Bible reading is always better in a group. Our "Journey with" groups were a success for all involved.

This lay-led group spearheaded by two of our community's members, Kate Baum and Carolyn Fisher, met weekly on Zoom. This Monday, September 29th, they will begin "A Journey through Matthew', meeting each Monday at 5:30 PM.

"Life happens", but one of the benefits of a group study is the building up of community and the shared insights you'll be enriched by. Make Bible reading an important appointment. Set aside the amount of time you'll need... even if it means giving up a TV show or other activity. If your work or parenting schedule makes daily appointments tough, then set appointments on the days you can read. Find pockets of time on the other days. You won't be sorry you did.....


The Book for the group, A Journey With Matthew, can be ordered online as a paperback, or on Kindle, from the link below.


Link to Amazon page to purchase a copy or get the book on Kindle


Fr. Charles



Join us for A Journey with Matthew…the 50 day Bible Challenge- each day is a manageable amount of reading, a meditation and a question or two. Each Monday we will gather to talk about what we read the week before and discuss some of these questions that were asked.

Looking forward to sharing this journey with you.

It will be on Mondays 530 to 6:30 PM. If you'd like to join the group or receive notices about the group email either one of us for the link.




Carolyn cbf0412@gmail.com and Kate kate@baumtax.com


Link to Fr. Plant's video/homily/study on this Sunday's Gospel




The Collect

O God, you declare your almighty power chiefly in showing mercy and pity: Grant us the fullness of your grace, that we, running to obtain your promises, may become partakers of your heavenly treasure; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.





Old Testament

Numbers 11:4-6,10-16,24-29

The rabble among them had a strong craving; and the Israelites also wept again, and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we used to eat in Egypt for nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic; but now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”

Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, all at the entrances of their tents. Then the Lord became very angry, and Moses was displeased. So Moses said to the Lord, “Why have you treated your servant so badly? Why have I not found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me? Did I conceive all this people? Did I give birth to them, that you should say to me, ‘Carry them in your bosom, as a nurse carries a sucking child,’ to the land that you promised on oath to their ancestors? Where am I to get meat to give to all this people? For they come weeping to me and say, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ I am not able to carry all this people alone, for they are too heavy for me. If this is the way you are going to treat me, put me to death at once—if I have found favor in your sight—and do not let me see my misery.”

So the Lord said to Moses, “Gather for me seventy of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people and officers over them; bring them to the tent of meeting, and have them take their place there with you. ”

So Moses went out and told the people the words of the Lord; and he gathered seventy elders of the people, and placed them all around the tent. Then the Lord came down in the cloud and spoke to him, and took some of the spirit that was on him and put it on the seventy elders; and when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied. But they did not do so again.

Two men remained in the camp, one named Eldad, and the other named Medad, and the spirit rested on them; they were among those registered, but they had not gone out to the tent, and so they prophesied in the camp. And a young man ran and told Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp.” And Joshua son of Nun, the assistant of Moses, one of his chosen men, said, “My lord Moses, stop them!” But Moses said to him, “Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit on them!”






The Psalm

Psalm 19:7-14

Caeli enarrant

7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and revives the soul; *

the testimony of the Lord is sure

and gives wisdom to the innocent.

8 The statutes of the Lord are just

and rejoice the heart; *

the commandment of the Lord is clear

and gives light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the Lord is clean

and endures for ever; *

the judgments of the Lord are true

and righteous altogether.

10 More to be desired are they than gold,

more than much fine gold, *

sweeter far than honey,

than honey in the comb.

11 By them also is your servant enlightened, *

and in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can tell how often he offends? *

cleanse me from my secret faults.

13 Above all, keep your servant from presumptuous sins;

let them not get dominion over me; *

then shall I be whole and sound,

and innocent of a great offense.

14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my

heart be acceptable in your sight, *

O Lord, my strength and my redeemer.






The Epistle

James 5:13-20

Are any among you suffering? They should pray. Are any cheerful? They should sing songs of praise. Are any among you sick? They should call for the elders of the church and have them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord. The prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise them up; and anyone who has committed sins will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth. Then he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain and the earth yielded its harvest.

