Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - Homily

 

Wednesday, October 16, 2024 - How often have your external actions been a cause of scandal for others? What will you do about them today?

To read the texts click on the texts: Galatians 5:18-25; Lk 11:42-46

The first of the four woes of the Gospel reading of today, continues the contrast between the inner and outer, but also adds the contrast between the important and insignificant. Jesus criticizes piety that observes external obedience while neglecting justice and the love of God. In the second woe, Jesus emphasizes that true piety does not seek praise from others, and in the third Jesus returns to the contrast between the inner and outer. Since the inner corruption of the Pharisees is not visible, others are defiled by their influence. (Contact with a corpse rendered a person unclean (Lev. 21,1-4.11; Num. 19,11-22). Graves had to be marked, therefore, so that persons would not unwittingly defile themselves by contact with them). The Pharisees are like graves that cannot be seen/are hidden and consequently result in corrupting others.

The fourth woe (11,46) is the first of the three addressed to lawyers. Here the woe is in response to the lawyer’s allegation that in condemning the Pharisees, Jesus is condemning them as well. Jesus responds by pronouncing a woe on them for imposing legal restrictions on people but doing nothing to help them. The law, which was meant to be a pointer and help, has been made into a burden and an end in itself.

There is the danger that when we read these woes, we might think that they apply to Pharisees only. However, they could just as easily apply to anyone today who like the Pharisees focuses on what is not essential and in the process forgets what is really important. When a person makes physical attendance at the sacraments more important than spiritual or internal attendance, he/she is also as guilty. When anyone focuses too much on sin and not enough on love, that person is also as guilty.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - What is detachment?

 

Tuesday, October 15, 2024 - Will your external actions show that your inner self is pure? How?

To read the texts click on the texts: Galatians 5:1-6; Lk 11:37-41

The section beginning in Lk 11,37 and ending in 11,54 is set in the context of a meal. The text of today begins with the notice that a Pharisee invited Jesus for a meal. Jesus sits/reclines at table without washing his hands, and this amazes his host. The Pharisees observed strict rules regarding ritual cleanliness, and generally ate only with those who also maintained ritual purity. By not washing, Jesus scandalizes his host. This amazement allows Jesus to give all those present a lesson on internal and external cleanness.

Jesus’ response to his host who is surprised because Jesus did not first wash, is that God is not concerned with the observance of rituals of purity, but with the purity of the heart. A person’s actions should reflect his or her inner purity.

The best way to remove greed and wickedness from one’s heart is to be generous with what one has. The practice of constant giving, leads one to develop an attitude of detachment.

Monday, October 14, 2024 - Homily

 

Monday, October 14, 2024 - What sign are you seeking from the Lord? Will you believe in His love even without this sign?

To read the texts click on the texts: Galatians 4:22-24,26-27,31 – 5,1; Lk 11:29-32

Jesus’ debate with the crowd following the exorcism of the demon that made a man mute continues. The response of Jesus is not to give in to the demand of some for a sign. While a similar saying is also found in Matthew (12,38-42) which indicates that both Matthew and Luke have taken it from the “Q” source {Mark also has the episode of the demand for a sign and Jesus’ response (Mk 8,11-12), but it is much shorter and does not have the details found in both Matthew and Luke}. However, Luke has so formulated the response of Jesus, that it forms an inclusion. It begins and ends with Jonah. Through this, Luke has associated Jonah’s preaching with Solomon’s wisdom. Since Luke makes this association, for him the sign of Jonah was not Jonah’s being in the belly of the whale for three days and three nights (Mt 12,40), but the call to repentance that Jonah preached. As the people of Nineveh repented after the call by Jonah, so Jesus calls the crowd to repentance after his proclamation. He refuses to give the crowds any other sign, because any demand for a sign means that they have not understood what Jesus is about, and what his mission is. Jesus also knows that for those who believe, no sign is necessary, whereas for those who do not, no sign is sufficient.

The call to repentance is a call to look at everything in a new light. The old is past, the new has come with the coming of Jesus. If one persists in the old way of looking which is a way of finding God only in miraculous and spectacular events, one will miss him. Now he can be found in all things and all things can be found in him.

