July12 - Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Called and Sent

 First Reading   Amos 7:12-15
The prophet Amos is sent from Bethel.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm
85:9-10,11-12,13-14
A prayer for the Lord's salvation
Second Reading  Ephesians 1:3-14 (
shorter form Ephesians 1:3-10)
Paul teaches that we were chosen for Christ before the creation of the world.
Gospel ReadingMark 6:7-13 We see in the first reading
how Amos was chosen from the South to go to the North to be the “mouth piece of
God”. In the same way Jesus “summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in
pairs” (Mk 6:7). One important aspect of the three-year earthly ministry of
Jesus was that he formed a community of disciples. All the gospels mention the
Twelve apostles, and the gospel of Luke even talks about a larger community of
72 others (Lk 10:1). We have been brought to life with a purpose. We are
“called” in order to be “sent out” for a special mission which we need to
discover as we mature in our faith. Blessed John Henry Newman says
that “God has created me to do Him some definite
service. He has committed some work to me which He has
not committed to another”. Let us ask God’s grace to discover our
mission. 

July 5 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: to Reject and to be rejected

 
First Reading  Ezekiel 2:2-5
The Lord sends the prophet Ezekiel to the Israelites.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 123:1-2,3-4
A prayer to God for mercy
Second Reading  2 Corinthians
12:7-10
Paul bears insults and weakness for the sake of Christ.
Gospel ReadingMark 6:1-6
Shortly after He
began His public ministry, Jesus went back to His hometown of Nazareth but it
was far from being a happy homecoming. They gave Him the cold shoulder and He
ended up leaving Nazareth never to return. Why? It was because they could
not believe that God could come in ordinary ways. When God came in human flesh
they could not accept him because that story was ‘too good to be true”. Evasion
and avoidance have not been limited to the people of Jesus’ own hometown. Jesus
might pass without my realizing it and He might pass without my being ready to
welcome Him. Today’s Gospel also tells us another point: that those who want to
serve must be ready to go through the experience of rejection because “we
don’t grow when things are easy but we grow when we face challengers”.
Something positive always comes out of something negative. Life's challenges
are not supposed to paralyze us but they're supposed to help you discover who
you are. 
 

June 28 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: God who is close to us

 
First Reading  Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24
Death entered the world through the work of the devil.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm
30:2,4,5-6,11,12,13
A prayer of thanksgiving to God for having rescued us
Second Reading  2 Corinthians
8:7,9,13-15
As Christ became poor for our sake, so must we share with those in need from
our abundance.
Gospel ReadingMark 5:21-43 ( shorter form, Mark 5:21-24,35b-43)
Why did Jesus
go all the way to Jairus's house and take his little
daughter by the hand in order to bring her back to life? Why
not just do it from a distance? It is because God wants to
be close to us; he wants to share His very life with us (the divine
life), he wants to live in friendship with us. He wants to be part
of our lives (to get involved with us -in all its ups and downs- and
wants us to be a part of His life.  That’s the whole meaning of
INCARNATION: God becoming man. He is Emmanuel: God with us. God truly does want
to walk by our side through the Church’s sacraments. They are instruments
through which God enters into the very flesh and blood of our daily lives just
as Jesus entered into the house of Jairus. Our God doesn't keep his distance;
he walks by our side.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time: A God who guides me through storms of life

 First Reading  Job 38:1,8-11The Lord answers Job's complaints.
Responsorial
Psalm  Psalm 107:23-24,25-26,28-29,30-31
A song of praise to God for rescue
Second Reading  2 Corinthians 5:14-17
Those in Christ are a new creation.
Gospel ReadingMark 4:35-41
The sea is a wonderful metaphor in Scripture. It
represents evil, chaos and disorder. So, when Jesus calms the storm and the sea
is stilled, it is a symbol for us that God can still the chaos and disorder in
our lives. In some versions of the Bible, it says that “Jesus rebuked the
storm…” which is an illustration of the divine power of God at work in the
world. Life is so unpredictable, we don’t know what surprises lie in store for
us from day to day, even from hour to hour. The words of God to us in Isaiah 43
are so beautiful. His promise is this: “Do
not be afraid, for I have redeemed you. I have called you by name; you are
mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through
rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.” That is the experience of
Christians throughout history. That is the experience of so many of us. For
those of us who are currently in the storms and chaos of life, the promise of
God holds good for us today.

