Worship Resources For Everyone

Are you ready for full and active participation in the Liturgy? Read on…

February 17th, The Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

A link to the readings from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/021719.cfm

A Reflection on the Readings

For the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time,  Jesus is delivering the Sermon on the Plain, which is different from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew’s Gospel. In Luke, Jesus is instructing his disciples before large crowds. Burdened and afflicted, these people have come from far and near to access his healing power. In his eight teachings there is a definite distinction between the “blessed” and the “woe to you”. In both he turns the world as we know it on it’s head. It is outrageous in any age to congratulate the poor on being poor, the hungry on being hungry, the weeping and the reviled on being in the condition they are in. Clearly the way of the Lord is not the same as the way of the world. Jesus is going to pronounce a blessing on those people who are poor, hungry, weeping, and hated. From the world’s standards those are the very people who are not blessed. Our culture would say that the rich, full, happy and liked are the folks who have been blessed. When Jesus says, “Blessed are you who are poor,” he is referring to those who have recognized that the greatest need in life is spiritual, not material. Rather than pursuing a life of accumulating the world’s goods, these people have recognized their spiritual poverty before God and have come to God, often at the expense of worldly success. When Jesus says, “Woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full,” he is referring to those who are living as if this world is all there is.

The God of the beatitudes is a companion with us in every experience we go through either personally or as a community. We too are called to be the change in this world, to turn the norms upside down and to help those who are struggling. One reason Jesus paints with these broad strokes of black and white, with no gray, is to draw the line and make us examine ourselves. Which side are we on? He forces us to get off the fence and decide: Are we living for this life and its temporary pleasures or are we living for Jesus and His eternal kingdom? It is not good enough to be simply appalled at the widening gap between rich and poor in our own country and around the world. Today’s Gospel places at our feet the challenge to do something about it, in our prayer, in our careful use of resources, in where we spend our money and how we vote for governments which might affect international change. As we prepare for the coming weeks of Lent, this is a wonderful time to take stock of where we are and what we are doing about the disparity around us. Use this Lent to transform your hearts, minds and actions so that all may have a better life. Be thankful for the many blessings you have received from God, but more importantly, be a blessing to those around you.

Music as Prayer (Bis orat qui bene cantat)

A greater entrance into the prayer of the Liturgy is achieved by being familiar with the music. In particular, the Psalm functions best as a meditation on the readings when we know it well and the mechanics of singing it do not consume too much of our focus. Similarly, with the individual parts of the Mass Settings (the sung acclamations)

Psalm – YouTube link:
Psalm 34: Taste and See – Marty Haugen

Mass Setting – YouTube link:
Mass of Joy and Peace – Tony Alonso

Preface Dialog – YouTube link:
Traditional Chant – ICEL

Our Father – Fr. Paveglio & Corpus Christi:
Traditional Chant – ICEL

The Worship Calendar:

Nearby: St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church  (clustered with Corpus Christi)