God's Word for the weekdays from 31st October

  What is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God.

 Saturday

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Monday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
October 31st 2011

Reading 1 Rom 11:29-36

Brothers and sisters:
The gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

Just as you once disobeyed God
but have now received mercy
because of their disobedience,
so they have now disobeyed in order that,
by virtue of the mercy shown to you,
they too may now receive mercy.
For God delivered all to disobedience,
that he might have mercy upon all.

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How inscrutable are his judgements and how unsearchable his ways!

For who has known the mind of the Lord
or who has been his counsellor?
Or who has given him anything
that he may be repaid?

For from him and through him and for him are all things.
To God be glory forever. Amen.

Let us never forget that we cannot understand the ways of God. Before God we are nothing and his love, wisdom and the power of his Word have created the universe which we have not been able to analyse and understand. As the Book of Wisdom says: “In your sight the whole world is like a grain of dust that tips the scales, like a drop of morning dew falling on the ground”. But we know he is a merciful and loving God and he allows sin and disobedience so that he can show mercy to all. This is the mystery of the rejection of his Son by the chosen people about which Paul has written. His choice of Israel and indeed of anyone is irrevocable. We may harden our hearts but his choice of us and love for us ever remain.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 69:30-31, 33-34, 36

R. (14c) Lord, in your great love, answer me.
But I am afflicted and in pain;
let your saving help, O God, protect me.
I will praise the name of God in song,
and I will glorify him with thanksgiving.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
"See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!
For the LORD hears the poor,
and his own who are in bonds he spurns not."
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.
For God will save Zion
and rebuild the cities of Judah.
They shall dwell in the land and own it,
and the descendants of his servants shall inherit it,
and those who love his name shall inhabit it.
R. Lord, in your great love, answer me.

Gospel Lk 14:12-14

On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees.
He said to the host who invited him,
"When you hold a lunch or a dinner,
do not invite your friends or your brothers or sisters
or your relatives or your wealthy neighbours,
in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet,
invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind;
blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you.
For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Jesus had a great love for the poor. “Blessed are the poor” he said “Theirs is the Kingdom of heaven”. We are in fact all poor, even though we may have some money. We must not think that we are independent and can go it I alone. We are dependent on God and no one can add even a minute to his span of life. We cannot make  success of our life by our own efforts. We need God’s constant blessings. Jesus had a childlike dependence on God, trusting that God would provide everything. Like Jesus his disciple must reach out to the poor not so much in giving things as giving themselves and their love. Those who do will be rewarded by God because whatever we say or do to another he takes as said or done to himself. Going by your words and deeds how much do you love God?

Solemnity of All Saints
November 1st 2011

Reading 1 Rv 7:2-4, 9-14

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East,
holding the seal of the living God.
He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels
who were given power to damage the land and the sea,
"Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees
until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God."
I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal,
one hundred and forty-four thousand marked
from every tribe of the children of Israel.

After this I had a vision of a great multitude,
which no one could count,
from every nation, race, people, and tongue.
They stood before the throne and before the Lamb,
wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.
They cried out in a loud voice:

"Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne,
and from the Lamb."

All the angels stood around the throne
and around the elders and the four living creatures.
They prostrated themselves before the throne,
worshiped God, and exclaimed:

"Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving,
honour, power, and might
be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me,
"Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?"
I said to him, "My lord, you are the one who knows."
He said to me,
"These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress;
they have washed their robes
and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb."

Salvation is the work of God. He is the only one who can take away our sins and heal us of the wounds of sin. This he does to all who approach Jesus and rely on his mercy and grace. God is God and he wants to save everyone. However on the other hand Salvation isn’t something cheap for us. It cost Jesus his life on the Cross but if we really want to be free from sin and healed of the wounds of sin then we have to take our relationship with Jesus seriously. We need to daily fall at the feet of Jesus in prayer and in all sincerity rely on his grace.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1bc-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his saviour.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.
R. Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Reading 2 1 Jn 3:1-3

Beloved:
See what love the Father has bestowed on us
that we may be called the children of God.
Yet so we are.
The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God's children now;
what we shall be has not yet been revealed.
We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him,
for we shall see him as he is.
Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure,
as he is pure.

The world in which we are presently living is God’s world and it is in this world that we must work out our vocation – this is to fulfil the plan that God has for each of us. This is to live our life according to his laws which show us the way and by listening to his inspirations that we can recognise through his Word and in our prayer. It is also to create a world which is according to his justice and love. This is the task of his children on earth. When our vocation is fully realised we will be like him because we will be his children living in the vision of his Divine Family.

Gospel Mt 5:1-12a

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain,
and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
He began to teach them, saying:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the land.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you
and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.
Rejoice and be glad,
for your reward will be great in heaven."

We are weak but strong in Christ. Our confidence comes from our trust in Jesus. We cannot earn heaven. Blessed, Jesus says, are those who realise that they have nothing of their own, God’s Kingdom is theirs. Holiness and salvation come from being united to Christ as the branch to the vine. We need to remain in Christ and Christ will remain in us. We will grow to be like him. We rejoice today when we read that a number impossible to count and from every race, tribe and people surround the Lamb. These are saved by Christ. In life they belonged to Jesus and he saved them for eternity. They have become the image of Jesus. The saints in heaven are raised to the level of God as Jesus has been. Today we celebrate and praise God for working out his saving plan. Do you live in Jesus?

The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed  (All Souls)
Wednesday November 2nd The following are a selection of the readings that may be chosen for this day.
 Reading 1 Wis 3:1-9

 The souls of the just are in the hand of God,

and no torment shall touch them.
They seemed, in the view of the foolish, to be dead;
and their passing away was thought an affliction
and their going forth from us, utter destruction.
But they are in peace.
For if before men, indeed, they be punished,
yet is their hope full of immortality;
chastised a little, they shall be greatly blessed,
because God tried them
and found them worthy of himself.
As gold in the furnace, he proved them,
and as sacrificial offerings he took them to himself.
In the time of their visitation they shall shine,
and shall dart about as sparks through stubble;
they shall judge nations and rule over peoples,
and the LORD shall be their King forever.
Those who trust in him shall understand truth,
and the faithful shall abide with him in love:
because grace and mercy are with his holy ones,
and his care is with his elect.

