Episodes
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.
Wednesday Sep 24, 2014
September 28 – Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Deeds and not only words
Wednesday Sep 24, 2014
Wednesday Sep 24, 2014
First Reading : Ezekiel 18:25-28
It is possible to turn from sin and preserve one's life.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 25:4-9
A prayer to God for mercy.
Second Reading : Philippians 2:1-11 (shorter form
Philippians 2:1-5)
Be like Christ who humbled himself and was exalted by God.
Gospel Reading
Matthew 21:28-32
The Parable teaches that discipleship is fundamentally about what one does, not just about what one says. Some may claim in words to be religious, but their lack of deeds and lack of genuine repentance and obedient faith betray their hypocrisy. Yet amazingly, the grace of God shown in repentance can draw even notorious sinners into the kingdom. The kingdom is promised not to those who merely say “I will go”, but to those who actually do the will of the Father.
Thursday Sep 18, 2014
September 21 – Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Gods Generosity
Thursday Sep 18, 2014
Thursday Sep 18, 2014
First Reading : Isaiah 55:6-9
God's ways are far beyond the ways of human beings.
Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 145:2-3,8-9,17-18
God is near to those who call upon him.
Second Reading : Philippians
1:20c-24,27a
Paul tells the Philippians to live for Christ.
Gospel Reading : Matthew 20:1-16
Our God is a God of surprises. It is this strange and unexpected generosity
with creates problems. Those who think they can calculate exactly how God must
act are in for a surprise. All work in the vineyard should be delighted that
some receive what is just, while others have been blessed with God’s great
generosity. Who are we to question why? Can God not do what He likes with his
love? The point is that it is His kingdom and not ours. Even the grumbler is
called ‘my friend’. God doesn't count or measure when he gives. He makes too
much vine at the wedding, more than 100 gallons of it. He multiplies much bread
and there were 12 baskets of bread left over. He pays a day’s wages even to
those labourers who came to work at the last hour. When God does things he does
in a BIG way.
Tuesday Sep 09, 2014
Tuesday Sep 09, 2014
First Reading : Numbers 21:4b–9
| anyone who had been
bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he or she was healed
Psalm : Psalm 78:1–2, 34–34, 36–37, 38
| Do not forget the
works of the Lord.
Second
Reading : Philippians 2:6–11
| Jesus
Christ, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God as a
thing to be grasped.
Gospel : John 3:13–17
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. The Gospel clearly shows us that when Moses raised the Serpent on a pole to save the people from their sins how this foretold that Christ would be lifted high on the cross to save us from our sins. For Christ took the price of all our sins upon himself and was raised. To us it is promised that if we look to him in faith we will be saved and exalted as well. This is the importance of the crucifix in the Christian Tradition. We do not have empty crosses because an empty cross didn't save us. Christ crucified is the sign of our salvation. You can choose to have your suffering have meaning by offering it for others. Or you can choose to have it be pointless by grumbling and complaining about it. My suggestion to you: Look to Christ crucified on the cross. Exalt the cross in your life. Live out your baptismal priesthood. You choose between freedom for meaning or freedom from meaning. You suffer for someone or you suffer from afflictions. The happiness and peace you seek (which means the triumph, the exaltation, the victory and the glory) is found (only) in the way of the Cross, the way of Christ.
Thursday Sep 04, 2014
Thursday Sep 04, 2014
First
Reading : Ezekiel 33:7-9 | The Son of Man is appointed as guardian of Israel.
Psalm : Psalm 95:1-2,6-9 | Song of praise to God, our
salvation.
Second Reading : Romans 13:8-10
| The Law is summarized in the
commandment to love your neighbour as yourself.
Gospel : Matthew 18:15-20
Notice that both the Gospel and the First Reading presume that believers have a duty to correct sinners in our midst. Ezekiel is even told that he will be held accountable for their souls if he fails to speak out and try to correct them. This is the love that Paul in today’s Epistle says we owe to our neighbours. To love our neighbours as ourselves is to be vitally concerned for their salvation. We must make every effort, as Jesus says, to win our brothers and sisters back, to turn them from the false paths. We should never correct out of anger, or a desire to punish. Instead our message must be that of today’s Psalm - urging sinner to hear God’s voice, not to harden their hearts, and to remember that He is the one who made us, and the rock of our salvation.
