Patrick Comerford
Next Sunday, 8 September 2019, is the Twelfth Sunday after Trinity (Trinity XII).
The appointed readings in the Revised Common Lectionary, as adapted for use in the Church of Ireland, are in two groups: the continuous and the paired readings.
Continuous readings: Jeremiah 18: 1–11; Psalm 139: 1–5, 12–18; Philemon 1–21; Luke 14: 25–33. There is a link to continuous readings HERE.
Paired readings: Deuteronomy 30: 15–20; Psalm 1; Philemon 1–21; Philemon 1–21; Luke 14: 25–33. Link HERE.
In addition, 8 September is also the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin. The readings for that commemoration are: Isaiah 61: 10-11; Psalm 45: 10-17; Galatians 4: 4-7; Luke 1: 46-55.
And, of course, the Season of Creation is celebrated throughout the Christian world from 1 September, the Feast of Creation, to 4 October, the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi. This year, the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches and the World Council of Churches have united in celebrating this special time.
Resources for Sunday and weekday services throughout the Season of Creation were posted on this site on 21 August 2019) HERE.
Each week during this season, these pages are also offering resources and reflections on the Sunday Gospel reading related to the theme of the Season of Creation, which have been circulated by the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Revd Kenneth Kearon.
This posting is into three parts, with Part 1 reflecting on the readings for 8 September as Trinity XII, Part 2 reflecting on the readings for 8 September as the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin, and Part 3 including resources for this Sunday in the Season of Creation.
Part 1: 8 September 2019, Trinity XII:
A few years, there were popular bumper stickers on cars and wristbands worn by young people that stated boldly: WWJD – ‘What Would Jesus Do?’
But the simplicity of the message, despite its appeal, can be disturbing if we allow it to be simplistic.
Because, at times, the Gospel readings and many of the other Bible readings can be not only challenging but puzzling too.
It is fine if we are asked simply to love God and to love one another is fine, even if we all fail to live up to both challenges for long stretches at a time.
But what about next Sunday’s readings?
The New Testament reading is all but the closing verses of one of the shortest books in the New Testament – but at times it is also one of the most puzzling. In the past it was used by those who resisted the abolition of slavery and the slave trade to justify their case, not morally but for their own vested interests.
And the Gospel reading, at first reading, appears to be telling Wannabe Disciples that they should hate ‘father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself.’
At first reading, it appears to be shocking.
But you know, I sometimes meet Wannabe Disciples who appear to hate ‘father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself.’
You know the sort of person – and they are of every age – who pretends to want to do the right thing but does another, who acts out of self-interest but justifies it by saying like: ‘Oh, I’d love to do that, you know … but my parents still need me … my family wouldn’t like me to … my friends would think me foolish to do so.’
And I’m wondering to myself, ‘so you’d behave like a real Christian if your mother was dead … your sister had moved to Canada … you had no friends left on this earth.’
Do they really hate those near or dear to them so much?
Do they really resent them that much?
Or is it just an excuse … a bad excuse?
So often, it seems that when it comes to making ethical and moral decisions, we take account of what the neighbours are going to think rather than what the Kingdom of God is going to look like.
If we thought first of what our decisions and actions as Christians looked like to those who are not Christians, to those who would like to know what Christianity is about, then we might worry less about what family members or people living on our street were thinking about us.
Do I always act in the interests of the Kingdom of God? Or do I do things hoping that others will think better of me, not do them in case others will think less of me? Does duty get in the way of discipleship?
In the Epistle reading, the Apostle Paul appeals to Philemon to act not out of duty but out of love.
Saint Paul is not thinking of justifying slavery in this Epistle reading. Quite the opposite: he has thought of giving Onesimus his freedom, by stealth (see verse 13).
Saint Paul could have said to Onesiumus he was free on condition he stayed in Rome, or Caesarea or Ephesus, or wherever Saint Paul was writing from. But only on condition that he worked with him (see verses 10 and 11); that would have been conditional freedom only, not true and total freedom.
Saint Paul appeals to Philemon to act not in his own interests, but in the interests of the Kingdom of God.
Imagine if Philemon decided not to listen to Saint Paul. Imagine if he worried about what his neighbours or his family said? Imagine his father saying this is a prize slave I bought for you as a present? Or a neighbour saying, if you free him all the slaves here in Colossae, slaves throughout Phrygia, will be demanding freedom?
