XI SUNDAY: MK 4: 26-34 (Fathers' day)

I have a riddle for you:  “What is stronger than God, more evil than the devil, poor people have it, rich people don’t need it, and if you eat it, you’ll die?” (Repeat)

If you do not know, don’t worry, only 17 percent of Stanford students could answer it, though 80 percent of the kindergartners were able to give the answer.

The answer is: “Nothing.”  ( Nothing stronger than God, more evil than devil, poor people have nothing, the rich need nothing, if you eat nothing, you will die)

Literally, the word parable means “a riddle.” They are stories that leave the listener with the responsibility of figuring out just what they mean. Jesus told more than 40 parables during his ministry, and he only explained one of them to his disciples, so, that left the disciples with a lot of figuring out to do. And then Jesus took the answers with him when he ascended into heaven. So here we are, some 2000 years later, still pondering what Jesus must have meant when he told the parable of the Mustard seed.

Jesus so often uses Illustrations from the growth of nature to describe the coming of the Kingdom of God. Nature's growth is imperceptible. Even if we watch we cannot see the daily growth of the plants. But we notice them slowly over a period of time. The spread of God's kingdom takes place in the same way in human lives from very humble beginnings.

In the gospel, Jesus compares the growth of the kingdom of God to the germination of a wheat seed and that of a tiny mustard seed. Both have very small beginnings. The wheat seeds, by gradual but steady growth help the farmer to get a bumper crop. In the same way, the life principle in a tiny mustard seed enables it to grow into a large bush. The reign of God in human hearts and the growth of the Church in the world also have small beginnings. But the Source of all life, God the Holy Spirit, gives to both a steady, persistent and gigantic growth. So we must be paying attention to the little things in our spiritual growth. They will eventually help us grow as spiritual giants. It is not in doing great things, but doing trifles with great attention and care.

Michelangelo (1475-1564) was one of the greatest artists, poets, and sculptors of all time. One day a visitor came to his studio in Florence. The visitor looked at a statue that was in the making and commented, "I can't see that you have made any progress since I was here last time."

Michelangelo answered, "Oh, yes, I have made much progress. Look carefully and you will see that I have retouched this part, and that I have polished that part. See, I have worked on this part of the statue, and have softened the lines here."

"Yes," said the visitor, "but those are all trifles."

"That may be," replied Michelangelo, "but trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle."  So, the kingdom of God grows in little measure, in trifles, assisted by the Holy Spirit.

Let’s not focus on the size of what we have or the status we have in the Church to measure our growth in spiritual life. That is a folly.

A small fellow, not much over 5 feet tall, applied for a job as a lumberjack in Alaska. The foreman, thinking to discourage him, gave him a large ax, set him before a tree hundreds of feet tall, and yards in diameter, and told him to chop it down. Within minutes the tree had been felled. The amazed foreman asked him where he'd learned to chop trees so powerfully. The little fellow replied, "When I worked in the Sahara forest." "You mean, the Sahara desert." "That was after I got there," said the small lumberjack. 

The point of the story is that size is less important than spirit, or intelligence, or courage -- a point made when King David was selected at a young age: "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature ... for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart." 

So, we need is not to look at the size but to cooperate in the growth of God’s kingdom: The Kingdom of God is the growth of God’s rule in human hearts that occurs when man does the will of God and surrenders his life to God. The seed of faith lies dormant within each of us. When we permit the Holy Spirit to nurture it with TLC (tender loving care), it grows miraculously into gigantic proportions. The growth is slow and microscopic in the beginning. But the seed grows by using

the power of the Holy Spirit, given to us through the word of God, the Mass, the sacraments and prayers. As we learn God’s will from His words and try to put these words into practice, we participate in the growth of God’s kingdom on earth which will be completed in our heavenly life.

The kingdom is God’s kingdom, not ours. We will only get energized to do useful and creative work if we first learn to welcome the miracle of the kingdom over which we have no control.

The conviction that growth of the kingdom of God is the work of the Holy Spirit with our humble co-operation, should make us optimistic in continuing our work of witnessing. We should continue sowing tiny seeds in the form of words of love, acts of encouragement, deeds of charity, mercy and forgiveness.

Let’s be faithful in little things, and we will be put in charge of great things." Matthew 25

Today is Fathers’ day, a day to remember that human fathers share in the love and concern of the heavenly Father. In the New Testament, Jesus introduced a new name for God – Father. It is the name that Jesus referred to more than any other and the name that He invites us to use to address the Creator of the Universe. - Daddy!

“For everything that Christ taught, everything that makes the New Testament new and better than the Old, is summed up in the knowledge of the fatherhood of God.” 