Even the most brilliant among us is characterised by our ignorance. We hardly know and understand what we can see and our ignorance of what we cannot see is almost total. From our own philosophical thinking we have no idea of what happens after death. Enough for our peace has been revealed to us by the Lord Jesus. We know from him that those who have lived lives of faith are in the hands of the Loving and Merciful God who is our Father. This is our consolation in the face of the death of loved ones. What are we to do now? We are to cultivate our friendship with the only One who will be with us in our time of passage from this world. He invites us to be his friend and promises us eternal life: I am the Resurrection and the Life. Whoever believes in me will live for ever. Wise people make this friendship the goal of their lives.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6

R. (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side
with your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
or:
R. Though I walk in the valley of darkness, I fear no evil, for you are with me.

Reading 2 Rom 5:5-11

Hope does not disappoint,
because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts
through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.
For Christ, while we were still helpless,
died at the appointed time for the ungodly.
Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,
though perhaps for a good person
one might even find courage to die.
But God proves his love for us
in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.
How much more then, since we are now justified by his Blood,
will we be saved through him from the wrath.
Indeed, if, while we were enemies,
we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son,
how much more, once reconciled,
will we be saved by his life.
Not only that,
but we also boast of God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The dynamic truth that transformed Paul was that Jesus, the Son of God, thought him so valuable that he was willing to die for him on a cross: “he loved me and gave his life for me”. At the time Paul was a bitter persecutor of the Church of Jesus. He was so overwhelmed with this truth that he instantly became the herald of Jesus to the whole world. Jesus loves each of us with an unconditional love. Saint or sinner he loves each person to the point of dying for them on the Cross. This is our consolation in the face of death. We go to a God whose love for us knows no limits.

Gospel Jn 6:37-40

Jesus said to the crowds:
"Everything that the Father gives me will come to me,
and I will not reject anyone who comes to me,
because I came down from heaven not to do my own will
but the will of the one who sent me.
And this is the will of the one who sent me,
that I should not lose anything of what he gave me,
but that I should raise it on the last day.
For this is the will of my Father,
that everyone who sees the Son and believes in him
may have eternal life,
and I shall raise him on the last day."

Death is a mystery. Before it we must be silent. When the dead person is someone close we feel the wrench of death. The sting of death is sin. Jesus gives us grounds for hope. His message is that God is love. God longs for us like the father in the parable of the lost son – ‘while he was a long way off, the father saw him and moved with pity, ran out and threw his arms around him'. Life is meant to be with Jesus. It is a life in faith and faith is darkness. While in this world, we are in exile from the Lord. Jesus loved us and died for us. We commend the dead to his mercy, which has no limit. While living may we make our home in him so that in going to God at death we may go home.  Are you always ready?

Thursday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
November 3rd 2011

Reading 1 Rom 14:7-12

Brothers and sisters:
None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.
For if we live, we live for the Lord,
and if we die, we die for the Lord;
so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord's.
For this is why Christ died and came to life,
that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Why then do you judge your brother or sister?
Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?
For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written:

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,
and every tongue shall give praise to God.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

Without Christ we would be eternally lost. Because of him we now live with the sure hope of an eternal life with God. We are his. We should live for him and in the end die for him so as to live with him for ever. This is in brief our religion. Since he looks on each of us with infinite love it follows that we must love one another if we love him. A sobering thought is that the way we look on others, even one, is the way we look on Christ. The measure of our love for him is the love or lack of it we show to even one person.  

Responsorial Psalm Ps 27:1bcde, 4, 13-14

R. ( 13) I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom should I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom should I be afraid?
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
That I may gaze on the loveliness of the LORD
and contemplate his temple.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.
I believe that I shall see the bounty of the LORD
in the land of the living.
Wait for the LORD with courage;
be stouthearted, and wait for the LORD.
R. I believe that I shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living.

Gospel Lk 15:1-10

The tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So Jesus addressed this parable to them.
"What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them
would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert
and go after the lost one until he finds it?
And when he does find it,
he sets it on his shoulders with great joy
and, upon his arrival home,
he calls together his friends and neighbours and says to them,
"Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep."
I tell you, in just the same way
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents
than over ninety-nine righteous people
who have no need of repentance.

"Or what woman having ten coins and losing one
would not light a lamp and sweep the house,
searching carefully until she finds it?
And when she does find it,
she calls together her friends and neighbors
and says to them,
"Rejoice with me because I have found the coin that I lost."
In just the same way, I tell you,
there will be rejoicing among the angels of God
over one sinner who repents."

The outcasts of society come to Jesus and he welcomes them. They are dishonest and sinners but Jesus sits and eats with them. He doesn’t tell them to repent first and then come. He loves them whether they repent or not. He wants them to repent because he loves them and wants them to be happy for ever in eternal life, but his love is not dependent on their repenting. He feels by showing his love, they may begin to change and leave their sinfulness which is destructive. He loves you too whether you repent or not.  Are you the lost sheep come home? Or,  the lost coin that has appeared?  Your return causes the Lord who died for you immense joy and is your eternal salvation. If you respond to grace you can return and you can be found. Do you want to cause cheers in heaven?

Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop
Friday 4th November 2011

Reading 1 Rom 15:14-21

I myself am convinced about you, my brothers and sisters,
that you yourselves are full of goodness,
filled with all knowledge, and able to admonish one another.
But I have written to you rather boldly in some respects to remind you,
because of the grace given me by God
to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles
in performing the priestly service of the Gospel of God,
so that the offering up of the Gentiles may be acceptable,
sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to boast in what pertains to God.
For I will not dare to speak of anything
except what Christ has accomplished through me
to lead the Gentiles to obedience by word and deed,
by the power of signs and wonders,
by the power of the Spirit of God,
so that from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum
I have finished preaching the Gospel of Christ.
Thus I aspire to proclaim the Gospel
not where Christ has already been named,
so that I do not build on another's foundation,
but as it is written:

Those who have never been told of him shall see,
and those who have never heard of him shall understand.