Wednesday Aug 27, 2014
August 31 – Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time : Lose yourself
Wednesday Aug 27, 2014
Wednesday Aug 27, 2014
First
Reading : Jeremiah 20:7-9 | Jeremiah laments but
cannot fail to speak in God's name.
Psalm : Psalm
63:2-6,8-9 | Our
souls yearn for God.
Second Reading : Romans
12:1-2 | Paul
encourages the Romans to stay faithful to God.
Gospel : Matthew
16:21-27
Before Peter could truly be a follow Jesus he had to learn the cost of discipleship. Peter had to learn from Jesus how to replace his self-centred ambition and desire for prestige with recognition of the value of self-sacrifice. he had to learn how to lose himself in Christ, to take up his mission, his way of life, and his very identity as his own. Peter had to learn that being a disciple of Jesus means taking up the Cross, not grudgingly enduing it but embracing it, being willing to suffer for the Gospel and getting behind Jesus in order to follow in the way that he leads. This is what we see in today's Gospel. Let us embrace our little crosses for the simple reason Jesus embraced his cross: for salvation and sanctification of ourselves and the world.
Tuesday Aug 19, 2014
August 24 -Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time : Who is Jesus for me?
Tuesday Aug 19, 2014
Tuesday Aug 19, 2014
First
Reading : Isaiah 22:19-23 | God will remove Shebna
from his office as master of the palace.
Psalm : Psalm
138:1-3,6,8 | God's kindness is forever.
Second Reading : Romans 11:33-36 | Paul
sings praise to God.
Gospel : Matthew
16:13-20
Jesus chose the region of Caesarea Philippi to ask His
disciples, “Who do you say I am?” The area was scattered with the remains of
ancient Syrian Baal worship, at least 14 temples have been identified. A cave
near this city is said to be the birthplace of the Greek god pan, the warrior
god. There had also been a great temple of white marble built to the godhead of
Caesar. It is as if Jesus deliberately set Himself against the background of
the world’s religions in all their splendour and glory to teach his disciples
as to who he really was: man and not only God; God and not only man. To know
about Jesus and to know Jesus are two different things. We can know about
Jesus by listening to someone else or by reading books on him but knowing Jesus
is always a result of a personal experience. So the million dollar question is
"who is Jesus for me?"
Wednesday Aug 13, 2014
17th August - Twentiethh Sunday in Ordinary Time : Outrageous Grace
Wednesday Aug 13, 2014
Wednesday Aug 13, 2014
First
Reading : Isaiah 56:1, 6-7
Psalm : Psalm
67:2-3, 5, 6, 8
Second Reading : Romans 11:13-15, 29-32
Gospel : Matthew 15:21-28
God’s grace is outrageous, meaning it comes in search of the person who least deserves it. Therefore it might look as scandalous for some. Jews, in the time of Jesus, thought high of themselves. They believed that it’s the fact of being a Jew that brings them God’s favour. But Jesus tried to change this attitude and show them that they were wrong and that what is needed to receive God’s mercy is not the fact that one is a Jew. Jesus showed them that it is only the person who is humble, the one who has a deep faith and the one who accepts his/her nothingness can win God’s favour. This is exactly what we see in the Canaanite woman of the Gospel. Jesus had to purify her intentions and bring her into a deeper faith before granting her wish. She had humility, she had a deeper faith and she accepted her lowliness and that made God to look down on her. May we follow her example.