No one on this earth may have had a perfect earthly father, but always remember that we have a Heavenly Father who loves us dearly and has our name written on the palm of His hand.

He said, “I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters,” (2 Corinthians 6:18 NIV).

Let’s thank our heavenly Father who loves us as His precious children and share his love with us through our human fathers, so that we may learn to trust him and be obedient to him.

FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI.

Today we are celebrating the feast of the Body and blood of Christ. This feast reminds us of the great sacrifice of Jesus and His command to his disciples, "Do this in memory of me." From the time of the election of the Israelites God's presence was manifested in various ways among them. Moses received 10 commandments on mount Sinai. As he brought it to the people they made a Tabernacle and placed the Tablets in it. The presence of God lingered over the tabernacle. God's presence has always been with His people in various ways.  Through the voice of the prophets, through the wisdom of the sages, and finally God manifested Himself in human form through Jesus. Jesus at his departure instituted the Eucharist to continue his presence with his people.

In addition to the presence of God, through out the Old Testament  God expresses His concern for the people. During  the exodus when the people craved for food God sent them the heavenly bread, "Manna" which people ate and were satisfied. When they were thirsty God asked Moses to strike the rock and water gushed forth. 

In the New Testament we have numerous instances where Jesus expressed his concern for the poor and hungry.  The miracle of multiplication of bread to feed the crowd is an instance of Jesus' concern for them.

The great 14th-century mystic, Julian of Norwich, not only called God our ‘mother’, but she called Jesus our mother!  This may seem very strange, even weird.  But, as always, she meant something luminous, and she had profound reasons for saying it.  She did not mean to say that Jesus is like our mother; she meant the reverse: our mother is like Jesus.  Our mother fed us from her own body.  Our mother’s care for us may well be the best image we have of God  -  and of Jesus.

During the words of consecration, the humble, normal substances of bread and wine are changed into Christ's living body and blood. The substance of the bread is changed into his body, and the substance of the wine is changed into his blood; this process is called "transubstantiation." They are truly changed; Christ becomes truly present in them. This is the first miracle.

The second miracle is that although the substance of the bread and wine has changed, their appearance remains the same. After the sacred words of consecration, they still look like bread and wine, but under those appearances, Jesus is truly present. This is why we treat the Eucharist with such reverence: it is not just a symbol; it is a sacrament, a mystery of Christ's real presence. It is not a thing, it is a person. These two miracles are performed at every Mass, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The second miracle gives us the opportunity to accept Jesus in faith. But every once in awhile, God allows it to become more dramatic, just so we don't fall into routine. There have been several Eucharistic miracles where the body looked really like body and wine looked really like blood.  If all the time when this transubstantiation takes place, if the body and blood really looked like body and blood, we would need no faith to accept him. And all the people in the world invariably would believe in this mystery without exception. Then there wouldn’t be any other religion in the world. Every one could see and verify and accept. But there is no faith needed, because faith is belief in things not seen. You would not need faith to believe. Then our freedom also is curtailed. No freedom to believe in any one other than Jesus.

By making himself present in us, he heals and sanctifies us, but he also reaches out to heal and sanctify every one around us, every part of the world that is connected to us. But this doesn't happen automatically. When we eat natural food, our bodies digest it and derive nourishment from it automatically, without our having to do anything consciously to make it happen. But since the Eucharist is supernatural and spiritual food, it will only nourish us if we allow it to. By willingly accepting it.

When we receive the Holy communion we become the tabernacle where Jesus is present. So Maximilian Kolbe says, ' If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion." Hence, it is binding on us that we should keep the tabernacle, ourselves, holy.  St Francis de Sales preached to the people, "When you have received Him, stir up your heart to do Him homage, welcome Him as warmly as possible, and behave outwardly in such a way that your actions may give proof to all of His Presence."

The ancient practice of Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament has been encouraged by recent popes. We have the adoration every Tuesday soon after the morning Mass. And we have 40 hour adoration every first Friday till Saturday 4.00 pm. If you can spend one hour before the Divine king, you can sign up for that. And when you are there, pray for the whole world, people in our parish and finally for your own needs. Some times you may not have any thing to speak. Just keep looking at the Lord and he will speak to your heart. St. John Mary Vianny found a farmer sitting before the blessed sacrament for hours. One day he went up to him and asked, what do you say during this long hours. He replied, I don’t say anything. He looks at me and I look at him. The Blessed Sacrament is not a thing to be adored but a person to love and who loves us. When we take the Blessed Sacrament out of churches and process through the streets we are making a clear statement that Christ is for all people not just for those who go to church. There is a Eucharistic procession at the Cathedral at 2.00 pm today.

