TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B

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1 Since October 30, Christ the KING Kampala UG PARISH PRIEST Msgr. Gerard Kalumba ASSISTING PRIESTS Msgr. Joseph Mugambe Rev. Fr. John Bosco Ssembatya Rev. Fr. Richard Arthur Muwonge LEAD CATECHIST Evaristo Mary Baguma Sunday, 02nd September 2018 The denial of personal guilt makes men ready to surrender their liberty. Better it is for a man to realize he has evil tendencies which must be fought and combated in order that his higher self may emerge. -- Archbishop Fulton Sheen TWENTY-SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B CHAIRPERSON LAITY Rogers Semakula SECRETARY LAITY John Baptist Ssemitego PARISH EXEC. SECRETARY Mrs. Euphemia Kiwuwa SUNDAY MASSES 07.00am: Luganda 08.00am: English 09.00am: Luganda 10.00am: English 11.00am: English 12.00pm: English 05.00pm: English (Charismatic) SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Monday - Friday 07.45am (after 7.00am Mass) 12.15pm (before 01.00pm Mass) 01.45pm (after 1.00pm Mass) Saturday 07.45am (after 7.00am Mass) 05.15pm (before 06.00pm Mass) First Saturday of the Month (dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary) Additional Mass: 09.00am FIRST READING: Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 You shall not add to the word which I commanded you keep the commandments of the LORD. A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy Moses spoke to the people, saying, Now, O Israel, give heed to the statutes and the ordinances which I teach you, and do them; that you may live, and go in and take possession of the land which the LORD, the God of your fathers, gives you. You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it; that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Keep them and do them; for that will be DAILY MASSES: Monday to Friday: 06.30am; 07.00am; 01.00pm Saturday: 07.00am; 06.00pm (for Sunday)

2 your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, `Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it as the LORD our God is to us, whenever we call upon him? And what great nation is there, that has statutes and ordinances so righteous as all this law which I set before you this day? The Word of the LORD RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalms 15:2-5 (R. 1a) R. O LORD, who may abide in your tent? Whoever walks without fault; who does what is just, and speaks the truth from his heart; who does not slander with his tongue. R. Who does no wrong to a neighbour, who casts no slur on a friend, who looks SECOND READING: James 1: 17-18, 21b-22, 27 Be doers of the Word with scorn on the wicked, but who honours those who fear the LORD. R. Who lends no money at interest, and accepts no bribes against the innocent. Such a one shall never be shaken. R. A reading from the Letter of Saint James My dearest brethren: Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with Whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of His own will, He brought us forth by the Word of Truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures. Word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. Receive with meekness the implanted The Word of the LORD 2 Remember, Rejoice, Renew

3 GOSPEL ACCLAMATION: James 1:18 V. Alleluia R. Alleluia V. Of His own will He brought us forth by the Word of Truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of His. R. Alleluia Gospel: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, You leave the commandment of God and hold fast the tradition of men. A reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark At that time: When the Pharisees gathered together to Jesus, with some of the scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, they saw that some of His disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders; and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.) And the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands defiled? And He said to them, Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, `This people honours me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men. You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men. And He called the people to Him again, and said to them, Hear me, all of you, and understand: there is nothing outside a man which by going into him can defile him; but the things which come out of a man are what defile him. For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder, adultery, coveting, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a man. The Gospel of the LORD. Remember, Rejoice, Renew 3

