Episodes
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
April 5 - Easter Sunday : Experiencing Easter Everyday
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
First Reading Genesis 1:1—2:2
God creates the heavens and the earth. (shorter form, Genesis 1:1,26-31a)
Second Reading Genesis 22:1-18 (shorter form, Genesis 22:1-2,9a,10-13,15-18)
God puts Abraham to the test.
Third Reading Exodus 14:15—15:1
The Israelites pass through the Red Sea.
Fourth Reading Isaiah 54:5-14
The Lord promises to redeem Israel.
Fifth Reading Isaiah 55:1-11
A call to return to the Lord who is merciful
Sixth Reading Baruch 3:9-15,32—4:4
Israel is told to follow the way of God's commandments.
Seventh Reading Ezekiel 36:16-17a,18-28
The Lord will cleanse Israel for the sake of his holy name.
Epistle Romans 6:3-11
Those who have been baptized have died with Christ.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 118:1-2,16-17,22-23
God's mercy endures forever.
Gospel Reading
Mark 16:1-7
The significance of Jesus' resurrection is that it offers for all believers the hope pf a new life here and now. Yes, we will all rise from the dead one day and share in eternal glory but even today, here and now we experience the power of Easter glory, the effects of Jesus' rising from the dead. we all testify to the power of the Resurrection among us when we don't let evil and death get the better of us but let the way of Jesus triumph in our lives through our faith, hope and love.
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
April 3 - Good Friday : By His Wounds We Have Healed.
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
First Reading Is 52:13—53:12
Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25
Second Reading Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9
Gospel Reading Jn 18:1—19:42
Today
we venerate the wood of the Cross because it was by His Cross that Jesus
redeemed the world. No one can separate Jesus from His Cross: Where Christ is
there is the Cross and where there is the Cross there is Jesus. The world may
look at the Cross as a threat or as a curse or as a headache. But for a
Christian the Cross is the road to salvation and holiness. Pope St. John Paul
II said on the canonization of Bl. Padre Pio “difficulties and pain, is
accepted with love become a privileged path to sanctity”. Each one of us
has been given some type of a Cross. The presence of the Cross in our lives
tells us that we are in the surest road to sanctity. Therefore let us ask the
grace to embrace our little crosses with love. Because it is in the Cross that
we find forgiveness, healing and salvation
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
April 2 - Holy Thursday : The Day of Love
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
Thursday Mar 26, 2015
First Reading Ex 12:1-8, 11-14
Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:12-13,
15-16bc, 17-18
Second Reading 1 Cor 11:23-26
Gospel Reading Jn 13:1-15
The Mass of the Lord's Supper is characterized by the announcement of the commandment of love and the gesture of washing the feet.What Jesus did at the last supper when he washed the feet of his disciples, was not just an act of humility. It was an act of love revealing our God who is ‘passionately loving in his self-giving service’. In Johns Gospel, the Eucharistic meal is a celebration of the whole life of Jesus Christ. The last supper is not separated from his other meals which he took with the publicans and sinners and with Pharisees and with well to do people and above all with his own disciples. Foot washing expresses what living a life of self-emptying love looks like in imitation of the Lord who emptied Himself for us and who still does in the Most Holy Eucharist. It has been traditionally referred to as the Mandatum, the Command. It is an invitation to become a man or woman poured out for others. A Christian who lives the love of Charity (Caritas), the Love of Jesus Christ, makes Jesus Christ real. In so doing, the Incarnation continues.
Wednesday Mar 25, 2015
March 29 - Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday : Human abandonment of Jesus
Wednesday Mar 25, 2015
Wednesday Mar 25, 2015
Gospel at the Procession with Palms
Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16
Jesus enters Jerusalem as the crowds shout, “Hosanna!”
First Reading
Isaiah 50:4-7
The Lord's servant will stand firm, even when persecuted.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 22:8-9,17-18,19-20,23-24
A cry for help to the Lord in the face of evildoers
Second Reading
Philippians 2:6-11
Christ was obedient even to death, but God has exalted him.
Gospel Reading
Mark 14:1—15:47 (shorter form: Mark 15:1-39)
Palm Sunday is the great doorway into Holy Week, the week when the Lord Jesus makes his way towards the culmination of his earthly existence. Today’s liturgy calls us to keep in mind two points. 1) The early Church Fathers saw a symbol in the gesture of the people who followed Jesus, the gesture of spreading out their clothes/coats before the Lord. Before Christ –the Fathers said- we must spread out our lives in an attitude of gratitude and adoration. 2) The totality of the human abandonment of Jesus which is portrayed by Mark. All flee, with the last one leaving even his clothes behind in order to get away from Jesus – the opposite of leaving all things to follow him. Have you abandoned Jesus like that young man reported in the Gospel of Mark?