The only person who can really free Onesiumus is his owner. And to do that, he must risk ridicule from his family and neighbours. But in doing so, he has the opportunity to be a sign of the Kingdom of God, to be a sign, a token, a sacrament of how God acts towards us.
And each time we return to God, turn back to Christ, then like Onesimus, we can expect to be received not as slaves, but as free brothers and sisters of Christ, welcomed, no longer owing anything, no longer having held against us those things we have done and left undone.
God gives us complete freedom in Christ. And when it comes to making decisions that require moral or ethical action on our part, if we are faced with the choice of living in the Valley of the Squinting Windows or the Kingdom of God, then we must always choose the Kingdom of God, even at the point of risking ridicule.
Then we are no longer slaves but free.
Luke 14: 25-33
25 Now large crowds were travelling with him; and he turned and said to them, 26 ‘Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and estimate the cost, to see whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to ridicule him, 30 saying, “This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.” 31 Or what king, going out to wage war against another king, will not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose the one who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he cannot, then, while the other is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace. 33 So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions.’
The Collect of the Day:
Almighty and everlasting God,
you are always more ready to hear than we to pray
and to give more than either we desire, or deserve:
Pour down upon us the abundance of your mercy,
forgiving us those things of which our conscience is afraid,
and giving us those good things
which we are not worthy to ask
save through the merits and mediation
of Jesus Christ your Son our Lord.
The Collect of the Word:
Almighty God,
you have taught us through your word
to count the cost of discipleship:
may we not be distracted by the world’s goods
but rather complete the work given to us:
through Jesus Christ, our Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
The Post-Communion Prayer:
God of compassion,
in this eucharist we know again your forgiveness
and the healing power of your love.
Grant that we who are made whole in Christ
may bring that forgiveness and healing to this broken world,
in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Suggested Hymns:
Jeremiah 18: 1–11:
No suggested hymns
Psalm 139: 1-5, 12-18:
51, Awake, my soul, and with the sun
567, Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go
226, It is a thing most wonderful
19 There is no moment of my life
Deuteronomy 30: 15-20:
206, Come, let us to the Lord our God
56, Lord, as I wake I turn to you
591, O happy day that fixed my choice
597, Take my life, and let it be
Psalm 1 :
649, Happy are they, they that love God
56, Lord, as I wake I turn to you
383, Lord, be thy word my rule
Philemon 1-21:
51, Awake, my soul, and with the sun
517, Brother, sister, let me serve you
455, Go forth for God, go forth to the world in peace
523, Help us to help each other, Lord
597, Take my life, and let it be
601, Teach me, my God and King
Luke 14: 25-33:
588, Light of the minds that know him
59, New every morning is the love
593, O Jesus, I have promised
108, Praise to the Holiest in the height
599, ‘Take up thy cross,’ the Saviour said
605, Will you come and follow me
Part 2: 8 September: the Birth of the Virgin Mary:
Sunday next is also the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is one of her few festivals that is provided for in the Book of Common Prayer of the Church of Ireland, which also include the Feast of the Annunciation (25 March) and the Feast of the Visitation (31 May), but not the Dormition or the Assumption, the commemoration of her death (15 August).
The readings for that commemoration are: Isaiah 61: 10-11; Psalm 45: 10-17; Galatians 4: 4-7; Luke 1: 46-55.
The provisions of a full set of readings, a collect and post-communion prayer, as well as Penitential Kyries, Peace, Preface and Blessing, presumes that this festival will be celebrated with the Eucharist today [8 September] in cathedrals and parish churches throughout the Church of Ireland.
This feast day is being marked as the Patronal Festival in Saint Mary’s Cathedral, Limerick, and culminates with Choral Evensong at 3.30 p.m.
Canonical scripture does not record the Virgin Mary’s birth. The earliest known account of her birth is found in the Protoevangelium of James (5: 2), an apocryphal text from the late second century, in which her parents are named as Saint Anne and Saint Joachim. Tradition says Joachim and Anna were childless and were fast approaching the years that would place Anna beyond the age of child-bearing.
Traditionally, the Church commemorates saints on the date of their death. The Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist are among the few whose birth dates are commemorated.
The reason for this is found in the singular mission each had in salvation history, but traditionally also because they were also seen as being holy in their birth – Saint John was believed to be sanctified in the womb of his mother, Saint Elizabeth, before his birth (see Luke 1: 15).