In support of the practice of Holy Hours and Benediction, our present Holy Father quotes St. Augustine as saying "No one should eat this flesh without first adoring it. We should sin were we not to adore it."  When we come to receive the king of kings, we should make a throne for him by placing our right palm under the left and receive him in the left hand reverently and take with the right hand and consume and commune. Showing just one hand like this… is not the right way of receiving communion. As we process in the line to receive the communion we should be praying a welcoming prayer to the Lord. Or just repeat the words of the humble centurion, Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say a word and my soul shall be healed.

St Philip Neri, the famous Apostle of Rome in the 1500s, known for his sense of humor, understood this due reverence especially well. And he did his best to help the people of his parish understand it too. One lady used to come to Mass regularly, but she wouldn't stay to the end; after receiving Holy Communion, she would walk out the door. St Philip noticed this, and was worried that she had forgotten how sacred Holy Communion really was. So he decided to remind her. The next time she came to Mass, he had an altar server get ready with a candle and a little bell, and put him beside the exit that she usually used. After receiving Communion, sure enough, she headed for the door. But as she took her first few steps out onto the street, the acolyte was right on her heals, ringing the bell for all to hear, and holding the bright candle for all to see. Shocked and embarrassed, she turned and asked what he was doing. He answered, "Well ma'am, you just received our Lord, so you are like a walking Tabernacle, and we have to show him due honor." She got the message and humbly returned to Church for the rest of the Mass.

Leaving the church as soon as you receive the Lord in holy communion is dishonoring the Lord. When you go to a wedding, as soon as you finish eating you don’t just run out of the reception hall. You wait and say thanks to the host. Doesn’t the Lord deserve a few words of thanks for bringing his holy and great presence to our heart ?. I can well understand when people come late for mass. You may have been held longer at traffic lights,  or you got some important calls when you were ready to leave, or it took long to get the kids dressed up, etc. Ok, but what is the justification we can tell for running out of the church soon after you receive the holy communion ? I don’t think there is any. If you have any intention of leaving early from mass, please don’t show up for communion, leave before that. By saving one minute or half a minute what are we going to save ? The Lord who gave us 24 hours a day to enjoy, expects us to honor him and thank him for giving us one more day in our life.

Today, as we thank God for this awe-inspiring gift of the Eucharist, let's express our gratitude by praying with St Augustine: Lord, make us holy by our sharing at the table of Christ. As members of his body, help us to become what we have received.

TRINITY SUNDAY:

The bishop was questioning the children in preparation for Confirmation. He asked one lad what the Holy Trinity means. The boy answered in such a soft tone of voice that the bishop could not hear what he said."
"Son," said His Excellency, "I can't understand what you are saying."
The boy spoke up: "Well, bishop, the Trinity is a mystery. Nobody understands it."

"Who can understand the Trinity?" wrote St Augustine in the 5th century.  "Rare are the persons who, when they speak of it, also know what they speak of…."  Then with all due qualifications and apologies, he suggests a way that might throw a little light on it.  Look at yourself, he says; you see that you exist and that you have a heart and you love.  These are three dimensions of your reality, and yet you are one. You are not your heart, your heart is not you, your love is not you, but all these three make you.  You are a kind of trinity: three in one and one in three.  It is just an image. The doctrine of the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in such a way that each of them is fully and equally God, yet there are not three Gods but one, cannot be fully comprehended by the human mind. It is a mystery.

A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork.
As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." 
The teacher paused and said, "but no one knows what God looks like." 

Without looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will, in a minute."

The doctrine of three persons in one God, equal in divinity yet distinct in personality, is not explicitly spelt out in the Bible. In fact the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. Early Christians arrived at the doctrine when they applied their God-given reason to the revelation which they had received in faith. Jesus spoke about the Father who sent him (the Son) and about the Holy Spirit whom he was going to send. He said that the Father had given him (the Son) all that he has and that he in turn has given to the Holy Spirit all that he has received from the Father. In this we see the unity of purpose among the three persons of the Trinity.

In the story of salvation we usually attribute creation to the Father, redemption to the Son and sanctification to the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, though they are distinct as persons, neither the Father nor the Son nor the Holy Spirit ever exists or acts in isolation from the other two persons of the Godhead.

The importance of this doctrine lies in this:  we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God, the more we can understand ourselves.  St. Paul tells us that through sufferings, endurance, the forming of character and hope, God's love is poured into our hearts through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore the celebration of the mystery of Holy Trinity reminds us that we have to grow in unity like the perfect Unity that exists in Trinity.