Sunday, October 13, 2024 - Homily

 

Sunday, October 13, 2024 - Need or Greed?

To read the texts click on the texts: Wis 7:7-11; Heb 4:12-13; Mk10:17-30

Today, more than ever before, it is being brought to our attention what greed and a desire for more can do, not only to us, as humans, but also, to our environment. Global warming, changing weather conditions, the melting of glaciers, intermittent rain, lack of water and other basic necessities in so many parts of the world, the growing number of those who go to bed hungry every day, are only some of the consequences of the greed of a few. Even today, when some have more than they will ever need, others are struggling to get even the little that they require to live. The excess consumption of some deprives others of the resources they need just to survive. The disparity between the rich and the poor is growing larger with each passing day. Our world seems to be closing in on itself. The readings of today address these issues.

In the Gospel text of today, Jesus offers a challenge, not only to the rich man, but to each of us as well.

To be sure, the rich man has obeyed all the commandments. He has kept the law. It is precisely because he has kept the law to such perfection that Jesus issues the challenge. Surely, a man who has been so true and so faithful will rise to the greater challenge. Surely, a man who has been so observant of what the law requires him to do will dare to go further. Surely, a man so close to God will walk that extra mile. Sadly, however, this does not turn out to be the case. The rich man cannot make the leap of faith. He cannot give up what is required to be given up by him. It is not so much that he possesses riches but rather, that riches possess him. It is not that he owns things but rather, that things own him. Because things own him and riches possess him, they will not let him be free to make a decision. Things obstruct his hearing, and his vision. Things will not let him see, or hear, or act.

This problem is at the root of what is happening in our world today. There are so many of us who are controlled by things. So many of us have let our riches control us and have power over us. We have given in to selfishness and self-centeredness to such an extent that we are not able to see beyond our noses. Each one of us, in his or her own way, is responsible for setting himself or herself on a destructive path.

There is one prime reason why the possessions of the rich man control him, and why we have set ourselves on a similar path of self-destruction. The reason is because, while he and some of us possess external riches, he, and we, do not possess the most valuable of all riches: wisdom. Solomon realized this well which is why, in the first reading of today, he prayed to God, not for external riches, but for one gift and one gift alone: the gift of wisdom. He did not selfishly ask for riches, or honour, or glory. He did not selfishly ask for things to satisfy only momentarily. He did not selfishly ask to satisfy his own desires. Solomon understood, unlike the rich man, and unlike us, that wisdom is superior to all riches. It is superior to power, superior to precious stones, superior to even health, beauty, and light. This wisdom made Solomon realize his own finitude and so, his identity with the rest of the human race. It also led him to a desire not to close in on himself but to keep hoping, searching, and reaching out. It led him to pray and to call out to God, not in desperation, but with confidence and courage.

This he does because he knows that God’s word is, as the letter to the Hebrews points out, a two-edged sword. It is this word which knows the thoughts and innermost desires of each one of us. It is this word that will call each of us to account for our every word and action. It is this word that questions and challenges us. It is this word to which we must answer.

The answer that we give to this word, which is alive and active, will depend on our response to the challenge which Jesus poses to us through the Gospel of today: “sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” What are we being called to in such a summons? How do we respond?

Different people respond in different ways. Francis of Assisi and Ignatius of Loyola interpreted these words literally and so, divested themselves of every form of external riches and also the internal riches of the ego and the self. Environmentalists respond by making people aware of the dangers of the degradation of the environment and the ill effects of such acts on the whole of humanity. Social workers respond by making the poor aware of their rights and giving them the courage to fight for them. Even if most of us are not called to such radical sacrifice, what we are called to is a reflection on our life style. Has the consumer culture of the world taken such hold of us that we, too, like the rich man, are possessed by things? Have we converted our wants into our needs? Is our excess consumption responsible, in some way, for the fact that others have less? Will we dare to give up, and to follow?