Tuesday Aug 05, 2014
August 10 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Fixing our eyes on Jesus
Tuesday Aug 05, 2014
Tuesday Aug 05, 2014
First
Reading : 1 Kings 19:9a,11-13a
Psalm : Psalm 85:9-14
Second Reading : Romans 9:1-5
Gospel : Matthew 14:22-33
We can enter into today’s Gospel from two directions: From the side of Jesus and from the side of Peter. From the side of Jesus- When the disciples were struggling in a stormy weather Jesus comes to their help. There are times when life becomes a desperate struggle. At such a time Jesus comes to us across the storms of life, with hand stretched out to save, and with his clam clear voice bidding us take heart ad have no fear. The great truth is that, wherever Jesus Christ is, the wildest storm becomes a calm. From the side of Peter- We see Peter making a mistake and that is taking his eyes off Jesus and looking down at the stormy sea. This is what often happens to you and me. We start off our lives fine. We have our eyes fixed firmly on Jesus. But then something happens to make us take our eyes off Jesus. We look away from Jesus. And that’s when we lose our balance. That’s when we begin to sink. Therefore today’s Gospel invites us to turn our eyes back to Jesus.
Friday Aug 01, 2014
3rd of August- Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Small is Great
Friday Aug 01, 2014
Friday Aug 01, 2014
Reading : Isaiah
55:1-3
Psalm : Psalm 145:8-9,15-18
Second Reading : Romans 8:35,37-39
Gospel : Matthew 14:13-21
Today’s Gospel suggests that one person can make a difference. Or rather, two people can make a difference: one person and Jesus. When Jesus asked the boy for his meagre offering he trusted Jesus and gave him the little he had: the five loaves and two fish. The boy gave what he had to Jesus. And Jesus shared the boy’s gift with thousands. This is the good news of today’s Gospel: that if we share what we have with Jesus , no matter how small and insignificant it is, he can make it bear fruit beyond our wildest dream. Today’s Gospel tells us that if we offer our talents and gifts to Jesus for his work, he can perform miracles with them.
Tuesday Jul 22, 2014
Tuesday Jul 22, 2014
First
Reading : 1 Kings 3:5,7-12
Psalm : Psalm 119:57,72,76-77,127-130
Second Reading : Romans 8:28-30
Gospel : Matthew 13:44-46
The Gospel metaphors of a buried treasure and the pearl of great price speak as clearly today as they did long ago. Jesus is the treasure and the pearl of great prize. Is it so in your life as well? We have to find that out because we are going to be changed and formed by what we treasure and love. We become what we treasure and love. Psalmist says: “Therefore I love your commandments above gold, yes, above fine gold” (Ps 119). This is what we see in the lives of saints. For them Jesus became the most important treasure in their lives. And so Paul says that he considers everything as mere garbage compared to the value of knowing Jesus (Phil 3:7-8). Can we boast of the same? Can I say that Jesus is the most valuable treasure I have? That there is no way to measure what He is worth? May God give us the grace to say that with conviction. “To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances, to seek Him is the greatest adventure, to find him the greatest human achievement” (St. Augustine).
Thursday Jul 17, 2014
July 20th – 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time : God gives many chances
Thursday Jul 17, 2014
Thursday Jul 17, 2014
First
Reading : Wisdom 12:13,16-19
Psalm : Psalm 86:5-6,9-10,15-16
Second Reading : Romans 8:26-27
Gospel : Matthew 13:24-43
Central to
today’s parable of the wheat and the weeds is the preciousness of the wheat. God
is patient, kind, and loving like a grandparent. If you want to know what God
is like, picture that farmer in the Gospel. The servants wanted to go and pull
up the weeds, and the farmer says, "Well, let's not be too hasty, too
quick to judge. Let's give it some time. The landowner refuses to lose any of
it in order to get rid of the weeds. “We might pull out some wheat thinking
it's a weed." That's God speaking. And it's a picture of God that Jesus
himself gives us. And it's the way God treats us, because God loves us very,
very much. In its present stage, the world is composed of the good and the bad.
The judgment of God alone will eliminate the sinful. Until then there must be
patience and the preaching of repentance. We can learn much from God’s patience
as we see him allow both the good and the evil to grow together. God wants all
to be saved that’s why He keeps the sinner in the world. God gives us many
chances and opportunities to repent. What is the weed in me?
