The ministry & mission of BSUC is organized by way of a Governance Board – Ministry Team model. The Governance Board oversees the governance and stewardship of the church, while the teams tend to ministry in the following areas: Administration, Faith Formation, Communications; Community Connections, Finance, Hospitality, Pastoral Care, Property, Personnel and Worship (incl. Music Committee). In our discipleship, we work together toward spiritual growth and maturity in faith.

The ministry & mission of BSUC is organized by way of a Governance Board – Ministry Team model. The Governance Board oversees the governance and stewardship of the church, while the teams tend to ministry in the following areas: Administration, Faith Formation, Communications; Community Connections, Finance, Hospitality, Pastoral Care, Property, Personnel and Worship (incl. Music Committee). In our discipleship, we work together toward spiritual growth and maturity in faith. 162

The ministry & mission of BSUC is organized by way of a Governance Board – Ministry Team model. The Governance Board oversees the governance and stewardship of the church, while the teams tend to ministry in the following areas: Administration, Faith Formation, Communications; Community Connections, Finance, Hospitality, Pastoral Care, Property, Personnel and Worship (incl. Music Committee). In our discipleship, we work together toward spiritual growth and maturity in faith.

St Mary's, Dolgellau - saith fflam: saith rhodd neu saith cynneddf yr Ysbryd Glân / seven flames: www.archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/catholic-faith/wha...

The Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew was a publican, a tax collector, before Jesus called him to apostolic ministry. He followed Jesus and became one of His closest disciples, participating in His ministry, discipleship and co-ministry.

Saint Matthew the Apostle personifies transformation and the possibility of meeting God in the most unexpected circumstances. His life and message remind us that every person can become a disciple and messenger of Christ, regardless of his past.

Matthew was a tax collector. As Jesus passed by the tax office, he saw Matthew, also called Levi, there. Matthew heard a surprising invitation: Jesus said to him, “Follow me” (Matthew 9:9). Matthew immediately responded to Jesus’ call. He wrote about this in his Gospel: “He [Matthew] arose and followed him” (Matthew 9:9). Matthew left his job as a tax collector and became a disciple of Jesus.

Матвій був збирачем податків. Проходячи повз податкову контору, Ісус бачить там Матвія, якого також звати Левій. Матвій чує дивовижне запрошення: Ісус каже йому: «Іди за мною» (Матвія 9:9).

Матвій відразу відгукується на заклик Ісуса. Про це він пише у своєму Євангелії: “Той [Матвій] встав і пішов за ним” (Матвія 9:9). Матвій залишає роботу збирача податків і стає учнем Ісуса.

Homily_091524ot24

Not often do our scripture readings, dovetail so well, into a clear and cohesive message. The golden thread that weaves through them so beautifully is found in our Gospel acclamation today from Galatians. Listen, with an open heart as I read it-again. “May I never boast except in the cross of the Lord through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world.” Practicing our faith will cost us according to this scripture passage. Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his famous book called ‘The Cost of Discipleship’ says this and I quote “Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession…Cheap grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ.” End quote.

The starting point for us, is the question that Jesus’ askes his disciples in today’s gospel reading: “but who do you say that I am?” Peter’s answer “You are the Christ.” It is not hard to imagine Jesus asking each of us this simple question and yet a simple question with profound consequences. We know Peter’s story, and we know the story of all the disciples. We have 2000 plus years of Saints, and new Saints being added every year. What do they have in common? To know Christ is to follow Christ and it is not an easy task.

One thing should be clear it; it will cost us everything.

Our gospel reading says so! As I repeat it part of the Gospel, let it sink deeply into our heart!

“He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,

"Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross, and follow me.

For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life for my sake

and that of the gospel will save it."

Most of us understand this message and we have internalized it and live it out our lives. No one knows what you or I have given up…what personal sacrifices you or I have made. It does not matter that people do not know. The fruit is in the way you live your life as a Christian in the world. We know the cost and regardless we follow our God.

Our reading from Isaiah tells us how a faithful servant responds to God…” the Lord God opens my ear that I may hear, and I have not rebelled, I have not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord God is my help!” As we hear the words of the suffering servant of Isaiah, by default we naturally turn to Jesus and his passion for this is HIS story. Whatever discomfort we may feel in living out our faith, when compared to the passion of Christ, seems a bit smaller and bearable.

Sometimes we meet believers that give lip service to their faith and not much else.

