Tuesday, 28 February 2017

Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving: Ash Wednesday, A,B,C.


Homily (Reflection) for Ash Wednesday, A,B,C (1st March, 2017) on the Gospel and the Celebration
 
Joel 2:12-18;
Ps 50:3-6.12-14.17 (R. v.3);
2Cor 5:20–6:2;
Matt 6:1-6.16-18.
Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a season of repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. The ashes symbolize the nothingness of man. As the priest places the ashes on those who come forward, he says: “Turn away from sin and be faithful to the gospel” or “Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return”[1]. Ashes also symbolize grief for sin. And it can be administered to all who come forward and is made from the palm branches blessed the previous year's Palm Sunday. Ashes may also be delivered by a priest or any other person to those who are sick or shut-in[2].
Ash Wednesday falls between 4 February and 10 March and is observed by many Western Christians, including Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Presbyterians, and Roman Catholics. We are called to imitate Christ who spent 40 days in the wilderness fasting[3], cf. Matt 4:1-2; Lk 4:2; Mk 1:12-13.
Topic: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.
Today in the gospel Jesus calls us to true almsgiving, prayer, and fasting that can be rewarded in heaven. It is important to note that they are interrelated. We are called to watch and pray, cf. Mk 14:38; Matt 26:41. As one communicates with God through prayer, God helps him or her see others as his or her brothers and sisters and also to know their needs. Again God helps us go beyond knowing their needs to assisting them, cf. Jas 2:15-16. Helping one’s brothers and sisters is almsgiving. And one cannot help unless he or she deprives him/herself something, fasting, cf. 2Cor 8:15. However, fasting does not simply mean a reduction in our food, but the elimination of our evil habits[4]”.
Although each and every one of us must have been praying, fasting and giving alms, we can do better. In the words of Pope Saint Leo the Great,
Whatever steps forward we make, there is not one of us who is not always bound to do better. All of us must strive hard and do so on Easter day no one should remain bound by the vices of his former nature[5].
The success of Lent hangs on these.
As we begin the season of Lent, let us communicate with God often through prayer. We must also bear in mind that all of us are brothers and sisters and that whatever one has is for all, cf. Eph 4:6; Mal 2:10; 1Cor 10:24; 12:7. The good or the evil you did to your brother or sister is done directly to God, cf. Matt 25:40,45. And we do not need trumpets for prayers, fasting, or almsgiving lest we miss the main reward. God sees everything and will certainly reward all, cf. Job 28:24; 34:21; Ps 33:13; Matt 6:4, 6, 18.
Bible Reading: Jas 2:14-26; 2Cor 8:1-15.
Thought for today: This is a holy season.
Let us pray: Lord, help us to make the best out of this Lent – Amen.
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[1] The Sunday missal: A new edition (1995). London: HarperCollinsReligious, p. 167.
[4] Pope Saint Leo the Great. Sermon 6 on Lent, 1-2. In The divine office: The liturgy of the hours according to the roman rite, II (1997). p.14.
[5] Pope Saint Leo the Great. Sermon 6 on Lent, 1-2, p.14.
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Monday, 27 February 2017

You need not: Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (I) (28th February, 2017).


Homily (Reflection) for Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (I) (28th February, 2017) on the Gospel
(Saint Peter Damian, B.D., Opt Mem)

 
Sir 35:1-12;
Ps 49:5-8.14.23. (R. v.23);
Mk 10:28-31.