Tuesday Jul 08, 2014
July 13th - Fifteenth Sunday of the Ordinary Time : God’s Word
Tuesday Jul 08, 2014
Tuesday Jul 08, 2014
First
Reading : is 55:10-11
Psalm : ps 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14
Second Reading : rom 8:18-23
Gospel : mt 13:1-23
In today’s Gospel Jesus describes four possible responses to the word of God. The seed on the foot path refers to those people who quickly lose the word because they do not understand it. The seed on rocky ground describes those who have no firm foundation. The seed fallen among thorns relates to those who receive the good news, but later abandon it for the lure of the world. Finally, the seed on good soil describes those who hear the word of God, accept it, and conform their lives to it.
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
July 6 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Being gentle
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
Wednesday Jul 02, 2014
First
Reading : Zechariah 9:9-10
Psalm : Psalm 145:1-2, 8-11, 13-14
Second Reading : Romans 8:9, 11-13
Gospel : Matthew
11:25-30
Todays Gospel contains an important invitation for all of us. It invites us to learn from Jesus because he is "gentle and humble of heart". a beautiful example of the gentleness of Jesus is the way he handled the case of the woman caught in adultery. Jesus didn't shout and rave. he didn't scream and yell. He simple bent over, gentle, and wrote in the sand with his finger. His action stood out like a clap of thunder in the silence of a summer's night. Let us learn from Jesus how to be gentle when the world wants us to be proud and humble when the world wants us to be aggressive
Thursday Jun 26, 2014
June 29 - Feast of Saints Peter and Paul : To love Jesus in life and in death
Thursday Jun 26, 2014
Thursday Jun 26, 2014
First
Reading : Acts 12:1–11
Psalm : Psalm 34:2–9
Second Reading : 2 Timothy 4:6–8, 17–18
Gospel : Matthew 16:13–19
Today we gather for the solemn celebration of Saints Peter and Paul, the principal Patrons of the Church of Rome. It is interesting to note the personalities of both Peter and Paul. Peter was impetuous, telling Jesus that he would die with him on Holy Thursday night if necessary (John 13:37) but later that night he denied he knew him. Yet what made Peter a suitable candidate for Jesus’ call was his love, so three times Jesus asked him if he loved him and asked him to look after the flock. Paul was a controversial character in his own way. He had a fiery personality. In his early life he channelled that fire towards persecuting the Christians in Jerusalem, even witnessing the death of Stephen, the first martyr for Jesus (Acts 8:1). After his conversion Paul’s preaching was fiery and upset the churches. As we look at the personalities of Peter and Paul, we see that God called them to use their personalities to spread the Gospel, Peter to use his impetuous love to look after the flock, and Paul to use his training as a Pharisee and his strength of character to ensure that the non-Jews would be welcomed into the church. It is a reminder to us that our talents and our weaknesses too can become God’s means of helping others, if we allow. We don’t have to be perfect for God to work through us, God can work through us, faults and all, as he did with Peter and Paul.
Thursday Jun 19, 2014
June 22 - Corpus Christi - The Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ
Thursday Jun 19, 2014
Thursday Jun 19, 2014
First Reading : Deuteronomy 8:2-3, 14-16
Psalm : Psalm 147:12-15, 19-20
Second Reading : 1 Corinthians 10:16-17
Gospel : John 6:51-58
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. One of our Eucharistic Acclamations after the Consecration is “When we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death, O Lord, until you come again.” That is what Paul wrote to the Corinthians (1 Cor 11:26). How can we say that when we gather for the Eucharist we proclaim Jesus’ death? When we gather for the Eucharist it is to be an act of love, reflecting the love of Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for us. If we gather for the Eucharist and we really don’t care about each other then our Eucharist is meaningless. Once again in the same chapter Paul says that our Eucharist is a shame if we do not love one another. When we gather for the Eucharist it is to be an act of love, reflecting the love of Jesus sacrificing himself on the cross for us. Our daily lives must reflect the Eucharist we celebrate. Each day, we must give of ourselves, pour out our lives in service and in love of others. How? In small ways — almost unnoticed, but so real and sometimes not convenient to do. For example: "Daddy, will you come play with me?" "Mom, will you help me?" The phone rings: "I wonder if you could help me…" Or "I need to talk to you because..." An older person in the family: how about a visit, a call or a letter? In Eucharist, we celebrate here in worship what we must live out there in daily life. That is why the Eucharist is essential to Catholic belief and fundamental to Catholic life.