Our second reading from James says something profound…” demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.” Demonstrate means that I live my faith…not just talk about it. Our faith as Catholics means we understand what sacrifice is! Our faith is a sacrificial religion, and we are reminded of this fact every time we walk into a Catholic church and are confronted by a crucifix. What we do here at Mass is not just for appearances, to be uplifted or entertained. We come to offer up our lives completely with Christ in the Eucharist sacrifice for the world.

The world needs us now-even though they deny it. We are the sign, the candle in the darkness! When we live out our baptismal promises, the Christ in us will shine as a testament to the world that Jesus Christ is our Lord, and we are following Him. We live in a world now, that does not even give Christ lip service. God is forgotten and we are told that belief is a fairytale. Our response is that we do believe in something verses nothing at all!

The question our critiques have…is why do we do what we do as Catholics? We know what our purpose in life is for and we have a deep peace that transcends our pains, joys, and sufferings. We are not alone…God resides within us, and HE shows us the way to walk in unbelieving world. We know who Jesus is. May we always strive to align our lives to HIS example. As we prepare to meet HIM now in the Eucharist, may we recommit to following him not just in words but in our actions.

Paul Claudel’s reflections on the crucifixion are gathered in a meditation on the Apostle’s Creed titled I Believe in God. When Jesus was trying to get across to his disciples what their discipleship would involve, particularly the mother of the sons of Zebedee, he talked about servants and slaves and declared, “[T]he Son of man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). Claudel observes, centuries later, “Well, if it is true that you came to serve, I daresay you got what you were after!” and then criticizes the casual attitude we have toward Christ in the liturgy: “It is painful to know that you are here at our disposal and that we can think of no better use for you than to help pass that tedious half hour before dinner on Sunday.”6 Familiarity has deadened our amazement. “A god is about to die before our eyes. . . . On the very brink of this act by which all things exist he found no way to defend himself from the shaft of love. The earth trembles and gapes, the curtain of the temple is torn from top to bottom, the graves vomit up their dead. There is a universal shuddering of the whole creation around the cross. On all sides things break asunder and yawn open.”7 The first creation, the one we stained with sin, had to be split open so that the seed of new life could find its way to the surface. And to plant such a seed in ourselves, we, too, must be split open. The blows of the hammer upon the nails in his hands must be redirected to us in order to crack us open. But this feels impossible, Claudel laments. “I feel that I have undertaken something beyond my strength. These wings of wood, how can I adjust them to sit on my shoulders?”

-LITURGICAL MYSTICISM, DAVID W. FAGERBERG

"My borrowed face

And my third-hand grace

Only reflect your glory"

-neil peart

Of course we know that the moon has no light of it's own. Same is true for us, of course. We are both reflectors. In fact, the earth is a much better reflector than the moon, but we're losing our ability it would seem. We are increasingly absorbing and trapping more than we are reflecting.

Though the results of this are easily felt and observed, the cause and effect is much less clear. No one seems to agree as to what are symptoms and what are causes.

The average reflective ability, or albedo of the moon is about 7% of the sunlight that strikes it. Right now, the earth's is somewhere around 30%. If we were to observe a "full earth" from the moon, it would be about 100 times brighter than a full moon seen from earth.

How much sunlight (and thus heat) we continue to reflect can be monitored by observing how much of our light is reflected back from the moon. This is called “earthshine.” There have been several plans in the past decade to send machines way out into space to constantly monitor how much of the sun’s energy we reflect, but this has yet to happen. Meanwhile, as should probably be the most obvious way of knowing what we’re reflecting, we watch to see how much of us is reflected back again.

Earthshine, as viewed from the moon, is an indicator of our own albedo, just as my friends and family give me an indication of how much I reflect the light sent my way, by reflecting it back to me.

And I should never mistake that bright swath of reflected sunlight along the bottom as my own, lest all data be skewed.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zev5tHjCB_s - Chris Tomlin

There's a place where mercy reigns and never dies

There's a place where streams of grace flow deep and wide

Where all the love I've ever found

Comes like a flood

Comes flowing down

[Chorus:]

At the cross

At the cross

I surrender my life

I'm in awe of You

I'm in awe of You

Where Your love ran red

and my sin washed white

I owe all to You

I owe all to You Jesus

There's a place where sin and shame are powerless

Where my heart has peace with God and forgiveness

Where all the love I've ever found

Comes like a flood

Comes flowing down

[Chorus]

Here my hope is found

Here on holy ground

Here I bow down

Here I bow down

Here arms open wide

Here You save my life

Here I bow down

Here I bow down

[Chorus]

KEITH & KRISTYN GETTY - MY WORTH

www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoPk7VTHT44