Saturday, October 12, 2024 - Homily

 

Saturday, October 12, 2024 - How would you define “God’s Word” today? Do you put this “Word” into practice in your life? How?

To read the texts click on the texts: Galatians 3:22-29; Lk 11:27-28 

The words, “While he was saying this” connect what follows to what has gone on before. Jesus has just challenged his listeners to fill their lives with the kingdom of God, and now a woman in the crowd blesses the mother of Jesus, because of the beauty she sees in Jesus. While Jesus does not deny that his mother is indeed blessed, he uses this opportunity to extend the blessing to anyone who like his mother will hear the Word of God and put it into practice in their lives.

If the woman in the crowd was able to bless the womb that bore Jesus, it was because she could see and experience the goodness in Jesus. This goodness was manifested not only in what he said but in what he did and was therefore visible in his person. If we like Jesus hear the word of God and act on it, then others will pronounce the same blessing on us.

Friday, October 11, 2024 - Homily

 

Friday, October 11, 2024 - Which is the demon that has possessed you and does not leave you free? Will you attempt to get rid of that demon today?

To read the texts click on the texts: Galatians 3,7-14; Lk 11:15-26

The onlookers respond to the exorcism of a demon that made a man mute, in different ways. While there are some who are amazed, others attribute Jesus’ power to cast out demons to Beelzebul. This is an indication that no one doubted Jesus’ power to exorcise and heal. They attributed it to different sources. In his response to this charge, Jesus says that since exorcisms represented a direct assault on Satan’ power and kingdom, it is clear that he cannot be on Satan’s side. Also, if Jesus’ exorcisms’ were performed by the power of Satan, the same would have to be said of other exorcists belonging to their community. Instead Jesus’ works indicate that the kingdom of God has indeed arrived. Through his exorcisms, Satan’s power is broken. In the simile of the strong man and his castle, Jesus explicates that he is the stronger one who overpowers Satan who had guarded his kingdom well till this time. Finally, Jesus invites his listeners to take a stand for him. The saying here is strong. If one does not positively opt for Jesus, one has opted against him. The time now is for decision and choice.

Once he has answered his critics (11,17-23), Jesus moves on to exhort his listeners to fill their lives with the kingdom of God, because it is possible that despite the exorcism, if a person persists in his old ways, he will be possessed once again and this will be ever worse than before.

While there is no doubt that Jesus did exorcise people, who were possessed by demons, we must avoid getting caught up with exorcisms ourselves. Rather, today there are many subtle forms of “possession” which are more dangerous than “external possession”. Some of these are consumerism, selfishness, ignorance and a better than thou attitude. We need to ask the Lord to exorcise these demons from our lives.

Thursday, October 10, 2024 - Homily

 

Thursday, October 10, 2024 - Do you give up easily when your prayers are not answered? Will you be shameless today? Will you persist today?

To read the texts click on the Texts: Galatians 3:1-5; Lk 11:5-13

Luke 11:5-8 is exclusive to Luke and deals with the assurance that God will answer prayer. This point is implicitly made through the parable in these verses. It is a parable from common experience. If the Greek word anaideia is translated as “shameless” (which is it literal meaning), then the parable is stating that it would be unthinkable in the setting of a Galilean village that a neighbour would not get up to give his friend what he wants even if it meant disturbing the entire family at midnight to oblige his friend. The reason why he would do this is to avoid being shamed. However, it can also mean that the one who makes the petition is shameless for going to the friend’s house at midnight to beg for bread.

If the translation of the word anaidea is “persistence” or “boldness”, then the point is that it is the persistence of the one who asks for bread, which will get him what he wants. The friend who gives the bread will be tired out by the persistence of the one who is asking.

In 11,9-13, we have a three-fold admonition, “Ask, search and knock” (11,9-10), followed by two rhetorical questions (11,11-12) both of which elicit the answer “No, there is no one”.

The final verse of this section 11,13 contrasts evil human beings with the heavenly Father. If humans evil as they are will still give their children only what is good, then the heavenly Father will do more than that. He will give the greatest of gifts, the Holy Spirit to those who ask.

