Holy Mother Mary

Holy Mother Mary

The Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary is easy to confuse with the feast of Annunciation. That is the conception of Jesus in the womb of Mather Mary through the overshadowing of the Spirit of God. Still more today’s gospel reading makes this  more difficult. The gospel reading is about God’s Annunciation to Mother Mary.

But today’s feast is not about the conception of Jesus. It is about the conception of Mary within the womb of her mother, St. Anne. So why does the Holy Mother Church presents the gospel reading of the Annunciation to Mary the Mother of Jesus? It is because of the first words of the Angel Gabriel to Mary, “Hail, full of Grace.” Mary was full of Grace even before she consented to the Word becoming flesh within her. But why was she full of Grace, and how did this happen? These are the questions that the Holy Mother Church answers through the dogma of the Immaculate Conception.

For our salvation, God decided to send his only begotten son, in the fullness of time, to be born as One of Us (Gal 4:4). The logos (Word) became flesh (Jn 1:14). The mankind had lost the intimate relationship with God in the garden of Eden. How could the Holy of Holies enter the womb of a person that was not holy? A person would have to be holy from the first moment of her conception. God can do all things. He made Mary holy at the moment of her conception within Anne. And she remained chaste after giving birth to Jesus for – “the God of Israel, has entered by it; therefore it shall remain shut” (Ezk. 44:3).

Theologians would call this prevenient grace, grace that anticipated the redemption of man by Jesus. When Joachim and Anne, the parents of Mary made a new life, Mary’s life was made holy by God. That is the Immaculate Conception. That is why the angel said to Mary, “Hail, Full of Grace.” Mary was fully human. She was not a goddess. But she was human. She was someone who was made holy by the extraordinary grace of God. She had the ability to choose God’s way or to reject God’s way. When she said to the angel, “Be it done to me according to your will,” she was acting on the Grace she had received at her conception. This is what we celebrate today.

Many of us wear the miraculous medal. This was the image seen in a vision by St. Catherine LaBoure on Nov 27, 1830. Around the image of Mary are the words, “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” Because of her holiness, Mary has a special place among our spiritual brothers and sisters in heaven. She is the best of us. We do not worship Mary. We celebrate her place in heaven as we ask her to intercede for us. And so we say the Hail Mary and we pray, “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.” We are asking Mary to intercede for us with God at all times but particularly at the point of our death. We need to trust that she will intercede for us with her Son.

Patience: A Gift To The Powerful (Mark 13: 33-37)

PATIENCE: A GIFT TO THE POWERFUL

First Sunday of Advent (B)

3 December 2023 – Sunday

First Reading: Isaiah 63: 16b-17, 19b; 64: 2-7

Responsorial Psalm: Psalms 80: 2-3, 15-16, 18-19

Second Reading: First Corinthians 1: 3-9

Alleluia: Psalms 85: 8

Gospel: Mark 13: 33-37

Today we begin the season of Advent. The Advent indicates the beginning of a new liturgical year of the Church. It is a new year of the Church. The Liturgical year of the church is different from that of the January 1st that marks the beginning of the new solar calendar or the Gregorian Calander. As the Gregorian calendar highlights the various events and occasions of every country in it’s own way, so also the church has it’s own liturgical Calander celebrating her various occasions through the Biblical readings. In a liturgical year the readings for Sunday Masses are arranged on a three-year cycle. Each year features a different Gospel—Matthew, Mark, or Luke. Readings from the Gospel of John are interspersed throughout all three years. On the first Sunday of Advent of this year, we begin cycle B of the Lectionary, which focuses our attention on the Gospel of Mark. This week and next week, our readings from Mark’s Gospel present two important Advent themes: the Lord’s return at the end of time and John the Baptist’s preparation for Jesus. 