Wednesday Mar 18, 2015
March 22 - Fifth Sunday in Lent: Dying to oneself
Wednesday Mar 18, 2015
Wednesday Mar 18, 2015
First Reading Jeremiah 31:31-34
Jeremiah tells the people that the Lord will make a new covenant with them,
planting the law within their hearts.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 51:3-4,12-13,14-15
A prayer for God's mercy and forgiveness
Second Reading Hebrews 5:7-9
Through his sufferings, Jesus gained salvation for all who obey him.
Gospel Reading
John 12:20-33
In today’s Gospel Jesus tells us that unless a grain of wheat dies, it cannot bear fruit. Or to put it another way, unless we die to our own will, we cannot bear fruit for God. It is a paradox and a bitter one. The paradox of life through death would not puzzle us so much if we were to look at the nature and human growth. Our highest life dos not consist in self-expression but in self-sacrifice. It is not we take up but what we give up that makes us and others rich. Dying to self would often mean, sacrificing one’s self-will, for the sake of God’s will, which is his law, “placed within us and written upon our hearts” (Jer 31:33). Dying to self often means sacrificing ourselves for the sake of others. Only by dying to our self-seeking and vain ambitions, can we bring life to others, spreading joy and inspiring hope. If one has found nothing worth dying for, then probably found nothing worth living for. Let us pray: “Lord Jesus help us imitate the wheat and the grapes and offer our lives to you for whatever use you wish to make of them”.
Wednesday Mar 11, 2015
March15 - Fourth Sunday in Lent : The measure of God’s love
Wednesday Mar 11, 2015
Wednesday Mar 11, 2015
First Reading 2 Chronicles
36:14-16,19-23
The causes for the Israelites' captivity in Babylon are described.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm
137:1-2,3,4-5,6
A lament from exile for the loss of Jerusalem
Second Reading Ephesians 2:4-10
In grace we have been saved, so that we may do the work of the Lord.
Gospel Reading
John 3:14-21
Thursday Mar 05, 2015
March 8 - Third Sunday in Lent : Reverence vs Religion
Thursday Mar 05, 2015
Thursday Mar 05, 2015
First Reading Exodus 20:1-17 (or shorter form, Exodus 20:1-3,7-8,12-17)
Moses is given the Ten Commandments.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 19:8,9,10,11
A prayer of praise to God who gives us his commandments
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Paul preaches Christ crucified to the Corinthians.
Gospel Reading
John 2:13-25
The Gospel for the third Sunday of Lent interrupts the Mark’s Gospel we have been reading to give us a little of John’s. It is here to show us the prophecy of Jesus Resurrection – the event that we are preparing for in Lent, but I would like you to also note that the one time that Jesus gets angry that we are told about happens here as well. It happens because Jesus sees the commandments of our relationship to God being damaged. The house of God, the temple where God dwelt was considered sacred. It was where worship was held, it was where God’s name was never taken in vain, but glorified. Yet the porticos of the Temple were surrounded by trade and finance, and indeed, more emphasis was being put on the buying and selling than the worship and sacrifice itself. Jesus’ anger caused the event that did more than any other to upset the priests and Pharisees and directly led to the death he was about to suffer. So it is an important event. In some sense it was foolish of Jesus and because he gave into his human violence, it may have led to his own violent death. But Paul tells us God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength.” God had a plan, and that plan brought about nothing less than the salvation of all people.
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
March 1 - Second Sunday of Lent : Rhythms of Ecstasy and Agony
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
Wednesday Feb 25, 2015
First Reading
Genesis 22:1-2,9a,10-13,15-18
Abraham obeyed God and prepared to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 116:10,15,16-17,18-19
A prayer of faithfulness to God
Second Reading
Romans 8:31b-34
God's faithfulness is shown in his offering of his own Son for our salvation.
