Today I played the organ, preached and led the Intercessions at St. Augustine's, Rush Green for the Solemn Parish Mass. For the postlude I played Nun Danket Alle Gott by Sigrid Sigfrid Karg-Elert,
Today’s Gospel reading continues The Sermon on the Mount. In my sermon I pointed out that Jesus spoke with authority and quoted part of Pope Benedict’s book where he comments on the phrase, "But I say to you..." When Jesus says, "But I say to you..." he is making an amazing claim of authority and power. To show how radical the claim is, the pope cites a Jewish Scripture scholar, Rabbi Jacob Neusner. Regarding Jesus' approach to the Law, Rabbi Neusner asks, "What did Jesus leave out?" He answers: "Nothing." Then he asks, "What did Jesus add?" To that the Rabbi answers, "Himself." What makes Jesus significant when considered amongst other religious teachers such as Socrates, or the Buddha is that whilst others show a way – a path of life, it is only Jesus who makes the claim to be “the way, the truth and the life” and that “no one can come to Father except through me” He claims an uniqueness which others don’t; he is part of the Holy Trinity God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God.
If we truly want to follow His way we need him in our lives. Without Jesus we can easily take the wrong path. I then mentioned the appalling decision of the Belgium Government to allow euthanasia for children which I consider to be totally against Christian teaching. I urged people to sign the petition on the Internet to ask King Philippe of Belgium to refuse to sign this Act.
Could it be that the Belgians have forgotten the atrocities committed against them during the period May 1940 to February 1945 when their country was subjugated by the Nazis? Euthanasia, particularly against children and old people, is inhuman and barbaric, and degrades those who carry it out.
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