What is not expressed in love of neighbour is not true love of God; and, likewise, what is not drawn from one's relationship with God is not true love of neighbor said Pope Francis in his homily today. My dear friends in Christ, today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus 22:20-26 reminds us not to mistreat the alien, the widow or the orphan rather show them love like God showed us. Saint Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians 1:5c-10 our second reading tells us be imitators of Christ and the apostles by loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves. In today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 22:34-40 Jesus in his answer to the scholar of the law who tested him, summarizes the Ten Commandments by stating that the greatest and the first commandment is the love of God which is emphasized in the first three commandments and the second is the love of your neighbor which is emphasized in the last seven commandments. This Love as explained by Christ is not just any kind of emotion or feeling or sentiment but a love centered on Self-giving, Sacrifice and Total Commitment since these are the three essential elements of true love.
Self-giving means disregarding our own advantages and welfare over those of others. Our salvation story is an act of self-giving. The selflessness of God making us in His own image and likeness, the act of the Father in giving His only begotten Son for our redemption and salvation, the act of God the Son coming into our world, taking our human form, suffering and dying for us, the act of God the Holy Spirit in dwelling in us to counsel, comfort, illumine and enlightened us. This same act of self-giving and selflessness was shown us by the apostles and disciples of Christ who gave their all and even their lives for the spread of the gospel. Are we selfless in proclaiming and living out the gospel or are we selfish by making it all about ourselves and not about God whom we are called to preach?
Sacrifice means to suffer loss of, give up, or renounce something for an ideal, belief, or end. God sacrificed all for our salvation and redemption and continues to bless, protect, guide and assist us. As disciples and followers of Christ what have we sacrificed for God in gratitude for our salvation and redemption? What have we sacrificed to let the word of God be heard in our world today?
Total Commitment is a state or an instance of being obligated or emotionally impelled which God has shown us and continues to show us to help us stay committed to and focused on Him as we answer our call to discipleship.
My dear brothers and sisters, since Love is the greatest and first commandment, let us strive to love God more today and show that love of God in our love for our neighbor through self-giving, sacrifice and total commitment. Amen!
When we hear the parables of Jesus in the Scriptures, it seems like fairytales, but when we take a moment to meditate on them, we find out that they are really very relevant and applicable to us today. For instance, the parable of the king who gave a wedding feast for his son we heard in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 22:1-14 informs us of the ingratitude of the chief priests and elders of the people to God which re-echoes our ingratitude to God. This parable also tells us that the kingdom of heaven is open to all and not restricted to a select few. The people who received the first invitation rejected it then God opened it up to everyone without discrimination. But even with this open invitation, there still exists a proper code of dressing or conduct to be observed in order to participate in the feast as we heard in the parable. The chief priests and elders of the people were the first ones to be invited but they ignored the invitation, mistreated the messengers and killed some. Just like the chief priests and the elders of the people, we have been invited to the heavenly banquet of God in His kingdom and we have done the same exact evil acts by ignoring God’s invitation to participate in His banquet. We have also mistreated God’s messengers clergy and laity by our attitude towards them, by our words to them and by our actions towards them too. We have even killed some of them physically and mentally with our hurtful and malicious words and actions to them. So this parable is not far fetched from us because we are still doing the same exact things the chief priests and elders of the people did and even worse today. Ask yourself today, am I living my life as a true Catholic Christian today? Have I answered or am I answering God’s invitation to His banquet? Have I welcomed His messengers and His message? Am I really participating in proclaiming His kingdom in our world today?
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, the best practices to help us live out our Catholic faith and practice the gospel of Christ today is by truly Accepting God’s Word into our lives, by sincerely Living out the Word of God we have received and accepted, by Carrying our crosses daily and following Christ, by Fighting the temptations that come our way as we answer our call to discipleship and by Loving God and our neighbors as ourselves. Amen!
The parable of the evil tenants we heard today in our gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 21:33-43 sums up the life of the chief priests and elders of Israel during the time of Jesus. The punishment of leasing the vineyard to other tenants shows us that the kingdom of God has been granted to the Gentiles because the chief priests and elders have failed to take care of the Lord’s vineyard entrusted to them. In a nutshell, this parable emphasizes the patience, mercy, love and goodness of God to us as well as our wickedness and ingratitude to Him. This parable of the evil servants also reminds us that we have been entrusted with the duty of taking care of the Lord’s vineyard since we are part of the Gentile community and successors of the first gentile followers of Christ. Hence, it is our duty to take care of the Lord’s vineyard, that is the world we live in and it’s inhabitants.
My dear friends in Christ, are we taking care of the Lord’s vineyard today? Is the vineyard of God bearing good fruits today? Are we worst or better than the previous tenants as we heard in the gospel reading? Have we directly or indirectly destroyed the vineyard of God due to laziness, prejudice, lack of love, incompetence or pride? What fruit have we produced as Catholic Christians in the Lord’s vineyard today? Are we working honestly, devoutly and devotedly in the Lord’s vineyard? Are we producing the good fruit that is required of us?
Since it is our duty to take care of the Lord’s vineyard, that is the world we live in, we need to pay attention to the words of Saint Paul to us today in the second reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians 4:6-9 which states “Brothers and sisters: Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” My dear brothers and sisters, it is time to start working for the Lord in his vineyard and bearing good fruit for our Lord. It is time to live out the gospel of Christ we have received, heard and seen. And it is time to be grateful and thankful to God for His patience, love and mercy to us. Amen!
26TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY-TIME, YEAR A
What a year 2020 has been! What hasn’t happened this year? The most recent happening is the great divide in the Catholic Church in America between the Democratic Catholics and the Republican Catholics. Catholic Christians have picked sides based on political ideologies and party beliefs and not on the gospel of Christ as taught in teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church. Our gospel reading today, urges us to ask ourselves this question, “how do I as a Christian respond to God’s call to be his disciple in the world today? Jesus in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 21:28-32 tells us the story of how two sons responded to their father’s request to go out and work in his vineyard. The first son responded negatively but later changed his mind and did as his father wanted. The second son responded positively but never did as his father wanted. These two sons represent the type of Christians in existence during the time of Jesus as well as their attitude towards God. The first group are the ones who responded positively to God’s call to be his disciples but are not living out the gospel of Christ and adhering to the demands of discipleship. This group of Christians are the Scribes, Pharisees and Sadducees as mentioned by Jesus. The second group of Christians are the ones who responded negatively to God’s call to be his disciples then later changed their lives for good by living out the gospel and following the footsteps of Christ. This group of Christians are the tax collectors and prostitutes. So what group do you fall under? Do you say ‘yes’ to God and later switch it to a ‘no’? Or have you said ‘no’ to Him then changed it to a ‘yes’ later? Do not forget that just as the father in the gospel reading called on his sons to go out and work in his vineyard, so are we called as Christians and disciples of Christ to do so in our world and especially in our country today. Are we really out in the world today working for God? Have we abandoned or left the teachings of Christ and the doctrines of the Church for the ideologies and beliefs of the world that go contrary to our call to discipleship and the kingdom of heaven?
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, it is time to go out into the world and work for the Lord. Today’s gospel reading is a wake up call for us Christians to truly and sincerely embrace and accept the gospel and teachings of Christ and stop being fake and phony. Like the father in the gospel reading requested of his sons, to go out and work in his vineyard, it is indeed time to go out into the world and make the gospel of Christ known by hearing/listening to his word, by accepting his word we have heard and by living out the word of God and the gospel of Christ we have heard and accepted. Amen!
Generosity is the theme of our gospel reading today from the gospel of Saint Matthew 20:1-16a as Jesus emphasizes God’s generosity in the parable of the landowner and the laborers. The actions of the land owner in reaching out to the laborers, hiring all of them and paying all of them the same amount of wage notwithstanding when they were hired and his words to them saying “are you envious because I am generous?” re-echoes God’s everlasting love and generosity towards us. It is because of this love and generosity of God to us that Prophet Isaiah in our first reading today from Isaiah 55:6-9 reminds us to seek God first, return to him and turn to the Him for mercy because He is generous and forgiving. Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians 1:20c-24,27 our second reading urges us to conduct ourselves in a way or manner worthy of the gospel of Christ because of God’s love, mercy and generosity towards us.
