My Redemption in the Cross of Christ: Num 21:4b–9; Ph 2:6–11; Jn 3:13–17 (Sep. 14th/ C)

 

My Redemption in the Cross of Christ

Num 21:4b–9; Ph 2:6–11; Jn 3:13–17 (Sep. 14^th/   C)

“By your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the World.”

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. The recovery of the cross by St. Helena in 326 brought joy to celebrate it throughout the Church. The evangelist John’s account of the Old Testament story (Num 21:4-9) brings fulfillment of God’s saving plan in Jesus’ crucifixion. On their journey through the wilderness, the people of Israel bitterly complained against God. To punish them, God sent a plague of deadly serpents. The people repented and cried for mercy. God instructed Moses to make an image of a serpent and to hold it up on a pole. Those who looked upon the serpent were healed. In later times, the brazen serpent became an idol in the days of Hezekiah, and that was destroyed because people were worshipping it (2 Kgs 18:4). The Jews themselves were confused whether they were forbidden to make images. Thus, the rabbis explained it this way: “It was not the serpent that gave life. It was God who healed them.” The healing power lies not in the brazen serpent. It was only a symbol to indicate God.

The evangelist John uses this story to present Jesus lifted on the cross as the brazen serpent, and people should turn their thoughts and believe in him for eternal life. The Greek verb “hupsoun” means “to lift up” in English. It is used of Jesus in two senses: (1) being lifted upon the Cross (Jn 8:28; Jn 12:32) and being lifted into glory into heaven (Act 2:33; Act 5:31; Phil 2:9). These two are inextricably connected. It is inevitable to have glory without the cross. There is no victory without struggle. There is a phrase that speaks of “believing in Jesus” (Jn 3:16) in the Gospel. It means at least three things. Firstly, God loves and forgives all whom he created. Secondly, he sent his only son, Jesus, to give us everlasting life through his death and resurrection. Thirdly, whatever Jesus says is true, and we should believe it.

We need to understand the phrase “eternal life” (Jn 3:16). If we enter into eternal life, what does it give us? It gives us peace with God. It gives us peace with men.  It enables us to see men as God sees them. It gives us peace with life. God is working all things together for good. We may not understand life any better, but we will no longer resent it. It gives us peace with ourselves. We are more afraid of ourselves than of anything else. We know our own weakness. We know the force of our own temptations, tasks, and the demands of our lives. But now we know that we are facing it all with God. It is not we who live but Christ who lives in us. There is peace founded on Christ.

The deepest peace on earth is certainly a shadow of the ultimate peace which is to come. It gives us hope and a goal to travel. It provides a life of glorious wonder here and yet, at the same time, a life in which the best is yet to be. The Triumph of the Cross is the Triumph of Jesus Christ. The deeper meaning of the Cross is presented in Jesus’ “kenosis,” meaning “emptying” himself. The word “whosoever” in the phrase “whoever believes in him (3:16) employed here brings meaning that in the Divine compassion, there is no limitation, restriction, or condition prescribed by Divine wisdom, which can exclude the meanest or the vilest. God the Father always rejoices in searching out those who have strayed, and he welcomes them home with open arms. Every penitent believer enjoys the incomparable gift of salvation by looking to Jesus on the Cross. The intercessory prayers of Our Lady of Sorrows will surely be our support in our struggle for victory.

“Through you the world is redeemed by the blood of the Lord” (Divine Office).

The Cost of Discipleship Wis 9:13-18b; Phile 9-10, 12-17Lk 14:25-33 (24/ C)

 

The Cost of Discipleship

Wis 9:13-18b; Phile 9-10, 12-17Lk 14:25-33 (24/ C)

Today, the Virgin Mary was born of the race of David (DO)

 

The disciples of Christ are called to be like soldiers who go to war, must consider the hazards of it, and the difficulties that are to be encountered (Lk 14:31, 32). Each follower would have a costly tower to build in the devoted life and a war to wage in the contest for the faith. Even in the field of spreading the Gospel, it calls for calculation and estimation. In our times, we are living through a major socio-cultural change. We cannot spread faith in this new phase of our world without knowing it well and understanding it from within. What access to the Gospel can we offer if we despise or ignore the thinking, feelings, and language of our own times? We cannot respond to today’s challenges without walking with the divine plan of God.

 

Abraham departed from his own country. Moses departed Pharaoh’s court to serve God. Paul departed from his wealth and profession of Law. Apostles departed to different parts of the world to proclaim him. They never calculated the measures of the world except for their motivator. But the trail is inevitable. Satan, in the trial of Job, imagined that Job would give up all that he had rather than lose his life (Job 2:4). He fancied that the patriarch, who would not curse God under the loss of children and property, would break down if God touched his bone or his flesh. But Job was so spiritually minded as to be ready to trust God, even should he be slain (Job 13:15).

