6th Sunday in Ordinary Time  - Year C

Gospel for the day - 6th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 6:17, 20-26 ‘Blessed are you who are poor. Woe to you who are rich.’

At that time: Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you shall be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you shall laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, and revile you, and spurn your name as evil on account of the Son of Man! Rejoice in that day, and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven; for so their fathers did to the prophets. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are full now, for you shall be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall mourn and weep. Woe to you, when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers did to the false prophets.’


This is the gospel of the Lord. Commentary on the readings.

Having used our prayer resources, you might want simply to reflect yourself on them and how that might flow into your coming week. Some people have found it very helpful to meet with others and share their thoughts.
If you are interested  in joining a small group to share your thoughts and feelings about God's Word from any of the resources you have watched please email us.         cluster.alpha@outlook.com



Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


As so often, Jesus turns our worldly expectations upside down. He emphatically proclaims God's passionate love for the "nobodies" - the poor, the hungry, the desperate, all those who find themselves on the margins of society. Yet their care is not left to God alone. Jesus also issues a stark warning to the "somebodies": wealth, plenty, comfort and status come with a responsibility for others. A life of thoughtless self-indulgence and self-gratification flies in the face of the Father of All.


  1. Share a moment when you were surprised and humbled by the wisdom or the generosity of someone you considered less fortunate than yourself.
  2. In what way are you serving the poor, as Jesus did?*


 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center


Prayers of Intercession


For Pope Francis and all Church leaders. May they be strengthened in their mission to proclaim the Gospel and lead others to Christ.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer


For all world leaders and all who work for peace and unity, that they will earnestly seek ways to end the suffering caused by war and violence, injustice and inequality, prejudice and poverty.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer


For all Christians. Heal our wounds, barriers and divisions so that together we may find more effective ways to heal our broken world.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer


For migrants and refugees that they may find places of welcome and safety.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer


For those working to protect our environment, that their efforts may help to protect the beauty of Gods creation for future generations.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer


For ourselves that we may be open to Gods call, and readily respond to his invitation to follow him, actively sharing the Gospel message in our lives and communities.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer


For all who are sick, housebound, vulnerable or afraid, and all on the Prayer Foundation List, especially Fr. Alex, Fr. Mike and Fr.Nick. May they feel the healing power of Christ
and find comfort and hope in his constant presence.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer


For those who have died recently and those whose Anniversaries occur at this time. Especially: Leonardo Rodriguez, Andrew Muldoon, Peter O’ Connor and Elizabeth Reynolds. May they be raised with Christ to eternal life and those who mourn be comforted.

Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayer



We will now say together the prayer to be missionary disciples.


Cluster prayer

Lord continue to bless our community in this time of transition.

Help us on our journey to grow from a maintenance church to a missionary church.
Give us the courage to be missionary disciples.
Make our doors wide enough to receive all who need human love and fellowship; narrow enough to shut out all envy, pride and prejudice.

Kindle in us the fire of your love that all who come here will find joy, peace and love.

Make this a house of prayer and a gateway to your kingdom.

AMEN

Preparing for next week -  7th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Luke 6:27-38 ‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.’


At that time: Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To one who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from one who takes away your cloak do not withhold your tunic either. Give to everyone who begs from you; and from one who takes away your goods, do not demand them back. And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.


‘If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil.


‘Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.’


This is the gospel of the Lord.


Questions for reflection (framed for a group discussion)


The gospel today gives us a huge challenge. It tells us that we follow a Christian faith of non- violence and yet this is not the way our world is ordered. If followed, our faith will challenge us personally to forgive those who hurt us and also more publicly if we choose to question our society's priorities.

  1. Have you ever gone along with the crowd despite knowing that was not the direction in which to go?
  2. What has allowed you to overcome obstacles and forgive someone who has hurt you?*

 * All second questions © The Pastoral Center