My dear friends in Christ, where would you be today without God’s love, mercy and generosity? Have you ever imagined what your life would be like without God in it? Have you ever taken the time to appreciate and be grateful to God for His blessings to you? Have you ever thought about the graces and mercies God has bestowed and continues to bestow upon you? Do you pay attention to God’s infinite love, mercy and generosity towards you?
My brothers and sisters, since generosity is the willingness to give or to share or an act of unselfishness, let us strive to live out this great virtue daily in our lives by being generous, by sharing our gifts, talents and blessings with others. Let us also continue to work very hard in being true, faithful and sincere disciples of Christ by following his example of generosity, self-giving and unselfishness as we answer our call to discipleship. Amen!
24th Sunday Of Ordinary Time, Year A
Forgiveness is an essential element in Christianity and in the life of the Catholic Church. Forgiveness is also a very important aspect in the life of every disciple of Christ. Forgiveness has been defined by the Catholic dictionary as pardon or remission of an offense. Psychologists have also defined it as a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they actually deserve your forgiveness. Do we pardon others who have offended us? Have we made conscious, deliberate decisions to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward persons or groups who have harmed or hurt us especially when we think about how often God forgives us?
Today’s first reading from the Book of Sirach 27:30-28:7 and the gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 18:21-35 both give us great insights into how this virtue works. These readings also emphasize the importance of Forgiveness in the life of every child of God. In the book of Sirach, we are told to think about the commandments which are all centered on love, to hate not our neighbor, to forgive our neighbor’s injustice; so that when we pray, our own sins will be forgiven. In the gospel of Saint Matthew, Jesus tells us in his response to Peter to forgive our brother not seven times but seventy-seven times because if we don’t, we will not be forgiven by our Heavenly Father. My dear friends in Christ, Forgiveness is a very difficult virtue to live out. How can one easily let go of a hurt or even love one who hates them or has harmed them? How can you forgive a hurt and forget it that easily? How can you forgive someone who doesn’t want your good? These readings not only emphasizes the importance of the virtue of Forgiveness in the life of a Christian but goes on to state why it is essential for every Christian. Firstly, Forgiveness is essential for us Christians because it is a requirement for discipleship, as Christ suffered and died on the cross forgiving us our sins. So if we are to be like Christ and be faithful disciples of His, then we have to be forgiving like Him.
Secondly, Forgiveness is also essential in our lives as Christians because it is synonymous with God since God’s love is all encompassing and is always made available to us through His blessings, graces and mercies upon us. Thirdly, Forgiveness leads to peace, a peace that grows with our love for God and is shown in our love for our neighbors. Lastly, Forgiveness brings us closer to God who constantly pardons our sins and brings us closer to Himself as His children.
My brothers and sisters, let us strive to cultivate and nurture the virtue of Forgiveness in our lives as Christians so as to grow in our love for God by loving Him better in our love for others. Also, let us not forget Jesus’s call to forgive our brother(or sister) not seven times but seventy-seven times because when we forgive them, then we will be forgiven by our Heavenly Father. Amen!
Love which is a desire for the ultimate good of another and the act of self-giving is the center of today’s readings. In today’s first reading, Prophet Ezekiel in Ez. 33:7-9 emphasizes the importance of love for our neighbors with God’s words to us that If we do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from their way, He will hold us responsible for their death. In the second reading from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans 13:8-10, while reminding us that love is the fulfillment of the law, St. Paul tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves, because true Christian Love does no evil to the neighbor. Then in the gospel reading from the gospel of St. Matthew 18:15-20, Jesus states the importance of love in conflict resolution and in times of disagreements. So how do we love people who hurt us, hate us, fight us and reject us? This is a very difficult task to fulfill especially in our world today. But let us not forget the words of Jesus to us in the gospel reading, “where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” So, when we let go and let God into our lives, He will be in our midst to take charge of the situation. So how do we let go and let God take charge in times of conflict so as to live out the Christian Love emphasized in today’s readings?
We can do so by first of all by communicating with one another. In times of conflict, we have to communicate with one another so as to know the best way to move forward. Secondly, we have to listen to each other when we communicate so as to know what the problem is and find out how best to deal with it. Thirdly, as we are listening to each other, we have to try to understand each other’s feelings and sentiments in such moments as well as understand how well to deal with the situation. Fourthly, we have to accept our wrongdoings and faults to let peace reign and to deal with the conflict. Lastly, we have to sacrifice and let go of our pride for peace and love to reign.
My brothers and sisters, since love is the greatest commandment and since love does no evil to the neighbor as stated by St. Paul, let us love one another by reaching out to one another, communicating with one another, listening to one another with our hearts and not just our ears, understanding each other, accepting our faults and wrongdoings and lastly, swallowing our pride by sacrificing so that peace will reign. Amen!
Then Jesus said to his disciples in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 16:21-27, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” With these words, Jesus emphasizes the demands of discipleship. Hence, in order for us to become true disciples of Christ, we have to:
Firstly, deny ourselves, which means have God be the center and focus of our lives and not letting ourselves, earthly attachments and desires distract us from focusing on God. Denying ourselves also means proving our faith and our fidelity to God by living out our Christian Catholic faith.
Secondly, in order for us to become true disciples of Christ, we have to take up and bear our crosses daily as Christians. Taking up our crosses means imitating Christ in his suffering and death and being able to endure the difficulties, trials, persecution, hardships and struggles that come our way when answering our call to discipleship and when we live out the gospel of Christ.
Thirdly, in order for us to become true disciples of Christ, we have to follow Him daily as his witnesses and true examples in the world. Following Christ entails listening/hearing His word, understanding His word, accepting His word and putting His word we have heard, understood and accepted into practice.
My dear brothers and sisters, are we really disciples of Christ? If we are disciples of Christ, have we truly and sincerely denied ourselves to have God be the center of our lives? Have we denied ourselves of earthly attachments and desires so as to focus more on God, stand firm in Him and have Him be in charge of our lives? Have we taken up our crosses daily as we witness to Christ in our world today? Are we wholeheartedly following Christ daily, preaching and living out His gospel?
It is time to come closer to God by denying ourselves and focusing on God, by taking up our crosses daily and by following Christ in answer to our call to discipleship.
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Jesus said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” This was the question Jesus asked his disciples in the region of Caesarea Philippi as we heard in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 16:13-20. The disciples of Jesus have been with him for quite some time now and as they passed by the region of Caesarea Philippi, (an ancient Roman city located at the southwestern base of Mount Hermon adjacent to a spring, grotto, and related shrines dedicated to the Greek god Pan and others gods), he wanted to know if they really knew who he was, so he asked them that question. With their silence, one can tell they did not know who he was until Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”
So who do you think Jesus is or who is Jesus to you? We seem to know a lot of biblical and empirical facts about Jesus Christ, but how well do we know him on a personal and spiritual level. The answer of Saint Peter in today’s gospel reading “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God” reminds us of who Jesus should be in our lives as Christians. His answer emphasizes that Jesus being the Christ is our REDEEMER and our SAVIOR. This same answer also reminds us that Jesus being the Son of the living God truly LOVES us, CARES for us and BLESSES us.
By his death on the cross, Jesus redeemed and saved us from a life of sin and from the devil to newness of life in him. How appreciative are we to God for our redemption and salvation? How often do we recognize and acknowledge what Jesus has done for us by dying on the cross?
By being the Son of the living God, Jesus loves us, cares for us and blesses us. Do we value and cherish Jesus’s love, care and blessings to us? We complain often about everything that goes wrong in our life and how God does not answer our prayers, but how grateful are we to Him for all the good things he does in our life? Do we even know that God truly loves us that he sent his only begotten Son to take our human form, suffer and die a shameful death on the cross for us? Do we pay attention to how much God cares for us as he forgives us our sins, guides us, protects us and continually blesses us with his mercies, graces and blessings?
My dear brothers and sister, Saint Peter’s with his answer to Jesus in today’s gospel reading “you are the Christ, the Son of the living God” reminds us of the need to recognize, acknowledge and appreciate God’s redemptive role in our lives and his love, care and blessings to us through Jesus Christ his Son our Lord. Amen!