Teresa of Avila suffered all her days, never allowing herself to be overcome by her troubles. When she heard that her close associate, John of the Cross, was imprisoned and being punished as a renegade from the Carmelite Order, she wrote, “God has a terrible way of treating his friends, and in truth he does them no wrong, since that was the way he treated his own Son, Jesus Christ.” If Christ, then, the all-holy Son of God, submitted to suffering and death, then we, his servants, cannot expect to be treated any differently from our Master. Fr. Stan Swamy, an Indian Jesuit, struggled and died in prison for working towards bringing social justice to the Northern tribes. And thus, he states quite categorically. “Anyone who does not carry his cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple.” In every sphere of life, a Christian is called upon to count the cost. The sacraments like Baptism, Marriage, and Ordination are not to be entered upon lightly or unadvisedly, but thoughtfully, reverently, and in the fear of God.

We should not picture God as being one who takes an unholy delight in seeing his children suffer. At the end of the creation story in Genesis 1:31, we are told, “God saw all he had made and indeed it was good.” We can therefore say that everything is good insofar as it serves God’s purpose. Nowhere do the gospels suggest that Jesus wanted suffering for its own sake. His prayer in Gethsemane was, “Father, if it be possible, let this chalice pass from me” (Mt 26:39). But the example of Jesus, as well as that of his sinless mother, shows us that it is impossible, even for just and virtuous people, to avoid suffering and the effects of sin in the world. When Paul begged God to cure him of his ailments the answer he got was, “My grace is all you need.” (2 Cor 12:9). Later he would write: “I gladly suffer for you, and in my body do what I can to make up all that has still to be undergone by Christ for the sake of his body, the Church” (Col 1:24).

“Darkness yields before the coming of the light, and grace exchanges legalism for freedom” (St Andrew of Crete)

Humility is the seed of Justice Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29; Heb 12:18-19,22-24; Lk 14:1,7-14 (22 /C)

 

Humility is the seed of Justice

Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29; Heb 12:18-19,22-24; Lk 14:1,7-14 (22 /C)

“Late have I loved you, Beauty so ancient and so new, late have I loved you!” (DO)

 

The Word of God today calls us to humility, not only as a personal virtue but also as the foundation of how we live together as a society and a Church. The book of Sirach tells, “My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts” (Sir 3:17; Prov 23:22). In Jewish wisdom, humility meant walking in truth before God and in justice before others.  Jesus teaches, “When you are invited, go and take the lowest place… Who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted” (Lk 14:10-11). He goes even deeper: “When you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind. Blessed indeed will you be, because they cannot repay you” (Mt 5:46-47). The dignity of the human person lies in realizing that all are created in the image of God.

Here, Jesus teaches not only personal humility but also the preferential option for the poor. A society, a parish, and a Christian life are judged not by how one treats the powerful, but by how one uplifts the vulnerable. St. Augustine says, “The first virtue of the Christian is humility.” Humility is not self-neglect but self-gift. In the same way, St. Gregory the Great writes, “Pride is the seed of injustice, but humility is the seed of true justice, because it opens our hearts to serve others”. These Fathers of the Church anticipated the development of modern Catholic Social Teaching. The Church reminds us that we are one family in God, called to lift one another.

To be humble means standing with migrants, the poor, the sick, the unborn, the elderly, and the forgotten like Boaz to Ruth (Ruth). The Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that every policy, every institution, and every community must be measured by how it protects human dignity and promotes the common good. Humility challenges us to see beyond ourselves, building communities where no one is excluded from the banquet of life. True humility is not feeling bad about oneself or thinking oneself inferior to others. Such humility frees us from preoccupation with ourselves, whereas a low self-opinion tends to focus our attention on ourselves. Humility is truth in self-understanding and truth in action. Viewing ourselves truthfully, with sober judgment, means seeing ourselves the way God sees us (Ps 139:1-4). A humble person makes a realistic assessment of oneself without the illusion of being something one is not.

We see this most beautifully fulfilled in the Eucharist. Every Mass is the banquet of the Kingdom where the high and the lowly, the rich and the poor, the weak and the strong are gathered together—not because we earned a place, but because God’s mercy invites us. Before Communion, we pray: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof…” This is humility. And at that very moment, the Lord of heaven stoops down to feed us with his very body and blood. This is solidarity in its deepest form: God uniting himself with humanity so that humanity might be lifted into God’s life. He emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Ph 2:7-8). The Lord Jesus gives grace to those who seek him humbly. Our world constantly pushes us to seek recognition, power, and honor. Yet Jesus invites us to take the “lowest place”—not just as a personal spiritual act, but as a social responsibility. Do you want to be a servant as Jesus served? 

“…this very light made me, and I was below it because by it I was made” (St Augustine)

Only One of Two Paths Is 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7,11-13; Lk 13:22-30 (21 / C)

 

Only One of Two Paths

Is 66:18-21; Heb 12:5-7,11-13; Lk 13:22-30 (21 / C)

The standards of heaven are not the standards of earth (Gaudium et Spes)

 

The evangelist Luke brings forth Jesus’ parable of “enter through the narrow gate” (Mt 7:13-14). This image of the “narrow door” or “the eye of a needle” (Mk 10:25) reflects the final verses of the parable, the image of the heavenly banquet at Is 43:5-6, speaking of God’s bringing Israel’s descendants back from the east and the west, the north, and the south. He provides a feast of rich foods and choice wines for all peoples on his holy mountain (Is 25:6). To partake in it, Jesus calls his disciples to a choice between two paths: the way of life and the way of death (Ps 1); “I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore, choose life” (Dt 30). Jesus reiterates this teaching, portraying the vivid metaphor of the narrow and the wide gate.

