13th Sunday in Ordinary Year A: 

Mt 10:37-42: In strong terms, Jesus exclaims that the disciples or believers must love and follow Jesus supremely. 

Following Jesus makes us better fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, and so forth.

The disciples or believers must follow Jesus even to the place of taking not only the Cross of Jesus but their own cross which means death to self with humility and doing God's Will or Plan, but resurrection life unto God. 

The disciples or believers live in a paradox because they can only find life by losing it and live by dying. 

Resurrection life can only come after we take up our own cross to follow Jesus as he did.

A Christian who shuns the Cross is no Christian.

St Paul rightly says in Romans 8:31-39: 

Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Nothing can separate us from the love of God...no trouble or calamity, or persecution, or hunger, or destitute, or danger, or threatened with death, etc.

What are our crosses today following Jesus Coronavirus Pandemic Covid-19?

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THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST

(CORPUS CHRISTI)-CYCLE-A

SOLEMNITY

I Reading: Deuteronomy 8:2-3.14-16: He fed you with manna which neither you nor your fathers had known.

II Reading: 1 Cor 10:16-17: That there is one loaf that, though there are many of us, we form single body.

Gospel: John 6:51-58: My flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Eucharist as a unique means for our salvation. Jesus communicated his life to us more intensely where we realize the life giving Bread for our spiritual life, both as individuals and as a Christian community.

In the first reading Moses reminds the people of God’s provision of food in the form of manna; in the wilderness. God is life and He cares His people giving all needful things and He shares His divine life.

Paul urges the Corinthians to avoid the use of foods offered to pagan idols and he states that the Eucharist bonds believers into a single body, for they have made their communion with Christ in his Body and Blood.

Jesus Christ came into the world to give back to humanity the divine life man lost by sin. Today we depend on Jesus Christ for the maintenance of divine life and Jesus prepared for us the unique food the Eucharist. The Christian community needs the Eucharist in order to live in grace, love and communion as one Body/Church of Christ. The “Eucharist” means “thanksgiving” to praise Christ for his Body and Blood for the forgiveness of sins and for our spiritual nourishment to have the eternal life.

A person must receive and partake of Bread of Life. when he/she does, he/she receives five wonderful things.

1. The religionists were perplexed over Jesus’ words (v.52-53)

          a. They questioned partaking of His flesh

          b. Jesus proclaimed a much more shocking thing: unless one partakes of Him, he does not have life

2. Result 1: Eternal life-conquering death and being resurrected (v.54)

3. Result 2: True, not false satisfaction (v.55)

4. Result 3: Supernatural companionship and fellowship (v.56)

5. Result 4: A life that is full of purpose and meaning (v.57)

6. Result 5: Incorruptible food received within the heart-energizing life forever (v.58)

Thought: Unless a person receives (eats and drinks) Christ, he/she has no life within him/her. He/she is a dead person. (Eph 2:1; 5:14; Col 2:13; 1Tim 5:6; Rev 3:1)

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THE MOST HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY-A

I Reading: Exodus 34:4-6.8-9: Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion.

II Reading: 2 Corinthians: 13:11-13: The grace of Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit.

Gospel: John 3: 16-18: God sent his Son so that through him the world might be saved.

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity reminds us of the indwelling presence and the unity of one God, the Three Divine Persons who share their life with us in the Baptism, Sign of the Cross, Creed, Doxology, etc.

God is love; God of tenderness and compassion, slow to anger and rich in kindness and compassion and the creator of the universe.

Jesus is the Son of God, the redeemer who reveals the love of God and forgives the sins of the world and gives eternal life. Jesus came into the world to teach us God’s unlimited love for everyone.

The Holy Spirit is the outpouring of the love of God and His Son Jesus Christ who sanctifies us and the world. The best way to start knowing God is to discover his kindness and compassion and to obey His commandments.

The presence of the Holy Trinity we find in the first creation story of Genesis 1:26 “Let us make man in our image and to our likeness.” St Paul greets the Corinthians with the Trinitarian formula in today’s second reading. Mary was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born of the Spirit. He was baptized with the Holy Spirit, he was appointed by the Spirit and proclaimed the Good News to the poor in the temple, he was led to the desert by the Spirit and finally, he breathed his spirit to his disciples and sent the Advocate, the Holy Spirit upon his apostles and Mary on Pentecost.

The three Divine Persons (God, Son, and Holy Spirit) become the source of our unity, peace, and true joy on the earth and in heaven after our death. The gift of the Holy Trinity to bear fruits (Gal 5:22f) in us to imitate the unity and mutual love that exists between Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Our mutual love will yield a precious fruit: a deep joy and peace in life.

Revelation: God’s Great Love, John 3:16-18

This is the world’s most well-known Scripture. Brief and to the point, Jesus revealed God’s great love.

1. The fact: God so loved (v.16) the world and created the human beings in his image and likeness. The creation is God’s love for humanity.

2. The evidence: God gave (v.16) his son only begotten Son Jesus Christ who was born of the Virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit.

3. The purpose: To save (v.16) the world and humankind.

          a. From perishing

          b. To eternal life

          c. By believing

4. The proof: God sent His Son (the Incarnation) (v.17)

a. Not to condemn

b. But to save

5. The means: Through Him (v.17)

Thought: God’s love is that God took the initiative to save humans. Humans did not seek to save himself or herself; God sought to save him/her. God gave His Son so that we might be forgiven and saved. God is the seeking Saviour.

How can we experience the love, joy, peace, and unity of the Holy Trinity in our faith journey of witnessing life in our family, church, and the world?

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