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We always talk about the importance of faith in God. We are always reminded by the Scriptures of the need to deepen and strengthen our faith in God. In today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 15:21-28 , we hear a story of faith as the Canaanite woman stood firm in her belief that Jesus will save her daughter. The actions of this woman clearly emphasizes the characteristics of true faithfulness to God. What are these characteristics?
Prayer - By her constant communication with Jesus even in his silence, the Canaanite woman shows us that prayer is very important and essential in our faith in God. Prayer is our communication with God in which we adore him, praise him, worship him, thank him for all he has done and continues to do in our lives and ask him for our needs. Hence, Prayerfulness which means being devout, inclined or given to praying frequently is essential in our call to be faithful to God.
Patience - The Canaanite woman was very patient in her approach to Jesus especially in his silence and with his response to her. How patient are we in our approach to God as his children? How patient are we in our approach to repentance and true conversion? Patience as we know is the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset, so how accepting and tolerant are we towards others and to ourselves in our spiritual lives as Christians
Perseverance - The Canaanite woman was very persistent and persevering in her plea to Jesus. She never gave up in her request to have her daughter saved from the demon and she received what she wanted or needed from Jesus. How persevering and persistent are we in our prayer and spiritual lives as we journey back to God? How persevering are we in being faithful and true witnesses of Christ?
My dear brothers and sisters, the Canaanite woman in today’s gospel reading teaches us the characteristics of true faithfulness to God which are: Prayer, Patience and Perseverance. Her exemplary actions led to these words from Jesus, “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” So let us deepen our faith in God and let it be done for us as we wish by being faithful to God through Prayer, Patience and Perseverance. Hence by so doing, we will come closer to God in our spiritual lives and attain the kingdom of heaven after our lives on earth. Amen!
Jesus said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?” With these words of Jesus to Peter, He reminds us of the importance of deepening and strengthening our faith in Him as Catholic Christians. Faith as we were taught in the Catechism of the Catholic Church is ‘first of all a personal adherence of man to God. At the same time, and inseparably, it is a free assent to the whole truth that God has revealed.’ This means that faith is the attachment or commitment of man to God, expressed by an approval or agreement. Faith is also an entirely free gift that God gives to man that makes us taste in advance the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here below. If that is the case, how attached or committed are we to God? How have we expressed our approval and agreement of the whole truth that God has revealed? Why don’t we pay attention to the light of the beatific vision, the goal of our journey here on earth? Today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 14:22-33 reveals some of the reasons why we have failed in deepening and strengthening our faith in God.
The first reason is Fear. Like Peter in the gospel reading, we are scared of our environment or surroundings. We are scared of the reaction of people around us, their criticisms, their rejection, and the persecution we will encounter in living out and proclaiming the gospel of Christ. We worry about what people think about us and what they will say about us and we forget to concentrate and focus on Christ our Savior.
The second reason is Pride. Many times, we make the proclamation and the living out of the gospel about us and not about God. Sometimes we preach our own gospel centered on our own beliefs, prejudices and idiosyncrasies rather than on the teachings of Christ as taught in the doctrines and teachings of the Catholic Church. We even live out the gospel for the praise and approval of people instead of God.
The third reason is Laziness. We find it difficult to learn more about our faith, practice our faith, and proclaim our faith in God to others. We give excuses for not having time for God in our lives yet we have time for everything else. Where would we be today without God? And what would we have today with Him? No excuse is greater or more important than God.
The last reason is impatience. We find it difficult to accept or tolerate delay in our journey back to God. We sincerely want to make changes in our spiritual lives but we are not patient enough to let it be a reality. We lack the spirit of perseverance in the call to repentance and change in our spiritual lives. We always look for the easiest way out and forget that the journey to true conversion and repentance is a gradual and dedicated process.
My dear brothers and sisters, now is the time to start deepening and strengthening our faith in God. Now is the time to let go of the past and focus more on Jesus by trusting and hoping in Him as we deepen and strengthen our faith in Him. So, let us pray for the grace to fight the vices of Fear, Pride, Laziness and Impatience with the virtues of Courage, Humility, Perseverance and Patience. Amen!
In today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 14:13-21 Jesus feeds five thousand men, not counting women and children with five loaves and two fish and they all ate and were satisfied. This miracle prefigures the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of our Catholic faith in which Jesus gives us his body and blood for our sanctification then reminds us of the importance of the Eucharist in our lives as Catholic Christians. With this miracle, Jesus shows his Love, Kindness and Care for us. By Loving us, Jesus suffered and gave his life on the cross for us so that we will be saved, be redeemed and have new life in Him. Through his Kindness, we have continually received his blessings, graces and mercies as his children not withstanding our sins and faults. Then, by Caring for us, He has given us his body to eat and his blood to drink in the Eucharist so as to nourish, strengthen us and protect us from the evil one.
So how do we reciprocate this Love, Kindness and Care of God to us through Christ in the Holy Eucharist? We can do so by:
Firstly Loving God more - which means that we need to rekindle our love for God especially through the Holy Eucharist. The Eucharist is the heart and the summit of the Church's life, for in it Christ associates his Church and all her members with his sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving offered once for all on the cross to his Father; by this sacrifice he pours out the graces of salvation on his Body which is the Church.
Secondly, by spiritually preparing ourselves to welcome Christ into our lives. For instance, preparing ourselves before Mass to participate in the greatest sacrifice and sacrament because the Holy Eucharist augments our union with Christ by preserving, increasing, and renewing the life of grace we received at Baptism. Also, if we prepare ourselves for almost everything we do in life, why do we find it hard to prepare ourselves spiritually speaking so as to welcome God into our lives?
Thirdly, by being grateful to God for all He has done and continues to do in our lives, since the Holy Eucharist strengthens our charity, which tends to be weakened in daily life; and this living charity wipes away venial sins and through the grace of God, preserves us from future mortal sins. Gratitude to God is very important and essential in the life of every Christian because our being today and all we have is not out of our own merit or hard work, but a gift given us by God.
My dear brothers and sisters, it is time to go back to God as we are reminded by Prophet Isaiah in our first reading and like Saint Paul emphasized in the second reading, never let anything or anyone separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Hence, let us reciprocate God’s love, kindness and care to us through Christ by loving Him more, by spiritually preparing ourselves daily to receive Him in the Holy Eucharist and by consistently showing Him gratitude in our call to charity. Amen!
17TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
The Kingdom of Heaven is the opposite of the superfluous things the world offers, the opposite of a dull life: it is a treasure that renews everyday life and leads it to extend towards wider horizons said Pope Francis while explaining today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 13:44-52. Jesus in our gospel reading today compares the kingdom of heaven to ‘a treasure buried in a field, which a person finds and hides again, and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. And to a merchant searching for fine pearls. When he finds a pearl of great price, he goes and sells all that he has and buys it.’ Jesus used very concrete and natural examples which could be regarded as the greatest known treasures in his time to compare the kingdom of heaven, so as to draw the attention of his disciples to the greatest treasure they have and have never appreciated or preserved.
What is the greatest treasure you have as a Catholic Christian today? Monsignor Arthur Tonne writing on today’s gospel reading wrote that the treasure or the pearl of great price Jesus was talking about in these two parables, is our faith in God, which makes us members of the kingdom of heaven. So if our faith in God is the greatest treasure we have as Christians and since Faith in God is our belief, confidence or trust in God without evidence, how are we strengthening and preserving this great treasure? Is our faith in God really the opposite of the superfluous treasures the world offers? Do we renew our faith everyday and does it lead us closer to God?
My dear brothers and sisters, to deepen, nourish and strengthen our faith in God, we need to imitate the two men in the first two parables given us in today’s gospel reading by giving up and sacrificing all the superfluous things the world offers us and concentrating only on the gift of faith given us by Prayer, Perseverance and Patience. Let us Pray tirelessly, Persevere relentless and Patiently walk closer to God. Amen!
16TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
The parable of the wheat and weeds we heard in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 13:24-43 challenges us to pay greater attention to our Catholic faith and its teachings today. It reminds us to strengthen and deepen our faith in God so as to fight the temptations of the devil and his followers who are bent on destroying our relationship with God. Also the Fathers of the Church explaining this parable referred to the wheat in this parable as the gospel of God contained in the teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church and the weeds as the false doctrines and teachings being sown by the devil into the Church to destroy it. In our world today, it is very difficult to distinguish the teachings and doctrines of the Catholic Church because many of us have twisted them to fit our own rhetorics and ideologies. We have turned the gospel of God into our own gospel and have diluted, misconstrued and even misinterpreted it. Hence, this parable of the wheat and weeds is very relevant to us today. Due to the difficulties, criticisms, trials and persecutions we face in our world and society today, we have become so scared and lazy in deepening and strengthening our faith in God, that we have allowed ourselves to be distracted and deceived from coming closer to Him. We have indeed allowed the weeds sown among us by the devil to grow and destroy the wheat of God that we are. It is indeed sad and disheartening to see how we have let the false teachings and ideologies of the world destroy our relationship with God. My dear friends, it is time to wake up from our spiritual slumber and laziness, be watchful, be careful and be alert so as not to follow the trends of the times or the world and hinder ourselves from attaining the kingdom of heaven. Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans 8:26-27, our second reading today reminds us that ‘the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; ... (and) the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. So we are not alone, God is with us, but we have to do our part. My brothers and sisters, the parable of the wheat and weed urges us to deepen our knowledge of God and his teachings by learning more about our faith with adequate research and understanding so as to avoid error and ignorance. This parable also encourages us to practice the virtues of patience, tolerance and forbearance when dealing with the people and things of the world so as to overcome evil with good. Lastly, this parable urges us to persevere in good works and faith by following the footsteps of Christ so as not to allow anything distract or hinder us from achieving our heavenly goal.
15TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
Saint Matthew in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 13:1-23 tells us the parable of the sower which shows us the generosity of God in giving us His word and pouring Himself into our souls thereby sowing His word into our lives. This parable of the sower also reminds us of the demands of discipleship which are very essential in helping us grow in our faith and in coming closer to God. What are these demands of discipleship? They are: Hearing and listening to the gospel of Christ, Understanding the gospel of Christ, Accepting the gospel of Christ and Practicing the gospel of Christ.
Hearing and listening to the gospel of Christ means paying attention to or hearing something with thoughtful attention. Do we really pay attention to God in our lives today? Do we truly hear the gospel of Christ with firm, thoughtful and dedicated attention as His disciples?
Understanding the gospel of Christ means comprehending or having a deeper insight on the message of Christ to us. Do we take our time to know more about God as His children? Do we really try to know the meaning and significance of the gospel of Christ? How often do we spend time on learning and researching about our faith, and the doctrines and teachings of the Catholic Church?
Accepting the gospel of Christ means truly believing in the gospel of Christ and recognizing its importance in our lives. How strong is our belief in God and how do we strengthen that belief? Have we recognized and appreciated the importance of God in our lives and in our world today?
My dear brothers and sisters, let us make the Word of God fruitful and effective in our lives today by sincerely striving to hear and listen to His word; by making the effort to understand the gospel of Christ; by wholeheartedly accepting God’s word into our lives and by witnessing to the gospel of Christ as we put all our faith, hope and trust in God.
‘Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him’ stated Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans 8:9, 11-13 our second reading today. My dear friends in Christ, yes we are made in God’s image and likeness, yes we are children of God, yes we are blessed indeed by God because we are His own, but how do we live in the Spirit so as to have the Spirit of God dwell in us? How can we have the Spirit of Christ in us and how do we belong to Him?
Living in the Spirit entails being led by the promptings of the Holy Spirit to transform and renew ourselves in mind, body and spirit so as to discern and do the will of God. Hence, in order to live in the Spirit, we are called to do the following: Go back to God, Listen to Him, Accept His Word, Obey Him and Practice His Word.
Going back to God means repenting of our sins and renewing our lives in Him. Are you ready to change your life for God and for good? If so, it is time say ‘no’ to a life of sin and say ‘yes’ to a renewed life in God.
Listening to God means opening up our hearts and not just our ears when we hear His gospel. Are you willing and ready to hear and welcome
the Word of God into your life today?
Accepting the gospel here means receiving, acknowledging and affirming the gospel of Christ. Have you truly said “yes” to the gospel or are we still rationalizing, picking and choosing the ones you like and the ones that fits your own ideologies and beliefs instead of accepting God’s word?
Obeying God is of great importance if we are His disciples, because obedience to Him is answering the call to discipleship. Are you obedient to God?
Practicing God’s word is living out the gospel of Christ and living out the gospel is establishing the kingdom of God on earth. Are you practicing your faith and your belief in God by living out the gospel and establishing His kingdom in the world?
My dear brothers and sisters, it is time to live in the Spirit and let the Spirit of Christ dwell in us by wholeheartedly going back to God, by sincerely listening to Him speak to us through the gospels and the teachings of the Church, by truthfully accepting His gospel, by being obedient to Him and by living out His gospel. Amen
Answering the call to discipleship means loving God and loving God entails hearing the Word of God, accepting the Word of God we have heard, then living out and proclaiming the Word of God we have heard and accepted. This seems and sounds very easy yet very difficult to do. Of course by now we all know how difficult it is to answer the call to discipleship in our world today, that resists, attacks and rejects the gospel of Christ. Because of the difficulty of being a disciple of Christ in our world today, Jesus reminds us in today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 10:37-42 that “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” These words of Jesus seems to be very strong and strange but they are very true and authentic. With these words, Jesus clearly points out to us that difficulties, hardships, struggles, suffering, rejection, persecution, criticism and pain will be encountered by His disciples when answering the call to discipleship, but when we take up our crosses and follow Him, we will surely overcome them and we will receive our reward in the end. Taking up our crosses and following Christ means loving God and sharing that love wherever we find ourselves. According to Pope Francis, “there is no true love without the cross, without a personal price to pay. When borne with Jesus, the cross is not scary because He's always at our side to help us.” So my dear friends in Christ, what crosses are we carrying in your lives today? How are we carrying those crosses daily? Are we carrying our crosses and still following Christ or have we given up because we feel overwhelmed or exhausted or feel like God is no longer with us?
As Christians we will face trials, persecution, criticism, rejection etc daily because of our belief in God. As human beings, we will also face the daily challenges of family issues, economic issues, health issues, psychological issues etc, but in those situations and moments, let us remember that nothing is impossible for God and if God is with us, who can be against us. Hence, let us take up our crosses and follow Christ. Let us strive to be true disciples of Christ as St. Paul in his letter to the Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 reminds us in today’s second reading by dying to sin so as to live out the gospel of Christ daily. Let us stand firm in God no matter what we encounter in life as Christians because we will surely not lose our heavenly reward when we truly answer our call to discipleship. Remember my brothers and sisters, with firmness of faith in God, perseverance and charity, we will overcome all and surely not lose our reward of heaven. Amen!
12TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME, YEAR A
What hinders us from saying “Yes” to God? What scares us from sincerely, truthfully and wholeheartedly answering our call to discipleship? What makes it impossible for us to accept, proclaim and live out the gospel of Christ? Prophet Jeremiah tells us in today’s first reading Jer 20:10-13 that it will not be easy answering the call to discipleship and proclaiming the gospel of God, because we will be terrorized, denounced, trapped, rejected, denied and prosecuted, but God will rescue us from the power of the wicked. So If we have been saved by the grace of God in the person of Jesus Christ as Saint Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans 5:12-15 today’s second reading, then nothing can stop us from being true disciples of Christ, our Savior. This is exactly the reason why Jesus told to His disciples in today’s gospel reading, ‘Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.’ Hence, we cannot let the fear of the world make it impossible for us to live out and proclaim the gospel of Christ.
