All Saints Day, 1^st November

Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12: Rejoice and be glad for your reward will be great in heaven.

I Reading: Revelation 7:2-4,9-14: I saw a huge number, impossible to count, of people from every nation, race and tribe and language.

II Reading: 1John 3:1-3: We can see God as he really is.

 

In the year, 609, Pope Boniface IV cleared out the statues of gods and goddesses from the Pantheon (“the house of all the gods) which was propagated by the Roman empire and turned the building into a church that he dedicated to God in honour of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of all saints. This church is still standing.

Famous martyrs and saints were venerated in the church on various dates throughout the world. Today we have millions of saints who are known and unknown to mankind, but well-known to God. The number of saints and martyrs increases daily, leading the church to establish a feast in their honour on 1^st November around 800 A.D. In this feast, we praise God for having accomplished his salvation in so many people.

The Holy Spirit moved the church to establish this feast for a double purpose:

1) To praise God for having completed his salvation in so many of our Christian brothers and sisters throughout the world.

2) To encourage those still living on earth to persevere faithful to Christ in spite of human weakness, temptation and persecution.

Their message from heaven today is:

Do not lose discourage; remember that we were just what you are, weak, and sinful people. Yet we were saved by God’s power and love. Keep up the struggle; we are here to lend you a helping hand with our prayer to God. There is a fabulous reward ready for you too here.

1. Every Christian is a saint in the making.

Paul does not hesitate to call his Christians “saints”:

From Paul…to you all, God’s beloved in Rome called to be saints.” (Rom 1, 1.7; 1Cor 1,1.2; 2Cor 13,12).

In today’s second reading, John points out why Christians may rightly be called “saints” while still on earth, in spite of human weakness:

a. We, Christians are truly God’s children at Baptism (1Jn 3:1).

b. We are destined to be with God forever and to be like him (1Jn 3:2-3).

We Christians ought to consider ourselves at all times, “saints in the making” that is, people striving to become holy.

2. Neither human weakness nor suffering nor persecution should discourage Christians from striving after holiness:

The Book of Revelation teaches us about the sacrificial life and witnessing the life of the people having faith in Jesus.

a) The first reason why we should not get discouraged is that we have already been chosen to be saved: Ex 39:30- Consecrated to Yahweh. Ez 9:4-T=Greek “Tau”, resembles a cross.

b) Ours is a numerous family; it runs into millions; we should pluck up courage at the thought that so many of our brothers and sisters are ready to give us a helping hand:

The Book of Revelation speaks of 144,000 people assigned by the angel, that is 12,000 from each of the 12 tribes of Israel.

We all form part of the new people of Israel; those who will, shall be saved (Rom 11:30-32).

c) Suffering, persecution, difficulties should spur us on to greater faithfulness, not discourage us:

In the first reading of John’s vision- saw a large crowd dressed in white tunics bearing palms in their hands, a symbol of victory during the time of Nero the Roman emperor. The second Baptism is the shedding of his/her blood for Christ which cleanses a person from all sin.

d) The great reward ready for us in heaven ought to encourage us to be faithful to Christ: Revelation, the last verses of the first reading 7: 15, 17 have been left out. They beautifully show what our reward in heaven will be like:

3. Christians are lucky people: Because the kingdom of God belongs to them by their faith and by their witnessing life for Christ and for his church.

Hence our weakness stands in the way of our becoming saints, yet we have every reason to be optimistic that we shall succeed. Suffering, temptation and persecution should not a hindrance to our salvation. All we have to do, is to walk on the earth with our eyes fixed on the fabulous reward God has in store for us in heaven.

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The True Disciple: Who He is and His Reward (The Beatitudes), Mt 5:1-12

The Beatitudes of our Lord are powerful, holding before the world a descriptive picture of the true disciple of God. Seldom people have spoken with so much meaning in the history of the world.

The Beatitudes cover the glorious hope and reward the believer can expect, now as well as in eternity.

