THE MOST HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY-B

I Reading: Deuteronomy 4:32-34.39-40: The mighty work of God for the good of His people. The uniqueness of Israel’s God is the Lord is God indeed…there is no other.” Moses challenges God’s people to reflect on the great mystery of all.

II Reading: Romans 8:14-17: The doctrine of the Holy Spirit in the passage is to discover how the Spirit  binds us to God in a relationship so close that we are in fact God’s children. As children of God, St Paul teaches, we are people intimately involved in the life of the Trinity.

Gospel: Matthew 28:16-20: All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Jesus made known to us his Father’s love who is the creator of the universe and the Holy Spirit, the sanctifier and the Son, the redeemer who revealed himself fully by his saving acts or deeds, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.

What is really the Holy Trinity? One God- three Divine Persons.

God the Father- the creator of the universe.

God the Son- the Redeemer of humankind.

God the Holy Spirit- the Lord, giver of life, the sanctifier of the people and church. The Spirit proceeds from the love of God and the Son.

What the Holy Trinity has done to save humankind and continues to do to save each one of us.

It was Jesus who made the Three Divine Persons known to human.

          a) Jesus made the Father known to us.

          b) Jesus made himself and his love known to all people.

          c) Jesus made the Holy Spirit known to us.

Our response to the love of the Three Divine Persons for us.

Moses invites the people of Israel's faithfulness to Yahweh and to keep all laws and commandments of God to live happily. Jesus gives the mission command not only to his disciples but to all baptized Christians to go out the whole world and make the disciples of all nations and to baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The purpose is to bring people closer to God and to make known God to others especially the known believers. So that they may live happily with love, joy, peace, forgiveness, compassion, etc.

The Messiah’s Final Commission to His Disciples, Mt 28:16-20

Matthew began his gospel by proclaiming that the baby Jesus was the Son of David, the promised King of Israel (Mt 1:1-2). He now closes his gospel by proclaiming that the Lord Jesus possesses all power and authority in heaven and earth. The Lord Jesus had risen from the dead, and in the power of His resurrection, His followers are to go forth proclaiming His glorious Kingdom.

In this great message, Matthew covers the great commission of the resurrected Lord, the King to whom all power and authority belong.

1. The disciples met Jesus in Galilee (v.16-17)

          a. They met on a pre-appointed mountain

          b. They worshipped Him

          c. Some doubted

2. He assured His followers of His power (v.18)

          a. Is a given power

          b. Is in heaven and earth

3. He commissioned His followers (v.19-20)

          a. To make disciples of all nations

          b. To baptize

          c. To teach all that He had commanded

4. He promised to be with His followers (v.20)

Thought: Society deteriorates and crumbles when it neglects the teaching and commandments of Jesus Christ.

Thought: The Lord ascended to the right hand of God, that is, to the position of sovereignty and power (Mk 16:19; Lk 22:69; Acts 1:9-11;2:36;5:31; Eph 1:20; Ph 2:9-11; Rev 5:12). The ascension assures (proves, confirms) that seven things are absolutely certain.

1. The ascension assures that God is, that He is alive and does exist. The fact that Christ was raised up from the dead and taken up into heaven proves that God is. Only God could do such things.

2. The ascension assures that Christ is God’s Son.

3. The ascension assures that heaven is real (Ph 3:20-31).

4. The ascension assures that the gospel is true.

5. The ascension assures that the Great Commission is the call and mission of believers.

6. The ascension assures that power is available to carry out the Great Commission (Mt 28:18; Mk 16:20).

7. The ascension assures that we have a very special Helper in heaven, One who really loves and cares for us.

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Friday:8^th Week of the year-B-Cycle I

 

I Reading: Ecclesiasticus 44:1.9-13: Our ancestors were generous men, and their name lives on for all generations.

Gospel: Mark 11: 11-26: My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. Have faith in God.