The earliest document commemorating this feast is found in a hymn written in the sixth century. The feast may have originated in Syria or Palestine in the early sixth century, probably after the decrees of the Council of Ephesus.
The first liturgical commemoration is connected with the sixth century dedication of the Basilica Sanctae Mariae ubi nata est, now called the Church of Saint Anne in Jerusalem. By the seventh century, the feast was celebrated in the Byzantine tradition as the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary, but the Latin Church was slower in adopting this festival.
In the eighth century, Pope Sergios (687-701) adapted the festival from the Orthodox calendar. The idea of the Immaculate Conception was not promulgated by the Papacy until 1854.
The Orthodox Church disagrees with the concept of the Immaculate Conception. The Orthodox position is that since Jesus Christ is God, he alone is born without sin. Orthodox theologians argue that if the immaculate conception is taken literally, the Virgin Mary would assume the stature of goddess alongside God. At the same time, the popularity of the name of Mary attests to the glorification of the Virgin Mary throughout Orthodox countries.
The Orthodox believe that she was conceived in the normal way of humanity, and so was in the same need of salvation as all humanity. Orthodox thinking varies on whether she actually ever sinned, though there is general agreement that she was cleansed from sin at the Annunciation.
The Gospel reading includes the words of the canticle Magnificat:
My soul magnifies the Lord,
and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed
The icon and the feast acknowledge a transition from barrenness to life. This foreshadows what is offered through Christ – the transformation from death to eternal life.
In the traditional icon, Saint Anna and Saint Joachim are depicted embracing to indicate the joy of all humanity at this blessed event.
The icon and this feast prefigure the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. But there is a stark contrast between her Nativity and his Nativity: he will be born in a cold and hostile setting, while she is born in a safe and comfortable place.
In these traditional icons, Saint Joachim is show hearing from an angel that he and his wife would be blessed with a child, while Saint Anna reclines on a bed, recovering from the childbirth.
These icons illustrate the tradition that Saint Anna invited pure young women to attend and assist with the care of her child. Some icons also show a banquet on her first birthday, to which scribes, priests and elders were invited.
Saint Andrew of Crete writes: ‘This day is for us the beginning of all holy days. It is the door to kindness and truth.’
Luke 1: 46-55 (NRSVA):
46 And Mary said,
‘My soul magnifies the Lord,
47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour,
48 for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant.
Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed;
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me,
and holy is his name.
50 His mercy is for those who fear him
from generation to generation.
51 He has shown strength with his arm;
he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts.
52 He has brought down the powerful from their thrones,
and lifted up the lowly;
53 he has filled the hungry with good things,
and sent the rich away empty.
54 He has helped his servant Israel,
in remembrance of his mercy,
55 according to the promise he made to our ancestors,
to Abraham and to his descendants for ever.’
Liturgical resources:
Liturgical Colour: White
The Collect:
Almighty God,
who looked upon the lowliness of the Blessed Virgin Mary
and chose her to be the mother of your only Son:
Grant that we who are redeemed by his blood
may share with her in the glory of your eternal kingdom;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Penitential Kyries:
Lord God, mighty God,
you are the creator of the world.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord Jesus, Son of God and Son of Mary,
you are the Prince of Peace.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Holy Spirit,
by your power the Word was made flesh
and came to dwell among us.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Introduction to the Peace:
Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and his name is called the Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9: 7)
Preface:
You chose the Blessed Virgin Mary
to be the mother of your Son
and so exalted the humble and meek;
your angel hailed her as most highly favoured,
and with all generations we call her blessed:
Post-Communion Prayer:
Almighty and everlasting God,
who stooped to raise fallen humanity
through the child-bearing of blessed Mary:
Grant that we who have seen your glory
revealed in our human nature,
and your love made perfect in our weakness,
may daily be renewed in your image,
and conformed to the pattern of your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing:
Christ the Son of God, born of Mary,
fill you with his grace
to trust his promises and obey his will
Suggested Hymns:
Isaiah 61: 10-11:
218, And shall it be that I should gain
418, Here, O my Lord, I see thee face to face
671, Jesus, thy blood and righteousness
175, Of the Father’s heart begotten
Psalm 45: 10-17:
528, The Church’s one foundation
142, Wake, O wake! With tidings thrilling
Galatians 4: 4-7:
558, Abba Father, let me be
241, Sing, my tongue, the glorious battle
185, Virgin-born, we bow before thee
Luke 1: 46-55:
704, Mary sang a song, a song of love
712, Tell out, my soul, the greatness of the Lord
373, To God be the glory! Great things he has done!