To be without shame is also to be without ego. The one who is shameless is also one who can persevere since he/she has nothing to lose. Perseverance is indeed the key to open the door to God’s heart.

Wednesday, Ocxtober 9, 2024 - Homily

 

Wednesday, October 9, 2024 - Will you depend on yourself today or will you show your dependence on God? How?

To read the texts click on the texts: Galatians 2:1-2,7-14; Lk 11:1-4

Luke gives more importance to Jesus’ practice of praying than do any of the other Gospels. The only prayer that Jesus’ explicitly taught his disciples was the “Our Father”. This prayer appears only in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. While in Matthew, the prayer appears as part of the Sermon on the Mount; Luke explicitly has Jesus praying himself when he is asked by his disciples to teach them to pray. The following elements of the Matthean prayer are not found in Luke: “Our … who art in heaven…Thy will be done on earth as it is heaven… but deliver us from evil. This has the effect of making the prayer simple and direct in Luke. Both Matthew and Luke understood the prayer as a prayer of the community and have use the first person plural to stress this. While the prayer in Matthew contains seven petitions, the prayer in Luke contains only five. It is agreed by many that the Lukan version is probably closer to the original prayer that Jesus taught. By petitioning God for the most basic of our needs like “bread”, the prayer is basically a prayer of dependence. It is an acknowledgement of the fact that we cannot manage even this simple task on our own, and we need God’s goodness to provide it to us. Just as we need bread we also need God’s forgiveness, because if He were to keep a grudge against us for every time we sinned, we would be lost. In this context it must be noted that nowhere in the Gospels does Jesus tell us that we must be “sorry” for our sins if we want forgiveness. Rather if we want to be forgiven, we must forgive. Our forgiveness of others opens our hearts to receive the forgiveness that God constantly gives. The prayer is therefore not merely a prayer therefore, but an attitude, a way of life.

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - Homily

 

Tuesday, October 8, 2024 - Will you like Martha, presume to tell Jesus what he ought to do, or will you like Mary listen to what he would like you to do?

To read the texts click on the texts: Galatians 1:13-24; Lk 10:38-42

This text, which speaks of the encounter of Martha and Mary with Jesus, takes the form of a pronouncement story (a story in which a saying of Jesus stands out and is the focus of the story). While the Gospel of Luke explicitly mentions women disciples of Jesus, here Mary is even sitting at the feet of Jesus and listening to his teaching, something unthinkable at the time of Jesus. By sitting at his feet, Mary is acting like a male, and in doing so neglects her duty of helping to prepare the meal. This action of Mary also results in bringing shame upon her house. Though justified Martha’s protest is put negatively by her. It is clear that her focus is not the Lord, but herself. She is concerned not with her service of the Lord, but the trouble that it is causing her because she is left alone to serve. The response of Jesus to Martha is the main point of the story and the pronouncement. The repetition of her name is a mild rebuke. Her “cares” have prevented her from unhindered devotion and attention to the Lord. Mary has chosen the one thing necessary and that is the Lord. Martha presumes to tell Jesus what he should do; Mary lets Jesus tell her what to do.

There are times when we do things not because we are convinced that they have to be done but because we want the approval of others or we want others to know how hard we are working. These are selfish acts and do not bring grace. The act that does bring grace is when we do what has to be done simply because it has to be done and expect nothing in return.

Monday, October 7, 2024 - Our Lady of the Rosary

 

Monday, October 7, 2024 - Our Lady of the Rosary

To read the texts click on the texts: Acts1:12-14; Lk 1:26-38

The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary was formerly known as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. Legend has it that Our Lady appeared to St. Dominic in 1208, and gave him the Rosary to be used as a tool against all kinds of challenges.

Our Lady of the Rosary, also known as Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary, is a title of the Blessed Virgin Mary in relation to the Rosary. The Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary is October 7. It was formerly known as the Feast of Our Lady of Victory. The development of the Rosary as a form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. On October 13, 1917, Our Lady of Fatima told the children, “I am the Lady of the Rosary”.