Fear is the major reason why we have failed to be faithful to God or proclaim and live out His gospel in our world today. Fear is an emotion caused by anxiety or the uneasiness of being afraid of something or someone. Fear has made us fail to be faithful and true disciples of Christ. Fear has crippled our call to go out to the whole world and proclaim the Goodnews. Ask yourself today what is this fear that prevents me from proclaiming God in the world? And why am I afraid or what am I afraid of that is more important to me than being with God in heaven after my life here on earth? There is a solution to conquering and crippling fear. Fear can be crippled by detachment. Detachment which is the state of being objective or aloof from the world and its glories or beliefs is the best way to fight our fears. And when we detach ourselves from the world and its glories and beliefs, we have to attach ourselves firmly to and in God, then the grace of God will surely lead and guide us to proclaim Him fearless in our world today, then help us attain the kingdom of heaven after our lives here on earth.
Dear brothers and sisters, let us pray for the grace to truly detach ourselves from the world today so as to firmly attach ourselves to God, answer our call to discipleship, truly accept His word in our lives, then proclaim and live out His gospel fearlessly.
SOLEMNITY OF THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST (CORPUS CHRISTI)
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ also known as Corpus Christi. Today’s solemnity reminds us of the mystery of the Most Holy Eucharist emphasizing what Jesus has done for us and the devotion to real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. The other sacraments, and indeed all ecclesiastical ministries and works of the apostolate, are bound up with the Eucharist and are oriented toward it. For in the blessed Eucharist is contained the whole spiritual good of the Church, namely Christ himself, our Pasch. The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God's action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit. By the Eucharistic celebration we already unite ourselves with the heavenly liturgy and anticipate eternal life, when God will be all in all. In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith. With this explanation of the Eucharist from the catechism in mind, the solemnity of Corpus Christi is a day of thanksgiving to God for the gift of the Eucharist to us and a reminder that the Eucharist is the food for eternal life with and in God. As we celebrate this solemnity today, we celebrate the suffering, passion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus and are strengthened as His disciples to proclaim and live out His gospel in our world with the gifts of the Holy Eucharist in reparation for our sins and to obtain spiritual or temporal benefits from God. Hence, the Eucharist offers us closeness and unity with God as well as a spiritual intimacy with Him needed in our everyday lives as Catholic Christians. What is this closeness and unity that the Eucharist offers?
The Closeness emphasized here is a quality of affection, respect, appreciate and understanding typically involved in a relationship. So how close are we to God in the Eucharist? Do we really show authentic affection to Him? Do we respect Jesus in the Holy Eucharist and do we appreciate and understand His presence in our life and in our churches? Since Unity is a state of being joined as a whole, how united are we with Him in our daily lives? Are we one with Him as re-echoed by Saint Paul in today’s second reading in his First Letter to the Corinthians? How close and united are we to God especially in this trying times in our world? Spiritual Intimacy which is close spiritual familiarity or friendship with God, is the next quality the Eucharist offers us. Ask yourself today, am I truly intimate with Christ in my spiritual life, and if I am not, then how can I do so?
My dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi today, let us pray for the grace to continue to be close and united with God as well as be spiritually intimate with Him so as to continue answer our call to discipleship and live out His gospel Daily. Amen!
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. The Most Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three divine persons, united in substance and equal in majesty, yet different and distinct. They are of one substance and share a oneness and an intimacy based on love. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity is the central mystery of the Christian faith and of Christian life. God alone can make it known to us by revealing himself as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Incarnation of God's Son reveals that God is the eternal Father and that the Son is consubstantial with the Father, which means that, in the Father and with the Father the Son is one and the same God. The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father as the first principle and, by the eternal gift of this to the Son, from the communion of both the Father and the Son. Hence, the Trinity is inseparable in what they are and inseparable in what they do. By the grace of Baptism "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit", we as Catholic Christians are called to share in the life of the Blessed Trinity, here on earth in the obscurity of faith, and after death in eternal light. We worship one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity, without either confusing the persons or dividing the substance; because the Godhead of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is one, their glory equal, their majesty coeternal.
The Most Holy Trinity reveals the fullness of unity of God’s love, centered on peace and sacrifice. But what kind of sacrifice or what is this sacrifice all about? The sacrifice emphasized by the Most Holy Trinity entails love, unity and peace. St. Paul in today’s second reading from his Second letter to the Corinthians 13:11-13 while encouraging the Church in Corinth to be one and united with the blessings of the Holy Trinity, reminds us that this sacrifice emphasized by Most Holy Trinity can be achieved by ‘mending our ways, encouraging one another, agreeing with one another, and living in peace. Then when we do so, the God of love and peace will be with us.’
My dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity today, let us truly start mending our lives for God and for good by loving one another, by respecting one another, by encouraging one another, by accepting one another no matter our race, color or creed, by supporting one another and by living in peace with one another as God’s children. Amen!
THE SOLEMNITY OF THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD, JESUS CHRIST
God the Father in His infinite love as our Creator gave us life and many spiritual gifts to partake in His eternal life. Jesus Christ, His Son took our human form as a creature, suffered, died and resurrected to grant us new life and salvation. The Holy Spirit illumined and enlightened us with its gifts thereby inspiring and directing us to attain the kingdom of God after our lives on earth. How have we reacted to and reciprocated this love shown us by the Blessed Trinity?
Jesus in today’s gospel reading before His ascension into heaven, gives His disciples the Great Commission as the perfect way to reciprocate and show gratitude to the Blessed Trinity for the love shown us. Jesus for the first time ever makes His authority explicitly known with these words “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” After these words, He commissioned His disciples saying, “Go, therefore,” since He has the power and authority given Him by His Father, He now delegates part of that power to them, giving them a mission to accomplish which is to “make disciples of all nations” that is, convert all nations to believe in Him and to become His disciples and followers. Jesus goes on to say “baptizing them” which exclusively points out the specific way or means they were to use in making non-believers His disciples. Then He emphasizes how this call to discipleship through baptism would be solidified, it must be Trinitarian, “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,” showing that whoever is to be His disciple has to belong to and be incorporated into fellowship with the Most Holy Trinity. Jesus urged them further saying “teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you,” since they are now part of Him, hence, they have to abide and keep the laws He has laid down in His Church and given to His disciples. He then ends by emphasizing to them “behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age,” which means that He will continue to be with them to the end through His Church and His successors - the Popes.
My dear friends in Christ, how have we adhered to this Great Commission which is an act of love to God? Are we using the graces, mercies and blessings given us by God to spread His gospel in our world today? Are we really making disciples for God in our world today or are we dividing the Church, discouraging and deceiving the ones who sincerely want to be disciples of Christ by our words and actions especially in this time of the Corona Virus pandemic? How are we paying attention to and living out the effects of the sacrament of baptism we received in our world today? What are we really teaching the world today about God and how are we teaching the world to observe all Christ has taught and commanded us?
My dear brothers and sisters, it is time to wake up from our spiritual slumber. It is time to heed and answer Jesus’s request to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” When we encounter hardships in living out the commands of Christ or feel like it is too difficult to attain or burdensome, let us not give up on ourselves or give up on God, rather let us remember these words of Jesus to us in the gospel reading, “behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” Amen!
We live in a troubled and crazy world. Of course with the strange happenings around us and even the Corona Virus pandemic that has led to the shutdown of the world in general, things are getting crazier, weird, strange and difficult. This craziness, weirdness, strangeness in our world today has been in existence since time immemorial even during the time of Jesus. Jesus knows that along the line, his disciples will face such craziness and strangeness in our world that will lead to confusion and worry. To this, He prepares His disciples letting them know what to do in those times as they face such realities with these words from our gospel reading today, from the gospel of Saint John 14:1-12 - “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me, ... I am the way and the truth and the life.” With these words, Jesus did not give His disciples an answer to the situation, but encouraged them, reminding them that they will have to work harder to overcome these in their spiritual lives by deepening their faith in Him, by following His examples and lifestyle like He followed that of His Father and by doing great and marvelous works like He did.
How do we deepen our faith in God in these times? We can do so by totally trusting in Him in this troubling times. Trust means firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something, hence, it means for us Christians to have a firm belief in God at all times and in every situation. This is very important because oftentimes we think we have all the answers and solutions, we want to play the role of God our Creator instead of being His creatures. But by totally trusting in God, we let go and let God be in control and be in charge of our lives, that is why He tells us not to be troubled and to trust in God and in Him in the gospel reading.