In the cities of Jesus’ time, gates varied in size. There were wide gates where crowds, merchants, and animals could easily pass, but there were also smaller gates where only one person could enter at a time, often only by stooping or laying aside burdens. The image of the narrow gate suggests that discipleship is not about moving with the crowd or carrying every attachment of this world. To enter it, one must bow in humility, let go of pride, sin, and unnecessary baggage, and make a personal decision to follow Christ. In using this image, Jesus is revealing his own heart. He is the narrow gate. He declares, “I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved” (Jn 10:9). To enter this gate means to embrace his way of life, living the pattern of his Cross. Yet the narrowness of the Cross opens into the vastness of Resurrection and eternal joy.

In Luke’s version, Jesus says, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Lk 13:24). The word “strive” in the original Greek is agonizesthe, the root of our word “agony,” meaning to struggle or wrestle like an athlete in training. St. Paul uses the same language when he says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (2 Tim 4:7). Christian life is not a casual walk on an easy road, but a race that requires endurance, vigilance, and discipline, empowered always by grace. St. Augustine teaches that the narrow way is difficult at first, because it restrains disordered desires, once the heart is enlarged by the love of God, it becomes sweet and wide with joy”. St. Gregory the Great reminds us that “the narrow gate is nothing other than love of God expressed in sacrifice, for it requires preferring his will above our own”.

Today, this teaching remains as urgent. The wide gate is the way of the world—comfort without sacrifice, freedom without truth, and pleasure without responsibility. It is attractive because it demands little, but it ends up in emptiness. The narrow gate is the path of fidelity to Christ—prayer, honesty, forgiveness, generosity to the poor, faithfulness in marriage, courage to live the truth even when unpopular. Jesus, through the Gospel, is showing us the only way to its fullness. The narrow gate is not misery but love of Christ to walk with him, nourished by his Word and his Body and Blood. What appears narrow is the path to the vast freedom of God’s love and the eternal joy of his kingdom. Which gate are we choosing each day? May we, with God’s grace, choose the narrow gate with courage, knowing that the One who calls us to enter also walks with us to everlasting life. 

“Our hope in a new earth should not weaken…” (Gaudium et Spes)

The Savior is my Priority Jer 38:4-6,8-10; Heb 12:1-4; Lk 12:49-53 (20 / C)

 

 The Savior is my Priority

Jer 38:4-6,8-10; Heb 12:1-4; Lk 12:49-53 (20 / C)

“Come and hear, all who fear God. I will tell what he did for my soul, alleluia”.

 

In Jewish thought, fire is almost always the symbol of judgment. Why did Jesus link “fire” from heaven with costly division on the earth? Did he expect his followers to take his statement of “father against son and son against father” and “mother against daughter and daughter against mother” literally? Or was he intentionally using a figure of speech to emphasize the choice and cost of following him above all else? Jesus used a typical Hebrew hyperbole (a figure of speech) to drive home an important lesson. We often do the same when we want to emphasize something very strongly. Jesus' hyperbole, however, contained a real warning that the Gospel message has serious consequences for our lives.

When Jesus spoke about division within families, he likely had in mind the prophecy of Micah: a man’s enemies are the members of his own household (Mic 7:6). The essence of Christianity is loyalty to Jesus Christ - the Son of God and Savior of the world - a loyalty that takes precedence over every other relationship. The love of God compels us to choose who will be first in our lives. To place any relationship (or anything else) above God is a form of idolatry. Jesus challenges his disciples to examine who they love first and foremost. A true disciple loves God above all else and is willing to forsake all for Jesus Christ. Jesus insists that his disciples give him the loyalty that is only due to God, a loyalty that is higher than that of spouse or kin. It is possible that family and friends can become our enemies if the thought of them keeps us from doing what we know God wants us to do. Does the love of Jesus Christ compel you to put God first in all you do (2 Cor 5:14)?

Here, Jesus tells the crowd not to think he has come to bring peace; he has come to bring division. Simeon said as much when he turned to Mary and said that the child was destined for the rise and fall of many and to be a sign that would be contradicted. Peace is the ultimate end of the Kingdom of God, but peace has a price. Jesus is warning the crowd that wherever the Word of God is heard and acted upon, division occurs. Fathers will be divided against sons and mothers against daughters.

