored them for two years until she had heard who had been the winner for the third year straight: A young boy named Venti.

Curse her lack of attention! What good was it to possess the power of an Anemo Vision and be clueless about the words the wind carried?

“Hahh…” Auria sighed again, kicking the dust just for the sake of it. She had heard about how Dvalin had left Mondstadt -- which was Venti’s handiwork, no doubt about it. If only she had been there…

Holding back another sigh, Auria took a deep breath and, instead, slapped both of her cheeks to spur herself into action.

“Get a hold of yourself, Auria! Those 500 years of wandering and hiding weren’t for nothing!” She looked up at the fluffy clouds with renewed resolve. “I’ll find him and we’ll finally be able to be together again, just like old times.” She nodded to herself, as though talking herself into action had become a habit she cultivated through the centuries. “Okay, now that’s dealt with…” she looked around the wide prairie before her to check if there was anyone looking before crossing both hands over her chest. “Annd, transform!”

After Auria’s whisper -- word that was actually not needed for her transformation from sylph to fairy to work, but that she had grown fond of using due to Venti’s influence -- she was covered in sparkling dust, seemingly poofing out of existence.

A tiny form, smaller than even Paimon, emerged from the dust, flying about freely to be able to cover the distance to the city. She had changed to her original form of a fairy, before Barbatos had bestowed upon her the very first ever Anemo Vision which allowed her to retain a human-like form to live out the rest of her life beside him.

It took her a while to arrive at the city, as the sky was now covered in a blanket of stars. She poofed back into her human form behind an alley, feeling a weird stir in the air after she felt it caress her face.

It felt as though it was welcoming her into an embrace -- like it was ready to give her what she wanted the most: the hug and comfort of her beloved Barbatos.

“Oh…” Auria covered her mouth with both hands in surprise, her eyes misting with tears. “He’s here! Ven is here!” Her voice shook with emotion for finally being able to grasp Venti’s presence like one catches a petal in the wind.

She closed her eyes and intertwined her fingers in almost prayer, focusing all of her being into the Anemo energy all around her. If she could pinpoint the source of the wind… If only she could, then she would most certainly find Barbatos at the end of it.

All wind and freedom are born from him, so it was no wonder that if one pulled the thread of the wind, they would find Venti at the end of it.

However, it was easier said than done -- there was a high amount of magic energy; differing levels of Anemo and other Visions spread throughout the land to be able to pull at one without finding it entangled in another. It felt like Auria was learning how to knit by untangling yarn instead of weaving it into clothing.

She spent the night at an inn not too far from the most famous one in town as she needed to concentrate on her task, though if only she had walked half a block further… her fate might’ve been different.

________

The next morning, Venti, Lumine and Paimon left Angel’s Share to look for the bard’s special someone, though not without Paimon’s easily-ignored teasing.

“She loves the natural sound of the wind, so I’m sure she’ll be in a place where she can be surrounded by nature!” Venti twirled around himself to make a small whirlwind follow his steps, making dust and leaves dance behind him. “The prairie right outside town should be a great place to look, methinks!”

“Alright, then you can go alone, Tone-Deaf Bard! It doesn’t make sense for all of us to go together, after all.” Paimon shook her tiny legs in annoyance for being ignored after asking questions about the Tone-Deaf Lady Friend.

Lumine nodded in accordance, “yeah, it’s best if we split up. I’ll ask people based on the description you told me, so you should look for places she’d most likely be at.”

“Mhm, mhm!” Venti nodded brightly, taking Lumine’s hand on his before shaking it vigorously. “Thanks again for this, Traveler! Let’s find her pronto! I miss her so much!”

“No one asked, though…” Paimon grumbled beside the duo, puffing her cheeks so they were fit to burst at any moment.

Blinking with sparkling eyes, Venti looked in Paimon’s direction and smiled before giving her a cheeky wink and turning to leave. “Then I leave this area to you! Let’s meet back at Angel’s Share if we return empty-handed.”

After saying that, a current of soft green wind covered Venti, dissipating into warm specs of light once he safely warped himself out.

“Good riddance!” Paimon grunted, wobbling around Lumine before taking a deep breath. “Alright then, let’s go, Traveler! I’m so curious to meet the lady crazy enough to live SO LONG with that Tone-Deaf Bard that I can’t stop scratching myself!” The flying little girl scratched the back of her hand excitedly, wearing an evil smile unfitting to her adorable face.

“Heh,” Lumine smiled before turning towards the market. “Let’s first ask some innkeepers; they’re the best when it comes to dealing with new people.”

“Let’s gooo!” Paimon eagerly flew behind the Traveler.

________

At the same time, Auria gasped, feeling the thread of wind she had barely managed to catch, snap. “Oh, noo…” She grumbled. “Did he warp somewhere? He was just around here in the city, but now he’s flown far away…” Her voice sounded dispirited as her body lumped forwards, on the bed.

Well, technically, she didn’t know if he had flown ‘far away’, but since he wasn’t within her grasp anymore, she pouted adorably, digging her face into the pillow.

She had barely slept last night; she was also starving and tired of trying to untangle the mess of winds and magic around this big city… Pouting even more, Auria growled impatiently before taking a deep breath.

“I’m going… yeah, I’m going to buy something to eat. Bread! Sweets! Fuel for my weary body!” She psyched herself up by springing to her feet, raising both fists to the sky. “Let’s go!”

Soon she left the tavern without checking out -- she was playing on staying until she found Barbatos, after all -- taking only her money pouch and cloak with her as she headed to the marketplace.

No matter how many times she squeezed herself through the stalls, the sight was always marvelous. Humans were truly fascinating in their own pursuit of freedom: from house decorations to delicious food; there was nothing one couldn’t find in this place as long as they looked hard enough.

Auria gleefully bought a bag of baked sweets that looked much too large for someone her size to eat by herself, which warranted her some glances from the shopkeepers as she passed them. Nevertheless, Auria happily munched on a creamy donut as she started to make her way out of the marketplace.

Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a familiar sparkling dust, so she unconsciously followed it. Since it was just like what her wings in fairy form produced, she felt somehow akin to the flying little girl just a bit ahead of her.

The girl looked too big to be a fairy; not to mention her lack of wings, which cemented the fact that she was not one of Auria’s brethren. Still, Auria found her gaze following the little girl and the one she accompanied -- a young Knight of Favonius, from the looks of it.

Once the duo was out of sight, Auria realized she still had half a donut sticking out of her mouth, so she busied herself with eating it, making her way back to the inn. On the way there, however, she passed by the largest tavern, Angel’s Share, and shrugged before going in.

After all, it would be weird if one that held the title of Most Popular Bard of Mondstadt wasn’t known in such a big establishment. So, renewed with the power of sugar in her veins, Auria went inside with burning eyes.

“Excuse me, I want some information…” She walked to the counter, finding a beautiful flame-haired young man tending to the bar.

“Ask away.” Diluc said curtly, not raising his gaze from the cup he was drying.

“Do you perhchance know of a bard named Venti? He’s about this tall-”

“No need for a description; not only do I know of him, he performed here just last night.” Diluc looked at Auria, then to the piece of donut that fell from her mouth to the floor he had just moped in her surprise.

“He was WHAT? Here?! What?!” She almost let go of the bag of sweets, but managed to catch herself in time to prevent the tragedy. “But I’m just right- across the street? I can’t believe-” She widened her eyes the more she spoke, staring blankly into Diluc’s face.

After a few seconds of astonishment, she caught her breath with a gasp. “Do you know where is he right now? I must meet him!”

Diluc took a moment to reply as he circled the counter to get a broom. “He didn’t say where he was going, but he left this morning with the Traveler and that flying little girl that accompanies her.”

Auria knew who Diluc was talking about immediately. “That young knight of Favonius?” She mumbled more to herself than to Diluc, though he did nod in response.

“Yes.”

Squeezing the bag of sweets, Auria’s heart beat so hard it felt it was about to burst out of her chest. Was that the reason she was so drawn to them back at the market? Were the winds telling her to seek them out so she could finally be reunited with her love?

Her mouth agape as she breathed heavily, Auria’s face brightened with each passing second. “Thank you so much, master! I’ll- I’ll be back!” She quite literally flew out of the door, leaving only the sweet scent of her treats in her wake.

Diluc wasn’t even surprised about such things anymore, so he just finished his sweeping in silence.

________

“Huff, huff!” Auria panted as she turned the bag over into her open mouth to eat everything at once while she ran, clearly unafraid of choking. She quickly arrived back at the marketplace, though due to the sheer amount of people, it was hard to pinpoint a single duo.

Of course, the little not-fairy would be easy to find since she was such an odd sight, but that did not mean that looking would be effortless. Auria put herself on her tiptoes to look above the crowd, but ultimately decided that it would be easier to look from above.

She hurried to an alley and poofed into her fairy form, taking an easy flight high above people’s heads. Looking left and right, Auria flew not too close so as not to be spotted, but not too far so she would still be able to see clearly.

“There!” She pointed to the blonde knight far off in the distance, at the entrance to the pier. “It seems she’s talking to some people, so I’ll just fly down here…” Auria found a quiet spot behind some crates to poof back into her human form, immediately storming towards the place where she last saw Lumine.

She was so eager, she rammed into the young knight with everything she had the moment she took a turn, rolling on the ground in her arms. “Ow, ow, ow…”

“Lumine, Lumine! Are you alright? Who’s this crazy lady?!” Paimon pulled Auria’s cloak to take her off of the Traveler, failing miserably in moving anything but the hood she held on to.

“I’m alright, but-” Lumine shook her head, helping Auria sit up beside her. “Are you okay? Who are- wait… you look familiar.”

“Familiar? Have you seen this crook before, Lumine?” Paimon flew to Lumine’s side, widening her eyes once she took a good look at Auria. “Wait, it’s true! Aren’t you the Tone-Deaf Bard Lady Friend? You are, arentcha?!”

“Tone-deaf-” still dizzy from the collision, Auria massaged her forehead with a groan. “Tone-deaf…?”

“Don’t mind her.” Lumine waved her hand in Paimon’s direction, ignoring the ‘hey, what do you mean by that?’ from the emergency food. “You’re the one Venti is looking for, aren’t you?”

Auria’s eyes sparkled immediately, forgetting the pain and frustration as she took Lumine’s hand. “You know Venti?! Oh, thank the heavens! Do you know where he is? I’ve been looking everywhere for him!”

Lumine and Paimon exchanged surprised and pleased glances. “He just asked us to help him look for you. He left the city for a bit, but we promised to meet back at the Angel’s Share later this afternoon to report our findings.” Lumine nodded to the eager girl holding her hand. “Should we wait there together? It’s best if we stick close lest you two miss each other again.”

“Oh, would you do that for us? Thank you so much, sir knight! Thank you, thank you!” Amidst her emotion, Auria hugged Lumine as she laughed brightly to the point of tears.

“There, there,” Lumine smiled, patting Auria’s back so they could look each other in the eyes. “I’m Lumine, by the way. The one over there is Paimon, so no need for formalities.”

“That’s right! You’re thankful, aren’t you? You gotta tell us more about the Tone-Deaf Bard and how you two met and stuff!” Paimon bounced excitedly all around the two girls. “I need something to kick him in the shin with, keheheh…” She mumbled the last part to herself, snickering evilly.