June 14 - Eleventh Sunday of the Ordinary Time: God works in mysterious and surprising ways

 First Reading  Ezekiel 17:22–24
I, the Lord, bring low the high tree and lift high the lowly tree.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 92:2–3,13–16
They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of
our God.
Second Reading  2 Corinthians 5:6–10
The lives of all are to be revealed before the tribunal of Christ.
Gospel ReadingMark 4:26–34
Today we read two of the three seed parables of
Mark. All three are about seeds. The first parable tells about a farmer who
planted seed. Some was planted in good soil, some in bad soil. Only the seed in
the good soil bore fruit. This reveals that the kingdom can grow only in good
hearts that are open to God. The second parable, which we read in today’s
gospel, tells how seed grows beneath the soil without the farmer knowing how.
It’s a mystery to him. This reveals that God’s kingdom grows in our heart in a
marvellous, mysterious way, without our knowing how. The third parable, which
we also read in today’s gospel, contrasts the tiny seed to the large beautiful
plant that grows from it. This reveals that the tiny seed of the kingdom in our
heart will eventually grow into something beautiful. It is from the smallest of
all beginnings that great things will come. For all this to happen we must
trust God and remain patient. If we trust God and remain patient, things will
work out in God’ own time and in God’s own way. 

June 7 - Solemnity of Corpus Christi: Bread that liberates

 First Reading  Exodus 24:3-8 
The covenant is established between God and the people.
Responsorial
Psalm  Psalm 116:12-13,15-16,17-18
God brings salvation.
Second Reading  Hebrews 9:11-15
Christ is the mediator of the new covenant.
Gospel ReadingMark 14:12-16,22-26
God’s nourishment at
times does not seem as tasty as some foods that the world offers, and so the
faithful at times dream of other meals, like the Israelites in their exodus from
Egypt. They remembered the meals they had in Egypt, but had a “selective
memory” at the times of their temptation and forgot that they ate at the table
of slavery. A similar temptation is present today. If we look around,
we realize that there are so many offers for food that don't come from the Lord
and that apparently satisfy more. Some are fed with money, others with success
and vanity, others with power and pride. But the food that truly nourishes and
that satisfies is only that which the Lord gives! Man has both a physical
hunger and another hunger, a hunger that cannot be satisfied with ordinary
food. This is a hunger for life, a hunger for love, a hunger for
eternity. Manna, the miraculous bread that fed the Israelites, is a sign
of the food that satisfies this profound hunger that there is in
man. Jesus gives us this food, by becoming himself the living bread that
gives life to the world. His body is the true food under the species of
bread; his blood is the true drink under the species of wine. Let us celebrate
and adore.

May 31 - The Feast of the Holy Trinity: Father, Son and the Holy Spirit

 First Reading  Deuteronomy 4:32-34,39-40
Moses teaches the people that Yahweh is the only God.
Responsorial
Psalm   Psalm 33:4-5,6,9,18-19,20,22
A prayer for the Lord's mercy
Second Reading  Romans 8:14-17
Through the Spirit, we have been adopted as children of God.
Gospel ReadingMatthew 28:16-20
 