Benedict XVI affirmed that “Jesus Christ is not just a private conviction or an abstract idea, but a real person, whose becoming part of human history is capable of renewing the life of every man and woman.” Faithfulness demands courage and ascetic struggle. Sin and evil constantly tempt us: that is why struggle, courageous effort, and participation in Christ’s Passion are necessary. Hatred of sin is not a peaceful thing. The kingdom of heaven demands effort, struggle, and violence within ourselves, and those who make this effort are those who conquer it (Mt 11:12). If we keep Jesus in mind, we will not allow ourselves to be discouraged. His sacrifice represents the opposite of the spiritual lukewarmness into which we often settle.

“Your light must shine so brightly before men that they can see your good works and glorify your Father”

 

Mother! Your Body is Holy and Glorious 1 Chr 15:3-4,15-16,16:1-2; 1 Cor 15:54-57; Lk 11:27-28 (C )

 

Mother! Your Body is Holy and Glorious

1 Chr 15:3-4,15-16,16:1-2; 1 Cor 15:54-57; Lk 11:27-28 (C )

Arise, O Virgin Queen. You are worthy of everlasting honour: enter the splendid palace of the eternal King (Divine Office)

In their sermons on the feast day of the Assumption of the Mother of God, the holy fathers and the great doctors of the church were speaking of something that the faithful already knew and accepted. All they did was to bring it out into the open, to explain its meaning and substance in other terms. Above all, they made it most clear that this feast commemorated not merely the fact that the blessed Virgin Mary did not experience bodily decay, but also her triumph over death and her heavenly glory, following the example of her only Son, Jesus Christ.

St John Damascene exalted her privileges, “It was right that she who had kept her virginity unimpaired through the process of giving birth should have kept her body without decay through death. It was right that she who had given her Creator, as a child, a place at her breast should be given a place in the dwelling-place of her God. It was right that the bride espoused by the Father should dwell in the heavenly bridal chamber. It was right that she who had gazed on her Son on the cross, her heart pierced at that moment by the sword of sorrow that she had escaped at his birth, should now gaze on him seated with his Father. It was right that the Mother of God should possess what belongs to her Son and be honoured by every creature as God’s Mother and handmaid. St. Germanus of Constantinople considered the preservation from decay of the body of the Mother of God because she had become the dwelling-place of God. It became a glorious and incorruptible life, living and unharmed, sharing the perfect life.

It is essential to remember the Virgin Mary as the new Eve (Rom 5:12-21) for the new Adam. She is not equal to him, of course, but closely joined with him in the battle against the enemy, which ended in the triumph over sin and death that had been promised even in Paradise (Gen 3: 14-19). The glorious resurrection of Christ is essential to this victory and its final prize, but the blessed Virgin’s share in that fight must also have ended in the glorification of her body. For as the Apostle says: When this mortal nature has put on immortality, then the scripture will be fulfilled that says “Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor 15).

The great Mother of God, so mysteriously united to Jesus Christ from all eternity by the same decree of predestination, immaculately conceived.  As an associate of Christ, she defeated sin and its consequences and received the final crowning privilege of being preserved from the corruption of the grave following her Son in his victory over death. Thus she was brought, body and soul, to the highest glory of heaven, to shine as Queen at the right hand of that same Son, the immortal King of Ages.

The Apostolic Constitution of Pope Pius XII on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The Lord chose her: he chose her before she was born. He has brought her to live in his own dwelling-place (Divine Office)

He knocks. Be vigilant Wis 18:6-9; Heb 11:1-2,8-19; Lk 12:32-48 (19/ C)

 

He knocks. Be vigilant

Wis 18:6-9; Heb 11:1-2,8-19; Lk 12:32-48 (19/ C)

 “..Since each of us possesses God in his heart and is being transformed into his divine image” (St Anastasius of Sinai)

 

The evangelist Luke presents us with Jesus’ parable of the steward about watchfulness. A steward in the time of Jesus was responsible for managing the household and its staff in the master's absence. This man’s mistake was that he did what he liked when the master was away. Jesus warns us to be ready for the coming judgment and be watchful, even if it comes at midnight, and never turn back like Abraham, the father of faith. Faith and patience are regarded as spiritual virtues. St Paul defines faith, “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1).

There were two young girls filled with faith and love for Jesus, even at the cost of their lives. It was in Carthage (Tunisia), North Africa, part of the Roman Empire in 202 A.D. It was the time of preparation for celebrating the emperor Septimus Servanus’ birthday. Free games were organized with gladiators fighting to the death. Between sections of these fights, there would be intervals when people who were condemned were given as food for the cruel animals. These two young girls became part of it. They were a 22-year-old noblewoman and her servant girl. Both were pregnant. They heard a missionary speak about Jesus Christ, the eternal kingdom, and the Love of God.  They decided to become Christians. The greater their joy of becoming Christians, the worse it became in the furious eyes of the emperor. The noble woman was Perpetua (Felix), and Felicity (the Happy One) was her servant. And they wanted others to realize the Love of God in Jesus Christ. They were both determined to give witness to Christ. There was no way that they would keep their joy to themselves. Both contended that to deny Christ would be denying themselves. Both said, “I am a Christian.”  They were arrested and thrown into a horrible prison. The games came up. Both Perpetua and Felicity, and three others, were thrown to the wild beasts in the arena. The Romans would not kill a pregnant girl because that would be killing a baby.  But the soldiers dressed the girls up as pagan goddesses, which the spectators did not like. So, they clothed them in heavy cloths to hide their pregnancies and marched them into the stadium.  A herd of wild heifers was released into the arena, stampeding the girls, hiding them with heavy raising dust. Perpetua said, “But we have to give testimony to Christ for all to see.”  The soldiers dragged them to the center of the arena because they wanted to dissuade people from becoming Christians, not have people marvel at these girls’ courage. Soldiers came out and killed them both. What does their story teach us today? “Come out, come out to the center of the arena and give testimony” is an inner yearning of our souls to give witness to Christ.  The center of the arena is where those who reject Jesus call us to suffer for him. The proper response to our faith is to lead others to Christ.  We have chosen Christ. There is no turning back.

