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SOCL, 17C

ree

Sunday July 27, 2025


See


Although the Lord’s Prayer is clearly Christian in origin and, I would guess, exclusively Christian in usage, actually there is nothing in that could not be sincerely prayed by Jews. And yet, a closer look reveals just how Christian the prayer is. We call God “Father” because we God’s children in the Son. The coming kingdom is the one preached by Jesus. Our daily bread includes the bread of the Eucharist. Even “the time of trial” points to the travails of the end when Christ-believers might find themselves denying him. In this way, the prayer both enables and expresses our being “joint heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17). Rather than a set of words, it is really a way of praying.


Listen



Reflect


(Luke 11: 1-13)


In the prayer Jesus gave us as a model, the focus is not on getting God to do what we want but on trying to be open to what God wants: “Your kingdom come”. That openness implies a trust that what God wants for us, is our good. When have you found that you benefitted when you were open to whatever happened and trusted that the Spirit was with you no mater what happened?


One of the points in the parable of the friend knocking at the door is that in the case of true friendship it will not be necessary to browbeat the friend into giving what you seek. Recall times when you had a friend who gave willingly and readily. What was it like to have such a generous and willing response? Perhaps you can also recall when you have been that kind of a friend to others.


In the culture of the Middle East hospitality is a priority. It would be unimaginable not to help a friend. Just so, it is unimaginable that God will ignore our prayer. When you think of the reliability of God what are the images that you find helpful and that encourage you to persist in prayer?


Pray


Provident Father, with the prayer your Son taught us always on our lips, we ask, we seek, we knock at your door. In our every need, grant us the first and best of all your gifts, the Spirit who makes us your children. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God for ever and ever. Amen.

 
 
 

The Word today, 17C

ree

July 28 - August 02, 2025



Exodus 32:15-24, 30-34 It’s a bit of a surprise to find such a frank and sudden collapse into gross idolatry...and yet, with more sophistication perhaps (!), we all do it, moulding God into our own image and likeness!.


Matthew 13:31-35 Today, we have the contrast between small beginnings and extraordinary growth and the hospitality of the Kingdom.


Sts Mary, Martha and Lazarus


Exodus 33:7-11, 34:5-9, 28 What is God like? In our reading today two sides of God are held in tension: ‘The Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger, rich in kindness and faithfulness; for thousands he maintains his kindness, forgives faults, transgression, sin; yet he lets nothing go unchecked, punishing the father’s fault in the sons and in the grandsons to the third and fourth generation.’


John 11:19-27 The Gospel reading is proper to the feast. All three siblings are mentioned in the excerpt from the rich symbolic narrative of John 11. This is the last and grandest of the “signs” in John’s Gospel, providing a powerful climax in the words of Jesus: I am the resurrection and the life leading to an essential question: Do you believe this?


St Peter Chrysologos, bishop and doctor


Exodus 34:29-35 Something happened to Moses in his encounter with God and afterwards, he was “different.” St Paul reflects on this, contrasting the old and the new, in the second Letter to the Corinthians: Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. (2Corinthians 3:12–13).


Matthew 13:44-46 Two very mini parables with the same teaching: for those who discover it, the king is worthy all that I am, costing not less than everything.


St Ignatius Loyola, priest and religious


Exodus 40:16-21, 34-38 Often in Bible, God is presented as Godwith-us or Immanuel. God’s presence is symbolised in today’s reading by the cloud.


Matthew 13:47-53 The gospel of Matthew can be uncomfortable and today he does teach that there will be a judgment and a sorting at the end. It is, of course, not a literal description but an invitation not to lose the potential of the present moment.


St Alphonsus Mary de'Liguori, bishop, doctor


Leviticus 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34-37 Today, the feasts of the Jewish calendar are enumerated if not all named: Passover and Unleavened Bread, Pentecost, the Day of Atonement, Tabernacles. Our Christian feasts of Easter and Pentecost are rooted in this Jewish calendar.