Paul is the true missionary who proclaims Jesus to those who have not yet had the opportunity of hearing about him. He is a pioneer. He preaches not a doctrine or a system of ideas but “by the power of signs and wonders, (and) by the power of the Spirit of God” to bring the gentiles to obedience to the Lord Jesus by his words and deeds. Jesus is our religion and love and obedience is the living out of our religion.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4

R. (see 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Gospel Lk 16:1-8

Jesus said to his disciples, "A rich man had a steward
who was reported to him for squandering his property.
He summoned him and said,
"What is this I hear about you?
Prepare a full account of your stewardship,
because you can no longer be my steward."
The steward said to himself, "What shall I do,
now that my master is taking the position of steward away from me?
I am not strong enough to dig and I am ashamed to beg.
I know what I shall do so that,
when I am removed from the stewardship,
they may welcome me into their homes."
He called in his master's debtors one by one.
To the first he said, "How much do you owe my master?"
He replied, "One hundred measures of olive oil."
He said to him, "Here is your promissory note.
Sit down and quickly write one for fifty."
Then to another he said, "And you, how much do you owe?"
He replied, "One hundred measures of wheat."
He said to him, "Here is your promissory note;
write one for eighty."
And the master commended that dishonest steward for acting prudently.
For the children of this world
are more prudent in dealing with their own generation
than the children of light."

Jesus doesn’t praise dishonesty. He holds up as a model the cleverness of this unjust steward. He knows he is going to lose his job. While he has it, with it he makes friends who will support him when he is on the street. Jesus praises him for acting with shrewdness to safeguard his future. Worldly people work harder for their ambitions than believers for the Kingdom of God. We know life is temporary, that at death the real life begins but are we bothered very much to safeguard our eternal future? To safeguard his future he made friends. To safeguard our eternal life we should now make a Friend. If we concentrate on making Jesus our Friend then he will support us when this life slips from our hands. He will make sure that all is well. Are you anxious to make Jesus you Friend, Saviour and Lord?

Saturday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
5th November 2011

Reading 1 Rom 16:3-9, 16, 22-27

Brothers and sisters:
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus,
who risked their necks for my life,
to whom not only I am grateful but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
greet also the Church at their house.
Greet my beloved Epaenetus,
who was the first fruits in Asia for Christ.
Greet Mary, who has worked hard for you.
Greet Andronicus and Junia,
my relatives and my fellow prisoners;
they are prominent among the Apostles
and they were in Christ before me.
Greet Ampliatus, my beloved in the Lord.
Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ,
and my beloved Stachys.
Greet one another with a holy kiss.
All the churches of Christ greet you.

I, Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.
Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole Church, greets you.
Erastus, the city treasurer,
and our brother Quartus greet you.

Now to him who can strengthen you,
according to my Gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret for long ages
but now manifested through the prophetic writings and,
according to the command of the eternal God,
made known to all nations to bring about the obedience of faith,
to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ
be glory forever and ever. Amen.

Considering that Paul had never been to Rome and did not know the community there personally, this passage is surprising because he gives evidence of knowing so many people there. It is for this reason that many think that this part of the letter was somehow or other joined to this letter though it was not meant for the people of Rome. Whatever, it shows how Paul knew his people and like a true pastor loved and cared for them. The final doxology too seems to have come from elsewhere in the course of history. Nonetheless it is the inspired Word of God and gives us the essence of our Faith.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:2-3, 4-5, 10-11

R. (1b) I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Generation after generation praises your works
and proclaims your might.
They speak of the splendour of your glorious majesty
and tell of your wondrous works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, Lord.

Gospel Lk 16:9-15

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you, make friends for yourselves with dishonest wealth,
so that when it fails, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
The person who is trustworthy in very small matters
is also trustworthy in great ones;
and the person who is dishonest in very small matters
is also dishonest in great ones.
If, therefore, you are not trustworthy with dishonest wealth,
who will trust you with true wealth?
If you are not trustworthy with what belongs to another,
who will give you what is yours?
No servant can serve two masters.
He will either hate one and love the other,
or be devoted to one and despise the other.
You cannot serve God and mammon."

The Pharisees, who loved money,
heard all these things and sneered at him.
And he said to them,
"You justify yourselves in the sight of others,
but God knows your hearts;
for what is of human esteem is an abomination in the sight of God."

Money, says. Paul, is the root of all evil. We can easily become its slave, without realizing it. It can also be the source of good. It depends on how we use it. By sharing it with those in need we make friends. We must share not only money   but our time and ourselves in love. Money is not really ours. Willy-nilly we will one day lose it. We must then use it wisely to win friends for the day when we have lost it and need support. This is the value of helping those in need. Almsgiving pays great dividends. The affairs of this world are insignificant compared with the other life, but nonetheless important. If we know how to use that which we will lose, then we will be given that which will be ours forever. May we be preserved from love for money. Are you?

God's Word for the 31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time A

The greatest among you must be your servant. 

Malachi 1:14-2:2.8-10. Psalm 130. 1 Thess 2:7-9.13.

Have we not all one Father? Why then do we break faith with one another?

O Lord, my heart is not proud or haughty my eyes.

As soon as you heard the message, you accepted it for what it is, God’s message.

The greatest among you must be your servant

Gospel Mt 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Servant or Lord?

Jesus condemned the Jewish leaders. But his warnings are meant for Christian leaders too. To see how leaders should exercise authority, we must study Jesus. He is the pattern for his flock. Though he was God, no one ever imagined that he was! He had no distinguishing robes, special living conditions or means of travel. He had no title, no rank, and no special authority. He mixed with the riffraff of society, eating and spending time with them. He didn’t belong to a priestly family. If called rabbi it was because he taught with authority, and not like the scribes. He washed the feet of his disciples.  He considered this so important. ‘You also must wash one another’s feet”. He himself prepared breakfast for his disciples by the Sea of Galilee. In the Gospel we see him either going to heal someone or returning from a healing. When he saw people like sheep without a shepherd, he forgot his own need for rest and preached to them. He never refused any call, never demanded or expected any special treatment or honour, had no place to lay his head, allowed himself to be handed over to sinners to be tortured and killed. Yet he was not afraid to speak out against injustice even if the Pharisees mocked him or conspired against him. He was by no means timid but gentle and humble of heart, a friend of outcasts and sinners.