On the whole, Advent is the season of hope for every Christian. The Scripture readings in this season teach us about the fulfilment of the promises prophesied by the prophets. The Messiah will come to return the whole universe and the humankind to God’s original plan. The thirst of the whole creation longs eagerly for the revelation of the Messiah (Rom 8:19). And that will be quenched by the celebration of his birth and life within our own lives. For this, we await, we watch, we prepare to celebrate. Preparation for the second coming of Christ is more important than celebrating Christmas day. And celebrating Pascha is far more important than the celebration of the Christmas. That’s why St Paul says, If Christ has not raised, your faith is futile” (1 Cor. 15:17).

The Season of Advent reminds us of the three-fold waiting for Jesus’ coming. We know that Jesus has already come in history and we remember that during the week before Christmas our waiting changes to waiting for our celebration of the birth of Jesus. We also wait for his final coming at the end times when he will take all to himself.  We also experience his daily coming into our life through the Eucharist, word of God and also in the various persons and events of life.

Scholars believe that Mark’s Gospel was written around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D. 70. Mark’s audience consisted of Christians who were living in difficult social and political times, times of conflict. They were likely beginning to face persecution as followers of Jesus. In this difficult time, it helped to recall that Jesus had foretold of such difficulties. Early Christian communities took courage from Jesus’ warning to remain alert and watchful, and diligent. They found in his words a way to persevere through suffering and patience. Today’s Gospel reminds us to be ready for the coming of the Son of Man and be alert and watchful in today’s struggles of our mother church and difficulties in our personal lives. We watch for the divine healer to come and lead us into his Love. We watch for the opportunities to unite ourselves closer to his love through prayer and sacrifice. The Gospel reading teaches us to have patience in spiritual tensions and not losing the temperament in the midst of hardships.

A tale is told about the Buddha, Gautama (563-483BC), the Indian prince and spiritual leader.  It is said that one day as usual he went for begging food in a village. At a gate of house, he said, “Mata bikshandehi, Buddham saranam gacchami, Sangham saranam gacchami. The lady of the house because of her irritation in the family, rushed out and shouted at him saying, “what is this new sense early in the morning”. Buddha said to her, “Mom, if you give me a little food and if I do not accept it, to whom does it belong?” Of course, it remains with me”, said the lady. “And if I do not accept your shouting to whom does it belong?” The lady could not respond. The realization was given to her.  Whenever a person tries to irritate us or unload their anger on us in the time of our waiting for Jesus, we can choose to decline the anger. The irritative words go back to the giver. Preparing to be watchful for Christ’s coming in this advent, Jesus asks all of us to be composed and diligent. To be on watch is to be aware each day, through prayer and reflection that the ‘today’ of salvation is here and now.

PERPETUAL KING OF THE UNIVERSE SAVES US

Solemnity Of Christ The King (A)

Ez 34:11-12,15-17 1st Cor 15:20-26,28  Mt 25:31-46

PERPETUAL KING OF THE UNIVERSE SAVES US

The Solemnity of Christ the King was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 and is observed on the last Sunday of the liturgical year as it helps us to meditate on Christ the King and on his second coming, at the end of the world. Jesus Christ is  the King of Kings. His Kingdom does not follow the model of kingdoms of the earth. He is a conquering Messiah and his army is spiritual, not physical. He battles to restore life, not to destroy life. He came down from heaven to bring us to heaven. 

The great Anglican scholar C. S. Lewis wrote humorous essay about what would be our experience if we were admitted into heaven. He wrote that there would be a triple surprise, rather a triple shock. First, Lewis wrote, we would be surprised at the people in heaven, i.e., we would be shocked that there would be people who we never expect them to be there. The second surprise would be the shock at realizing that there would not be people we expected to be in heaven. The third surprise would be that we would be there with all our sins!! 

What surprises us in his serous essay mostly is that the people whom we do not expect would participate in God’s kingdom!! Because they are of good will and the Spirit of Christ. They reach out to others in charity, and in doing so, reach out to the very presence of Christ in others. There will be many in heaven whom we would not expect to be there.

The souls of those who did not expect to be in heaven asked Jesus in today's gospel, “But when have we seen you hungry or naked, or ill or imprisoned, Lord?” the Lord responds, “I was present in those who reached out to you for help,” Their exposure to Christ's presence in others afforded them the capacity for receiving his presence in themselves. 