The text chosen for the feast relates a scene immediately after the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist and contains the announcement of the birth of Jesus. There are many similarities in the annunciations to Mary and to Zechariah. The angel Gabriel is the one who makes both announcements. Both Zechariah and Mary are called by name and exhorted not to be afraid. Both ask a question of the angel, and it is the angel who tells them what name each child is to be given.  It is the angel who predicts what each child will turn out to be. However, even as there are similarities, there are differences in the narratives. While the announcement to Zechariah comes in the Temple and as a result of his fervent prayer, the announcement to Mary comes (apparently) when she is in her home and it is unanticipated. While Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth are advanced in age, Mary has not yet stayed with her husband, and so is a virgin. The birth of John to parents who are past the age of child bearing is a miracle, but even greater is the miracle of the birth of Jesus, who would be born through the Holy Spirit, and to a virgin. Even as John the Baptist goes with the spirit and power of Elijah, Jesus will be called “Son of God”. Luke clearly wants to show John as great, but only the forerunner of the Messiah, Jesus, who is greater.

Here, too, like in the case of the announcement of the birth of John the Baptist, God intervenes in human history.  Mary though betrothed or engaged to Joseph, who was of David’s family, had not yet lived with him. This she would do only after marriage, which would be one year after the betrothal. The angel greets Mary as the recipient of God’s grace. She has opened herself to the promptings of God’s Spirit. While Zechariah was gripped with fear at the very appearance of the angel, in the case of Mary, it is the angel’s greeting that perplexed her. The angel reassures Mary and makes the announcement, not only of Jesus’ birth, but of who he will be and all that he will accomplish.

In response to this announcement Mary, like Zechariah, asks a question. While both questions seem similar, it is clear that Zechariah’s question expressed doubt and asked for a sign, as is evident in the angel’s words before Zechariah is struck dumb. Mary’s question, on the other hand, is a question asked in faith. Mary did not question the truth of the revelation like Zechariah did. She asked only for enlightenment on how God would accomplish this wonderful deed. This will be accomplished in Mary through the work of God’s spirit. This is why the child will be called holy. Luke probably also intends to convey here that it is not merit on Mary’s part that obtained for her what she received, but God’s generous gift in the Spirit.

The evidence that what the angel has announced will indeed take place is the pregnancy of Elizabeth, for nothing is impossible for God. Mary responds, not merely with a Yes, but by asking that the Lord work in her to accomplish all that he wants. The annunciation would not have been complete without Mary’s trusting, obedient response.

Today, many assume that those whom God favours will enjoy the things we equate with a good life: social standing, wealth, and good health. Yet Mary, God’s favoured one, was blessed with having a child out of wedlock who would later be executed as a criminal. Acceptability, prosperity, and comfort have never been the essence of God’s blessing. The story is so familiar that we let its familiarity mask its scandal. Mary had been chosen, “favoured,” to have an important part in God’s plan to bring salvation to God’s people, but it is unthinkable that God would have forced Mary to have the child against her will. Mary is an important example, therefore, of one who is obedient to God even at great risk to self

When we think of or reflect on Mary, the one word that comes to mind to describe her whole life is the word, AMEN, a word which may be translated, “so be it”, “your will be done”, “do whatever you want to do in my life”. This was, indeed, Mary’s constant response to every situation in her life, especially when she could not understand why things were happening the way they were. The text of today is, then, a call and challenge to each one of us, that we, too, like Mary, might be able to say YES to all that God wants to do in our lives. It is a challenge to be open and receptive to the Spirit of God, so that we, too, might be able to give birth to the Saviour in our hearts.

Sunday, October 6, 2024 - Homily

 

Sunday, October 6, 2024 - What God has joined no one must ever divide.

To read the texts click on the texts: Gen 2:18-24; Heb 2:9-11; Mk 10:2-16

“Do you think marriage is like a lottery?” one married man asked another. “No,” replied the second, “with a lottery, you have a chance.” He went on to say, “Marriage is not a word. It is a sentence--a life sentence.”