1. Jesus saw crowds (v.1-2)

a. Setting: Mountain

b. Posture: Set-Ready

c. Audience: Disciples

d. Purpose: To teach and prepare

e. Blessed

2. The poor in spirit: Given the kingdom of Heaven (v.3)

3. Those who mourn: Comforted

4. The meek: Inherit the earth (v.5)

5. Those who hunger and thirst for righteousness: Filled (v.6)

6. The merciful: Obtain mercy (v.7)

7. The pure in heart: See God (v. 8)

8. The peacemakers: Called the children of God (v.9)

9. The persecuted: Given the kingdom of Heaven (v.10-12)

a. The persecution

  1) Reviled and insulted

  2) Slandered and lied against

  3) Persecuted and hurt

b. The behavior expected: Joy

c. The reason for joy

  1) Great reward

  2) Great examples: The prophets

Thought: Being filled means “to be filled with the Spirit” or “to be led by the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace…”(Gal 5:22-23).

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 31^st Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Wisdom 11:22-12:2: You are merciful to all because you love all that exists.

II Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2: The name of Christ will be glorified in you and you in him.

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10: The Son of Man has come to seek out and save what was lost.

The Conversion of Zacchaeus:

The Meaning of Conversion, Lk 19:1-10

God loves everything that he created, but His love for humankind is great, even he/she falls into sin, immediately He saves him from sin. We read in the Book of Genesis that after their disobedience, Adam and Eve “hid from Yahweh among the trees of the garden” (Gen 3:8).  God called to the man (Adam and Eve): “Where are you?” In the same way, Jesus came into the world to save the sinners particularly Zacchaeus, the tax collector in today’s gospel and the tax collector in the previous Sunday’s gospel and Matthew the tax collector, etc. who were considered as the sinners in the Jewish society.

What is important and what we can learn today is that like Zacchaeus we must look for Jesus, search for Jesus and try to see Jesus and listen and obey the words of Jesus and follow him immediately to carry out his mission through our ministry to all especially to the poor and needy in the society.

The man had a great hope to meet God face to face so he tried his best to see Jesus as his real need in life.

1. Zacchaeus, the chief tax collector-a man who was very rich (v.1-2)

2. First, being desperate to see Jesus: Who He is

a. He was thrust back

b. He persisted

3. Second, receiving the invitation of Jesus (v.5-6)

a. Jesus saw him

b. Jesus called him by name

c. Jesus asked to be received

d. Zacchaeus obeyed

4. Third repenting, that is, changing one’s whole way of life (v.7-8)

a. He was a sinner

b. He repented, changed his life

5. Fourth, looking to Jesus as the Saviour (9-10)

a. The One who proclaims salvation

b. The One who seeks and saves the lost

Thought: Zacchaeus completely turned around from his sinful life to God and His way of righteousness by giving half his possessions to the poor. He did exactly what Jesus had said and he did exactly what the rich young ruler had refused to do (Lk 18:18-24). He gave back to those whom he had cheated; he gave four times what he had taken. Restitution became the thrust of his life. This is called conversion is repenting and changing one’s whole way of life.

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30^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Ecclesiasticus 35:12-14.16-19: The humble man’s prayer pierces the clouds.

II Reading: 2 Timothy 4:6-8.16-18: All there is to come now is the crown of righteousness reserved for me.

Gospel: Luke 18:9-14: The publican went home at rights with God; the Pharisee did not.

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-Collector:

The Spirit Needed for Prayer, Lk 18:9-14

Today’s readings invite us to reflect and examine ourselves, God and our neighbours. What is the quality of my prayer? What is the quality of my Christian life? What idea do I have of myself, of God and of my neighbour? Let us search for the answers to our questions in today’s gospel. Our attitude towards ourselves, God and our neighbour must be based on humility and unworthiness on a deep conviction of God’s love, mercy, faithfulness and forgiveness.

The Pharisee with his pride and self-righteousness praised God first then turned to praise himself more than God that he is fasting twice a week and giving alms and comparing himself not like a sinner. Finally, Jesus condemned the prideful and self-righteous Pharisee and praised the tax collector for his humility, God-fearing life, unworthiness and accepting himself as he is as a sinner and for asking God’s mercy, love, forgiveness and blessings through his penance, repentance and cries.