Jesus called God his Father, but did so in a
special way. Jesus called his Father “Abba”, an Aramaic word, which
means something like our “Daddy.” (Aramaic was the language in Palestine at the
time of Jesus). So now we do not look on God as distant from us. Our heavenly
Father is our Abba, he is our Daddy, the most perfect Daddy we could have. He is someone we can turn to in good times
as well in bad, someone who will listen to us, someone who wants our good. The
baby Jesus is described with the name “Emmanuel” in the Gospel
of Matthew. Emmanuel means GOD IS WITH US. In Jesus, God is
really With Us. Jesus is our brother. Paul sums it up very well,
“If God is on our side, who can be against us.” (Rom 8:31). Jesus himself
called the Spirit “the Comforter.” Like the Father and Jesus, the Spirit
is also on our side to help us when we need. Paul says, “The Spirit helps us in
our weakness.” (Rom 8:26). On this Sunday every year we remember that God is
our Father, our Daddy or Abba, and our brother Jesus who is Immanuel, God with
us, and that nothing can separate us from his love except sin, and that God is
also the Spirit who helps us in our weakness. Since God is a Daddy, and a Son
who is Immanuel, God with us, and a Spirit who helps us in our weakness, let us
continue to turn to God in our times of need. Glory be to the Father, and to
the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever
shall be, world without end. Amen.

May 24 - The Feast of Pentecost: Holy Spirit teaches us, reminds us and lets us speak

 First Reading  Acts of the Apostles 2:1-11
The Holy Spirit descends upon the apostles gathered in JerusalemResponsorial
Psalm  Psalm 104:1,24,29-31,34
God's Spirit renews the earth. Second Reading  1 Corinthians 12:3b-7,12-13
We are all one in Christ Jesus.Gospel ReadingJohn 20:19-23  Speaking to the Apostles at
the Last Supper, Jesus said that after he left this world he would send
them the gift of the Father, that is, the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn
15:26). This promise was powerfully fulfilled on the day of Pentecost, when the
Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples, who were gathered in the Upper Room.
This extraordinary outpouring was not limited solely to that moment, but was an
event that was renewed and still continues to be renewed. Christ glorified at
the right hand of the Father continues to fulfill his promise, sending upon the
Church the life-giving Spirit, who teaches us, reminds us,
and lets us speak. The Holy Spirit teaches us to
follow Jesus and to walk in his footprints. He reminds us of all that Jesus
said. He is the living memory of the Church, and when he reminds us, he helps
us to understand the words of the Lord. He lets us speak with God in prayer and
lets us speak to men through prophecy, making us humble and docile “channels”
of God’s Word. Prophecy is made with candour, to openly demonstrate the
contradictions and injustices, but always with compassion and constructive
intent. 

May 17 - The Feast of Ascension: We are Pilgrims

 First Reading 
Acts of the Apostles 1:15-17,20a,20c-26
Matthias is chosen to take Judas' place among the apostles. Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 103:1-2,11-12,19-20
Bless the Lord who rules heaven and earth. Second Reading 
1 John 4:11-16
God is seen in our love for one another. Gospel ReadingJohn 17:11b-19 Today we celebrate the feast of Ascension. The
Ascension of Jesus reminds us that during our lives we are “only passing
through” on this earth, as we say. We are pilgrims on a journey. Just as Jesus’
earthly life was temporary, and he ascended to sit at the right hand of the
Father, so also our lives here are temporary, will come to an end, and we will
meet God in the next life. The Ascension of Jesus reminds us in all of our
busyness not to forget what life is all about. The Ascension of Jesus reminds
us that God has great plans for us that are out of this world. The Ascension
also reminds us what Jesus said before the ascension: “Go, therefore, make
disciples of all nations...”. It calls us to bear witness to Jesus through our
words and deeds. Be proud of you Catholic faith. Don’t be ashamed to practice
it in public. 