            He condemns hypocrisy and externalism, whether in prayer, almsgiving or fasting. He warns against wanting titles, lording it over others, any kind of elitism, desiring positions of honour, adulation and domination.

When the Church became the State religion under Constantine after 312 AD, it became fashionable to be a Christian. Previously in the time of persecutions, it was a risk. Now Christian leaders became important in the civic community. Power, as it is said, corrupts and in the course of time Church leaders also took on the trappings of secular rulers – their kind of clothes and style of living and even titles. What is in a name? But with the titles and style of worldly rulers will we not be tempted to take on their attitudes too?

            But in his community Jesus insists we are all equal. There are no superior or inferior ranks. There are no lords but shepherds who are to be examples to their flock. The greatest is to be servant - not only in name but also in fact. Yet in the Church do we not have our distinguishing titles and ranks?  Do we not enjoy them too? Do we not act, at times, as though we are lords? Yet we are called to emulate the Great Foot Washer, and be humble servants of one another. Are you ready to pour yourself out in service to your brothers and sisters?

Father, though your Son was God he became a servant, grant that I may imitate him and give my life for others.

God's Word for the weekdays from 24th October

 For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Please scroll down to find the day you want.

October 24, 2011

Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Rom 8:12-17

Brothers and sisters,
we are not debtors to the flesh,
to live according to the flesh.
For if you live according to the flesh, you will die,
but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body,
you will live.

For those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear,
but you received a spirit of adoption,
through which we cry, "Abba, Father!"
The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.

The Christian religion is not a matter of rules, not a matter of being a member of a denomination. By accepting Jesus we receive his Spirit and are recreated. We now share the life of God as his children. To live in the Spirit as the son or daughter of God with Christ Jesus, the only Begotten One, is to be a Christian. Law is not our motive but the Holy Spirit and our love for the Father. The Church is the Family of God on earth. We are in the process of becoming in fullness God’s children and so presently we are heirs with Christ to all the promises of the Father.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 68:2 and 4, 6-7ab, 20-21

R. (21a) Our God is the God of salvation.
God arises; his enemies are scattered,
and those who hate him flee before him.
But the just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
R. Our God is the God of salvation.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. Our God is the God of salvation.
Blessed day by day be the Lord,
who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation.
God is a saving God for us;
the LORD, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.
R. Our God is the God of salvation.

Gospel Lk 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath.
And a woman was there who for eighteen years
had been crippled by a spirit;
she was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect.
When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said,
"Woman, you are set free of your infirmity."
He laid his hands on her,
and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
But the leader of the synagogue,
indignant that Jesus had cured on the Sabbath,
said to the crowd in reply,
"There are six days when work should be done.
Come on those days to be cured, not on the Sabbath day."
The Lord said to him in reply, "Hypocrites!
Does not each one of you on the Sabbath
untie his ox or his ass from the manger
and lead it out for watering?
This daughter of Abraham,
whom Satan has bound for eighteen years now,
ought she not to have been set free on the Sabbath day
from this bondage?"
When he said this, all his adversaries were humiliated;
and the whole crowd rejoiced at all the splendid deeds done by him.

Sickness is not God’s will. It isn’t from him. “Satan has bound (her) for eighteen years”. Sickness is not necessarily a direct result of sin either but we live in a world polluted by Satan. “She was bent over, completely incapable of standing erect”. Are we not all in some way like her? Jesus came to rid the world of Satan even though he is an obstinate enemy. Victory will one day be ours through him. “She at once stood up straight and glorified God”. Everything that comes from God is for the health and wellbeing of man. When we are “filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph3) then we will all stand erect and praise Him. Jesus worked this miracle in the synagogue and on the Sabbath. Everything in the Church should work towards the complete liberation of man.  Do you see Jesus at work through you?

October 25, 2011

Tuesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Rom 8:18-25

Brothers and sisters:
I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing
compared with the glory to be revealed for us.
For creation awaits with eager expectation
the revelation of the children of God;
for creation was made subject to futility,
not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,
in hope that creation itself
would be set free from slavery to corruption
and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know that all creation is groaning in labour pains even until now;
and not only that, but we ourselves,
who have the first fruits of the Spirit,
we also groan within ourselves
as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.
For in hope we were saved.
Now hope that sees for itself is not hope.
For who hopes for what one sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.

We have life but we do not have it to the full. Each of us has still to face the ordeal of death and all that goes with it. But we live in hope that Jesus will bring the salvation given to us already to completion one day. When we fully become the children of God we will be like God – ‘then our glory will be revealed’.  Salvation is for the whole of creation and for the whole person not just for the soul. We groan in expectation for the ‘redemption of our bodies’. Nature was cursed because of man's sin (Gen3:17)but Jesus will make all things new (2 Pet 3:13, Rev. 21:1-5). Even nature longs in some mysterious way for its fulfilment. We must endure, Paul says, to the end. In Christ we can look forward to the future with confidence. When we arrive home after our exile and all is fulfilled then we will be able to proclaim the Responsorial Psalm. Meanwhile we live in the Lord both while at work and at rest.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 126:1b-2ab, 2cd-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3a) The Lord has done marvels for us.
When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.
Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.
R. The Lord has done marvels for us.

Gospel Lk 13:18-21

Jesus said, "What is the Kingdom of God like?
To what can I compare it?
It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden.
When it was fully grown, it became a large bush
and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches."

Again he said, "To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God?
It is like yeast that a woman took
and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour
until the whole batch of dough was leavened."