Matthew 13:54-58 The gospel reading may trigger complacency — the natives were unable to “hear” Jesus because they know him. But we can all block our ears and even block the work of Jesus.


St Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop St Peter Julian Eymard, priest


Leviticus 25:1, 8-17 The Jubilee year was to take place every fifty years—it symbolised the desire to be free, not to bound by the accumulation of debts. It is not really known if this was ever in reality practiced, but the desire is surely a reality! Who would not like such a year?


Matthew 14:1-12 The death of John the Baptist is a sad, even absurd ending to a fiery career. It is reported Mark and Matthew, both of whom use it a warning about the cost of discipleship. It is omitted in Luke and John, probably to avoid any comparisons with the unique death of Jesus. We know a little more about it from Josephus, whose version is less theatrical but rather more credible. See Jewish Antiquities 18.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025bn, July 27). Seventeenth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072725.cfm

-Sunday readings. (n.d.-s). Hearers of the Word. https://www.tarsus.ie/SundayReadings


 
 
 

One another, 17C

ree

July 27, 2025



Friends in Christ, God invites us to hold the needs of our sisters and brothers as dear to us as our own needs. Loving our neighbors as ourselves, we offer our thanksgivings and our petitions on behalf of the church and the world:


For the Church: that, like Abraham, we may grow in our friendship with God and honestly present our needs to God each day: let us pray to the Lord.


For the grace to be ministers of reconciliation: that we may witness to God’s mercy by offering forgiveness to one another and by seeking forgiveness when we have injured someone: let us pray to the Lord.


For persistence in prayer: that the Spirit will teach us how to authentically express our deepest needs to God in prayer and give us strength never to grow tired of calling upon God for assistance: let us pray to the Lord.


For a deeper appreciation of our baptism: that we may recognize the great gift of our new life in Christ and faithfully live as daughters and sons of God: let us pray to the Lord.


For a renewal of the Holy Spirit in our lives: that God will refresh and deepen the gift of the Spirit who has been poured out into our hearts so that we may be dynamic instruments of God’s love: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who are facing trial and difficulty: that God’s Spirit will strengthen the hearts of all Christians who are imprisoned or persecuted for their faith and fill them with courage: let us pray to the Lord.


For each of us: that we may make the Reign of God a priority in our lives and open our hearts to seeking God's will first in all our activities: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who need daily bread: that God will open new opportunities for them to access food and touch the hearts of all who have an abundance to share more freely: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who are burdened with guilt: that God's love will free them and bring them to the confidence that they are loved and all their sins are forgiven: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who strive to help the poor and the forgotten of society: that God will strengthen them as they plead and call for justice for God's children: let us pray to the Lord.


For all who are fleeing violence: that God will lead them on their journey, protect them from harm and help them find a new home where they can grow and contribute to the common good: let us pray to the Lord.


For healing of racism and prejudice: that all people may look upon one another as sisters and brothers and work for the betterment of one another: let us pray to the Lord.


For government leaders: that God will guide them in addressing the issues of inflation, violence, and the care of creation so that all may live in safety, find housing, and have food: let us pray to the Lord.


For health and healing: that God will curtail the new Coronavirus variants, heal those who are ill, and protect the elderly and very young from the virus: let us pray to the Lord.


For peace: that God turn hearts away from violence, bring an end to warfare in Ukraine and Syria, and protect the vulnerable from harm: let us pray to the Lord.


Hear our prayers, God of power, and through the ministry of your Son free us from the grip of the tomb, that we may desire you as the fullness of life and proclaim your saving deeds to all the world. Amen.


References

-United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. (2025bn, July 27). Seventeenth Sunday in ordinary time. USCCB. https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/072725.cfm

-Cormier, J. (1995). Lord, Hear Our Prayer: Prayer of the Faithful for Sundays, Holy Days, and Ritual Masses.


 
 
 
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