The sinner thought that only God his saviour and He can save him alone; whereas the Pharisee thought that his fasting twice a week and almsgiving will save him which was his wrong concept about God.

Finally, Jesus concludes the parable by telling us that the tax collector left the Temple “at rights with God”(v.14), that is, a friend of God once again, filled with the peace and joy which God’s forgiveness brings. In contrast, the Pharisee went back home farther from God than when he came, with his pride and his sins as his only companions.

St. Paul saw himself as the object of God’s love, mercy, faithfulness, forgiveness, generous heart, divine power and strength in times of trails, temptations, tribulations, suffering and persecution.

In the gospel passage, two striking things are seen-both the spirit needed for prayer and the spirit needed for one to be saved.

1. A parable of warning (v.9)

a. To the self-righteous

b. To those who despise or look down on other people

2. The scene: Two men are praying in the temple (v.10)

a. One is a Pharisee

b. One is a sinner

3. The religionist prays (v.11-12)

a. He stands-prays only with himself

b. He thanks God for making him what he is

c. He rededicates himself-he reaffirms his commitment

4. The Sinner prays (v.13)

a. He stands “at a distance”

b. He feels unworthy to face God

c. He cries for mercy

5. The major lesson: Justification (v.14)

a. A humble approach is heard

b. A proud approach is not heard

Thought: The scandalous sinner is the one justified in the sight of God because of two reasons:

1. he acknowledges his sinfulness and unworthiness

2. he cries for God to have mercy.

Whereas a proud approach is not heard (Lk 14:11- For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exacted). A man’s pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honour (Prov 29:23).

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29^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Exodus 17:8-13: : As long as Moses kept his arms raised, Israel had the advantage.

II Reading: 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2: The man who is dedicated to God becomes fully equipped and ready for any good work.

Gospel: Luke 18:1-8: God will see justice done to his chosen who cry to him.

The Parable of the Unjust Judge:

The Secret of Prayer-Persistence, Lk 18:1-8

Today’s first reading shows, the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land, met with powerful enemies Amalekites came from the descendants of Esau, the elder brother of Jacob; however their most dangerous enemy was their own pride and disobedience to Moses and God’s commands. The same type of enemy plays also among us; we refuse to follow Christ and we stop praying and going to the church.

The Promised Land was the goal of the Israelites; ours is heaven “a land where truly milk and honey flow” (Ex 3:8) promised to us by Jesus Christ. We need a powerful weapon (the weapon of prayer) to overcome those enemies (pride, selfish motives, exploitation, corruptions, injustice, inequality, intolerance, killings, war, terrorism, fundamentalism, immoralities etc.). we can win a battle/war through fighting and prayer (both action and prayer) like Moses’ prayer stretching out his hands holding the staff of God (the power of God) till the sunset; so we must pray till the end of our life to reach our true home in heaven. We should not be discouraged and tired of praying; but we need persevering prayer like the widow in the Gospel. Our daily prayer must be based on the Word of God (Scriptures) with great faith and hope in Christ. Let God speak to us through the Scriptures and let us listen to Him attentively and remain in loving conversation with God and let us try to do the will/plan of God. St. Paul warns his disciple Timothy to live in devotion to Christ in the time of religious attack and persecution and he asserts that these Scriptures provides a wisdom that leads to salvation.

This parable is found only in Luke; it is an encouragement to pray unceasingly that no matter what problems beset the Church, our Lord will return. The secret of prayer is persistence. This is the great lesson Jesus taught in this passage.

1. The great duty to persevere in prayer (v.1)

2. The parable of persevering prayer (v.2-5)

a. The unjust judge

b. The poor widow: Was all alone and persecuted

c. The silence of the judge: He was hard and harsh

d. The point: The judge honoured her request because she continued to come

3. The lesson on persevering prayer (v.6-7)

a. Hear this point

b. God avenges the elect who persevere in prayer

c. He waits and bears long within unbelievers; puts off justice for a while

d. God will quickly bring about justice

4. The great tragedy: In the last days few will persevere in prayer and faith (v.8)

Thought: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” (Mt 26:41)

We can be victorious at the battle of pride, selfishness, temptation, persecution, corruption, injustice, inequality etc always by the power of God and through our constant prayers and good actions like Moses’ prayer and deeds.