Jesus knew very well that the disciples and his listeners were not able to understand the meaning of his message. Jesus expressed it in today's Gospel. "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." Jesus revealed himself to the people gradually and as understandable to them. First He taught them to recognize in Himself the Eternal Son of God. When His ministry was drawing to a close, He promised that the Father would send another Divine Person, the Holy Spirit, in His place. Finally after His resurrection, He revealed the doctrine in explicit terms, bidding them "go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:18).

And yet, as far as you and I are concerned, the sweetest of all mysteries is that the self-contained, self-sufficient, almighty Godhead with magnificent openness and generosity has created us human beings with one purpose, that, while living under his Lordship, we might be drawn into the divine love-circle and share its bliss, its fullness of being, its holiness.

It is surprising, absolutely extraordinary, that God who does not need our company actually wants us to enjoy his company…here and now, in our present earthly existence, for Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Remain in me, as I in you,’(Jn.15.17).

Jesus, the Son of God, has revealed to us the Blessed Trinity. As we allow ourselves to be drawn into the life, the love, of the Triune God we discover the mystery that is ourselves, and, indeed, the mystery of one another! It is the sweet mystery of life and of love. We have found this, or better, it is God’s supreme gift to us.

Note that the love of God is poured into our heart through the Holy Spirit. Christian life is, therefore, not possible without a relationship with God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit. This is one big difference between the Christian religion and other religions. Whereas other religions present salvation and godliness solely as a matter between the individual believer and God, the Christian religion agrees that it is indeed a matter between the individual and God and adds that we have two heavenly advocates on our side. First we have our Lord Jesus Christ who redeems us and reconciles us to the Father. And then we also have “another advocate” who carries on the work of our sanctification.

The business is not over the moment we believe in Christ and are justified before God. In fact the business of being a Christian has only begun. From then on, the rest of our lives should be devoted to the business of sanctification, the process of being holy as God is holy. This is where the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of whom we celebrated last Sunday, becomes the guiding principle of our lives. Through the Spirit God’s love is poured into our hearts, through the Spirit we learn to love God and our neighbour as Jesus teaches us.

Like Augustine we may not be able to understand the how of the Trinity but I think it is very important to understand the why. Why did God reveal to us this mystery regarding the very nature of the Supreme Being? The importance of this doctrine lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. Experts in religion tell us that people always try to be like the god they worship. People who worship a warrior god tend to be warmongering, people who worship a god of pleasure tend to be pleasure-seeking, people who worship a god of wrath tend to be vengeful, and people who worship a god of love tend to be loving. Like a god, so the worshippers. Therefore, the more important question for us to ask today is: What does the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity tell us about the kind of God we worship and what does this say about the kind of people we should be?

God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing. God is not a loner. This means that a Christian in search of Godliness (Matthew 5:48) must shun every tendency to isolationism.

True love requires three partners. Taking an example from the human condition we see that when a man A is in love with a woman B they seal the loving by producing a baby C. Father, mother and child -- love when it perfected becomes a trinity.

We are made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human only in a relationship of three partners. The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with others and a vertical relationship with God. In that way our life becomes Trinitarian like that of God. I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people. May the grace of the Holy Trinity help us to banish all traces of self-centeredness in our lives and to live in love of God and of neighbour.

As we celebrate the greatest mystery of our faith let’s be reminded that we have the Spirit of adoption that leads us to lovingly cry out "Abba, Father!" (Rm 8:15; Gal 4:6). Today we realize all over again that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are with us always (Mt 28:20).

When we go through struggles let us know that we are not alone in the struggle. God the Father is on our side, Jesus Christ the Son of God is on our side, the Holy Spirit the Power of God Most High is on our side. Now this is hope, this is hope that never disappoints. So let us  give ourselves completely to God.