There were two men who found this parable blessedly true. The one was Francis of Asissi - he was wealthy and high-born and high-spirited. But he was not happy. He felt that life was incomplete. One day as he was riding, met a leper, in the ugliness of his disease. Francis dismounted and flung his arms around the wretched sufferer, and in his arms the face of the leper changed to the face of Christ. 

The other was Martin of Tours. He was a Roman soldier and a Christian. On a cold winter day, as he was entering a city, a beggar stopped him and asked for alms. Martin had no money. But the beggar was blue and shivering with cold, and Martin gave what he had. He took off his soldier's coat, worn and frayed as it was. He cut it in two and gave half of it to the beggar. That night he had a dream.  He saw in it the heavenly places and all the angels and Jesus in the midst of them. And Jesus was wearing half of a Roman soldier’s cloak. One of the angels said to him, “Master, why are you wearing that battered old cloak? Who gave it to you?” And Jesus answered softly, “My servant Martin gave it to me.”

Now, at the conclusion to the year we beg Jesu to help us recognize him in our world and to acknowledge his presence by reaching out to him in others. We seek the mercy of his continual grace drawing us out of ourselves and into his presence in the needy of his kingdom. Christ is our King. May we be true members of his Kingdom.

A little girl and her father were crossing a bridge. The father was kind of scared so he asked his little daughter, “Sweetheart, please hold my hand so that you don’t fall into the river.” The little girl said, “No, Dad. You hold my hand.” “What’s the difference?” asked the puzzled father.  “There’s a big difference,” replied the little girl. “If I hold your hand and something happens to me, chances are that I may let your hand go. But if you hold my hand, I know for sure that no matter what happens, you will never let my hand go.” Let us ask our king and savior to hold us well to face many hurdles in this new Liturgical year. Let us acknowledge the Kingship of Christ with the voice of Blessed Miguel Augustin Pro of Mexico who voiced strongly at his Martyrdom “Viva Cristo Rey”.

Receive More in Serving (Matthew 25:14-30)

33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

November 19, 2023

Prov.31:10-13,19-20,30-31; 1 Thes. 5:1-6; Mt 25: 14-30

Receive More in Serving

A wonderful story is told about Ludwig van Beethoven. The famous composer was well aware that he had few social skills. One day he heard the death of his friend’s son. Beethoven rushed over to his friend’s house, but he just couldn’t find the words to comfort the father of the boy. So, he used the gifts he had been given. Beethoven went to the piano and for a full thirty minutes he played a beautiful elegy. It is believed that he composed it on the spot. He used his talent to console the grieving.

St Paul says all our talents, all our gifts flow from the Holy Spirit. They are all to serve God and people. The Holy Spirit gives the talents or gifts to us according to each one’s capacity to draw the people to God (1 Cor 12). And none of us have the right to take credit for them because they are not given according to our interests and concerns but for the glory and honor of God. We acknowledge this at the end of the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest holds up the Body and Blood of Christ and says, “Through Him, and with Him, and in Him, O God Almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honor is yours. And we all say, “Amen”. 

Everyone can point out how hard he or she works to develop his or her talents. King David struggled himself in sustaining the gift of purity of thoughts. King Solomon struggled to use the gift of wisdom in keeping up his kingdom united. St Peter failed to withhold the gift of being with the Lord in the time of his struggle. Judas Iscariot completely got failed in the gift of friendship with Jesus. Our talents came from God and must be developed and serve only God. He is the focus, not us. His is the glory, not ours. What are talents or gifts we received? Can we name them? If we enumerate them one by one, surely there will be thousands beginning from our movements in the womb of our mothers until we reach God. Through the gifts of God, we share in His Glory only to the extent that we have allowed Him to be seen in our efforts in outreach. All our gifts and abilities should be seen as just gifts from God. This is a message we need to convey to our children and Teens. 

