Matthew 16:18
Alleluia, Alleluia!
You are Peter, the rock on which I will build my Church; the gates of hell will not hold out against it.
Alleluia!
• In the Bible, when God changes someone’s name it is usually because they are being given a new mission.
• Both Peter and Paul had their names changed. Simon became Peter, and Saul became Paul.
• The Nicene Creed professes the Church to be one, holy, catholic and apostolic. No matter how distant we are from the life and times of Jesus of Nazareth, Christ is present to us still—in a special way through the sacramental ministry of bishops, the successors to the apostles, and their co-workers, the clergy.
Everything hinges upon one critical question: who is Jesus? The famous ‘trilemma’ of CS Lewis was that either Jesus was who he said he was—the Son of God—or he was a dangerous liar or madman. The only thing he could not be, Lewis argued, was simply a great moral teacher.
In today’s Gospel, Peter reaches this crucial juncture. While many of Jesus’ listeners at the time considered him a prophet, it was Peter who spoke up with the truth: ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.’ What did this mean? Perhaps Peter himself did not realise the full implications of those words, but Jesus affirmed them. He said it was the heavenly Father who had directly revealed this to Peter. This confession of Christ’s identity is the foundational claim of Christianity and is what energises the missionary activity of the apostles throughout the New Testament. After all, it was not something that came from them: it was news from heaven.
Knowing the proclamation of this truth would be spread far and wide, Jesus does something else significant: he establishes apostolic authority. He begins to form his visible body on earth, which he calls ‘my church’, and which no powers of evil would overcome.
• Explore the relationship between the ‘Petrine’ mission of the Church (the structure) and the ‘Pauline’ mission (the evangelical).
• How do they work together to preach the Gospel to all nations?
• People today have many different images or understandings of Jesus. Some, perhaps, have received no understanding at all. Explore some of the common depictions of Jesus in popular culture.
• Have you had a significant turning point in your journey with faith, like Peter had when questioned by Jesus?
• Has anything ever been revealed to you that you know didn’t come from you?
• Have you ever experienced resistance to your inquiry into Christian faith?
• In today’s other readings, we see the challenges and imprisonment of both Peter and Paul for preaching the Gospel, but they both show trust in Christ’s promise that the gates of Hades would not prevail against them. This week, make the words from the psalm your daily prayer:
‘The angel of the Lord is encamped around those who fear him, to rescue them. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Blessed the warrior who seeks refuge in him’ (Ps 34:8-9).
‘The word “Church” (Latin ecclesia, from the Greek ek-ka-lein, to “call out of”) means a convocation or an assembly … The equivalent Greek term Kyiake, from which the English word Church and the German Kirche are derived, means “what belongs to the Lord”’ (CCC §751).
• The desire to belong is a basic need of the human heart. Explore where people find belonging today, and what might be drawing them away from belonging totally to the Lord.
Jesus does not promise his disciples an easy time. Consistent with God’s approach in the Old Testament, he is honest about the opposition the Church will face in the world. But the words of St Paul should be our own: ‘The Lord will rescue me from all evil attacks on me, and bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom’ (2 Tim 4:18).
• Talk about what it means to trust in the Lord.
• Explore the different struggles Christians might have in their journey of faith. These might be larger, more dramatic struggles, or deeply personal and daily struggles to live out the faith.
The image of Christ handing Peter the ‘keys of the kingdom’ is a powerful one.
• Explore what this means.
• You might like to refer to the Catechism: ‘The “power of the keys” designates authority to govern the house of God, which is the Church … The power to “bind and loose” connotes the authority to absolve sins, to pronounce doctrinal judgements, and to make disciplinary decisions in the Church’ (CCC §553).
Jesus says that the gates of Hades will not prevail against the Church. We often take this to mean that no power of evil will ultimately overcome the Church, and that is true. The Church belongs to Christ, who already proved that the powers of death and evil were futile against him. But the language here is not primarily of the Church being defensive. It would be a strange thing for somebody to attack with their ‘gates’. No: the powers of hell are on the defensive. Wherever the Church extends its reach, wherever it ‘binds and looses’ through the grace of the sacraments, a spiritual revolution takes place that liberates souls from the enemy’s dominion.