Trinity Sunday

TRINITY SUNDAY: The bishop was questioning the children in preparation for Confirmation. He asked one lad what the Holy Trinity means. The boy answered in such a soft tone of voice that the bishop could not hear what he said." "Son," said His Excellency, "I can't understand what you are saying." The boy spoke up: "Well, bishop, the Trinity is a mystery. Nobody understands it." "Who can understand the Trinity?" wrote St Augustine in the 5th century. "Rare are the persons who, when they speak of it, also know what they speak of…." Then with all due qualifications and apologies, he suggests a way that might throw a little light on it. Look at yourself, he says; you see that you exist and that you have a heart and you love. These are three dimensions of your reality, and yet you are one. You are not your heart, your heart is not you, your love is not you, but all these three make you. You are a kind of trinity: three in one and one in three. It is just an image. The doctrine of the inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in such a way that each of them is fully and equally God, yet there are not three Gods but one, cannot be fully comprehended by the human mind. It is a mystery. A kindergarten teacher was observing her classroom of children while they drew. She would occasionally walk around to see each child's artwork. As she got to one little girl who was working diligently, she asked what the drawing was. The girl replied, "I'm drawing God." The teacher paused and said, "but no one knows what God looks like." Without looking up from her drawing the girl replied, "They will, in a minute." The doctrine of three persons in one God, equal in divinity yet distinct in personality, is not explicitly spelt out in the Bible. In fact the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. Early Christians arrived at the doctrine when they applied their God-given reason to the revelation which they had received in faith. Jesus spoke about the Father who sent him (the Son) and about the Holy Spirit whom he was going to send. He said that the Father had given him (the Son) all that he has and that he in turn has given to the Holy Spirit all that he has received from the Father. In this we see the unity of purpose among the three persons of the Trinity. In the story of salvation we usually attribute creation to the Father, redemption to the Son and sanctification to the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, though they are distinct as persons, neither the Father nor the Son nor the Holy Spirit ever exists or acts in isolation from the other two persons of the Godhead. The importance of this doctrine lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God, the more we can understand ourselves. St. Paul tells us that through sufferings, endurance, the forming of character and hope, God's love is poured into our hearts through the indwelling Holy Spirit. Therefore the celebration of the mystery of Holy Trinity reminds us that we have to grow in unity like the perfect Unity that exists in Trinity. Jesus knew very well that the disciples and his listeners were not able to understand the meaning of his message. Jesus expressed it in today's Gospel. "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now." Jesus revealed himself to the people gradually and as understandable to them. First He taught them to recognize in Himself the Eternal Son of God. When His ministry was drawing to a close, He promised that the Father would send another Divine Person, the Holy Spirit, in His place. Finally after His resurrection, He revealed the doctrine in explicit terms, bidding them "go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:18). And yet, as far as you and I are concerned, the sweetest of all mysteries is that the self-contained, self-sufficient, almighty Godhead with magnificent openness and generosity has created us human beings with one purpose, that, while living under his Lordship, we might be drawn into the divine love-circle and share its bliss, its fullness of being, its holiness. It is surprising, absolutely extraordinary, that God who does not need our company actually wants us to enjoy his company…here and now, in our present earthly existence, for Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Remain in me, as I in you,’(Jn.15.17). Jesus, the Son of God, has revealed to us the Blessed Trinity. As we allow ourselves to be drawn into the life, the love, of the Triune God we discover the mystery that is ourselves, and, indeed, the mystery of one another! It is the sweet mystery of life and of love. We have found this, or better, it is God’s supreme gift to us. Note that the love of God is poured into our heart through the Holy Spirit. Christian life is, therefore, not possible without a relationship with God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and his Holy Spirit. This is one big difference between the Christian religion and other religions. Whereas other religions present salvation and godliness solely as a matter between the individual believer and God, the Christian religion agrees that it is indeed a matter between the individual and God and adds that we have two heavenly advocates on our side. First we have our Lord Jesus Christ who redeems us and reconciles us to the Father. And then we also have “another advocate” who carries on the work of our sanctification. The business is not over the moment we believe in Christ and are justified before God. In fact the business of being a Christian has only begun. From then on, the rest of our lives should be devoted to the business of sanctification, the process of being holy as God is holy. This is where the Holy Spirit, the outpouring of whom we celebrated last Sunday, becomes the guiding principle of our lives. Through the Spirit God’s love is poured into our hearts, through the Spirit we learn to love God and our neighbour as Jesus teaches us. Like Augustine we may not be able to understand the how of the Trinity but I think it is very important to understand the why. Why did God reveal to us this mystery regarding the very nature of the Supreme Being? The importance of this doctrine lies in this: we are made in the image of God, therefore, the more we understand God the more we understand ourselves. Experts in religion tell us that people always try to be like the god they worship. People who worship a warrior god tend to be warmongering, people who worship a god of pleasure tend to be pleasure-seeking, people who worship a god of wrath tend to be vengeful, and people who worship a god of love tend to be loving. Like a god, so the worshippers. Therefore, the more important question for us to ask today is: What does the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity tell us about the kind of God we worship and what does this say about the kind of people we should be? God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing. God is not a loner. This means that a Christian in search of Godliness (Matthew 5:48) must shun every tendency to isolationism. True love requires three partners. Taking an example from the human condition we see that when a man A is in love with a woman B they seal the loving by producing a baby C. Father, mother and child -- love when it perfected becomes a trinity. We are made in God’s image and likeness. Just as God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human only in a relationship of three partners. The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with others and a vertical relationship with God. In that way our life becomes Trinitarian like that of God. I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people. May the grace of the Holy Trinity help us to banish all traces of self-centeredness in our lives and to live in love of God and of neighbour. As we celebrate the greatest mystery of our faith let’s be reminded that we have the Spirit of adoption that leads us to lovingly cry out "Abba, Father!" (Rm 8:15; Gal 4:6). Today we realize all over again that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are with us always (Mt 28:20). When we go through struggles let us know that we are not alone in the struggle. God the Father is on our side, Jesus Christ the Son of God is on our side, the Holy Spirit the Power of God Most High is on our side. Now this is hope, this is hope that never disappoints. So let us give ourselves completely to God.