Gospel Reading
Mark 9:2-10
There is a connection between this mountain even (Mount of Tabor) and another mountain event (Mount of Olivet). On mount Tabor Peter, James and John saw Jesus in a moment of ecstasy when his divinity was revealed in a privileged way. On mount Olivet, the same three apostles saw Jesus in a moment of agony, when his humanity was revealed in a privileged way. The two events are complementary in that they reveal the total Jesus in a total way: true God and true man. The three apostles probably needed “a spiritual shot in the arm” (i.e. extra energy) before they were to witness the passion and death of Jesus, that their faith may not fail. Our faith is often like a ‘roller coaster’. Faith is a lot like life. It has high points and low points. That’s the same even with life in general. Faith is like that too, following the rhythms of happiness and sadness, ecstasy and agony, light and darkness. When moments of darkness come, we should follow the example of Abraham in today’s first reading who trusted in God when things were seemingly unexplainable and impossible. Therefore God blessed him beyond his wildest dreams. Let us remain faithful when we too are tested.
Friday Feb 20, 2015
Friday Feb 20, 2015
First Reading Genesis 9:8-15
God establishes a covenant with Noah, giving a rainbow as its sign.
Responsorial
Psalm Psalm 25:4-5,6-7,8-9
A prayer praising God for his covenant
Second Reading 1 Peter 3:18-22
In our baptism, we are saved through Christ's death and Resurrection.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:12-15
Saint Mark gives us this magnificent icon that’s stands at the heart of our Gospel reading. How wonderful for us to listen to this at the first Sunday of Lent. Listen to this: “The spirit drove Jesus out into the desert. He was among wild beasts. And the Angels ministered to him”. It’s a way of telling that Jesus is reconciling the whole creation with God and one another, Do you see how Jesus is knitting creation together? The spiritual and the material are now linked. The angels and the beasts are connected through him. He is the one definitively who listens to God and therefore, kind of fact, the knitting together of all of creation. He is the definitive Noah’s ark. This is what happens to us when we sin and refuse to listen God’s Word. It divides us. Your public life is split from your private life. You become a mess, a jumble of contradictions. This is what happens when you stop listening to God. Your soul, to use classical language, is set against your body. Jesus is the one who reconciles the angels and the beasts. See what I mean? Jesus is the one who brings together, the spiritual and the material. When you surrender to him, then everything in you find its proper place. This zoo of worrying animals in you becomes the unity. And this is what the desert and the Lent is all about.
Thursday Feb 19, 2015
February 22 - First Sunday of Lent: Renounce Satan with the power of the Word of God
Thursday Feb 19, 2015
Thursday Feb 19, 2015
First Reading Genesis 9:8-15
God establishes a covenant with Noah, giving a rainbow as its sign.
Responsorial
Psalm Psalm 25:4-5,6-7,8-9
A prayer praising God for his covenant
Second Reading 1 Peter 3:18-22
In our baptism, we are saved through Christ's death and Resurrection.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:12-15
The tempter seeks to divert Jesus from the Father’s plan, that is, from the way of sacrifice, of the love that offers itself in expiation, to make him take an easier path, one of success and power. The devil, in fact, to divert Jesus from the way of the cross, sets before him false messianic hops; economic well-being, indicated by the ability to turn stones into bread; a dramatic and miraculous style, with the idea of throwing himself down from the highest point of the Temple in Jerusalem; an lastly, a shortcut to power and dominion, in exchange for an act of adoration to Satan. These are the three groups of temptations: and we, too, know them well. Jesus does not dialogue with Satan, as Eve had done in the earthly paradise. Jesus is well aware that there can be no dialogue with Satan, for he is cunning. So Jesus chooses to take refuge in the Word of God and responds with the power of this Word. Let us remember this: at the moment of temptation, there is no arguing with Satan, our defense must always be the Word of God. And this will save us.
Thursday Feb 19, 2015
What is Lent ?
Thursday Feb 19, 2015
Thursday Feb 19, 2015
Lent is a season of forty days, not counting Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. Lent comes from the Anglo Saxon word lencten, which means "spring." The forty days represents the time Jesus spent in the wilderness, enduring the temptation of Satan and preparing to begin his ministry. Lent is a time of repentance, fasting and preparation for the coming of Easter. It is a time of self-examination and reflection. In the early church, Lent was a time to prepare new converts for baptism. Today, Christians focus on their relationship with God, often choosing to give up something or to volunteer and give of themselves for others. Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty days because each Sunday represents a "mini-Easter" and the reverent spirit of Lent is tempered with joyful anticipation of the Resurrection.
