Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 12, 2020

A CHALLENGE FOR ALL OF US

 How do we respond to the Word of God and to the various Acts of God in our lives? Do we allow the trials and tribulations of this world to overwhelm the tender seed growing within us?  Do we pull back when people harass us because we are believers?  Do we decide, because things are not working out the way we think they ought, that God doesn't care for us, or that He is powerless, weak, and not to be heeded? Do we allow the cares of this world, our ambitions, or our desires for success and happiness, to choke out the messages that God sends us through the various events of our daily lives and through the various people we encounter? How we respond to the Word of God is the key to how fruitful the Gospel is going to be in our lives. Unlike the situation in nature, we can, as it were, change the kind of soil that we are. God allows the seed to land on the hard paths, on the rocky ground, and in the thickets of our lives in the hope that in those places it will find a place to mature and bear fruit, that those things which impede growth will be removed, and that the soil may be just a little deeper than it at first appears to be in those rocky places. Jesus challenges us in the parable of the sower to sow seeds of encouragement, joy, and reconciliation regardless of the “soil” on which it is scattered, and to imitate the seed’s total giving of self that becomes the harvest of Gospel justice and mercy.    

 Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: July 05, 2020

JESUS’ UNIQUE CLAIM TO BE GOD’S PERFECT REFLECTION

“No one really knows the Father except the Son, and him to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him" (Matthew 11:27). The claim that Jesus alone can reveal God to men forms the center of the Christian Faith. Jesus makes the same claim in different words, as we see in the Last Supper discourse. Jesus says, "He who has seen me has seen the Father" (Jn 14:9). What Jesus says is this: "If you want to see what God is like, if you want to see the mind of God, the heart of God, the nature of God, if you want to see God's whole attitude to men -- look at Me!" Jesus promises a worldwide dominion of peace, not as the world gives peace but as the Spirit gives it. Here, Jesus addresses people who are desperately trying to find God, who are exhausted by the search for truth, who are desperately trying to be good, and who find the task impossible. God gave His People basic guidelines for a holy life Jesus invites burdened Israel and us to take his yoke upon our shoulders. In Palestine, ox-yokes were made of wood and were made to fit the ox comfortably. For a contemporary analogy, consider the advantages of new, high-tech, custom-made athletic equipment. The yoke of Christ can be seen as the sum of our Christian responsibilities and duties. To take the yoke of Christ is to enter into a relationship with Christ as his loving servants and subjects and to conduct ourselves accordingly. The yoke of Christ is not just a yoke from Christ but also a yoke with him. A yoke is fashioned for a pair -- for a team working together. So we are not yoked alone to pull the plow by our own unaided power; we are yoked together with Christ to work with Him using His strength. By saying that his “yoke is easy” (11:30), Jesus means that whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly. 

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: June 28, 2020

“Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me…"

These words may sound a bit extreme, since family comes first for most of us. 1) What Jesus means is that all loyalties must give place to loyalty to God.   The wants of any person or any group of people (e.g. a family), cannot be met by trampling on or denying the rights and needs of others.  If members of one’s family   act unjustly, one must, in conscience, separate oneself from them.   In other words, one cannot condone immoral practices even by members of one’s family. Jesus clearly is not attacking family life.  He is giving a warning to his disciples of the conflicts and misunderstandings they will experience through their living out the word and thus becoming prophets, proclaiming God’s Will and living presence among His people through their own lives.   2) These words of Jesus can have another meaning. All those who become followers of Jesus belong to a new family.  It is a family where every single person, including relatives, friends and even strangers are truly my brothers and sisters. We become part of a larger family to whom we also have responsibilities.  Jesus means that there will be times when we will have to give more love and compassion to the hungry, the sick, those in prison, the social outcasts, the unemployed or the unemployable, the handicapped, and the lonely than to the members of our own family.  In other words, Jesus is not speaking against the family, but rather reminding us that we are part of a larger family of our fellow Christians.

Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time: June 21, 2020

HAVE NO FEAR

 Jesus suggests that his disciples should move from fear to courage through trust and reliance in God. He gives three reasons why neither his apostles nor we, should be frightened. The first reason is that their opponents will not be able to prevent Jesus' followers from succeeding in their mission because God will expose the opponents’ evil plans and deeds: "nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered."  The Lord "will bring to light the hidden things of darkness" (1 Cor 4:5) and will vindicate the faithful. That God will not permit evil to win is the promise of v. 26. The second reason not to be afraid is the limited power of our opponents.  They can kill the body, which dies all too soon anyway, but have no power over the soul.  Only God has power over eternity When the Old Testament mentions fear of God (Psalm 2:11; 15:4; 19:9; 22:23; 25:12, etc.) “fear” generally means reverence and awe of God and giving Him due respect.  Respect is an attitude proper to a free person. God does not threaten to throw us into Hell; rather He reminds us that to lose Him by sin is to lose ourselves also--and that is Hell. There is no reason to fear God because He does not wish that anyone should perish.  He has sent Christ to provide salvation for all. Fear of God overcomes human fear: “Perfect Love casts out fear” (1 Jn 4:18). The third reason we should not be afraid is God's compassionate love. We are more important to God than sparrows.  St. Matthew speaks of two sparrows sold for one penny. The God who cares for a trivial bird like the sparrow also cares about our smallest problems – even the hairs on our heads are counted. While this is an encouraging assurance, it may be difficult to believe in the midst of persecution. But God knows everything that we go through – nothing that happens to us escapes Him. When we feel lonely and abandoned, when it seems that our prayers are unanswered, God knows and cares. Jesus concludes by saying, "So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows."  In other words, the perfect antidote for fear is trust in God. God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So, we need not be afraid… (Psalm 45:1, 2. Confer also Psalm 27:1,2, Psalm 91:1,2)