“I truly am thankful!” Auria sniffled, then got up with Lumine’s help. “I would also love to hear how you two met Venti and what he’s been up to!”

“Sure,” Lumine patted the dirt out of her dress. “Let’s head back to the Angel’s Share.”

________

With each step Auria gave in the direction of the tavern she had left just an hour ago, the stronger her heart pounded. They haven’t seen each other in five hundred years, so the longing she felt to be in his arms was unparalleled.

She tried hard to listen to Paimon’s retelling of how they managed to save Dvalin, but the sound of her heart beating inside her ears made it difficult for Auria to do anything else apart from breathing. And even that was difficult, to be honest.

The wind was restless. Was Venti back? If so, was he already waiting for her? If not, would he take long? It was already the early hours of the afternoon, so he probably should be on his way… oh, Auria could hardly wait!

She didn’t notice, but her steps became quicker the more she approached the Angel’s Share, as though spurred by the threads of wind woven into a breeze. By the time she noticed it was hard to breathe, she was already running.

Her steps fueled by the swirling wind, Auria forgot all decorum and opened the door to the tavern with a loud bang.

The air entered from behind her into the building as though being sucked by a primal being; as though being rolled back into its beginning and end; as though it was simply returning to its master and servant.

The wind swirled around the two adorable twin braids, ruffling the little red cape that covered the small back.

Short of breath, Auria could only gasp as her eyes met Barbatos’ for the first time in a half a millennium. “Ven-” she stuttered, faltering on her feet as she reached out to him.

His clear, aqua eyes widened in surprise as he saw the wind usher her to him, a wide smile covering his face. “Auria!” He opened both arms and ran into her embrace, tackling her with everything he had.

“Ven- oof!” Auria opened her arms to welcome his lightning fast jump, squeezing him into her embrace as they wobbled backwards, falling on top of the incoming Traveler once again.

Paimon grumbled something about the Traveler pursuing a career of safety cushion, but neither of the two lovers heard her.

Auria’s clear tears rolled down her cheeks as she dug her face into Venti’s hair, rubbing her face on it as though to imprint him into her. “Ven! I missed you so much! Where,” she sniffled, “where have you beeen!” She sobbed.

“Hehe,” Venti smiled cheekily, rubbing his face on Auria’s chest as his own eyes itched with unshed tears. “Haven’t you heard my tunes? I was looking high and low for my one and only muse!”

Auria sobbed more, squeezing his neck into her embrace with such force he almost turned blue with lack of air. “I looked everywhere for you…”

“I know, Fairy.” He whispered her nickname in a loving voice, making Auria’s tears flow more intensely. “Thanks for being so good at finding me! What would I do without you, really…” he kissed her neck, then loosened his embrace so he could kiss her wet cheeks before trailing his lips to hers.

Paimon gawked at the sight, covering her eyes with a red face as the two young lovers shared their kiss of reunion, not even bothering to stand after they fell.

“Don’t, sniff, don’t even think about going around on your own again!” Auria dipped more tiny kisses onto Venti’s rosy lips, drying her tears the best she could. “We’ll stay together from now on, Ven!”

“I would have it no other way, Fairy!” Venti giggled brightly, using his frilly sleeve to dry his beloved’s faze. “Now there’s nothing that can separate us.”

#genshin impact #venti genshin impact #lumine gensin himpact #paimon genshin impact #genshin oc #i dont have a 'genshinsona' tag so ksadjlmasd #should i just go with fatesona #fatesona #there #my writings #yuki's commissions

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 4 years

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5th December >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 9:35-10:8 for Saturday, First Week of Advent: ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few’.

Saturday, First Week of Advent

Gospel (Except USA)

Matthew 9:35-10:1,5,6-8

The harvest is rich but the labourers are few

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’ He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them.

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Reflections (6)

(i) Saturday, First Week of Advent

The opening verse of the gospel reading gives us a sense of all the work Jesus did during his public ministry. He made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in the synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. Jesus clearly did not spare himself in doing the work God had given him to do. Yet, he knew that even he could not do God’s work alone. When he saw crowds that were harassed and dejected, even after all the work he did, he didn’t respond by saying he had to work harder. He responded by asking his disciples to ask God to send labourers into God’s harvest. The harvest was so rich, the work to be done was so great, that Jesus alone could not do it. Many labourers were needed, through whom Jesus would work. That is why he went on to send out his twelve closest disciples to do the same work he had been doing, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness. Yet, Jesus knew that even these twelve could not do all God’s work that needed doing. Many more labourers would be needed. The Lord needs each one of us to be a labourer in God’s harvest. Each of us has a combination of gifts and experiences which the Lord needs to continue God’s work in the world today. Each of us has a unique role to play in helping the risen Lord to bring more of the kingdom of God to earth. There is a corner of God’s harvest that needs our labour. The Lord wants to work through each of us to bring his healing and life-giving presence to bear more fully on the world. None of us, no matter where we are on our life’s journey, is surplus to his requirements.

And/Or

(ii) Saturday, First Week of Advent

This morning’s gospel reading speaks about Jesus’ compassion for the crowds. According to the evangelist, his compassion was aroused by his observation that the crowds were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Jesus gives immediate expression to his compassion for the crowds by calling on his disciples to pray to God, the Lord of the harvest, to send out labourers into his harvest. Jesus then gives further expression to his compassion for the crowds by sending out his own disciples as labourers into the harvest, empowering them to minister to the crowds as he himself has been doing. Jesus’ strong feeling of compassion finds an outlet in and through those labourers who labour on his behalf and in his spirit. The compassionate Jesus of our gospel reading is now the compassionate risen Lord. The risen Lord continues to give expression to his compassion by sending out labourers who will labour on his behalf. We are all called, in different ways, to be channels of the Lord’s compassion for his people. The Lord needs all of us as his labourers, if his compassionate concern for those dejected and harassed is to find concrete expression. The harvest is so rich that there will never be enough labourers. The Lord needs all the labourers he can get; he needs every one of us to proclaim with our lives, ‘the kingdom of heaven is at hand’.

And/Or

(iii) Saturday, First Week of Advent

The evangelists sometimes refer to the emotions of Jesus. In this morning’s gospel reading Matthew tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds he had compassion for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. ‘Compassion’ is a powerful emotion by which we identify with the situation of others and are moved to action. Jesus’ compassion for the crowd expressed itself in two ways in the gospel reading. He first told his disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send labours into his harvest. These harassed and dejected people need labourers to journey with them and to lead them. The second way Jesus expressed his compassion was to appoint some labourers himself. He summoned twelve from his disciples and empowered them to bring his compassionate presence to those who may not meet Jesus personally. Where do we find ourselves in that gospel reading? Sometimes we may be among those who are harassed and dejected. If so, the gospel reading assures us that the Lord is with us in our valley of darkness; he is always drawing near to us in his compassion, especially through his labourers. At other times we may find ourselves called to be among the labourers whom the Lord wants to send into his harvest to journey with those who are harassed and dejected. If so, the gospel reading assures us that in sending us out as his labourers, the Lord will also empower us for the work he is asking us to do.

And/Or

(iv) Saturday, First Week of Advent

The last line of this morning’s gospel reading strikes a chord with me at this time, ‘You received without charge, give without charge’. You often hear the expression, ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’. It comes out of a conviction that everything has to be paid for and that we get nothing for nothing. Whereas there may be some truth in this, there is also some truth in what Jesus says, ‘you received without charge’. We can all think of ways in which we have been deeply graced, without our having done anything to earn or deserve or bring about the grace or the gift. We walk along and we are struck by the beauty of nature. It might be a sunrise or sunset or the reflection of sunlight on water or whatever. We stop and stand with a sense of appreciation, recognizing at some level that we have been unexpectedly graced. Many of the friendships and relationships that mean so much to us were given to us. These people whom we love came into our lives. We didn’t go looking for them or work to attain them. They came to us and we rejoiced in the gift of their coming and their continuing presence to us. In so many ways we have received without charge, and, as people of faith we recognize the presence of the Lord within and behind all these gifts. Jesus’ statement, ��you received without charge’, leads on to his call, ‘give without charge’. Because we have been freely graced in so many ways, we are to grace others just as freely. We are to give without looking for or expecting a return. We give freely out of the abundance we have been given. There is nothing calculating about the Lord’s love for us, and our love is to reflect something of that same quality.

And/Or

(v) Saturday, First Week of Advent

This morning’s gospel reading refers to those who are ‘harassed and dejected’ and ‘lost’. Jesus noticed that the crowds were ‘harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd’, and he sends his disciples to bring his compassionate presence to the ‘lost sheep of the House of Israel’. Jesus had a special sensitivity to those who were spiritually dejected and lost. He wanted them to have an experience of God as a caring, compassionate Shepherd. This was at the heart of Jesus’ proclaiming the good news that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Jesus was announcing, and he wanted his disciples to announce in his name, that God was present in a strikingly new way as the compassionate Shepherd to all who were in need of his life-giving presence. This is also the message of today’s first reading. Isaiah declares that God ‘will be gracious to you when he hears your cry’. We can all count ourselves from time to time among the harassed, dejected and lost. The days and weeks leading up to Christmas can leave some people feeling more harassed and dejected than usual. Advent is a time when we are invited to prayerfully open ourselves to the daily coming of the Lord as compassionate Shepherd. The Lord wants to give to us without any charge. In the words of the gospel reading, ‘You received without charge’. As we receive from the Lord, we are then sent out, like the twelve, to give without charge, to be channels of the Lord’s compassionate presence to all those we encounter in these Advent days.

And/Or

(vi) Saturday, First Week of Advent

As we draw closer to Christmas, many of us are thinking about buying gifts for people. It is a season of gift-giving. We give gifts to others and we receive gifts from others. A gift doesn’t have to be expensive to convey appreciation and regard. A lot of thought can go into a relatively inexpensive gift. There is something appropriate about giving and receiving gifts at this time of the year because Christmas is the feast of God’s gift to us of his Son. Saint John puts it very simply in his gospel, ‘God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son’. At Christmas, we celebrate and give thanks for the most precious gift that God could have given us, the gift of his Son. At the end of today’s gospel reading, Jesus declares to his disciples, ‘you received without charge’. Jesus was God’s free gift to us. Paul in his letter to the Romans speaks of ‘the grace of God and the free gift of the one man, Jesus Christ’. Paul is reminding us that we have been greatly graced by God through this gift of his Son. God did not give us his Son because we are deserving of him or because we have done something to earn him. Jesus is God’s free gift to us. The only appropriate response to such an extraordinary gift is gratitude. The feast of Christmas inspires us to be thankful to God for the many ways he has graced and blessed us through the gift of his Son. Having been graced in this way, we are called to live out of this grace. As Jesus says at the gospel reading, ‘give without charge’; ‘give to each other as you have received from God’. We are to give the Lord to each other, by giving expression in our lives to his gracious and compassionate love.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

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romana73 · 4 years

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REYLO FANFIC: YIN AND YAN. PART 5