The Gospel begins with the tender words of Jesus, “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock” (Lk 12:32).  Fear is the feeling of anxiety caused by the presence of danger, which can be physical, spiritual, mental, emotional, or moral. We fear all kinds of things. We fear losing our health, losing our jobs, losing a family member, or losing good friends. We fear living alone, dying alone, fear rejection, failure, and losing money. We may fear intimacy or be abandoned. Fear hinders our spiritual and psychological growth. Our fears hold us in bondage and prevent us from experiencing the freedom of God. Confronting our fears daily offers us opportunities to grow spiritually and psychologically. It is a call to face them with a challenge as we prepare ourselves to meet our Savior.  St Augustine says, “Each one of us must prepare for the end. The last day will not bring any harm to anyone who lives each day as if it were the last. Live in such a way that you can die peacefully, because he who dies each day does not die forever”.

The parable reminds us that we should be found doing our jobs when our Savior arrives. If Jesus knocks at our door today, would we be ready and eager to receive him? He wants us to be prepared for his arrival at any moment of the day. He knocks on the door of everyone’s heart, saying, “Listen! I am standing and knocking at your door. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and we will feast together” (Rev 3:20). He prepares us to receive him.

“..in our hearts, Christ takes up his abode together with the Father, saying as he enters: Today salvation has come to this house” (St Anastasius of Sinai)

Earning the Best at Risk Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23; Col 3:1-5,9-11; Lk 12:13-21 (18/ C)

 

Earning the Best at Risk

Eccl 1:2; 2:21-23; Col 3:1-5,9-11; Lk 12:13-21 (18/ C)

Can we… worship and serve created things rather than the Creator? (Rom 1:25)

Psalmist prayed, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. You made them rulers over the works of your hands. You put everything under their feet (Ps 8: 4-6). Pope Francis instructed us, “You are important! God counts on you for what you are, not for what you possess. In his eyes, the clothes you wear or the kind of cell phone you use are of absolutely no concern. He doesn’t care whether you are stylish or not. He cares about you! In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable”. This is what we are promised in Jer 1: 5; Is 49:16; Ps 8:4; Ps 139: 18-19. And we store up our treasure in heaven by living with integrity. St. John Mary Vianney said, “Man has a beautiful duty and obligation to pray and to love. If you pray and love, you will have found happiness in this world.” St. Gregory the Great taught that when we care for the needs of the poor, we are giving them what is theirs, not ours. It is not work of mercy. We are paying a debt of justice”.

Christ’s values contradict the values of the world. Paul says, though we are fools in the eyes of the world, but wise in his eyes. We become fools for Christ's sake (1Cor 3;19; 4:10). “What does it profit us to have gained the whole world, and to have lost or ruined our self?” (Lk 9:25). “Our life is not made secure by what we own, even when we have more than we need” (Lk 12:15). A worthy and purposeful life focuses not merely on heaping up money or a material legacy. The rich man in the Gospel spent his energies on piling riches upon riches. Is Jesus against our wealth and health? He does not deny the scripture, “He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor” (1 Sam 2:8). He is not against luxuries and riches, but he has a simple question, “You fool! This very night, your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?”  This spoke to St. Ignatius of Loyola. And he had been inspiring many.

The other extreme would be to see no value at all in working for a living. Some say, “Why bother with service since life is so short, and we can be fed at public expense?” Living off state benefits is not a valid vocational option. That tendency existed among some in the early Church, who thought that the second coming of Christ was so near that work was superfluous. Stagnancy and idleness bring no development. We become answerable to the talents we received from God (Mt 25:14-30). Saint Paul is a pragmatist on this matter: “If anyone refuses to work, he should not eat” (2 Thes 3:10).

Virtue is usually midway between extremes. We should apply this to our appetite for money. We need some worldly goods, a place to live, and money to support our lives. Riches are not unvalued in themselves. We see how every creature created strives to bring progress, and we are called to work for a better society. Riches are good and cannot satisfy our yearning of our souls to reach union with God. Consequently, we should employ them only as they are and a means to responsible progress. There are many ways to use money responsibly. Agur prayed, “Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’ Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God” (Prov 30: 8-9). In the same way King Solomon prayed, “Give therefore your servant an understanding heart to judge your people, that I may discern between good and bad” (1 king 3:9).