The stress is not the smallness or greatness of the seed but the inner power that makes it grow from ‘nothing’. Likewise, the power of God makes the Kingdom grow from insignificance to the final state of the Second Coming of Jesus. Then it will embrace all peoples. The mustard seed grows in soil. How are we to plant it? The point is not the digging but being the mustard seed. We are to be the embodiment of the Kingdom. We need to be full of love for Jesus, and then we will be alive in the Spirit. As with Jesus our humanity must blossom and we will radiate the Kingdom through the Spirit-filled virtues of goodness, kindness, generosity, humility, self sacrifice for others and love for God and all his children. We may not see the effect but we will be the leaven in our world. Are you the leaven?

Wednesday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time 

 26th October 2011

Reading 1 Rom 8:26-30

Brothers and sisters:
The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought,
but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.
And the one who searches hearts
knows what is the intention of the Spirit,
because he intercedes for the holy ones
according to God's will.

We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the first born
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.

As St. Augustine says when the Spirit prays he doesn’t pray beseeching the Father but rather he teaches us how to pay, inspires and leads us in our prayer. It is important to realize that we do not know how to pray in a way worthy of God. All Christian prayer should be prayer in the Spirit. We need to have fellowship with the Holy Spirit throughout our prayer as we ask him to guide us in it. Since those who believe in Jesus are the beloved children of God we can rest assured that our Father will not allow evil to enter into our life unless it is so that he can bring great good out of it for us. We can, then, rejoice in God under all circumstances, knowing that he has only allowed what has happened to happen because he will bring good out of it. God's children are not abandoned. They have a Father who cares for them night and day (Psalm 139).He is in control of our lives.God's desire is that we will share his glory one day.
Why do people love God? Not because they are 'blindly predestined' but because they have responded to God's desire that they love him. It is God's desire from all eternity that we become modelled on his Son, Jesus. Paul is talking about Christians taken as a group, which also applies to the members of the group.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 13:4-5, 6

R. (6a) My hope, O Lord, is in your mercy.
Look, answer me, O LORD, my God!
Give light to my eyes that I may not sleep in death
lest my enemy say, "I have overcome him;
lest my foes rejoice at my downfall.
R. All my hope, O Lord, is in your loving kindness.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
Let my heart rejoice in your salvation;
let me sing of the LORD, "He has been good to me."
R. All my hope, O Lord, is in your loving kindness.

Gospel Lk 13:22-30

Jesus passed through towns and villages,
teaching as he went and making his way to Jerusalem.
Someone asked him,
"Lord, will only a few people be saved?"
He answered them,
"Strive to enter through the narrow gate,
for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.
After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door,
then will you stand outside knocking and saying,
"Lord, open the door for us."
He will say to you in reply,
"I do not know where you are from."
And you will say,
"We ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets."
Then he will say to you,
"I do not know where you are from.
Depart from me, all you evildoers!"
And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth
when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God
and you yourselves cast out.
And people will come from the east and the west
and from the north and the south
and will recline at table in the Kingdom of God.
For behold, some are last who will be first,
and some are first who will be last."

What is the narrow door Jesus is speaking about? Surely it is Jesus himself. In John’s Gospel he says “I am the door”. This is a metaphor. It is through our personal relationship with Jesus that we gain entrance into the Life of God. Those who are the close friends of Jesus have a guaranteed entrance. How can he refuse his intimate friends? It is not by simply being a Catholic or whatever, merely keeping rules, going to Church, saying some prayers, being a member of the church choir etc that we gain entry. It is by loving Jesus and accepting his invitation to be his friend. How do we know if we are truly his friends? “If you love me, you will keep my Word”. His Word is that we love others in the way he loves them. By loving others we gain entrance.Our treatment of others is our treatment of Christ. How do you stand then?

October 27th

Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1 Rom 8:31b-39

Brothers and sisters:
If God is for us, who can be against us?
He did not spare his own Son
but handed him over for us all,
how will he not also give us everything else along with him?
Who will bring a charge against God's chosen ones?
It is God who acquits us.
Who will condemn?
It is Christ Jesus who died, rather, was raised,
who also is at the right hand of God,
who indeed intercedes for us.
What will separate us from the love of Christ?
Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine,
or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
As it is written:

For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.

No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly
through him who loved us.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life,
nor angels, nor principalities,
nor present things, nor future things,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature will be able to separate us
from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Nothing can stop God loving us, even our open rebellion. Do human beings really understand the malice of sin? Jesus prayed about those who committed the worst sin in history, “Father forgive them. They do not know what they are doing” That is not to say that they do not sin. Sin is a deliberate rebellion against God. All the same God allowed his Son to die in atonement for sin on the Cross. At any cost he wants to save us and have us live with him. It is his love for us which compels him. It is indestructible. His prayer: “Father, forgive them” is the prayer of Jesus till all are saved. Can we join St. Paul in saying nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus – not even “anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword”. There is only one thing in life of true and lasting value: to live in a personal relationship with  Jesus of love and service.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 109:21-22, 26-27, 30-31

R. (26b) Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Do you, O GOD, my Lord, deal kindly with me for your name's sake;
in your generous mercy rescue me;
For I am wretched and poor,
and my heart is pierced within me.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
Help me, O LORD, my God;
save me, in your mercy,
And let them know that this is your hand;
that you, O LORD, have done this.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your mercy.
I will speak my thanks earnestly to the LORD,
and in the midst of the throng I will praise him,
For he stood at the right hand of the poor man,
to save him from those who would condemn his soul.
R. Save me, O Lord, in your kindness.

Gospel Lk 13:31-35

Some Pharisees came to Jesus and said,
"Go away, leave this area because Herod wants to kill you."
He replied, "Go and tell that fox,
"Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow,
and on the third day I accomplish my purpose.
Yet I must continue on my way today, tomorrow, and the following day,
for it is impossible that a prophet should die
outside of Jerusalem."