The Fig Tree Cursed: A Warning Against a Fruitless Life, Mk 11:12-14

Why did Jesus destroy the fig tree? Two things always need to be remembered.

1. God is both good and severe. As Paul says, “Consider therefore the kindness and the sternness of God” (Rom 11:22).

2. Jesus always acted either to teach people or to save and help people. In the destruction of the fig tree, Jesus was teaching people a much-needed lesson-a lesson that shouts loudly, “Be fruitful! Guard against profession without bearing fruit.”

1. Jesus had need (v.12)

2. Jesus was potential (v.13)

3. Jesus examined the fruit (13)

4. Jesus condemned profession without fruit (faith in God) (v.14)

The Temple Cleansed: A Warning to Those Who Abuse God’s Temple,

Mk 11:15-19

The cleansing of the temple took place on Monday, the day after the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. He entered the temple and “looked around at everything” (v.11), observing all that was going on. He stood off to the side observing all the corruption. After some time, heartbroken and weary, he left, returning to Bethany to spend Sunday night. When he rose on Monday morning, he returned to the temple and cleansed it of those who profaned its sacredness.

Four things should be noted about the temple during this last week of our Lord’s life.

1. Jesus was ending his ministry in the temple, his Father’s house of prayer, the place where God’s presence dwells in a special way.

2. Jesus was revealing who he was by cleansing the temple.

3. In cleansing the temple, Jesus was revealing how people were to retreat and use the temple of God.

4. Jesus began and ended his ministry by cleansing the temple.

When our Lord entered Jerusalem, he did not go up to the palace of a king, nor to the courts of the rulers; but he went up to the temple, to the House of God and taught us how the temple is to be used.

1. Jesus entered the temple (v.15)

2. Jesus drove some out of the temple (v.15-17)

a. Those who commercialized or secularized religion

b. Those who desecrated God’s house

c. Those who affected the atmosphere of prayer

d. Those who shut people out

e. Those who changed the purpose of the temple

3. Jesus caused a reaction when the truth of the temple was proclaimed (v.3)

a. Some sought to persecute him

b. Some were amazed

4. Jesus left when the truth was rejected (v.19)

The Conditions of Prayer, Mk 11:20-26

Prayer has its conditions. Jesus used the fig tree to teach what the conditions of prayer is.

1. The fig tree was noticed, cp. V.12-14 (v.20-21)

a. The tree had been cursed by Jesus

b. Peter was surprised at the answer to Jesus’ prayer

2. Condition 1: Faith in God (v.22-23)

a. The object of faith: God

b. The purpose of faith: To remove mountains

c. The way to possess faith: Prayer

          1) Not doubting- in your heart

          2) Believing-in God’s authority

d. The results of faith

3. Condition 2: Expectancy (v.24)

a. Emotions: Desire

b. Will: Ask

c. Spirit: Believe

4. Condition 3: Forgiveness: While praying, forgive (v.25)

Thought: How many today would be gotten rid of if they really sought to cleanse the church of the abusers and secular activities often allowed and promoted within its walls? (1Tim 6:10; James 5:3; Prov 16:8; Jer 17:11)

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PENTECOST SUNDAY-B

I Reading: Acts 2:1-11: They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak.

II Reading: Romans 8:8-17: Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God.

Gospel: John 14:15-16.23-26: The Holy Spirit will teach you everything.

We celebrate today the birthday of the Church which the second most solemn day in the year of worship the feast of Pentecost. Easter and Pentecost are the two oldest feasts celebrated in the church. Let us examine the meaning of today’s feast the word “Pentecost” is a Greek word which means “the 50^th”, in our case, “the 50^th day”:

For the Jews meant the 50^th day after the feast of the Passover.

For the Christians, it means the feast that comes on the 50^th day after Easter.

So, this was originally a Jewish feast one of the three main festivals which the Jews celebrated under instruction from God himself (Ex.23:14-17).

i. The feast of the Passover occurred in March-April.

ii. The feast of Pentecost, sometime in May-June.

iii. The feast the Tents, which they kept in September-October.