My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and is brought back by another, you should know that whoever brings back a sinner from wandering will save the sinner's soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.



The Gospel
Mark 9:38-50
John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not stop him; for no one who does a deed of power in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.
“If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than to have two hands and to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than to have two feet and to be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into hell, where their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.
“For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good; but if salt has lost its saltiness, how can you season it? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.”
 

Some Reflections

 
 Scripture and reflection from New Life Narrabri Church Aus.
“Do not stop him,” Jesus said, “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me.”
 
Observation
Some disciples tell Jesus that they saw a man casting out in His name and and they told him to stop doing it because he wasn’t a part of their group. Jesus tells them not to do this as anyone who is not opposed to them is for them.
It is better to rigorously remove sin from our lives, even removing parts of the body if necessary, than to maintain an intact body but go to hell.
Application
Tribalism is strong amongst christians. We love to criticise those whom we think are less pure in doctrine than we are. Google any famous preacher’s name, and there will be a host of hate pages criticising their ministry.
I don’t like Benny Hinn’s style. There are many things that he does that make me cringe. But he has led many people to the Lord, and God has used him to heal countless people. When I am walking in that level of power and authority I might have the qualification to correct him.
Too many people spend too much time pulling other Christians apart. Jesus urges us to be more tolerant.
Does this mean that we cannot ever judge ministers? Is everyone who claims to speak for Jesus above correction?
Not at all. Every pastor, preacher, and indeed every Christian, needs to be accountable to the Body in some way.
Rather than being critical of people we disagree with or are not part of our group, we must focus on our own ministry, sharing the Good News with the people God has called us to. Then we can leave the judging to Jesus.
Prayer
Lord, help me to be more open to brothers and sisters outside my “tribe” and to accept even those I choose to disagree with. Amen.  
 
 
 
He stood erect – as a peg-top does as long as the whip keeps lashing it.  He was modest – thanks to a robust conviction of his own superiority.  He was unambitious – all he wanted was a life free from cares and he took more pleasure in the failures of others than in his own successes.  He saved his life by never risking it – and complained that he was misunderstood.  
- Dag Hammerskjold  1905- 1961 Markings 




Doffing the ego’s / safe glory, he finds /  his naked reality.
- Dag Hammerskjold, Markings



 
I t is necessary to forget the ego, and that is exactly what mystical tradition has in mind when it connects remembering God and forgetting the ego.  The process wherein the ego ceases to forget God is the same as the one wherein it begins to forget itself. Remembering and forgetting are two sides of one act. Forgetfulness of the ego, replacing the normal forgetfulness of God, is mystically speaking part of immersing and losing oneself, of falling in love, that is to say, one of the activities in which we depart from ourselves. 
 
–Dorothee Soelle
 The Silent Cry: Mysticism and Resistance p.211-212
 

Inspiration may be a form of super-consciousness, or perhaps of sub-consciousness – I wouldn’t know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self-consciousness. 
 
- Aaron Copland 1900-1990

 
Silence is the cross upon which we must crucify our ego.
 -Seraphim of Sarov d.1833




To judge others is a shameless abrogation of the Divine prerogative; to condemn is the ruin of one's soul.
-John Climacus 7th century
  Ladder of Paradise (Step 10, Section 14) 
 


Jesus visits Peter at the Pearly Gates and asks how things are going.  “Well,” says St. Peter, “I have a complaint. You know, Lord, I’m scrupulous about my job here.  I interview each soul arriving at the Gate of Heaven, and I check to see if his or her name is written in the Book of Life.  I turn away the people not worthy to enter heaven, but a little while later I turn around and I see those very people wandering around on the inside!  I don’t get it! What’s going on?”
     “Oh.  That’s my mother for you,” replied Jesus.  “Those people you turn away - she keeps letting them in through the back door.”
 
-  old joke
 Ego is
 to the true self
 what a flashlight is
 to a spotlight.  
– John Bradshaw    b.1933
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