NEW YEAR-2011
New Year's Day is the one holiday that is almost universal. It is the world's most observed holiday. People ring out the old year and ring in the new one with lot of expectations. Because we have a lot to achieve in our lives. You've made your New Year's resolutions, one of which is to be in worship at the break of this New year. And so you are here.
Every year we make resolutions but fail to fulfill them completely. But it should not be a cause for dismay. Our very attempt to make progress in life itself is progress. There is a saying: Well begun is half done. The starting impetus takes us a long way, till the first energy weakens.
Pastor Stephen Brown taught swimming and diving for a number of years. He tells about a young boy named Billy. Billy had watched so many professional divers and wanted so much to dive like them that he refused to take time to learn the basics. Time after time Brown tried to help Billy see that the most important thing about diving was to keep his head in the proper position. If his head entered the water properly, Brown explained, the rest of his body would enter the water properly--at least, more properly than it had been. Billy would dive into the pool, do a belly flop, and come up grinning, "Mr. Brown," he would shout, "were my feet together?"
"Billy, I don't care whether your feet were together or not," Brown shouted back. "Make sure your head is straight, then everything else will work out."
The next time Billy would stand on the edge of the pool and really concentrate. Then he would dive and, once again, make a mess of it. "Mr. Brown, were my hands together?"
"Billy," Brown would groan in frustration, "I'm going to get you a neck brace and weld it onto your head. For the hundredth time, if your head is right the rest of you will be right. If your head is wrong, the rest of you will be wrong."
And isn't that true in all of life? If our head is wrong, our marriage will probably suffer. If our head is wrong, our priorities will be fouled up. If our head is wrong, it may even affect our health in a negative way. God understands our distress and God seeks to make us new persons so that we can handle our distress more effectively.
So what we need is to start well and with right perspective. So to be happy we may not need any more resolutions, but a revolution. We need to turn completely around with a new set of attitudes, a new set of motivations, a new set of feelings about life and about others. That means we need to have our head in the right direction, right perspective.
If there is something in our life that distorts our perspective, we need to tear it down. Whatever we built up the past year, if it blocks my vision for a bright future, then, I have to tear it down. Anything in my relationship that does not make but breaks my relation ship with God has to be torn down.
In Thomas Moore's book Meditations, he tells of a pilgrim walking along a road. The pilgrim sees some men working on a stone building.
"You look like a monk," the pilgrim said.
"I am that," said the monk.
"Who is that working on the abbey?"
"My monks. I'm the abbot."
"It's good to see a monastery going up," said the pilgrim.
"They're tearing it down," said the abbot.
"Whatever for?" asked the pilgrim.
"So we can see the sun rise at dawn," said the abbot.
Sometimes our heart may not give us the consent to tear down what looks like fine edifice in our life. But to have the “Son rise” in our life we need to do it.
One main reason we fail to fulfill our promises is that we as humans find it difficult to step out of our comfort zone and make changes to our lives. The only way we can successfully make these changes is by putting our faith in God alone. Only then can we have the courage and discipline to follow through on our resolutions.
Let’s realize that with God we can turn every impossible into possible. The only thing lacking in us is the faith, to turn to God and share his power which Jesus shared with us. Let’s trust the words of St.Paul, If God is with us who can be against us ?
If you have ever been to a circus, you may have seen the huge bull elephants chained to a peg in the ground. Perhaps it has occurred to you that the elephant could easily pull the peg out of the ground and escape. However, he does not try. As a baby elephant he was tied to a huge stake that he could not pull out of the ground. Weeks of pulling and tugging only wore a trench around the stake, and finally he gave up. Now that he is full-grown, with great strength and the physical ability to pull the peg out of the ground, he remembers only the futility of past efforts and does not even attempt to escape. He is conditioned to failure. This is what happens with us. We try a lot of time on our own strength to win trying circumstances. But we failed. And that set of mind we don’t trust in our power, the power we have with God. With God’s strength let’s us pull ourselves free from that bind us down and get us free and walk free in this New year. Let’s not be discouraged at the failure to fulfill the promises of last year. Let’s set new resolutions and trust God to help us through.
The New Year reminds us that time is passing. It is up to each of us to maximize the potential of every moment.
Paul gives us specific directions for living each day. Paul in Philippians says, "Forgetting what lies behind, I strain forward to what is ahead."
Our Gospel today tells us that Mary treasured and pondered all these things in her heart. What events in our lives from the past year do we treasure and ponder about in our hearts? God has given us 84400 seconds a day. Multiplied by 365 days would be 30,806,000 seconds a year. How much of that have I spent in God’s glory ?
And what events do we look forward to in the coming year? How can God be part of the events in my new year…?
Friday, December 31, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY
FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY. Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14 ;: Col 3:12-21;Gosple: Mt 2:13-15, 19-23
By celebrating the Sunday following Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family, the Church encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement. This family has come to be called in Christian tradition the Holy Family. It was holy, not simply because the Child born of Mary was holy, and the source of all holiness, but because this particular family put into practice all the wise counsels which the Hebrews had accumulated for happy home life. They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God. The feast of the Holy Family reminds us that as the basic unit of the universal Church, each family is called to holiness. Jesus becomes truly present in a family when all the members live in the Christian spirit of sacrifice. This happens when there is mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual respect. There must be proper care and respect given by children to their parents and grandparents, even after they have grown up and left home. What use is a warm house if the members of the family are cold with one another? The greatest gift that parents can give their children is their love for one another.
The first thing we can do to live a healthy Christian family life is to respect family roles. Just as the natural structure of a tree includes roots, trunk, and branches, so the natural structure of the family includes dad, mom, and children. They all go together and they all need each other in order to bear the fruit of maturity, wisdom, and happiness. The First reading and Psalm paint a beautiful picture of this. Mom and Dad are in charge. Together they have and exercise authority over their children. As the Psalm reminded us, this authority is received from God, and with it comes responsibility. Parents must not abuse their authority, or neglect the love, education in the faith, and training in virtue that they owe to their children. This is their primary mission in life. God is counting on them for this.
Children are to honor and obey their parents while they are growing up, and respect and care for them later on. These are the healthy roles of family life. Children shouldn't act like parents, and parents shouldn't act like children. It's like a triangle. Mom is one side, dad is one side, and the kids are one side. If selfishness breaks one of those sides, the whole triangle falls.
Respecting those roles is not easy in this fallen world. In today's Second Reading, St Paul gives us the foolproof formula for rebuilding the triangle whenever it gets broken nor bent out of shape. It can be summed up in two simple words: I'm sorry. If we know how to say, "I'm sorry," our family relationships can endure and grow even through very, very difficult times.
A senior Judge of the Supreme Court recently congratulated the bride and groom in a marriage with a pertinent piece of advice: “See that you never convert your family into a court room; instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife start arguing like attorneys, in an attempt to justify their behavior, their family becomes a court of law and nobody wins. On the other hand, if the husband and the wife -- as in a confessional -- are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a heavenly one.”
"Put on... patience," St Paul writes, "bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do." There is no way to create an atmosphere of forgiveness without being ready to ask for forgiveness. The best gift we can give our families is to make a commitment to always be the first one to say "I'm sorry" whenever there is the slightest need. We could never do that without Christ's example and help.
To build a healthy Christian family, we have to expect trouble. We are pilgrims on earth. We are soldiers in a real spiritual battle. We are human beings with free will and deep-seated tendencies towards selfishness and sin - and we are surrounded by people with those same tendencies. Today's Gospel described for us a family on the run, suffering, struggling just to survive. If that's what happened to the holiest family in history, surely we should expect some of the same for our families.
God permits hardships, because he knows that hardships can bring us closer to him. St Matthew points out that the flight to Egypt fulfilled a prophecy - it furthered God's plan of salvation. Just so, when we face the hardships of family life with courage, we grow in virtue and glorify God better, because we have a chance to love more heroically. Family life truly is the school where we learn to color in the outline of the image of God in which we were created.
The spirit of cooperation and self-forgetful love can do wonders to help soften the daily trials of those around us. And there is no better way to experience the peace of Christ in our hearts than by helping ease the burdens of those around us.
This is why St Paul encouraged us in the Second Reading to "put on... heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
Today, let's ask Christ to give us that grace, and let's promise to do our best to put it into practice. No family is perfect, but no better place for raising children has been devised.
As we honor the Holy Family today, let us pray for the grace that our families can really relax and find true love and peace, the kind of love and peace that reigned in the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
By celebrating the Sunday following Christmas as the Feast of the Holy Family, the Church encourages us to look to the Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph for inspiration, example and encouragement. This family has come to be called in Christian tradition the Holy Family. It was holy, not simply because the Child born of Mary was holy, and the source of all holiness, but because this particular family put into practice all the wise counsels which the Hebrews had accumulated for happy home life. They were a model family in which both parents worked hard, helped each other, understood and accepted each other, and took good care of their Child so that He might grow up not only in human knowledge but also as a Child of God. The feast of the Holy Family reminds us that as the basic unit of the universal Church, each family is called to holiness. Jesus becomes truly present in a family when all the members live in the Christian spirit of sacrifice. This happens when there is mutual understanding, mutual support and mutual respect. There must be proper care and respect given by children to their parents and grandparents, even after they have grown up and left home. What use is a warm house if the members of the family are cold with one another? The greatest gift that parents can give their children is their love for one another.
The first thing we can do to live a healthy Christian family life is to respect family roles. Just as the natural structure of a tree includes roots, trunk, and branches, so the natural structure of the family includes dad, mom, and children. They all go together and they all need each other in order to bear the fruit of maturity, wisdom, and happiness. The First reading and Psalm paint a beautiful picture of this. Mom and Dad are in charge. Together they have and exercise authority over their children. As the Psalm reminded us, this authority is received from God, and with it comes responsibility. Parents must not abuse their authority, or neglect the love, education in the faith, and training in virtue that they owe to their children. This is their primary mission in life. God is counting on them for this.
Children are to honor and obey their parents while they are growing up, and respect and care for them later on. These are the healthy roles of family life. Children shouldn't act like parents, and parents shouldn't act like children. It's like a triangle. Mom is one side, dad is one side, and the kids are one side. If selfishness breaks one of those sides, the whole triangle falls.
Respecting those roles is not easy in this fallen world. In today's Second Reading, St Paul gives us the foolproof formula for rebuilding the triangle whenever it gets broken nor bent out of shape. It can be summed up in two simple words: I'm sorry. If we know how to say, "I'm sorry," our family relationships can endure and grow even through very, very difficult times.
A senior Judge of the Supreme Court recently congratulated the bride and groom in a marriage with a pertinent piece of advice: “See that you never convert your family into a court room; instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife start arguing like attorneys, in an attempt to justify their behavior, their family becomes a court of law and nobody wins. On the other hand, if the husband and the wife -- as in a confessional -- are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a heavenly one.”
"Put on... patience," St Paul writes, "bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do." There is no way to create an atmosphere of forgiveness without being ready to ask for forgiveness. The best gift we can give our families is to make a commitment to always be the first one to say "I'm sorry" whenever there is the slightest need. We could never do that without Christ's example and help.
To build a healthy Christian family, we have to expect trouble. We are pilgrims on earth. We are soldiers in a real spiritual battle. We are human beings with free will and deep-seated tendencies towards selfishness and sin - and we are surrounded by people with those same tendencies. Today's Gospel described for us a family on the run, suffering, struggling just to survive. If that's what happened to the holiest family in history, surely we should expect some of the same for our families.
God permits hardships, because he knows that hardships can bring us closer to him. St Matthew points out that the flight to Egypt fulfilled a prophecy - it furthered God's plan of salvation. Just so, when we face the hardships of family life with courage, we grow in virtue and glorify God better, because we have a chance to love more heroically. Family life truly is the school where we learn to color in the outline of the image of God in which we were created.
The spirit of cooperation and self-forgetful love can do wonders to help soften the daily trials of those around us. And there is no better way to experience the peace of Christ in our hearts than by helping ease the burdens of those around us.
This is why St Paul encouraged us in the Second Reading to "put on... heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience."
Today, let's ask Christ to give us that grace, and let's promise to do our best to put it into practice. No family is perfect, but no better place for raising children has been devised.
As we honor the Holy Family today, let us pray for the grace that our families can really relax and find true love and peace, the kind of love and peace that reigned in the holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Christmas (Pro-life homily)
CHRISTMAS- (PRO-LIFE)
An 11-year-old boy with cancer lost all the hair on his head as a result of chemotherapy treatment. When the time came for him to return to school, he and his parents experimented with hats, wigs, and bandanas to try to conceal his baldness. They finally settled on a baseball cap, but the boy still feared the taunts he would receive for looking "different." Mustering up courage, he went to school wearing his cap - and discovered to his great surprise that all of his friends had shaved their heads to share their solidarity with their friend. It was their way of expressing their love and sympathy. Christmas announces to us that God showed his solidarity with us by becoming a human being.
First of all, Christmas is the feast of God’s sharing a Savior with us. Jesus was the incarnation of God as man to save us from the bondage of sin. The Hindu Scriptures describe ten incarnations of God “to restore righteousness in the world whenever there is a large scale erosion of moral values.” But the Christian Scriptures teach only one incarnation and its purpose is given in John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he sent His only Son so that every one who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life.” So the moving force for God to send his son was his intense love for us. Every Christmas reminds us that we still need this Savior to be reborn in our hearts and lives to free us from our evil addictions and unjust, impure and uncharitable tendencies.
But God who created us without our consent does not save us without our consent. And so only by willingly accepting Jesus as one’s savior in one’s life can one be saved. That is the message of Christmas. God seeking cooperation from each one of us to save this world.
God could have chosen to send his son into this world as a grown up adult, capable of fending himself in this world. But instead he chose to send His son as a defenseless human baby born from a simple village girl. All powerful God sought consent of a simple girl to be born in this world. And ever since God seeks our consent to enter into our world. God’s coming to our life does not ensure us of free of troubles. When Blessed Virgin Mary said “yes” to God’s Word, she was saying “yes” to all possible troubles waiting for her in her life. But God was with her to see her through all those troubles.
According to the book of Deuteronomy, a girl becoming pregnant before her wedding was considered to be bringing ignominy and shame to her parents and so were to be stoned to death in front of her father’s house. Mary could have thus merited this punishment and brought death to herself and her unborn son. To save her life and to retain her honor she could have resorted to an easy solution- “abortion” as any woman of today would choose to do when they find themselves in trouble. But Mary did not, because she knew that was God’s will being fulfilled through her life. She knew God wanted her Son to be God’s instrument in implementing God’s plan of salvation. She knew that even before his son’s birth God had named him and called him to be Emmanuel, that means God was with her. The angel had promised her that her Son would save the people from their sins. Mary knew that even though her son was still not yet born, he was God’s son. Because she conceived him not in any ordinary human fashion. The angel did not speak about him as “it”, meaning a thing, as many people today would consider a fetus to be, but as Him, meaning a person. Bible never teaches us that a child is a “thing” which could be disposed of at will as any parasite or a tumor could be. When Blessed Virgin Mary visited St.Elizabeth the baby John the Baptist leapt for joy at the presence of another baby growing in the womb of Mary. Here the Gospel clearly advices us that we should regard a baby in the womb just like a baby already born, with a soul and identity of its own, as a child of God. Most expectant mothers speak to their babies in the womb when they make movements in the womb. Even some husbands try to listen to their unborn babies voices bringing their ears closer to them. Do they really think the unborn babies are just a thing ? No way. Unborn babies react to the moods and emotions of their mothers. God loved us into existence. Each human being is called into existence by God. And that is why we hear God telling Jeremiah, that he called him to do the work of a prophet even from his mother’s womb. Only those who share the view of the blessed Virgin Mary has the right to celebrate Christmas. Those who hold that abortion is ok, for them their savior has been aborted… and their savior is no more alive, because Bl.Virgin Mary had enough reason to abort him.
So Christmas teaches us that life has to be protected at every stage, from womb to tomb, from conception to natural death. This has been the teaching of the Church and it will be the teaching of the church forever. Because Jesus taught us that not a word or iota will be deleted from his word.
Jesus said the evil one comes to steal, destroy and kill. So killing the innocents is Satan’s work. God comes to give life. And give that in abundance. Wicked Herod had destroyed the lives of some innocent babies in the process of trying to eliminate Jesus from the earth. Those who advocate death to unborns are no less wicked that Herod. Jesus had to flee to Egypt to protect his life from the cruel Herod. And he had to settle down in Galilee fearing the cruel successor of Herod, Archalaus. God on the run! Jesus, the Christ, fleeing for his life!... He is running for his life. This happens even today. Those who work to defend the right to life of innocents will find meaning in celebrating Christmas, because it is celebration of the birthday of a baby.