How can we follow Jesus’s examples and lifestyle like He followed that of His Father in a strange world like ours? We can do so by knowing and learning more about Him, by accepting and following His teachings which has the fullness of life in it. By knowing and following Him, we remind ourselves once again how special we are as His children, ‘a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light’ as Saint Peter re-emphasizes to us in our second reading today from the first letter of Saint Peter Pt 2:4-9.
How can we do great and marvelous works like He did? We can do so by praising the good we do and see in our world today, by speaking out against the ills perpetuated in our society today, by creating an awareness on how we can correct these wrongs in our world and society and by tackling the problems of our times head on. Do not forget my dear friends the words of Jesus to us in the gospel reading today “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these.”
So let us go out and tell as well as show the world that Jesus Christ our risen Lord, is truly the Way, the Truth and the Life and though our hearts might be heavy and troubled in this dark times, we still have faith, hope and trust in Him. God has not given up on us, so we cannot give up on ourselves. Hence, it is time to come closer to Him by deepening our faith in Him, by following His examples and lifestyle like He followed that of His Father and by doing great and marvelous works like He did.
All our readings today have words of encouragement for us in this horrible time of the COVD-19 pandemic. In today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint John 11:1-45 Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. These words of Jesus should be heard by each and everyone of us today as we battle with the COVID-19 pandemic. Jesus reminds us with these words of who is in control and who to trust in. He is in control and He is the one we need to trust in during these difficult times. Yes it is a fact that we are all worried at the moment on what next is going to happen to us, our loved ones, family, friends etc especially as more and more people are infected and killed by this deadly virus. Jesus assures us to believe in Him and that He is with us in these trying times.
Saint Paul in his letter to the Romans 8:8-11 our second reading today informs us that “If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.” Hence, no matter what we are going through or experiencing in our lives especially now, we are reminded that the Spirit of God is with us even in these times. In our first reading today from the Book of Prophet Ezekiel 37:12-14, Prophet Ezekiel tells us that God is with us and will put His spirit in us that we may live. So with God on our side, we will be victorious and conquer all that threatens our existence in Him and our relationship with Him.
Yes it is a fact that these readings emphasize the presence, importance and significance of God in our lives as His sons and daughters, but they also remind us that as disciples of Christ, we are called to truly and sincerely Acknowledge God in our lives today.
Acknowledging God in our lives as Christians means we are to accept Him, proclaim His existence in and to our world and recognize Him in our everyday lives. Have we truly accepted God into our lives? If we have, why do we still doubt His presence in the difficult moments of our lives? Why do we still question and reject Him and His gospel? Do we even believe and admit that He is with us especially as we battle the COVID-19 pandemic? Do we recognize Him in the blessings, graces and mercies He constantly bestows upon us even with the trials we face in our lives?
My dear brothers and sisters, we are really and genuinely blessed by God as His children as today’s readings remind us, but we have to acknowledge these blessings by accepting Him as our Savior and Redeemer, by admitting and proclaiming His existence in our world and by recognizing Him in our everyday lives no matter the pain, suffering, difficulties, hardships and struggles that come our way. Amen!
During these difficult times of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have so many thoughts going through our minds. When we hear of and see the number of lives lost, the number of those affected by this deadly virus, how economies, countries and almost the world has been shut down, we are scared, confused and worried about tomorrow and what’s next for us and our loved ones. We worry about ourselves, family, friends, neighbors, people, country and even the world. We question God asking Him where He is in these moments of the COVID-19 pandemic? We ask Him if He still exists, is real or is He about to destroy the world? We go on to question the Church, our faith and our beliefs asking ourselves where and when will this pandemic end and what are we going to do next with our Churches closed and almost everything shut down? In these moments of worry, anxiety, sorrow, pain and uncertainty, we are asked by Jesus as He asked the blind man He healed in today’s gospel reading, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” This question of Jesus to the healed blind man is for all of us in these difficult times, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” This question reminds us of who is in charge and in control of the world. God is in charge and in control, not the COVID-19 virus or the devil, but God Himself. This question also reminds us of who we are and who we should believe and trust in. Who are we - we are daughters and sons of God made in His own image and likeness and disciples of Christ. Who should we believe and trust in - we are called to believe and trust in God, who saved and redeemed us through Jesus Christ, His Son. Also let us not forget the response of the healed blind man, “I do believe, Lord.” We are called by Jesus in today’s gospel reading to respond to Him like the healed blind man, “I do believe, Lord,” and show and share that belief in these moments by standing firm in our faith in God. Saint Paul in our second reading today from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians 5:8-14 tells to us to arise from the dead, and Christ will give us light. Saint Paul reminds us of our redemption saying “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” These words of Saint Paul emphasizes once again our belief in God, calling on us to be the children of light in our darkened world today. We are called to be the light in the Lord that will console the weary, calm and bring peace to the worried and anxious, proclaim hope in time of despair and continue to lead people closer to God. My dear brothers and sisters, let us pray in today’s Eucharistic celebration that we will deepen and strengthen our faith and belief in God, then continue to trust and hope in Him even in these difficult times in our world today. Amen!
The season of Lent is a time of repentance and change in our spiritual lives. In today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint John 4:5-42, we hear the story of the Samaritan woman and her encounter with Jesus. The story of the Samaritan woman teaches us the way to true repentance and change in our spiritual life as it gives us the blueprint to our journey back to God. The story of the Samaritan woman points out to us that the way back to God entails: Hearing God’s word, Accepting the word of God and Putting the word of God into action.
The first practice in our way back to God is Hearing God’s word. This means listening to God speaking to us in the scriptures, sacraments, doctrines, teachings and liturgies of the Church. We sometimes do not listen to God speaking to us or we pick and choose what we want to hear or listen to. We listen and hear only the word of the world or what we want to hear and not the word of God. The Samaritan woman listened and heard the word of God through Jesus and it made a difference in her life and journey to repentance. Are we really hearing God speaking to us? Are we truly open to hearing and listening to Him in our lives like the Samaritan woman in the gospel reading today? What makes it impossible for us to hear the voice of God in our lives today?
The second practice in our way back to God is Accepting the word of God. This means believing and consenting to the word of God we have heard. We hear God’s word over and over again in our lives, but we do not accept His word. We rationalize about it, misinterpret it to suit our personal ideologies or agendas and even reject parts of it. The Samaritan woman after hearing Jesus’s words to her, accepted it and dashed out to tell others about Jesus. Have we truly accepted the word of God as Christians? Have we as Christians sincerely believed and consented to God’s word in our lives as taught us in the gospels?
The third practice in our way back to God is Putting the Word of God we have heard and accepted into practice or action in our daily lives. Putting the word of God in practice or action means proclaiming and living out the gospel of Christ. This is very important in our lives as Christians because that is how we answer the call to discipleship and this is also the best way to true repentance and change in our spiritual lives. The Samaritan woman put Jesus’s words into practice immediately as she testified to Jesus among her fellow Samaritans and got them to believe in Him. Are we proclaiming and living out the gospel of Christ as His disciples? Are we proclaiming His gospel in our world or are we proclaiming what the world wants to hear by picking and choosing what we like and rejecting what we don’t like?
My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is time to change our lives and repent of our sins. It is time to say “yes” to God and sincerely go back to Him this Lenten season by Hearing His word, by Accepting His word we have heard and by Putting that word into practice in our daily lives. Amen!
Today’s gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 17:1-9 tells us the story of the Transfiguration of our Lord Jesus Christ. Before we go to the spiritual importance of the Transfiguration of Christ, it will be good to know what the word “Transfiguration” means. According to the English dictionary, the word ‘Transfiguration’ means a complete change of form or appearance into a more beautiful or spiritual state. As we heard in the gospel reading, Jesus was transfigured before Peter, James, and John; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. The Transfiguration of Christ is the culminating point of His public life, as His Baptism is its starting point, and His Ascension its end. For Saint Leo the Great, the principal aim of the Transfiguration was to banish from the disciples’ souls the scandal of the Cross. Hence, in the midst of the greatest sufferings Jesus gives his disciples the consolation they need to keep going forward. This consolation is for us too as we journey through these forty days of penance, mortification and repentance. This consolation states the spiritual significance of Transfiguration of Christ which can be categorized under these three important points for us to utilize in moving forward and closer to God during this Season of Lent.
