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Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish - Podcast
Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish
07 5671 7388
50 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters, 4226
Dear Parishioners and Visitors,
Welcome to our Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish 'Flocknote' podcast email. We include the link to the latest podcast below.
Homily and Mass (audio) for you at home, and for reflection upon the Scriptures of the week, both prior to Sunday celebration or in the days afterwards. Please click the button below for the Podcast of the Weekly Mass (and special Solemnities occasionally throughout the year).
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 28th, 2025 - (EPISODE- 549)
Image Credit- https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/lmwSv0xvzDELX91rsxKO/lazarus-was-comforted-in-the-arms-of-abraham-in-heaven-and-a-large-uncrossable-divide-separated-them?ru=Paul-Evangelion
Readings for Sunday, September 28th, 2025 - Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C
FIRST READING: Amos 6:1a, 4-7
Ps 146:6c-7, 8-9a, 9b-10. "Praise the Lord, my soul!"
SECOND READING: 1 Tim 6:11-16
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 16:19-31). Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus Christ was rich but he became poor. To make you rich out of his poverty.
GOSPEL: Luke 16:19-31
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers, and homily), for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 28th, 2025, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-549/s-W5Ivga0lR7a (EPISODE- 549)
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PROLOGUE
FIRST READING: Amos 6:1a, 4-7
Ps 146:6c-7, 8-9a, 9b-10. "Praise the Lord, my soul!"
SECOND READING: 1 Tim 6:11-16
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 16:19-31). Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus Christ was rich but he became poor. To make you rich out of his poverty.
GOSPEL: Luke 16:19-31
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Please listen to the audio recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers, and homily), for the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C - Sunday, September 28th, 2025, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-ep-549/s-W5Ivga0lR7a (EPISODE- 549)
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PROLOGUE
This weekend, God's Word emphasises the importance of empathy and compassion, particularly having the eyes of compassion that are not blind to the suffering of others around us. The readings give a big serve to all who enjoy every kind of luxury but are quite ignorant of people in extreme need for even the basic necessities, people who are hidden in plain sight. The Lord wants everyone to know that the sick, the poor, the outcast are very dear to Him.
They are cherished children as dear to God as the most lofty person on earth. The Lord desperately wants us to see and recognize our fellow brothers and sisters and to respond to them in a practical way as we would to a brother and sister in need. Their welfare is our welfare since we belong to the same family of God.
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HOMILY:
The parable in this weekend's gospel is often called the story of Lazarus and DIVÊS. These are supposedly the names of the poor man, who certainly is called Lazarus, and the rich man, who is actually not named, and I think quite deliberately he is not given a name in this parable. The word DIVÊS simply is a Latin word which is translated as rich.
So it's actually not a name, but rather a description. In many biblical stories, and in the culture of the time, the importance of the person is often shown by the fact that they're given a name. To know the name of someone is to know and understand the importance of that person.
It's quite an error then, when commentators attempt to give a name to the rich man, when it's clearly not intended in the parable. This story is deliberately turning the usual conventions on their head. Usually the rich and influential person is regarded as so important that they must be given a name in the drama, while the unimportant bit character, insignificant, is the poor person, who remains nameless, as well as being without food, shelter or supplies.
However, in Our Lord's parable, he makes it quite clear that the most important person in this story is Lazarus, the poor man. The whole point of the story is to overturn the usual expectations of status and importance. Tragically, this point is also lost on the rich man, who even in the torment of Hades still misses the point badly.
For example, he ignorantly requests Abraham to command Lazarus, who's now in heaven, to cross over to Hades to serve him with a little taste of water. However, his request is rightly denied. Lazarus is poor no longer.
He is no longer unseen and without value in the eyes of those around him. He's no longer at the beck and call of the powerful and influential, who would only notice him if they were of some practical use to them at the time. And if he was of no use to them, he would be quite invisible to them, which he was most of the time.
As Saint Basil said in one of his homilies on this parable, tell us the reason why you have received your possessions. Is it so that God may be unjust? God, who unequally distributes those goods necessary to life? Why are you rich and another poor? To the hungry belongs that spare bread that you keep. To the naked the cloak you keep tucked away.
You commit as many injustices as there are people to whom you could give. One of the great failings of the rich man in this parable is that he's ignorant and apathetic to the poverty and need of people around him. These people that he doesn't notice turn out to be his brother and his sister in God's kingdom.
So these needy people are co-heirs to the kingdom which this uncaring man will never inherit. This parable invites us to change our way of seeing and looking. The gospel tells us in countless ways that the last will be first.
Our Lord calls upon us to truly build up a world based on true gospel values. A world and a kingdom which is filled with many people like Lazarus, who are despised now by those who, according to this parable, do not deserve to have a name. This parable leaves no room for doubt.
The unnamed rich man tries to say he had no idea about the plight of the poor. However, Father Abraham will have none of this excuse. He dismisses this categorically, saying, you have the word of God to listen to.
The words and teachings of scripture are more than enough to guide us in how we should have lived and how we should respond to those in need. In spite of the clarity of the gospel message, we admit that we too can look for excuses or ask for more obvious signs before we respond to what's really an obvious demand of justice and compassion in the scriptures. The priorities of the gospel are really quite plain enough, without any further embellishment, without any further signs.
We only have to pay attention, to look, to listen, and to feel. Those who ignore the poor are rejected by the Lord. Saint Paul gives us the reason for such behaviour.
