Outside The Chapel

Fr Rob Galea and Danii unpack the Gospel reading from the Third Sunday of Advent, Matthew 11:2-11 and discuss the #howtoadvent activities for the first week of Advent. Activity- An act of service Saint of the week- Mary Mother of GodPrayer- Hail MarySupport the show

Fr Rob Galea and Danii unpack the Gospel reading from the Second Sunday of Advent, Matthew 3:1-12 and discuss the #howtoadvent activities for the first week of Advent. Activity- Write and send a physical Christmas card to someone.Saint of the week- St John the BaptistPrayer- Lord,Advent is here, but so is family tension.Advent is here, but so are dysfunctional relationships.Advent is here, but so are old habits.Advent is here, but gone are people we love.Advent is here, but old baggage still exists.Advent is here, but fears surface.You say, "I see all that, and I can handle all that."You say, "So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."You say, "Peace is what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you. I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried and upset; do not be afraid."You say, "Tell everyone who is discouraged, Be strong and don’t be afraid! God is coming to your rescue…"What looks unscalable, You boost me over.What seems unbearable, You bring me through unbelievably.What can't be managed, You say, "Let down your guard and I will guard you."Amen.(Edited from Kelly Balarie's “7 Verses When Relationships Hurt at Christmas", https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/prayer/12-advent-prayers.htmlSupport the show

Fr Rob Galea and Danii unpack the Gospel reading from the First Sunday of Advent, Matthew 24:37-44 and discuss the #howtoadvent activities for the first week of Advent. Activity- Put a nativity set up in your homeSaint of the week- St Francis of AssisiPrayer- For the grace to transform our lives this lent and become more like JesusSupport the show

The people stayed there before the cross watching Jesus. As for the leaders, they jeered at him. ‘He saved others,’ they said ‘let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ The soldiers mocked him too, and when they approached to offer vinegar they said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ Above him there was an inscription: ‘This is the King of the Jews.’  One of the criminals hanging there abused him. ‘Are you not the Christ?’ he said. ‘Save yourself and us as well.’ But the other spoke up and rebuked him. ‘Have you no fear of God at all?’ he said. ‘You got the same sentence as he did, but in our case we deserved it: we are paying for what we did. But this man has done nothing wrong. Jesus,’ he said ‘remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ ‘Indeed, I promise you,’ he replied ‘today you will be with me in paradise.’Luke 23:35-43Support the show

When some were talking about the Temple, remarking how it was adorned with fine stonework and votive offerings, Jesus said, ‘All these things you are staring at now – the time will come when not a single stone will be left on another: everything will be destroyed.’ And they put to him this question: ‘Master,’ they said ‘when will this happen, then, and what sign will there be that this is about to take place?’ ‘Take care not to be deceived,’ he said ‘because many will come using my name and saying, “I am he” and, “The time is near at hand.” Refuse to join them. And when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened, for this is something that must happen but the end is not so soon.’ Then he said to them, ‘Nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes and plagues and famines here and there; there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. ‘But before all this happens, men will seize you and persecute you; they will hand you over to the synagogues and to imprisonment, and bring you before kings and governors because of my name – and that will be your opportunity to bear witness. Keep this carefully in mind: you are not to prepare your defence, because I myself shall give you an eloquence and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relations and friends; and some of you will be put to death. You will be hated by all men on account of my name, but not a hair of your head will be lost. Your endurance will win you your lives.’Gospel Luke 21:5-19Support the show

Some Sadducees – those who say that there is no resurrection – approached Jesus and they put this question to him, ‘Master, we have it from Moses in writing, that if a man’s married brother dies childless, the man must marry the widow to raise up children for his brother. Well then, there were seven brothers. The first, having married a wife, died childless. The second and then the third married the widow. And the same with all seven, they died leaving no children. Finally the woman herself died. Now, at the resurrection, to which of them will she be wife since she had been married to all seven?’Jesus replied, ‘The children of this world take wives and husbands, but those who are judged worthy of a place in the other world and in the resurrection from the dead do not marry because they can no longer die, for they are the same as the angels, and being children of the resurrection they are sons of God. And Moses himself implies that the dead rise again, in the passage about the bush where he calls the Lord the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Now he is God, not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all men are in fact alive.’Luke 20:27-38Support the show

Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the town when a man whose name was Zacchaeus made his appearance: he was one of the senior tax collectors and a wealthy man. He was anxious to see what kind of man Jesus was, but he was too short and could not see him for the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus who was to pass that way. When Jesus reached the spot he looked up and spoke to him: ‘Zacchaeus, come down. Hurry, because I must stay at your house today.’ And he hurried down and welcomed him joyfully. They all complained when they saw what was happening. ‘He has gone to stay at a sinner’s house’ they said. But Zacchaeus stood his ground and said to the Lord, ‘Look, sir, I am going to give half my property to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody I will pay him back four times the amount.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because this man too is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.’Support the show

Jesus addressed this parableto those who were convinced of their own righteousnessand despised everyone else."Two people went up to the temple area to pray;one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.'But the tax collector stood off at a distanceand would not even raise his eyes to heavenbut beat his breast and prayed,'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;for whoever exalts himself will be humbled,and the one who humbles himself will be exalted."Support the show

Jesus told his disciples a parable about the need to pray continually and never lose heart. ‘There was a judge in a certain town’ he said ‘who had neither fear of God nor respect for man. In the same town there was a widow who kept on coming to him and saying, “I want justice from you against my enemy!” For a long time he refused, but at last he said to himself, “Maybe I have neither fear of God nor respect for man, but since she keeps pestering me I must give this widow her just rights, or she will persist in coming and worry me to death.”’  And the Lord said ‘You notice what the unjust judge has to say? Now will not God see justice done to his chosen who cry to him day and night even when he delays to help them? I promise you, he will see justice done to them, and done speedily. But when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?’Support the show

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him.They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,"Jesus, Master!  Have pity on us!"And when he saw them, he said,"Go show yourselves to the priests."As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed,returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan.Jesus said in reply,"Ten were cleansed, were they not?Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go;your faith has saved you."Luke 17:11-19Support the show