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you,
how many times I yearned to gather your children together
as a hen gathers her brood under her wings,
but you were unwilling!
Behold, your house will be abandoned.
But I tell you, you will not see me until the time comes when you say,
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Not all Pharisees were implacable enemies of Jesus. Some warn him of Herod’s intention to kill him. But Jesus lays down his life of his own accord. No one takes it from him. Until his hour has come Herod can do nothing. Then Jesus will allow his enemies to do what they will. Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, the centre of Judaism. It is here that his final rejection will take place. The leaders of the Jews will condemn him to death and have him crucified. Nonetheless Jesus will continue to love them till the end. All will fail him including his disciples but he will forgive all who repent. He longs to gather all mankind under his wing. Those who refuse his offer will bring on themselves destruction as did Jerusalem. We cannot live without him. On whose side are you in the drama of Christ’s life? Do you accept or reject him?

Friday October 28, 2011

 Feast of Saint Simon and Saint Jude, Apostles
Reading 1 Eph 2:19-22

Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Jesus chose twelve apostles because he was founding the new people of God. There had been twelve patriarchs and twelve tribes. The Old Covenant is abrogated and the new People of God is founded on faith in Jesus. The Twelve Apostles are the foundations of the New family of God. There had to be twelve because the Church is now the New Covenant in the Holy Spirit. Blood relationship is not the criterion any more. Even in his own life time Jesus distanced himself from his natural family and established the New Family of God. This is based on faith. We are to listen to the Word of God and fulfil it. God's true dwelling place is first of all the human heart and the human community of believers. The community of believers united in heart and soul is to be the temple of the Living God.Each of us individully and all united together are called to be that Temple.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.

Gospel Lk 6:12-16

Jesus went up to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to God.

When day came, he called his disciples to himself,
and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named Apostles:
Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot,
and Judas the son of James,
and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

Anyone who wants to do anything for God should learn to pray as Jesus did. He spent the whole night in silent union with his Father. This was the source of his strength. The apostles were conceived in his prayer to the Father. An apostle is called to live with Jesus and witness to the Resurrection. An apostle is an ambassador of Jesus, making him present and proclaiming his message to the world. The apostles have a special role in the Church but all in some way share in their vocation. This is the apostolate of each Christian. We too are called to be with Jesus and witness to his Resurrection. We are witnesses to this by being transformed ourselves and living with the fullness of life. Do you live a life of union with Jesus? Is the power of his Resurrection manifested in you?

October 29, 2011

Saturday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Rom 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29

Brothers and sisters:
I ask, then, has God rejected his people?
Of course not!
For I too am a child of Israel, a descendant of Abraham,
of the tribe of Benjamin.
God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew.
Do you not know what the Scripture says about Elijah,
how he pleads with God against Israel?

Hence I ask, did they stumble so as to fall?
Of course not!
But through their transgression
salvation has come to the Gentiles,
so as to make them jealous.
Now if their transgression is enrichment for the world,
and if their diminished number is enrichment for the Gentiles,
how much more their full number.

I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers and sisters,
so that you will not become wise in your own estimation:
a hardening has come upon Israel in part,
until the full number of the Gentiles comes in,
and thus all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

The deliverer will come out of Zion,
he will turn away godlessness from Jacob;
and this is my covenant with them
when I take away their sins.

In respect to the Gospel, they are enemies on your account;
but in respect to election,
they are beloved because of the patriarch.
For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.

Paul is writing to a community in Rome which he did not found and which does not know him personally. He writes in a very conciliatory way towards the Jews. They have not accepted Jesus as the Messiah. It is true he says that they are now enemies of the Gospel but that is only to allow the Gentiles to embrace the Gospel. They are still the chose people because God’s call is irrevocable. God's mercy is greater than any sin. When they see the Gentiles receiving Gods graces he says they will be jealous and return. Christians are not to look on Jews as those who crucified Jesus, the Son of God. It was only a small number of Jews in those days who did this and the whole race is in no way guilty. The persecution of Jews in history is something to be deeply regretted and not in accordance with the teaching of Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 94:12-13a, 14-15, 17-18

R. (14a) The Lord will not abandon his people.
Blessed the man whom you instruct, O LORD,
whom by your law you teach,
Giving him rest from evil days.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
For the LORD will not cast off his people,
nor abandon his inheritance;
But judgment shall again be with justice,
and all the upright of heart shall follow it.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.
Were not the LORD my help,
my soul would soon dwell in the silent grave.
When I say, "My foot is slipping,"
your mercy, O LORD, sustains me.
R. The Lord will not abandon his people.

Gospel Lk 14:1, 7-11

On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine
at the home of one of the leading Pharisees,
and the people there were observing him carefully.

He told a parable to those who had been invited,
noticing how they were choosing the places of honour at the table.
"When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet,
do not recline at table in the place of honour.
A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him,
and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say,
"Give your place to this man,"
and then you would proceed with embarrassment
to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited,
go and take the lowest place
so that when the host comes to you he may say,
"My friend, move up to a higher position."
Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

Jesus is not teaching us to make a name for ourselves. He is talking of the Kingdom. We are the children of a Father who loves us and is generous beyond our imagining. He is the one who has given us everything we have and wants to share with us everything he has. We don’t have to earn anything. He longs to give us his gifts. All we need do to be “a first-born son” is to stretch out our hands in love humbly acknowledging that the Father is the source of everything. We are to realize with joy that he brought us into being from nothing and that we are totally dependent on him. When we do this we open the door for him to request us “to move up higher” even to the very throne of God (Rev.3:21). You are chosen.  Do you rejoice in being humble and being human?

God's Word for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbour as yourself.  

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, October 23, 2011

Reading 1 Ex 22:20-26

Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbours among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbour's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51

R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my saviour.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Gospel Mt 22:34-40

When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbour as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two

Can I give a flower to God?

       Can a dictator command his people to love him?  We earn love. We can’t demand it. Love is a free gift or it is not love. Then what of the commandment to love God? If we saw God as he is and knew him, we would be attracted to him. Like insects are compelled towards the light so would we be compelled to want God. God does not want a devotion of ‘slaves’. He wants our love freely given. He gives us every reason to desire him – he has revealed himself as Creator, the God who loves and saves and offers us life as his children to whom he gives his very Self. He reveals himself in the form of his Word, his Son Jesus.  ‘But God is neither a man who should lie nor a son of man that he should repent’ (Numbers 22:19). His Word is true. Since he has given us everything we have, then we should love him in return. In this sense love is a commandment. His love has given us everything, so we should love with everything we have.