May 10 - Sixth Sunday of Easter: Sacrificial Love

 First Reading  Acts of the
Apostles 10:25-26,34-35,44-48
The gift of the Holy Spirit comes to Cornelius and his household, and they are
baptized.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 98:1,2-3,3-4
A song of praise for God's salvation
Second Reading  1 John 4:7-10
God is love.
Gospel ReadingJohn 15:9-17
Jesus is talking of a very
special kind of love, love that does not think of oneself but sacrifices for
the sake of the other. This is unselfish love, loving the other for the other’s
sake without anything in it for oneself. As we read in Ephesians, “Christ
loved us and gave himself up for us” (Eph 5:2); “Christ loved the Church and
gave himself up for her.” (Eph 5:25). To make sure we would not confuse this
very special type of love with other types of love, which often are more lust
than love, the writers of the New Testament used a very special word to
describe the love of Jesus for us and the love of God for us. They said Jesus
loved us with agape love ἀγάπη (agape). That is love that does not
think of oneself but sacrifices for the sake of the other. Jesus is our model
for loving with this sacrificial love, agape love, loving the other for their
benefit without putting ourselves first. When does Jesus show us that agape
love most of all? When he died on the cross for us. That is why in the Gospel
today Jesus also says, “A man can have no greater love than to lay down his
life for his friends.” (John 15:13). May Jesus help us to live that agape
love. 

May 3 - Fifth Sunday of Easter: God prunes us

 First Reading  Acts of the
Apostles 9:26-31
Paul is accepted by the apostles at Jerusalem.
Responsorial Psalm  Psalm
22:26-27,28,30,31-32
The whole world shall praise the Lord.
Second Reading  1 John 3:18-24
God commands us to believe in Jesus Christ and to love one another.
Gospel ReadingJohn 15:1-8
Jesus sets forth two
situations. The first is negative: The branch is dry, it bears no fruit, and so
it is cut off and thrown away. The second is positive: The branch is living and
healthy, and so it is pruned. This contrast already tells us that pruning is
not a hostile act to the branch. The vinedresser expects much from it; he knows
it can bear fruit; he has confidence in it. The same happens on the spiritual
plane. God intervenes in our lives with the cross. It does not mean he is
irritated with us but, in fact, the opposite. This is even truer in the
spiritual life. Holiness is like a sculpture. Leonardo da Vinci defined
sculpture as "the art of removing," i.e. of taking away the pieces of
marble that are in excess, so that the figure can emerge that one has in mind.
Christian perfection is also obtained like this, by removing and making useless
pieces fall off, namely, desires, ambitions, projects, carnal tendencies that
disperse us and do not let us finish anything. Thus God would take the chisel,
which is the cross, and begins to work on us. He takes the pruning shears, and
begins to prune us.

April 26 - Fourth Sunday of Easter: To carry each other on our shoulders

 First Reading 
Acts of the Apostles 4:8-12
Peter announces an act of healing in the name of Jesus Christ.
Responsorial Psalm 
Psalm 118:1,8-9,21-23,26,28,29
A prayer of thanksgiving to God for his kindness
Second Reading 
1 John 3:1-2
God revealed his love for us by calling us children of God.
Gospel ReadingJohn 10:11-18
Traditionally, this fourth Sunday of Easter is
known as “Good Shepherd Sunday,” because each year the Church presents us with
our Lord’s beautiful description of himself as a shepherd who has tender,
merciful love for his sheep. For many years now, the Church has also designated
this Sunday as World Day of Prayer for Vocations. So we pray today in a special
way in this Holy Mass that God will call many more men to the great adventure
of being shepherds for his flock. Jesus the Good Shepherd carrying us on his
shoulders is symbolized in a beautiful way by the Pallium which archbishops
wear over their shoulders while celebrating Mass. The Pallium is made from
lamb’s wool. During the Mass for the inauguration of his Pontificate on Sunday
April 24th 2005 Pope Benedict explained the significance of the Pallium when he
said that the Pallium is an invitation to carry one another, we are all to be
shepherds to each other, to carry each other on our shoulders.