WRITER: Romana73 TIME: One year after Star Wars. Episode VIII. The Last Jedi THEME AND FANDOM: Star Wars RATING: Explicit TITLE: Yin and Yan CATEGORIES: M/F COUPLES: Kylo Ren / Ben Solo and Rey CHARACTERS: Rey, Kylo Ren / Ben Solo, Anakin Skywalker (nominated), BB - 8, Knights of Ren, Chewbacca, Darth Vader (nominated), Finn, General Hux, Han Solo (nominated), Leia Organa, Luke Skywalker, Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, boys from Canto Bright, Snoke (nominated), various Resistance and First Order fighters WARNINGS: Star Wars characters, world and stories AREN’T MINE AND DON’T BELONG TO ME, but they are created and owned by George Lucas, Lucasfilm, Disney, J.J. Abrams and Rian Johnson and the actors who play the Star Wars characters and their stories. I’M NOT IN ANY WAY LINKED TO THESE PEOPLE AND CINEMATOGRAPHIC HOUSES. I DON’T KNOW NO ONE OF THEM and I’M IN NO WAY IN CONTACT WITH THEM

WARNINGS 2: violence, also in terms of language. The starting idea of this story derives from a leaks I read last year and which struck my imagination CHAPTER I can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/189784450126/reylo-fanfiction-yin-e-yan CHAPTER II can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/189959876431/reylo-fanfic-yin-and-yan-part-2 CHAPTER III can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/190301208881/reylo-fanfic-yin-and-yan-3-part CHAPTER IV can be found HERE: https://romana73.tumblr.com/post/190662591396/reylo-fanfic-yin-and-yan-chapter-iv

CHAPTER V (PART I )

- Thanks ... nothing ... yes, I know. No ... don't bother me - Rey heard distant, muffled voices breaking through sleep blanket enveloped her, until one voice became stronger and more distinct than others, managing to shake her completely. Kylo Ren had ordered someone don’t disturb him. His voice and footsteps seemed terribly close. She snapped her eyes open, tensing herself like a violin string. Sweating cold and standing still, Rey tried to focus on situation. Praying he wouldn’t notice her awakening, simulating sleeping breathing, Rey narrowed her eyes, trying to understand what condition she was in. First thing she noticed were her wrists free of anti-Force handcuffs. Under soft, shiny sheets, her feet were bare. Her body was stretched out on a hard but comfortable mattress. Rey wasted no time wondering who could have arranged her in that way, her memory worked all too well. By time Kylo had picked her up, frustration in her from situation had grown, causing her to rant slowly against him. She didn’t want to make scenes and show, giving satisfaction to new Supreme Leader and his men. Nonetheless, Rey could barely contain growing irritation animated her. After insults, she had changed tactics, also trying to kick and make sudden and sudden movements with her body, but nothing had seemed to scratch Kylo’s calm, who had limited himself to absorbing her blows and tantrums, continuing to walk undeterred and in hush. Glancing behind boy's shoulders, Rey was startled when she noticed dirt road stretching endlessly. Rebel base had disappeared and landscape had lost its well-known outlines. Rey had felt tears burn her eyes once more. Memory of desperate expressions of Finn, Poe, Milo and Cleena as she gave them one last look, before Kylo took her away from them, Leia’s eyes full of love and tenderness... that time she hadn't been able to restrain herself. Before she could notice, loud sobs had come out of her mouth , filling her ears. Tears ran freely over her face. Her head had given way, touching Kylo's wide chest, sinking her face, until crying turned into deep sleep. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Kylo Ren had laid Rey on his bed, pulling her shoes off and throwing them on the ground. Angry, he had raised a hand, using Force to slide covers from under girl's body and place them on top of her, without touching her. Kylo had snorted, touching his torn shirt, still wet with tears. At a firm pace, he had reached his private bathroom, nervously taking off his clothes and throwing himself in shower, washing himself frantically, as if an acid was burning his skin, ending up hitting wall in front of him with a punch. Panting, Kylo had stood watching wall pieces fallen at his feet. If there had been no Rey and intruders who had followed them since they left Resistance base, Kylo would have vented, destroying something and, perhaps, blowing some heads of those fanatics in his service, but he had imposed himself not to lose brackets, at least for moment. He had a plan and goals and was determined to carry them out, going all way, at any cost. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -Vicrul, get ready. Let's go to Canto Bright. You have to hunt down some Force-sensitive kids. Scare them, exhaust them, but don't kill them. - Kylo had instructed succinctly three days earlier, entering quarters of one of his Knights. Blond man, with cold gray eyes and a square face, furrowed by various scars, had opened his mouth to speak, and then closed it again, merely nodding. It wasn’t up to him to investigate why their Leader had decided to show up in person, asking don’t to kill any more brats, while until recently he was wandering intolerantly for Finalizer, barely looking at them, ordering through Hux or sitting on throne to kill all Force-sensitive kids and anyone else who went against him. Ever since Jedi girl and Resistance escaped him, Kylo seemed to be swinging between being an efficient and cold God of Death and looking like a volcano ready to erupt. Vicrul had watched Kylo's tall and powerful figure on his back as he walked out of room. For sure, characteristic their leader wouldn’t have lost was gloomy. Vicrul shrugged and, reaching out, grabbed his shining vibrating scythe leaning against wall near his bed, started to fix it. Few vibrations of his weapon was enough to scared worst of monsters, let alone immature and inexperienced children...

Kylo had continued to walk down corridor, thowards Cardo's quarters, when he had met General Hux from opposite side. Pale, tall and thin, red hair combed back, small and pale eyes, he proceeded stiff, tight in his black military uniform, with puffy pants and high leather boots. While crossing Kylo, he stopped, snapping to attention and beating his boots heels together quickly. Kylo had folded his mouth in an annoyed grimace, irritated by sound of soldier's shoes. To tell the truth, he detested Hux and only man's dedication to cause made Kylo leave him alive. That feeling could come in handy. - Supreme Leader, excuse me for bothering you, sir - Hux had apostrophized Kylo, holding one hand out to his temple and looking at an invisible distant point in front of him. Supreme Leader had stopped, turning only his head to look at his interlocutor, waiting for him to continue. -I heard you was ordering to head to Canto Bright planet ... - Hux had made a cautious debut. -Did you hear? Did you eavesdrop as usual, General Hux? - Kylo had cut short, frowning. Man’s embarrassed expression, mixed with irritation and anger he felt for what he considered pure insolence on part of young man amused Kylo, although he didn’t let him shine through. -It wasn’t my intention, sir, I assure you... - Hux had swallowed strong desire to whip that attractive young face, despite oblique scar marked left side, starting from forehead and crossing cheek, neck and disappearing under shirt. Only power Kylo Ren had over him was sensitivity to what everyone called Force. If he had been a normal person, situation would have been very different and, perhaps, he would have considered boy just one of many ants to be subdued or killed with which universe seemed populated. Kylo kept his stoic expression, although he had sensed Hux's thoughts. Young Leader had felt itchy hands from desire to lift one his hand in Hux direction and strangle him using Force, without even touching him, as after Snoke’s killing, when General had tried to oppose his seizure of power and he had raised one hand towards him, bending thumb and forefinger as if he were really tightening his carotid artery. Hux's face had been tinged with a red similar to his hair and he had bulged his eyes, gasping and holding his hands to his throat in search of air. Kylo had released his grip suddenly and General had returned to breathe, following him in silence, like an angry dog, but too hungry to abandon master from whom he received brutal kicks, but also a decent and safe meal. Kylo had shrugged, giving up on suffocating Hux and had approached him, arranging stiff collar of his uniform with his hands. For second time in ten minutes, Hux had swallowed empty, looking straight in front of him, avoiding direct contact with Kylo Ren's dark brown eyes, at that moment animated by a sinister and amused light. -We will go to Canto Bright for a mission, let's say...crucial - Kylo had sighed, anticipating officer's questions. - Whatever happens, what you have to do, is send a handful of Stormtroopers to scare and confuse and, in my absence, follow Cardo and Vicrul's instructions - Kylo was done, leaving collar of Hux's jacket and peering at him, face with stern eyes. -Yes, but ... in Canto Bright there is a handful of children sensitive to Force and if Resistance came to save them? - Hux had insisted attentively. "I hope so," Kylo thought to himself. He had shrugged. -I don't see problem. I'll take care of it - he replied, walking away abruptly. Hux had remained motionless, moving only when Kylo Ren was at a safe distance. Soldier had cast a murderous look in boy's direction, gritting his small white teeth. Being unnatural, that's what Jedi, Sith and other Force-sensitive people were to him. They believed themselves superior to others, awarded with who knows what mission only because they possessed special faculties. He had always wondered what such individuals would do if they lost their precious skills. He doubted they would be able to combine something good and useful. Kylo Ren was one of worst specimens in that category. Not only he have great sensitivity to Force, but he was a direct descendant of one of the most important families, whose members had always enjoyed playing chess with life and destiny of galaxy, indelibly marking its history, but this seemed not enough for young man. Kylo had considered himself a victim of who knows what wrongs and stepped on his feet, until he became Snoke's pupil, stealing his power and bending entire First Order to his personal purposes. No. True superior being was common people like him who, without need of strange powers, were able to conquer, build and destroy. Normal people were natural, those with strength weren’t. Not for him, at least. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Vicrul had only needed to appear in stables under Canto Bright Casino, face covered with his shiny helmet of mineral pastillion and long black coat of monstrous reptile skin, vibrating his shiny silver scythe a couple of times to make Force - sensitive children run away on all sides. Stormtrooper had invaded Casino itself, causing panic and confusion, so no one would notice boys'escape. Kylo had observed scene in a serious and shady way, flanked by a displeased and upright Hux who didn’t understand meaning of all that and seemed to tremble with the desire to intervene in first person. A smile shadow had appeared and immediately disappeared on Kylo's face when he felt Rey and Resistance arrival. He had extended his senses, letting her feel his presence, guiding her to where he was. Kylo had watched Rey use Force to throw Vicrul busy chasing a girl, then he intervened before she threw herself on his Knight. - Stay here, General - he had ordered Hux amused, before reaching Rey and starting to duel with her. Vicrul had taken opportunity to reach Hux on Finalizer, where he had exchanged a nod of agreement with Cardo who had immediately got off ship using a secondary exit. Cardo had hidden in forest beside battlefield, where he had remained silent and motionless, waiting. Kylo was blocking Rey's blows, when his head had been invaded by pain. He had breathed deeply, extinguishing lightsaber, planting his feet on the ground and stiffening his legs, in an attempt not to fall, but pain had been stronger. Taking his head in his hands, Kylo Ren had flown to ground, rolling in excruciating pangs, gritting his teeth. With narrowed eyes, Kylo had seen Rey stirring on ground, in equal condition. Kylo had tried to control, if not overcome, pain just enough to look around, until his fatigued gaze settled on an intense white glow. Supreme Leader had stretched out an arm in an attempt to use Force against annoying light, when a cold ring had closed around his wrist with a dull click, suddenly blocking his faculties. Kylo had folded his arm and, with a tug, had thrown his assailant away. He was fumbling with the cuff around his wrist when one foot had planted himself in center of his back, locking him on the ground. Kylo had folded her lips in a sarcastic smile...he could have blown them, but it wasn't his intention. Kylo had moved as if to shake off his limb when other rebels had landed on him. Someone had kicked him, others had hit him with blaster’s handle. One person out of all had pulled his arms firmly behind his back, finishing locking his wrists in anti-Force handcuffs. Kylo had spied out of corner of his eye to find out who had handcuffed him. Poe Dameron. Quite right. He had captured and tortured pilot, now Poe was returning favor. His smile had gone wild. Apparently, Resistance had lost some hesitation, taking hasty and less elegant methods, at least with him. Wandering around, sensing his darkening gaze and hearing a soft growl coming out of his closed lips, Kylo had had time to see FN-2187, who was carrying Rey suffering in his arms, away from him, when a kind of shiny, black and technological eye mask had descended on him, obscuring his sight. -Really?- He had grinned provocatively as they dragged him away. - Do you think I don't know where you're taking me? I know all your bases and tricks ... ouch! - A strong blame in abdomen had cut his breath in his throat. Kylo had coughed, without ceasing to smile. -Where did you get it? - Kylo had heard Rey's faint voice asking in vain. "Rey!" He had tried to call her telepathically with her, but she had already passed out.