Christmas tells us that God chose to make himself vulnerable. Vulnerable from crib to cross. The vulnerability of Christ is a great thing also because it makes it easier for us to admit our own vulnerability.
The simple little statement about “there being no room in the Inn” becomes a symbol for Luke. As he writes his gospel it almost becomes a theme. Luke takes this one line, "There is no room in the inn," and shows us how this phrase was recurrent throughout Jesus' ministry. The question that Luke leaves for us is--will there ever be any room for him, and his teaching or respecting life in every stage ?, Respecting human dignity irrespective of caste, creed or age or sex or beauty ?
In the fall of 1775, the manager of Baltimore's largest hotel refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer, because he thought his lowly appearance would discredit his inn. So the man left and took a room elsewhere. Later, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than the Vice President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson! Immediately he sent a note to the famous patriot, asking him to return and be his guest. Jefferson replied by instructing his messenger as follows: "Tell him I have already engaged a room. I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no place for a dirty American farmer, he has none for the Vice President of the United States."
There was no room for Jesus in the economic world. There was no room for Jesus in the realm of the religious order. There was no room for Jesus in the world of politics.
Let's look at us today--to you and to me. Do we have room for Christ in our lives?
An 11-year-old boy with cancer lost all the hair on his head as a result of chemotherapy treatment. When the time came for him to return to school, he and his parents experimented with hats, wigs, and bandanas to try to conceal his baldness. They finally settled on a baseball cap, but the boy still feared the taunts he would receive for looking "different." Mustering up courage, he went to school wearing his cap - and discovered to his great surprise that all of his friends had shaved their heads to share their solidarity with their friend. It was their way of expressing their love and sympathy. Christmas announces to us that God showed his solidarity with us by becoming a human being.
First of all, Christmas is the feast of God’s sharing a Savior with us. Jesus was the incarnation of God as man to save us from the bondage of sin. The Hindu Scriptures describe ten incarnations of God “to restore righteousness in the world whenever there is a large scale erosion of moral values.” But the Christian Scriptures teach only one incarnation and its purpose is given in John 3:16: “God so loved the world that he sent His only Son so that every one who believes in Him may not die, but have eternal life.” So the moving force for God to send his son was his intense love for us. Every Christmas reminds us that we still need this Savior to be reborn in our hearts and lives to free us from our evil addictions and unjust, impure and uncharitable tendencies.
But God who created us without our consent does not save us without our consent. And so only by willingly accepting Jesus as one’s savior in one’s life can one be saved. That is the message of Christmas. God seeking cooperation from each one of us to save this world.
God could have chosen to send his son into this world as a grown up adult, capable of fending himself in this world. But instead he chose to send His son as a defenseless human baby born from a simple village girl. All powerful God sought consent of a simple girl to be born in this world. And ever since God seeks our consent to enter into our world. God’s coming to our life does not ensure us of free of troubles. When Blessed Virgin Mary said “yes” to God’s Word, she was saying “yes” to all possible troubles waiting for her in her life. But God was with her to see her through all those troubles.
According to the book of Deuteronomy, a girl becoming pregnant before her wedding was considered to be bringing ignominy and shame to her parents and so were to be stoned to death in front of her father’s house. Mary could have thus merited this punishment and brought death to herself and her unborn son. To save her life and to retain her honor she could have resorted to an easy solution- “abortion” as any woman of today would choose to do when they find themselves in trouble. But Mary did not, because she knew that was God’s will being fulfilled through her life. She knew God wanted her Son to be God’s instrument in implementing God’s plan of salvation. She knew that even before his son’s birth God had named him and called him to be Emmanuel, that means God was with her. The angel had promised her that her Son would save the people from their sins. Mary knew that even though her son was still not yet born, he was God’s son. Because she conceived him not in any ordinary human fashion. The angel did not speak about him as “it”, meaning a thing, as many people today would consider a fetus to be, but as Him, meaning a person. Bible never teaches us that a child is a “thing” which could be disposed of at will as any parasite or a tumor could be. When Blessed Virgin Mary visited St.Elizabeth the baby John the Baptist leapt for joy at the presence of another baby growing in the womb of Mary. Here the Gospel clearly advices us that we should regard a baby in the womb just like a baby already born, with a soul and identity of its own, as a child of God. Most expectant mothers speak to their babies in the womb when they make movements in the womb. Even some husbands try to listen to their unborn babies voices bringing their ears closer to them. Do they really think the unborn babies are just a thing ? No way. Unborn babies react to the moods and emotions of their mothers. God loved us into existence. Each human being is called into existence by God. And that is why we hear God telling Jeremiah, that he called him to do the work of a prophet even from his mother’s womb. Only those who share the view of the blessed Virgin Mary has the right to celebrate Christmas. Those who hold that abortion is ok, for them their savior has been aborted… and their savior is no more alive, because Bl.Virgin Mary had enough reason to abort him.
So Christmas teaches us that life has to be protected at every stage, from womb to tomb, from conception to natural death. This has been the teaching of the Church and it will be the teaching of the church forever. Because Jesus taught us that not a word or iota will be deleted from his word.
Jesus said the evil one comes to steal, destroy and kill. So killing the innocents is Satan’s work. God comes to give life. And give that in abundance. Wicked Herod had destroyed the lives of some innocent babies in the process of trying to eliminate Jesus from the earth. Those who advocate death to unborns are no less wicked that Herod. Jesus had to flee to Egypt to protect his life from the cruel Herod. And he had to settle down in Galilee fearing the cruel successor of Herod, Archalaus. God on the run! Jesus, the Christ, fleeing for his life!... He is running for his life. This happens even today. Those who work to defend the right to life of innocents will find meaning in celebrating Christmas, because it is celebration of the birthday of a baby.
Christmas tells us that God chose to make himself vulnerable. Vulnerable from crib to cross. The vulnerability of Christ is a great thing also because it makes it easier for us to admit our own vulnerability.
The simple little statement about “there being no room in the Inn” becomes a symbol for Luke. As he writes his gospel it almost becomes a theme. Luke takes this one line, "There is no room in the inn," and shows us how this phrase was recurrent throughout Jesus' ministry. The question that Luke leaves for us is--will there ever be any room for him, and his teaching or respecting life in every stage ?, Respecting human dignity irrespective of caste, creed or age or sex or beauty ?
In the fall of 1775, the manager of Baltimore's largest hotel refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer, because he thought his lowly appearance would discredit his inn. So the man left and took a room elsewhere. Later, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than the Vice President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson! Immediately he sent a note to the famous patriot, asking him to return and be his guest. Jefferson replied by instructing his messenger as follows: "Tell him I have already engaged a room. I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no place for a dirty American farmer, he has none for the Vice President of the United States."
There was no room for Jesus in the economic world. There was no room for Jesus in the realm of the religious order. There was no room for Jesus in the world of politics.
Let's look at us today--to you and to me. Do we have room for Christ in our lives?
Saturday, December 18, 2010
IVth Sunday of Advent
IVth Sunday of Advent.: Is 7: 10 – 14,: Rom 1: 1 – 7;Gosple: Mt 1: 18 - 24
Over 100 years ago Father Damien, a Belgian priest, began working with lepers on a small Hawaiian island. Each Sunday Father Damien would begin his sermon with these words: "You lepers know that God loves you." This went on for years. Finally, one Sunday Father Damien began his sermon this way: "We lepers know that God loves us.” Father Damien had contracted leprosy. Yet he went on loving and serving until his death in 1898. Even as Father Damien cast his lot with the lepers, Jesus, Emmanuel, invested himself totally with us sinners. "He was bruised and wounded for our sins. He was lashed, and we were healed." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel"( Mt 1: 22-23). The birth of Emmanuel was the fulfillment of God’s promise. In all, Mathew quotes 12 fulfillment prophecies.
Human parents are careful about naming their children. They want the name to mean something, to signify how important this new life is to them. God the Father was also careful about naming his Son. He didn't leave it up to chance or to Mary and Joseph's creativity. He chose it himself, and sent an angel to announce the choice to Mary and Joseph.
In the Old Testament, God often changed people's names, mostly when someone was given a special mission in salvation history - like Abram and Jacob. When God changed their names to Abraham and Israel, the meaning of the name signified their role in God's plan. But when the Father instructs Joseph to call Mary's son "Jesus" even before he has been born, he shows that Jesus is not just another prophet. He shows that Jesus is his Son in an entirely unique way - so much so that God the Father has the right to choose his name from the very beginning of his human existence. And what does that name mean? In Hebrew Joshua, which is Jesus in Greek, means "God saves."
This name reveals Christ's mission. Unlike the Old Testament prophets, Jesus didn't come to earth only to announce God's plan of saving mankind from sin and evil; he came in order to enact that plan, to win that salvation.
Another name of Jesus is also revealed to us today: Emmanuel. This name was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and Matthew applies it explicitly to Jesus. "Emmanuel" in Hebrew means, "God is with/among us." The name "Jesus" referred to Christ's mission, what he came to do. "Emmanuel" refers to his identity, to who he is. But the two are closely related. Names have power - and Christ's names, when we really understand them, have enough power to bring our relationship with God to a whole new level.
Jesus' calling is to save his people from their sins and to manifest God's presence. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us. He will end the Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20). Matthew understands that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God is with us, reconciling the world to Himself. He is the reassurance in the flesh that God has not given up on us, but will remain with us.
We need to experience Emmanuel in our lives and change the world: God who entered our world through Jesus 2000 years ago is at work in the world. But the question is, if God has come to be present in our lives and our world, then why are there so many lives which are unhappy and beastly? Why are people so hostile, hating each other, and why do so many love-relationships turn sour? Why is there domestic violence and child abuse? Why is there war in at least a dozen countries of God's good earth at any given time? Why are there so many people, homeless and hungry, even in rich countries? The good news and the consoling message of Christmas is that the child Jesus still waits today to step into our hearts—your heart and mine—and to change us and the world around us by the beauty of God's love, kindness, mercy and compassion.
The problem is not that God is not with us, the problem rather is that we do not recognize the ways of God’s presence and action among us. We are often enough, like Jacob in Bethel who awoke from his sleep and exclaimed, “So the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!” (Gen. 28:16).
We usually think of salvation almost exclusively in terms of our souls at the end of our lives, our getting into heaven when we die. Salvation at the end of our life is fine, it is essential. But we all need help right now. We need to be saved from selfishness, from greed, from a bad temper, from envy and jealousy, from hatred, bitterness, resentment, a critical spirit, gossiping and many other weaknesses that we easily give in to. All this Jesus wishes to accomplish in us here and now, that is, if we are willing to be saved in his way. Emmanuel, God with us, will save us from what we can not save ourselves.
The great writer Max Lucado tells about his neighbor who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to shoot a basketball. They were out in the backyard. The father shot a couple of times, saying, "Do it just like that, son; it's real easy." The little boy tried very hard but he couldn't get the ball ten feet into the air. The little fellow got more and more frustrated. Finally, after hearing his father talk about how easy it was for the tenth time, the boy said, "It's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here." You and I can never say that about God. When Jesus became man and lived among us, he walked where we walk, he suffered what we suffer, he was tempted as we are tempted.
God is with us in moments of sorrow as well as joy. God’s presence is the richest treasure one can have in one’s life. Presence of God is the foundation of our hope and absence of God is the beginning of crises. He is with us in situations of poverty as well as plenty. He is with us in times of worry as well as peace. God is with us to see us through any struggle, to help us survive any setback, to strengthen us to endure any disappointment. Christmas is a yearly sign to reaffirm our faith that God is still with us and will be with us to the end of time. And, to realize that “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Over 100 years ago Father Damien, a Belgian priest, began working with lepers on a small Hawaiian island. Each Sunday Father Damien would begin his sermon with these words: "You lepers know that God loves you." This went on for years. Finally, one Sunday Father Damien began his sermon this way: "We lepers know that God loves us.” Father Damien had contracted leprosy. Yet he went on loving and serving until his death in 1898. Even as Father Damien cast his lot with the lepers, Jesus, Emmanuel, invested himself totally with us sinners. "He was bruised and wounded for our sins. He was lashed, and we were healed." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel"( Mt 1: 22-23). The birth of Emmanuel was the fulfillment of God’s promise. In all, Mathew quotes 12 fulfillment prophecies.
Human parents are careful about naming their children. They want the name to mean something, to signify how important this new life is to them. God the Father was also careful about naming his Son. He didn't leave it up to chance or to Mary and Joseph's creativity. He chose it himself, and sent an angel to announce the choice to Mary and Joseph.
In the Old Testament, God often changed people's names, mostly when someone was given a special mission in salvation history - like Abram and Jacob. When God changed their names to Abraham and Israel, the meaning of the name signified their role in God's plan. But when the Father instructs Joseph to call Mary's son "Jesus" even before he has been born, he shows that Jesus is not just another prophet. He shows that Jesus is his Son in an entirely unique way - so much so that God the Father has the right to choose his name from the very beginning of his human existence. And what does that name mean? In Hebrew Joshua, which is Jesus in Greek, means "God saves."
This name reveals Christ's mission. Unlike the Old Testament prophets, Jesus didn't come to earth only to announce God's plan of saving mankind from sin and evil; he came in order to enact that plan, to win that salvation.
Another name of Jesus is also revealed to us today: Emmanuel. This name was foretold by the prophet Isaiah, and Matthew applies it explicitly to Jesus. "Emmanuel" in Hebrew means, "God is with/among us." The name "Jesus" referred to Christ's mission, what he came to do. "Emmanuel" refers to his identity, to who he is. But the two are closely related. Names have power - and Christ's names, when we really understand them, have enough power to bring our relationship with God to a whole new level.
Jesus' calling is to save his people from their sins and to manifest God's presence. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us. He will end the Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20). Matthew understands that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God is with us, reconciling the world to Himself. He is the reassurance in the flesh that God has not given up on us, but will remain with us.
We need to experience Emmanuel in our lives and change the world: God who entered our world through Jesus 2000 years ago is at work in the world. But the question is, if God has come to be present in our lives and our world, then why are there so many lives which are unhappy and beastly? Why are people so hostile, hating each other, and why do so many love-relationships turn sour? Why is there domestic violence and child abuse? Why is there war in at least a dozen countries of God's good earth at any given time? Why are there so many people, homeless and hungry, even in rich countries? The good news and the consoling message of Christmas is that the child Jesus still waits today to step into our hearts—your heart and mine—and to change us and the world around us by the beauty of God's love, kindness, mercy and compassion.
The problem is not that God is not with us, the problem rather is that we do not recognize the ways of God’s presence and action among us. We are often enough, like Jacob in Bethel who awoke from his sleep and exclaimed, “So the LORD is in this place – and I did not know it!” (Gen. 28:16).
We usually think of salvation almost exclusively in terms of our souls at the end of our lives, our getting into heaven when we die. Salvation at the end of our life is fine, it is essential. But we all need help right now. We need to be saved from selfishness, from greed, from a bad temper, from envy and jealousy, from hatred, bitterness, resentment, a critical spirit, gossiping and many other weaknesses that we easily give in to. All this Jesus wishes to accomplish in us here and now, that is, if we are willing to be saved in his way. Emmanuel, God with us, will save us from what we can not save ourselves.
The great writer Max Lucado tells about his neighbor who was trying to teach his six-year-old son how to shoot a basketball. They were out in the backyard. The father shot a couple of times, saying, "Do it just like that, son; it's real easy." The little boy tried very hard but he couldn't get the ball ten feet into the air. The little fellow got more and more frustrated. Finally, after hearing his father talk about how easy it was for the tenth time, the boy said, "It's easy for you up there. You don't know how hard it is from down here." You and I can never say that about God. When Jesus became man and lived among us, he walked where we walk, he suffered what we suffer, he was tempted as we are tempted.
God is with us in moments of sorrow as well as joy. God’s presence is the richest treasure one can have in one’s life. Presence of God is the foundation of our hope and absence of God is the beginning of crises. He is with us in situations of poverty as well as plenty. He is with us in times of worry as well as peace. God is with us to see us through any struggle, to help us survive any setback, to strengthen us to endure any disappointment. Christmas is a yearly sign to reaffirm our faith that God is still with us and will be with us to the end of time. And, to realize that “In him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
THE FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is the subject of a lot of misconceptions . Perhaps the most common one, held even by many Catholics, is that it celebrates the conception of Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary. That the feast occurs only 17 days before Christmas should make the error obvious! We celebrate another feast—the annunciation of the Lord—on March 25, exactly nine months before Christmas. It was at the Annunciation, when the Blessed Virgin Mary humbly accepted the honor bestowed on her by God and announced by the angel Gabriel, that the conception of Christ took place.