Thursday Feb 12, 2015
February 15 - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Broken but Restored
Thursday Feb 12, 2015
Thursday Feb 12, 2015
First Reading Leviticus
13:1-2,44-46
The Law regarding leprosy is given to Moses and Aaron
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 32:1-2,5,11
A prayer of contrition and confession for sin.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians
10:31—11:1
Paul urges the Corinthians to imitate him as he imitates Christ.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:40-45
In the ancient society no figure was more pathetic than a leper. People were deadly afraid they would catch the disease from him. The leper’s life was a living hell. To such a tragic leper Jesus reached out his hand lovingly, touched the man, and healed him. This story illustrates something that happens over and over in life. It tells us that no tragedy is so terrible that we can’t survive it. It tells us that no calamity is so crushing that we can’t recover from it. It tells us that no disaster is so destructive that we can’t pick up the pieces ad tart over again, in one form or the other. Whenever we think our life is ruined forever, we need only turn to Jesus. He can repair our broken life. Jesus can do more. He can even make from a broken life something better and more beautiful than it was before.
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
February 8 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Saved to Serve
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
Tuesday Feb 03, 2015
First Reading Job 7:1-4,6-7
Job laments his sufferings and his life.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 147:1-6
A song of praise for the Lord's goodness to the lowly.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 9:16-19,22-23
Paul explains the conditions under which he preaches the gospel and the reasons
why he will not accept financial help from the Corinthians.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:29-39
God hasn't saved anyone so they can just sit around but so we can serve. Just as there is no such thing as a non-functioning member of your human body, so there ought to be no such thing as a non-functioning member of the body of Christ. If God has saved you from your sin, He has called you to serve Him in some way in accordance with your gifts and abilities. God does not want us to stand before Him with “empty hands” in that day when we give an account of our lives. If we do not know God’s purpose for our life, then we are actually “missing the mark” of what it means to be a Christian. Every Christian is saved to serve! The matter of how you are supported may depend on the type of service to which you are called. But every person God saves is conscripted into serving Him according to how God has gifted him. This is what we see in the Gospel today. In Mark's direct and uncomplicated style he says, "...and the fever left her and she served them” . ... Simon Peter's mother-in-law "served" immediately after having been raised. The verb is diakoneo, the same verb Jesus uses to describe the essence of his own ministry in Mark 10:45. It is "to serve" rather than "to be served" that characterizes the Christ of God. It is also "to serve" that characterizes his disciples. Let us remember that we have been saved and healed to serve. We each have some define service do for the Lord.
Wednesday Jan 28, 2015
February 1 - Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Speaking with Authority
Wednesday Jan 28, 2015
Wednesday Jan 28, 2015
First Reading Deuteronomy 18:15-20
Moses tells the people that God will raise up for them a new prophet.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 95:1-2,6-7,7-9
A song of praise to the Lord.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 7:32-35
Paul expresses his concern that those who are married are more likely to face
the distractions of earthly life than those who are celibate.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus’ teaching always contrasted sharply with that of the scribes. What Jesus taught them that day, as well as the way he presented and demonstrated his message, simply amazed them. In one word, Jesus taught with authority, the scribes did not. “They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (Mark 1:22). What does it mean to teach with authority? When we compare and contrast the teaching of Jesus with that of the scribes we notice three distinguishing qualities: The teaching of Jesus is (a) from the heart and not just from the head, (b) focuses on the spirit and not on the letter of the law, and (c) inspires a positive change of heart in the hearers. There was a transparency about what he was saying. And most important of all – he backed up his words with deeds. Can we say the same thing with regard to our words? Do deeds accompany our words? Today we have a glut of words but many of them are rendered worthless by insincerity or poisoned by falseness. Therefore what is needed is credibility because “example is better than precept”.
Thursday Jan 22, 2015
January 25 - Third Sunday in ordinary Time : Seek that which lasts
Thursday Jan 22, 2015
Thursday Jan 22, 2015
First Reading Jonah 3:1-5,10
God spared the people of Nineveh because they heeded the message God sent
through Jonah
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 25:4-5,6-7,8-9
The Lord teaches us his ways.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Paul warns the Corinthians that they must act differently because the world in
its present form is passing away.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:14-20
It must be noticed that the disciples are about their everyday tasks as fishermen; they are casting their net into the sea, in their boat, mending their nets. But the summons of Jesus shatters all these external signs of their settled life as successful fishermen. They leave what their peer group would have seen as signs of their success: their nets, their boas, their hired servants and their father to follow Jesus as he journeys in response to the will of his Father. Thus the disciples were able to discern what is temporal and what is eternal. Because this world is temporary and the world to come is permanent, and our permanent inheritance depends on how we live now with God’s grace, we are wise to have a detachment from the things of this world. Detachment does not mean that we don’t love our spouses, that the things that hurt us do not really hurt, that the things that make us happy don’t really give us joy, that we don’t really need physical things, and that these things do not have their own value. Detachment does mean that we see all these persons and good things—and the hardships of life—in light of eternity. Marriage, sorrows, joys, material things, and work find their real meaning in the light of Christ. No earthly good—as truly good as these can be—is our final end. No earthly evil—as truly evil as these can be—is the last word either.
