UCA News Podcast

Sometimes people take an attitude to faith that vindicates Karl Marx’ judgment of religious faith - that it is the opiate of the people. Not so Jesus for whom faith is always presenting us a challenge and another aspect of the challenge is in today’s Gospel. The reality is we don’t get what we want when we want it just because we ask for it. What we need is dedication and perseverance as we persist in the requests we make of our God who is generous and attentive but not instantly compliant with what we might request or demand. We have a relationship with God that is mutual and interactive, not driven by “command and control on either side.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Listen to news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule around 10 minutes.People in Asian nations strive for freedom, rights and justice as politics, violence and the pandemic cast long shadows on their lives. Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Rock Ronald Rozario, edited by Peter Hill, presented by John Laurenson, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.comFor news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateTwitter Handle: twitter.com/ucanews For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Responding to flattery of both him and his mother, Jesus cuts straight to the bone and emphasizes what is essential to faith: not blood relations but the spiritual bonding that comes with being children of the same father – God.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Today’s Gospel goes to the heart of the perennial question posed to us believers: how can we be confident that God is at work in whatever is moving us? There is really only way to answer that: are there the signs of the Spirit’s life at work in us, are we at peace, are we joyful and are we more attentive to others needs and energetic in responding to them?About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Our relationship with God is not simply a matter of our rejoicing in God’s largesse. Yes, our faith is based on God’s abundant generosity. But as in any real relationships with God: it is not matter of simply stating our terms and conditions. God does not act at our whim. Perseverance is what God asks of us in our relationship with him and in seeing from God what we need.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Jesus is many things to us including a patient teacher and in today’s Gospel he isa patient teacher of prayer. Today’s version of the Our Father begins with the words that remind us of our original and unifying bond as human beings - that is the creation of us by God, our Father. We could spend all day simply contemplating that mystery.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Martha’s objection to the apparent laziness or at least irresponsibility of her sister in paying attention to serving their guests and asking Jesus to correct her behavior produces from Jesus one of the sharpest lessons in just what discipleship asks of Jesus follower - keep and focused attention to discipleship rather than the routines, as in this case, of hospitality. Putting the service of Jesus ahead of all that shows how the key priority of serving God first and above all must prevail in our following of Jesus.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

St Francis of Assisi is the preeminent reminder of just how inexhaustible God’s love is, how far and wide it reaches and how challenging it is to live as a disciple of Jesus. We can only do it with God’s helpful which we need to ask every day.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Jesus defended two groups in his society that had no defense. He forbade discarding wives or denying children their right to a place among his followers. There is no toleration in the Reign of God for the bias that infected his society and infects our own.About the Speaker: Father William J Grimm is a Maryknoll Missioner of 40 year’s experience in Asia-mostly Japan, Hong Kong and Cambodia.For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

There are two hard stories in today’s Gospel - first that God asks us some things will never b able to realize left entirely our own resources; and that we need to recover the innocence and trust of a child if we are to come to appreciate what God’s love can accomplish in and through us. Both are part of our faith journey and both can only be discovered by doing and enacting them.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Listen to news from and about the Church in Asia in a capsule around 10 minutes.Extremism remains a threat to minorities in Asian nations as vulnerable communities reel from natural and man-made calamities. Filed by UCA News reporters, compiled by Rock Ronald Rozario, edited by Peter Hill, presented by John Laurenson, background score by Andre Louis and produced by Binu Alex for ucanews.comFor news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateTwitter Handle: twitter.com/ucanews For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews

Angels in Jewish and then consequently Christian though and piety have a simple force and purpose: they are the carriers of God’s presence who come into our experience to prompt our openness to God’s invitations and to assure us of God’s enduring and effective presence in our lives Our alertness to God’s presence and action gets shape and focus by our alertness to the angelic promptings.About the Speaker: Father Michael Kelly is a Jesuit priest and English language publisher of the respected Jesuit periodical, La Civilta Cattolica. For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.com For news in and about the Church in Asia, visit www.ucanews.comTo contribute please visit www.ucanews.com/donateOn Twitter Follow Or Connect through DM at : twitter.com/ucanewsTo view Video features please visit https://www.youtube.com/@ucanews