This feast celebrates the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of Saint Anne; and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Because of the doctrine of Original Sin, some in the West began to believe that Mary could not have been sinless unless she had been saved from Original Sin at the moment of her conception (thus making the conception "immaculate"). Others, however, including St. Thomas Aquinas, argued that Mary could not have been redeemed if she had not been subject to sin—at least, to Original Sin.
The answer to St. Thomas Aquinas's objection, as Blessed John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) showed, was that God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ. In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception, rather than (as with all other Christians) in Baptism.
After Duns Scotus' defense of the Immaculate Conception, the feast spread throughout the West. On February 28, 1476, however, Pope Sixtus IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church, and in 1483 threatened with excommunication those who opposed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. By the middle of the 17th century, all opposition to the doctrine had died out in the Catholic Church.
Promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
The idea that Mary could be conceived without bondage to Original Sin, and the related idea that Mary could spend her entire life free of sin, is not a glorification of her. It's a glorification of God, who filled her with grace in order to protect her in a special way and to enable her to resist temptation throughout her life. "Let it be done to me according to your word" was not a sudden or temporary leap of faith for her; it was her life-long attitude. The power that enabled her to fulfill this desire came straight from the Holy Spirit as a gift of grace.
Though Mary appears in a perfect light, it is clear that it is not her virtue that has earned her the great honour that is to come. The angel’s greeting makes it clear. “Favoured one; what is coming to her is God's gift, not reward for virtue. In the biblical passage the favour being offered was, of course, the conception of Jesus in her womb.
An outdoor statue of Mary at a church in St. Mary’s, Kansas was popular with a tribe of Native Americans. Over the years, it lost most of its paint so that her Mary's eyes looked as if she were blind. When a new pas-tor wanted to repaint the statue, the tribal chief opposed it vigorously saying,
We could never make her look as lovely as she is in heaven. On the other hand, if we keep it is now, it reminds us of how Mary looks down on us from heaven. Her eyes are blind to our faults, but her ears are open to our prayers.”
Mary is the model of Christian discipleship. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ."
Under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patron the United States of America, as well as many other countries. It seems really important to turn to Mary and beg her help for our countries. May we be able to focus on our mission to care for the common good. May we protect the dignity of every human life, as a precious child of God, giving every human person what he or she needs for a full life enabled to practice their faith with justice and the protections justice demands. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
This feast celebrates the conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the womb of Saint Anne; and nine months later, on September 8, we celebrate the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Because of the doctrine of Original Sin, some in the West began to believe that Mary could not have been sinless unless she had been saved from Original Sin at the moment of her conception (thus making the conception "immaculate"). Others, however, including St. Thomas Aquinas, argued that Mary could not have been redeemed if she had not been subject to sin—at least, to Original Sin.
The answer to St. Thomas Aquinas's objection, as Blessed John Duns Scotus (d. 1308) showed, was that God had sanctified Mary at the moment of her conception in His foreknowledge that the Blessed Virgin would consent to bear Christ. In other words, she too had been redeemed—her redemption had simply been accomplished at the moment of her conception, rather than (as with all other Christians) in Baptism.
After Duns Scotus' defense of the Immaculate Conception, the feast spread throughout the West. On February 28, 1476, however, Pope Sixtus IV extended the feast to the entire Western Church, and in 1483 threatened with excommunication those who opposed the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. By the middle of the 17th century, all opposition to the doctrine had died out in the Catholic Church.
Promulgation of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception:
On December 8, 1854, Pope Pius IX officially declared the Immaculate Conception a dogma of the Church, which means that all Christians are bound to accept it as true. As the Holy Father wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus, "We declare, pronounce, and define that the doctrine which holds that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin, is a doctrine revealed by God and therefore to be believed firmly and constantly by all the faithful."
The idea that Mary could be conceived without bondage to Original Sin, and the related idea that Mary could spend her entire life free of sin, is not a glorification of her. It's a glorification of God, who filled her with grace in order to protect her in a special way and to enable her to resist temptation throughout her life. "Let it be done to me according to your word" was not a sudden or temporary leap of faith for her; it was her life-long attitude. The power that enabled her to fulfill this desire came straight from the Holy Spirit as a gift of grace.
Though Mary appears in a perfect light, it is clear that it is not her virtue that has earned her the great honour that is to come. The angel’s greeting makes it clear. “Favoured one; what is coming to her is God's gift, not reward for virtue. In the biblical passage the favour being offered was, of course, the conception of Jesus in her womb.
An outdoor statue of Mary at a church in St. Mary’s, Kansas was popular with a tribe of Native Americans. Over the years, it lost most of its paint so that her Mary's eyes looked as if she were blind. When a new pas-tor wanted to repaint the statue, the tribal chief opposed it vigorously saying,
We could never make her look as lovely as she is in heaven. On the other hand, if we keep it is now, it reminds us of how Mary looks down on us from heaven. Her eyes are blind to our faults, but her ears are open to our prayers.”
Mary is the model of Christian discipleship. Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ."
Under the title of the Immaculate Conception, Mary is the patron the United States of America, as well as many other countries. It seems really important to turn to Mary and beg her help for our countries. May we be able to focus on our mission to care for the common good. May we protect the dignity of every human life, as a precious child of God, giving every human person what he or she needs for a full life enabled to practice their faith with justice and the protections justice demands. Holy Mary, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
IInd Sunday of Advent.
II Sunday Advent: Is11:1-10; Ps72:1,2,7,8,12,13,17; Rm 15:4-9;Mt 3:1-12
Leonardo da Vinci painted the fresco (wall painting), "The Last Supper," in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan (1495-1498). A very interesting story is associated with this painting. At the time that Leonardo painted "The Last Supper," he had an enemy who was a fellow painter. Da Vinci had had a bitter argument with this man and despised him. When Da Vinci painted the face of Judas Iscariot at the table with Jesus, he used the face of his enemy so that it would be present for the ages as the man who betrayed Jesus. He took delight while painting this picture in knowing that others would actually notice the face of his enemy on Judas. As he worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus, but couldn't make any progress. Da Vinci felt frustrated and confused. In time he realized what was wrong. His hate for the other painter was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after making peace with his fellow-painter and repainting the face of Judas was he able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece. Be reconciled with God and fellow-human beings: that is the message of today’s gospel.
"Prepare the way of the Lord." He fearlessly scolds the Pharisees for receiving his baptism for appearances' sake only. Give evidence that they mean to reform their lives so as to recognize and accept the promised Messiah. He challenges them to repentance, conversion and renewal of life.
He tells the common people, who are filled with the expectation that the Messiah is near, to act with justice and charity, letting their lives reflect the transformation that will occur when the Messiah enters their lives.
Everyone who wants to experience this “reign of God" needs to make a radical change in his or her life. The Sadducees and Pharisees and many of the people John spoke to, thought they were entitled to the Kingdom of God simply because they were Jewish. “Stop making presumptions,” the Baptist warns them. We cannot come under the sovereign rule of God without a change of attitude, a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. John not only denounced men for what they had done; he summoned them to what they ought to do.
We have been brought into the sacred through the Merciful Gift of God that is our baptism. When we refuse to live our faith, we are treating our baptism as a mere ritual act. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. Repentance for us is not a one-time action, but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task. It is being open to the grace of God to transform ourselves.
The vision of Isaiah that “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) means that there is going to be a radical change at the coming of the Messiah. Some people would say it is impossible for the cow and the bear to graze, and lie down together; or for a lion to eat straw like the ox. (11:7) The wolf can never live in peace with the lamb because it is in the nature of the wolf to eat the lamb.” Of course a radical transformation of our human nature is required for that. We need a completely new heart. This radical transformation of human nature is possible only by God’s grace. One who is born and living in Christ will grow to that radical change of nature.
Grace transforms nature. God’s grace transforms human nature so radically that one needs to experience it to believe it. Grace working in nature accomplishes so much more than we could ever imagine.
Only when transformed by grace, is it possible for the wolf to live in peace with the lamb. Only then can the ferocious animals learn to accept their weaker colleagues as equals who have an equal right to life and well-being. And only then can the weaker animals learn to trust the ferocious ones and forgive and forget all the violence they had been made to suffer in the past.
Note that Isaiah is not talking here of “tolerating” or putting up with” the other. The peace of this new world order is not merely an absence of war or friction. No. It is a peace of harmonious live-and-let-live based on justice and the mutual recognition that everyone has got the right not only to life but also to the good life. It is only when the lion and the wolf give up their “natural privileges” and begin to eat grass like the cow that one can truly say that “all animals are equal.” As long as some animals lay claim to being “more equal” than others there can be no justice and no peace.
In our personal and business life do we consciously or unconsciously operate on the principle that for us to win, someone else has to lose? If so then the grace of God has not been able to work in us to transform us. The vision of the new world order to which the prophets invite us today is founded on the principle that we can all be winners.
For many people conversion to Jesus means going to Church and doing religious rituals. Conversion is more than that. John says, “Produce good fruit as evidence of repentance.” We produce the fruits of conversion when we grow from rituals to relationship. The ultimate purpose of repentance is building bridges with one another. And going to meet others more than half way, is a means to meet Christ on Christmas. Paul exhorts the Church of Rome the same thing. The reason for reaching out to the other is the mystery of incarnation. Human body becomes the dwelling place of God. This is our common ground.
Harmonious co-existence is possible when every person lives the threefold Christ-principle: Mutual acceptance, Mutual respect, Mutual promotion. For this to take place we may have to put an ax to resentments and biases rooted in our hearts. We may have to winnow our greed and overindulgence, and we may have to burn the chaff of our impatience.
On this second Sunday of Advent, let us ask ourselves these questions. Do I perform the works of proper conversion ? Do I accept others as they are? Do I respect their rightful place and position in the community? Do I give the other what is due to him/her? Let’s show to the Lord and the Christian community that we are serious with our conversion.
Leonardo da Vinci painted the fresco (wall painting), "The Last Supper," in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan (1495-1498). A very interesting story is associated with this painting. At the time that Leonardo painted "The Last Supper," he had an enemy who was a fellow painter. Da Vinci had had a bitter argument with this man and despised him. When Da Vinci painted the face of Judas Iscariot at the table with Jesus, he used the face of his enemy so that it would be present for the ages as the man who betrayed Jesus. He took delight while painting this picture in knowing that others would actually notice the face of his enemy on Judas. As he worked on the faces of the other disciples, he often tried to paint the face of Jesus, but couldn't make any progress. Da Vinci felt frustrated and confused. In time he realized what was wrong. His hate for the other painter was holding him back from finishing the face of Jesus. Only after making peace with his fellow-painter and repainting the face of Judas was he able to paint the face of Jesus and complete his masterpiece. Be reconciled with God and fellow-human beings: that is the message of today’s gospel.
"Prepare the way of the Lord." He fearlessly scolds the Pharisees for receiving his baptism for appearances' sake only. Give evidence that they mean to reform their lives so as to recognize and accept the promised Messiah. He challenges them to repentance, conversion and renewal of life.
He tells the common people, who are filled with the expectation that the Messiah is near, to act with justice and charity, letting their lives reflect the transformation that will occur when the Messiah enters their lives.
Everyone who wants to experience this “reign of God" needs to make a radical change in his or her life. The Sadducees and Pharisees and many of the people John spoke to, thought they were entitled to the Kingdom of God simply because they were Jewish. “Stop making presumptions,” the Baptist warns them. We cannot come under the sovereign rule of God without a change of attitude, a change of heart and a change of lifestyle. John not only denounced men for what they had done; he summoned them to what they ought to do.
We have been brought into the sacred through the Merciful Gift of God that is our baptism. When we refuse to live our faith, we are treating our baptism as a mere ritual act. Repentance is a daily experience that renews our baptism. Repentance for us is not a one-time action, but must take place daily, because preparing for the Lord is a perpetual task. It is being open to the grace of God to transform ourselves.
The vision of Isaiah that “The wolf shall live with the lamb, the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little child shall lead them. (Isaiah 11:6) means that there is going to be a radical change at the coming of the Messiah. Some people would say it is impossible for the cow and the bear to graze, and lie down together; or for a lion to eat straw like the ox. (11:7) The wolf can never live in peace with the lamb because it is in the nature of the wolf to eat the lamb.” Of course a radical transformation of our human nature is required for that. We need a completely new heart. This radical transformation of human nature is possible only by God’s grace. One who is born and living in Christ will grow to that radical change of nature.
Grace transforms nature. God’s grace transforms human nature so radically that one needs to experience it to believe it. Grace working in nature accomplishes so much more than we could ever imagine.
Only when transformed by grace, is it possible for the wolf to live in peace with the lamb. Only then can the ferocious animals learn to accept their weaker colleagues as equals who have an equal right to life and well-being. And only then can the weaker animals learn to trust the ferocious ones and forgive and forget all the violence they had been made to suffer in the past.
Note that Isaiah is not talking here of “tolerating” or putting up with” the other. The peace of this new world order is not merely an absence of war or friction. No. It is a peace of harmonious live-and-let-live based on justice and the mutual recognition that everyone has got the right not only to life but also to the good life. It is only when the lion and the wolf give up their “natural privileges” and begin to eat grass like the cow that one can truly say that “all animals are equal.” As long as some animals lay claim to being “more equal” than others there can be no justice and no peace.
In our personal and business life do we consciously or unconsciously operate on the principle that for us to win, someone else has to lose? If so then the grace of God has not been able to work in us to transform us. The vision of the new world order to which the prophets invite us today is founded on the principle that we can all be winners.
For many people conversion to Jesus means going to Church and doing religious rituals. Conversion is more than that. John says, “Produce good fruit as evidence of repentance.” We produce the fruits of conversion when we grow from rituals to relationship. The ultimate purpose of repentance is building bridges with one another. And going to meet others more than half way, is a means to meet Christ on Christmas. Paul exhorts the Church of Rome the same thing. The reason for reaching out to the other is the mystery of incarnation. Human body becomes the dwelling place of God. This is our common ground.
Harmonious co-existence is possible when every person lives the threefold Christ-principle: Mutual acceptance, Mutual respect, Mutual promotion. For this to take place we may have to put an ax to resentments and biases rooted in our hearts. We may have to winnow our greed and overindulgence, and we may have to burn the chaff of our impatience.
On this second Sunday of Advent, let us ask ourselves these questions. Do I perform the works of proper conversion ? Do I accept others as they are? Do I respect their rightful place and position in the community? Do I give the other what is due to him/her? Let’s show to the Lord and the Christian community that we are serious with our conversion.
Friday, November 26, 2010
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT- CYCLE "A".
1st SUN. OF ADVENT. Nov.28th: Is.2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mat. 24:37-44)
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
FIRST SUNDAY OF ADVENT- CYCLE "A".
1st SUN. OF ADVENT. Nov.28th: Is.2:1-5; Rom 13:11-14; Mat. 24:37-44)
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
This Sunday marks the first week of Advent. Even though the focus now is on Christmas, the season of Advent is supposed to be a time of anticipation and preparation. The Scripture readings this Sunday certainly are not focused on the birth of Jesus, which has already occurred. Instead, the readings are focused on the importance for all believers to be prepared for the Second Coming of Christ, which has yet to occur.
As the days grow shorter we reflect that earthly time is slipping away, but the day of the Lord advances. As the days darken we light the first Advent candle as a beacon of hope in the one who rose again, triumphant over sin and death, who will return to reveal the kingdom of his eternal love.
In the second reading, from the Letter to the Romans, St. Paul warns, “It is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed….let us conduct ourselves properly…not in orgies and drunkenness….But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And in the gospel reading, Jesus warns, “Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come….You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”
Evidently, this is in reference to the Second Coming of Jesus. One may wonder why we talk about the Final Day on the very first day of the liturgical year. It is not by accident. It is important that we must be aware of our destination before we begin our journey. Jesus came into history not to keep us here on earth but to prepare us to stand before the Lord holy and undefiled and lead us to eternal life. Thus, incarnation is complete with the Second Coming of Jesus where He presents us to the Father.
Whether Advent is all about Jesus’ first coming in the history or His second coming at the end of time what is important for us is his coming in our life. During this Advent, therefore, our challenge is how we make the coming of Jesus a reality in our life. Definitely, there are numerous ways for that. I would like to mention three of them.