            But immediately we have a difficulty. We must show the love we have. We must manifest it in word and deed. We can proclaim it in words – we sing his praises and profess our love. But how can we show it in deed? By sacrifice? God does not come and take out gifts. “You take no pleasure in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, you would not delight in it’ (Ps. 51:18).

            God loves human beings and indeed all his creation. Each human being is precious in his eyes. ‘God so loved the world’ – he so loves each and every person whom he has brought into being. His love is such that he emptied himself of his divine glory and became a slave born in our likeness. His love has no limit. At any cost to himself, even to the extent of his Passion and death on the Cross, he wants to save us and bring us to a life of bliss in God. He always respects out freedom. He wants us to choose him as he has chosen us. From the Cross he appeals to us to allow him to save us. His love makes him want to be everything to everyone. We can show our love for him who is invisible by loving his beloved ones who are visible. Our neighbour is precious to him. What we do to our neighbour he considers as done to himself. This is the mystery of his love. Now if your love wants to do something for God, go out and do it to your neighbour. Love given to his beloved, he takes as given to him. The saints like Blessed Mother Teresa understood this. Have you?    

Grant that I may love my neighbour you do and do to them what I would do to you.

God's Word for the weekdays from 17th October

I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!

Please scroll down to find the day you want

 

Memorial of Saint Ignatius of Antioch, bishop and martyr

Monday, 17 October 2011

Reading 1 Rom 4:20-25

Brothers and sisters:
Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
But it was not for him alone that it was written
that it was credited to him;
it was also for us, to whom it will be credited,
who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification.

God infinitely surpasses us humans and so that there is no way that we can make up to God for our offences, nor is there any way by which we can have a relationship of friendship with him. Before God the human being must fall prostrate. But God in his goodness has come to us in the person of Jesus and by our faith in him we can have forgiveness for our sins and fellowship with God. It is all the fruit of Faith which opens the flood gates of Gods love and mercy.

Responsorial Psalm Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75

R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.

Gospel Lk 12:13-21

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
"Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
He replied to him,
"Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd,
"Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions."

Then he told them a parable.
"There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, "What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?"
And he said, "This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!""
But God said to him,
"You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?"
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God."

We all look for security and prosperity. We differ in what will provide this. Many think in terms of wealth and possessions. However though wealth may give some kind of security it is fragile and does not last. Jesus alone shows us the way to perfect security under all circumstances. He offers us his friendship. Friendship with Jesus, now through faith, will give us perfect security. When all worldly wealth is lost Jesus will never abandon us and will be at our side when all others can no longer be with us. He alone can give us life and life in all its abundance. If we want to live life to the full Jesus is the way and it is his free gift to all who believe. Do you have a lively faith that brings you close to Jesus in a living relationship that brings salvation when all is lost?

Feast of Saint Luke, evangelist
Tuesday 18th October

Reading 1 2 Tm 4:10-17b

Beloved:
Demas, enamoured of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
Luke is the only one with me.
Get Mark and bring him with you,
for he is helpful to me in the ministry.
I have sent Tychicus to Ephesus.
When you come, bring the cloak I left with Carpus in Troas,
the papyrus rolls, and especially the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
You too be on guard against him,
for he has strongly resisted our preaching.

At my first defence no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.

Looking at Paul from two thousand years and with the fame and influence of his letters we may think he had a charmed life. This is not true. He often felt abandoned and suffered from the opposition and criticism of fellow Christians. Here he tells us that Luke is the only companion he has. All others have left him Luke may well have accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys as in the Acts he writes certain parts of the narrative using the term “we” rather than the third person. Luke is the “beloved physician” (Col 4:14).

Responsorial Psalm Ps 145:10-11, 12-13, 17-18

R. (12)  Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your Kingdom
and speak of your might.

Gospel Lk 10:1-9

The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples
whom he sent ahead of him in pairs
to every town and place he intended to visit.
He said to them,
"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest
to send out laborers for his harvest.
Go on your way;
behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals;
and greet no one along the way.
Into whatever house you enter,
first say, "Peace to this household."
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
for the laborer deserves payment.
Do not move about from one house to another.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"

Our treasure is Jesus. We are to cultivate his friendship. While we live here we need to work but money is not an end in itself. The goal of life is Jesus. We are to rely on him to provide all we need. So Jesus sends his disciples telling them not to take anything for their journey. To be poor for his sake is to be rich. We are to concentrate all our efforts on being his witnesses. By our words, our behaviour and in all our dealings we should consciously act as his witnesses attracting people to him. We have no time for anything else; we “greet no one along the way”. As the ambassadors of Jesus we are to bring peace and without pride or arrogance share the life of others. Our presence will always be a healing presence. Can people experience the Kingdom of God through you?

 Memorial of Saint John de Brébeuf and Saint Isaac Jogues, priests and martyrs, and their companions, martyrs
Wednesday 19th October 2011

Reading 1 Rom 6:12-18

Brothers and sisters:
Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies
so that you obey their desires.
And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin
as weapons for wickedness,
but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life
and the parts of your bodies to God
as weapons for righteousness.
For sin is not to have any power over you,
since you are not under the law but under grace.

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law
but under grace? 
Of course not!
Do you not know that if you present yourselves
to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey,
either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart
to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

We Christians have been liberated from the grip of sin but that does not mean that we are free from sin. Sin can always once again take hold of us if we relax our watch. Sin like a demon is lurking at the door (Genesis 4:7). We must always be dependent on the grace of God which comes to us only as a result of our constant prayer.Jesus is our Liberator but only when we have a true and personal relationship with him. To be a slave of God is to be free but to be a slave of our sins is to bring misery now and eternal death later.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 124:1b-3, 4-6, 7-8

R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us,
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us?
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive;
When their fury was inflamed against us.