VIth Sunday of Easter

VI-SUNDAY OF EASTER. Acts 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 John 4: 7-10; Gospel: John 15: 9-17 Dr. Tony Campolo is a well-known and highly-respected, inspirational speaker. Over the last several years, Tony Campolo has spent much of his time traveling around the world on speaking tours. Meanwhile, his wife, Peggy, has chosen to stay home and give herself and all that she has to the "Bringing Up" of their two children, Bart and Lisa. On those rare occasions when Peggy does travel with Tony, she finds herself engaged in conversations with some of the most accomplished, impressive, influential, sophisticated people in the world. After one such trip, Peggy told Tony that sometimes as she visits with these powerful people... she finds herself feeling intimidated and sometimes even questioning her own self-worth. Tony said to her: "Well, honey, why don't you come up with something you could say when you meet people that will let them know that you strongly value what you do and you feel that it is dramatically, urgent and crucial and important. Well, not long after that, Tony and Peggy Campolo were at a party... when a woman said to Peggy in a rather condescending tone, "Well, my dear, what do you do?" Tony Campolo heard his wife say: "I am nurturing two Homo Sapiens into the dominant values of the Judaeo-Christian tradition in order that they might become instruments for the transformation of the social order into the kind of eschatological utopia God envisioned from the beginning of time." And the other woman said: "O, my, I'm just a lawyer." There are a lot of important jobs in the world today but not one of them is more important than the job of being a mother. This Sunday, the second Sunday in May, has been officially designated as "Mother's Day" since May 9, 1914. But in England as far back as the 1600's there has been a tradition of a "Mothering Sunday." Originally it was born out of the Catholic celebrations of Mary, the Mother of Christ. Birth of a child makes a woman a mother, and even if she had been mother to other children, she becomes mother to this new one too. On this Mother’s day let’s gratefully remember our own mothers who sacrificed their comforts for their children, sacrificed sleepless nights for the health of their babies. Let’s pray for women who refuse to give birth to children for selfish reasons, that they may come to appreciate and embrace the dignity of motherhood. Let’s also remember women who wished they had their own biological children, but could not due to biological or health reasons, but choose to be spiritual mothers to many by their actions. Today's Gospel fits right in, since it's all about Jesus' command that we love one another as He loves us. The parallel between God's love and our mothers' love seems to fit so perfectly. Jesus says that those who believe in him and obey his commandment of love “remain in, God and God in them. We can have two kinds of relationships with God. 1) A servant – master relationship. 2) A friend to friend relationship. In the Bible, doulos, the slave, the servant of God was no title of shame; it was a title of the highest honor. Moses was the servant of God (Deut. 34: 5); so was Joshua (Joshua 24: 29); so was David (Psalm 89: 20). It is a title which Paul counted it an honor to use (Titus 1: 1); and so did James (James 1: 1). The greatest men in the past had been proud to be called the douli, the slaves of God. With the exception of mystics, traditional lay spirituality in the church has usually followed the master-servant model. But Jesus says: "I have something greater for you yet. You are no longer slaves; you are friends." This seems to indicate that he called them servants until then. Christ offers an intimacy with God which not even the greatest men knew before Jesus came into the world. The idea of being the friend of God also has a biblical background. Abraham was the friend of God (Isaiah 4 1: 8). In Wisdom 7: 27, Wisdom is said to make us the friends of God. Jesus has called us to be his friends and the friends of God. Jesus has given us this intimacy with God, so that he is no longer a distant stranger, but our close friend. The primary reason Jesus calls us his friends is that he shared with us the secrets from the Father. A master doesn’t share his secrets with servants, but with friends. Our relationship with Christ goes through different stages. First it starts off as a master-servant relationship when we are new to the faith, but then as our relationship with Christ deepens it changes into a less formal friend-friend type of relationship. Today's gospel is a call for us to move beyond the infant stage, the servant-master relationship, and go over to the adult stage, the friend-friend way of relating to Christ. This will change the way we pray and the way we live. We shall begin to pray better (John 15:7) and to experience more peace and joy in our lives, as people do who are in love. The key to remain in his love is to keep his commandments. A servant obeys commands out of fear and a friend obeys commands out of love for the friend. All God's commandments come from love and from the goodness of His nature,” said Meister Eckhart, “for if they did not come from love they would not be God's commandments. For God's commandment is the goodness of His nature, and His nature is His goodness in His commandment.” Some of the interpretations of the Sabbath laws were not born out of love. That is why Jesus broke the Sabbath laws often to teach them the true meaning of the Sabbath. God is love (1 John 4:8; 4:16), so God’s commandments must be acts of love. Yes, God loves and accepts us as we are, but God loves us too much to leave us as we are. We love babies as they are, yet we want them to grow up. God expects us, similarly, to grow in His love. The Lord's offer to us of friendship and intimacy with him should not be an excuse for callousness and indifference. When I choose to vote for a candidate who is against the freedom to practice God’s commandments, I am indifferent towards God’s commandment and don’t choose to remain in him. Because Jesus said if you keep my commandments you will remain in my love. So it becomes a Catholic obligation to learn about each candidate what they choose to stand for. Do they stand to defend justice and religious freedom, do they stand to respect life in all its stages, do they stand to defend family values ? You may not find a candidate who is best in all of these. But when it is difficult to choose you need to weigh in according to the priorities of values. Choose the lesser evil. Let’s not shirk of the duty in this. Remember, Hitler won by just one margin of vote. And how that changed the history of the world we know. So, each vote counts for the future of the country. Our Bishop will soon issue a circular guideline on the HHS mandate for contraception, sterilization and abortion inducing drugs. In an unprecedented way, the federal government will force religious institutions to facilitate and fund a product contrary to their own moral teaching and will purport to define which religious institutions are “religious enough” to merit protection of their religious liberty. Failing to comply with these regulations will incur a very heavy fine on the religious institutions. These features of the “preventive services” mandate, amount to an unjust law. If this mandate takes effect, religious liberty in this country will not be any better than the religious liberty in Iran. So, let us pray that may not happen. Let’s develop a genuine love for the commandments of the lord so that we may remain and dwell in his love.