Thursday Jan 15, 2015
January 18 - Second Sunday in the Ordinary Time : Introducing Jesus to others
Thursday Jan 15, 2015
Thursday Jan 15, 2015
First Reading 1 Samuel 3:3b–10,19
The Lord calls Samuel.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 40:2, 4, 7–8, 8–9, 10
A prayer of commitment to follow the will of the Lord.
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 6:13c–15a,17–20
Paul reminds the Corinthians that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit.
Gospel Reading
John 1:35–42
The Gospel reading presents John the Baptizer sharing his faith with two disciples and with Andrew sharing his faith with his brother Peter. Significantly, John mentions Andrew three times in his Gospel. Each time Andrew is bringing someone to Jesus. Each time Andrew is sharing his faith. If we believe the Gospel is good news, why don’t we share it with others? Or if we believe Jesus is the greatest treasure the heart can possess, why don’t we share our faith with others? Like John and like Andrew let us never hesitant to share our in Jesus with others.
Friday Jan 09, 2015
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO SRI LANKA
Friday Jan 09, 2015
Friday Jan 09, 2015
Monday, January 12, 2015
19:00 – Departure from the Airport of Rome/Fiumicino to Colombo
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
09:00 – Arrival at the Colombo International Airport, Katunayake WELCOME
CEREMONY
13:15 – MEETING with the Bishops of SRI LANKA at the Archbishop’s House,
Colombo – 08
17:00 – COURTESY VISIT to the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of
Sri Lanka at the President’s House.
18:15 – INTERRELIGIOUS MEETING in the Bandaranaike Memorial International
Conference Hall (BMICH) Colombo.
Wednesday, January 14, 2015
08:30 – Celebration of Holy Eucharist and Canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz in
Galle Face Green Colombo
14:00 – Departure to Madhu Shrine
15:30 – MARIAN PRAYER at the Shrine of our Lady of Rosary of Madhu
16:45 – Departure to Colombo
Thursday, January 15, 2015
08:15 – Visit to the Chapel of the “Benedict XVI Cultural Institute” at
Bolawalana
08:45 – Farewell ceremony at the Colombo International Airport, Katunayake
09:00 – Departure from Colombo to Manila
Official Hymn for Pope Francis Visit to Sri Lanka 2015
Friday Jan 09, 2015
January 11- Baptism of the Lord
Friday Jan 09, 2015
Friday Jan 09, 2015
First Reading
Isaiah 55:1-11
(The first reading from Cycle A, Isaiah 42:1-4,6-7, may also be
chosen.)
Isaiah calls upon the people to return to the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
Isaiah 12:2-3,4-6
(The psalm from Cycle A, Psalm 29:1-4,9-10, may also be
chosen.)
A prayer of praise for God's salvation.
Second Reading
1 John 5:1-9
(The second reading from Cycle A, Acts of the Apostles
10:34-38, may also be chosen.)
The Spirit of Truth testifies on behalf of Jesus, God's Son.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:7-11
Today we celebrate the Lord’s baptism by John in the River Jordan. Jesus had no need to be baptized, but the first theologians say that in His Baptism, with His body and His divinity he blessed all the waters, so that the waters would have the power to give Baptism. Today is a good day to remind ourselves about the Baptism we have received. As Catholics we believe that God has come to us in Jesus Christ to share His very own life with us. God loves us and wants to share His life with us and become totally a part of how we live, in all that we think, say and do. And how does that happen? As Catholics, we encounter God and receive His life into our lives through sacred signs called ‘Sacraments’. And there are Seven Sacraments. So the sacraments are a sign and instruments of how God shares His very life with us. We experience God’s saving presence in and through the sacraments. That is why the Sacraments are so important to us. That is why the Holy Mass is so important to us. Baptism gives us a new identity as God’s son and daughter. Baptism is an initiation into a way of living, an inauguration into a lifetime adventure in which we try to claim everyday our belovedness in God as we share His very life.