These three were called “pilgrim-festivals”, because adult males living within a reasonable distance from Jerusalem, were bound to attend the worship in the Temple during those days. Out of these three, Pentecost attracted a large number of pilgrims, as it becomes clear from today’s first reading.

1. God’s wisdom in saving man is made clear from the way he linked his saving deeds to the various festivals he himself had established in the Old Testament.

2. The meaning of a wonder worked by God on Pentecost day.

3. The work of the Holy Spirit in the Church: The birthday of the church.

          a) The Holy Spirit gives life to the church.

          b) The Holy Spirit gives the church true wisdom.

          c) The Holy Spirit gives courage to the church.

          d) The Holy Spirit gives the church joy.

          e) The Holy Spirit keeps the church united.

4.The Holy Spirit works within each local Christian community:

a) The Holy Spirit brought each one of us, individually, to faith in Christ.

b) The Holy Spirit moves us to pray.

c) The Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s Word.

d) The Holy Spirit is particularly at work at the celebration of the Eucharist.

e) The Holy Spirit unites us Christians into a single body.

 

The Holy Spirit: Who He is, 14:15-26

There are three great Scriptures that deal with the doctrine of the Holy Spirit at length.

1. The Identity of the Holy Spirit or who He is (Jn 14:15-26)

2. The work of the Holy Spirit (Jn 16:7-15)

3. The Power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:1-17)

The greatest help the believers are to receive is the very presence of God Himself in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is this that Jesus now reveals. He reveals the Holy Spirit, His identity, who He is (Jn 16:7-15 where Jesus reveals the work of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Holy Spirit in Rom 8:1-17).

1. Fact: If a person loves Jesus, he will keep His commandments (v.15)

2. He is the Counsellor, the Comforter, the other Helper (v.16)

3. He is the Spirit of truth (v.17)

a. The world cannot accept Him

b. The believer does receive Him and know Him

4. He is the personal presence of Christ (v.18-20)

a. A spiritual presence, not a physical one

b. A living and eternal presence

c. A living union between God, Christ, and the believer

5. He is the very special manifestation of Christ within the believer (v.21-22)

a. The special presence is conditional: Must obey and love Christ

b. The special presence is questioned

6. He is the abiding presence of the Trinity (v.23-24)

a. Is conditional: Must love and obey Jesus

b. Is the love and presence of God and Christ

c. Is not given to those who do not love and obey Christ

d. Is assured by God Himself

7. He is the Holy Spirit, the Teacher (v.25-26)

a. The facts

          1) He is promised

          2) He is given by the Father in the name of Jesus

b. His purpose

          1) To teach the believer all things: both the words and life of Christ, both the truth and the life, both the Word and how to live the Word, both the theory and practice, both the principles and conduct, both morality, and behavior.

          2) To help the believer to remember all that has been taught in the Word of God, to help especially in the moments of trail when the truth is needed (1Cor 10:13, 2:13; Lk 12:12; Jn 14:26, 16:13; 1Jn 2:27).

Thought: In the Credo of the Eucharist we say: “I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord the giver of life.” The Holy Spirit is truly our life, Christ’s most precious gift to us. The Spirit carries out His work silently and lovingly preparing us for eternal life.

Let us be grateful to the Father and to Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit at Baptism, Confirmation and Ordination. Let us be grateful to the Spirit for His work within us and throughout our life. Let us be careful not to lose Him through serious sin.

It is the Spirit that holds us and unites us together with the seven gifts of Spirit: Isaiah 11:2-3: (Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Fortitude, Knowledge, Piety, and Fear of the Lord)

and the fruits of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22 (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.….)

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The Ascension of the Lord-B

I Reading: Acts 1:1-11: He was lifted up while they looked on.

II Reading: Ephesians 1:17-23: He made Him sit at his right hand in heaven.

Gospel: Luke 24:46-53: As he blessed them he was carried up to heaven.