Also suitable:
459, For all the saints, who from their labour rest
461, For all thy saints, O Lord
460, For all your saints in glory, for all your saints at rest (verses 1, 2o, 3)
462, For Mary, mother of our Lord
471, Rejoice in God’s saints, today and all days!
472, Sing we of the blessed mother
139, The angel Gabriel from heaven came (omit verse 4)
476, Ye watchers and ye holy ones
Part 3, The Season of Creation, 2019
The Season of Creation is celebrated throughout the Christian world from 1 September, the feast of Creation, to 4 October, the feast of Saint Francis of Assisi.
This year, the Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican Churches and the World Council of Churches have united in celebrating this special time.
Resources for Sunday and weekday services throughout the Season of Creation were posted on this site on 21 August 2019 HERE.
Each week during this season, these pages are also offering resources and reflections on the Sunday Gospel reading related to the theme of the Season of Creation, which have been circulated by the Bishop of Limerick and Killaloe, the Right Revd Kenneth Kearon.
Penitential Service for the Season of Creation 2019:
Introduction:
O Gracious God, Creator Spirit, you have given order, light and life to the world and you have expressed delight in your creation. You commanded us to till and care for the garden. And yet, we have trampled on the beauty of your creation and neglected to keep your Word.
And so:
We confess that the way we live today is changing the climate of our earth, polluting oceans and rivers with plastics, and interfering with the balances of the life-systems of mother earth, and hurting the poor.
Lord, have mercy.
We have been exploiting the resources of our common home, stealing the birth right of future generations, and neglecting to care for creation as a gift from God to be cultivated.
Christ, have mercy.
We acknowledge that we have neglected to protect the biodiversity of our planet, poisoned the atmosphere with toxic gases, and failed to share the resources of the earth equitably and justly.
Lord, have mercy.
May Almighty God have mercy on us, pardon us for our sins against the integrity of creation, and inspire us to work towards a new heaven and a new earth, Amen.
Homily or Gospel Reflection by Jane Mellett:
Today’s Gospel is troubling. Does Jesus really expect us to hate our families, friends and even ourselves in order to be his followers? We are being invited to think about how we attach ourselves to things and to people, even to images of ourselves. Attachment can cause all sorts of suffering in our lives. If we are to grow, we must move on from the comfortable, let go of the familiar and that can often be painful.
During the month of September we are celebrating the Season of Creation. We know that our world is currently suffering from a catastrophic loss of bio-diversity, largely caused by a consumerist culture. God’s creatures are disappearing from the Earth at a rate we can scarcely comprehend. Insects, mammals, trees, plants and creatures are becoming extinct and may never be seen again. We pray that this ends and acknowledge that we are part of a complex, delicate and interdependent web of life, created by God. Today’s Gospel invites us to let go. Let go of the attachments in our lives which contribute to this destruction. Let us try to live more simply, more sustainably and encourage others to do the same. We are called to examine our relationship with material things and walk more gently on the earth.
Suggestion for the week: Can you remove single-use plastics from your life? Buy a reusable water bottle and reusable coffee cup. Say no to plastic straws and food wrapping.
‘It is not enough to think of different species merely as potential “resources’ to be exploited, while overlooking the fact that they have value in themselves … Because of us, thousands of species will no longer give glory to God by their very existence, nor convey their message to us. We have no such right’ (Laudato Si, 33).
‘God has written a precious book, whose letters are the multitude of created things. From panoramic vistas to the tiniest living form, nature is a constant source of wonder and awe … Alongside revelation in sacred Scripture, there is a divine manifestation in the blaze of the sun and the fall of night’ (Pope Francis, Laudato Si, 85).
Scripture quotations are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicised Edition copyright © 1989, 1995, National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://nrsvbibles.org
Material from the Book of Common Prayer is copyright © 2004, Representative Body of the Church of Ireland.
The hymn suggestions are provided in Sing to the Word (2000), edited by Bishop Edward Darling. The hymn numbers refer to the Church of Ireland’s Church Hymnal (5th edition, Oxford: OUP, 2000)
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