1.KEEP THE FOCUS ON THE REASON FOR CELEBRATION
One day a few women came to a restaurant. They were in a very happy- go- lucky mood. Out of curiosity, the manager asked them. “Why are you here, today? What is special?” “Oh. Today is the birthday of my only child. We are here to celebrate it,” one of the women said. “Where is the child? I would like to greet him,” he said. “We did not bring him. He is at home.” she said. “Do you think he would have allowed us to enjoy this food if we brought him with us? He would be a real disturbance,” she added. A birthday celebration without the birthday baby being present? The focus of the celebration was shifted from the center to the periphery. Advent is a holiday season for many. Naturally, people are busy with buying and sending gifts, organizing parties and so forth. All these are important. They are part of the celebration and life is meant to be a celebration.
2. BY BEING OPEN TO CHANGE
The good news of Jesus’ First Coming was that He chose a human body as his dwelling place. By assuming a human form, He restored human dignity. The human body became the temple of God. The incarnation of Jesus must take place in every human person. The Divine must penetrate into every cell of our lives. Therefore, it is not enough to focus on his coming alone, but we need to prepare our lives to welcome him. We need to allow him to enter into our lives and transform us. “This coming of Jesus is not merely an interior, spiritual affair; it happens rather in palpable, concrete forms. Each individual Christian personally and the Church of Christ as a community, is a sign of the fact that God has come and is with us forever.” Our challenge during Advent is like clay in the hands of a potter. We need to place ourselves in the hands of God and allow him to shape and reshape our image until he forms a pot of his liking. St. Erenaus said this: As long as the clay is wet, moist and supple, the shaping is painless; but on the other hand, if the clay is hardened and reactive, it can break under the influence of the Potter. In Adam, the clay became brittle and hardened, so the shaping became painful and even impossible. What kind of clay am I?
We can make the clay of our life moist and supple by keeping ourselves in the shade of Lord’s Sacraments and by prayer.
2. BY MEETING JESUS IN THE ‘NEIGHBOR’
The incarnation of Jesus made every human person another meeting place of God. The uniqueness of Christianity is that we can relate to God only through our neighbors. In the story of the Good Samaritan, the priest and the Levite tried to reach the temple by avoiding the victim on the road. Not they, but the Samaritan who stopped on the way to meet the victim caught the attention of God. Where do I find Jesus? Remember, Jesus was born in a manger, not in a palace or any other place of luxury. Jesus is there where people are struggling to celebrate their life with human dignity…Jesus is there where there is a person in need.
Martin, the Cobbler, is Leo Tolstoy's story about a lonely shoemaker who is promised in a dream that Christ will come to visit his shop. The next day Martin rises early, gets his shop ready, prepares a meal and waits. The only one who showed up in the morning was an old beggar who came by and asked for rest. Martin gave him a room he had prepared for his divine guest. The only one to show up in the afternoon was an old lady with a heavy load of wood. She was hungry and asks for food. He gave her the food he had prepared for his divine guest. As evening came, a lost boy wandered by. Martin took him home, afraid all the while he would miss the Christ. That night in his prayers he asks the Lord, "Where were You? I waited all day for You."
The Lord said to Martin: "Three times I came to your friendly door.
Three times my shadow was on your floor. I was a beggar with bruised feet.
I was the woman you gave to eat. I was the homeless child on the street."
Watch out! Christ may be closer than you can imagine.
We turn our attention once again to Advent, to the three comings of Christ: his first, 2000 years ago; his last, sometime in the future, and his ongoing one, through his grace, his providence, and the sacraments. When we turn our attention to these three comings of Christ, we will see something new, something different. All three of those comings of Christ have the same purpose: to reestablish and deepen our friendship with God. He is looking forward making that happen, to deepening our friendship with him, in these coming weeks of Advent.
During this season, let us try to be generous to people who are in need. Thus, let us make this Holiday season a Holy season.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Feat of Christ the King
XXXIV SUNDAY : II Sam 5: 1-3; Col 1: 12-20; Lk 23: 35-43
Today's Feast - Christ the King - has an interesting history. Even though the Bible clearly presents Jesus as King, it wasn't until 1925 that the Church established a feast day with that title. Pope Pius XI inaugurated this celebration as a response to the totalitarian regimes that emerged in the early twentieth century. Those regimes claimed absolute power over their citizens and they scoffed at the role of God in guiding people's lives. Against this grab for absolute control, the Church said, "No, the state does not have the highest authority. That belongs to God." And as Christians, we know that Jesus is God. He is the King over all kings. In our second reading, St. Paul states that all things were created through Jesus and for him. "He is before all things...preeminent."
We belong to Jesus. He is our king. If a government overreaches itself, if it demands a submission that we cannot give, we have a simple, direct response: Jesus is our king. We see an example of this from the nineteen-twenties. At that time a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey." At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture.
Like the good thief in the Gospel today, Padre Pro died acknowledging Jesus as King. Hopefully you and I will die with the name of Jesus on our lips and in our heart. But, more important, we live today acknowledging Christ as our King. Now, we do not live in a totalitarian country. Unlike Mexico in the twenties (or the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany) we enjoy religious freedom. At the same time we must be vigilant. Government can infringe on what ultimately belongs to God.
It is not enough, therefore, for Christians to hold onto their faith just in their private lives. We must bring Christ and Christian values in to culture, politics, and every sphere of society. If we truly believe in Christ, why would we be afraid of defending and spreading Christian values? Why would we let ourselves be bullied by secular fundamentalists who try to exclude Christ from culture?
In 1908, the famous English historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc, ran for the British Parliament. His opponents tried to scare off his supporters by claiming that Belloc's faithfulness to the Catholic Church would inhibit him from being objective. Belloc responded in a speech: "Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell its beads every day. "If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative."
The crowd was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause.
Belloc went on to win that election, and many more. If Christ truly is King, which he is, we should not be afraid to spread his Kingdom.
The feast of Christ the King is a day of glory, exaltation and majesty. And yet, the strange thing is that today, we read the story of the crucifixion. After all, if there was a low tide in the Kingship of Christ, it was when he died, his life and work mocked, his hope crushed. Surely, at that moment, he was least a king. "lf you are a king, save yourself", they said. But of course, Jesus was not a king in the only fashion in which they could understand the word, namely a king by the exercise of his power. By dying, he displays the kind of king he is, one who suffers trusting in God and punishes no one.
The Good Thief understood this. The bad thief didn't. The rulers didn't. As Jesus hung on the cross, revealing God's saving love, they sneered and jeered at him. They knew that he had claimed to be the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Israel, but they could only imagine kingship in earthly terms. And so they challenged Jesus to show that he was truly a king by coming down from the cross. If Jesus could eliminate human suffering and injustice (symbolized by coming down from the cross), so they thought, he would prove himself to be a worthy king. But Jesus didn't do it. He didn't even respond to them with an explanation. He simply kept suffering unfairly until the very end. And as he suffered, the Good Thief realized the truth. He realized that there is more to the human story than what we see, experience, and understand here on earth. He realized that Jesus held the key to a Kingdom much greater than any the earth would ever know. He realized that Christ's Kingdom could begin on earth, through faith, hope and obedience, but that it would only reach its fullness hereafter, and so he makes his prayer: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To that request, Jesus responded.
As a true King, he granted the favor. He didn't take away the Good Thief's suffering - Christ's Kingdom is not of this world - but he gave it purpose: he made it a path to Paradise. And as the Good Thief hung on the cross, dying, tortured, in excruciating pain, he was happy, because he had placed himself under the King's protection, and the King would keep his promise.
We are with Jesus as he makes the rounds of healing, preaching and working miracles. But we find it hard to remain in his company when we must keep fellowship with him in his suffering. We want a Messiah who is king with all the trappings of glory but not a Messiah who invites us to follow him on the way of the cross. Why then do we Christians have a king who reigns from the cross?
St. Luke provides a powerful response. Jesus is on the cross because we need him to be there. We find both the good thief and the bad one within ourselves. We want Jesus to get off the cross and make everything right. We need a quick fix solution to all our problems and the bold display of power.
There are many Christians who demand of Christ the disappearance of suffering, injustice and war. There are other people who say that if Christ has royal power, let him fashion for us a better society, and then they will believe in him. At the same time, we also realize that Jesus must remain on the cross if we are to hear these words: "I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise."
We are ambassadors of Christ the King. We represent him to the world.
Through us, his wisdom enlightens culture. Through us, his grace reaches into every corner of the human community and heals it of selfishness, greed and injustice. Our job as ambassadors is simply to be loyal. That means first of all that we must know the King's desires and priorities.
Today especially, before we receive our Lord in Holy Communion, let us put more meaning than usual into the words that sum up every christian’s fundamental mission and deepest desire: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Today's Feast - Christ the King - has an interesting history. Even though the Bible clearly presents Jesus as King, it wasn't until 1925 that the Church established a feast day with that title. Pope Pius XI inaugurated this celebration as a response to the totalitarian regimes that emerged in the early twentieth century. Those regimes claimed absolute power over their citizens and they scoffed at the role of God in guiding people's lives. Against this grab for absolute control, the Church said, "No, the state does not have the highest authority. That belongs to God." And as Christians, we know that Jesus is God. He is the King over all kings. In our second reading, St. Paul states that all things were created through Jesus and for him. "He is before all things...preeminent."
We belong to Jesus. He is our king. If a government overreaches itself, if it demands a submission that we cannot give, we have a simple, direct response: Jesus is our king. We see an example of this from the nineteen-twenties. At that time a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and it tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, "Viva Cristo Rey! Long live Christ the King!" They called themselves "Cristeros." The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro ministered to the people of Mexico City. Finally the government arrested him and sentenced him to public execution. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, he extended his arms and shouted, "Viva Cristo Rey." At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures; if you look up "Padre Pro" or "Saint Miguel Pro" on the Internet, you can see that picture.
Like the good thief in the Gospel today, Padre Pro died acknowledging Jesus as King. Hopefully you and I will die with the name of Jesus on our lips and in our heart. But, more important, we live today acknowledging Christ as our King. Now, we do not live in a totalitarian country. Unlike Mexico in the twenties (or the Soviet Union or Nazi Germany) we enjoy religious freedom. At the same time we must be vigilant. Government can infringe on what ultimately belongs to God.
It is not enough, therefore, for Christians to hold onto their faith just in their private lives. We must bring Christ and Christian values in to culture, politics, and every sphere of society. If we truly believe in Christ, why would we be afraid of defending and spreading Christian values? Why would we let ourselves be bullied by secular fundamentalists who try to exclude Christ from culture?
In 1908, the famous English historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc, ran for the British Parliament. His opponents tried to scare off his supporters by claiming that Belloc's faithfulness to the Catholic Church would inhibit him from being objective. Belloc responded in a speech: "Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell its beads every day. "If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative."
The crowd was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause.
Belloc went on to win that election, and many more. If Christ truly is King, which he is, we should not be afraid to spread his Kingdom.
The feast of Christ the King is a day of glory, exaltation and majesty. And yet, the strange thing is that today, we read the story of the crucifixion. After all, if there was a low tide in the Kingship of Christ, it was when he died, his life and work mocked, his hope crushed. Surely, at that moment, he was least a king. "lf you are a king, save yourself", they said. But of course, Jesus was not a king in the only fashion in which they could understand the word, namely a king by the exercise of his power. By dying, he displays the kind of king he is, one who suffers trusting in God and punishes no one.
The Good Thief understood this. The bad thief didn't. The rulers didn't. As Jesus hung on the cross, revealing God's saving love, they sneered and jeered at him. They knew that he had claimed to be the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Israel, but they could only imagine kingship in earthly terms. And so they challenged Jesus to show that he was truly a king by coming down from the cross. If Jesus could eliminate human suffering and injustice (symbolized by coming down from the cross), so they thought, he would prove himself to be a worthy king. But Jesus didn't do it. He didn't even respond to them with an explanation. He simply kept suffering unfairly until the very end. And as he suffered, the Good Thief realized the truth. He realized that there is more to the human story than what we see, experience, and understand here on earth. He realized that Jesus held the key to a Kingdom much greater than any the earth would ever know. He realized that Christ's Kingdom could begin on earth, through faith, hope and obedience, but that it would only reach its fullness hereafter, and so he makes his prayer: "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." To that request, Jesus responded.
As a true King, he granted the favor. He didn't take away the Good Thief's suffering - Christ's Kingdom is not of this world - but he gave it purpose: he made it a path to Paradise. And as the Good Thief hung on the cross, dying, tortured, in excruciating pain, he was happy, because he had placed himself under the King's protection, and the King would keep his promise.
We are with Jesus as he makes the rounds of healing, preaching and working miracles. But we find it hard to remain in his company when we must keep fellowship with him in his suffering. We want a Messiah who is king with all the trappings of glory but not a Messiah who invites us to follow him on the way of the cross. Why then do we Christians have a king who reigns from the cross?
St. Luke provides a powerful response. Jesus is on the cross because we need him to be there. We find both the good thief and the bad one within ourselves. We want Jesus to get off the cross and make everything right. We need a quick fix solution to all our problems and the bold display of power.
There are many Christians who demand of Christ the disappearance of suffering, injustice and war. There are other people who say that if Christ has royal power, let him fashion for us a better society, and then they will believe in him. At the same time, we also realize that Jesus must remain on the cross if we are to hear these words: "I assure you: this day you will be with me in paradise."
We are ambassadors of Christ the King. We represent him to the world.
Through us, his wisdom enlightens culture. Through us, his grace reaches into every corner of the human community and heals it of selfishness, greed and injustice. Our job as ambassadors is simply to be loyal. That means first of all that we must know the King's desires and priorities.
Today especially, before we receive our Lord in Holy Communion, let us put more meaning than usual into the words that sum up every christian’s fundamental mission and deepest desire: Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
XXXIII-Sunday in Ordinary Time
XXXIII Sunday: Malachi 3:19-20;: 2 Thess 3: 7-12;Gosple: Lk 21: 5-19
Next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King and the following Sunday is the first Sunday of advent. As the Church year comes to an end, the Sunday readings reflect on the final days of the world, our own death and the final judgment. Today’s gospel passage warns that the date of the end of the world is uncertain. Signs and portents will precede the end, and the faithful will be called upon to testify before kings and governors. The good news, however, is that those who persevere in faithfulness to the Lord will save their souls and enter God's eternal kingdom.
Early Christian community had experienced much persecution. Jesus' words about people being "handed over by parents, brothers, relations and friends," were beginning to come true. Hence Luke encouraged them, in today’s gospel, to rely on Jesus’ promise of the protective power of a providing God and to persevere in faith and its practice, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
The purpose of the apocalyptic literature was to encourage dispirited people by proclaiming that God is in control of history and that punishment of the wicked will come about by God’s doing. It was also intended to encourage the believers to remain faithful through the coming ordeals. Luke gives them Jesus’ assurance that they are to trust his words against their persecutors. They must make use of this opportunity to bear witness to Jesus. This test of faith was also an opportunity to bear witness before the court officials and the public at large. Thus, the persecution would become a massive evangelization campaign [21:12-13]. Jesus cautions against their despairing in the face of wide-ranging opposition and persecution.
Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Christians of all denominations were routinely persecuted for their faith by the Communist regime.
One small group of believers used to meet in a family home every Sunday. They would arrive at different times, to avoid suspicion. On one particular Sunday they were all safely inside the building, with curtains drawn and doors locked. They had been singing and praying for awhile when the door burst open and two armed soldiers crashed in.
One shouted, "Everybody up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, you can leave now and no harm will come to you."
Two people left right away, then a third and fourth straggled out.
"This is your last chance!" the soldier warned. "Either turn your back on this Jesus of yours or stay and suffer the consequences!" Two more slipped outside, crying and ashamed. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down on the spot, or imprisoned. After a few moments of silence, the soldiers closed the door. One of them said, "Keep your hands up - but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church like this several weeks ago, and we became believers."
The other soldier added, "We are sorry to have frightened those who left, but we have learned that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted." In times of trouble our faith is tested, and we have a chance to do for Christ what he did for us: love him to the end.
Instead of destroying us, persecution and martyrdom will gain us eternal life. At the end of the discourse, Jesus gave the assurance, “Not a hair from your head would perish" (21:18). God's saving purpose will certainly triumph, because, contrary to appearances, he remains firmly in control. Finally, the way to glory is traveled more often through day-by-day endurance, rather than through isolated acts of heroic virtue.
'Do not be terrified'. 'Not a hair on your head will be destroyed.' Why should we not be terrified? Because we have a sure hope that it won't be the end of the world. At least, it won't be the end of our world. For those who love God, who are secure in the love that God has for us, our world will never end. But our trials and sufferings will help us transform to a better stage of life. And so avoidance of suffering will not help us in transforming us to what God wants us to be.
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home to watch the moth come out. One day a small opening appeared. The man sat and watched the moth for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.
