17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) - 27 July 2025
27th July 2025
“Let your door stand open to receive Him, unlock your soul to Him. offer Him a welcome in your mind, and then you will see the riches of simplicity, the treasures of peace, the joy of grace. Throw wide the gate of your heart, stand before the sun of the everlasting light.” - St Ambrose
A reflection on the theme of today's Gospel (Repentance & Prayer) by the Venerable Archbishop Fulton J Sheen:
"Anyone who looks deeply into his own life must marvel at the longsuffering of God in the face of those who would silence prayers to Him in a school, or who blot His friends from the face of the earth. Divine Power is veiled in gentleness, because its purpose is not to destroy but to save. ‘The broken reed He will not crush, and the burning flax He will not extinguish.’ No one ever receives all the stripes he deserves nor all the punishment his iniquities merit. Nor is this royal clemency an indifference to justice and righteousness, but a forbearance that, with a little digging and fertilising, the tardy tree may grow.
"James and John would have brought down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who would not give the Lord welcome; but in His gentleness, He rebuked them and told them that they knew not what manner of men they were. The issue would not be forced then. He would give the people time to repent as He set out for another village.
"The painting of Holman Hunt represents Our Blessed Lord knocking at an ivy-covered door with a lantern in His hand. Holman Hunt was criticised on the ground that he had no latch on the outside of the door. His answer was, ‘Of course not. The latch is on the inside. We alone can open it.’ It is for free men to accept or reject the favours and blessings of God. Man must will to receive. Prayer is an opportunity to let in what would otherwise be left out. Air is there if we breathe, light is there if we open our eyes, and the gifts we receive from heaven depend on our trust. Prayer opens possibilities. House plants cannot live without water; the flowers will give us their blossoms only if we give them water. Windows will let in light, if we clean them. Our hearts will let in God, if we purify them. Blessings come to those who put themselves in an environment of love.
"Prayer may be briefly treated under the three titles of petition, worship, and action.
"In petitionary prayer we do not tell God our needs, for He knows those before we begin. Rather we give Him an opportunity to bestow them on us. Prayer is helplessness casting itself on Power, infirmity leaning on Strength, misery reaching to Mercy, and a prisoner clamouring for Relief.
"God has two kinds of gifts – those He gives us whether we pray or not, and those He gives us on condition we put ourselves in the area of His love.
"Prayer does not change God’s will, but it may change ours, that we become receptive to His blessings.
"In addition to petition, there is also worship. It has been asked, ‘Why does God want praise? Is He a potentate, sitting on a throne, very unhappy and miserable when we do not pay Him some adulation?’
"God does not need praise; we need to give it. Where there is love, there is gratitude and praise.
"All work can be turned into prayer as can all play, recreation, sorrow, and contradiction. Those who work booms and cameras in television studios, stenographers, taxi drivers, bartenders, doctors, housekeepers, ball-players – all can turn their work into prayer provided they offer it in the name of the Good Lord."
(Walk With God & Life is Worth Living)
World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly
‘Blessed are those who have not lost hope.’ (Sirach 14:2)
We Join with the Holy Father in praying for all grandparents and the elderly this weekend. May they always be honoured, appreciated and loved, and their lives treasured and treated with respect by members of society, especially those in government and the medical professions.
Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly
Lord Jesus, help families and society to value the presence and role of grandparents and the elderly. May they never be ignored or excluded, but always encounter respect and love. Help them to live serenely and to feel welcomed in all the years of life which You give them. Holy Spirit, we know that some are lonely; please help us as a Church family to reach out to the elderly and surround them with the love of the Father. Amen. 💖💐🙏