St. Patrickís parish is in
Kowloon, Hong Kong.Ý There are four
weekend Masses including a childrenís Mass at 10:45, Sunday.Ý This is the parish where I was formerly
pastor. [email protected].Ý Cf. also Social Concerns Education: www.acpp.org -- Fr. Gene Thalman M.M.]
SUNDAY MASS ñ DRESS REHEARSAL
November 16, 2003ÝÝ 33 SundayÝ
(B)ÝÝ Mark 13:24-32
We
will begin with three questions. Please answer ìyesî orÝ ìNo.î
1.
Do you attend Sunday Mass mostly to make you feel good?
2.
Do you attend Sunday Mass mostly to get things from God e.g.
ÝÝÝ grace?
3.
Do you attend Sunday liturgies mostly to pray intensely and
ÝÝÝ deepen your personal relationship with
God?
If you answered ìyesî to any of these three
questions, it is important that you listen carefully to todayís homily.Ý We will talk about the main reason why we
gather each Sunday at St. Patrickís Church to celebrate our Eucharist.
Grandmother and Grandfather Wong have a large
family.Ý And they have this custom.Ý Each Sunday morning Mrs. Wong invites all
the members of her family to have morning tea and breakfast.Ý Mrs. Wong spends several hours preparing
delicious food.Ý She plans games and
prizes for the grandchildren.Ý Sometimes
there is friction in the family and she has to make special calls to ensure
that everyone comes.
Mr. Wong often suggests: ìLetís discontinue this
custom.Ý It is so much work.Ý Besides I would rather just have a quiet
morning reading the newspaper.Ý The kids
make so much noise that I canít have pleasant conversation with any of my sons
or daughters.Ý Besides I know that the
teenagers find these gatherings boring and would rather play with their
computers or hold hands with their girlfriends.î
But Mrs. Wong smiles and insists: ìWhat you say is
true but it is important for our family to have these weekly
get-togethers!Ý It is a sacrifice for
some of us to attend.Ý But this custom
helps us to strengthen our family bonds.Ý
Otherwise we could easily scatter to the four winds like some families
in Hong Kong.îÝ
GODíS WORD DURING HARD TIMESÝÝ We are approaching the end of Markís ìgood newsî to
the beleaguered Christians in Rome.Ý
They find it tough to follow Jesus. Relations with the Roman government
are precarious.Ý Worst of all there are
misunderstandings among the Christians themselves.Ý Some formerly fervent Christians no longer gather at the weekly
Lordís Supper.Ý Sadly the stories about
Jesus and the celebration of the Lordís Supper are no longer so appealing.Ý The preachers are getting old and
bald-headed.Ý The sermons are rather
dull.Ý The older Christians try, often
unsuccessfully, to make it a pleasant experience for the young people.Ý But often fail.Ý The singing is old-fashioned and off-key.Ý
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Therefore Mark wants to remind the
Roman Christians those of us gathering at St. Patrickís this morning of the
deep meaning of the weekly Eucharistic gathers. He seeks to refresh these early
Christian communities by recalling Jesusí vision of that final assembly:
ìHe will dispatch his angels to
assemble
his chosen ones
from the farthest bounds of earth and sky.î Mark 13:
27
November 16, 2003ÝÝ 33 SundayÝ (B)ÝÝ Mark 13:24-32
THEME:Ý Each Sunday
Christians form an assembly to prepare for the final glorious assembly when
Christ will gather us all together.
TEXT:Ý ìHe
will dispatch his angels and assemble his chosen ones from the four winds, from
the farthest bounds of earth and sky.î
DESIRED RESULT:Ý
ìAs
a result of last Sundayís homily, I attended Mass this morning with a sense of
purpose.Ý Through my participation, I
felt I was strengthening the bonds of our St. Patrickís community and that of
God family in Hong Kong.Ý After Mass I
tried to talk to someone I didnít know before.Ý
But he said he was in a hurry and didnít have time to talk.î
GODíS POINT OF VIEW:
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ I think God is a lot Mrs. Wong in
bringing the family together once a week.
CHURCHíS POINT OF
VIEW
ìIt
is the whole community, the Body of Christ united with his Head, that
celebrates. ëLiturgical services are not private functions but are celebrations
of the Church which is the ìsacrament of unityîÖíî Catechism of the Catholic Church, (Mission Hills: Benziger
Publishing Co, 1994),Ý #1140, p. 295.
REFERENCES:
ìIn the LXX [The Greek rendition of the Bible] Öthe
word describes an assembly convened for a religious act, often of worshipÖekkaleo
(I call from, I convoke); of itself it indicates that Israel, the people of
God was the assembly of men [and women] convoked by divine initiative.î Xavier Leon-Dufour, ed., trans.Ý
P. Joseph Cahill S.J.Ý Biblical
Dictionary (London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1967), p. 58-59.
There seems to be a trend
in the world that reasons: ìI donít go to Church on Sundays.Ý There are too many distractions.Ý I pray best in the quiet of my room or when
I take a solitary walk.îÝ Or another
person will say: ìI get nothing out of Sunday Mass.Ý The same songs are repeated week after week.Ý The sermons are dull.ÝÝ I donít like a lot of the
parishioners.îÝ
Ý
November 16, 2003ÝÝ 33 SundayÝ
(B)ÝÝ Mark 13:24-32
NAME_________
Grade_____________
1. It is the whole
c_________, the Body of Christ united with his Head, that celebrates.
2. Liturgical services are
not p_______functions but are celebrations of the Church
ÝÝÝ which is the sacrament of u______.
3.__ T/F Christians should
attend Sunday liturgies mostly to make them feel good and
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ get closer to God.
4. __T/F The main reason
why Christians assemble each week is to get things from God
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ e.g. grace.
5. __T/F The main reason
why Christians assemble each week is to deepen their
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ personal relationship with God.
6. __T/F If the Sunday
liturgy does not give me an experience of deeper prayer, I
ÝÝÝÝÝÝÝ Ýshould be
disappointed.
7. Jesus wants us to come
together each week to form us into a more dedicated and
ÝÝÝ loving c______.