The man thought it was stuck, and decided to help. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the moth could get out. Soon the moth emerged, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch, expecting that in time the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would simultaneously contract to its proper size. Neither happened. In fact, that little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. The man in his haste didn't understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening had a purpose. They force fluid from the body into the beautiful wings so that the moth can be ready for flight once it emerges from the cocoon.
Just as the moth could only achieve freedom and flight as a result of struggling, we often need to struggle to fulfill our life's mission.
This life on earth, for us and for the Church as a whole, is like the moth's life in the cocoon. The struggles God permits us have a purpose - by facing them bravely, with faith, and with the help of his grace, we and the Church will become what he created us to be.
Jesus himself saved us through his suffering and death and set before us an example of how we should face the struggles in life. Some times people think their world is ending when someone very close to them leave this world. They find no meaning for living further. Their world seems falling apart. But our world does not end there, if we have faith in the Lord’s loving protection , to carry us through. Some times God uses our sufferings for the return of others to God and to salvation.
Do I recognize that my Christian response to the hardships of life in this fallen world will serve as advertisements for Christ and bring others to salvation ? Do I use the tough times in my life to give testimony to my faith in the savior who saved me through suffering ?
Let us conclude this Church year by praying for the grace to endure patiently any trials that are essential to our affirmation of Jesus our Savior.
Next Sunday is the feast of Christ the King and the following Sunday is the first Sunday of advent. As the Church year comes to an end, the Sunday readings reflect on the final days of the world, our own death and the final judgment. Today’s gospel passage warns that the date of the end of the world is uncertain. Signs and portents will precede the end, and the faithful will be called upon to testify before kings and governors. The good news, however, is that those who persevere in faithfulness to the Lord will save their souls and enter God's eternal kingdom.
Early Christian community had experienced much persecution. Jesus' words about people being "handed over by parents, brothers, relations and friends," were beginning to come true. Hence Luke encouraged them, in today’s gospel, to rely on Jesus’ promise of the protective power of a providing God and to persevere in faith and its practice, “By your perseverance you will secure your lives."
The purpose of the apocalyptic literature was to encourage dispirited people by proclaiming that God is in control of history and that punishment of the wicked will come about by God’s doing. It was also intended to encourage the believers to remain faithful through the coming ordeals. Luke gives them Jesus’ assurance that they are to trust his words against their persecutors. They must make use of this opportunity to bear witness to Jesus. This test of faith was also an opportunity to bear witness before the court officials and the public at large. Thus, the persecution would become a massive evangelization campaign [21:12-13]. Jesus cautions against their despairing in the face of wide-ranging opposition and persecution.
Before the breakup of the Soviet Union, Christians of all denominations were routinely persecuted for their faith by the Communist regime.
One small group of believers used to meet in a family home every Sunday. They would arrive at different times, to avoid suspicion. On one particular Sunday they were all safely inside the building, with curtains drawn and doors locked. They had been singing and praying for awhile when the door burst open and two armed soldiers crashed in.
One shouted, "Everybody up against the wall. If you wish to renounce your faith in Jesus Christ, you can leave now and no harm will come to you."
Two people left right away, then a third and fourth straggled out.
"This is your last chance!" the soldier warned. "Either turn your back on this Jesus of yours or stay and suffer the consequences!" Two more slipped outside, crying and ashamed. No one else moved. Parents with small children trembling beside them looked down reassuringly. They fully expected to be gunned down on the spot, or imprisoned. After a few moments of silence, the soldiers closed the door. One of them said, "Keep your hands up - but this time in praise to our Lord Jesus Christ, brothers and sisters. We, too, are Christians. We were sent to another house church like this several weeks ago, and we became believers."
The other soldier added, "We are sorry to have frightened those who left, but we have learned that unless people are willing to die for their faith, they cannot be fully trusted." In times of trouble our faith is tested, and we have a chance to do for Christ what he did for us: love him to the end.
Instead of destroying us, persecution and martyrdom will gain us eternal life. At the end of the discourse, Jesus gave the assurance, “Not a hair from your head would perish" (21:18). God's saving purpose will certainly triumph, because, contrary to appearances, he remains firmly in control. Finally, the way to glory is traveled more often through day-by-day endurance, rather than through isolated acts of heroic virtue.
'Do not be terrified'. 'Not a hair on your head will be destroyed.' Why should we not be terrified? Because we have a sure hope that it won't be the end of the world. At least, it won't be the end of our world. For those who love God, who are secure in the love that God has for us, our world will never end. But our trials and sufferings will help us transform to a better stage of life. And so avoidance of suffering will not help us in transforming us to what God wants us to be.
A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth and took it home to watch the moth come out. One day a small opening appeared. The man sat and watched the moth for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress.
The man thought it was stuck, and decided to help. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the moth could get out. Soon the moth emerged, but it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch, expecting that in time the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would simultaneously contract to its proper size. Neither happened. In fact, that little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly. The man in his haste didn't understand that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening had a purpose. They force fluid from the body into the beautiful wings so that the moth can be ready for flight once it emerges from the cocoon.
Just as the moth could only achieve freedom and flight as a result of struggling, we often need to struggle to fulfill our life's mission.
This life on earth, for us and for the Church as a whole, is like the moth's life in the cocoon. The struggles God permits us have a purpose - by facing them bravely, with faith, and with the help of his grace, we and the Church will become what he created us to be.
Jesus himself saved us through his suffering and death and set before us an example of how we should face the struggles in life. Some times people think their world is ending when someone very close to them leave this world. They find no meaning for living further. Their world seems falling apart. But our world does not end there, if we have faith in the Lord’s loving protection , to carry us through. Some times God uses our sufferings for the return of others to God and to salvation.
Do I recognize that my Christian response to the hardships of life in this fallen world will serve as advertisements for Christ and bring others to salvation ? Do I use the tough times in my life to give testimony to my faith in the savior who saved me through suffering ?
Let us conclude this Church year by praying for the grace to endure patiently any trials that are essential to our affirmation of Jesus our Savior.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
XXXII-Sunday in Ordinary time.
XXXII –Sunday-: 2 Mac 7:1-2, 9-14; 2 Thess 2: 16--3:5;Gosple: Lk 20: 27-38
General Charles de Gaulle was France's president from 1959-69. His private life was not without sorrow. One of his three children, Anne, was born subnormal after a car accident involving his wife. De Gaulle used to spend hours with Anne. Eventually she died at the age of 20. At the graveside, after weeping silently, de Gaulle said softly to his wife, "Come. Now she is like the others." Death is called the universal leveler. Everyone is born to die. But death is not the last period for those who believe in God. There is resurrection for those who die in Christ.
As we near the end of the Church's liturgical year, the readings become more eschatological -- having to do with the end times. The main theme of today’s readings is the reality of life after death and of the relationship between our lives on earth and the life of glory or punishment that will follow. The readings invite us to consider the true meaning of the resurrection in our lives.
The first reading states the first century B.C. Jewish theology of martyrdom and the resurrection of the just. The intense sufferings to which good Jews were subjected brought them to the conviction that the justice of God would reward the faithful in the afterlife, and would also punish the wicked. This selection describes a Jewish family, consisting of a mother and her seven sons, who refused the command of Antiochus Epiphanus IV to eat pork, (forbidden as “unclean” by Jewish law). Because of their faith and obedience to God, they endured suffering and accepted martyrdom. The conviction that the dead would be raised on the last day had not become widely accepted at that time, nor even by the time of Jesus. But in our first reading three of the brothers speak, and each of them finds strength in the belief that he will eventually be raised by God. One says, “You may discharge us from this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up.” Another says that he hopes to receive his severed limbs again in heaven. The fourth son also says that he is “relying on God’s promise that we shall be raised up by him.” So they express faith in the life after death.
Today’s gospel affirms the victory of God’s love over the power of death. Jesus speaks of God as the God of the living. The gospel shows us how Jesus ingeniously escaped from a doctrinal trap set for him by the Sadducees.
Pharisees and Sadducees are often mentioned together in the gospels, but in their beliefs they could not be further apart. The Pharisees were a religious party with no political ambition; they believed in the resurrection, in angels, in spirits; they expected the coming of the Messiah.
The Sadducees constituted a party of wealth, power and privilege, which controlled the Temple worship. Although few in number, the Sadducees were the Jewish governing class, and they supported Roman rule. They were secular in outlook, and did not believe in the coming of any Messiah (who might upset the system); they did not believe in the next life, nor in the existence of angels or spirits. Nearly all priests were Sadducees. They acknowledged only written Scripture as bearing God’s word, accepting only the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as authoritative. They rejected the oral tradition which the Pharisees found necessary for applying God's revealed word to everyday life. The Sadducees believed in unrestricted free-will and not in fate or providence. They assumed that we control our own destinies through our personal actions.
When the Sadducees posed their question about the status of the woman who was married in this life to seven brothers, they were only making fun of the belief in a next life. No Rabbi had ever brought a ‘proof’ of it from the first five books of the Scriptures .But Jesus provides positive Biblical proof for the reality of resurrected existence. Jesus presumes that Yahweh's burning bush statement about being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is in the present tense. This would prove that these three patriarchs were still alive at the time of Moses, 600 years after their death. Thus, Jesus uses the Sadducees' sacred text of the Torah to respond to their anti-resurrection belief. God said to Moses from the burning bush, "I am the God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob" (Ex.3:1-6). Since God claims to be God of the patriarchs, He must somehow sustain the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by granting them resurrection and eternal life. Therefore the resurrection of the body can be proved from the Torah itself. Jesus also explains that the afterlife won't be just an eternal replay of this life. Our happiness there will far exceed the sexual joys of marriage in this life, so the ridiculous problem of a man who had seven wives in this life won't apply in the next. A little girl and her father were walking on a clear, starry night. She turned to him and asked, “If the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what will the right side be like?”
When it comes to talking about the hereafter, no one is clearer than Paul: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, What God has prepared for those who love him."
Since God is God of the living and not of the dead, to trust in this God means to realize we are meant to be alive. And being alive consists of being with Him in a continuous manner, forever. Furthermore, “and for him all are alive” (Lk 20:38): God is the source of life. The believer, submerged in God through the Baptism, has been able to escape forever from the clutches of death.
Resurrection is not some natural right that we are given. It is a remarkable gift or the grace of God. Pessimists say we die like any animal and that is it. Look at Ecclesiastes and you will find this emphatic despair.
Christianity believes that life continues after death." Death does not snuff out the candle of our soul. God gives us the gift of life: Earthly life and Resurrection life: Both are Gift! Both are Grace!"
Some people say there is only one life and so enjoy it. Certainly it is true. But the quality of the enjoyment should be pure and holy. The second part of the movie after the intermission is built upon the first part. So we need to hold faith in the afterlife, the life that lasts for ever with Christ. So a Christian should always prepare for that.
The story is told of an American tourist who paid the 19th century Polish rabbi Hofetz Chaim a visit. Astonished to see that the rabbi’s home was only a simple room filled with books, a table and a bench, the tourist asked, “Rabbi, where is your furniture?” “Where is yours?” replied the rabbi. “Mine?” asked the puzzled tourist. “But I’m only a visitor here. I’m only passing through.” “So am I,” said Hofetz Chaim. We are only passing through here, it is not our permanent dwelling place.
Among other things, the Chinese Boxer Rebellion of 1900 tried to wipe out Christian influence on Chinese society. During the Rebellion, some members of the Rebel party surrounded a Christian mission school and barricaded all gates and doors except one. Across this threshold they placed a cross. Whoever trampled on that cross, implicitly denying their Christian faith, would go free; whoever stepped around it would be shot. The first seven students chose to trample on the cross. They went free. Next came a teen-age girl. She stopped, knelt before the cross, rose, and stepped around it. A shot rang out. She was dead. But the other ninety-two students in the school, inspired by her example and her courage, likewise stepped around the cross and accepted death rather than trample upon the symbol of their faith. If I believe only in this life, I won’t get the courage sacrifice my life, or empty myself for others, even for my own children.
Paul says that we were meant to grow until "we attain to the full height of the stature of Christ." Resurrection is the way where by we can grow to the full height of the stature of Christ.
There is an Italian legend about a master and servant. The servant was not very smart and the master used to get very exasperated with him. Finally, one day, in a fit of temper, the master said: "You really are the stupidest man I know. Here, I want you to carry this staff wherever you go. And if you ever meet a person stupider than yourself, give them this staff."
So time went by, and often in the marketplace the servant would encounter some pretty stupid people, but he never found someone appropriate for the staff. Years later, he returned to his master's home. He was shown into his master's bedroom, for the man was quite sick and in bed. In the course of their conversation the master said: "I'm going on a journey soon."
"When will you return?", asked the servant. "This is a journey from which I will not return." the master replied. The servant asked: "Have you made all the necessary arrangements?"
"No, I guess I have not…The servant said: You have not made arrangements for a journey from which you will not return ? Even for a small journey we make enough arrangements and you did not make arrangements ? I think you deserve this staff. I haven’t seen anyone more dumb than you.
Do we deserve a stupid’s staff ? How have I prepared myself for that journey which can begin any moment from now ?
Does thee proclamation that our God is the God of the living mean something positive to us. It should affect our lives today and every day, especially during our Sunday worship. Let us give thanks to Almighty God for this foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet that awaits us in the place that God has prepared for us. Let us reaffirm our belief in the life of the world to come, since this is the most effective means to escape the stranglehold of materialism in our lives here on earth.
General Charles de Gaulle was France's president from 1959-69. His private life was not without sorrow. One of his three children, Anne, was born subnormal after a car accident involving his wife. De Gaulle used to spend hours with Anne. Eventually she died at the age of 20. At the graveside, after weeping silently, de Gaulle said softly to his wife, "Come. Now she is like the others." Death is called the universal leveler. Everyone is born to die. But death is not the last period for those who believe in God. There is resurrection for those who die in Christ.
As we near the end of the Church's liturgical year, the readings become more eschatological -- having to do with the end times. The main theme of today’s readings is the reality of life after death and of the relationship between our lives on earth and the life of glory or punishment that will follow. The readings invite us to consider the true meaning of the resurrection in our lives.
The first reading states the first century B.C. Jewish theology of martyrdom and the resurrection of the just. The intense sufferings to which good Jews were subjected brought them to the conviction that the justice of God would reward the faithful in the afterlife, and would also punish the wicked. This selection describes a Jewish family, consisting of a mother and her seven sons, who refused the command of Antiochus Epiphanus IV to eat pork, (forbidden as “unclean” by Jewish law). Because of their faith and obedience to God, they endured suffering and accepted martyrdom. The conviction that the dead would be raised on the last day had not become widely accepted at that time, nor even by the time of Jesus. But in our first reading three of the brothers speak, and each of them finds strength in the belief that he will eventually be raised by God. One says, “You may discharge us from this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up.” Another says that he hopes to receive his severed limbs again in heaven. The fourth son also says that he is “relying on God’s promise that we shall be raised up by him.” So they express faith in the life after death.
Today’s gospel affirms the victory of God’s love over the power of death. Jesus speaks of God as the God of the living. The gospel shows us how Jesus ingeniously escaped from a doctrinal trap set for him by the Sadducees.
Pharisees and Sadducees are often mentioned together in the gospels, but in their beliefs they could not be further apart. The Pharisees were a religious party with no political ambition; they believed in the resurrection, in angels, in spirits; they expected the coming of the Messiah.
The Sadducees constituted a party of wealth, power and privilege, which controlled the Temple worship. Although few in number, the Sadducees were the Jewish governing class, and they supported Roman rule. They were secular in outlook, and did not believe in the coming of any Messiah (who might upset the system); they did not believe in the next life, nor in the existence of angels or spirits. Nearly all priests were Sadducees. They acknowledged only written Scripture as bearing God’s word, accepting only the first five books of the Hebrew Bible as authoritative. They rejected the oral tradition which the Pharisees found necessary for applying God's revealed word to everyday life. The Sadducees believed in unrestricted free-will and not in fate or providence. They assumed that we control our own destinies through our personal actions.
When the Sadducees posed their question about the status of the woman who was married in this life to seven brothers, they were only making fun of the belief in a next life. No Rabbi had ever brought a ‘proof’ of it from the first five books of the Scriptures .But Jesus provides positive Biblical proof for the reality of resurrected existence. Jesus presumes that Yahweh's burning bush statement about being the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is in the present tense. This would prove that these three patriarchs were still alive at the time of Moses, 600 years after their death. Thus, Jesus uses the Sadducees' sacred text of the Torah to respond to their anti-resurrection belief. God said to Moses from the burning bush, "I am the God of your Fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob" (Ex.3:1-6). Since God claims to be God of the patriarchs, He must somehow sustain the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by granting them resurrection and eternal life. Therefore the resurrection of the body can be proved from the Torah itself. Jesus also explains that the afterlife won't be just an eternal replay of this life. Our happiness there will far exceed the sexual joys of marriage in this life, so the ridiculous problem of a man who had seven wives in this life won't apply in the next. A little girl and her father were walking on a clear, starry night. She turned to him and asked, “If the wrong side of heaven is so beautiful, what will the right side be like?”