When one hears jokes like this, the first reaction is to laugh. Yet, on further reflection, we realize that, if this is the attitude with which people approach marriage, then the question that the Pharisees ask Jesus in the Gospel text of today will be also the question in the minds of those contemplating marriage. More and more today, we hear of pre-nuptial agreements. On one hand, this kind of an arrangement might be interpreted as an agreement in which one protects oneself from unreasonable demands made by one’s spouse.  However, it is also an indication that those who intend to marry are already admitting that their marriage may not last its course. They are entering into marriage with a negative frame of mind and, much like the Pharisees, focusing on law rather than on love.

This is one reason why divorces and annulments are more frequent today than they were in the past. Despite the many marriage preparation courses that are conducted for couples contemplating marriage, and despite the numerous helps that the Church offers to couples who have problems in their marriage, we have not succeeded very well in keeping couples together. The promise made at the altar, to love one another for the rest of their lives, is soon forgotten. Some, today, are not too concerned if the Church does not grant an annulment as long as they can get a divorce in the courts of law.

Another reason for the increase in divorces and annulments is connected with the allegation that Jesus makes of the Pharisees: hardness of heart. This may be translated as a closed attitude. If there is a basic lack of openness on the part of the couple, and a lack of a desire to adjust and sacrifice, then problems begin. If there is an unwillingness to let go of the ego and realize that, in true love, there is no “I,” then separation and divorce could soon follow. It is true that, in some cases, problems like dependence on alcohol, infidelity on the part of one spouse, and uncontrollable temper, which sometimes leads to wife or husband abuse, are also at the roots of the failed marriage. However, if these problems are diagnosed early in the marriage and competent counselling is sought, these may be resolved, at least in some cases. Here, it is an absolute requirement on the part of the spouse who has the problem to admit it and willingly seek the treatment necessary.

In his response to the Pharisees regarding divorce, Jesus refers back to Genesis and the purpose of the creation of the human being.  In going back to Genesis, Jesus is, in effect, pointing to God’s purpose and design when God created the world. Like the author of Genesis, Jesus points to the two - the man and the woman - becoming one flesh, and thus, is saying that man and woman constitute an indissoluble unit of humankind from every perspective. Leaving one’s parents and being joined to one’s spouse is to be seen, not only in the narrow sense of sexual intimacy, but in the broader sense of being open to each other in every aspect of life. There must be no fear of exposure and no need to cover up before one’s spouse. The trust in each other is so deep that one lays, not only one’s body, but one’s mind, and heart, and will, in the body, mind, heart, and will of the other. This is because, when the man says that the woman is “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh”, he is highlighting mutuality, equality, and oneness. Through the creative act of God, there are bodily differences and thus, a difference in name; however, despite these differences, they are still “one flesh”.

This must be the basic understanding for any couple contemplating marriage. It is with this understanding that there is a possibility of a next generation, and a next, and indeed, the future of the world. It is in this connection that Jesus challenges the casual attitude toward marriage in his day. His response to this attitude was to go beyond the law, to love. He challenged the concession of divorce because he wanted humans to continue to be what God intended them to be. He wanted humans to live as God wanted them to live: in harmony, with each other, with nature, and with God.

A failed marriage represents a human tragedy for everyone involved. We are becoming increasingly aware of the emotional cost paid by children of divorced parents. This is possibly why the text that follows Jesus’ injunction on divorce is the one on children. The injunction of Jesus is clear “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Jesus can give such an injunction with full conviction and authority because, as the letter to the Hebrews says in the second reading of today, he followed God’s command and law perfectly. Though it meant suffering, and even being made lower than angels for a time, he was willing to do all this only because he wanted to show us the way. He continues to issue this injunction even today.  If those contemplating marriage will follow his example, the plan of God, as illustrated in Genesis, can become a reality today.

Saturday, October 5, 2024 - Homily

 

Saturday, October 5, 2024 - Have you seen and experienced the Lord? How does this shown in your life?