Friday Jan 02, 2015
January 4 - The Feast of the Epiphany: Follow the Star
Friday Jan 02, 2015
Friday Jan 02, 2015
First Reading Isaiah 60:1-6
Jerusalem shall be a light to all nations.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-11,12-13
Every nation on earth shall worship the Lord.
Second Reading Ephesians 3:2-3a,5-6
Gentiles are coheirs in the promise of Christ.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 2:1-12
The Feast of the Epiphany could be understood by the three S. The first S is, to See. The wise men saw the star and they followed. God speaks to us through signs. Are we able to see and understand those sings? God tells us not to see with our physical eyes but to see with our hearts. The second S is Search. The wise men were searching for Christ. Once we have found the star we have to hvae a great desire to put our desire into action and seek after that sign. The last S is Submit or to obey. The wise men did this once they found Jesus and offered to Him the best of everything. All signs finally lead us to worship the Lord. Is there a star out there beckoning you? The star is the good out there to be sought, the truth to be embraced. Even our regrets about our weaknesses and sinfulness which can sometimes stir up our conscience could be that twinkling star. It may be a feeling of anger or guilt, or perhaps a sense of loss. Let that not frighten you. Let it not create clouds to hide it from you. Follow where that star leads and when it stops, go into the house, prostrate yourself and offer your gifts. The Eucharist that we celebrate today can be itself an epiphany, an encounter with that Star, a marvellous revelation of the love of Jesus in Word and Sacrament, for those who believe. May our celebration today be an epiphany that leads us to see God more clearly, love him more dearly, and follow him more nearly.
Monday Dec 29, 2014
January First - The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God : The Blessing
Monday Dec 29, 2014
Monday Dec 29, 2014
First Reading Numbers 6:22-27
God gives a blessing for the Israelites.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 67:2-3,5,6,8
All the people sing praises to God.
Second Reading Galatians 4:4-7
God sent his Son to make us children of God.
Gospel Reading
Luke 2:16-21
In the first reading we find the ancient prayer of blessing which God gave to Moses to hand on to Aaron and his sons: “The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace” (Num 6:24-25). There is no more meaningful time than the beginning of a new year to hear these words of blessing: they will accompany our journey through the year opening up before us. The Mother of God is the first of the blessed, and it is she who bears the blessing; she is the woman who received Jesus into herself and brought him forth for the whole human family. Thus we can say that the message of hope contained in this blessing was fully realized in Mary. This was the very experience that the shepherds of Bethlehem too had, who reappear in today’s Gospel. They had the experience of standing in God’s presence and seeing the Blessing. Let us ask the grace to behold this Blessing, to receive that blessing and to be a blessing to all whom we meet.
Friday Dec 26, 2014
December 28 - The Feast of the Holy Family
Friday Dec 26, 2014
Friday Dec 26, 2014
First Reading
Genesis 15:1-6; 21:1-3
(or the first reading from Cycle A: Sirach 3:2-7,12-14)
God fulfills his promise to Abraham, and Sarah gives birth to a son.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 105:1-6,8-9 (or the psalm from Cycle A: Psalm 128:1-5)
A prayer of thanksgiving to God for his faithfulness to his covenant.
Second Reading
Hebrews 11:8,11-12,17-19 (or the second reading from Cycle A: Colossians
3:12-21)
Paul examines Abraham's example of faith.
Gospel Reading
Luke 2:22-40 (or shorter form: Luke 2:22,39-40)
This Feast of the Holy Family can help us see that families can be holy. The story of the Holy Family is the story of life not always turning out the way you expected. It’s the story of a teenage mother, conceiving a child before she was married. It’s the story of an anxious father, confronting scandal, planning on divorce. It’s the story of a family forced to become refugees, living as immigrants in the land that once held their ancestors as slaves. It’s the story of a missing child, and days of anxious searching by his parents. The Holy Family has to go through all the difficulties and challenges like a normal human family. But there had two great qualities: Trust in God and sacrificial love. These are the same two qualities which will bring happiness and fulfilment to our families as well.
Tuesday Dec 23, 2014
December 25 - The Nativity of our Lord: God enters our messy world
Tuesday Dec 23, 2014
Tuesday Dec 23, 2014
First Reading
Isaiah 9:1-6
To those in darkness, a child will be born who will have dominion over the
earth.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 96:1-2,2-3,11-12,13
Sing a new song to the Lord.