At times, our tendency is to compare ourselves with others. We don’t do that. Everybody has the talents in one’s own way. St Paul says to use them for the benefit of the community as a whole. The first two servants in today’s Gospel showed how much they had earned and they were not told they could sit back and rest. Rather because of their trustworthiness, even greater responsibilities were given to them. The more one has, the more will be given to him. The third servant who did nothing is punished. He did not do anything at all with it. If he had tried and failed, he would have met compassion and forgiveness. Even the person with one miserable talent has something to offer to others. It is a sober warning that it is not just those who do evil deeds who will lose out but also those who have no positively good works to show. Every person has the responsibility to be active in the Kingdom.

The one who has more will be given more. From the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. It seems rather unfair, like robbing the poor to pay the rich. If we make use of the gifts in service to the Kingdom of Heaven, we will be rewarded and entrusted with even more responsibilities.

'Meet HIM in HIS Unexpected Time' (Matthew 25:1-13)

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

Wis 6:12-16; 1 Thes 4:13-18; Mt 25:1-13  

November 12, 2023

'Meet HIM in HIS Unexpected Time'

On seeing certain boys playing foot-Ball, St Don Bosco called out a boy and asked, “what do you do if Jesus comes right now?”, The boy answered, “I will go to confession”. And he called out another boy giving the same question, he said, “I continue to play foot-Ball. What would be the great answer – playing foot-Ball or going to confession? The parable of the wise and foolish virgins presents the custom of a wedding bridegroom going to bring his bride to her new home in Palestine. Each element in the parable reflects a different theme in the life of a Christian with Jesus. On the whole, the parable calls for Being watchful for the Second coming of Christ. His delay challenges our faith.

The second coming of Christ demands for the renewal of our mind and discerns the will of God (Rom 12:1-2). We need to be transformed by renewal of mind. In the language of St Paul the renewed mind is completely different from the attitude of the world. It emphasizes the need of an inner transformation. Jesus’ complaint against the Pharisees was that they behaved one way and lived another way. He called them whiten sepulchers. Zacchaeus and Magdalene turned to Jesus with transformed mind. His coming should find us being watchful and as trust worthy servants for the judgment.

How do we form and nourish the Christian attitude of life?  We live in a materialistic society. To the vast majority of society, success is counted in the amount of possessions a person accumulates. Pleasure, is the goal of life. We have to fight against the forces outside of us and, particularly, forces within us that are drawing us into materialism taking away from the Christian life of values. Meeting Jesus our groom requires renewed purity in the heart and a transformed mind.

We can form and nourish our disposition by continually communicating with Jesus. We need to feel his presence and listen to his voice in the noisy fish market. We need to get attracted to his word and friendship in the distractions of life. Today’s first reading speaks about wisdom. The wise are always ready for the Lord because they are always united to him in the distractions as well as noisy markets. We shall be like the wise virgins being watchful and ready to go with the groom, our Savior. Any delay would bring a great tragedy.

The parable teaches us to be Watchful. Our great duty is to attend to the business of our souls with the utmost diligence and circumspection. It warns us that there are certain things which cannot be obtained at the last minute. It is too late for a student to prepare when the day of the examination comes. The time of our Lord's coming is very uncertain. We know neither the day nor the hour. Therefore, every day and every hour we must be ready. One who continued playing the food-Ball was always ready to receive Jesus by practicing Christian virtues.

A Sermon by St. Charles Borromeo

A sermon by St Charles Borromeo

"An Excellent Teaching for Pastors of the Souls from the Divine Office"

'Practice what you preach'

I admit that we are all weak, but if we want help, the Lord God has given us the means to find it easily. One priest may wish to lead a good, holy life, as he knows he should. He may wish to be chaste and to reflect heavenly virtues in the way he lives. Yet he does not resolve to use suitable means, such as penance, prayer, the avoidance of evil discussions and harmful and dangerous friendships. Another priest complains that as soon as he comes into church to pray the office or to celebrate Mass, a thousand thoughts fill his mind and distract him from God. But what was he doing in the sacristy before he came out for the office or for Mass? How did he prepare? What means did he use to collect his thoughts and to remain recollected?