 

THEOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST

 

Vatican II states that as a sacrifice, "the Holy Eucharist is the  center and culmination of Christian life" ( Lumen Gentium, 11).  Why?  1) because it enables us to participate in Christ’s sacrifice as a present reality and to benefit from its fruits in our own lives; 2) because it helps us to worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the most perfect way;  3) because it strengthens our charity and unity with Jesus and with each other in a joint offering of his Body and Blood to the Father; and 4) because it gives us a lasting memorial of Christ’s suffering, death and Resurrection, reminding us of our obligation to make loving sacrifices for others.  The Eucharist is the Mystery of our Faith, the Mystery of our Hope, the Mystery of our Charity.  Why do we celebrate the Eucharist some 2,000 years later?  We do this because Jesus told us to do so: “ Do this in memory of me.”   St. Augustine in the 5 ^th century AD said it best when he said: “It is your Mystery, the Mystery of your life that has been placed on the altar.”  This Holy Memorial is known by  various names: 1) " The Eucharist” because Jesus offered himself to God the Father as an act of thanksgiving; 2)  "The Lord’s Supper" -- or “ The Breaking of the Bread”-- because we celebrate it as a meal;  3)  "Holy Communion" because, we become one with Christ by receiving him; and  4) " Holy Mass” (holy sending), because it gives us a mission: “Go in peace glorifying God by your life.”

Trinity Sunday: June 07, 2020

EXPLORING THE MYSTERY OF HOLY TRINITY

Explorers and the pioneer families did solve the mystery of what was out there beyond the coastal strip. In fact, people have been exploring the mysteries of our world on many fronts – medicine, technology, and what is out there in space. Where there is any kind of a mystery, people will try to solve it. But there are some Mysteries that will always be Mysteries. Today, Trinity Sunday, we come up against one of those Mysteries - God.  Who is God? Where is God? What is God? I can’t touch Him. I can’t say how big He is. I can’t see Him. The early Christians started talking about a Triune God. This wasn’t to make God more logical and understandable and acceptable to human ways of thinking. In fact, the idea of the Trinity intensified the Mystery and awesomeness of God. They observed that Jesus had a unique relationship with the Father and that the Holy Spirit had a unique relationship with the Father and the Son. Against all sorts of odds, against all human logic, and in the face of mounting opposition, the Church maintained that Jesus Christ is true God, equal with the Father, and that the Holy Spirit is God, equal with the Father and the Son. Who is God? He is our Heavenly Father Who made us, takes cares of us and calls us His dear children. Who is God? He is Jesus Christ Who gave His life on the cross to re-establish our relationship with God. He reveals the way to God and to eternal life. Who is God? God is the Holy Spirit in you giving you Faith in God and guiding you in your daily walk as a Christian. Faith in the Triune God acknowledges the might and majesty of God but, at the same time, trusts in His care and intimate knowledge of our needs and of what is happening in our lives.  O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of Your Name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens. Let us make this our prayer: "Lord God, in spite of our unbelief and lack of understanding of Who You are, show us Your new way of living. Amen.” 

Pentecost Sunday: May 31, 2020

THE ACTION OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CHRISTIAN LIFE

The Spirit is that  Paraclete (a Greek word that is translated as Counselor, Comforter, Helper, Encourager, or Enabler), Who quietly works in us and through us every day behind the scenes in the basic activities of our lives and the lives of the people around us. He is there in all his fullness wherever people worship and pray in the name of Jesus. When we believe and trust in Jesus, we have that Faith through the Holy Spirit’s work in us, for the Holy Spirit is filling us. The Holy Spirit leads us to turn away from our sinfulness and reassures us that we are still loved in spite of our sin. He teaches us that Jesus died on a cross just for those moments when we rebel against God's way. He confronts us and urges us to take a good look at ourselves and where we are heading, to make a U-turn, to leave the old behind and try something new. He’s not afraid to challenge us and stretch us to go and do things for Christ – things we have never done before or even imagined ourselves doing. He’s the One Who says to us, "Stop being so self-focussed. Stop looking into yourself all the time! Stop being depressed by what you see! And stop fooling yourself into thinking that what you see in yourself is enough to get you through! Look up, look away, look to Jesus and let Him turn your around; let Him take control!" “The feast of Pentecost celebrates the unseen, immeasurable presence of God in our lives and in our Church – the  ruah ( Spirit) that animates us to do the work of the Gospel of the Risen One, the  ruah that makes God’s will our will, the  ruah of God living in us and transforming us so that we might bring His life and love to our broken world.  God “breathes” His Spirit into our souls that we may live in His life and love; God ignites the “fire” of His Spirit within our hearts and minds that we may seek God in all things in order to realize the coming of His reign.”