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dcbbw · 5 years

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Timing--Part 2 (The Road to Ramsford--Riley)

This is Part 2 of my second fanfic and it’s my version of events once the gang travels to LA to find Tariq. In my version, he refuses to come forward and Riley makes a painful decision. It was supposed to be a one-off, but the story just keeps growing. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Please excuse any typos and/or grammatical errors. PS—my Liam is Asian Liam, and my Riley is tall, like me.

All characters belong to Pixelberry.

Song Inspiration: Sea as it Glides, Julie Byrne https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18JY5EF3YsM

Word Count: 2477

Tags: @speedyoperarascalparty @sirbeepsalot @lauradowning29 @liamxs-world

Liam X MC, Liam X Riley

Riley fell into the backseat of the limo with an audible whoomph. She held the vase of roses in her lap. As she settled more comfortably into her seat, she thought to herself, Well, that could have gone better. Her head hurt from all the crying she had done and processing Liam’s complete emotional breakdown. It’s official…I am the worst person in the universe right now. She did not want to leave Liam, she wanted to stay with him. Not just at the Palace, but in Cordonia as well. But she had her pride and self-respect, both which she had compromised far too much. She wanted to make things right between them, yet with neither having a solution, that would only lead to an argument given the tension between them now. Best to just give them both some space, at least overnight.

What the hell happened that she was in a foreign country, in love with a King and evil forces conspiring against them? It sounded like a clichéd novel. When did her life become a Harlequin romance book? She was supposed to have served the bachelor party that night, collected her tips, and gone home. She still remembered her plans for after work that night….her best friends were coming over after bar crawling, and they were going to download dating apps to get Riley back out on the dating scene. They were bringing Chinese food and their best drunk girl tag lines. Instead, Liam offered her a one night escape from reality…for both of them. Next thing she knew, she was throwing caution to the wind and following total strangers to Europe to participate in an untelevised version of The Bachelor. For him. For her. To see if what they felt was real.

Social season had not been easy for Riley. She was a stranger in a strange land, a fish out of water. The ladies of the court never failed to remind her she was an outsider with no real chance. The bullying, the back-handed compliments. Some days it took all she had to not go complete HAM on some of the ladies, and show them how Brooklyn put in work. She was literally chasing after and throwing herself at a man who had at least a dozen other women to choose from. Not something today’s modern woman would do. She was one of many, and did not have the history or connection with the Prince the others did.

It did not help that her sponsor, The Brothers Beaumont, were broke. She was using her savings to sponsor herself. In a way, they were as unprepared for the social season as she was. Maxwell was forgetful as hell. She was not sure if he was oblivious, preoccupied, or kept assuming she knew the schedule of events via telepathy. Telling her about events, protocols, and expecting her to come up with runway couture an hour before an event….the lack of preparation kept her on edge, but she never showed it.

Riley had to purchase her own clothing, which meant a lot of recycled outfits at event after event. She had had to work crew on the yacht during the Regatta, and crew was a long stretch of the imagination. It was her, Drake, and Maxwell. She had to help Bertrand, Maxwell, and Drake clean the estate and prepare the food for the final celebratory ball of the social season. Between trying to keep up and courtly training, she had no chance to fully focus on the politics of Court as the others did.

Thank God she had her friends to both learn from and vent to. Maxwell had quickly become her big brother despite her frustration with him, Bertrand the stern uncle, and Hana….Hana was the best friend she never knew she needed. The woman knew everything about Court, and the social season’s associated events and did not mind sharing her knowledge. From waltzing to horseback riding, to piano playing to foreign languages…Riley had Hana to thank. Drake…Drake was special. He had begrudgingly become her unofficial personal protector at Liam’s request, but the friendship he offered her was all his. American commoners were rare in Cordonia, and based upon that bond alone, Riley and Drake found themselves able to speak freely and share things Maxwell, Hana, and Liam would never understand.

If Liam kept her safe, Drake kept her sane. Drake was the one who was there when Liam kissed Olivia in Lythikos, calming her down and once again explaining how social season brought out the worst in the ladies, and how she had to thicken her skin in a more polite way no matter how much she may hate it. Smile and ignore was his strategy. Drake was the one who saved her from Tariq that night in Applewood. She thought back to that night: Tariq entering her room, claiming it was his. Insistent that Riley felt the same. Approaching her while she was basically naked. Her voice going from calm and rational to just screaming at Tariq to get off her. Drake bursting in, his face twisting with rage as he took in the scene. The fight. Drake seeing her basically naked. Helping Drake remove his shirt as she iced his bruises. The strange tension between her and Drake which they both chose to ignore.

Sometimes she wondered what it would be like to be with Drake. To have that handsome face with those dark brown eyes looking into hers. To feel those strong hands on her body, and to feel his muscular body over top of hers. Especially now that Liam was with Madeleine, and Tariq would not come forward. She was essentially a single woman, but she and Drake both knew she wasn’t. Riley was too deep in love with Liam, and to start anything with anyone, especially Liam’s best friend, would only be a huge disaster for them all. Besides, sex changed everything, so she and Drake contented themselves with a friendship where they could tell each other all the things they could not share with anyone else.

The Engagement Tour…..if it weren’t for her circle of friends, she would never had made it through. The first few weeks with no contact from anyone save Bertrand and Maxwell had nearly driven her crazy. Hana…she was supposed to return home. Had she? Was she okay? And where the hell was Drake? All she wanted to do was drink whiskey and ridicule nobles. Instead, she was learning fork placement and quick steps to once again prove her worthiness to the Court. Fuck the Court. The Court put her in this mess. She did not even wonder why she did not hear from Liam…she was too angry and hurt to even let her thoughts wander to him. Then she was on the tour, and having to see them together every single day, enduring Madeleine’s triumphantly gloating looks. Her snide, derisive comments. Listening to him say he would not want anyone else by his side. Watching her kiss him, feed him, and walk hand in hand with him. She had to go pick up Madeleine’s wedding ring, for fuck’s sake. And it would only get worse once Madeleine was made Queen. Her friends kept her sane, and wiped her tears through it all.

Leaving Liam would mean leaving her friends behind as well. Fresh pain wrenched her heart and she began crying again. They were so much more than friends….they were her family now. She had already left behind one life; could she re-invent herself again? She recalled Liam’s words: I will make you Duchess of Valtoria. You can rebuild your life here in Cordonia. Could that be an option? She could run the duchy with Hana and Drake’s help, with oversight from the Brothers Beaumont and Liam. She would be far enough away from the Court to avoid the press and gossip. Liam would split his time between the Palace and Valtoria. Everyone knew she and Liam were still an item, so his extended stays would not be questioned. And it would give her a chance to stay with her friends, and to be with the man she had grown to love. How did that happen, that she would fall so deeply in love that she would actually view being the other woman as a viable option. But she would be second to duty, honor, and country. Not Madeleine.

Thinking back, Riley tried to pinpoint when she actually fell in love with Liam. For sure, she knew that night in Lythikos during the social season solidified her feelings, but more than likely it was probably the night they met. She had never been one for love at first sight, but the immediate attraction, the easy flow of conversation, and the sexual chemistry was a heady combo she had never felt with any man before, be it the first time or the fifteenth time meeting them. No one had made her feel this way before. Happy, giddy, all the positive stuff people felt when in love….Liam brought out all of that and then some. She felt protected with him. Liam was her home and she wanted only to stay with him. But for his duty to Cordonia. But for his impending marriage to Madeleine. But. Fresh tears were falling and Riley angrily brushed them away. Damnit, Timing…you’re worse than Karma. Eventually, she felt her tears subside, and she lowered her face into the flowers, drinking in their scent, and trying to imagine a life without Liam.

When she reached House Beaumont, it was evident Maxwell had been watching for her, as he almost immediately flung open the front door and ran down the drive to meet her. He looked like an excited puppy as he called out to her.

“Riley, you’re back”!

Riley laughed despite herself. ”Yes, I am”.

Maxwell pulled her close in a hug. “I know things did not go well with Liam”.

Once the hug was over, Riley sighed. “I just did not want to hurt him, but if I stay I am hurting myself”.

Maxwell nodded understandingly. “Fate is a funny thing, Little Blossom, but let’s keep the faith. You never know what tomorrow brings”. He turned to look at her and told her she looked lovely. Riley smacked his shoulder playfully.

“You always say that”!

Maxwell grinned. “It’s true”.

Stepping into the entrance hall, the first person Riley saw was Hana. Her friend enveloped her in a tight hug.

“Riley! I am so glad you’re here”.

“I’m glad you’re here too, Hana”. Hana gave her a huge smile.

Riley looked around. “Are you here alone”?

“Oh no! Drake, Savannah, and Olivia went to pick up pizzas and beer for dinner. Bertrand is in his study…he had a phone call about House Beaumont business”. Hana made air quotes while rolling her eyes. “Maxwell and I have been trying to put together a dance party playlist. You are free to add songs if you want”.

“Wait….Hana, what is going on”?

“Just a little dance party to cheer you up. We all know today was not easy for you or Liam”.

Maxwell lifted his head from his phone, where he was selecting songs for the party playlist. “It is all my idea, so yell at me if you want. “

Riley shook her head incredulously, while a small grin crossed her lips. “You guys”, she groaned as she felt tears prick her eyes yet again. “Guess I will go change…3 inch heels do not belong at an impromptu dance party”.

“I’ll go with you”, Hana offered. Hana followed Riley upstairs to her room and sat gracefully in the wing backed armchair.

“Riley, how are you feeling”? Hana’s voice was soft and solicitous.

Riley flopped back on her bed as she let out a half yell, half groan. “Oh Hana….I am so in love with him. No idea how I will ever be able to board a plane to America without him. How I will even pick up the pieces of my old life. And I feel like a horrible person….he just…just broke, Hana. I did that to him”. Riley felt what was left of her heart empty out as she remembered Liam’s rage and pain. His words echoed in her head: what about my happily ever after?

Hana came over to the bed and put her hand on top of Riley’s. “He’s hurting, just like you are. He just needs time to process this. None of us want to see you leave, but as much as this hurts you now, if he married Madeleine”….Hana’s voice trailed off.

“Exactly”, Riley agreed. “Although, he did offer to make me a Duchess. A part of me…a huge part is considering it. I am not particularly interested in the title, but it grants me entrance into Court, and buys us some time. “

Hana looked at Riley. “But unless something gives with Tariq, he will still marry Madeleine. We both know that will break the pieces of your heart. Could you really deal with them being a married couple?”