Vth SUNDAY IN EASTER SEASON. Acts 9: 26-31; 1 John 3: 18-24;Gospel: John 15: 1-8 In last Sunday's gospel reading Jesus was the good shepherd and we the sheep. Today's image expresses an even closer relationship: a vine and its branches. This is so close a relationship that you could say it is beyond relationship; it expresses identification. "I am the vine…you the branches." But a vine is all branches! It is not like a tree or a big shrub where you have a substantial trunk and a profusion of branches. The vine is just branches. He has identified himself with us. Jesus lives in us and we live in Jesus. This is also the teaching of St Paul. Christ, he said, is the head and we are the body. "We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another" (Rom:12:4); "Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ"(1Cor:12:12). A favorite word in John's gospel and letters is 'abide' (or 'remain'): abiding in God, abiding in Christ, abiding in his word. To abide is not to be a visitor, it is even more than being a friend, it is to be at home. It seems that no image can go far enough in expressing our union with Christ and God. Meister Eckhart said, "If anyone puts water in a barrel, the barrel would surround the water, but the water would not be in the barrel [i.e., it would not occupy the same space as the wood of the barrel], nor would the barrel be in the water: but the soul is wholly one with God….In spiritual things there is no separating of one from another." Just as the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, so a Christian is in the trinity. C.S. Lewis wrote, "God has designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy without bothering about religion. God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." Take a fish and place him on a beach. Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get him a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Play fish magazine and a martini? Of course not! So, how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. That’s what you do. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach because he was not made for the beach. Indeed so, and the same is true for you and me. We will never be happy living apart from the One who made us and saved us. Just like a fish was made to live in water… we were made to live in close fellowship with our Lord… and nothing can take the place of that.” We have been grafted into the true vine of Jesus and are called to bear fruit by being in communion with him. A little five-year-old boy who fell out of bed. His cry awakened the entire household. After his mother had safely tucked him back under the covers, she said, "Why did you fall out of bed?" Between tears and sobs, he said, "Well, I guess I went to sleep too close to where I got in." Far too many Christians make the same mistake. They fall out of the bed of life and go to heaven; yet they slept too close to where they got in. They never learned the difference between union and communion. When you trust Christ, you become a branch in His vine. That is union. But Jesus goes on to say in v.5, "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit." Now that is communion. Union is the basis of communion. When a branch does not abide in the vine it will dry of. To abide in Christ is a twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year intimate fellowship with Him, so that you become a fruit-bearing branch. We need to be aware that vines may come in many shapes and colors each soliciting our primary allegiance. Materialism, pleasure and power are among the most popular vines of our times. Once we identify ourselves with a false vine, it immediately conditions and determines how we see ourselves and what we do with our lives. So we need to make sure we are connected with the true vine, not just any kind of non-nourishing vine. By baptism we became a branch of the Vine-Jesus. But to remain in him and to draw sap or life blood form him we need to be with him in communion of prayer and nourishing ourselves with the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. That is why Jesus said if you do not eat my body and drink my blood you cannot have life in you. Do I realize fully that apart from Jesus I can do nothing ? Do I try to produce fruits away from him ?As we continue with this nourishing sacrament let us examine :Am I a branch belonging to the vine that is Christ. Do I give glory to the Father by bearing much fruit ?