Second Reading
Titus 2:11-14
God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.
Gospel Reading
Luke 2:1-14
Jesus was born in a stable and laid in a manger. Why did God chose this messy condition, this dirty place to be born? The crib/the stable is a symbol. It is a symbol of our tainted nature, symbol of our wounded humanity and messy world. God wanted to be a part of this messy and sinful world. God wanted to be born to a broken and a wounded world. If the Word truly dwelt among us, then he was part of a family that, like most, was fairly dysfunctional, a mix of the good and bad, the saintly and the sinful, the glorious and the not so glorious. And this is such good news for us. The good news of Christmas is that God himself pushed into the dysfunctional and ambiguous family of man. And he continues to join us, even though we, like so many of his Israelite ancestors, are unworthy of him. Like them, we are flawed, compromised, half-finished. But he becomes our brother anyway. That's the amazing grace of the Incarnation. What appears to be our most chaotic, congested, convoluted times in our lives might be the best time for God to enter and be born (and flood us with his saving grace).
Saturday Dec 20, 2014
December 21 - Fourth Sunday in Advent: Nothing is impossible with God
Saturday Dec 20, 2014
Saturday Dec 20, 2014
First Reading
2 Samuel 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16
The Lord promises David that he will raise from his descendents a kingdom that will endure forever.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 89:2-5,27,29
A prayer of praise to the Lord for his faithfulness to his covenant.
Second Reading
Romans 16:25-27
Paul praises God for making his revelation known.
Gospel Reading
Luke 1:26-38
Today’s Gospel presents to us the Annunciation to Mary by archangel Gabriel. Mary knew that from the human point of view she may not even be able to bring her pregnancy to its full term but she had faith to believe that what is impossible for us is possible for God. And so with that faith she said “yes.” She surrendered into the hands of God, and it really was surrendering because she did not know what the consequences would be. But she had faith to believe that no matter what difficulties would follow, God would provide a way out and a remedy. Mary’s final words to the angel are a model for each of us, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38) And because Mary surrendered to God, Jesus came. Mary shows us how to be a follower of Jesus, making a loving surrender into the hands of God who loves us. When we wonder if we can make such an act of trust and abandonment into the hands of God let us remember that when God calls us he also gives us the grace.
Tuesday Dec 09, 2014
December 14 - Third Sunday of Advent : Shine Jesus Shine
Tuesday Dec 09, 2014
Tuesday Dec 09, 2014
First Reading Isaiah 61:1-2a,10-11
The Lord's salvation will be made known to the poor and the oppressed.
Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:46-50,53-54
Mary sings praise to God.
Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Paul encourages the Thessalonians to rejoice and pray always.
Gospel Reading
John 1:6-8,19-28
Today we celebrate Gaudate Sunday, the Sunday of Joy in the midst of the Advent penitential season. We rejoice because the Lord is near to us in the coming celebration of his birth, made present for us now. Today’s Gospel presents John the Baptist once again but this time, as a wonderful companion and friend to Jesus. He made no exaggerated claims of his greatness but claims the truth in clear terms. He could have lied and pretended to be the Christ to gain cheep popularity. But John always spoke the truth and said that he was only the voice but the Word was Jesus, that he was only the messenger but the Message was Jesus, that he was only a shadow but the light was Jesus. In keeping with the life example of John the Baptist the Gospel invites us to let Jesus shine in and through us. Can we allow Jesus to shine in us? That’s the lesson we learn from John the Baptizer.
Tuesday Dec 02, 2014
December 7 - Second Sunday of Advent : Prepare the way; metanoia
Tuesday Dec 02, 2014
Tuesday Dec 02, 2014
First Reading Isaiah 40:1-5,9-11
Isaiah tells the people to prepare a way for the Lord.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm
85:9-14
The Lord's salvation is near.
Second Reading 2
Peter 3:8-14
Peter teaches that we must always be holy because the return of the Lord cannot
be predicted.
Gospel Reading
Mark 1:1-8
The message of Advent can never change or be changed: Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. John preaches repentance, metanoia, change, renewal, and return to God. “Change yourselves from deep within”, is the focus of his message. Our preparation is an essentially an opening of our inner being to God’s comforting and healing presence so that the Holy Spirit can transform and make a new creation of us. Repentance begins with recognizing our need for change and renewal, with dissatisfaction with who and what we are, and with the progress we have made in following Christ. This recognition of our unsatisfactory spiritual condition is basic to desire, and desire is what Advent preparation is all about.