The Transfiguration reminds us that:
Heaven exists, as Jesus shows his disciples the glory of heaven in a glance, that Peter said “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” The existence of heaven reminds us of the reason why we have said “yes” to God in answer to our call to discipleship. We are all on a journey here on earth and at the end of that journey, we hope to be with God in his kingdom of heaven some day. So, let us strive to live exemplary lives as Christians and prepare ourselves for the kingdom of God after our lives on earth.
Secondly, the Transfiguration reminds us that the laws and the prophets are important in our journey to attaining the kingdom of heaven. The Transfiguration of Christ is a wake call to all those who think the law is useless in our journey to heaven. According to Scripture, the Law is a fatherly instruction by God which prescribes for man the ways that lead to the promised beatitude, and proscribes, forbids, condemns and denounces the ways of evil. So, let us pay attention to the significance of the laws of God, doctrines of the Catholic Church as given us by the Catholic Church and the Scriptures, so as to make use of them in our journey of faith, repentance and conversion this Lenten season.
Lastly, the Transfiguration of Christ fosters the Hope of Heaven, informing us that everyone who strives to live out the gospel of Christ can and will attain the kingdom of heaven. This entails that we pay attention to our attitude towards our fellow Catholic brothers and sisters who are not like us because of their method or way of practicing their faith and stop judging, persecuting or criticizing them. Remember only God knows the heart of each and everyone of us, so let God be the Judge and not us.
My dear brothers and sisters, it is time to completely change and transfigure our lives as Christians into a more beautiful, holier and spiritual state as our Lord Jesus Christ was transfigured in today’s gospel reading. Let us not forget that heaven is real and strive to attain it through perseverance and firmness of fair in God. Let us work hard in our spiritual lives to come closer to God paying attention to and utilizing the law of God, the doctrines of the Catholic Church, the sacraments and the Scriptures. Let us not feel rejected, worthless and abandoned because of our sins, the trials we face and encounter or the criticisms of and persecutions from people around us, rather, let us focus on Christ himself who assured us with his transfiguration today that everyone who truly and sincerely accepts and strives to live out the gospel of Christ, can and will attain the kingdom of heaven, Amen!
FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT, YEAR A.
Today we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent. Lent is a time of repentance, reconciliation, reformation and renewal of our lives as Christians. It is a 40 day season of prayer, fasting and acts of charity (almsgiving). Our First reading and Gospel reading today tell us two different stories on temptation and its effects. In the First reading from the book of Genesis 2:7-9; 3:1-7, we hear the story of the creation of man, the temptation of man by the serpent and the fall of man. In our gospel reading from the gospel of Saint Matthew 4:1-11, we hear the story of the temptation of Jesus Christ and His victory over the devil. These readings while telling us two different stories on temptation, remind us of the following: that we will be tempted by the devil just like Jesus, Adam and Eve were tempted; that the temptations we go through strengthens and deepens our faith in God; and that God is with us in our times of temptation.
If Jesus the Son of God, Adam and Eve our first parents were tempted by the devil, then we will definitely be tempted as well. Temptation is a general phenomenon in our world today for everyone, both Christians and non-Christians. It has also been seriously overlooked by many Christians but with humility and steadfastness in God we can overcome all the temptations that come our way.
Temptation truly strengthens and deepens our faith in God, to have Him be the center of our lives and not our desires and wants. It also helps remind us that our needs and human weakness could be preyed upon by the devil. Hence in time of temptation, trust, hope and have faith in God and not in yourself to overcome it.
Lastly, in our moments of temptation, God doesn’t abandon us, He is always with us. But we need to arm ourselves against the temptations of the devil with prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Pope Francis clearly explains these three practices of Lent stating what they do in our lives. According to Pope Francis, PRAYER teaches us to abandon idolatry and the self-sufficiency of our ego and to acknowledge our need of the Lord and His mercy. FASTING invites us to change our attitude towards others and all of creation, turning away from the temptation to ‘devour’ everything to satisfy our voracity and being ready to suffer for love, which can fill the emptiness of our hearts. ALMSGIVING helps us escape from the insanity of hoarding everything for ourselves in the illusory belief that we can secure a future that does not belong to us.
My brothers and sisters, we are reminded today by the readings that we will be tempted by the devil just like Jesus, Adam and Eve were tempted; that the temptations we go through strengthens and deepens our faith in God; and that God is with us in our times of temptation. Hence, let us intensify our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving so as to repent of our sins, reconcile ourselves with God, reform our actions and lifestyle and renew our lives in God. Amen!
Love seems to be the central theme of today’s first reading and gospel reading. In our first reading today from Leviticus 19:1-2, 17-18, the Lord tells Moses to remind the Israelites not to bear hatred for their brothers or sisters in their hearts and not to take revenge or cherish a grudge against any of their people. Rather, He urged them to love their neighbors as themselves. Jesus in the gospel reading from the gospel of Matthew 5:38-48 teaches us that Love is the greatest commandment and emphasizes to us that the virtue of Love goes beyond retaliation and should be extended to our enemies as well.
Love as taught us in the Catholic Faith is a selfless sacrifice of God for our redemption and salvation shown in Christ Jesus. This definition of Love clearly explains to us why Jesus urged us to let our love overcome the thought or act of retaliation and to love our enemies. This indeed is the reason why Love is defined as an act of selflessness and sacrifice. My dear friends in Christ, how can one let go of the pain caused them by others and not try to pay them back in or with their own coins? How can one love his or her enemy knowing that they wish them nothing but evil in their hearts and show it in their actions? It seems really difficult to put these words of Christ into practice. Yes of course it is difficult, but it is not impossible to accomplish. Jesus actually showed us that this can be done by giving His life for us on the cross and by asking His Father to forgive us for we know not what we are doing. With His death on the cross, Jesus showed us that Love doesn’t retaliate and that we can truly love our enemies.
My brothers and sisters, it is time to live out the commandment of Love. It is also time to learn from Jesus on how to love our enemies and how to let go of the hurt to avoid retaliation. So, let us strive to love one another as God loves us and love our enemies by being humble and forgiving as God is to us.
Our First reading today from the Book of Sirach 15:15-20 tells us that “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; if you trust in God, you too shall live.” In today’s gospel reading, Jesus emphasizes the importance of the law by stating that He has come not to abolish the laws but to fulfill them. But while pointing out the importance of Jewish laws and the commandments, Jesus calls our attention to the intrinsic aspects of these laws and commandments that are taken for granted. Pope Francis states “in today’s gospel, Jesus encourages us to move from a formal observance of the Law to a substantial observance, accepting the Law in our hearts. From the heart comes good and bad deeds.”
With these words, Pope Francis reminds us that the fulfillment of the law and commandments of God should be centered on Love, because it makes our observance of the law more focused on God’s sacrifice for us and brings us to do the same for others. How are we fulfilling the laws of God and the commandments? Are they just empty practices with no spiritual values in our lives? Are they there just to be practiced without them bring about change and true conversion in us? Are we practicing them just to fulfill all righteousness or just to go through the motions? Does the commandments of God and the laws of the Church mean anything to us spiritually and do they actually impact our lives?
Love as we know is a strong affection for another, an attraction or tenderness for someone or something and an intense feeling of deep affection. From a Christian point is view, Love is the selfless sacrifice of God for our redemption and salvation shown in Christ Jesus. From this definition, we can tell that Love is an act of selflessness. This act of selflessness has been shown us by God in our salvation story and till date in our daily lives. In His explanation of some Jewish laws in the gospel reading today, Jesus reminds us to dig in deeper in our practice of our faith. Showing love to others can sometimes be very painful and difficult. It can seem very overwhelming and impossible. But when done selflessly, it is always fruitful.
My dear brothers and sisters, let us pray for God’s grace, mercy and strength to move from a formal observance of the Law to a substantial observance of the law centered on love and shown in our love for God and neighbor as stated by Pope Francis.
One day a missionary began his class on Jesus by telling the children a story about someone whom they must meet. He said this person loves you, cares for you even more than your own self, family, and friends. He is a person who is kinder than the kindest person you know and forgives you no matter how often you do wrong. The missionary noticed a little boy getting more and more excited as he talked. Suddenly the little boy couldn’t contain himself any longer and blurred out, ‘I know the man you are taking about, he lives on our street.’