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
June 15 - Trinity Sunday : God's Love overflows
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
Wednesday Jun 11, 2014
First Reading : Exodus 34:4-6, 8-9
Psalm : Daniel
3:52-56
Second Reading : 2
Corinthians 13:11-13
Gospel : John
3:16-18
Today is Trinity Sunday. Our God is not simply one. He is three-in-one. A community of persons united in love. Therefore, there’s no chance that we’re merely expressions of God’s neediness. Instead, we’re an expression of God’s love. Perfect love, which God is, is giving, generous, overflowing. It can’t contain itself. You and I might understand ourselves, then, as an overflowing of God’s love. And since we’re made in God’s image, we can say that we’re both created by overflowing love, and created for overflowing love. Which makes our existence both a gift, and a possibility- a possibility to give and receive love the way God does: a perfect love without conditions, without limits. The Trinity is not something to be argued about or explained in rational terms but a mystery to be experienced, the mystery of our own unity in God. It is a sanctifying and mysterious presence, like a bright cloud with a voice of fire and the fluttering of wings, an indwelling Spirit, a boundless Light, a presence we manifest in ourselves whenever we invoke the Holy Trinity in the Sign of the Cross: “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Amen.
Tuesday Jun 03, 2014
June 8 - The Solemnity of Pentecost: Transformation
Tuesday Jun 03, 2014
Tuesday Jun 03, 2014
First
Reading : Acts
2:1-11
Psalm
: Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34
Second Reading : 1
Corinthians 12:3-7,12-13
Gospel
: John 20:19-23
Today we are celebrating
the great Solemnity
of Pentecost. If, in a certain sense, all the
liturgical solemnities of the Church are important, Pentecost is uniquely so.
This is because, having reached the 50th day, it marks the fulfilment of the
event of the Passover, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus through the
gift of the Spirit of the Risen One. The disciples are locked in the upper
room out of fear. But Jesus brings them Peace. The violence of the darkness
which attempted in vain to quench the light has produced peace. Death has
turned into life and peace and thus the disciples’ fear turns in to joy. Here
we find the beginnings of the transformation which the death and resurrection
of Jesus can produce. Pentecost puts an end to fear by calling men and women to
forgiveness. The wholeness and holiness which Jesus’ gift of the spirit has
brought into the lives of the disciples are now available, through them, to the
forgiven sinner.
Thursday May 29, 2014
June 1 - Ascension of the Lord : Call to be witnesses
Thursday May 29, 2014
Thursday May 29, 2014
First Reading :
Acts 1:12-14
Psalm : Psalm 27:1, 4, 7-8
Second Reading : 1 Peter 4:13-16
Gospel : John 17:1-11
Today, the feast of Christ’s ascension, we celebrate the crowning of his Easter victory over sin and death. The ascension is not really about Jesus going away but about Jesus becoming the Lord of all creation. It is a joyous day, a day to look upwards at where Christ, our Brother, sits in glory at the right hand of the Father. Our destiny is to share in the glory of Christ. We often forget this and pursue goals that are not really worthy of our calling. Today’s feast also reminds us to become witnesses of the Lord. “You are my witnesses” (Acts 1:8) said Jesus as he ascended. That was aid to every follower of his, from the ones who saw his ascension down to us who have only heard about him, yet have believed. In fact, witness to Christ in the world for any believer has to begin with oneself.
