Scriptual Commentary

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Belonging to Jesus

| Fr. William Smith

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 4:1-6
July 24, 2021

We are examining the “Letter to the Ephesians” this summer. We have already seen that the author demonstrates with extraordinary sensitivity the cosmic nature of Jesus’s incarnation and the literally earth-shattering effects of his death and resurrection. We have also noted that there is much controversy about its authorship. This is not only a very scholarly discussion of word usage, grammatical structure and other technical issues but has become ideological. The author clearly teaches that the “Church” is not an afterthought or an application but was part of the divine plan from the beginning of time. This is a problem for many Protestants but not for Catholics. Also, for us there is no canon (list of writings accepted as revelations from God) within the canon. No writing is more revealed than others. It does not in that sense matter if this was written by the apostle Paul or not. It only matters that the church has accepted it as revealed by God. This letter, as we will see as the summer progresses, is of great and immediate importance for us in Brownstone Brooklyn.

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Homilies

16th Sunday Ordinary Time – Homily (Fr. Smith)

| St. Charles Borromeo

Many of us hear the scriptures only at Mass and thus in relatively short sections. The Sunday gospel readings are designed to be heard over a 3-year cycle it is often difficult to see how one weeks reading relates to the former or next passage or indeed the entire Gospel. This is particularly true with Mark, and we will need to locate where today’s reading falls in his gospel to see how to bring it to life in today’s world. 

Last week Jesus sent his disciples on mission. Most of us would have found his timing inauspicious. For several chapters that we read for several weeks Jesus moved from one triumph to another. He cured the sick, cast out demons even raised the dead. He seemed unstoppable but then he went home to Nazareth, and he could do almost nothing. He was rejected by his own people. It was then that he sent out his followers. We will see today that he calls them apostles, Greek for one who is sent. They performed many miracles and preached the good news of repentance and forgiveness. They too seemed unstoppable. 

 Today Jesus stops them. He greets them on their return but before we look at that should remember that the lectionary, the book of the scriptures which we use in church, skips over the story of the death of John the Baptist.  

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Bulletin

Last Sunday for Zoom Mass Streaming; YouTube Streaming Will Continue

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please note this Sunday, July 18 is the last Sunday we will be also streaming the Sunday Mass on Zoom.

Most remote participants now attend via YouTube (where the picture quality is higher than Zoom). Instead of having someone dedicated to administering the wait room and monitoring the Zoom meeting, we would like to focus on other needs in the parish.

Our Online Community Mass is streamed live via YouTube. You can watch the Mass live at 11:15 AM on Sundays by visiting our YouTube channel or https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org/youtube/. Recordings will be available on our YouTube channel for later viewing.

This streaming change pertains only to our Sunday Mass. It does not affect our interactive parish events, such as the weekday prayer groups and book clubs, which are and will continue to be available on Zoom. 

Events, Videos

Community Mass – 16th Sunday Ordinary Time

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us to celebrate the 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time on Sunday, July 18th.

Our current Mass times are:

  • 9 AM EDT – Morning Mass – in person, not streamed
  • 11:15 AM EDT – Community Mass – in person and streamed online
  • 7 PM EDT – Evening Mass – in person, not streamed

    Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window above.

The Gather 3rd Edition Hymnal/Missals are now available for use in the church – pick one up as you enter and return it after Mass. Instructions on how to use the hymnal missal are available here: https://www.stcharlesbklyn.org/hymnal-missal/ .

Entrance: Gather Us In – 848
Readings and Responsorial Psalm – 1138
Offertory: The Cry of the Poor – 47
Communion: Shepherd Me, O God – 35
Closing: We Are Called – 807

Today’s readings are also available to read online here: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/071821.cfm

Scriptual Commentary

16th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Reflecting the Peace We Were Created For

| Fr. William Smith

The Good Shepherd, Thomas Cole, 1848,
Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art (Bentonville)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the Second Reading
Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 2:13-18
July 18, 2021

Last week we began our reading of “The Letter to the Ephesians” by examining the majestic opening blessing. We suggested that we view it as an overture previewing many of the letter’s themes. Today, we will look at what it means to be chosen and how this is accomplished through the “blood of Jesus.”

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