4 4 Remember, Rejoice, Renew THE PARISH PRIEST S REFLECTION Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8 James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, THEME: BOTH WHAT SAVES US AND WHAT DESTROYS US COME FROM WITHIN US. EVIL SUCH AS: FORNICATION, THEFT, MURDER, VIOLENCE, ADULTERY, DECEIT, ENVY, PRIDE AND FOOLISHNESS EMERGE FROM WITHIN. Jesus categorically states in today s Gospel text, that, Msgr. Gerard Kalumba there is nothing outside a man, which, by going into him can defile him. Whatever evil that we do, is hatched within us; inside our Hearts. Our activities are guided by decisions that are internally conceived and born from within and then the external activity follows. The energy and force for what we do is within us and that is why WORD is powerful. A word comes from within a person and digs dip into another person, hence the power of a WORD of BLESSING or a WORD of CURSE, but above all, the POWER OF THE WORD OF GOD. The word of God touches our inner being and transforms us. God s Word is so powerful that it creates, it converts nothing into being, it converts chaos into order, and it converts EVIL into HOLINESS. The source of Goodness is above; for St. James says in our Second Reading; Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. God hatches good things only. God creates everything and whatever He creates is Good. That is the message of the Book of Genesis chapter 1. So St. James re-emphasizes that from within God comes the Word of Truth that creates us, the kind of first fruits of God s creatures. It is this God s Word of Truth that is implanted within us so that it produces goodness in our external activities. Consequently, Jesus contradicts the Pharisees and Scribes in their appreciation of the source of evil. Evil is not just the external activity, but more decision taken internally before the external activity: It is not the washing of hands and the purifying of the body that makes a person clean or Holy. It is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person or makes a person unholy, but what comes from within. The First Reading from the Book of Deuteronomy underlines that WISDOM and UNDERSTANDING are fruits of God s Word as passed on by the servant of God, Moses. When God s Word converts us and recreates us we become models of wisdom to our neighbourhood. People who see us will say that these are wise and understanding people who have a God that is so close to them and listens to their pleas. Let our activities, therefore, be guided by God s work and creative power. Let us change the evil around us into goodness, peace, joy, love and harmonious coexistence. Msgr. Gerard Kalumba Christ the King Parish, Kampala

5 The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Nativity of Mary, or the Birth of the Virgin Mary, refers to a Christian feast day celebrating the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is universally celebrated on 8th September The modern canon of scripture does not record Mary s birth. The earliest known account of Mary s birth is found in the Protoevangelium of James (5:2), an apocryphal text from the late second century, with her parents known as Saint Anne and Saint Joachim. In the case of saints, the Church commemorates their date of death, with Saint John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary as the few whose birth dates are commemorated. The reason for this is found in the singular mission each had in salvation history, but traditionally also because these alone (besides the prophet Jeremiah, Jer 1:5) were holy in their very birth (for Mary, see Immaculate Conception; John was sanctified in Saint Elizabeth s womb according to the traditional interpretation of Lk 1:15). Devotion to the innocence of Mary under this Marian title is widely celebrated in many cultures across the globe. Traditional account: The Protoevangelium of James, which was probably put into its final written form in the early second century, describes Mary s father Joachim as a wealthy member of one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. He and his wife Anne were deeply grieved by their childlessness. Pious accounts place the birthplace of the Virgin Mary in Tzippori, Israel where a 5thcentury basilica is excavated at the site. Some accounts speak of Nazareth and others say it was in a house near the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. It is possible that a wealthy man such as Joachim had a home in both Judea and Galilee. Mary is born! The dawn announcing the coming salvation of mankind is at hand. The deep significance of Mary s birth is expressed in the words of the Church: Thy birth, O virgin Mother of God, has brought joy to the world; for from thee is to come forth the Sun of Justice, Christ our Lord, to dispel the curse and bring the blessing, to conquer death and bring us everlasting life. On this day a light broke forth to brighten the paths of men through all time. Let us, then, rejoice in Mary s coming. Equally expressive and touching are the reflections of that great Doctor of the Church, St. Augustine: The day has dawned, the long-wished for day of the blessed and venerable Virgin Mary. Well may this earth of ours rejoice and be glad for having been honored and sanctified by the birth of such a virgin. Remember, Rejoice, Renew 5

