October 25 - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: leaving behind the cloak in order to come closer to Christ

First Reading  Jeremiah 31:7-9
The Lord declares himself to be the Father of Israel.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 126:1-2,2-3,4-5,6
A song of praise to God who does great things
Second Reading  Hebrews 5:1-6
Christ was made high priest by God.
Gospel ReadingMark 10:46-52
In
today’s Gospel we see how everyone discouraged Bartimaeus when he wanted to
meet Jesus. But he refused to be silenced, and the heart of Christ didn’t
let him down. St Mark makes a point of explaining that Bartimaeus “threw
aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus.” The Fathers of the Church
have seen in this cloak a symbol of self- sufficiency, a symbol of our
deep-seated tendency to think that we are capable of solving all of our
problems on our own. The cloak symbolizes all those things that we wrongly
depend on for happiness, that we tend to idolize: good looks, intelligence,
athletic ability, money, good education, success, popularity etc Then, when he
hears the Lord’s call, he doesn’t hesitate to cast off his cloak
and spring forward, teaching us all that our only sufficiency should be
Jesus Christ.

October 18 - Twenty Ninth Sunday in the Ordinary Time: Power

First Reading  Isaiah 53:10-11
Through his suffering, the servant of Yahweh will justify many.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm
33:4-5,18-19,20,22
A prayer of praise for God's mercy
Second Reading  Hebrews 4:14-16
Jesus is the high priest who sympathizes with our weakness.
Gospel ReadingMark 10:35-45 (shorter form Mark 10:42-45)
According to the Gospel
James and John saw authority when they asked Jesus for seats at his right and
left. Like typical careerists and opportunists they were looking for a
comfortable position for themselves. Most people see authority as a chance to
promote their own honour and glory. But Christ saw it differently. He saw it as
an opportunity to serve others – to promote the good of others rather than to
promote one’s own honour and glory. He said “look at the pagan rulers. See
how they lord over their subjects. It must not be like that among you must be
the one in authority must be the one who serves”. Surely this is the most
revolutionary thing ever said about authority. It makes for true greatness. All
of us exercise authority in some way or the other. We have to examine
ourselves. Do we exercise authority according to the spirit of Christ? Let us
not presume that we are necessarily superior to or better than, those we
command. A uniform, a promotion, a position of authority, these of themselves
do not make us better persons.

October 11 - Twenty Eighty Sunday in Ordinary Time: Riches

 First Reading  Wisdom 7:7-11
Wisdom is preferred above gold and silver.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 90:12-13,14-15,16-17
The Lord fills us with love and joy.
Second Reading  Hebrews 4:12-13
The Word of God exposes the heart.
Gospel ReadingMark 10:17-30 (shorter form Mark 10:17-27)
The rich man was capable
of doing more than just keeping the commandments, but he lacked the commitment
to do so. Today's Gospel story makes it painfully clear that there is more to
Christianity than just keeping the commandments. Jesus made it clear to the
rich man that Christianity is more than just a set of negative commands like
not staling or not cheating. Christianity is far more positive. It is about
doing what you can in generosity and love: "Have you ever used your wealth
to feed the hungry, clothe the naked or shelter the homeless?" We are like
the rich man in today's gospel. we have kept the commandments too, but we
haven't been able to reach out as generously as we could to the needy, the
naked, and the hungry. Let us reflect. 

October 4 – Twenty seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: Marriage and Divorce

First Reading  Genesis 2:18-24
God creates woman from Adam's rib.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm
128:1-2,3,4-5,6
A prayer for God's blessing
Second Reading  Hebrews 2:9-11
Christ was made perfect through suffering so that we might all be consecrated.
Gospel ReadingMark 10:2-16 (shorter form Mark 10:2-12)
The Pharisees
question Jesus about the lawfulness of divorce. In reply, Jesus quotes from the
Book of Genesis and counters that God's original intention was that men and
women would become one flesh in marriage. Jesus describes the teaching of Moses
as a concession made to God's original intention because of human stubbornness.
Jesus' teaching was more restrictive than the teaching of the Pharisees, which
permitted remarriage. Divorce tears apart the bonding and the union that love
impels us to attain. Divorce, Jesus says, has to do with laws. Marriage has to
do with love. Marriage is far more than merely a license to live together.
Marriage takes us back to our beginnings, to Adam and Eve. When read together,
however, these passages present a strong picture of Jesus' emphasis on the
importance of family. God intended for women and men to be joined together in
marriage. Among the purposes of marriage is the raising of children. By
welcoming children and fostering their relationship with God, parents and
families bear witness to the Kingdom of God. It is our responsibility to speak in
support of marriage as a lifelong commitment between one man and one woman in
an enduring bond of love. This union is ordered to both the mutual good of the
spouses and to the procreation and raising of children.