Practical ideas for group leaders to employ in connecting Scripture and daily life, with suggestions for music and environment
• To belong to the Church is to belong to the Lord. No powers, human or spiritual, can tear us away from him. How can we encourage others this week to have faith in God?
• Conclude with the prayer of blessing in the RCIA at §97C.
This Jubilee celebrates the importance of the family unit, recognising the unique roles played by children and grandparents; and also honours the elderly members of our communities, some of whom are without family members of their own.
Heavenly Father,
We come before You to praise You
and to thank You for the great gift of the family.
We pray to You for all families consecrated by the Sacrament of Matrimony.
May they rediscover each day the grace they have received,
and as small domestic Churches,
may they know how to witness to Your presence
and to the love with which Christ loves the Church.
We pray to You for all families faced with difficulty and suffering
caused by illness or circumstances of which only You know.
Sustain them and make them aware
of the path to holiness upon which You call them,
so that they might experience Your infinite mercy
and find new ways to grow in love.
We pray to You for children and young people:
may they encounter You and respond joyfully
to the vocation You have in mind for them;
We pray for parents and grandparents: may they be aware
that they are signs of the fatherhood and motherhood of God
in caring for the children who, in body and spirit, You entrust to them;
and for the experience of fraternity
that the family can give to the world.
Lord, grant that each family
might live their specific vocation to holiness in the Church
as a call to become missionary disciples,
in the service of life and peace,
in communion with our priests, religious,
and all vocations in the Church. Amen.
(Official prayer for the X World Meeting of Families, 2022)
From Pope Francis’ Homily for the X World Meeting of Families (2022):
“You are fathers, mothers and children, grandparents, uncles and aunts. You are adults and children, young and old. Each of you brings a different experience of family, but all of you have one hope and prayer: that God will bless and keep your families and all the families of the world.
“All of you married couples, in building your family, made, with the help of Christ’s grace, a courageous decision: not to use freedom for yourselves, but to love the persons that God has put at your side. Instead of living like little islands, you became “slaves of one another”. That is how freedom is exercised in the family. There are no “planets” or “satellites”, each travelling on its own orbit. The family is the place of encounter, of sharing, of going forth from ourselves in order to welcome others and stand beside them. The family is the first place where we learn to love. We must never forget that the family is the first place where we learn to love.”
From Pope Francis’ Message for the First World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly (2021):
“In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells the Apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (28:19-20). These words are also addressed to us today. They help us better understand that our vocation is to preserve our roots, to pass on the faith to the young, and to care for the little ones. Think about it: what is our vocation today, at our age? To preserve our roots, to pass on the faith to the young and to care for the little ones. Never forget this.
“It makes no difference how old you are, whether you still work or not, whether you are alone or have a family, whether you became a grandmother or grandfather at a young age or later, whether you are still independent or need assistance. Because there is no retirement age from the work of proclaiming the Gospel and handing down traditions to your grandchildren. You just need to set out and undertake something new.
“I want to tell you that you are needed in order to help build, in fraternity and social friendship, the world of tomorrow: the world in which we, together with our children and grandchildren, will live once the storm has subsided. All of us must “take an active part in renewing and supporting our troubled societies” (ibid., 77). Among the pillars that support this new edifice, there are three that you, better than anyone else, can help to set up. Those three pillars are dreams, memory and prayer. The Lord’s closeness will grant to all, even the frailest among us, the strength needed to embark on a new journey along the path of dreams, memory and prayer.”
“We were blessed to become “brand new” grandparents in our mid-40s.
“As parents and grandparents, we recognised with minute sensitivity the needs of those we loved and the manner in which we could be of assistance to them, in order to lighten their growing load.
“During the Last Supper, Jesus told his disciples that he had come to serve and not to be served.
“As grandparents, we came to realise this quite quickly as the opportunities to do so multiplied as more grandchildren came our way.