When it comes to talking about the hereafter, no one is clearer than Paul: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived, What God has prepared for those who love him."
Since God is God of the living and not of the dead, to trust in this God means to realize we are meant to be alive. And being alive consists of being with Him in a continuous manner, forever. Furthermore, “and for him all are alive” (Lk 20:38): God is the source of life. The believer, submerged in God through the Baptism, has been able to escape forever from the clutches of death.
Resurrection is not some natural right that we are given. It is a remarkable gift or the grace of God. Pessimists say we die like any animal and that is it. Look at Ecclesiastes and you will find this emphatic despair.
Christianity believes that life continues after death." Death does not snuff out the candle of our soul. God gives us the gift of life: Earthly life and Resurrection life: Both are Gift! Both are Grace!"
Some people say there is only one life and so enjoy it. Certainly it is true. But the quality of the enjoyment should be pure and holy. The second part of the movie after the intermission is built upon the first part. So we need to hold faith in the afterlife, the life that lasts for ever with Christ. So a Christian should always prepare for that.
The story is told of an American tourist who paid the 19th century Polish rabbi Hofetz Chaim a visit. Astonished to see that the rabbi’s home was only a simple room filled with books, a table and a bench, the tourist asked, “Rabbi, where is your furniture?” “Where is yours?” replied the rabbi. “Mine?” asked the puzzled tourist. “But I’m only a visitor here. I’m only passing through.” “So am I,” said Hofetz Chaim. We are only passing through here, it is not our permanent dwelling place.
Among other things, the Chinese Boxer Rebellion of 1900 tried to wipe out Christian influence on Chinese society. During the Rebellion, some members of the Rebel party surrounded a Christian mission school and barricaded all gates and doors except one. Across this threshold they placed a cross. Whoever trampled on that cross, implicitly denying their Christian faith, would go free; whoever stepped around it would be shot. The first seven students chose to trample on the cross. They went free. Next came a teen-age girl. She stopped, knelt before the cross, rose, and stepped around it. A shot rang out. She was dead. But the other ninety-two students in the school, inspired by her example and her courage, likewise stepped around the cross and accepted death rather than trample upon the symbol of their faith. If I believe only in this life, I won’t get the courage sacrifice my life, or empty myself for others, even for my own children.
Paul says that we were meant to grow until "we attain to the full height of the stature of Christ." Resurrection is the way where by we can grow to the full height of the stature of Christ.
There is an Italian legend about a master and servant. The servant was not very smart and the master used to get very exasperated with him. Finally, one day, in a fit of temper, the master said: "You really are the stupidest man I know. Here, I want you to carry this staff wherever you go. And if you ever meet a person stupider than yourself, give them this staff."
So time went by, and often in the marketplace the servant would encounter some pretty stupid people, but he never found someone appropriate for the staff. Years later, he returned to his master's home. He was shown into his master's bedroom, for the man was quite sick and in bed. In the course of their conversation the master said: "I'm going on a journey soon."
"When will you return?", asked the servant. "This is a journey from which I will not return." the master replied. The servant asked: "Have you made all the necessary arrangements?"
"No, I guess I have not…The servant said: You have not made arrangements for a journey from which you will not return ? Even for a small journey we make enough arrangements and you did not make arrangements ? I think you deserve this staff. I haven’t seen anyone more dumb than you.
Do we deserve a stupid’s staff ? How have I prepared myself for that journey which can begin any moment from now ?
Does thee proclamation that our God is the God of the living mean something positive to us. It should affect our lives today and every day, especially during our Sunday worship. Let us give thanks to Almighty God for this foretaste of the Heavenly Banquet that awaits us in the place that God has prepared for us. Let us reaffirm our belief in the life of the world to come, since this is the most effective means to escape the stranglehold of materialism in our lives here on earth.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
XXVIIth Sunday in Ordinary time
XXVII SUNDAY HAB.1:2-3; 2:2-4; II TIM 1:6-8, 13-14;: LUKE 17: 5-10
The story is told of a man who fell off a mountain cliff. Half-way down the cliff he succeeds in grabbing a branch of a tree. There he is, dangling on the branch, unable to pull himself up yet knowing that by letting go of the branch he would definitely fall to his death. Suddenly the man gets an idea. He looks up to heaven and shouts, “Is anyone up there?” A voice comes from heaven, “Yes, I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe in me?” The man shouts back, “Yes, Lord, I believe in you. I really believe. Please help me.” The Lord says, “All right! If you really believe in me you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Now let go of the branch.” The man thinks about it for a moment and then shouts back, “Is anyone else up there?”
Is the man in the story a believer? O course he believes that God exists. He believes in the power of prayer. He believes that God is able to help him and save him from his predicament. But he does not take God on His word. Many of us laugh at the story because we can recognize ourselves in this man. We believe in God, but when the going gets tough and things do not work out as we expect we take matters into our own hands or look for help elsewhere. We believe, yes; but we are people of little faith
The apostles too were men of little faith. They believe in Jesus and follow him, but when they see the soldiers approaching in the garden of Gethsemane they abandon Jesus and flee. They are men of little faith. The big difference between us and the apostles is that whereas we often see ourselves as keeping the faith all right, the apostles see themselves as men of deficient faith. They know their faith lacks something.
In response to the request of the apostles to increase their faith, Jesus tells them the parable about the unprofitable servant who comes back from plowing the field and proceeds straight away to prepare supper for his master and to wait on him while he eats. Only after the master’s needs are fully satisfied does the master then give the servant leave to attend to his own need for food and rest. How does this parable answer the request of the apostles for an increase of faith. Jesus is saying that if we have mature faith we would put the will and pleasure of God first in our lives at all times. If we have faith we will not grumble and complain that we have been working for God all day long, now we are tired and it is God’s turn to attend to our needs. Rather we will forget ourselves and work ourselves to death in God’s service, knowing that God will come to our aid when and how He deems right.
Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am delivered now or not, I will stick to my belief that God loves and cares for me. This is the mistake of the young man caught in the mountain cliff. He has faith in his own deliverance, not in God’s infinite power to save and His unfailing love for him. God’s unconditional love for us demands only one proper response from us, our unconditional love and service of God. So many of us Christians today believe that true and mature faith consists in our ability to obtain miracles from God. The truth that today’s gospel shows us is that mature faith consists not in how much God attends to our immediate needs but in how willing we are to serve God unconditionally, without counting the cost.
Faith is believing and trusting in God. Faith is like a muscle, you have to exercise it every day to make it strong. My faith will grow stronger if I exercise it by trusting in God each and every day. Faith is not faith if kept in reserve for emergencies. Faith is lived daily and shapes the way we think and behave. It is about receptivity to God's presence in our daily lives and it is seen in our faithful behaviour.
The size of faith doesn’t matter because God is the one doing the moving. If it is my faith that moved the mountain, then the bigger the mountain the more faith I would need to move it. The bigger the obstacle the more strength I’d need to climb it. The more serious the illness, a faith even greater would be required to overcome it. The more serious the sin the more faith I would need in order to have it forgiven. That kind of thinking, kind of makes sense, but that’s not how faith works. In fact, faith doesn’t do the work at all. God is the one doing the work through faith. Think of faith as the key that opens the door to God acting in our lives. If I have a bigger key ring than you do, does it matter? The size of a key ring doesn’t matter – key rings don’t open doors but it’s that little key on the ring that opens doors. Even a little faith opens the door for God to move the mountains and trees and even our hearts. That little faith is the little opening for God to enter our life to do the work in our life.
Here Jesus cautions us that it is the quality of faith rather than the quantity of faith that needs to be increased. That is why Jesus compares faith to a tiny mustard seed – a living thing whose power does not depend on its size, but on its life principle that is hidden deep within itself. Unless we understand this distinction, we run the risk of deceiving ourselves. We can easily end up thinking that the more prayers we say, the more faith we have. Or that the more good works we do, the stronger our faith becomes.
Faith is more like life itself. It is something that can grow in a qualitative sense and become deeper, richer and more fruitful. Faith is more than praying with bowed heads and clasped hands.
St. Paul tells us: "Bear your share of hardships which the gospel entails with the strength that comes from God." This is because it is in the fire of affliction that our faith is best tested. The book of Job bear testimony to this. It is this faith that can draw out the poison that is in every sorrow and quench the fire in every pain. Only with such faith can we trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to his love and the future to his providence.
It does not follow that faith will give us the power to literally move trees. But faith will give us power to cope with difficulties and attempt great things for the Lord. It is the power to persevere through difficulties, the power that comes from knowing that our Father is in charge.
The Responsorial Psalm we heard today gives us one sure way to activate the power of faith: "If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart."
Faith is practical. If we believe in God's wisdom, love, and power, we will obey him. We will follow where he leads. And he is always leading us somewhere - always making his voice heard. The most common way he does so is through our conscience. Our conscience is like an inner radio station that is always tuned to God's voice. But it's not the only station out there, and, unfortunately, it's not always the loudest. Sometimes we turn up the station of peer pressure and fashion really loud, or the station dedicated to self-indulgence, irresponsible pleasure, and other soothing but deadening sounds. The sounds that we usually hear loud and clear these days is the sound of death. Pronouncing death for defenseless for one’s easy comfort. Today is respect for life Sunday. Our faith demands respecting life in all its forms. At least 25,000 innocent lives are taken everyday the world over. We feel terribly over the loss of 4000 lives on 9/11; Six million lives by Nazis during world War II. We condemn them. But the most contemptible atrocity ever done on human lives is committed or being committed in these decades by promoting abortion. Does that pain me at all ? Do I condemn that ? If not, I don’t live my faith. Even though I may call myself a Catholic, I don’t believe what the Lord teaches me- to protect the life of the defenseless. President Reagan said: I have noticed that all who are for abortion are already been born. The un-borns can not speak for themselves. So it is the duty of those already born and living, to stand for the right to life of the unborn. Jesus said: I have come that you may have life, life in abundance. And he also said that the thief/Satan comes to steal and kill. So those who are up for abortion are Satan’s agents. Jesus is truly a liberating force. He liberates us from all that endangers our life.
This seventh is the feast of the our Lady of Holy Rosary whose intercession led to the defeat of the advancing Muslims on the Medittaranean Christian countries in the 1500s. Let’s pray to her that blinding scales from the eyes of all the spiritually blind may fall off, so that they may see the value of human life as God’s precious gift. That they may see that procured abortion, Euthanasia, Suicide, Doctor- assisted suicide, embryo destruction for scientific experiments are all evil in themselves which are to be avoided as children of God.
The story is told of a man who fell off a mountain cliff. Half-way down the cliff he succeeds in grabbing a branch of a tree. There he is, dangling on the branch, unable to pull himself up yet knowing that by letting go of the branch he would definitely fall to his death. Suddenly the man gets an idea. He looks up to heaven and shouts, “Is anyone up there?” A voice comes from heaven, “Yes, I am here. I am the Lord. Do you believe in me?” The man shouts back, “Yes, Lord, I believe in you. I really believe. Please help me.” The Lord says, “All right! If you really believe in me you have nothing to worry about. I will save you. Now let go of the branch.” The man thinks about it for a moment and then shouts back, “Is anyone else up there?”
Is the man in the story a believer? O course he believes that God exists. He believes in the power of prayer. He believes that God is able to help him and save him from his predicament. But he does not take God on His word. Many of us laugh at the story because we can recognize ourselves in this man. We believe in God, but when the going gets tough and things do not work out as we expect we take matters into our own hands or look for help elsewhere. We believe, yes; but we are people of little faith
The apostles too were men of little faith. They believe in Jesus and follow him, but when they see the soldiers approaching in the garden of Gethsemane they abandon Jesus and flee. They are men of little faith. The big difference between us and the apostles is that whereas we often see ourselves as keeping the faith all right, the apostles see themselves as men of deficient faith. They know their faith lacks something.
In response to the request of the apostles to increase their faith, Jesus tells them the parable about the unprofitable servant who comes back from plowing the field and proceeds straight away to prepare supper for his master and to wait on him while he eats. Only after the master’s needs are fully satisfied does the master then give the servant leave to attend to his own need for food and rest. How does this parable answer the request of the apostles for an increase of faith. Jesus is saying that if we have mature faith we would put the will and pleasure of God first in our lives at all times. If we have faith we will not grumble and complain that we have been working for God all day long, now we are tired and it is God’s turn to attend to our needs. Rather we will forget ourselves and work ourselves to death in God’s service, knowing that God will come to our aid when and how He deems right.
Faith for my deliverance is not faith in God. Faith means, whether I am delivered now or not, I will stick to my belief that God loves and cares for me. This is the mistake of the young man caught in the mountain cliff. He has faith in his own deliverance, not in God’s infinite power to save and His unfailing love for him. God’s unconditional love for us demands only one proper response from us, our unconditional love and service of God. So many of us Christians today believe that true and mature faith consists in our ability to obtain miracles from God. The truth that today’s gospel shows us is that mature faith consists not in how much God attends to our immediate needs but in how willing we are to serve God unconditionally, without counting the cost.
Faith is believing and trusting in God. Faith is like a muscle, you have to exercise it every day to make it strong. My faith will grow stronger if I exercise it by trusting in God each and every day. Faith is not faith if kept in reserve for emergencies. Faith is lived daily and shapes the way we think and behave. It is about receptivity to God's presence in our daily lives and it is seen in our faithful behaviour.
The size of faith doesn’t matter because God is the one doing the moving. If it is my faith that moved the mountain, then the bigger the mountain the more faith I would need to move it. The bigger the obstacle the more strength I’d need to climb it. The more serious the illness, a faith even greater would be required to overcome it. The more serious the sin the more faith I would need in order to have it forgiven. That kind of thinking, kind of makes sense, but that’s not how faith works. In fact, faith doesn’t do the work at all. God is the one doing the work through faith. Think of faith as the key that opens the door to God acting in our lives. If I have a bigger key ring than you do, does it matter? The size of a key ring doesn’t matter – key rings don’t open doors but it’s that little key on the ring that opens doors. Even a little faith opens the door for God to move the mountains and trees and even our hearts. That little faith is the little opening for God to enter our life to do the work in our life.
Here Jesus cautions us that it is the quality of faith rather than the quantity of faith that needs to be increased. That is why Jesus compares faith to a tiny mustard seed – a living thing whose power does not depend on its size, but on its life principle that is hidden deep within itself. Unless we understand this distinction, we run the risk of deceiving ourselves. We can easily end up thinking that the more prayers we say, the more faith we have. Or that the more good works we do, the stronger our faith becomes.
Faith is more like life itself. It is something that can grow in a qualitative sense and become deeper, richer and more fruitful. Faith is more than praying with bowed heads and clasped hands.
St. Paul tells us: "Bear your share of hardships which the gospel entails with the strength that comes from God." This is because it is in the fire of affliction that our faith is best tested. The book of Job bear testimony to this. It is this faith that can draw out the poison that is in every sorrow and quench the fire in every pain. Only with such faith can we trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to his love and the future to his providence.
It does not follow that faith will give us the power to literally move trees. But faith will give us power to cope with difficulties and attempt great things for the Lord. It is the power to persevere through difficulties, the power that comes from knowing that our Father is in charge.
The Responsorial Psalm we heard today gives us one sure way to activate the power of faith: "If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart."
Faith is practical. If we believe in God's wisdom, love, and power, we will obey him. We will follow where he leads. And he is always leading us somewhere - always making his voice heard. The most common way he does so is through our conscience. Our conscience is like an inner radio station that is always tuned to God's voice. But it's not the only station out there, and, unfortunately, it's not always the loudest. Sometimes we turn up the station of peer pressure and fashion really loud, or the station dedicated to self-indulgence, irresponsible pleasure, and other soothing but deadening sounds. The sounds that we usually hear loud and clear these days is the sound of death. Pronouncing death for defenseless for one’s easy comfort. Today is respect for life Sunday. Our faith demands respecting life in all its forms. At least 25,000 innocent lives are taken everyday the world over. We feel terribly over the loss of 4000 lives on 9/11; Six million lives by Nazis during world War II. We condemn them. But the most contemptible atrocity ever done on human lives is committed or being committed in these decades by promoting abortion. Does that pain me at all ? Do I condemn that ? If not, I don’t live my faith. Even though I may call myself a Catholic, I don’t believe what the Lord teaches me- to protect the life of the defenseless. President Reagan said: I have noticed that all who are for abortion are already been born. The un-borns can not speak for themselves. So it is the duty of those already born and living, to stand for the right to life of the unborn. Jesus said: I have come that you may have life, life in abundance. And he also said that the thief/Satan comes to steal and kill. So those who are up for abortion are Satan’s agents. Jesus is truly a liberating force. He liberates us from all that endangers our life.