To read the texts click on the texts: Job 42:1-3,5-6,12-17; Lk 10:17-24

Since neither Matthew nor Mark narrates the rending of the seventy-two (10,1-12), they do not have these verses (10,17-24), which narrate the return of the seventy-two from Mission. When the disciples who were filled with joy on their return report to Jesus that even the demons submit to his name, the response of Jesus is to see the fall of Satan and of his power, and to thank the Father for his graciousness.

Since the disciples here confirm that the demons are cast out in the name of Jesus, it follows that Satan’s rule is indeed coming to an end with the coming of Jesus and the giving of his authority to his disciples. However, as far as the disciples are concerned what is more important that Satan submitting to them is the fact that their names are now recorded in the book of life.

The thanksgiving to the Father is found also in Matthew 11,25-27 and is because God has favoured not the wise and intelligent but the unlearned and revealed to them the mysteries of the kingdom.

The last two verses in which Jesus speaks of the blessedness of the disciples (10,23-24) are found also in Matthew 16,16-17. The disciples are indeed in a privileged position because they have been able to see and experience what prophets and kings have not been privileged to see, namely the mighty works of Jesus, which resulted in the fall of Satan and his kingdom.

The results of our actions ought not to concern us as much as doing the action to the best of our ability. If we are clear that it is God’s kingdom that we are called to work towards and that he is the one who is finally in control, we will be able to focus on what we have to do and not bother about what will happen later.

Friday, October 4, 2024 - Homily

 

Friday, October 4, 2024 - St. Francis of Assisi

 

St. Francis of Assisi - Patron of the Environment

At a time when we are struggling to cope with how to respond to environmental challenges, the feast of St. Francis Of Assisi (1181/1182 - 1226) comes as (literally) a breath of fresh air. St. Francis realised that the easiest way to see, feel and touch God was through all of God's creation. For him, the sun was a brother and the moon a sister. Animals and plants were friends who had to be nurtured and not feared.

In his response to creation, Francis went back to the origin as narrated in Genesis and God's command to the human race to live in harmony with the rest of creation (Gen 1:28-30).

This Gospel text chosen for the feast is addressed to all those who accept the message of Jesus unlike those in Chorazin and Bethsaida. Jesus begins his prayer here by giving thanks to the Father. It is openness to the revelation of God that Jesus makes which is responsible for the receipt of this enormous privilege. Acknowledging Jesus is not a matter of one’s superior knowledge or insight, but given as a gift to those who open themselves to this revelation. Jesus himself is an example of such openness, which allowed him to receive everything directly from God. It is his intimacy with the Father and not his religious genius, which is responsible for this grace.

Jesus invites all those who are burdened to come to him for rest. The burden in this context seems to be that of the law and its obligations. When Jesus invites the burdened to take his yoke, which is easy, he is not inviting them to a life of ease, but to a deliverance from any kind of artificiality or the blind following of rules and regulations. The disciple must learn from Jesus who is in Matthew “the great teacher”. The rest that Jesus offers is the rest of salvation.

We can get so caught up today with wanting to have more that we might lose sight of the meaning of life itself. The desire to acquire more and more and be regarded as successful based on what we possess sometimes leads to missing out on so much that life has to offer.

This then is the challenge that the feast of this extraordinary Saint offers us, namely that we learn to love and live with our environment. Today more than ever we need to go back to our origins and the response of St. Francis to creation if we are to save our world. It is indeed fitting that St. Francis is the patron of animals and environment.

Friday, October 4, 2024 - If you were a resident of Chorazin, Bethsiada or Capernaum, what would you do after hearing these words of Jesus?

To read the texts click on the texts: Ecclesiastes 38,1,12-21; 40:3-5; Lk 10:13-16

Immediately after the Mission Discourse to the seventy-two (10,1-12), Luke has added the sayings on the woes against Chorazin , Bethsaida and Capernaum (10,13-15). The reason why the woe is pronounced on them is because they did not repent even after seeing the deeds of power that were wrought in their towns. The people of even Tyre and Sidon, which were condemned in Isaiah 23,1-18, would have repented if the same deeds had been done in their towns. Therefore the judgement on Chorazin and Bethsaida will be all the more severe. In Luke, Jesus had done a number of deeds of power in Capernaum (4,23.31-41), and still there was no repentance in the hearts of the people. Capernaum will not be exalted, but will be brought down to Hades. The last verse of this section (10,16) confers on the disciples the authority of Jesus himself. The authority of the disciples who are sent by Jesus is the same as the authority of Jesus himself.