“He keeps saying he will not…. cannot go through with it. He keeps talking of abdicating.”

Hana looked startled. “Really?”

“Really.”

Hana‘s voice was low and heavy with thought. “Sounds like you both have a heavy decision to make. Maybe you could stay at least another week to properly talk this out. Weigh your options. “ Hana’s voice brightened. “But on to happier news! Liam called Bertrand. He is coming to the potluck tomorrow, and Bertrand invited him to the party tonight. He’s coming! And will be spending the night! I heard Bertrand speak of readying a room for him”.

Riley smiled softly as she stared into space, processing what Hana told her. He was coming! And spending the night! They would have the next two days Madeleine and Court free, and that was something.

Snapping her mind away from her thoughts, Riley spoke. “Well, guess I need to get showered and changed”.

Hana stood to leave. “Okay, see you downstairs. And Riley, we will all do what we can to make tonight as fun as possible. For all of us. “

Riley smiled fondly at her friend. “See you guys soon!”

#trr fanfic #choices trr #choices the royal romance #liam x riley #liam x mc #king liam

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 3 years

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1st February >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on

Luke 6:32-38 for the Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

And on

Mark 5:1-20 for Monday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time.

Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

Gospel (Ireland)

Luke 6:32-38

Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate. Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

Reflections (4)

(i) Feast of Saint Brigid

Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. Saint Brigid’s cross remains a popular sign of God’s protection. In legend it was used by Brigid to explain the Christian faith. The first reading that is chosen for Saint Brigid’s feast day is that wonderful prayer of Saint Paul from his letter to the Ephesians, one of my favourite passages in the New Testament. Paul is praying in intercession for his church, praying for their ‘hidden self to grow strong’, which he equates with Christ living in their heart through faith. Our hidden self grows strong when Christ lives there. The more Christ lives within us, the stronger our hidden self will be. Brigid clearly had a strong hidden self in that sense. Christ lived in and through her. That is the baptismal calling of each one of us, to allow Christ to live in us, so that our deepest self is spiritually strong. Paul also equates Christ living in us with knowing the love of Christ, not just with our head but with our heart. When the love of Christ dwells in us, then, says Paul, we will be filled with the utter fullness of God. This is the goal of all our lives. It is a goal that will never be fully attained in this earthly life, but we can journey ever closer to it in this life, with the help of the Holy Spirit. When our inner self is strong in that sense, it will show itself in the kind of life that Jesus portrays in the gospel reading, a loving, compassionate, non-judgemental life, marked by a willingness to forgive. From all we know of her, this was Brigid’s way of life and she remains an inspiration to us.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Brigid

Saint Brigid was born around 454. When she was young, her father wished to make a very suitable marriage for her, but she insisted on devoting her life completely to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and stayed for a period under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led her to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop Conleth. She died in 524 and her cult is widespread not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. As well as being a person of deep prayer, she was renowned for her hospitality, her almsgiving and her care of the sick. That is why the church has chosen the reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans as an option for her feast day. The reading concludes by calling on us to ‘contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers’. Brigid did both. She served the members of the church, the saints, and she also showed hospitality to strangers, those who were not part of the church. In the language of that first reading, she discovered her gift, the particular grace given to her, and she placed that gift at the service of others. We have all been given some particular grace; our gifts will differ according to the grace that has been given to us. Our calling is to try and discern our own particular gifts, the unique way that the Holy Spirit has graced us, and to place those gifts at the service of the Lord, and of others, both those who are part of the church, the ‘saints’ and those who are not, ‘strangers’.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Brigid

We know very little about the life of Brigid. She was probably born around the middle of the fifth century and died at the beginning of the sixth century. At a young age she seems to have devoted her life completely to God. She founded a monastery of Kildare which contributed to the spread of Christianity in Ireland. The stories that have come down about her in her various Lives depict her as a woman of deep prayer and as someone whose life was characterized by great generosity and deep compassion, especially for the needy and the broken. In this morning’s first reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul mentions various gifts that can be expected to be found among the members of Christ’s body. Two in particular seem to fit the profile of Bridgid as it has come down to us in the literature about her, ‘let the almsgivers give freely... and those who do the works of mercy do them cheerfully’. It seems that Brigid gave alms freely and did many works of mercy cheerfully. That lovely reading concludes with ‘if any of the saints are in need you mist share with them, and you should make hospitality your special care’. Again Brigid shared with those in need and had a reputation for a very hospitable spirit. He cult extended beyond the shores of this island. I was only reading recently that in England there were at least nineteen ancient church dedications in her honour, the most famous being Saint Bride’s in Fleet Street. It is clear that her great love of the Lord which was nourished by a life of prayer found expression in a very practical love of others, especially of those in any need. She can continue to inspire us to live the gospel to the full and to find joy in doing so.

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Saint Brigid

Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. The gospel reading is very suited for her feast because it calls on us to be generous not only to those who are generous to us but even to our enemies. Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap’. Jesus is saying there that if our focus is on giving, then we will discover that we receive more than we give. It could be said to the contrary that if our focus is on receiving then we will be ultimately disappointed. It is not the case that we give with a view to receiving. It is simply that we give in various ways, in accordance with our gifts, abilities and energies, and we discover along the way that we are actually receiving more than we are giving. Our giving creates an opening for the Lord to grace us. The most generous form of giving, according to the gospel reading, is to love those who do not love us and to give to those from whom we have no hope of receiving anything in return. This kind of giving, according to the gospel reading, has something of God about it, because God is just as kind to the ungrateful and the wicked as he is to those who are good. Such selfless giving opens up our hearts to receiving a great abundance from the Lord, what the gospel reading calls, a ‘full measure’.

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Monday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Except USA)

Mark 5:1-20

The Gadarene swine

Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, and no sooner had Jesus left the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs towards him. The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain; because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ – for Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘My name is legion,’ he answered ‘for there are many of us.’ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district. Now there was there on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding, and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.’ So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. The swineherds ran off and told their story in the town and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his full senses – the very man who had had the legion in him before – and they were afraid. And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. Then they began to implore Jesus to leave the neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

Gospel (USA)

Mark 5:1-20

Unclean spirit, come out of the man!

Jesus and his disciples came to the other side of the sea, to the territory of the Gerasenes. When he got out of the boat, at once a man from the tombs who had an unclean spirit met him. The man had been dwelling among the tombs, and no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain. In fact, he had frequently been bound with shackles and chains, but the chains had been pulled apart by him and the shackles smashed, and no one was strong enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and on the hillsides he was always crying out and bruising himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and prostrated himself before him, crying out in a loud voice, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me!” (He had been saying to him, “Unclean spirit, come out of the man!”) He asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “Legion is my name. There are many of us.” And he pleaded earnestly with him not to drive them away from that territory. Now a large herd of swine was feeding there on the hillside. And they pleaded with him, “Send us into the swine. Let us enter them.” And he let them, and the unclean spirits came out and entered the swine. The herd of about two thousand rushed down a steep bank into the sea, where they were drowned. The swineherds ran away and reported the incident in the town and throughout the countryside. And people came out to see what had happened. As they approached Jesus, they caught sight of the man who had been possessed by Legion, sitting there clothed and in his right mind. And they were seized with fear. Those who witnessed the incident explained to them what had happened to the possessed man and to the swine. Then they began to beg him to leave their district. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed pleaded to remain with him. But Jesus would not permit him but told him instead, “Go home to your family and announce to them all that the Lord in his pity has done for you.” Then the man went off and began to proclaim in the Decapolis what Jesus had done for him; and all were amazed.

Reflections (6)

(i) Monday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

The gospel reading this morning puts before us probably the most disturbed person in the whole gospel story. He loved alone among the tombs; he was so violent that he could not be secured even with fetters and chains. He howled among the tombs night and day and regularly inflicted serious injury on himself. Here is someone who is out of control who, from a Jewish perspective, is living in territory that is out of bounds, a graveyard in a Gentile region. Yet, he was not out of bounds, as far as Jesus was concerned. Jesus met with him and spoke to him. After his meeting with Jesus he ceased to be out of control. Indeed, we are told that, in response to the call of Jesus, he went on to spread the word about all that Jesus had done for him throughout a very large region. This very disturbed person became an evangelist, the preacher of the gospel to the Gentiles. It is hard to imagine a greater transformation in someone’s life. We all need to be transformed in one way or another. We all need the Lord to help change us for the better. We too can find ourselves out of bounds, out of control. We ask the Lord this morning to bring us within the bounds of his love and to free us to submit to his control.

And/Or

(ii) Monday, Fourth week in Ordinary Time

This morning’s gospel reading is one of the most unusual miracle stories in the four gospels. The story is set in pagan territory and at its centre is a very disturbed person who was a danger to himself and probably to others. The response of those in his neighbourhood was to secure him with chains and to place him among the tombs with the dead. There was no place for him among the living. When Jesus arrived in this territory, this disturbed man approached him, and even though the man’s initial approach to Jesus was very aggressive, Jesus engaged him in conversation. By the end of the conversation, the man was freed from what had left him so disturbed and not only that but he had taken on a ministry. In response to Jesus’ invitation, he proclaimed throughout the region all that Jesus had done for him - all that God had done for him through Jesus. He became a preacher of the gospel. Jesus had just calmed the storm at sea; now he had calmed the storm in this man’s life, and released him to serve others. The risen Lord continues to calm the storms in all of our hearts if we approach him in confidence. When he does so, it will be with a view to releasing us to share in some way in his own work.

And/Or

(iii) Monday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

This morning’s gospel reading follows directly on in Mark’s gospel from Saturday’s gospel reading. There Jesus calmed the storm at sea and calmed the panic of his own disciples. As Jesus and his disciples reach land they are met with another storm, this time a storm of the human spirit, a man who was so disturbed that people had him chained so that he couldn’t harm himself or others. He had also been banished to the local graveyard, to the tombs. He was living among the dead, cut off from the living. The Lord’s response to him was not to chain him up but to release him, to release him not only from his chains but from the spirit that left him so disturbed. We have an image here of how the Lord works. He works to free people from all that diminishes and dehumanizes them. This is not only the Lord’s work, but it is also the work of the church, the work of his followers, our work. That work of helping people to live a freer and fuller life is work we are called to engage in each day of our lives. If we are to engage in that work of the Lord, we need to open up our own lives to the Lord’s healing and life-giving presence. It is always as broken people in need of the Lord’s healing that we engage in his work of healing the broken.

And/Or

(iv) Monday, Fourth week in Ordinary Time

The central character of the gospel story is one of the most disturbed people that we find in the gospels. He was someone out of control, completely alienated from himself and from others. He was more dead than alive, as is shown by his living among the tombs. He was the total outsider. Yet, Jesus engaged with him and as a result of his encounter with Jesus he was restored to himself and to the community from which he came. Having just calmed a storm at sea, Jesus calmed the storm in this man’s psyche and spirit and sent him out as a messenger of good news to his community. We may never be as disturbed as this man evidently was, but we can all find ourselves out of joint from time to time, out of sorts with ourselves and with others, feeling only half alive within ourselves, tossed and thrown about. It is then that we need to come before the Lord as the man in the gospel did. His initial approach to the Lord was quite aggressive; it was full of anger, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?’ That can be our starting point too when we come before the Lord in prayer. Yet, he is never put off by our disturbance within. If we allow him, he will pour his peace into our hearts; he will calm us as he calmed the storm, and having done so he will send us out to share his peace and mercy with others, just as he sent out the man in the gospel reading.