Vth SUNDAY IN EASTER SEASON. Acts 9: 26-31; 1 John 3: 18-24;Gospel: John 15: 1-8 In last Sunday's gospel reading Jesus was the good shepherd and we the sheep. Today's image expresses an even closer relationship: a vine and its branches. This is so close a relationship that you could say it is beyond relationship; it expresses identification. "I am the vine…you the branches." But a vine is all branches! It is not like a tree or a big shrub where you have a substantial trunk and a profusion of branches. The vine is just branches. He has identified himself with us. Jesus lives in us and we live in Jesus. This is also the teaching of St Paul. Christ, he said, is the head and we are the body. "We, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another" (Rom:12:4); "Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ"(1Cor:12:12). A favorite word in John's gospel and letters is 'abide' (or 'remain'): abiding in God, abiding in Christ, abiding in his word. To abide is not to be a visitor, it is even more than being a friend, it is to be at home. It seems that no image can go far enough in expressing our union with Christ and God. Meister Eckhart said, "If anyone puts water in a barrel, the barrel would surround the water, but the water would not be in the barrel [i.e., it would not occupy the same space as the wood of the barrel], nor would the barrel be in the water: but the soul is wholly one with God….In spiritual things there is no separating of one from another." Just as the Father is in the Son, and the Son in the Father, so a Christian is in the trinity. C.S. Lewis wrote, "God has designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy without bothering about religion. God cannot give us happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing." Take a fish and place him on a beach. Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get him a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Play fish magazine and a martini? Of course not! So, how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. That’s what you do. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach because he was not made for the beach. Indeed so, and the same is true for you and me. We will never be happy living apart from the One who made us and saved us. Just like a fish was made to live in water… we were made to live in close fellowship with our Lord… and nothing can take the place of that.” We have been grafted into the true vine of Jesus and are called to bear fruit by being in communion with him. A little five-year-old boy who fell out of bed. His cry awakened the entire household. After his mother had safely tucked him back under the covers, she said, "Why did you fall out of bed?" Between tears and sobs, he said, "Well, I guess I went to sleep too close to where I got in." Far too many Christians make the same mistake. They fall out of the bed of life and go to heaven; yet they slept too close to where they got in. They never learned the difference between union and communion. When you trust Christ, you become a branch in His vine. That is union. But Jesus goes on to say in v.5, "He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit." Now that is communion. Union is the basis of communion. When a branch does not abide in the vine it will dry of. To abide in Christ is a twenty-four hour a day, seven days a week, fifty-two weeks a year intimate fellowship with Him, so that you become a fruit-bearing branch. We need to be aware that vines may come in many shapes and colors each soliciting our primary allegiance. Materialism, pleasure and power are among the most popular vines of our times. Once we identify ourselves with a false vine, it immediately conditions and determines how we see ourselves and what we do with our lives. So we need to make sure we are connected with the true vine, not just any kind of non-nourishing vine. By baptism we became a branch of the Vine-Jesus. But to remain in him and to draw sap or life blood form him we need to be with him in communion of prayer and nourishing ourselves with the sacraments, especially the Eucharist. That is why Jesus said if you do not eat my body and drink my blood you cannot have life in you. Do I realize fully that apart from Jesus I can do nothing ? Do I try to produce fruits away from him ?As we continue with this nourishing sacrament let us examine :Am I a branch belonging to the vine that is Christ. Do I give glory to the Father by bearing much fruit ?