Friday May 23, 2014
May 25 - Sixth Sunday of Easter: An invitation to love
Friday May 23, 2014
Friday May 23, 2014
First
Reading : Acts 8:5-8, 14-17
First Reading : Psalm 66:1-7, 16,
20
Second
Reading : 1 Peter 3:15-18
Gospel : John 14:15-21
In today's Gospel Jesus says: "If you love me you will obey my commandments". There are three ways we can look upon the commandments of Jesus: (1) As a restriction to our freedom, something we hate to do, (2) as a guide to our growth, health and well being, something we should do, (3) As an invitation to love, something we want to do. Jesus presents his commandments as opportunities to express our love for him. Thus today's gospel invites us to check our motives. Why do we obey Jesus' commandments? Do we obey them out of fear of punishment? Do we do it more out of hope for reward? or do we do it more out of love for Jesus? Love seeks only to be of service. This is the challenge today's gospel sets before each one of us.
Thursday May 15, 2014
May 18 - Fifth Sunday in Easter : Jesus is the Way
Thursday May 15, 2014
Thursday May 15, 2014
First
Reading : Acts 6:1-7
First Reading : Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5,
18-19
Second
Reading : 1 Peter 2:4-9
Gospel : John 14:1-12
Last Sunday we celebrated Christ the Good Shepherd. Today, the Fifth Sunday of Easter, we celebrate Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Gospel Reading of today from St. John, is taken from the Farewell Discourse at the Last Supper, and addresses concerns of the disciples that would arise because of the departure (i.e. death) of Jesus soon to occur. Jesus said to Thomas: "I am the way and the truth and life". Jesus does not merely teach us the way but He is the way (No one comes to the Father, except through me- Jn 14,6). Jesus does not merely declare what is true but He is the truth (...we have seen his glory...full of grace and truth- Jn 1,14). Jesus does not merely reveal the life to come but instead he is the life (I came that they may have life and have it more abundantly- Jn 10:10). Therefore Jesus is the way which we must follow. he is the truth which we must believe and he is the life which we must live. So what do we make of this saying of Jesus? What do they mean to us?
*'I am the Way' – Jesus is a road. A road is a journey. And we go to God the Father through Jesus and we call Jesus the Way, because he is the visible manifestation in human form of all that his Father is.
*'I am the Truth' – the Truth that meets us on the road. We Christians have not got the Truth. The Truth has got us. Jesus is God's gift of his true self to us. As God revealed His true self to Jesus, we look up to Jesus to reveal God to us.
*'I am the Life' – this journey of Truth gives us life. When we believe in Jesus, we find life. More, He becomes our life.
In short, what living the Christian life is really all about is living with Jesus in faith. It is to make the Truth and the Life - the Father Himself - really ours by following Jesus who is the Way.
Thursday May 08, 2014
May 11 - Fourth Sunday in Easter : I am the Gate
Thursday May 08, 2014
Thursday May 08, 2014
First Reading : Acts
2:14, 36-41
Psalm : Psalm
23:1-6
Second Reading : 1 Peter 2:20-25
Gospel : John
10:1-10
Today is the 4th Sunday of Easter and it is commonly known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” a day in which the Church recalls the relationship between God and His people as described in the image of Shepherd and Sheep. Today we hear Jesus saying “I am the gate for the sheep”. Shepherds would become the gate to the sheep fold. They would lie in front of the opening to the fold so that nothing could enter without them knowing. Human gates provided entrance to the fold and protection from threats outside. What Jesus is trying to tell us is this: that his relationship and dedication to us is as close as the shepherd’s to his sheep. Like the shepherd Jesus is always with us and knows each one of us in a deeply personal way. But the problem is whether we are able to recognize his voice from the many voices we hear every day?
