13/09/2021

Of course the liturgy as we know it today was not present for the first Christians. Those in Jerusalem continued to meet in the Temple until they were banned and met privately for the "breaking of bread."It is for this meeting, the forerunner of the mass, that St Paul offers his advice, the preparation for the Eucharist has to be prayerful and peaceful and above all we should know that we are there because our Father wants all of us to be saved. That is what all creation and life is about. God wants us to come joyfully to Him. The self-sacrifice of the Son the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit are to be known and acknowledged by the unity of our prayer.

There is no hint of "Liberation Theology" in St Paul. "Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's" is what guides St Paul. Slavery is a condition of life for many in the Roman Empire and also in Israel itself. St Paul teaches that we must treat slaves as our brothers with forbearance and kindness. 

The Faith shown by the Centurion is explained as a product of the political authority with which he lived his life. Jesus knows this but does not chide him or it. To accept Authority is not wrong in itself if it produces good. What is disastrous for us is that the moral authority of our Church has been destroyed in this Age by the sinfulness of many who do know better but who prefer their selfish desires to the Loving Authority of our Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Dear Lord let me be able to achieve my plan of receiving your pardon in the Sacrament of Penance and let my confession and sorrowful regrets be sincere without any little holding back trying to hide somewhere in the depths of my being.