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28^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading 2 Kings 5:14-17: : Naaman returned to Elisha and acknowledged the Lord. The leper is cured of his sickness and turns to believe in the God of Israel.

II Reading: 2 Timothy 2:8-13: If we hold firm, then we shall reign with Christ. St. Paul writing from the captivity of prison, encourages us to  remain firm and steadfast in our faith.

Gospel: Luke 17:11-19: No one has come back to give praise to God, except this foreigner (a Samaritan and an outsider, returns to thank Jesus for the gift of healing).

This passage teaches two powerful lessons, one on how to have needs met and on the other on gratitude.

1. Jesus went toward Jerusalem (v.11)

2. The lesson on need: Ten lepers were healed (v.12-14)

a. There was desperation

b. There was humility

c. There was cry for mercy

d. There was perseverance

e. There was believing being tested, obeying

3. The lesson on gratitude (v.15-19)

a. All were blessed

b. One gave thanks

          1) Praised God

          2) Worshipped Jesus

          3) Was a Samaritan, outsider

c. Most did not thank God

d. The one who was the most rejected was the most thankful

e. The thankful one shall be assured of salvation

 

Thought: Every person (desperate person) must recognize his/her uncleanness in approaching Jesus. He must come in humility confessing unworthiness to approach One so holy and confessing need for the cleansing touch of the Holy One of God, even the Lord Jesus Christ.

What have we come to Church for today? We would receive a varieties of answers…the Christians ought to be thanks-givers at all times, both individually and as a community; this is the best way for them to mature in Christian life. Gratefulness towards God helps us mature in our Christian life.

 

We should be grateful to God for his material gifts, spiritual gifts; in a particular way, for his mercy in cleansing us of sin, and for our trials, temptations, and sufferings. Our Sunday worship should have thanksgiving as its main purpose as Paul invited his Christians of Ephesus to do (5:20).

            

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27^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Habakkuk 1:2-3;2:2-4: : The upright man will live by his faithfulness. The prophet complains that God does not hear or act; God responds and asks for faith and patience.

II Reading: 2 Timothy 1:6-8.13-14: Never be ashamed of witnessing to our Lord. God gives the Holy Spirit, empowering us to bear witness to our faith and persevere in the face of difficulty.

Gospel: Luke 17:5-10: If only you had faith. It is not the quantity of faith that matter, but the quality of one’s relationship with God.

The Gospel reading is in two part, the first dealing with the power of faith and the second with the insufficiency of works, the latter being found only in Luke.

The first reading contains the prophet’s complaint to God that He does nothing about the evil ways of His people. The God tells Habakkuk to write down the prophetic message he is about to receive: their enemies are puffed up with pride, but the righteous man will live by his faithfulness. This sentence became the key stone of Paul’s Letter to the Romans 1:17.

The Christian disciple must have faith as small as a mustard seed to perform a great miracle in life on the earth. Having faith is essential-one of most powerful forces in the world (v.5-6). In the readings of today we find the prophet Habakkuk, timothy and the disciples, facing for different reasons, the problems which we all face from time to time: put a severe test, their faith threatened to crumble. All Christians down the centuries whose faith is put to the test. Finally genuine humility leads a person to faith in Jesus Christ. Faith implies faithfulness in his/her service and complete trust in Him all the times. Faith in Christ, is God’s free gift so we don’t have right to claim it. Faith in Christ is our source of strength, greatest treasure and a light that lights our way through the darkness of this world; but we must keep it burning brightly (2Tim 1:6), keep on adding to it the oil of prayer and love. Faith in Christ thrives in a humble heart: pride destroys faith and ruins whatever we do at the service of the Lord. Faith in Christ is a seed which yields a harvest of eternal happiness at our death. God is faithful. Habakkuk. Timothy, the apostles, millions of Christians who died in the Lord, never regretted having put their faith in Christ; neither shall we.

Our model of faith is Mary, the Mother of Jesus: she conceived him in humility, allowed herself to be guided by the Spirit within her, served him in total faithfulness and put her trust in him in the many dark moments of her life. This is why we call Mary, “the perfect Christian.” We are servants, unpaid as of old, our service is our bounded duty.