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Mt 5:6)

 

 

Prayer Brings Wholistic Change Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13 (17/ C)

 

Prayer Brings Wholistic Change

Gen 18:20-32; Col 2:12-14; Lk 11:1-13 (17/ C)

“The last thought of the day will be the first thought of the day.”

 

Luke presents the core teaching of Jesus on prayer in today’s Gospel. The persistence of the neighbor assures that God hears our prayers. Last week, we reflected on the Benedictine rule, emphasizing “prayer and service.” We understood that it needs to be translated into work and work needs to be translated into prayer. Christian prayer is not one-dimensional. It is a holistic and wholistic experience in which our spirit communes, our bodies respond, and our minds are healed. In a world that often divides the spiritual from the physical and the emotional, prayer reintegrates all parts of the human person into a relationship with God. When we kneel to pray like Solomon (1 Kng 8:54), speak our fears, lift our hands in worship, or weep in silence, we bring our whole selves before a God who sees, hears, and welcomes us completely (Ps 33:9). In such prayer, God meets us spiritually, physically, and emotionally transforming us into His image and likeness.

Prayer is often considered more than just a Devotional or ritualistic action or sacrifice that helps us reach the next step in our spiritual journey. Prayer needs to engage not only the spirit, but also the body and the mind, since it brings our entire selves into the presence of the living God (Ps 95:6). Meditative prayer is a space of honesty, healing, and renewal. The Psalms are filled with raw human emotion—joy, fear, anger, grief, longing, and gratitude. David cried, “How long, O Lord?” (Ps 13), and Jesus himself prayed, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken me?” (Lk 22:41; Ps 22). In prayer, there is no space to hide our emotions from God. We are invited to pour out our hearts to him. Paul says, “Do not be anxious about anything… let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God… will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:6-7). When we pray in this meditation, we cast our cares upon the Lord, and he replaces our anxiety with his peace (1 Pet 5:7).  He continues to say, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom 12:2). In God’s presence, through the meditative prayer our thought patterns are reshaped, our perspective is corrected, and our identity as God’s children is reaffirmed with his concerns.

Contemplative or unitive prayer would be culminative. It helps us listen to our emotions, the sufferings of the body, and disciplines the mind with its varied thoughts, transforming the whole person. It builds and strengthens our whole being day by day. From the step of listening to the body-mind, it helps us to listen to the voice of God and experience a mystical union with Him. The Holy Spirit empowers this divine act. Paul writes, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness…interceding for us with groanings too deep for words” (Rom 8:26). Even when we struggle to pray, the Holy Spirit bridges the gap between our frailty and God’s grace. Contemplative prayer brings wholistic change. The disciples asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1). In response, Jesus gave them his prayer—not just as a formula, but as a formation of the heart, mind, and body. Such prayer shapes our desires, plans, and aligns us with God’s will. It draws us into a deeper acceptance of who we are and how we are designed to be in His divine plan for salvation. Lastly, one word…..

“We should pray every day before going to sleep. The subconscious mind is influenced during sleep. That omniscient subconscious mind, which knows all the ways, completes our first thought as soon as we wake up in the morning”. Have a positive thought as you fall in sleep…

Diligence as a Pathway to Prosperity Gen 18:1-10a; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42 (16 / C)

 

Diligence as a Pathway to Prosperity

Gen 18:1-10a; Col 1:24-28; Lk 10:38-42 (16 / C)

“To meditate on what we read helps us to make it our own by confronting it with ourselves” (CCC 2706)

 

The story of Jesus in the home of Martha and Mary complements the story of the Good Samaritan. The story of the Samaritan opens with the words “a certain man.” Today’s reading opens with the words “a certain woman.” Mary, a woman, is a marginalized person in society, like the Samaritan. In the lives of both, Jesus breaks with the social conventions of his time. Just as a Samaritan would not be a model for neighborliness, so a woman would not sit with the men around the feet of a teacher. Yet both stories exemplify how a disciple is to fulfill the dual command love of God (Mary) and love of neighbor (the Samaritan).

But there is a slight variation in the tone of the Gospel that highlights the value of discipleship. Jesus loved to visit the home of Martha and Mary at Bethany and enjoyed their gracious hospitality. In this brief encounter, we see two very different temperaments in Martha and Mary. Martha loved to serve, but in her anxious manner of waiting on Jesus, she caused unrest. Mary, in her simple and trusting manner, waited on Jesus by sitting attentively at his feet. While Martha made the greater effort at preparing food, Mary knew better what he expected of her. Does Jesus deny the importance of work in giving priority to prayer? Her contemplative intuition grasped the main reason for Jesus’ visit instinctively. He was there not to receive but to give, not to be served but to serve.