Thursday May 01, 2014
May 4 - Third Sunday in Easter : God who walks with us
Thursday May 01, 2014
Thursday May 01, 2014
First
Reading : *Acts 2:14a, 36-41
Psalm : Psalm 116:1-4,
12-19
Second Reading : 1 Peter 1:17-23
Gospel : Luke 24:13-35
Today we here the Gospel story of Emmaus, and the two disciples who left Jerusalem after the Crucifixion, only to encounter Jesus on their way. They are scandalized by the failure of the Messiah in whom they had hoped and who now appeared utterly vanquished, humiliated, even after the third day. Pope Francis used the story of Emmaus while in Brazil to address those many lapsed Catholics who have given up on the power of the Church to bring us Jesus. He spoke to the Bishops of Brazil on 28 July 2013: “Here we have to face the difficult mystery of those people who leave the Church, who, under the illusion of alternative ideas, now think that the Church – their Jerusalem – can no longer offer them anything meaningful and important. So they set off on the road alone, with their disappointment. Faced with this situation, what are we to do? We need a Church, unafraid of going forth into their night. We need a Church capable of meeting them on their way. We need a Church capable of entering into their conversation. Today, we need a Church capable of walking at people’s side, of doing more than simply listening to them; a Church which accompanies them on their journey; a Church able to make sense of the “night” contained in the flight of so many of our brothers and sisters from Jerusalem; a Church which realizes that the reasons why people leave also contain reasons why they can eventually return. I would like all of us to ask ourselves today: are we still a Church capable of warming hearts? We need a Church capable of accompanying them on the road back to Jerusalem! A Church capable of helping them to rediscover the glorious and joyful things that are spoken of Jerusalem, and to understand that she is my Mother, our Mother, and that we are not orphans! We were born in her. Where is our Jerusalem, where were we born? In Baptism, in the first encounter of love, in our calling, in vocation". Are you ready to take up this challenge because you/we are the Church. Are you, as a member of the Church, capable of warming hearts?
Tuesday Apr 22, 2014
April 27 - Second Sunday in Easter : The Doubting Thomas
Tuesday Apr 22, 2014
Tuesday Apr 22, 2014
First
Reading : Acts 2:14a, 22-32
Psalm : Psalm 16
Second Reading : 1 Peter 1:3-9
Gospel : John 20:19-31
When Jesus appeared on Sunday Thomas was not with the twelve. Some suggests that he was seeking Jesus alone while Jesus was with the assembly of his followers. That could be the Evangelist's way of telling the reader that encounter with the Risen Lord is something that happens not so much in the privacy of the individuals religious initiative and practise as much as in the fellowship with the community of believers, that is the Church. Do we have to look far to see such Thomases in our society today, men and women who deep down in their hearts seek the risen Lord, but who seek him outside the worshipping and believing community? They try to draw near to God by engaging in all sorts of self-imposed devotional exercises. Religion, they say, is personal, and they are right. But religion is also communitarian, and this they need to learn just as Thomas did.
Friday Apr 18, 2014
April 20 – Easter : New Life in Christ
Friday Apr 18, 2014
Friday Apr 18, 2014
Old Testament Readings and Psalms
Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Psalm 136:1-9,
23-26
Genesis 7:1-5, 11-18; 8:6-18; 9:8-13 and Psalm 46
Genesis 22:1-18 and Psalm 16
Exodus 14:10-31; 15:20-21 and Exodus 15:1b-13, 17-18
Isaiah 55:1-11 and Isaiah 12:2-6
Baruch 3:9-15, 3:32-4:4 or Proverbs 8:1-8, 19-21; 9:4b-6 and Psalm 19
Ezekiel 36:24-28 and Psalm 42, 43
Ezekiel 37:1-14 and Psalm 143
Zephaniah 3:14-20 and Psalm 98
New Testament Reading and Psalm
Romans 6:3-11 and Psalm 114
Gospel
Matthew 28:1-10
The Significance of Jesus’ resurrection today is that it offers for all believers the hope of 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. Every time we suffer a defeat, fail in some exam, are plagued by some crippling disease, we experience a bit of death. But if we believe in the presence of the risen Jesus in our midst, we will discover new dreams to pursue, new challenges to take on and new reasons to try again. Every time we are overwhelmed by problems, discouraged by disappointments or beset by worries, we are diminished in some way. But if we believe in the real power of the risen Christ, we will find that the impossible becomes possible and the unreachable becomes reachable. 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 faith, hope and love. The Risen Jesus we encounter in the Eucharist is our strength to live the significance of Easter: to transform sorrow into joy, defeat into victory, despair into hope, darkness into light, hatred into love and the tomb of death into freedom of life. May the Risen Christ who came forth from the tomb on Easter enable us to shake off the fetters of evil and sin and give us the grace to live with him. Amen.