“Our experience of serving was that it built a fruitful basis for meaningful communication, and oftentimes, an eventual path to peace in the family.
“In light of the ever-increasing financial pressures for both parents to go off to work, the offer to care for our grandchildren was an easy one, especially in light of the assistance given us by our own parents.
“We had witnessed the great bonds of love that developed when grandchildren had the time to hear their grandparent’s stories and anecdotes and we desired to have these same opportunities with our own.
“We also found that by looking after our grandchildren, we were afforded the time to pray with them, a practice which complemented and strengthened the aspects of Faith which were taught them by their own parents.
“It is a supreme gift to be a grandparent in today’s culture, which is often adverse to the inherent dignity of human life.”
– Steve and Stella Buhagiar (From The Catholic Weekly)
For the Church, that throughout the world she may be able to proclaim and bear strong witness to the beauty of God’s plan for the family and to value it as a gift and a vocation.
We pray to the Lord.
For all elderly people, that they may continue to look towards the future and, with their experience and prayers, that they may continue striving to build a more congenial world.
We pray to the Lord.
World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly World Meetings of Families
X World Meeting of Families (2022): Evangelise Plus First World Children’s Day (2024)
Following on from Light in the Desert, the Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne’s 2025 Lenten resource, we are now excited to offer We Are Witnesses, our 2025 Easter resource.
When it comes to the formation of our people, Easter is a season we often neglect. This is a shame because while it is wonderful to see the abundance of Lenten resources made available every year, Lent is a preparation for Easter. It doesn’t make much sense without it.
Recognising this, we wanted to offer a small-group resource that invites people to reflect on key weekly Scriptures readings and, in the same manner as Light in the Desert, select readings from the Second Vatican Council—in keeping with Pope Francis’ desires for this jubilee year. The theme of We Are Witnesses is mission: the mission of the whole church with all of her gifts and charisms. It invites people into the truth that the Council wanted to make so plain: that no matter what our vocation, we are called to be hope-filled witnesses to the resurrected Christ.
This resource is perfect for any level of formation. Those unfamiliar with Vatican II will discover a gentle ‘taster’, while those more familiar will have an opportunity to see with fresh eyes these important documents.
Each week includes an excerpt from a Sunday passage of Scripture (predominantly the Acts of the Apostles), a short reflection introducing key themes, an excerpt from a Vatican II document, and questions to prompt deeper thought on the topic and how it might empower us to live out our Easter calling. This resource runs from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday.
There are two ways you might want to use this resource in a small group setting, one more informal and the other more formal.
For small groups wanting to meet, or continue doing so, in households, it may be a good idea to encourage participants to read the week’s pages ahead of time. That way, when coming together everyone will be prepared and ready to engage.
A good idea may be to have weekly ‘mini retreats’ in the evening at your parish. Setting aside two to three hours every week, participants can come together for time that is equally devoted to quiet prayer and conversation.
For Jubilee 2025, the opportunities to receive the great mercy of a plenary indulgence have been increased. Among the many works one might do to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence, the Holy See has decreed that ‘the faithful will be able to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if, with a devout spirit, they participate in popular missions, spiritual exercises, or formation activities on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, held in a church or other suitable place, according to the mind of the Holy Father’.
The usual conditions for receiving the Jubilee Plenary Indulgence remain in place. They include:
You can read more about how people can receive one here.
As your journey with your people for the coming Easter season, we pray it is a time of renewal and growth, and that everyone who participates can discover anew the joy of their missionary calling in the world.
This jubilee year, Pope Francis has explicitly emphasised the importance of formation on two fronts: the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the documents of the Second Vatican Council. Mindful of this, the Archdiocese of Melbourne is delighted to announce its 2025 Lenten resource: Light in the Desert.
Modelled after our popular RCIA Exploring the Word series, this weekly small-group resource is designed to bring people together in prayer and conversation around key passages from the Second Vatican Council, both to show its deep spiritual relevance and accompany them through the graced, though sometimes difficult, season of Lent. This is not an academic or historical study of the Council: covering topics from the universal call to holiness to the liturgy, the purpose of Light in the Desert is to kindle a fire in people’s hearts and help them fall in love anew with Jesus Christ and his Church.