And/Or

(v) Monday, Fourth week in Ordinary Time

The gospel reading is a story of how Jesus transforms a very disturbed man. There is an extraordinary transformation in the man between the beginning and the end of this story. At the beginning of the story he is living among the tombs on the outskirts of the town because people could not manage him. He could not be kept under control and so he was banished to a place where nobody but the dead lived. The temptation can be great to banish those who are considered too troublesome to keep. An important part of Jesus’ work consisted in bringing in from the cold those who had been excluded and restoring to the community those who had been banished to the margins. Jesus did not try to get rid of this man when he approached and spoke to Jesus in a very aggressive way. Rather, he calmed the storm within him and brought him to a place of inner calm. It is curious that when Jesus healed the man, the people reacted to Jesus in the way they had earlier reacted to the man. They wanted Jesus to leave their neighbourhood. There was something unsettling about someone who could show that a very disturbed person was not all that different from anyone else after all. Having healed the man, Jesus sent him home to his people to tell them all that Jesus had done for him. The one who had been expelled by the community now became their evangelist, sent by Jesus to proclaim the gospel, the presence of God’s kingdom in Jesus. The story suggests that those we might be tempted to expel or remove from our company can become messengers through whom the Lord preaches the gospel to us.

And/Or

(vi) Monday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

This is one of the most graphically narrated of Jesus’ miracles. Jesus is on the far side of the Sea of Galilee, mostly pagan territory. The man at the centre of the storyis a very disturbed person. A powerful storm is raging within him. The community’s response to him was to chain him and exile him to the tombs outside the town. They considered him as good as dead and consigned him to live among the dead. Yet, his spirit would not be chained. Although he continued to live among the tombs, he broke free of his chains. When he saw Jesus at a distance, he ran to him. He left the tombs and threw himself at the feet of the Life Giver. We are given a picture of someone who is desperately trying to move beyond his situation of enslavement and death. Through his encounter with Jesus, the storm within him is calmed. The community who were so determined to enslave him and to be rid of him now find him sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. Whereas the community only succeeded in making the storm within the man worse, Jesus calmed his storm and restored him to himself. The Lord invites us all to come before him in our need, with whatever storm may be brewing within us. If we open ourselves to the Lord’s life-giving presence, as we do in prayer, he will calm us as he calmed the storm; he will restore us to ourselves and to others. There is a striking contrast between the reaction of the man’s neighbours to what had happened and the reaction of the man himself. The neighbours implored Jesus to leave; the man begged to be allowed to stay with Jesus. The neighbours found Jesus’ presence disturbing; he had disturbed their ordered lives, restoring someone to the community who had been judged not to belong there. The man found Jesus’ presence calming; he had calmed the disturbance within him. We are being reminded that the Lord can both disturb the calm and calm the disturbed. It is striking that Jesus would not allow the man to go with him as he requested. Having received the gift of wholeness from Jesus, he now had a mission among his own people, the very people who had treated him so badly. He was to proclaim in this pagan region the gospel of the Lord’s mercy to the broken. Whenever we receive the Lord’s mercy, in whatever form, he sends us out as messengers of his mercy to others. What we receive in prayer, we give with our lives.

Fr. Martin Hogan.

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 4 years

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1st February >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on

Luke 6:32-38 for the Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland.

And on

Mark 4:35-41 for Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time.

Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

Gospel

Luke 6:32-38

Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.

Psalm 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1

Jesus said to his disciples:

‘If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’

Reflections (4)

(i) Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. All of her service of others flowed from a rich interior spiritual life. The two readings for this feast express both the interior dimension of the Christian life and its outward expression of service. In the first reading, Saint Paul prays for the church in Ephesus, asking that their hidden self, their inner self, would grow strong, so that Christ may live in their hearts through faith. It is a wonderful way of speaking about the inner dimension of our lives as followers of the Lord. Christ wants to live in our hearts through our faith, so that our hidden self, or inner self, may grow strong. In that reading Paul goes on to identify our inner self growing strong with being filled with the utter fullness of God. When Christ lives deep within us, when we are filled with his fullness of God, then our inner self will grow strong. In the gospel reading, Jesus speaks of the outer life that flows from such an inner self. It is a life of generous self-giving love of others, including those who are hostile to us. It is a compassionate life that is slow to judge, slow to condemn and ready to forgive. As Jesus says, it is a life that befits sons and daughters of the Most High who is kind to ungrateful and the wicked. Saint Brigid embodied both that deep interior life that Paul speaks about in the first reading and the generous outer life that Jesus speaks about in the gospel reading. On this, her feast day, we look to her, asking her to help us to grow into the fully mature follower of the Lord that she was.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

Saint Brigid was born around 454. When she was young, her father wished to make a very suitable marriage for her, but she insisted on devoting her life completely to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and stayed for a period under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led her to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop Conleth. She died in 524 and her cult is widespread not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands.As well as being a person of deep prayer, she was renowned for her hospitality, her almsgiving and her care of the sick. That is why the church has chosen the reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans as an option for her feast day. The reading concludes by calling on us to ‘contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers’. Brigid did both. She served the members of the church, the saints, and she also showed hospitality to strangers, those who were not part of the church. In the language of that first reading, she discovered her gift, the particular grace given to her, and she placed that gift at the service of others. We have all been given some particular grace; our gifts will differ according to the grace that has been given to us. Our calling is to try and discern our own particular gifts, the unique way that the Holy Spirit has graced us, and to place those gifts at the service of the Lord, and of others, both those who are part of the church, the ‘saints’ and those who are not, ‘strangers’.

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

And/Or

(iv) Feast of Saint Brigid, Abbess, Secondary Patron of Ireland

Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. The gospel reading is very suited for her feast because it calls on us to be generous not only to those who are generous to us but even to our enemies. Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap’. Jesus is saying there that if our focus is on giving, then we will discover that we receive more than we give. It could be said to the contrary that if our focus is on receiving then we will be ultimately disappointed. It is not the case that we give with a view to receiving. It is simply that we give in various ways, in accordance with our gifts, abilities and energies, and we discover along the way that we are actually receiving more than we are giving. Our giving creates an opening for the Lord to grace us. The most generous form of giving, according to the gospel reading, is to love those who do not love us and to give to those from whom we have no hope of receiving anything in return. This kind of giving, according to the gospel reading, hassomething of God about it, because God is just as kind to the ungrateful and the wicked as he is to those who are good. Such selfless giving opens up our hearts to receiving a great abundance from the Lord, what the gospel reading calls, a ‘full measure’.

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Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Mark 4:35-41

'Even the wind and the sea obey him'

With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’

Gospel (USA)

Mark 4:35-41

Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?

On that day, as evening drew on, Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us cross to the other side.” Leaving the crowd, they took Jesus with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, “Quiet! Be still!” The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” They were filled with great awe and said to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

Reflections (7)

(i) Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

There is a strong contrast between the demeanour of Jesus and the demeanour of the disciples in this morning’s gospel reading as their fishing boat is threatened to be swamped in a storm. Jesus is asleep in a cushion in the stern of the boat. The disciples panic, terrified that they are going to sink, and they wake Jesus with the somewhat accusing question, ‘Master, do you not care?’ The sleep of Jesus was a kind of silent rebuke to the disciples’ panic. Jesus was at peace in the midst of the storm because he knew that God was greater and more powerful than the storm. The disciples, in contrast, were transfixed by the storm and could not see beyond it, even though Jesus was with them in the boat. This morning’s gospel reminds us that no matter how bad a storm we find ourselves in, there is always a greater reality beyond it, and indeed within it, and that is the reality of God’s presence to us in and through Jesus. God may seem distant at such threatening moments, Jesus may seem asleep, yet he is truly with us in a caring way, and his presence to us will bring us through the storm into a place of calm if we entrust ourselves to that presence.

And/Or

(ii) Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

There is a stark contrast between the demeanour of Jesus and that of his disciples when a storm breaks out on the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was in the stern of the boat, his head on a cushion, asleep. The disciples were panicking and in their panic they woke Jesus and rebuked him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down’. Jesus’ sleep suggested his quiet trust in God, even in the midst of the storm. His disciples’ panic suggested their lack of trust in God, their lack of faith. Jesus addresses them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ Jesus wanted them to have something of his own trust in God in the midst of the storm. We have all known storms of one kind or another in our own lives. This morning’s gospel reading invites us to trust that God is at hand, and at work, even in the midst of the most threatening of storms. We are asked to enter into Jesus’ own trusting relationship with God, even when the ground seems to be opening up under us, whether as individuals or as a community of faith. Jesus was in the boat with the disciples; he is with us too as individuals and as a church. His communion with us, his nearness to us, helps us to imbibe something of his conviction that God will bring us to the other side, the far shore, in spite of storms along the way.

And/Or

(iii) Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

The evangelist Mark seems to have written his gospel to a church that was going through a kind of a dark valley. It may well have been written to the church in Rome shortly after the persecution of Nero had laid waste to that church. The theme of suffering and failure because of suffering is very strong in this gospel. It is likely that Mark saw the disciples in a small boat on the Sea of Galilee battered by a storm that threatened to sink them as an image of his church. The cry of the disciples to Jesus in the boat as the storm was raging may well be the cry of Mark’s church, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down’. Perhaps it is a cry we might find easy to identify with. In contrast to the disciples who panic in the storm, Mark presents Jesus as asleep on a cushion in the back of the boat. Jesus was at peace because he knew that God was stronger than the storm, and that in spite of the storm all would be well. His trusting faith in God in spite of the storm left him at peace; the disciples lack of faith in God as the storm howled left them in a state of panic, which is why Jesus goes on to ask them, ‘Why is it that you have no faith?’ In times of crisis, when the elements threaten to engulf us and swamp us, we need something of that calm trust of Jesus in God from whose loving presence the storms of life cannot separate us.

And/Or

(iv) Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

It is likely that Mark’s gospel was written to the church in Rome, shortly after it had come through the persecution of the emperor Nero. If so, Mark’s church would easily have recognized itself among the disciples in the boat, battling a gale, with the waves breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. Just as Jesus was asleep as the storm howled and the disciples concluded that Jesus didn’t care for them, so Mark’s church may have wondered during their own stormy ordeal whether the risen Lord was asleep, indifferent to their plight. As a church we have been through difficult time; we have taken a battering, for various reasons. We too may be tempted to think that the Lord has forgotten about us and doesn’t care. The message of today’s gospel reading is that nothing could be further from the truth. The reason that Jesus was asleep in the boat as the storm broke wasn’t that he didn’t care for his disciples but that he had complete trust that God would preserve the boat in the storm because God was stronger than the storm. He rebuked his disciples for their lack of trust, ‘How is it that you have no faith?’ The Lord is never asleep to our plight; he is always with us in the storm and will never allow the storm to swamp the church. He does ask, however, that we keep faith in him while the storm is doing its worst and not just in the calm after it.