Luke 17:7-10: We are merely servants:

We have done no more than our duty.

1. Obeying God is a duty, not a service (v.7-10)

a. The illustration: A servant is a slave who serves his master

  1) to serve all day

  2) to serve all evening

  3) to serve until all others have retired

  4) to serve whether or not one is thanked or appreciated

b. The believer is to serve and obey until all of God’s commandments are done

c. The believer is to be humble in his service for the Lord

Thought: The servant serves his/her master; the believer is a servant and a servant is a slave who serves his/her Master (Rom 1:1). The believer is to serve and obey the commandments of God until all the works is done.

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26^th Sunday in Ordinary Time-C

I Reading Amos 6:1.4-7: : Those who sprawl and those who bawl will be exiled.

II Reading: 1 Timothy 6:11-16: Do all that you have been told until the Appearing of the Lord.

Gospel: Luke 16: 19-31: God things came your way, just as bad things came the way of Lazarus. Now he is being comforted here while you are in agony.

The Rich Man and Lazarus: The Self-Indulgent vs. the Man of Faith

Only Luke records the Parable of Dives and Lazarus, the last in a series dealing with the misuse of wealth. Dives who had refused to listen to Moses and the Prophets in his life time regarding the treatment of the poor, suffers misery hereafter, while Lazarus has his reward in the bosom of Abraham at the banquet of the blessed.

Jesus identified Lazarus was named Lazarus where as the rich man was not identified and named in this passage. The eternal truth is much more blessed and much more terrifying than any mere human description. The rich man is punished for his indifference to the poor man at his door. The rich man misused two opportunities i.e. wealth and religion. The name Lazarus means God is help. He is an allegorical representation either of his poor disciples (Lk 6:20). Wealth destroys society unless equitably shared. The history and present society shows that often wealth causes havoc in the heart of people. Jesus conveys a good lesson to everyone today that the Pharisees were wrong in thinking that their wealth was a sign of their holiness or God’s reward for it; if at all, it was a sign of just the contrary. Neither is poverty a sign that the poor people come second in God’s love. Their trust in God will not fail them; while those who put their trust in wealth, are in for a rude shock when their end comes. Jesus confirms that rich people seldom learn the lesson that riches are dangerous because of their pride, greed and unconcern for the poor. We do not read that the rich man committed any particular crime; it was lack of concern for the poor that cost him heaven. Neither did Lazarus enter heaven just because he as beggar, but because, in his poverty, he put his trust in God. Thus, wealth easily leads people to selfishness and to trust in themselves, whereas poverty patiently borne, leads a person to put his/her trust in God who does not fail anyone. In other words, the parable of the rich man confirms the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount: “How happy are you who are poor: Yours is the Kingdom of heaven” (Lk 6:20). It is not having of wealth that Our Lord condemns, but the misuse of it.

1.    A difference in life (v.19-21)

a.    Rich man nameless, Lazarus named

b.   Rich man wealthy, Lazarus poor

c.    Rich man healthy, Lazarus disabled

d.   Rich man lived in luxury and extravagance; Lazarus begged, helpless

2.    A difference in death: Lazarus died and was escorted to Paradise; rich man died and was buried (22)

3.    A difference in eternity (23-31)

a.    Rich man in hell, Lazarus in Paradise

b.   Rich man saw glory, Lazarus was in glory

c.    Rich man was alone, Lazarus had fellowship

d.   Rich man had burning sensation, Lazarus had water

e.    Rich man tormented, Lazarus comforted

f.     Rich man remembered his former life, Lazarus was silent

g.   Rich man was fixed in hell, Lazarus was fixed in Paradise

h.    Rich man agonized for loved ones, Lazarus was settle in eternity

i.      Rich man begged for other chance, Lazarus was silently at peace

j.      Rich man was unable to intercede for his family, Lazarus was at rest in God’s promises.

Thought: Two conditions are absolutely needed to enter into God’s Kingdom and be saved: humble trust in God and concern for the poor. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? (Mark 8: 36).

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