Topic: You need not.
Saint Peter said to Jesus in today’s gospel, “Look, we have left everything and followed you.” And in Matthew chapter 19 verse 27, he even added: “What then shall we have?” Jesus assured him and in fact all of us,
Truly I tell you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields, for my sake and for the sake of the good news, who will not receive a hundredfold now in this age – houses, brothers and sister, mothers and children, and fields with persecutions – and in the age to come eternal life.
The letter to the Hebrews reads, “And before him [God] no creature is hidden, but all are naked and laid bare to the eyes of the one to whom we must render an account” (Heb 4:13). Again, “...God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything” (1Jn 3:20). And He is a faithful God, cf. Deut 7:9; Ps 31:5. 145:13; Is 49:7; 1Cor 1:9. 10:13.
Since God is All-knowing and faithful, we need not have double minds because He is fully aware of all our works, cf. Rev 2:2, 19. He will certainly reward each person according to his/her works, cf. Rom 2:6; 1Cor 3:8. We must therefore do every good work freely for their full rewards, cf. 1Cor 9:17. Similarly, Saint John also warned, “Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward” (2Jn 1:8). The Lord is coming with His reward, cf. Is 40:10. However, He knows those who are His, cf. 2Tim 2:19.
Bible Reading: Ps 145.
Thought for today: The LORD ...knows those who take refuge in him (Nah 1:7).
Let us pray: God, help us do every good work freely for your reward in this life and in the world to come – Amen.

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Sunday, 26 February 2017

Step-by-step: Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (I) (27th February, 2017).


Homily (Reflection) for Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time (I) (27th February, 2017) on the Gospel
 

Sir 17:24-29;
Ps 31:1-2.5-7. (R. v.11);
Mk 10:17-27.

Topic: Step-by-step.
In today’s gospel, a rich man ran to Jesus and asked Him: “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him in part,
You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’ He [the rich man] said to him, ‘Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.’
Maybe the man expected Jesus to tell him that he has made it but he received these terrifying words, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” And the gospel reads further, “When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.”
At every point, each person is faced with either striving to move on or staying back that he/she has made it or worst still that he/she can’t. And a very big disservice one can do to him/herself is to stop moving forward because automatically it sets the person on a very fast track to relegation. Even Jesus said, “My Father is working still, and I am working” (Jn 5:17).
In our spiritual journey, it is the same principle. Hence in his letter to the Corinthians Saint Paul wrote, “I fed you with milk, not solid food; for you were not ready for it...” (1Cor 3:2). Again, “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became a man, I gave up childish ways” (1Cor 13:11). Take your steps one-by-one. And never deceive yourself or anybody else that you have made it before you make it.
 Bible Reading: 1Pt 5:1-11.
Thought for today: Be faithful unto death... (Rev 2:10).
Let us pray: May God help us stand firm till the end – Amen.

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Saturday, 25 February 2017

God always cares: Eighth Sunday of the Year (A) (26th February, 2017).


Homily for the Eighth Sunday of the Year (A) (26th February, 2017) on the Gospel
Is 49:14-15;
Ps 61:2-3.6-9 (R. v.6);
1Cor 4:1-5;
Matt 6:24-34.