And/Or

(v) Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

If you are fortunate enough to ever to go on pilgrimage to the Holy Land, one of the sights that will remain with you is that of the Sea of Galilee. It is so evocative of the life and ministry of Jesus. In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus invites his disciples to cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, the side opposite Capernaum and all the places familiar to Jesus and his disciples. This was a side where there the population was more pagan than Jewish. In a way that little boat with the disciples and Jesus in it reminds us of the church. Jesus is always calling the church to go over to the other side, to break new ground, to move beyond the familiar and the comfortable. The disciples did what Jesus asked, but they discovered that this journey to the other side was not easy. They ran into a storm; they thought they were going to drown; they accused Jesus of not caring because he was asleep in the back of the boat. He was asleep not because he didn’t care but because he had complete trust in God, unlike his panicking disciples. Whenever the church tries to break new ground in response to the promptings of the Spirit it will invariably run into storms of one kind or another. Today’s gospel reading assures that the Lord is always with the church in such storms and that his power is greater than the force of the storm. If as church we learn to trust in him in the midst of the storm, rather than being full of fear like the disciples, we will reach the other side.

And/Or

(vi) Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

There is a very striking image of Jesus in today’s gospel reading. As a gale blew and the waves broke into the boat he is there in the stern of the boat asleep with his head on a cushion. There is a storm at sea and a storm within the disciples; they are filled with terror before the terror of the storm. Yet amid all this chaos in nature and in his disciples, there is Jesus, a focal point of calm and stillness. He is at peace. His peaceful sleep when all seems lost speaks of his trust in God as one who is more powerful than the storm. The disciples focused on the storm and lost sight of God and, so, they felt overwhelmed by the storm. Jesus focused on God rather than on the storm and, so, he was completely at peace as the storm raged. Jesus’ demeanour teaches us to keep our focus on God even when we seem to be overwhelmed by forces before which we feel powerless. Our faith does not preserve us from the storms of life, no more than it preserved Jesus, but it can enable us to remain at peace in the midst of the storm. Jesus rebuked his disciples for their lack of faith in God, their lack of trust. Jesus was with them; that should have been enough for them, even as the storm howled. Jesus is with us too as risen Lord, as we battle with our own storms in life. If we keep our focus on him at such times, we will come to share in his own peace and rest. It is a peace the world cannot give and the world cannot take away. It is a gift which empowers to be peacemakers for others.

And/Or

(vii) Saturday, Third Week in Ordinary Time

When a storm breaks over us in life, we often find ourselves in panic mode. At such times, it can be very helpful to have someone who remains calm as the storm rages. Their calmness has help to calm us. We find such a scenario in today’s gospel reading. The disciples and Jesus find themselves in a storm at sea. As a gale blew, waves were breaking into the boat, just as waves sometimes break over the sea wall when the wind is especially strong and the tide is high. In the midst of this storm, the disciples are clearly in panic mode. ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’, they exclaimed to Jesus. In contrast, Jesus is a centre of calm in the midst of the storm. He is so calm that he sleeps through the storm. The evangelist gives us that graphic little detail of the head of Jesus asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat. The disciples’ panic did not disturb Jesus, rather his calm becalmed his disturbed disciples, and also becalmed the raging storm. When the storm had passed, Jesus asks his disciples two questions, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ In Mark’s gospel, the opposite of faith is not so much doubt as fear, the failure to trust. The Lord is always present to us as the centre of calm in the midst of the storms of life. Rather than allowing ourselves to be overcome with fear, he keeps calling on us to open ourselves to his calming presence, trusting that he is more powerful than any storm that life can hurl at us, and that he will ultimately protect us from all that threatens us.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 5 years

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7th December >> Fr. Martin’s Gospel Reflections / Homilies on Matthew 9:35 - 10:1, 5-8) for Saturday, First Week of Advent: ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few’.

Saturday, First Week of Advent

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Matthew 9:35-10:1,5,6-8

The harvest is rich but the labourers are few

Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.

And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’

He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness. These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’

Gospel (USA)

Matthew 9:35-10:1, 5a, 6-8

At the sight of the crowds, Jesus’ heart was moved with pity for them.

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Reflections (6)

(i) Saturday, First Week of Advent

Pope Francis often speaks of the church as a field hospital. He is thinking of the hospitals that are set up in the vicinity of a war zone where the wounded come to have their wounds tended to. It is an image of the church that reflects the ministry of Jesus. He tended to the wounded in body, mind and spirit. The readings this morning highlight that dimension of Jesus’ ministry. The ending of today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah looks forward to a day when ‘the Lord dresses the wounds of his people’. In the gospel reading, Jesus proclaims the presence of the kingdom of God by curing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. He has compassion on the crowd whom he sees as harassed and dejected like sheep without a shepherd. In response, he sends out the twelve as labourers to a harvest, with authority to proclaim the closeness of God’s kingdom by curing all kinds of diseases and sicknesses. The ministry of Jesus’ disciples, the ministry of the church, is to be a continuation of Jesus’ own healing ministry. The Lord, present in the community of disciples, the church, calls to us to come before him with our wounds of body, mind or spirit, and to open ourselves to his healing presence. The Lord continues his healing ministry among us today, which is why the image of the church as a field hospital is so suitable. There will be times when we need the Lord to minister to us in our brokenness, when we come before him in need of his healing presence. There will be other times in our lives when the Lord will send us out, as he sent out the twelve, to bring his healing presence to others who are wounded. We are always wounded healers. We need the Lord to heal our wounds, and he needs us to be channels of his healing presence to others.

And/Or

(ii) Saturday, First Week of Advent

And/Or

(iii) Saturday, First Week of Advent

And/Or

(iv) Saturday, First Week of Advent

The last line of this morning’s gospel reading strikes a chord with me at this time, ‘You received without charge, give without charge’. You often hear the expression, ‘there is no such thing as a free lunch’. It comes out of a conviction that everything has to be paid for and that we get nothing for nothing. Whereas there may be some truth in this, there is also some truth in what Jesus says, ‘you received without charge’. We can all think of ways in which we have been deeply graced, without our having done anything to earn or deserve or bring about the grace or the gift. We walk along and we are struck by the beauty of nature. It might be a sunrise or sunset or the reflection of sunlight on water or whatever. We stop and stand with a sense of appreciation, recognizing at some level that we have been unexpectedly graced. Many of the friendships and relationships that mean so much to us were given to us. These people whom we love came into our lives. We didn’t go looking for them or work to attain them. They came to us and we rejoiced in the gift of their coming and their continuing presence to us. In so many ways we have received without charge, and, as people of faith we recognize the presence of the Lord within and behind all these gifts. Jesus’ statement, ‘you received without charge’, leads on to his call, ‘give without charge’. Because we have been freely graced in so many ways, we are to grace others just as freely. We are to give without looking for or expecting a return. We give freely out of the abundance we have been given. There is nothing calculating about the Lord’s love for us, and our love is to reflect something of that same quality.

And/Or

(v) Saturday, First Week of Advent

And/Or

(vi) Saturday, First Week of Advent

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

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romancatholicreflections · 7 years

Text

1st February >> Fr. Martin’s Reflection on Today’s Gospel Reading (Luke 6:32-38) on the Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland) & Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Mark 6:1-6) (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa)

Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland) Gospel (Ireland) Luke 6:32-38Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1 Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If you love those who love you, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what thanks can you expect? For even sinners do that much. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what thanks can you expect? Even sinners lend to sinners to get back the same amount. Instead, love your enemies and do good, and lend without any hope of return. You will have a great reward, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. ‘Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge, and you will not be judged yourselves; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned yourselves; grant pardon, and you will be pardoned. Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap; because the amount you measure out is the amount you will be given back.’ Reflections (3) (i) Feast of Saint Brigid Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. The gospel reading is very suited for her feast because it calls on us to be generous not only to those who are generous to us but even to our enemies. Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap’. Jesus is saying there that if our focus is on giving, then we will discover that we receive more than we give. It could be said to the contrary that if our focus is on receiving then we will be ultimately disappointed. It is not the case that we give with a view to receiving. It is simply that we give in various ways, in accordance with our gifts, abilities and energies, and we discover along the way that we are actually receiving more than we are giving. The most extreme form of giving, according to the gospel reading, is to love those who do not love us and to give to those from whom we have no hope of receiving anything in return. This kind of giving has a divine quality and it opens up our hearts to receiving a great abundance from the Lord. And/Or (ii) Feast of Saint Brigid Saint Brigid was born around 454. When she was young, her father wished to make a very suitable marriage for her, but she insisted on devoting her life completely to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and stayed for a period under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led her to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop Conleth. She died in 524 and her cult is widespread not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. As well as being a person of deep prayer, she was renowned for her hospitality, her almsgiving and her care of the sick. That is why the church has chosen the reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans as an option for her feast day. The reading concludes by calling on us to ‘contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers’. Brigid did both. She served the members of the church, the saints, and she also showed hospitality to strangers, those who were not part of the church. In the language of that first reading, she discovered her gift, the particular grace given to her, and she placed that gift at the service of others. We have all been given some particular grace; our gifts will differ according to the grace that has been given to us. Our calling is to try and discern our own particular gifts, the unique way that the Holy Spirit has graced us, and to place those gifts at the service of the Lord, and of others, both those who are part of the church, the ‘saints’ and those who are not, ‘strangers’. And/Or (iii) Feast of Saint Brigid We know very little about the life of Brigid. She was probably born around the middle of the fifth century and died at the beginning of the sixth century. At a young age she seems to have devoted her life completely to God. She founded a monastery of Kildare which contributed to the spread of Christianity in Ireland. The stories that have come down about her in her various Lives depict her as a woman of deep prayer and as someone whose life was characterized by great generosity and deep compassion, especially for the needy and the broken. In this morning’s first reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans, Paul mentions various gifts that can be expected to be found among the members of Christ’s body. Two in particular seem to fit the profile of Bridgid as it has come down to us in the literature about her, ‘let the almsgivers give freely… and those who do the works of mercy do them cheerfully’. It seems that Brigid gave alms freely and did many works of mercy cheerfully. That lovely reading concludes with ‘if any of the saints are in need you mist share with them, and you should make hospitality your special care’. Again Brigid shared with those in need and had a reputation for a very hospitable spirit. He cult extended beyond the shores of this island. I was only reading recently that in England there were at least nineteen ancient church dedications in her honour, the most famous being Saint Bride’s in Fleet Street. It is clear that her great love of the Lord which was nourished by a life of prayer found expression in a very practical love of others, especially of those in any need. She can continue to inspire us to live the gospel to the full and to find joy in doing so. —————– Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa) Mark 6:1-6 Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Gospel (USA) Mark 6:1-6 A prophet is not without honor except in his native place. Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. Reflections (2) (i) Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time The people of Nazareth were slow to recognize the implications of the great wisdom Jesus possessed and the power for good that was at work through him on behalf of the sick and suffering. They should have concluded from all of this that God must be working through this man in a special way. Instead, they would not accept him; in the words of Jesus, they despised him. He was too familiar to them; they knew his mother and his family. He was one of their own; he was too ordinary. He could not possibly be all that different to everyone else in Nazareth. It is a clear case of familiarity breeding contempt. The reading suggests that we can sometimes be slow to recognize the presence of God in the ordinary and the familiar. We don’t have to go long distances, or encounter extraordinary phenomena, to make contact with the wisdom and the power of God. The Lord’s presence is all around us in the near and the familiar, in the humdrum and in the ordinary, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The gospel reading invites us to see the familiar and the ordinary with new eyes. The failure of the people of Nazareth to see in this way inhibited what Jesus could do among them. Our seeing in this way gives the Lord space to work among us in new ways. The gospel reading also suggests that our failure to see in this deeper way inhibits the Lord from working among us and through us, ‘he could work no miracle there’. And/Or (ii) Wednesday, Fourth Week of the Year In this morning’s gospel reading the people of Nazareth took offense at the fact that one of their own, someone whose family they knew well, someone whom they had known as a carpenter, was now displaying great wisdom in the words he spoke and great power in his deeds on behalf of others. ‘What is this wisdom that has been granted to him, and these miracles that are worked through him?’ They took offense, it seems, not at his actual wisdom and power, but at the fact that one of their own was displaying such wisdom and power. It was as if Jesus was too ordinary, too much like themselves, to be taken seriously. They were coming up against the scandal of the incarnation, the Word who was God became flesh as all of us are flesh. God chose to come to us in and through someone who was like us in all things, except sin. When Jesus went on to speak about God, he often pointed to the ordinary, to the familiar, to the normal – a farmer sowing seed, a man on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, a rebellious son in a family, a widow looking for justice from a judge. The life and teaching of Jesus shows us that God speaks to us in and through the ordinary events of life. What we need are the eyes to see and the ears to hear the extraordinary in the ordinary, the divine in the human. Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland. Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ieJoin us via our webcam. Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC. Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf. Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 6 years

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1st February >> Fr. Martin's Gospel Reflections on Luke 6:32-38

for

The Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland)

Mark 6:7-13

for

Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time.

Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland)

Gospel

Luke 6:32-38

Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.

Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1

Jesus said to his disciples:

Reflections (3)

(i) Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland)

Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. The gospel reading is very suited for her feast because it calls on us to be generous not only to those who are generous to us but even to our enemies. Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap’. Jesus is saying there that if our focus is on giving, then we will discover that we receive more than we give. It could be said to the contrary that if our focus is on receiving then we will be ultimately disappointed. It is not the case that we give with a view to receiving. It is simply that we give in various ways, in accordance with our gifts, abilities and energies, and we discover along the way that we are actually receiving more than we are giving. The most extreme form of giving, according to the gospel reading, is to love those who do not love us and to give to those from whom we have no hope of receiving anything in return. This kind of giving has a divine quality and it opens up our hearts to receiving a great abundance from the Lord.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland)

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland)

Saint Brigid was born around 454. When she was young, her father wished to make a very suitable marriage for her, but she insisted on devoting her life completely to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and stayed for a period under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led her to found a double monastery in Kildare with the assistance of Bishop Conleth. She died in 524 and her cult is widespread not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands.As well as being a person of deep prayer, she was renowned for her hospitality, her almsgiving and her care of the sick. That is why the church has chosen the reading from Paul’s letter to the Romans as an option for her feast day. The reading concludes by calling on us to ‘contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers’. Brigid did both. She served the members of the church, the saints, and she also showed hospitality to strangers, those who were not part of the church. In the language of that first reading, she discovered her gift, the particular grace given to her, and she placed that gift at the service of others. We have all been given some particular grace; our gifts will differ according to the grace that has been given to us. Our calling is to try and discern our own particular gifts, the unique way that the Holy Spirit has graced us, and to place those gifts at the service of the Lord, and of others, both those who are part of the church, the ‘saints’ and those who are not, ‘strangers’.

--------------------------

Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Australia & Canada)

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

Gospel (USA)

Mark 6:7-13

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out.

Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick –no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Reflections (3)

(i) Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

We tend to attach a lot of importance to preparing for every eventuality. We like to feel that we are in control and that if anything unexpected happens we will have the resources to deal with it. In this morning’s gospel reading Jesus sends out the twelve remarkably unprepared by today’s standards. They were to take nothing for their journey except a staff, no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They can wear sandals but they were not to bring a spare tunic. As he sent them out, they were certainly not in control; they were not self-sufficient. Rather, they were to depend on the generosity and hospitality of those who welcomed their ministry. Perhaps Jesus was trying to teach them that, in reality, they are not in control; God was ultimately in control and they would have to learn to trust in God more than in themselves. There is a message there that we all need to keep on learning. The reality is that we are not in control of our lives, not matter how well we prepare ourselves for unexpected eventualities. A brush with serious illness can bring that home to us. Suddenly, all our plans and preparations have to be put to one side. The realization that we are not in control of our lives, that we are not Lord of our lives, frees us to surrender ourselves more fully to God, the real Lord of our lives.

And/Or

(ii) Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

When Jesus sends out the twelve to share in his mission in this morning’s gospel reading, he anticipates that not everyone will welcome their words or their works. Jesus had just been rejected by the people of Nazareth in the passage immediately preceding our gospel reading. His disciples can expect something similar at times. In the words of the gospel reading, Jesus anticipates that the disciples will enter places which do not welcome them and where people refuse to listen to them. Yet, that experience of failure is not to discourage them, just as it did not discourage Jesus. They are to be faithful to their calling to share in Jesus’ mission, in season and out of season, regardless of how they are received. In spite of the experience of failure and rejection, the disciples did great good, proclaiming the gospel and healing the sick. The Lord encourages us to keep being faithful to our baptismal calling, in spite of the setbacks along the way, whether they are failings in ourselves or failings in others. We are to be more attentive to the Lord’s call and promise than to the negative voices that come to us from others or from within ourselves.

And/Or

(iii) Thursday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

When Jesus chose a group of twelve from among the larger group of disciples, he chose the number twelve very deliberately, as an echo of the twelve tribes of Israel. He seems to have seen the group of twelve as the nucleus of a renewed Israel. They were to have a special role in Jesus’ mission of renewing God’s people. In this morning’s gospel reading, we have Mark’s account of Jesus sending out the twelve for the first time to share in his mission. It is noteworthy that Jesus sends them out in pairs. Rather than twelve individuals going off in twelve different directions, there are six groups of two going off in six different directions. Some might think that it would have been more effective to send out the twelve individually; in that way twice the area could have been covered. However, Jesus clearly saw a greater value in sending out the twelve in twos. No one was to work alone; each would have someone else to work alongside. As disciples of the Lord today, we still need to work together, rather than as individuals or loners. When we work together we learn to receive from and give to each other and, thereby, the Lord is more fully present to others. He did say that where two or three are gathered he would be there in their midst. Even Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles, was very aware of the debt he owed to what he called his co-workers. The Lord needs us to work together if his work is to be done in today’s world. As members of the Lord’s body, we are interdependent. In the life of faith, we never go it alone.

Fr. Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, D03 AO62, Ireland.

Email: [email protected] or [email protected]

Parish Website: www.stjohnsclontarf.ie Please join us via our webcam.

Twitter: @SJtBClontarfRC.

Facebook: St John the Baptist RC Parish, Clontarf.

Tumblr: Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin.

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frmartinshomiliesandreflections · 7 years

Text

1st February >> Fr. Martin's Reflection on Today's Gospel Reading (Luke 6:32-38) on the Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland) & Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time (Mark 6:1-6) (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa)

Feast of Saint Brigid (Ireland)

Gospel (Ireland)

Luke 6:32-38Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate.Ps 106 (107):35-38, 41-42. R/. v. 1

Reflections (3)

(i) Feast of Saint Brigid

Saint Brigid is the secondary patron of Ireland, after Saint Patrick. She was born around 454. When she was young her father wished to make a suitable marriage for her but she insisted that she wanted to consecrate herself to God. She received the veil and spiritual formation probably from Saint Mel and she stayed for a while under his direction in Ardagh. Others followed her example and this led to her founding a double monastery in Kildare, with a section for men and a section for women. Through Brigid’s reputation as a spiritual teacher, the monastery became a centre of pilgrimage. She died in 524 and she is venerated not only throughout Ireland but in several European lands. She was renowned for her hospitality, almsgiving and care of the sick. The gospel reading is very suited for her feast because it calls on us to be generous not only to those who are generous to us but even to our enemies. Jesus declares in that gospel reading, ‘Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap’. Jesus is saying there that if our focus is on giving, then we will discover that we receive more than we give. It could be said to the contrary that if our focus is on receiving then we will be ultimately disappointed. It is not the case that we give with a view to receiving. It is simply that we give in various ways, in accordance with our gifts, abilities and energies, and we discover along the way that we are actually receiving more than we are giving. The most extreme form of giving, according to the gospel reading, is to love those who do not love us and to give to those from whom we have no hope of receiving anything in return. This kind of giving has a divine quality and it opens up our hearts to receiving a great abundance from the Lord.

And/Or

(ii) Feast of Saint Brigid

And/Or

(iii) Feast of Saint Brigid

-----------------

Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

Gospel (Europe, New Zealand, Australia, Canada & South Africa)

Mark 6:1-6

Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Gospel (USA)

Mark 6:1-6

A prophet is not without honor except in his native place.

Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joseph and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Reflections (2)

(i) Wednesday, Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

The people of Nazareth were slow to recognize the implications of the great wisdom Jesus possessed and the power for good that was at work through him on behalf of the sick and suffering. They should have concluded from all of this that God must be working through this man in a special way. Instead, they would not accept him; in the words of Jesus, they despised him. He was too familiar to them; they knew his mother and his family. He was one of their own; he was too ordinary. He could not possibly be all that different to everyone else in Nazareth. It is a clear case of familiarity breeding contempt. The reading suggests that we can sometimes be slow to recognize the presence of God in the ordinary and the familiar. We don’t have to go long distances, or encounter extraordinary phenomena, to make contact with the wisdom and the power of God. The Lord’s presence is all around us in the near and the familiar, in the humdrum and in the ordinary, if we have eyes to see and ears to hear. The gospel reading invites us to see the familiar and the ordinary with new eyes. The failure of the people of Nazareth to see in this way inhibited what Jesus could do among them. Our seeing in this way gives the Lord space to work among us in new ways. The gospel reading also suggests that our failure to see in this deeper way inhibits the Lord from working among us and through us, ‘he could work no miracle there’.

And/Or

(ii) Wednesday, Fourth Week of the Year

In this morning’s gospel reading the people of Nazareth took offense at the fact that one of their own, someone whose family they knew well, someone whom they had known as a carpenter, was now displaying great wisdom in the words he spoke and great power in his deeds on behalf of others. ‘What is this wisdom that has been granted to him, and these miracles that are worked through him?’ They took offense, it seems, not at his actual wisdom and power, but at the fact that one of their own was displaying such wisdom and power. It was as if Jesus was too ordinary, too much like themselves, to be taken seriously. They were coming up against the scandal of the incarnation, the Word who was God became flesh as all of us are flesh. God chose to come to us in and through someone who was like us in all things, except sin. When Jesus went on to speak about God, he often pointed to the ordinary, to the familiar, to the normal – a farmer sowing seed, a man on a journey from Jerusalem to Jericho, a rebellious son in a family, a widow looking for justice from a judge. The life and teaching of Jesus shows us that God speaks to us in and through the ordinary events of life. What we need are the eyes to see and the ears to hear the extraordinary in the ordinary, the divine in the human.

Fr Martin Hogan, Saint John the Baptist Parish, Clontarf, Dublin, Ireland.

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