Jesus’ Appearance to the Disciples:

The Great Statements of the Christian Faith, Lk 24:36-49

This was the first appearance of Jesus to all the disciples at once. He shared the two great statements (explanations) of the Christian faith.

1. Statement 1: Jesus is risen (v.36-43)

a. Jesus’ first word: Peace

b. Jesus’ impact

          1) The disciples startled and frightened

          2) The disciples were troubled and questioning

c. Jesus’ proof

          1) He is flesh and bones

          2) He shows them his wounds

          3) He talks

2. Statement 2: All prophetic Scripture must be fulfilled (v.44-49)

a. The forewarning

b. The utter necessity

c. The spiritual insight needed

d. The particular prophecies

          1) Christ must suffer and arise

          2) Repentance and forgiveness must be preached

          3) The Holy Spirit and power must be sent

Jesus’ Last Appearance: The Ascension, Lk 24:50-53

Luke closes his gospel with the ascension of Christ and begins Acts with the ascension of Christ (Acts 1:9-11). The ascension closes the Lord’s earthly ministry, His mission to save the world. On the other hand, the ascension opens the Lord’s heavenly ministry. Therefore the ascension is the beginning of his journey into heaven as the Lord and the Saviour of the world to judge the living and the dead.

1. The purpose of the ascension (v.50-51)

a. To bless

b. To provide a witness and give great assurance

2. The disciples’ response to the ascension (v.52-53)

a. Worshipped Him

b. Were filled with joy

c. Worshipped in the temple-continually

Thought: The Lord ascended to the right hand of God, that is, to the position of sovereignty and power (Mk 16:19; Lk 22:69; Acts 1:9-11;2:36;5:31;Eph 1:20; Ph 2:9-11;Rev 5:12). The ascension assures (proves, confirms) that seven things are absolutely certain.

1. The ascension assures that God is, that He is alive and does exist. The fact that Christ was raised up from the dead and taken up into heaven proves that God is. Only God could do such things.

2. The ascension assures that Christ is God’s Son.

3. The ascension assures that heaven is real (Ph 3:20-31).

4. The ascension assures that the gospel is true.

5. The ascension assures that the Great commission is the call and mission of believers.

6. The ascension assures that power is available to carry out the Great Commission (Mt 28:18; Mk 16:20).

7. The ascension assures that we have a very special Helper in heaven, One who really loves and cares for us.

www.believeinthegoodnews.blogspot.com

 

6^th SUNDAY OF EASTER-B

I Reading: Acts 10:25-26: Peter visits the house of a Roman, Cornelius, and learns that God does not have favourites.

II Reading: 1John 4:7-10: It is through the experience of love that we can come to know God.

Gospel: John 15:9-11: Remain in my love, and let your joy be complete.

 

Jesus said to his disciples to remain in his love, to keep His Commandments, to experience his joy and the divine call, to bear fruits for God's glory, to ask the Father in his name and to love one another (John 15:9-17).

The Father loved His Son Jesus, Jesus loved his Father and the believers, therefore the believers supposed to love their neighbours; and the neighbours or believers or followers of Jesus Christ are loved by God the heavenly Father.

Hence, God is love and creation is God's love.

The reading follows on from where the Gospel ended last week. In it was revealed how the disciples are united to Christ as the branch to stem; today we see how the disciples are united in love in Christ to one another.

Today’s gospel presents the gift of Jesus’ love. The message contains that you may doubt about everything in the world; but there is one thing of which you can be absolutely certain: that God loves you!

i. A love which the Jews could not understand.

ii. God loves people individually, one by one. God loved the world so much, God is love, Jesus loved his disciples.

iii. A lesson on love given by Jesus himself. “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you…love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:9-12).

iv. God loves not only people but whatever he created. “God saw that it was good”. In other words, God was delighted with whatever he created; He loved it. God loves the sun, the moon, the stars, ocean, grass, flowers, trees..