  Would you like me to teach you how to grow from virtue to virtue and how, if you are already recollected at prayer, you can be even more attentive next time, and so give God more pleasing worship? Listen, and I will tell you. If a tiny spark of God’s love already burns within you, do not expose it to the wind, for it may get blown out. Keep the stove tightly shut so that it will not lose its heat and grow cold. In other words, avoid distractions as well as you can. Stay quiet with God. Do not spend your time in useless chatter.

  If teaching and preaching is your job, then study diligently and apply yourself to whatever is necessary for doing the job well. Be sure that you first preach by the way you live. If you do not, people will notice that you say one thing, but live otherwise, and your words will bring only cynical laughter and a derisive shake of the head.

  Are you in charge of a parish? If so, do not neglect the parish of your own soul, do not give yourself to others so completely that you have nothing left for yourself. You have to be mindful of your people without becoming forgetful of yourself.

  My brothers, you must realise that for us churchmen nothing is more necessary than meditation. We must meditate before, during and after everything we do. The prophet says: I will pray, and then I will understand. When you administer the sacraments, meditate on what you are doing. When you celebrate Mass, reflect on the sacrifice you are offering. When you pray the office, think about the words you are saying and the Lord to whom you are speaking. When you take care of your people, meditate on how the Lord’s blood has washed them clean so that all that you do becomes a work of love.

  This is the way we can easily overcome the countless difficulties we have to face day after day, which, after all, are part of our work: in meditation we find the strength to bring Christ to birth in ourselves and in other men.

Humility - Way to Eternal Life (Matthew 23:1-12)

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (A)

November 05, 2023

Mal 1:14-2:2.8-10; 1 Thes 2:7-9.13; Mt 23:1-12

Humility - Way to Eternal Life

Today’s liturgical readings remind us of the need to hold firm to the message of eternal life by practicing the Christian virtue of humility. Humility guarantees and safeguards our faith. It is a call to lead and teach rightly the message of eternal life. It is a call to live rightly, to be just, and most importantly, to glorify God our creator. The Thessalonians, as soon as they heard the message of Saint Paul, accepted it as God’s message and not something human.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us not to follow the hypocritical way like that of the Pharisees. Phylacteries & tassels are strange vestments to us. The scribes and pharisees wear them at prayer. They are of small leather boxes strapped to their wrists and forehead, called phylacteries. They each contain four important passages of the Hebrew bible. The scribes and pharisees even increased the size of these to draw attention to themselves. But the design of Jesus is not to pay most attention to oneself: “He who loses himself finds himself”, and “The greatest among you shall be the one who serves the rest.” 

Jesus denounces “show-off-religion” which has no life and in fact, is opposed to the message of eternal life. What Jesus is denouncing here is earthly pride which is opposed to eternal life. Jesus in no way permits us to disrespect authorities or to insult those in position by calling them derogatory names instead of giving them the honor that is due to them. Such behavior would equally, run contrary to the messages of eternal life which says: “Honor your father and mother,” (Ex 20, 12); “Obey your leaders and submit to them…(Heb 13, 17); and finally, “Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority ….(1Tim 2, 2). Jesus simply wants us to be true to the message of eternal life. 

The punishment is intended for the proud. Whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased. If God gives repentance to the proud, they will be abased or exalted in their own eyes. If they don’t repent, they will be exalted before the world. Nebuchadnezzar, in the height of his pride, was turned to be a fellow-commoner with the beasts. Herod became a feast for the worms. Babylon, that sat as a queen, became the scorn of nations. God made the proud and aspiring priests contemptible and base (Mal. 2:9), and the lying prophet to be the tail, Isa. 9:15. If the proud do not humble themselves, there is a day coming, when they shall rise to everlasting shame and contempt (Dan. 12:2)

The preferment intended is for the humble. He that shall humble himself shall be exalted. Humility is that ornament which is in the sight of God of great price. In this world, the humble may not have the honor of being accepted but in the sight of the holy God, they become wise. They shall be exalted to inherit the throne of glory and be crowned, before angels. Humility is not deference in dealing with others, but is primarily a dependence on the mercy of God for salvation, rather than a dependence on our own self-righteousness to receive eternal life.