In today’s gospel reading, Jesus in the gospel of Matthew 5:13-16 reminds his disciples and us that we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, called to shine before others, that they may see our good deeds and glorify our Heavenly Father. What does it mean to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? It is estimated that there are more then 14,000 different uses for salt, but the main uses of Salt has been for flavoring and for preserving food. So as the Salt of the earth, we as disciples of Christ are called to be the flavoring needed in our world today to accomplish the work of God and spread His gospel on earth. We as Christians are called to bring new life into our world by helping and teaching people to know more about God. How are we letting people know more about God in our world today? How are we helping, teaching and showing people who God is in our lives as Christians? How closely does our life resemble that of Jesus that we can be worthy to bear the name Christian? What is our most Jesus-like virtue that helps add flavor into a tasteless world?
What does it mean to be the light of the world? Light helps with vision and visibility, so it helps us to see things. Light helps the plants in the process of photosynthesis to produce food. As the Light of the world, we are called to bring vision and the visibility of God into the world by showing others through our examples and actions who God is. We are called to produce good spiritual food that will last forever in the world. Are we bringing God’s visibility to our world in darkness today? Are we truly illuminating the path of others in the world through the vision of God?
Since Jesus calls His disciples and us to be salt and light in the world, the person who lives and spreads the grace of Christ is salt of the earth and the person who lets the Gospel shine with good deeds in the daily living is the light of the world states Pope Francis. Hence my brothers and sisters, we are the salt of the earth, so let us give taste and flavor to the world by making the Word of God alive and active in it. Let us also preserve God’s word and teachings by living out His gospel daily and by being true and faithful disciples of Christ. We are the light of the world, let us illuminate the world by bringing God into our lives and our world through our actions and examples. Let us guide the steps of all to God and bring growth to God’s word in the world. Amen!
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of our Lord Jesus Christ which according to Fr. Anthony Kadavil, commemorates how Jesus, as a baby, was presented to God in the Temple in Jerusalem. This presentation finds its complete and perfect fulfillment in the mystery of the passion, death and Resurrection of the Lord. The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is a combined feast, commemorating the Jewish practice of the purification of the mother after childbirth and the presentation of the child to God in the Temple and his buying back (redemption) from God. It is also known as the Feast of the Purification of Mary, the Feast of Candlemas and the Feast of Encounter (Hypapánte in Greek) because the New Testament, represented by the baby Jesus, encountered the Old Testament, represented by Simeon and Anna.
This Feast emphasizes the importance of witnessing to God. In our gospel reading today, we can see how Simeon and Anna witnessed to the Lord in front of everyone in the temple pointing out that the baby Jesus was going to bring about the redemption and salvation of Israel. Today’s Feast is a reminder for us to pay attention to our duty of witnessing to the Lord in our world.
Witnessing according to the English dictionary is the ability or capacity to have knowledge of (an event or change) from personal observation or experience. From a religious perspective, witnessing is the ability or capacity to declare our belief in God or religion. My dear friends, how have we witnessed to God or how are we witnessing to God in our world today? Firstly, we are called to witness to God in the example of Mary and Joseph in the gospel reading. Mary and Joseph by offering Jesus to God in the temple as prescribed by the Jewish law invites us to renew our dedication to the Lord by offering ourselves to Him. Renewing our dedication to the Lord means offering Him our entire self, our whole being, our thoughts, our works and everything we are and do, so as to be faithful disciples and true children of God.
Secondly, the procession of or with candles in today’s liturgy or lightning and blessing of candles symbolizes how the life of each Christian should give light to others thereby calling us to be true witnesses of Christ. So as God’s children and disciples of Christ, we are called to witness to Him by being the light of Christ, then share and show Him to the world in our thoughts, words and actions. Hence, it is our duty to witness to God always by proclaiming and living out that salvation and redemption we have received and continue to receive in our lives daily.
My brothers and sisters, let us continue to work hard everyday in our spiritual lives by witnessing to God. Let us strive daily to renew our dedication to God by offering Him our entire being, thoughts, works and everything we are and do. Let us be the light of Christ today by sharing and showing Him to the world in our thoughts, words and actions and continue to witness to God by proclaiming and living out that salvation and redemption we have received and continue to receive from Him daily in our lives.
Who is a disciple of Christ? The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines a disciple of Christ as one who not only keeps the faith and lives on it, but also professes it, confidently bears witness to it, and spreads it” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #1816). Hence, Discipleship is the call to keep and deepen our faith in God, live out that faith, profess it, confidently bear witness to it and spread it in the world. From these definition, we can tell that it is not easy being a disciple of Christ or answering the call to discipleship. Why? Because it is very obvious that being a disciple of Christ or answering the call to discipleship requires total commitment and service.
The second part of our gospel reading today from the gospel of Saint Matthew 4:12-23 tells us the story of the call of the first four disciples of Christ, Peter and Andrew, James and John. Of course when these four disciples were called, they didn’t know what they were getting themselves into, but they answered the call to discipleship and followed Jesus. The actions of Peter and Andrew, James and John in our gospel reading today teaches us how to answer the call to discipleship. How did they answer the call to discipleship? They answered the call to discipleship in two ways, by saying "Yes" to Christ and by following Him. What does saying "Yes" to Christ mean? Saying "Yes" to Christ means committing ourselves to keep and deepen our faith in God. When these first four disciples were called by Jesus, they answered the call by say “Yes” and left everything to follow Him. Saying "Yes" and leaving everything behind to follow Jesus shows their commitment in being His disciples. Ask yourself today my dear friend, have I truly answered "Yes" to God in my call to discipleship? Have I wholeheartedly given up everything and left everything behind to follow Jesus like Peter, Andrew, James and John? Am I truly committed in being a disciple of Christ?
Following Christ means being of service to Him by living out His gospel, professing our faith in Him, bearing witness to Him and spreading His gospel in the world. How have I being of service to God as a disciple of Christ? How have I lived out His gospel, professed my faith in Him, bore witness to Him and spread His gospel in the world today?
My dear brothers and sisters, let us pray in today’s Eucharistic celebration for the grace to truly and sincerely answer our call to discipleship like Peter, Andrew, James and John with a spirit of commitment and service to God, by keeping and deepening our faith in God, living out that faith, professing it always, confidently bearing witness to it daily and spreading it in the world. Amen!
Today's gospel reading from the gospel of Saint John 1:29-34 gives us the story of John the Baptist witnessing to Christ. Witnessing to Christ seems to be the theme of today's gospel reading as John the Baptist with these words "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world,” clearly reminds us of what it means to truly and sincerely witness to Christ. By stating “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world," John the Baptist points out to us that the best way to witness to Christ is by Repentance. Hence, Witnessing to Christ entails going back to Him. But how do we go back to Christ?
We as Catholic Christians can go back to God through the practice of an Examination of Consciences, a Call to Contrition and a sincere Call of Reformation in our spiritual lives. An Examination of Conscience is a call to repentance which involves reflecting prayerfully on our thoughts, words, and deeds in order to identify any sins. How often do we take a moment out of our daily lives especially after our busy day or before we go to bed and reflect on how we have lived our lives as Christians? How often do reflect on how our thoughts, words and deeds show Christ to others? A Call to Contrition is the sorrow of the soul for wrong done, and a remorse of conscience. It is a real pain and bitterness of soul together with a hatred and horror for sin committed; and this hatred for sin leads to the resolve to sin no more. How often do we show true remorse for our sins because of how it offends God? How often do we show bitterness and hatred for our sins especially because it destroys our relationship with God?
A Call to Reformation in our spiritual lives refers to putting into practice various virtues, processes and practices that will help us repent, change our lives and spiritual lifestyle and come closer to God. So how have we strived to live out the gospel of Christ? How are we truly making changes to be faithful disciples of Christ and what changes are we making? My dear brothers and sisters, let us pray to God in today’s Eucharistic celebration for the grace and assistance go back to Him through the practice of an Examination of Conscience, a Call to Contrition and a sincere Call of Reformation in our spiritual lives. Amen!