He does not deny Scriptural statement, “All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Pro 14:23). He had something to say, and they needed to listen to him. The commercial society of today places a huge premium on achievement. It is tangible results that count. Production and sales targets are set for and only those who meet them are rewarded. Anxiety and preoccupation keep us from listening and giving the Lord our undivided attention. The Lord bids us to give him our concerns and anxieties because he is trustworthy and able to meet any need we have. His grace frees us from needless concerns and preoccupation. Although he does not deny the help of Martha, the Lord wants us to be more like Mary, giving place for him, not only in our hearts, and in our daily circumstances (Rev 3:19-20). We honor him in everything we do, that is his gift for us (1 Chr 29:14). Paul urges us to give God glory in whatever we do, in word or deed (Col 3:17). Work needs to be translated into prayer (St Benedict).

Scripture tells us that when Abraham opened his home and welcomed three unknown travelers, he welcomed Adonai, who blessed him favorably for his gracious hospitality (Gen 18:1-10; Heb 13:2). Let us enjoy the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Tabernacle is the greatest treasure we Catholics have. Saint John Paul II, in his encyclical “The Church draws her life from the Eucharist,” wrote, “Our Lord has many things to tell us, many more than we think. Let us, therefore, seek those moments of silence and peace to help us find Jesus again and, in Him, to find ourselves once more. Jesus Christ invites us today to take this option: to choose “the better part” (Lk 10:42). And we seek strength in prayer to produce fruitful work.

“Listening to the word of the Lord, which is eternal, gives meaning to our daily actions.” (Benedict XVI)

 

Am I a neighbor to myself? Dt 30:10-14; Col 1:15-20; Lk10:25-37 (15 / C)

 

Am I a neighbor to myself?

Dt 30:10-14; Col 1:15-20; Lk10:25-37 (15 / C)

“All of us lived according to our natural desires, and we were naturally bound to suffer God’s wrath” (Divine Office)

 

The Samaritans of the hilly region north of Judea were an outcast group in first-century Palestine. For intermarrying with the occupying Assyrians centuries before, the Jews considered them a mongrel breed. Further, for building their own temple on Mount Gerizim (Jn 4:20-22), they were considered a heretical form of Judaism. The Parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk 10:25-37) is rich in symbolic language that has inspired both theological reflection and spiritual interpretation throughout Christian tradition. Before drawing a lesson from this parable, let us understand the spiritual and theological meanings.  

St. Augustine emphasized that the story of the man attacked by robbers on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho illustrates humanity’s fall from grace, descending from spiritual Jerusalem to Jericho. Jerusalem is a Holy city/Heaven/, and the presence of God. Jericho city, in a valley, is worldly life/spiritual decline. Robbers are sin, Satan, and evil powers that strip humanity of grace. Wounded and left half-dead, injured is Original Sin. Humanity is spiritually alive but wounded and near death. Priest and Levite symbolize the Law and Old Covenant, unable to save humanity completely. Samaritan is an outcast, a rejected one who shows true mercy and compassion. Oil and wine are the healing substances in Sacramental healing and grace. A beast or donkey carrying the man symbolizes the Church carrying the sinner to healing or restoration by Jesus. The innkeeper entrusted with the wounded man is a pastor through the Holy Spirit until Christ returns. St Ambrose interpreted the point of the two denarii payment to the innkeeper as Christ’s gracious Word. And the return of the Samaritan is the second coming of Christ.

The parable reminds us not just of the call to love our neighbor but of Christ’s mercy toward the fallen human race. It calls the Church to continue the work of the Good Samaritan, healing and nurturing the wounded with spiritual care. The Good Samaritan did not base his actions on written law.  He based his actions on the law within his heart, the law of love.  As a young priest, Saint John Paul II developed a style as a confessor and counselor that challenged people to look within themselves.  They had the truth.  They had to recognize it and live it. We know what is right.  We must act on our conscience. In the parable of Good Samaritan, we are presented with a young man who is looking to serve God.  He knows that we need to love the Lord our God with our whole minds, hearts and souls, and love our neighbor as ourselves, but he wants to cover all bases and asks, “Who is my neighbor?”

Saint JP II wrote: “Love is not fulfilling oneself using another, even in a marital bond.  Love is giving oneself to another, for the good of the other, and receiving the other as a gift.” We must (i) help people even when they have brought their trouble to themselves, as the traveler has done. (ii) Any person who is in need is our neighbor. Our help must be as wide as the love of God. (iii) The help must be practical and not consist merely in feeling sorry. Although the Priest and the Levite felt a pang of pity for the wounded did nothing. True compassion must result in deeds. Now, who is my neighbor traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho, sunrise to sunset; heaven to hell?

 

“The Lord is faithful in all his words and loving in all his deeds. Alleluia” (Divine Office)

“I am sending you” Is 66:10-14c; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12,17-20 (14/ C)

 

“I am sending you”

Is 66:10-14c; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12,17-20 (14/ C)

“Heal me with the medicine of repentance” (Divine Office)

 

Today, the Mother Church reflects how the Lord called everyone to proclaim his good news. Apart from his twelve apostles, he chose seventy-two disciples for a concrete mission. He commissioned his apostles as well as the seventy-two with the same mission.

