March 1 - Second Sunday of Lent : Rhythms of Ecstasy and Agony

 First ReadingGenesis 22:1-2,9a,10-13,15-18
Abraham obeyed God and prepared to offer his son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. Responsorial PsalmPsalm 116:10,15,16-17,18-19
A prayer of faithfulness to God
Second ReadingRomans 8:31b-34
God's faithfulness is shown in his offering of his own Son for our salvation.
Gospel ReadingMark 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. 

February 22 - First Sunday of Lent : Knitting and reconciling creation together (2nd Sermon)

 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 ReadingMark 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. 

February 22 - First Sunday of Lent: Renounce Satan with the power of the Word of God

 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 ReadingMark 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. 
 

What is Lent ?

  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.

February 15 - Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Broken but Restored

 
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.

February 8 - Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Saved to Serve

 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.

February 1 - Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Speaking with Authority

 
 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”.

January 25 - Third Sunday in ordinary Time : Seek that which lasts

First Reading Jonah 3:1-5,10
God spared the people of Nineveh because they heeded the message God sent
through JonahResponsorial 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.

January 18 - Second Sunday in the Ordinary Time : Introducing Jesus to others

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. 
 

APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS TO SRI LANKA

 Monday, January 12, 2015
19:00 – Departure from the Airport of Rome/Fiumicino to ColomboTuesday, 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 ColomboThursday, 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

January 11- Baptism of the Lord

 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.
 
 

January 4 - The Feast of the Epiphany: Follow the Star

  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.
 

January First - The Solemnity of Mary Mother of God : The Blessing

  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 ReadingLuke 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.

December 28 - The Feast of the Holy Family

First ReadingGenesis 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 PsalmPsalm 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 ReadingHebrews 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 ReadingLuke 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.

December 25 - The Nativity of our Lord: God enters our messy world

 First ReadingIsaiah 9:1-6
To those in darkness, a child will be born who will have dominion over the
earth.
Responsorial PsalmPsalm 96:1-2,2-3,11-12,13
Sing a new song to the Lord.
Second ReadingTitus 2:11-14
God has appeared, bringing salvation to all.
Gospel ReadingLuke 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). 

December 21 - Fourth Sunday in Advent: Nothing is impossible with God

 
First Reading2 Samuel 7:1-5,8b-12,14a,16The Lord promises David that he will raise from his descendents a kingdom that will endure forever.
Responsorial PsalmPsalm 89:2-5,27,29A prayer of praise to the Lord for his faithfulness to his covenant.
Second ReadingRomans 16:25-27Paul praises God for making his revelation known.
Gospel ReadingLuke 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.
 

December 14 - Third Sunday of Advent : Shine Jesus Shine

 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.

December 7 - Second Sunday of Advent : Prepare the way; metanoia

 
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 ReadingMark 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. 

November 30 - First Sunday of Advent : Be prepared

 First Reading Isaiah 63:16b-17,19b;64:2-7
Isaiah prays for the Lord's forgiveness of the peopleResponsorial Psalm Psalm 80:2-3,15-16,18-19
prayer for the Lord's protectionSecond Reading 1 Corinthians 1:3-9
Paul gives thanks to God for the faith of the Corinthians.Gospel Reading
Mark 13:33-37Today 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. 
 

November 23 - Feast of Christ the King: We will be judged on love

 First ReadingEzekiel 34:11-12,15-17 God himself will shepherd the people of Israel.
Responsorial PsalmPsalm 23:1-2,2-3,5-6  The Lord is
our shepherd.
Second ReadingCorinthians 15:20-26,28  Because
Christ has been raised from the dead, all those who have died will also be
raised.
Gospel ReadingMatthew 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.