This seventh is the feast of the our Lady of Holy Rosary whose intercession led to the defeat of the advancing Muslims on the Medittaranean Christian countries in the 1500s. Let’s pray to her that blinding scales from the eyes of all the spiritually blind may fall off, so that they may see the value of human life as God’s precious gift. That they may see that procured abortion, Euthanasia, Suicide, Doctor- assisted suicide, embryo destruction for scientific experiments are all evil in themselves which are to be avoided as children of God.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
XXVth Sunday- ( based on second reading)
XXVth Sunday homily
A minister stands before a hall full of graduating theology students and decides to demonstrate the theme of his address. “Please stand up,” he says. “I will read out the names of some high government officials for whom we have a responsibility to pray. If you know that official’s name, keep standing. If not, you sit down.” He begins with the president. No one sits down. Then the state governor, and a few people sit down. When he mentions the senator from the state more people sit down. By the time he gets to the congressperson representing the district only about 25 percent of the audience remain standing. To conclude the demonstration, he says to those still standing: “If you have not prayed for each of these at least once since the beginning of this year, please be seated.” One person, and only one person, is left standing. If we carry out the same demonstration in our church today, how shall we fare?
In today’s second reading, Paul gives instructions to Timothy on Christian worship. The first injunction he gives him is on praying for everyone, especially for civil authorities: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim.2:1-2a). Today we take it for granted that we should pray for our leaders, but when we realize that Paul wrote this letter at a time when Christians were going through a most brutal state-approved persecution under the wicked emperor Nero, then the injunction to pray for the emperor raises eyebrows. Why would Christians pray for this emperor and his deputies who are out to eliminate the church?
Paul anticipates the question and gives Timothy two reasons why the church should pray for the king and all who are in high positions. The first reason is “so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” (verse 2b). The church needed to pray so that the king would reverse his bad and discriminatory laws against Christians, which would enable them to live their lives in quiet and peace, fulfilling their religious obligations without fear of arrest, molestation or death. In other words, they were not praying for the emperor so that he would continue in power with his bad policies and decrees, they were praying so that he would change his heart and his policies against Christians.
The second reason to pray for the emperor is more altruistic. As Christians we know that “God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v.4). But the emperor and his nobles are living in the darkness of error and sin. So the church needed to pray for them to come to the light of truth and salvation. The religion of the emperors was emperor worship. In death emperors were deified and proclaimed to be gods, in life there were called sons of god (filii divi). Paul says that they are in error because there is only one God and one Son of God, who mediates between God and humankind, Jesus the Christ. Since the emperor and his officials are in error, Paul enjoins Christians to pray for them so that they may realize that truth and salvation are found in Christ “who gave himself a ransom for all” (v 6).
When Paul asks us to pray for the king, he is not asking us to automatically support the policies of whoever happens to be the head of government. He is asking us to pray so that our rulers may govern us with laws that allow us freedom of worship so that we can freely carry out our religious duties without hindrance. How often do we pray for our leaders ? One out of every 5 persons in the United States is a catholic. Of the remaining 4 are from hundred of other denominations and other religions. So a catholic can play a great role in choosing the leaders to this country if we exercise our voting power responsibly keeping the Christian values in mind.
As Bishop Robert Vasa pointed out, clarifying the teaching of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in their excellent pastoral letter "Faithful Citizenship," a candidate or office holder is disqualified from receiving the vote of a Catholic in good conscience if they hold a pro-abortion position. In other words pro-choice candidates under the current set of circumstances are disqualified because of their pro-death political positions. We cannot vote for them. As the Bishops of Kansas asserted in their voter's guide, "Catholics would 'commit moral evil' by voting for a candidate who supports abortion and other intrinsically evil things. Voting is a moral act, and voting for pro-choice candidates is evil in itself. One becomes a collaborator in evil by so doing. No amount of rationalization can escape this logical and moral conclusion."
The Church clearly teaches that life begins at conception. As Pope John Paul II stated many times, "abortion is murder." Following logically from this, if a single abortion is murder, then 48,000,000 (the approximate number of abortions in this country since Roe v. Wade) of them is genocide. In less than two months you will be casting your votes again to choose leaders. But before doing that spend time in prayer, consult the holy Spirit to know his will.
In this country the signs of the faith can no longer be displayed in public: prayer has been banned in schools, crucifixes have been removed from public buildings, and “Merry Christmas” has been changed to “Happy Holiday.” Let us pray today for our government officials so that they may recognize the universal kingship of Christ and make it possible for us to practise our faith both in private and in public.
A minister stands before a hall full of graduating theology students and decides to demonstrate the theme of his address. “Please stand up,” he says. “I will read out the names of some high government officials for whom we have a responsibility to pray. If you know that official’s name, keep standing. If not, you sit down.” He begins with the president. No one sits down. Then the state governor, and a few people sit down. When he mentions the senator from the state more people sit down. By the time he gets to the congressperson representing the district only about 25 percent of the audience remain standing. To conclude the demonstration, he says to those still standing: “If you have not prayed for each of these at least once since the beginning of this year, please be seated.” One person, and only one person, is left standing. If we carry out the same demonstration in our church today, how shall we fare?
In today’s second reading, Paul gives instructions to Timothy on Christian worship. The first injunction he gives him is on praying for everyone, especially for civil authorities: “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions” (1 Tim.2:1-2a). Today we take it for granted that we should pray for our leaders, but when we realize that Paul wrote this letter at a time when Christians were going through a most brutal state-approved persecution under the wicked emperor Nero, then the injunction to pray for the emperor raises eyebrows. Why would Christians pray for this emperor and his deputies who are out to eliminate the church?
Paul anticipates the question and gives Timothy two reasons why the church should pray for the king and all who are in high positions. The first reason is “so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity” (verse 2b). The church needed to pray so that the king would reverse his bad and discriminatory laws against Christians, which would enable them to live their lives in quiet and peace, fulfilling their religious obligations without fear of arrest, molestation or death. In other words, they were not praying for the emperor so that he would continue in power with his bad policies and decrees, they were praying so that he would change his heart and his policies against Christians.
The second reason to pray for the emperor is more altruistic. As Christians we know that “God desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (v.4). But the emperor and his nobles are living in the darkness of error and sin. So the church needed to pray for them to come to the light of truth and salvation. The religion of the emperors was emperor worship. In death emperors were deified and proclaimed to be gods, in life there were called sons of god (filii divi). Paul says that they are in error because there is only one God and one Son of God, who mediates between God and humankind, Jesus the Christ. Since the emperor and his officials are in error, Paul enjoins Christians to pray for them so that they may realize that truth and salvation are found in Christ “who gave himself a ransom for all” (v 6).
When Paul asks us to pray for the king, he is not asking us to automatically support the policies of whoever happens to be the head of government. He is asking us to pray so that our rulers may govern us with laws that allow us freedom of worship so that we can freely carry out our religious duties without hindrance. How often do we pray for our leaders ? One out of every 5 persons in the United States is a catholic. Of the remaining 4 are from hundred of other denominations and other religions. So a catholic can play a great role in choosing the leaders to this country if we exercise our voting power responsibly keeping the Christian values in mind.
As Bishop Robert Vasa pointed out, clarifying the teaching of the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops in their excellent pastoral letter "Faithful Citizenship," a candidate or office holder is disqualified from receiving the vote of a Catholic in good conscience if they hold a pro-abortion position. In other words pro-choice candidates under the current set of circumstances are disqualified because of their pro-death political positions. We cannot vote for them. As the Bishops of Kansas asserted in their voter's guide, "Catholics would 'commit moral evil' by voting for a candidate who supports abortion and other intrinsically evil things. Voting is a moral act, and voting for pro-choice candidates is evil in itself. One becomes a collaborator in evil by so doing. No amount of rationalization can escape this logical and moral conclusion."
The Church clearly teaches that life begins at conception. As Pope John Paul II stated many times, "abortion is murder." Following logically from this, if a single abortion is murder, then 48,000,000 (the approximate number of abortions in this country since Roe v. Wade) of them is genocide. In less than two months you will be casting your votes again to choose leaders. But before doing that spend time in prayer, consult the holy Spirit to know his will.
In this country the signs of the faith can no longer be displayed in public: prayer has been banned in schools, crucifixes have been removed from public buildings, and “Merry Christmas” has been changed to “Happy Holiday.” Let us pray today for our government officials so that they may recognize the universal kingship of Christ and make it possible for us to practise our faith both in private and in public.
Saturday, September 11, 2010
XXIVth Sunday in Ordinary time.
XXIV-Sunday EXOD 32: 7-14; I TIM 1: 12-17;Gosple: LK 15: 1-32
The parable of the prodigal son, has been called the greatest short story in the world. But, is it in fact a parable about a prodigal son? To put the younger son at the centre of the parable is already to start to misunderstand it. What is at the centre- is the father's great attachment and concern, his willingness to welcome the sinners back. This story reveals 3 amazing things about God's love for us. First, God's love is personal. God doesn't love us globally, but each of us individually in a special, personal way. Second, God's love is unconditional. God does not love us on the condition that we stay good and do not stray into sin. God loves us even when we stray--and to the point of going in search of us. Finally, God's love is a rejoicing love. God's response upon finding us is total joy--with no admixture of rebuke.
The parable of the Good shepherd shows how God is a good shepherd to us. There's an old story, about a little boy who cried out in the night. "Daddy, I'm scared!" Half awake Daddy said, "Don't be afraid, Daddy's right across the hall." There was a brief pause and the little boy called out, "I'm still scared." So Daddy pulled out the big guns, "You don't have to be afraid, God is with you. God loves you." The pause was longer but the little boy called out again, "I don't care about God, Daddy; I want someone with skin on!"
God knew we needed that assurance of someone with skin on. So God wrapped all the glory of heaven into the flesh and blood of Jesus and stepped into this world as the Good Shepherd just to show us how much we are loved. The Good Shepherd isn't satisfied until all of the sheep are safely gathered into the flock. Not even a one percent margin of loss was acceptable. He will not rest if only one sheep is missing, or one coin is lost. They show us that he cares deeply enough to go out of his way to save us when we are lost.
These parables teach us more about the heart of God than a whole library full of theological treatises. All three parables of Luke 15 end with a party or a celebration of the finding. The self-righteous Pharisees, who accused Jesus of befriending publicans and sinners, could not believe that God would be delighted at the conversion of sinners.
The elder brother in the parable of the lost son represents the self-righteous Pharisees who would rather see a sinner destroyed than saved. He reflects the Pharisees' attitude that obedience to Mosaic Law is a duty, not a loving service. Like the Pharisees, the elder brother lacks sympathy for his sibling and levels accusations at him. As a self-righteous person, he refuses to forgive. Thus, his grudge becomes a sin in itself, resulting in his exclusion from the banquet of his father’s love. That is what we all do when we sin. We exclude ourselves from the banquet of God’s love.
The Pharisees could not understand this forgiving image of God, because they have painted their image of God in their own likeness.
Our view of God affects every decision and relationship in our life. Kathleen Chesto wrote to Catholic Digest to tell them about an incident that occurred in her family. Her five-year-old child approached her one day in the kitchen and asked, "Mom, is God a grown-up or a parent?"
Mom was a little puzzled by the question. "I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "Is there a difference between a grown-up and a parent?" "Oh yes," her five-year-old answered quickly. "Grown-ups love you when you are good and parents love you anyway." If we have never received unconditional love, we have never given it. Some of us are still trying to earn our way to heaven. And we are expecting others to earn their way as well, like the pharisees. Jesus is trying to tell us in this parable that God's love doesn't depend on our goodness; it depends on God's character. Here is this truth expressed in I John 4: 10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
God’s love is a persistent, tenacious kind of love. By looking at just how lavish in the parable is the father's welcome for his lost son, we might well say that it is the father who is 'the prodigal', that he is prodigal of his mercy. The father heaps presents on the younger son. Throughout the Bible we are shown just how much care God lavishes on us, despite a catalogue of infidelities and betrayals and failings on our part.
The younger son didn't really know his father. He didn't know how much his father loved him and how eagerly his father wanted to bequeath him prosperity and joy. As a result, he paid his father a colossal insult by demanding his share of the inheritance while his father was still alive.
It was a way of saying that his father would be of more use to him dead than alive. The older son was no better. On the surface he seemed to do everything right, but he had no idea about how much his father cared for him, and so he resented the celebration at this brother's return. Although they had lived their entire lives under the same roof, the two brothers had never opened their hearts to their father; they had closed themselves into the petty little world of their egoism.
We can easily do the same: spend our whole lives as "practicing" Catholics, going through all the right motions and looking great on the outside, but not opening our hearts to God, not getting to know him on a personal, intimate level. That's a risky way to live our faith: we could easily end up separated from the Father for good, eating corn husks and missing out on the joyful celebration of the Father's love.
As the sheep that strayed out far from the herd, the younger son is lost from home, and this is reflected in the geographical distance he travels away from home; he ends up in a distant country. Like the coin that was lost in the house, the older brother stays put, but he risks getting lost by cutting himself off from his brother and his father. There are separations that need no great physical gap. The Pharisees “lived” in the house of God, but could not experience the forgiving love of God, the publicans and sinners were away from the so called people of God, but experienced the forgiving love of God through Jesus. This parable teaches us that it is possible to live "in the Father's house" without really getting to know the Father.
This can be for us a Sunday of self-reflection and assessment. As forgiven prodigals, we must be forgiving people. God’s forgiving attitude was shown by Jesus when he prayed for his killers saying that they did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). If those who killed the Son of God could be forgiven because they acted in ignorance, then every human sin could be forgiven because there is an element of ignorance that clouds our spiritual and moral insight at the moment of sin.
Nine years ago today, the United States suffered the greatest terrorist attack ever on American soil, with almost 4,000 dead. To mark that event this Sunday is observed as peace and justice Sunday. It brings us face to face with the ugly face of world terrorism on the one hand, while on the other it makes us to look up to God for the ever growing problems we find ourselves surrounded with. God created a just and peaceful society for us to live. But our sins disrupted that peace in the world. The so called terrorists act out of ignorance, blinded by wrong teachings of fanaticism. They need God’s grace to see the wrong they do and seek God’s forgiveness for their wrong. In the perspective of the terrorists, others are at wrong, not they. If there is something wrong on our side as a nation, we need self examination and see the wrong on our side to rectify and seek God’s grace to remove the speck or log, out of our eyes. As we pray for peace in the world let’s ask God to give eternal light and peace to all who died on 9/11/2001 at World Trade Centre. Christianity will be known by the fruits of love, kindness, compassion and mercy. As Christians, being led by the Holy Spirit, let’s show our identity by the forgiveness we offer who hurt us.
The parable of the prodigal son, has been called the greatest short story in the world. But, is it in fact a parable about a prodigal son? To put the younger son at the centre of the parable is already to start to misunderstand it. What is at the centre- is the father's great attachment and concern, his willingness to welcome the sinners back. This story reveals 3 amazing things about God's love for us. First, God's love is personal. God doesn't love us globally, but each of us individually in a special, personal way. Second, God's love is unconditional. God does not love us on the condition that we stay good and do not stray into sin. God loves us even when we stray--and to the point of going in search of us. Finally, God's love is a rejoicing love. God's response upon finding us is total joy--with no admixture of rebuke.
The parable of the Good shepherd shows how God is a good shepherd to us. There's an old story, about a little boy who cried out in the night. "Daddy, I'm scared!" Half awake Daddy said, "Don't be afraid, Daddy's right across the hall." There was a brief pause and the little boy called out, "I'm still scared." So Daddy pulled out the big guns, "You don't have to be afraid, God is with you. God loves you." The pause was longer but the little boy called out again, "I don't care about God, Daddy; I want someone with skin on!"
God knew we needed that assurance of someone with skin on. So God wrapped all the glory of heaven into the flesh and blood of Jesus and stepped into this world as the Good Shepherd just to show us how much we are loved. The Good Shepherd isn't satisfied until all of the sheep are safely gathered into the flock. Not even a one percent margin of loss was acceptable. He will not rest if only one sheep is missing, or one coin is lost. They show us that he cares deeply enough to go out of his way to save us when we are lost.