This resource is perfect for any level of formation. Those unfamiliar with Vatican II will discover a gentle ‘taster’, while those more familiar will have an opportunity to see with fresh eyes these important documents, especially how they connect with the Gospel readings and the path of Christian discipleship.
Each week includes an excerpt from the Sunday Gospel, a short reflection introducing key themes, an excerpt from a Vatican II document, and questions to prompt deeper thought the topic and how it might nourish our Lenten journey.
There are two ways you might want to use this resource in a small group setting, one more informal and the other more formal.
For small groups wanting to meet, or continue doing so, in households, it may be a good idea to encourage participants to read the week’s pages ahead of time. That way, when coming together everyone will be prepared and ready to engage.
A good idea may be to have weekly ‘mini retreats’ in the evening at your parish. Setting aside two to three hours every week, participants can come together for time that is equally devoted to quiet prayer and conversation.
For Jubilee 2025, the opportunities to receive the great mercy of a plenary indulgence have been increased. Among the many works one might do to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence, the Holy See has decreed that ‘the faithful will be able to obtain the Jubilee Indulgence if, with a devout spirit, they participate in popular missions, spiritual exercises, or formation activities on the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, held in a church or other suitable place, according to the mind of the Holy Father’.
The usual conditions for receiving the Jubilee Plenary Indulgence remain in place. They include:
You can read more about how people can receive one here.
Lent is, above all, a time of intense preparation for Easter. It is an opportunity to go back to basics, to rediscover who we are and who Jesus is. We pray Light in the Desert will be a fruitful resource in this regard.
In order to accompany our people through the Easter season as well, a similar resource to Light in the Desert will be released, this time looking at what the Second Vatican Council has to say about the mission of the Church in the world.
Luke 2:32
Alleluia, Alleluia!
This is the light of revelation to the nations,
and the glory of your people, Israel.
Alleluia!
On this feast of the Presentation, we consider what it means to be consecrated to God. We offer these prayers, recognising that our gifts are expressed most fully when they are used in your service.
We pray for Pope Francis and all those in ordained ministry. May they serve your people in a spirit of charity and love.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all national leaders. In the spirit of justice, may they make their mark as peacemakers in our world.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who have responded to the Lord’s call, whether married, single, ordained to the priesthood or in religious life. May they grow in the grace of their vocations.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
As we begin a new school year, we pray for all teachers that they may be blessed in dealing with our young people, encouraging them to work to the best of their abilities and to enjoy success in their studies.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for our faith community as we share in this Eucharist. May we strive to use our God-given gifts in the service of others.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for …
Lord hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for sick parishioners, family members and friends, that they will find healing.
We pray for those who have died recently and those whose anniversaries we recall at this time. May they enter into the eternal life of God’s kingdom, as promised to us all.
Lord, hear us.
Lord, hear our prayer.
Father in heaven, hear the prayers of all of us gathered here as we seek to more fully serve you. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Malachi 3:1–4
The Lord you are seeking will suddenly enter his Temple.
Psalm 23(24):7–10
R. Who is this king of glory? It is the Lord!
Hebrews 2:14–18
He took to himself descent from Abraham.
Luke 2:32
This is the light of revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people, Israel.
Luke 2:22–40
My eyes have seen your salvation.
In [the celebration of the Mass] is found the high point both of the action by which God sanctifies the world in Christ and of the worship that the human race offers to the Father, adoring him through Christ, the Son of God, in the Holy Spirit.
—General Instruction of the Roman Missal, §16
In the Mass, we have both the consecration of the world in Christ and the world offering acceptable worship to the Father in Christ. On this feast of the Presentation, we name both these mysteries: of the world being consecrated by the presence of Christ and of the world returning to the Father with acceptable worship. So we, too, come into the temple of the Church to allow God’s action in our lives and to offer our lives as acceptable worship to the Father.