6 History: The earliest document commemorating this feast comes from a hymn written in the sixth century. The feast may have originated somewhere in Syria or Palestine in the beginning of the sixth century, when after the Council of Ephesus, the cult of the Mother of God was greatly intensified, especially in Syria. The first liturgical commemoration is connected with the sixth century dedication of the Basilica Sanctae Mariae ubi nata est, now called the Church of St. Anne in Jerusalem. The original church built, in the fifth century, was a Marian basilica erected on the spot known as the shepherd s pool and thought to have been the home of Mary s parents. In the seventh century, the feast was celebrated by the Byzantines as the feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since the story of Mary s Nativity is known only from apocryphal sources, the Latin Church was slower in adopting this festival. At Rome the Feast began to be kept toward the end of the 7th century, brought there by Eastern monks. Legends: The church of Angers in France claims that St. Maurilius instituted this feast at Angers in consequence of a revelation around 430. On the night of 8 September, a man heard the angels singing in heaven, and on asking the reason, they told him they were rejoicing because the Virgin was born on that night. In Islamic scripture: The birth of Mary is narrated in the third sura (chapter) of the Qur an with references to her father Imran, after whom the chapter is named, as well as her mother, Hannah. Hannah prayed to God to fulfil her desire to have a child and vowed, if her prayer was accepted, that her child (whom she initially thought would be male) would be dedicated to the service of God (a direct parallel to the Old Testament Hannah, whose mothering of the judge and prophet Samuel followed an identical storyline). She prayed for her child to remain protected from Satan (Shaytān) and Muslim tradition records a hadith, which states that the only children born without the touch of Satan, were Mary and Jesus. Mary is indeed the masterpiece of God s creation; her soul was the most perfect ever dwelling in a human body. A pious tradition tells us that she possessed the use of reason much earlier than other children. Her intellect was illuminated by supernatural light; her will was exempt from concupiscence. Being preserved from original sin, she surpassed in holiness, from the first moment of her existence, all angels and men. She possessed all virtues in the highest degree, because of her faithful co-operation with sanctifying grace and with the countless actual graces granted to her. She lived in constant communion with God, undisturbed by evil inclinations from within or temptations from without. Grant to us, Thy servants, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the gift of heavenly grace; that to those for whom the delivery of the Blessed Virgin was the commencement of salvation, the commemoration of her nativity may give increasing peace. Through Christ our Lord. Amen. 6 Remember, Rejoice, Renew

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8 WEEKDAY Monday 03rd September 2018 Tuesday 04th September 2018 READINGS St. Gregory the Great, Pope, Doctor of the Church (Mass of the Memorial): First Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:1-5; Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 119: (R. 97a); Gospel: Luke 4: Ordinary Weekday (Mass of choice): First Reading: 1 Corinthians 2:10b-16; Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 145:8-14 (R. 17a); Gospel: Luke 4: Wednesday 05th September 2018 Ordinary Weekday (Mass of choice): First Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:1-9; Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 33:12-15, (R. 12b); Gospel: Luke Thursday 06th September 2018 Ordinary Weekday (Mass of choice): First Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:18-23; Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 24:1-6 (R. 1ab); Gospel: Luke 5:1-11. Friday 07th September 2018 Ordinary Weekday (Mass of choice): First Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5; Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 37:3-6, 27-28, (R. 39a); Gospel: Luke 5: Saturday 08th September 2018 SAINTS AND READING OF THE WEEK NATIVITY OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY, (Mass of the Feast): First Reading: Micah 5:2-5 (Romans 8:28-30); Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 13:5, 6 (R. Isaiah 61:10a); Gospel: Matthew 1:1-16, Other Masses are not permitted, except funeral Masses Vigil Mass of the Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B Sunday 09th September 2018 TWENTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME YEAR B: First Reading: Isaiah 35:4-7; Responsorial Psalm: Ps. 146:7-10 (R. 1b); Second Reading: James 2:1-5; Gospel: Mark 7: Other Masses are not permitted, except funeral Masses The OptionalMemorial of St. Peter Clever, Priest is not celebrated this year Christ the King Parish, Kampala Tel: Plot 3 Colville Street, P. O. Box 2551, Kampala - Uganda info@christthekingkampala.org