President Theodore Roosevelt was very near sighted and always carried two pairs of glasses with him, one for close up work and the other for seeing things at a distance. While speaking in the city of Milwaukee during his last general political campaign, he was shot by a man named Shrenk. Roosevelt was hurt but instead of permitting the attendance of a doctor, he finished his speech. Later, when a surgeon was examining his wound, he discovered that the steel spectacle case in his vest pocket had saved his life, for it had deflected the bullet from his heart. “That’s remarkable,” said the President, “I’ve always considered it a nuisance to carry two pairs of glasses, and especially those thick heavy ones I kept in the metal case. Yet God used it to save my life.”[1]
Topic: God always cares.
Sometimes when one is faced with certain challenges of life, it looks as if either the whole world is coming to an end or that God has suddenly lost control. At a situation like this some do think that the only viable option is to take their own destiny into their own hands sometimes to the extent of doing what they will regret later. The words of the Psalmist: “what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?” (Ps 8:4) are normally meaningless for someone in such situation.
Despite the ugly face of one’s condition, God is still saying what He first said to Martha: “… you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.” (Lk 10:41-42). That one thing is what the gospel tells us:
…strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
The more we engage in unnecessary anxieties about the things of this world the more the word of eternal life becomes fruitless in us, cf. Matt 13:22. In the gospel according to Mark we read: “… the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Mk 4:19).
Even when one says with the Psalmist that no one cares for him or her, cf. Ps 142:4, God cares and our existence is the proof. Hence, the Psalmist also rightly wrote: “When the cares of my heart are many, thy consolations cheer my soul” (Ps 94:19). God is not a hired labourer who flees in times of troubles, cf. Jn 10:13. We must therefore cast all our anxieties onto God for He cares about us, cf. 1Pt 5:7.
We read from the Psalm: “It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep” (Ps 127:2). For the prophet Jeremiah, he who trusts in the Lord “is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit” (Jer 17:8). The gospel rightly reminds us of the fact that we will not be able to add as little as a single hour to our span of life by our worries.
As we think of doing it our own way, it is important to remember that “… the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Cor 1:25). No matter what we pass through if God is for us nobody can be against us, cf. Rom 8:31. God is our salvation, our strength and our song. Let us trust and not be afraid, cf. Is 12:2. If we trust in God, people might take counsel together and say whatever they want to but they will all come to nought, Is 8:10. Happiness is for the people whose God is the Lord, cf. Ps 144:15. Even if everything fails including our lives, God remains the strength of those who trust in him forever, (cf. Ps 73:26) because God is truly good to the upright, cf. Ps 73:1.
Let us conclude with the first verse of the gospel pericope “No one can serve two masters ….” It is either one is for God or he or she is not. Either you allow God to do it His way or you do it your own way. Remember that God acts as it pleases him, cf. Ps 115:3. God cares even in the most despicable situations in life like in the case of President Roosevelt.
Bible Readings: Ps 127:1-2; Jer 17:5-13; Matt 13:18-23; Lk 21:34-36.
Thought for today: Do you know that God always cares for you?
Let us pray:
1The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
2He makes me lie down in green pastures; he leads me beside still waters; 3he restores my soul. He leads me in right paths for his name’s sake.
4Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff–they comfort me.
5You prepared a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
 6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord my whole life long (Ps 23) – Amen.

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[1] Sagayanathan, A., (2009). Launching pad: Stories for Sunday homilies, year-A,B&C. Bangalore: Asian Trading Corporation, p. 85.
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Terrible yet persistent mistake: Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (I) (25th February, 2017).


Homily (Reflection) for Saturday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (I) (25th February, 2017) on the Gospel
(B.V.M. on Saturday, Opt. Mem.)

Sir 17:1-15;
Ps 102:13-18. (R. cf. v.17);
Mk 10:13-16.

Topic: Terrible yet persistent mistake.
Children are rightly referred to as the leaders of tomorrow or the tomorrow of today. Yet they were denied access to Jesus by His disciples in today’s gospel. Note that they never prevented the Pharisees, their scribes, the elders, and so on, who were the problems. The gospel further reads, “But when Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, ‘Let the little children come to me....’”
Children rarely receive proper attention in the family, the schools, and most regrettably even the church. And we read often, “Train children in the right way, and when old, they will not stray” (Prov 22:6). The problem is where and how do we hope to achieve this divine mandate? This is because the parents are busy making money according to them for these children. The teachers are waiting for alerts from banks instead of teaching. In many churches, the children are not even allowed into the church whereas seats are reserved for those we hope will bring money for developmental projects for these children.
Our collective failure in the training of our children makes nonsense of all we do today for tomorrow. Jesus admonished us, “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you” (Matt 7:6). How do we treat our children who worth much more? We must remember that, “...the love of money is the root of all evils; it is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced their hearts with many pangs” (1Tim 6:10). Again, we ought to be contented with what we have because God has assured us, “I will never fail you nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5; cf. Deut 31:6, 8; Josh 1:5).
Bible Reading: Prov 4:1-27.
Thought for today: We define the future in the children.
Let us pray: God help us to understand and to take-up the task of training the children – Amen.