Jesus also loves in the same way and finally shows his sacrificial love on the cross and in the Eucharist by giving his body and blood for our spiritual nourishment and eternal life.

So let us love God and love our neighbours as ourselves according to the new commandments of Jesus.  Unless we love God, we cannot love people. Love is the source of all genuine joys in life, it will be the same in heaven.

The Relationship of Jesus to Believers, Jn 15:9-11

Jesus has a very special relationship with the believer, a relationship that delivers them from an existence that is barren, empty, lonely, unmeaningful and sad.

1. He has loved believers (v.9)

2. He has one great charge for believers: Continue-abide in His love (v.9-10)

a. Abiding is conditional

b. Abiding has standard-the obedience of Jesus

3. He has one great purpose for believers: The completion of their joy (v.11)

Thought: Jesus Christ loves us because we are God’s children, brothers and sisters, the household and family of God. He also loves us because we believe in God, we earnestly seek God, we obey his commands and we deny ourselves, take up our cross and die daily in order to follow Jesus (Lk 9:23).

Do we experience the love of Jesus in loving God, our neighbours, all living beings and nature of the creation?

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5^th SUNDAY OF EASTER-B

I Reading: Acts 9:26-31: Paul begins to preach but arouses hostility and has to leave Jerusalem.

II Reading: 1Jn 3:18-24: St John says that if we keep his commandments the Lord will answer our prayers.

Gospel: John 15:1-8: Whoever remains in me, with me in him, bear fruit in plenty

The purpose of God’s creation was to share God’s life and joy in heaven as well as on the earth. The first parents lost God’s life and joy by disobeying his commandments but God sent his Son to restore that life and joy which was lost or destroyed by the sin of disobedience. God pruned Jesus Christ by the Word of God or Scriptures, passion, death and finally could bear many fruits rising from the dead and gave us eternal life, joy, and peace. Paul was pruned by the voice of the Risen Christ and converted and proclaimed the Good News to the people.

Today we can be pruned by the Word of God, prayers, faith, conversion, taking part in the Eucharist, sacrifice, service, doing good and bringing justice, equality, dignity, hearing and listening, and obeying the Word of God and his commandments and can produce many fruits of the Holy Spirit. We can be called the children of God by obedience to his commandments and loving God and loving our neighbors as ourselves.

The Relationship of Jesus to the People of the World, Jn 15:1-8

Jesus was facing the most terrible scene in all human history. All most all rejected him including his own disciple Judas betrayed him, Peter denied him three times and other disciples were to flee and desert him. Now Jesus teaches us how to have a good relationship with God, Jesus and the world. In this passage, Jesus saw a graphic lesson that the disciples needed to learn, the great lesson of “The Vine and the Branches”-the relationship of Jesus to the people of the world.

1. Jesus, the Vine; God, the Vinedresser; and man, the branch (v.1)

2. Unfruitful branches: Are taken away (v.2)

3. Fruitful branches (v.2-4)

a. Are pruned

b. The purpose for pruning

c. How branches are pruned

          1) By the Word

          2) By abiding, remaining

4. Unattached Branches (v.4-6)

a. Are by themselves: Not abiding or remaining, not attached

b. Cannot bear fruit

c. Do not understand the nature of bearing fruit in life: Can do nothing apart from Christ

d. Are doomed, gathered, thrown away, burned

5. Attached branches: Results and Promises (v.7-8)

a. Receive nourishment-answered prayers

b. Glorify God

c. Prove their attachment-discipleship

Thought: Bearing fruit means:

# righteousness (Rom 6:22, Phil 1:11, Col 1:10)

# godly character (Gal 5:22-23): the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

# converts (Rom 1:13): to turn their heart, mind and all works to God

Thought: Jesus Christ loves us because we God’s children, brothers and sisters, the household and family of God. He also loves us because we believe God, we earnestly seek God, we obey his commands and we deny ourselves, take up our cross and die daily in order to follow Jesus (Lk 9:23).

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