‘Your merciful love, O God, we have received in the midst of your temple. Your praise, O God, like your name, reaches the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with saving justice.’ —entrance antiphon
Jerusalem Bible © 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday & Company Inc.
When the day came for them to be purified as laid down by the Law of Moses, the parents of Jesus took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord,—observing what stands written in the Law of the Lord: Every first-born male must be consecrated to the Lord—and also to offer in sacrifice, in accordance with what is said in the Law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.
Now in Jerusalem there was a man named Simeon. He was an upright and devout man; he looked forward to Israel’s comforting and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he had set eyes on the Christ of the Lord. Prompted by the Spirit he came to the Temple and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the Law required, he took him into his arms and blessed God; and he said:
‘Now, Master, you can let your servant go in peace,
just as you promised;
because my eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared for all the nations to see,
a light to enlighten the pagans
and the glory of your people Israel.’
As the child’s father and mother stood there wondering at the things that were being said about him, Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, ‘You see this child: he is destined for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, destined to be a sign that is rejected—and a sword will pierce your own soul too—so that the secret thoughts of many may be laid bare.’
There was a prophetess also, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was well on in years. Her days of girlhood over, she had been married for seven years before becoming a widow. She was now eighty-four years old and never left the Temple, serving God night and day with fasting and prayer. She came by just at that moment and began to praise God; and she spoke of the child to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem.
When they had done everything the Law of the Lord required, they went back to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. Meanwhile the child grew to maturity, and he was filled with wisdom; and God’s favour was with him.
(Luke 2:22–40)
Points of interest and Catholic lore
This gospel text is another example of the ‘manifestation’ of who Jesus is. Luke sets his action in the heart of Judaism, in the temple itself. Mary and Joseph are pious Jews doing all that the Law requires of them. The two characters who are introduced—Simeon and Anna—are both also depicted by Luke as pious Jews. Simeon is ‘an upright and devout man’, while Anna ‘served God night and day with fasting and prayer.’ They would both have seen many first-born sons presented at the temple in consecration to the Lord. But they see something in this particular child that goes beyond the expected. They recognise this child as ‘the salvation which you have prepared for all the nations’, and Anna speaks of the child ‘to all who looked forward to the deliverance of Jerusalem’.
The reaction of the parents is natural under such circumstances: ‘They stood there wondering at the things being said about him.’ Mary is warned that being the mother of such a child will not be easy for her: ‘a sword will pierce her soul.’ For Mary, adherence to the will of God will come at a price.
Opportunities for group discussion and personal prayer
The tradition of Christian life, prayer and worship has developed many, many rituals over the centuries. Some rituals are understood as being timeless and unchangeable. One example of this is the ‘taking, blessing, breaking and giving’ of the eucharistic bread.
Other rituals may have developed out of local custom or usage in particular eras or locations.
While Mary and Joseph are unfailingly presented as pious, practising Jews by Luke, this text takes the promise of salvation far beyond the Jewish nation. Jesus is destined to be the bringer of salvation to all the nations and a light to the pagans, as well as the glory of Israel.
Written by Fiona Dyball
This Sunday marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a joyful but also quiet and contemplative season of waiting before the full joy of Christmas is revealed and celebrated. In our troubled world where busyness and domination can be understood as virtues, making space and taking time to prepare hearts and minds to fully receive the peaceful, transforming light of Christ is a countercultural and much-needed grace.
Advent has a twofold character: it is a time of preparation for the commemoration of the First Coming of the Son of God at Christmas, and also a time of looking forward in hope to the eventual Second Coming of Christ that will come at the end of time. The readings for this week speak of trust, awareness, memory, and mercy. This is nourishing food for both body and soul as we continue to walk forward together.
As we move into Advent, we also recognise the ongoing journey of the Synod in the Church for all the People of God. The call to conversion present in the Synod and in this season of Advent remains: we pray that our Church is a sacrament of unity in a world thirsty for hope. With the Psalmist, and as Pilgrims of Hope in this newly begun Jubilee Year, we lift our souls to the God who offers us faithful friendship and love in all seasons of our lives.