November 9 – Thirty Second Sunday : The Feast of the Anniversary of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica at Rome

  First ReadingEzekiel 47:1-2,8-9,12
I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the
east.
Responsorial PsalmPsalm 46:2-3,5-6,8-9
God is our refuge and our strength.
Second Reading1 Corinthians 3:9-13,16-17
You are the temple of God.
Gospel ReadingJohn 2:13-22
We celebrate
today the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome because it is
the head and mother church of all churches in the world. On the façade of the
basilica there is an inscription in Latin which reads, “The mother and mistress
of all churches of Rome and the world.” The Lateran Basilica is the first
church of the Christians at Rome. Every bishop has a cathedral and the Pope’s
cathedral is the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The dedication of a church
reminds us a deeper spiritual reality: that God’s presence among His people
(“God’s home is with human beings! He will live with them and they shall be His
People” - Rev 21:3) and that God dwells in our bodies since they were
consecrated as sacred temples at Baptism (“you are God’s temple and God’s
Spirit lives in you” – 1 Cor 3:16).  May God dwell among us. 

November 2nd - All Souls Day : I believe in the life to come

  First Reading :  Wisdom 3:1-9Responsorial Psalm : Psalm 23:1-6 Second Reading : Romans 6:3-9 Gospel Reading : John 6:37-40  What happens to us
when we die? We believe that firstly we will be judged. After judgment three
choices await us: hell, Purgatory or heaven; hell for those who have rejected
God, heaven for those who die as saints and Purgatory for everybody else. We
would all like to go immediately to heaven when we die but are we living in
such a way that we will die as saints? Would it be more realistic to expect to
spend time in Purgatory being purified? Only perfect love can see God face to
face so in Purgatory we are purified that we may see God face to face. Today we
pray for all the souls who are still in Purgatory undergoing purification and
growing in love before they are ready to see God face to face in heaven. It is
out of our belief in Purgatory that today’s feast springs. If we didn't believe
in Purgatory today’s commemoration of the holy souls and our prayers for them
would not make sense.

November 2 - Thirty First Sunday in Ordinary Time : Beware of pride!

 First ReadingMalacihi 1:14-2:2
Responsorial PsalmPsalm 130 
Second ReadingThessalonians 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.

October 26 - Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time : To love as Jesus loves

 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 22:34-40In 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.

World Mission Sunday 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.

October 19 – Twenty Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Caesar Vs. God

 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.

October 12 - Twenty eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time: When God calls don’t give excuses

 
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 ReadingMatthew 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?  

October 5 - Twenty Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time: God's Patience versus Our accountability

 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. 
 

September 28 – Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Deeds and not only words

 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 ReadingMatthew 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.  

September 21 – Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Gods Generosity

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. 

September 14 - Twenty fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time : The Exaltation of the Holy Cross

 First Reading       :  Numbers 21:4b–9  | anyone who had been
bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he or she was healedPsalm                   :  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.

September 7 - Twenty Thired Sunday in Ordinary Time: restoration of the erring brother or sister

  
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.

August 31 – Twenty Second Sunday in Ordinary Time : Lose yourself

 
 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. 

August 24 -Twenty First Sunday in Ordinary Time : Who is Jesus for me?

 
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?"

17th August - Twentiethh Sunday in Ordinary Time : Outrageous Grace

 First
Reading         :  Isaiah 56:1, 6-7Psalm                     : 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. 

August 10 - Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Fixing our eyes on Jesus

 First
Reading          :  1 Kings 19:9a,11-13aPsalm                      :  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. 

3rd of August- Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : Small is Great

Reading                 :  Isaiah
55:1-3Psalm                    : Psalm 145:8-9,15-18
Second Reading    : Romans 8:35,37-39Gospel                   : 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. 

July 27th – Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time : There's no way to measure what Jesus is worth

 First
Reading        :  1 Kings 3:5,7-12Psalm                    : 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). 
 

July 20th – 16th Sunday in Ordinary Time : God gives many chances

First
Reading        :  Wisdom 12:13,16-19Psalm                    :  Psalm 86:5-6,9-10,15-16
Second Reading    :  Romans 8:26-27
Gospel                   :  Matthew 13:24-43Central 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?

July 13th - Fifteenth Sunday of the Ordinary Time : God’s Word

 First
Reading        :  is 55:10-11Psalm                    : 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.