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Friday, 24 February 2017

Marriage is for life: Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (I) (24th February, 2017).


Homily (Reflection) for Friday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (I) (24th February, 2017) on the Gospel

Sir 6:5-17;
Ps 118:12.16.18.27.34-35. (R. v.35);
Mk 10:1-12.

Topic: Marriage is for life.
Some Pharisees to test Jesus asked Him in today’s gospel, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?” And in response to Jesus’ question they further said that Moses allowed a man to divorce his wife with a dismissal certificate. But Jesus told them point-blank that it was as a result of their hardness of heart and took them back to its origin,
God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.
However, the fall of mankind affected even the nature of marriage, cf. Gen 3:9-12. Christ redeemed everything and reinstated marriage to its original state, indissolubility, cf. Jn 10:10; Lk 1:68; Tit 2:13-14.
Regrettably, the state of marriage today seems to be worse than it was when the Pharisees asked this question. People took time to prepare certificates of dismissal before divorcing. Marriage is today for fun instead of for life as God ordained it. Although many factors attack marriage today, we shall point out just one. God has been expelled from the marriage He instituted, cf. Mal 1:6. That couple of Cana in Galilee was saved from shame because they invited Jesus, His mother, and His disciples, cf. Jn 2:1-11. Many marriages can be saved today only if the couple open the door for God. Finally, let all hold marriage in honour and respect the sanctity of the marriage bed. God will judge the immoral and adulterous, cf. Heb 13:4.
Bible Reading: 1Cor 7:25-40.
Thought for today: Marriage is ordained by God.
Let us pray: God, help us to realize and to respect your intention for marriage – Amen.

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Thursday, 23 February 2017

Helpers and problems: Memorial of Saint Polycarp, B.M. (23rd February, 2017).


Homily (Reflection) for the Memorial of Saint Polycarp, B.M. (23rd February, 2017) on the Gospel and the Memorial
(Thursday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time (I))

Sir 5:1-8;
Ps 1:1-4.6. (R. Ps 39:5);
Mk 9:41-50.
Saint Polycarp was a disciple of Saint John the Evangelist. He was bishop of Smyrna. Saint Polycarp faced persecution the way Christ did. His own church admired him for following the “gospel model” – not chasing after martyrdom as some did, but avoiding it until it was God's will as Jesus did. All he asked of his captors after giving them a meal was an hour to pray. He spent two hours praying for everyone he had ever known and for the Church. The proconsul begged him unsuccessfully to deny his faith. He was finally tied up and set ablaze. But when his captors saw he wasn't being burned, they stabbed him. The date was about February 23, 156 at the age of 86.[1]
Topic: Helpers and problems.
Note that in some versions of the bible, verses 44 and 46 of today’s gospel are missing. This is because they are replications of verse 48, “where their worm never dies, and their fire is never quenched.”
Jesus said in today’s gospel, “For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.” Again,
If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were hung around your neck and you were thrown into the sea.
Jesus also warned all to remove whatever that will cause others to sin. Nothing is too much to sacrifice for the sake of life (heaven). Whoever fails to enter into life will be thrown into “hell, where their worm never dies, and their fire is never quenched.” Saint Polycarp understood this very well. Hence, he did not listen to the pleadings of the proconsul. About an hour of fire cannot be compared with the everlasting burning.
Saint John recorded these words, “‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord henceforth.’ ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them!’” (Rev 14:13). Again, Saint Paul wrote, “...we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive good or evil, according to what he has done in the body” (2Cor 5:10).
Whoever despises the word of God brings destruction on him/herself, but those who respect them will be rewarded, cf. Prov 13:13. May we therefore listen to the word of God and be helpers and never problems to others.
Bible Reading: 2Cor 4:16–5:10.
Thought for today: You shall be rewarded, cf. 2Chr 15:7.
Let us pray: May God give us His grace to be helpers to everyone in need – Amen.
Saint Polycarp – Pray for us.

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