Miracles take place every day if only we open our eyes to see. When a child is born, when a tree comes out if flower, when it rains, when a bird sins, when a person reaches out selflessly with a kind word or deed, miracles happen. We need to stop looking for miracles only in the spectacular and extraordinary and realise that they happen at every moment of every day.

Thursday, October 3, 2024 - Homily

 

Thursday, October 3, 2024 - How would you define mission today? Are you engaged in mission?

To read the texts click on the texts: Job 19:21-27; Lk 10:1-12

Luke’s is the only Gospel in which we find the sending of the seventy-two. Matthew and Mark have the sending of the Twelve, as does Luke. This then is regarded as a doublet of the sending of the Twelve in Lk. 9,1-6. The fact that seventy-two and not just twelve are sent indicates growth and movement. The kingdom of God is preached not just by Jesus or the Twelve, but also by many more. In some manuscripts, the number is recorded as seventy. This is probably due to the list of nations in Genesis 10, where while the Hebrew text lists seventy nations, the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible) list seventy-two. This will mean that the commissioning of the seventy-two foreshadows the mission of the church to all nations. In this sending, they are sent in pairs (not in the earlier sending of the Twelve in Lk. 9,1-6), and ahead of Jesus, in order to prepare the way before him. In this sense, they are called to be pre-cursors, forerunners like John the Baptist. The instructions begin with a prayer to be made to God, because it is his mission that they will be engaged in. At the outset they are warned that they will need to be on their guard at all times. The strategy proposed is detachment from things, persons and events. This detachment will help to proclaim the kingdom more efficaciously. Three interconnected aspects of the mission are stressed. The missionaries are to eat what is set before them in order to show the same table fellowship that Jesus showed, they are to cure the sick and to proclaim the kingdom in order to show that the kingdom is not only spiritual but also very practical and touches every aspect of human life. They are to do and also to say.

It is sometimes mistakenly thought that only religious men and women are called to be missionaries. Some also think that only those who work in the villages are to be termed missionaries. However, the sending of the seventy-two corrects this misunderstanding. Every Christian is sent on a mission and called to engage in mission, simply because mission is to be done where one is. The threefold mission task in these verses is a further confirmation of the fact that mission includes every aspect of life and so is not the responsibility of only a few, but every disciple of Jesus.

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - Homily

 

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 - The Feast of the Guardian angels - Will you be a messenger of God today? How?

To read the texts click on the texts: Ex 23:20-23; Mt 18:1-5,10

The English word Angel comes from the Hebrew ‘malakh’ or the Greek ‘ángelos’ which means messenger or envoy. The Angel is regarded as a being which bears messages from God and communicates what God wants to communicate. The Feast of the Guardian Angels is a reminder that our God is not a God who created the world and left it to its own designs, but a God who is constantly involved with and in the world. It is a reminder that when we need succour or help, we can always call on God’s angels.

The Gospel of Luke narrates how Angel Gabriel carries God’s message of birth to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist and Mary, the mother of Jesus. In the Gospel of Matthew, when speaking of the ‘little ones’ in Community, Jesus says, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Mt 10:18)

The Feast was placed in the General Roman Calendar in 1607 by Pope Paul V. The papal decree establishing the feast was co-signed by Robert Bellarmine, which has led some scholars to speculate that the feast was created under the influence of the Society of Jesus.

The Gospel text for the memorial is similar to the one for the Feast of St. Theresa of the Child Jesus. However, verse 10 is added and speaks of the angels of the ‘little ones’ who are constantly before the Father.

In a world where challenges constantly come our way, we need the assurance that the decisions we make are the right ones. The Feast of the Guardian Angels is a reminder that God (through the Angels) is willing to be constantly available, whenever we decide to turn to God.