These parables teach us more about the heart of God than a whole library full of theological treatises. All three parables of Luke 15 end with a party or a celebration of the finding. The self-righteous Pharisees, who accused Jesus of befriending publicans and sinners, could not believe that God would be delighted at the conversion of sinners.
The elder brother in the parable of the lost son represents the self-righteous Pharisees who would rather see a sinner destroyed than saved. He reflects the Pharisees' attitude that obedience to Mosaic Law is a duty, not a loving service. Like the Pharisees, the elder brother lacks sympathy for his sibling and levels accusations at him. As a self-righteous person, he refuses to forgive. Thus, his grudge becomes a sin in itself, resulting in his exclusion from the banquet of his father’s love. That is what we all do when we sin. We exclude ourselves from the banquet of God’s love.
The Pharisees could not understand this forgiving image of God, because they have painted their image of God in their own likeness.
Our view of God affects every decision and relationship in our life. Kathleen Chesto wrote to Catholic Digest to tell them about an incident that occurred in her family. Her five-year-old child approached her one day in the kitchen and asked, "Mom, is God a grown-up or a parent?"
Mom was a little puzzled by the question. "I'm not sure what you mean," she said. "Is there a difference between a grown-up and a parent?" "Oh yes," her five-year-old answered quickly. "Grown-ups love you when you are good and parents love you anyway." If we have never received unconditional love, we have never given it. Some of us are still trying to earn our way to heaven. And we are expecting others to earn their way as well, like the pharisees. Jesus is trying to tell us in this parable that God's love doesn't depend on our goodness; it depends on God's character. Here is this truth expressed in I John 4: 10, "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."
God’s love is a persistent, tenacious kind of love. By looking at just how lavish in the parable is the father's welcome for his lost son, we might well say that it is the father who is 'the prodigal', that he is prodigal of his mercy. The father heaps presents on the younger son. Throughout the Bible we are shown just how much care God lavishes on us, despite a catalogue of infidelities and betrayals and failings on our part.
The younger son didn't really know his father. He didn't know how much his father loved him and how eagerly his father wanted to bequeath him prosperity and joy. As a result, he paid his father a colossal insult by demanding his share of the inheritance while his father was still alive.
It was a way of saying that his father would be of more use to him dead than alive. The older son was no better. On the surface he seemed to do everything right, but he had no idea about how much his father cared for him, and so he resented the celebration at this brother's return. Although they had lived their entire lives under the same roof, the two brothers had never opened their hearts to their father; they had closed themselves into the petty little world of their egoism.
We can easily do the same: spend our whole lives as "practicing" Catholics, going through all the right motions and looking great on the outside, but not opening our hearts to God, not getting to know him on a personal, intimate level. That's a risky way to live our faith: we could easily end up separated from the Father for good, eating corn husks and missing out on the joyful celebration of the Father's love.
As the sheep that strayed out far from the herd, the younger son is lost from home, and this is reflected in the geographical distance he travels away from home; he ends up in a distant country. Like the coin that was lost in the house, the older brother stays put, but he risks getting lost by cutting himself off from his brother and his father. There are separations that need no great physical gap. The Pharisees “lived” in the house of God, but could not experience the forgiving love of God, the publicans and sinners were away from the so called people of God, but experienced the forgiving love of God through Jesus. This parable teaches us that it is possible to live "in the Father's house" without really getting to know the Father.
This can be for us a Sunday of self-reflection and assessment. As forgiven prodigals, we must be forgiving people. God’s forgiving attitude was shown by Jesus when he prayed for his killers saying that they did not know what they were doing (Luke 23:34). If those who killed the Son of God could be forgiven because they acted in ignorance, then every human sin could be forgiven because there is an element of ignorance that clouds our spiritual and moral insight at the moment of sin.
Nine years ago today, the United States suffered the greatest terrorist attack ever on American soil, with almost 4,000 dead. To mark that event this Sunday is observed as peace and justice Sunday. It brings us face to face with the ugly face of world terrorism on the one hand, while on the other it makes us to look up to God for the ever growing problems we find ourselves surrounded with. God created a just and peaceful society for us to live. But our sins disrupted that peace in the world. The so called terrorists act out of ignorance, blinded by wrong teachings of fanaticism. They need God’s grace to see the wrong they do and seek God’s forgiveness for their wrong. In the perspective of the terrorists, others are at wrong, not they. If there is something wrong on our side as a nation, we need self examination and see the wrong on our side to rectify and seek God’s grace to remove the speck or log, out of our eyes. As we pray for peace in the world let’s ask God to give eternal light and peace to all who died on 9/11/2001 at World Trade Centre. Christianity will be known by the fruits of love, kindness, compassion and mercy. As Christians, being led by the Holy Spirit, let’s show our identity by the forgiveness we offer who hurt us.
Saturday, August 28, 2010
XXII- Ordinary Sunday.
XXII Ordinary Sunday : SIR. 3:17-18, 20, 28-29, HEB. 12:18-19, 22-24a Gospel: LK 14:1, 7-14
During the American Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers who were busy pulling out a horse carriage stuck in deep mud. Their officer was shouting instructions to them while making no attempt to help. The stranger who witnessed the scene asked the officer why he wasn't helping. With great dignity, the officer replied, "Sir, I am a Corporal!" The stranger dismounted from his horse and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers himself. When the job was completed, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this, and don’t have enough men to do it, inform your commander-in-chief and I will come and help you again." Too late, the proud Corporal recognized General Washington. Today’s readings challenge us to be truly humble.
The readings warn us against all forms of pride and self-glorification. The first reading, from the book of Sirach, reminds us that if we are humble, we will find favor with God, and others will love us. In today’s gospel Jesus explains the practical benefits of humility, connecting it with the common wisdom about dining etiquette ( Prov. 25:6-7; Sir. 3:17-20).
At a formal meal, seating arrangements are important. Usually the most distinguished guests sit at the top of the table. To avoid the embarrassing situation described in today's Gospel a wise host will decide the order of precedence beforehand.
Here Jesus makes fun of those pretentious people who scrambled for the most prestigious places, only to be demoted lower on the arrival of someone of greater importance. Jesus wasn't interested in table etiquette, nor in helping us to avoid public humiliation! Still less is he urging a false humility in the hope that people, recognizing our true worth, will give us a more prestigious place. Such a person would simply be a crafty status seeker -- far worse than someone who simply grabbed the best seat.
This meal, like all the others in the Gospels, anticipated the heavenly banquet. Here Jesus is telling us that we are not the ones to decide which position we deserve. Our very presence at the heavenly banquet is God's gift. None of us deserves this. He will overturn our sense of priorities and will give the highest places to those whom the worldly consider to be the least important.
Jesus himself came to serve, not to be served. While Adam fell through his pride leading him to strive to become equal to Almighty God, the Son of God emptied himself of the glory which was his by right. Jesus became humble and obedient, even to death on the cross. The God of glory became despised and rejected. And yet it was precisely in his lowliness that Jesus revealed his true greatness. The crucified Christ shows us where our true greatness lies. Not in the honor or status we may bestow on ourselves, but in following Jesus along the way of the cross. Like him, we are called to serve, rather than be served, to give of ourselves, rather than grab for ourselves. Sometimes that will be costly, painful and humiliating. But, with the grace of God, this will bring out the very best in us. And God will give us a place of honor at his heavenly banquet.
We Christians could easily make the mistake of thinking that this parable was directed at the Pharisees alone. If so, we should remember that the disciples were forever bickering among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. The sons of Zebedee even sought privileged positions in the Kingdom.
When Jesus taught us that to enter his Kingdom we have to become like children, this was one of the characteristics he had in mind.
Children tend to remember more easily that they are not God. They know that they are dependent on their parents for food, shelter, and everything else, so it's natural for them to accept being dependent on God as well. But it's not a sad, pessimistic dependence. True humility is joyful, because it opens the door to a real relationship with God, something arrogant self-sufficiency doesn't allow.
A couple years ago at a Catholic summer Bible camp, one of the seven-year-olds won the silver medal in the mini-soccer competition. He was so happy that he wore it around his neck all the time. On the last day of the camp this boy left one of the counselors a note. It mentioned that he had left his medal in the chapel. The counselor went to the chapel but couldn't find it. When the campers had gone home and the counselors were taking one last look around to gather up any left over items, the same counselor went back into the chapel and found the medal somewhere he would never have thought to look: it was on the crucifix. The boy had stacked up three chairs so that he could reach high enough and put it around Christ’s neck.
To grow in humility we need to fight our pride. Because pride is the opposite of humility. After the construction of the Titanic, a reporter asked the man who had built it how safe the ship would be. "Not even God can sink it," he answered. Well, God didn't have to sink it; an iceberg was sufficient.
A school principal once asked his teachers to write down their new year decisions on a paper. And later he put all the papers on the bulletin board. One lady teacher looked at the board and did not find her paper on the board. She got so agitated and was beside herself for not putting her paper on the bulletin board. The principal felt very bad about his oversight and went to look for her paper from the bulk of other papers on his desk. Later he found it and put it on the bulletin board. It read: This year I will try to be more humble and not let myself be upset by little things. How apart was her new year resolution and her practical life.
Humility does not mean the beautiful woman pretending that she is ugly, or the clever man pretending he is stupid. Humility means recognizing talents and even achievements for what they are, namely things given to us by God out of sheer goodness; things for which we can take little credit or none but which impose upon us a responsibility.
Humility means recognizing that even our greatest achievements are insignificant and an inadequate return for all that God has given us. Humility is the state of being empty before God. Only when we are empty before God can God fill in us His joy, His love and His peace.
Humility means the proper understanding of our own worth. It requires us neither to overestimate nor to underestimate our worth. The humility that the gospel urges upon us has nothing to do with a self-deprecation that leaves a person without proper self-esteem. We must simply admit the truth about ourselves: we do not know everything, we do not do everything correctly, we are all imperfect and sinners. Nevertheless, we also recognize that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and that we are called to help build the kingdom of God with our God-given gifts. We are of value, not because of those gifts, but because we are loved by God as His children, redeemed by the precious blood of His son Jesus.
The quality of humility that Jesus is talking about has a sociological dimension too. For Jesus is inviting us to associate with the so-called "lower classes" of society -- even the outcasts. Jesus invites us to change our social patterns in such a way that we connect with the homeless, the handicapped, the elderly, and the impoverished -- the "street people" of the world. True humility is not bothering where we sit; not insisting on being seen only with the right people; being willing to be overlooked, to associate with those who can do nothing for us.
Let’s come to God in that spirit of humility and we will be overwhelmed and overjoyed at God's generosity like Mary who said: The almighty has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. He has scattered the proud hearted and lifted up the lowly. Let’s examine who are the People I associate with ? DO I hesitate to associate with people of lower status ? DO I boast and speak highly of myself before others ?
During the American Revolution, a man in civilian clothes rode past a group of soldiers who were busy pulling out a horse carriage stuck in deep mud. Their officer was shouting instructions to them while making no attempt to help. The stranger who witnessed the scene asked the officer why he wasn't helping. With great dignity, the officer replied, "Sir, I am a Corporal!" The stranger dismounted from his horse and proceeded to help the exhausted soldiers himself. When the job was completed, he turned to the corporal and said, "Mr. Corporal, next time you have a job like this, and don’t have enough men to do it, inform your commander-in-chief and I will come and help you again." Too late, the proud Corporal recognized General Washington. Today’s readings challenge us to be truly humble.
The readings warn us against all forms of pride and self-glorification. The first reading, from the book of Sirach, reminds us that if we are humble, we will find favor with God, and others will love us. In today’s gospel Jesus explains the practical benefits of humility, connecting it with the common wisdom about dining etiquette ( Prov. 25:6-7; Sir. 3:17-20).
At a formal meal, seating arrangements are important. Usually the most distinguished guests sit at the top of the table. To avoid the embarrassing situation described in today's Gospel a wise host will decide the order of precedence beforehand.
Here Jesus makes fun of those pretentious people who scrambled for the most prestigious places, only to be demoted lower on the arrival of someone of greater importance. Jesus wasn't interested in table etiquette, nor in helping us to avoid public humiliation! Still less is he urging a false humility in the hope that people, recognizing our true worth, will give us a more prestigious place. Such a person would simply be a crafty status seeker -- far worse than someone who simply grabbed the best seat.
This meal, like all the others in the Gospels, anticipated the heavenly banquet. Here Jesus is telling us that we are not the ones to decide which position we deserve. Our very presence at the heavenly banquet is God's gift. None of us deserves this. He will overturn our sense of priorities and will give the highest places to those whom the worldly consider to be the least important.
Jesus himself came to serve, not to be served. While Adam fell through his pride leading him to strive to become equal to Almighty God, the Son of God emptied himself of the glory which was his by right. Jesus became humble and obedient, even to death on the cross. The God of glory became despised and rejected. And yet it was precisely in his lowliness that Jesus revealed his true greatness. The crucified Christ shows us where our true greatness lies. Not in the honor or status we may bestow on ourselves, but in following Jesus along the way of the cross. Like him, we are called to serve, rather than be served, to give of ourselves, rather than grab for ourselves. Sometimes that will be costly, painful and humiliating. But, with the grace of God, this will bring out the very best in us. And God will give us a place of honor at his heavenly banquet.
We Christians could easily make the mistake of thinking that this parable was directed at the Pharisees alone. If so, we should remember that the disciples were forever bickering among themselves as to which of them was the greatest. The sons of Zebedee even sought privileged positions in the Kingdom.
When Jesus taught us that to enter his Kingdom we have to become like children, this was one of the characteristics he had in mind.
Children tend to remember more easily that they are not God. They know that they are dependent on their parents for food, shelter, and everything else, so it's natural for them to accept being dependent on God as well. But it's not a sad, pessimistic dependence. True humility is joyful, because it opens the door to a real relationship with God, something arrogant self-sufficiency doesn't allow.
A couple years ago at a Catholic summer Bible camp, one of the seven-year-olds won the silver medal in the mini-soccer competition. He was so happy that he wore it around his neck all the time. On the last day of the camp this boy left one of the counselors a note. It mentioned that he had left his medal in the chapel. The counselor went to the chapel but couldn't find it. When the campers had gone home and the counselors were taking one last look around to gather up any left over items, the same counselor went back into the chapel and found the medal somewhere he would never have thought to look: it was on the crucifix. The boy had stacked up three chairs so that he could reach high enough and put it around Christ’s neck.
To grow in humility we need to fight our pride. Because pride is the opposite of humility. After the construction of the Titanic, a reporter asked the man who had built it how safe the ship would be. "Not even God can sink it," he answered. Well, God didn't have to sink it; an iceberg was sufficient.
A school principal once asked his teachers to write down their new year decisions on a paper. And later he put all the papers on the bulletin board. One lady teacher looked at the board and did not find her paper on the board. She got so agitated and was beside herself for not putting her paper on the bulletin board. The principal felt very bad about his oversight and went to look for her paper from the bulk of other papers on his desk. Later he found it and put it on the bulletin board. It read: This year I will try to be more humble and not let myself be upset by little things. How apart was her new year resolution and her practical life.
Humility does not mean the beautiful woman pretending that she is ugly, or the clever man pretending he is stupid. Humility means recognizing talents and even achievements for what they are, namely things given to us by God out of sheer goodness; things for which we can take little credit or none but which impose upon us a responsibility.
Humility means recognizing that even our greatest achievements are insignificant and an inadequate return for all that God has given us. Humility is the state of being empty before God. Only when we are empty before God can God fill in us His joy, His love and His peace.
Humility means the proper understanding of our own worth. It requires us neither to overestimate nor to underestimate our worth. The humility that the gospel urges upon us has nothing to do with a self-deprecation that leaves a person without proper self-esteem. We must simply admit the truth about ourselves: we do not know everything, we do not do everything correctly, we are all imperfect and sinners. Nevertheless, we also recognize that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and that we are called to help build the kingdom of God with our God-given gifts. We are of value, not because of those gifts, but because we are loved by God as His children, redeemed by the precious blood of His son Jesus.
The quality of humility that Jesus is talking about has a sociological dimension too. For Jesus is inviting us to associate with the so-called "lower classes" of society -- even the outcasts. Jesus invites us to change our social patterns in such a way that we connect with the homeless, the handicapped, the elderly, and the impoverished -- the "street people" of the world. True humility is not bothering where we sit; not insisting on being seen only with the right people; being willing to be overlooked, to associate with those who can do nothing for us.
Let’s come to God in that spirit of humility and we will be overwhelmed and overjoyed at God's generosity like Mary who said: The almighty has looked with favor on the lowliness of his servant. He has scattered the proud hearted and lifted up the lowly. Let’s examine who are the People I associate with ? DO I hesitate to associate with people of lower status ? DO I boast and speak highly of myself before others ?
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