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Greed leads us to place our trust in money when all true power rightly comes only from God. This is why Paul calls it idolatry, and the poor are victims of this distorted worship which separates people by a great chasm which is unable to be crossed over.
But all is not lost. This parable continues on from the earlier parables in this section. Although we're told that the rich man faced a great gulf between himself and the kingdom of God, where Abraham and Lazarus are in paradise, Jesus himself has already given his carefully attentive listeners a hint and a small key.
There is actually one way out of this seemingly impossible situation. In theory, this rich man can still be saved, but he's so ignorant that he cannot comprehend it, and so, in practical terms, he will probably never access this reprieve. But, if he were to act just like the foolish younger son did in the parable of the prodigal son, he must come to his senses and see, really see the folly of his ways.
He must say to his heavenly father from the depths of his heart, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against earth. I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants.
Because we know, from our Lord's own lips, what the heavenly father's response will be to those who realize their error, who awake from their apathy, truly repent and turn back. Again, Luke's gospel is particularly addressed to influential and affluent Gentiles who want to be good Christians. Our Lord did not tell this parable so that people will give up in despair because their unavoidable destiny is turning out to be hades.
He teaches this parable rather to wake up the living, to wake them up from their apathy and get them to show their fraternity to those who are really struggling. Someone once wrote into a publication to share a little example of their own life. They wrote, One day I received an appeal from a reputable foreign mission asking for an aid donation.
I wrote a little cheque out to support the mission and I felt really good about myself. Then I went out to the local shopping centre and promptly spent twice as much on discretionary spending. Suddenly my eyes were opened and I was overcome with a sense of shame as I realized the chasm between the two actions.
I quickly returned home and wrote five more cheques out, doing this to catch just a few more Lazaruses at the door or even further afield.
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.
Fr. John Fuellenbach, SVD, (Rome), Sabbatical Lectures 2007. Rome. (Notes of Paul Kelly)
A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY ALICE CAMILLE. (2010)
Image Credit- https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/lmwSv0xvzDELX91rsxKO/lazarus-was-comforted-in-the-arms-of-abraham-in-heaven-and-a-large-uncrossable-divide-separated-them?ru=Paul-Evangelion
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C (Sunday, September 28th 2025) (EPISODE- 549)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
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{{Greetings}}
My brothers and sisters, trusting in God's mercy and love, let us call to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you healed the sick: Lord, have mercy//
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References:
Fr Paul W. Kelly
SHARING THE WORD THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR. GUSTAVO GUTIERREZ.
Fr. John Fuellenbach, SVD, (Rome), Sabbatical Lectures 2007. Rome. (Notes of Paul Kelly)
A BOOK OF GRACE-FILLED DAYS. BY ALICE CAMILLE. (2010)
Image Credit- https://creator.nightcafe.studio/creation/lmwSv0xvzDELX91rsxKO/lazarus-was-comforted-in-the-arms-of-abraham-in-heaven-and-a-large-uncrossable-divide-separated-them?ru=Paul-Evangelion
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C (Sunday, September 28th 2025) (EPISODE- 549)
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (or/ The Lord be with You)
+++++++++++++
{{Greetings}}
My brothers and sisters, trusting in God's mercy and love, let us call to mind our sins.
Lord Jesus, you healed the sick: Lord, have mercy//
Lord Jesus, you forgave sinners: Christ, have mercy
Lord Jesus, you give us yourself to heal us and bring us strength: Lord, have mercy.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Ps 146:6c-7, 8-9a, 9b-10. "Praise the Lord, my soul!"
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Luke 16:19-31). Alleluia, alleluia! Jesus Christ was rich, but he became poor. To make you rich out of his poverty.
Memorial Acclamation
2. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup, we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again.
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PREFACE: Sundays Ordinary VI
Eucharistic Prayer II
Communion side:
(theme variation: v3)
(welcome cycle- (welcome 6) Good evening/morning. Welcome to this Eucharist as we celebrate the Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Year C. For all who are celebrating special events at this time, may God's blessing and care be deeply experienced for you and your families. Please check to see that your mobile devices are switched off or turned to silent. Our Presider tonight / today is Fr………………………… Please stand as we sing our entrance hymn: "__________" *)
(pre+post variation: v2-long)
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{heartfelt thanks to you all for uniting in prayer and reflectying upon God's goodness and care.}
Go forth, the Mass is ended.
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to the weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.
- "Faith, Hope and Love" theme hymn - in memory of William John Kelly - Inspired by 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. Music by Paul W. Kelly. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
"Quiet Time." Instrumental Reflection music. Written by Paul W Kelly. 1988, 2007. & This arrangement: Stefan Kelk, 2020.
- "Today I Arise" - For Trisha J Kelly. Original words and music by Paul W. Kelly. Inspired by St Patrick's Prayer. Arranged and sung, with additional lyrics by Stefan Kelk. 2019.
Sound Engineering and editing - P.W. Kelly.
Microphones: - Shure MV5 Digital Condenser (USB)
Editing equipment: NCH software - MixPad Multitrack Studio Recording Software
NCH – WavePad Audio Editing Software. Masters Edition v 12.44
Sound Processing: iZotope RX 6 Audio Editor
[Production - KER - 2025]
May God bless and keep you
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Blessings
Fr. Paul Kelly
Parish Priest
Our Parish is part of the Archdiocese of Brisbane.