Thursday Nov 27, 2014
November 30 - First Sunday of Advent : Be prepared
Thursday Nov 27, 2014
Thursday Nov 27, 2014
First Reading Isaiah 63:16b-17,19b;64:2-7
Isaiah prays for the Lord's forgiveness of the people
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19
prayer for the Lord's protection
Second Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Paul gives thanks to God for the faith of the Corinthians.
Gospel Reading
Mark 13:33-37
Today we enter
the season of Advent: a time of special preparation for the coming of the Lord.
Mark’s portrait of the doorman watching out to open for the Lord whenever he
“suddenly” appears is an image of what we are expected to be doing all year
long but especially during the season of Advent. The doorman keeps awake in
order to recognize and welcome the Lord at his coming. Faith, likewise,
transforms us into people who are able to recognize the Lord and willing to
receive him. Recognition is crucial because the Lord does not always come in
easily recognizable ways. At Bethlehem he came in the form of a baby and people
did not recognize him. In the Parable of the Last Judgment, which we heard last
Sunday, he said he came to people in the form of the most needy and
disadvantaged of this world and many did not recognize him. But true people of
faith did recognize him and serve him in these people who live in the
blind-spot of society. Faith is first a way of seeing, and then a way of living.
Wednesday Nov 19, 2014
November 23 - Feast of Christ the King: We will be judged on love
Wednesday Nov 19, 2014
Wednesday Nov 19, 2014
First Reading
Ezekiel 34:11-12,15-17 God himself will shepherd the people of Israel.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 23:1-2,2-3,5-6 The Lord is
our shepherd.
Second Reading
Corinthians 15:20-26,28 Because
Christ has been raised from the dead, all those who have died will also be
raised.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 25:31-46
On this, the last Sunday of the Church’s liturgical year, the Feast of Christ the King, we have heard the Gospel reading about the Last Judgement. It is an extraordinary text which is not just about a future moment in history, but about the very essence of being a follower of Jesus Christ today. It is a challenge to each of us and to our Christian community to remember that being a Christian is never just something inward looking. The Christian life is never self-centred. God is love and the Christian life can only be a life which reflects that love. The Christian cannot be unconcerned about or uninterested in those around us, especially those who are marginalized. We will be judged by how we have loved and especially about how we have loved not just those near and dear to us but by how we have loved the most marginal, the people with whom we would often not normally have any contact. Christ’s kingdom will only be fully realized when our world fully witnesses to God’s kingdom: a kingdom of truth and life, a kingdom of holiness and grace, a kingdom of justice love and peace.
Thursday Nov 13, 2014
Thursday Nov 13, 2014
First Reading Proverbs 31:10-13,19-20,30-31
The virtues of a good wife are extolled.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 128:1-2,3,4-5
Blessed are those who walk in God's ways.
Second Reading 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6
Paul warns the Thessalonians to stay alert because the day of the Lord cannot
be predicted.
Gospel Reading Matthew 25:14-30
Today’s readings tell us that God gives everyone enough talents and gifts. He gives sufficient to all. Our gifts vary. He gives us not only for our own (selfish) consumption only but in order that we may use them finally to extend His kingdom. But on our part God appreciates accountability. There will be a day of judgement for everyone based on stewardship. Each will be judged by what was given to him or her. We are called to do the best with whatever we are and we have. What matters at the end is not what people’s talents are but how they are used for the kingdom. What matters is not how big or how many are our gifts, but how faithful and whole hearted are we in the use of them
Tuesday Nov 04, 2014
Tuesday Nov 04, 2014
First Reading
Ezekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12
I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the
east.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 46:2-3,5-6,8-9
God is our refuge and our strength.
Second Reading
1 Corinthians 3:9-13,16-17
You are the temple of God.
Gospel Reading
John 2:13-22
We celebrate today the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome because it is the head and mother church of all churches in the world. On the façade of the basilica there is an inscription in Latin which reads, “The mother and mistress of all churches of Rome and the world.” The Lateran Basilica is the first church of the Christians at Rome. Every bishop has a cathedral and the Pope’s cathedral is the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The dedication of a church reminds us a deeper spiritual reality: that God’s presence among His people (“God’s home is with human beings! He will live with them and they shall be His People” - Rev 21:3) and that God dwells in our bodies since they were consecrated as sacred temples at Baptism (“you are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you” – 1 Cor 3:16). May God dwell among us.
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.