Gospel Lk 12:39-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

Then Peter said,
"Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
And the Lord replied,
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
"My master is delayed in coming,"
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant's master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."

Jesus is here speaking of those who are responsible for caring for others in his community. They must realize that they are stewards acting in the place of the Master. They are called to fidelity to the task given, whether it is to caring for children, the sick or the aged, for the spiritual needs of the community, to the duties of their state of life. We are to realize that we will have to give an account to the Master, one day. Those who prove themselves faithful will in the real world be given full authority. Those who willfully neglect their duties or abuse their charges will be severely punished. Life is not a game. It matters a great deal how we live. God is merciful, but in the reckoning He will be just. What are your responsibilities? How do you fulfil them? Can you face your Master today?

Thursday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
20th October 2011

Reading 1 Rom 6:19-23

Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature.
For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness for lawlessness,
so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.
But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God,
the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,
and its end is eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Those who allow themselves to fall into habits of sin whether it be pornography, impurity, adultery, drunkenness or any other form of sin become slaves of their sin and cannot free themselves however much they want to. Sin leads to the punishment of eternal death in hell. If we rely on God through prayer and his Sacraments then we will be liberated from the slavery of sin and receive eternal life. The wages of sin is death, eternal death but God’s gift to those who wholeheartedly receive it is eternal life with God.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

R. (Ps 40:5) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.

Gospel Lk 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptised,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Jesus came on a mission; to set men on fire with God’s Love. This is the Holy Spirit, the Love of God in person. He did it at Pentecost when there were tongues of fire above the heads of all his disciples. He continues to do it still with those who open themselves to him. They become transformed. Jesus won for us the fire of God’s love when he was plunged into the waters of suffering in his Passion and Crucifixion. He is the Prince of Peace and fills each of his disciples with a peace the world cannot give. Yet his disciples enjoy this peace in the midst of a world where others do not share the same faith and others are evil. They are like lambs among wolves. The radical choice for Jesus causes division. Have you made a radical choice for Jesus? How does it cause division?

Friday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
21st October 2011

Reading 1 Rom 7:18-25a

Brothers and sisters:
I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
So, then, I discover the principle
that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.
For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self,
but I see in my members another principle
at war with the law of my mind,
taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Because of this inherent weakness which we call original sin human beings are prone to evil from their childhood. If we do not discipline ourselves we will become the slaves of sin. Every person has experienced what St. Paul describes in today’s readings. Jesus said the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. However if we trust in Jesus’ help and rely on him in prayer then we will have the grace to overcome the proneness to sin which we experience. In all circumstances if we rightly cooperate with God "My grace is sufficient for you"  (2 Cor. 12:9).

Responsorial Psalm Ps 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94

R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.

Gospel Lk 12:54-59

Jesus said to the crowds,
"When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain' and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot' and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

"Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny."

Jesus tells us to read the signs of the times, that He is Lord of heaven and earth. We must recognize that everything in this life is transitory, including ourselves. But with the gift of freedom we are responsible for our lives. Life is a gift on trust. When it is over we have to account for how we lived it. We are all weak, but the Judge is merciful and calls us to be his friends. We should accept his invitation and become intimate with him while still on the way. He has a way of making good all our errors and failings before the final reckoning. It is easy to read the signs. They are obvious to everyone. But do we bother? If we reject the offer of friendship and healing now, then we will have to face the cost. How does your future look?

Saturday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
22nd October 2011

Reading 1 Rom 8:1-11

Brothers and sisters:
Now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus
has freed you from the law of sin and death.
For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do,
this God has done:
by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh
and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,
so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us,
who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit.
For those who live according to the flesh
are concerned with the things of the flesh,
but those who live according to the spirit
with the things of the spirit.
The concern of the flesh is death,
but the concern of the spirit is life and peace.
For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God;
it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it;
and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
But you are not in the flesh;
on the contrary, you are in the spirit,
if only the Spirit of God dwells in you.
Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
But if Christ is in you,
although the body is dead because of sin,
the spirit is alive because of righteousness.
If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you,
the one who raised Christ from the dead
will give life to your mortal bodies also,
through his Spirit that dwells in you.

It is not enough to simply ‘be a Christian’ or to just get baptised. Christian life is life in the Holy Spirit. We are to be possessed by the Holy Spirit and in our daily life to be lead in all things by the Holy Spirit. We are then no longer in the sway of our bodily desires but live a life according to the Law of God. In Galatians 5:19 ff St. Paul shows the difference between a person living according to his/her bodily desires and one possessed by the Holy Spirit. If the Spirit of God truly lives within us then we already possess the eternal life of God within us and live a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, humility, generosity and self control. These are the authentic signs of God's Spirit living within us..

Responsorial Psalm Ps 24:1b-2, 3-4ab, 5-6

R. (see 6) Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
The LORD's are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.

Gospel Lk 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans
whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
He said to them in reply,
"Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way
they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!
Or those eighteen people who were killed
when the tower at Siloam fell on them?
do you think they were more guilty
than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
By no means!
But I tell you, if you do not repent,
you will all perish as they did!"

And he told them this parable:
"There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,
and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
he said to the gardener,
"For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree
but have found none.
So cut it down.
Why should it exhaust the soil?"
He said to him in reply,
"Sir, leave it for this year also,
and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
it may bear fruit in the future.
If not you can cut it down.'"

There is a tendency to equate disasters with punishment. Jesus rejects this notion. In fact God lets his rain fall on evil people as well as on good. He is not a God of disasters but a God of love. There is no direct connection between catastrophes and sins, as if those who escape are less sinful. God wants us to turn away from sin and grow into the person he wants us to become. Repentance is the way to growth and happiness. In the parable of the fig tree Jesus reveals a God who is patient  with our weakness. He is the vinedresser. By the nature of things our time is limited. We have to produce fruit now. One day our time will run out. God tries till the very end to help us bear fruit.  What kind of fig tree are you? Are you awake or asleep?