The Second Ecumenical Vatican Council gave a decree on “Apostolicam actuositatem” (Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity). It means Apostolic activity. It reminds us that through the sacrament of Baptism, every Christian is called by Christ to carry out his mission. The Church, in the name of our Lord, “earnestly entreats all the laity in the Lord to answer gladly, nobly, and promptly in the impulse of the Holy Spirit. Young people should understand that this call is directed to them and should respond to it eagerly and generously. Through this holy synod, the Lord renews his invitation to all the Baptized to come closer to him every day (Ph. 2:5) to associate themselves with his saving mission. He sends us into every place (Lk 10:1). We become co-workers in the various forms and modes of the one apostolate of the Church, which must be constantly adapted to the new needs of our times. Ever productive should be in the work of the Lord, that our labor in him will not be in vain (1 Cor. 15:58)” (n. 33).

What does Jesus mean when he says his disciples must be “lambs amid wolves”? The prophet Isaiah foretold a time when wolves and lambs will dwell in peace (Is 11:6; 65:25). This certainly refers to the second coming of Jesus when all will be united under his Lordship after he has put down all of his enemies and established the full reign of God over all the heavens and the earth. In the meantime, we, the disciples, must expect opposition and persecution from those who would oppose the Gospel. Jesus came to set us free from the power of sin, Satan, and death by laying down his life for us as our sacrificial lamb (Jn 1:29), to atone for our sins and the sins of the world. We, in turn, must be willing to offer our lives with gratitude and humble service for our Savior, to sow his word of peace and mercy.

Christ wants to instill the apostolic boldness in us, his disciples. That is why he said, “I am sending you”. St. John Chrysostom commented on this commission of Jesus. He wrote, “This should suffice to cheer you up; this would suffice to give you confidence and not be afraid of those who attack you.” The boldness of the Apostles and disciples came from the certainty that they had been chosen and sent out by God himself. They acted the same as Peter firmly explained at the Sanhedrin, in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, “nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Jesus assures us disciples that he has all power over evil, including the power over Satan and the evil spirits who conspire against us. We have been given spiritual authority and power to overcome the works of darkness and evil (1 Jn 2:13-14), and his Spirit works in us to proclaim his good news boldly and plainly to others.

“Help us to see that our bitterness is forgotten and our sins are forgiven” (Divine Office)

“Pillars of the Church” Acts 12:1-112 Tim 4:6-8,17-18; Mt 16:13-19 (13/ C)

“Pillars of the Church”

Acts 12:1-112 Tim 4:6-8,17-18; Mt 16:13-19 (13/ C)

“Although they suffered on different days, they were as one. Peter went first, Paul followed” (St Augustine)

Today we celebrate the solemnity of St. Peter and St. Paul, who were foundational to the early Church and our Christian faith. The Apostles lived through the initial moments of the Church’s expansion and sealed their loyalty to Jesus with their blood. When we consider Sts. Peter and  Paul, we are often drawn into a reflection of their lives before they became committed apostles. We remember Simon, who tried to walk on water towards the Lord and then sank when he questioned his faith, or his denial of the Lord three times.  Or we remember Saul of Tarsus, who persecuted Christians and brought them to trial before the Jewish authorities. 

Yet each was committed to bringing the Gospel of the Lord to the center of the world, the very capital of the Roman Empire. It is shocking that St. Peter, a simple fisherman from Galilee, would travel to Rome. It was the Spirit of Christ, the Holy Spirit, who sent him there. He was the head of the other apostles, the Rock on which Jesus built his Church. He embraced death in Rome, nourishing the soil of the Church with his blood. St. Paul was a scholar and a determined missionary. He sought out places to proclaim the Gospel or to sustain the proclamation made by others. He suffered continual tortures and brushes with death for the sake of the Gospel (2 Cor 11:22-29).  He was eventually killed as a Roman citizen, beheaded, nourishing the Church in Rome.

What do we learn from these “pillars of the Church? The faith and strength for martyrdom do not come from human capacity. It was indeed God’s grace that revealed the revelation of his Father in heaven (cf. Mt 16:17) and made Saul recognize Jesus, the Lord, “as the one he was persecuting”. In both cases, human freedom, necessary for the act of faith, leans on the Holy Spirit's action. Celebrating these two leading apostles in a single feast is a vibrant reminder that the church needs both the formal, enduring, petrine, papal, and canonical leadership and the more charismatic, personal, and inspirational leadership provided by characters like Paul. Such leadership is ever ready to question old ways and seek newer forms of bringing Christ into people’s lives today.

In one of his first interventions addressing the Cardinals, Pope Francis told them that we must 'walk, build and confess'. That is, we must move forward in our way of life by building up our Church and by giving testimony of the Lord. But the Pope warned: “We can walk as much as we want, we can build many things, but if we do not profess Jesus Christ, things go wrong. We may become a charitable NGO, but not the Church, the Bride of the Lord.” We should also know how to be reliable witnesses of the love of God in the venomous situations. The best way to honor their memory is to treasure the faith that they taught and pass it on to others as best we can.

“Whose sins you forgive, they will be forgiven them; whose sins you retain, they will be retained.”