April 19 - Third Sunday of Easter: With God everything makes sense

First Reading  Acts of the Apostles 3:13-15,17-19
Peter preaches that Jesus has been raised from the dead and calls upon the
people to repent. Responsorial Psalm  Psalm 4:2,4,7-8,9
A prayer seeking God's favour Second Reading  1 John 2:1-5a
Those who know God keep his commandments. Gospel ReadingLuke 24:35-48   In today’s Gospel we see how Jesus trys to help
the disciples understand that all that had taken place—his suffering, death and
resurrection—made sense. That was something that took the disciples a
while to get their heads around, as suffering never makes sense to any of
us.  So Jesus had to help them understand not only that he was alive, but
that all that had taken place was meant to happen. They were meant to happen
and they fitted into God’s plan for the world. All of us are continually
faced with difficult situations of suffering. So often we cannot make
sense of why we have to suffer and we may even see it as a punishment. Even
though we don’t have a direct answer to this question, what Jesus says to his
disciples in this Gospel is a help, because it reminds us that everything that
happens fits into God’s bigger plan. The point is that God can bring good
out of every situation, even turning the evil work of people into good. 
But for the most part we cannot see that.  We are just faced with each
individual situation of suffering and that is hard.  However, the Lord is
telling us that there is a bigger picture which makes sense of everything that
happens.  When we die we will then see that picture and it will all make
sense to us. 

April 12 - Second Sunday of Easter : Peace, Forgiveness and Faith

First Reading  Acts of the
Apostles 4:32-35
The first Christian community shared their possessions, and no one was needy.Responsorial Psalm  Psalm
118:2-4,13-15,22-24
The Lord's mercy endures forever.
Second Reading  1 John 5:1-6
Those who love God keep his commandments.
Gospel ReadingJohn 20:19-31
Thomas does not  refuse the proclamation of the resurrection of Jesus
but simply insists that the risen Jesus must fulfil all his expectations. The following
Sunday Thomas is challenged by Jesus himself to come to the true peace which
only authentic faith can produce. Like Thomas, are we sometimes 'not there'
when Jesus comes, or, again like Thomas, do we want God to behave int he way
that might suit us best? The story of Jesus was written for us, so that we
might deepen our belief that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. such belief
is life-giving. 

April 5 - Easter Sunday : Experiencing Easter Everyday

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 ReadingMark 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. 

April 3 - Good Friday : By His Wounds We Have Healed.

 
 First Reading  Is 52:13—53:12Responsorial Psalm Ps 31:2, 6, 12-13, 15-16, 17, 25Second Reading  Heb 4:14-16; 5:7-9Gospel Reading   Jn 18:1—19:42Today
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

April 2 - Holy Thursday : The Day of Love

  
First Reading  Ex 12:1-8, 11-14 Responsorial Psalm Ps 116:12-13,
15-16bc, 17-18Second 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.

March 29 - Palm Sunday / Passion Sunday : Human abandonment of Jesus

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 ReadingMark 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?

March 22 - Fifth Sunday in Lent: Dying to oneself

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 ReadingJohn 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”. 

March15 - Fourth Sunday in Lent : The measure of God’s love

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 ReadingJohn 3:14-21 Nicodemus is a leading Jew
who comes to Jesus from the darkness of the night but he finds difficult to
understand beyond his Jewish upbringing and training. So Jesus trys to show him
how the history of salvation, from the fall of Adam until the final judgment
revolves around the coming of Jesus Christ, the savior, the Son of God. Why did
the Father send him? Because he “loved the world so much”. God simply couldn't
bear to see us perish in our sins: he longed to share with us his everlasting
lifer. God cares. St. Augustine used to say that “God loves each one of us as
if there was only one of us to love”. Hence the verses 16 and 17 of the Chapter
3 of Johns Gospel is known as “the summery of the Bible” and “essence of the
Gospel”. This is a cause for great JOY and so his 4th Sunday of Lent
is also known as the “Laetare Sunday” which is the ‘Sunday of rejoicing’. The
rose colour vestments used today are a symbol of that joy, like the pink
horizon that comes before a beautiful sunrise. But in the life of Jesus, it is
the “lifting up’. In the Cross that God’s love is made known to us in a
powerful way. The Cross shows us how much God loves us. “To love is to give”
and this is the message of the Cross. It is ‘sacrificial love’.  Can we
love as Jesus loves? That means we should love without counting the cost and
without expecting anything in return. Love through pain and suffering.