Episodes
Thursday Oct 30, 2014
November 2nd - All Souls Day : I believe in the life to come
Thursday Oct 30, 2014
Thursday Oct 30, 2014
First Reading : Wisdom 3:1-9
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 23:1-6
Second Reading : Romans 6:3-9
Gospel Reading : John 6:37-40
What happens to us when we die? We believe that firstly we will be judged. After judgment three choices await us: hell, Purgatory or heaven; hell for those who have rejected God, heaven for those who die as saints and Purgatory for everybody else. We would all like to go immediately to heaven when we die but are we living in such a way that we will die as saints? Would it be more realistic to expect to spend time in Purgatory being purified? Only perfect love can see God face to face so in Purgatory we are purified that we may see God face to face. Today we pray for all the souls who are still in Purgatory undergoing purification and growing in love before they are ready to see God face to face in heaven. It is out of our belief in Purgatory that today’s feast springs. If we didn't believe in Purgatory today’s commemoration of the holy souls and our prayers for them would not make sense.
Tuesday Oct 28, 2014
November 2 - Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time : Beware of pride!
Tuesday Oct 28, 2014
Tuesday Oct 28, 2014
First Reading
Malacihi 1:14-2:2
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 130
Second Reading
Thessalonians 2:7-9:13
Gospel Reading
Mathew 31 : 1-12
In today’s Gospel Jesus says, “He who exalts himself will be humbled”. Today we are reminded of the deadliest of all sins- pride. It tops the list of the even deadliest sins. It is defined as the exaltation, the glorification of the ego. A person is in a dangerous position if he or she thinks that the world is revolving around him or her, that he or she is indispensable. When a person thinks this way, he or she is already on the way to destruction. Every Christian therefore, despite the temptations to Pharisee-ism in all of us, is to seek to render selfless service rather than to obtain titles, recognition or power. Our Christian love demands of us to manifest God’s love in our life. Let us remember Jesus saying, “The greatest among you must be your servant. The best soil for the growth of Christian virtue is humble service and detachment - detachment from not only things, but from praise and prestige. And this is the Good News of today.
Wednesday Oct 22, 2014
October 26 - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time : To love as Jesus loves
Wednesday Oct 22, 2014
Wednesday Oct 22, 2014
First Reading : Exodus 22:20-26
The Lord teaches that compassion ought to be shown to the alien and to the
poor.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 18:2-4,47,51
The Lord is our strength.
Second Reading : 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10
Paul tells the Thessalonians that their conversion to the Lord has been an
example to all believers.
Gospel Reading : Matthew 22:34-40
In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to love God and the neighbour alike. Loving God and loving neighbour are two aspects of the same commandment to love. Our foremost duty is to love God with our entire selves. This love of God should be expressed in the way we love our neighbours. We need to love others with as much concern as we have for ourselves. We see what true love is in the life of Jesus: the sacrificial love. That’s why he once said: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13:34). All of us want to love like Jesus. We want to be generous, forgiving, and compassionate enough to love people unconditionally. But no matter how hard we try, it just doesn't work. Our humanness gets in the way. Therefore let us ask Jesus to help us to love the way he loved.
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
World Mission Sunday 2014
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Mark 16 : 15 - 20
Annually, World Mission Sunday is celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday in October. As described by Pope John Paul II, World Mission Sunday is "an important day in the life of the Church because it teaches how to give: as an offering made to God, in the Eucharistic celebration and for all the missions of the world" (see Redemptoris Missio 81). It is a special Sunday set aside by the Church for the public and annual renewal of our commitment to missionary activities. Mission Sunday was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1926 as the day of prayer and propaganda of mission. Therefore, Christ who opened wide his arms on the cross, and the Holy Mother Church, the visible sign of Christ on earth ask us to join our hands and hearts in continual prayer for the success of missionary activities. They encourage us never to lose heart in order that Missio dei (God’s mission) may be sustained, and all peoples come to know the salvation of our Lord and God.
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
October 19 – Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Caesar Vs. God
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
Thursday Oct 16, 2014
First Reading : Isaiah 45:1,4-6
The Lord chooses Cyrus to subdue the nations for the sake of Israel.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 96:1,3-10
Sing praise to the Lord.
Second Reading : 1 Thessalonians 1:1-5b
Paul greets the Thessalonians, recalling the Gospel they received.
Gospel Reading : Matthew 22:15-21
Every Christian holds dual citizenship, each one of which has its own benefits
and duties. Our birth made us citizens
of an earthly nation; our baptism made us citizens of a
heavenly Kingdom. Obedience to the spiritual Law, obedience to the
temporal law! This is the summary of today's gospel. As far as possible, we
need to live out both of these citizenships responsibly. We can be good
citizens of earth, giving to Caesar what belongs to him, as well as good
citizens in Christ's Kingdom, giving to God what belongs to him. But
through the centuries, the many Christian saints and martyrs have taught us
that if we are ever forced to choose between the two, if ever Caesar tries to
take what belongs to God, we must be faithful to our true, everlasting
homeland, even if it means suffering painful consequences here on earth.
Thursday Oct 09, 2014
Thursday Oct 09, 2014
First Reading : Isaiah 25:6-10a
The Lord will provide richly for his people.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 23:1-6
The Lord is our shepherd.
Second Reading : Philippians 4:12-14,19-20
Paul tells the Philippians that God provides whatever he needs.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 22:1-14 (shorter form Matthew 22:1-10)
Often in the rich symbolism of a wedding feast, with its abundance of wine,
food and a union of love, is used to speak of God’s taking final possession of
his people. Today in the Gospel we see how the ones invited to the banquet
gives excuses for not attending the wedding feast. They had other interest: a
farmer a business. Indeed, these other attractions were so powerful than the
wedding feast of the king. This same thing can happen to some of us. God is
waiting to meet us and give us his blessings though the Sacraments (specially
the Holy Mass and the Sacrament of Confession) but at times we will not realize
this and go after mundane things. E.g. our business becomes important than the
Sunday Mass. Can we learn something from this parable?
Wednesday Oct 01, 2014
Wednesday Oct 01, 2014
First Reading : Isaiah 5:1-7
The Lord compares the house of Israel to a vineyard.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 80:9,12-16,19-20
The Lord protects his vineyard, the house of Israel.
Second Reading : Philippians 4:6-9
Paul encourages the Philippians to stay faithful to the teaching they received
from him.
Gospel Reading : Matthew 21:33-43
Today’s parable teaches us about the need to produce fruit in our lives. God gave us his vineyard so that we would produce a bountiful harvest for Him and not remain lazy and selfish. The parable teaches also about God’s patience with us and our accountability to God. The vineyard owner made three efforts to get the tenant farmers to change their ways. When he saw more patience was futile, he passed judgement on the tenants. He held them accountable for their actions. It is the same way with God and us. Our heavenly Father is infinitely patient. But the time will come when God’s patience will give way to judgement. We, too, will be held accountable for our actions.