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?

God's Word for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

 Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God

 Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday, October 16, 2011

Gospel Matt 22:15-21

The Pharisees went off

and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech.
They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying,
"Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man
and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.
And you are not concerned with anyone's opinion,
for you do not regard a person's status.
Tell us, then, what is your opinion:
Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?"
Knowing their malice, Jesus said,
"Why are you testing me, you hypocrites?
Show me the coin that pays the census tax."
Then they handed him the Roman coin.
He said to them, "Whose image is this and whose inscription?"
They replied, "Caesar's."
At that he said to them,
"Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar
and to God what belongs to God."

Thus says the Lord, apart from me, all is nothing.

Give the Lord glory and power.

We know brothers that God loves you and that you have been chosen.

Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.

Do you pick and choose?

The Romans ruled Palestine. They also taxed the people, something that all resented. Some resented violently. They were called the zealots. Galilee was a seat of discontent. The Pharisees and others had come to terms with Roman rule. They paid and in return were free to practice their religion. Now they ask Jesus whether it is right to pay taxes or not. If he says yes the people from Galilee come for the feast of Passover, will be disaffected. If he says no then he will be considered a rebel against Rome.

They thought they had him in a position from which any answer would be detrimental to him. But Jesus in asking for a coin reveals their hypocrisy. If they resented dealings with Rome why did they possess a Roman coin? Obviously they said one thing and did another. Jesus asks them whose image and inscription is on the coin. By telling them to give Caesar’s money back to Caesar Jesus is telling us that Caesar has a right to receive his own money. His legitimate authority comes from God and when he uses this correctly has a right to be obeyed. Are we justified in dodging taxes with the unproven statement that the Government will misuse the money anyway? Are we entitled to pass judgment?  We are called to obey Caesar in all lawful matters once he is invested lawfully with authority to rule. Each ruler has to answer for his misuse of legitimate authority

Render to God what belongs to God. What belongs to God? Everything belongs to God. Everything and everyone, including Caesar, belong to God. God is the one who must be obeyed under all circumstances. Am I entitled to break the Law of God because the Government has ordered it? As a policeman am I entitled to kill a terrorist in ‘an encounter’ because I am ordered to do so by my officers? Am I entitled to carry out an abortion or participate in one because of a superior’s orders or because I am working in a hospital that does these operations?  Does ‘carrying out orders’ justify me in breaking the Law of God and violating my conscience?

We must clearly recognize that Caesar does not have absolute rights but can only exercise authority within the Law of God. Beyond that his orders have no validity in the eyes either of God or of his children here on earth. We must give to God what is God’s – we must obey his Law under all circumstances. We must give back to Caesar what is his – to obey his legitimate Laws.

 Do you obey all Caesar’s legitimate laws and only those? Or do you dodge his legitimate laws when you can and keep his laws which violate God’s Law in order to save your skin?

Father give me the strength to obey your Law at all times and the Government’s laws which are legitimate.

God's Word for the weekdays from 10th October

Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
  

Please scroll down to find the day of the week you want.

October 10, 2011  Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1 Rom 1:1-7

Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus,
called to be an Apostle and set apart for the Gospel of God,
which he promised previously through his prophets in the holy Scriptures,
the Gospel about his Son, descended from David according to the flesh,
but established as Son of God in power
according to the Spirit of holiness
through resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Through him we have received the grace of apostleship,
to bring about the obedience of faith,
for the sake of his name, among all the Gentiles,
among whom are you also, who are called to belong to Jesus Christ;
to all the beloved of God in Rome, called to be holy.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This is a letter of Paul to a Church he did not found. He wrote it most probably from Corinth around the year 56AD. He was then about to go to Jerusalem and take funds to the Christians there. They were Jewish Christians and he had collected manly from his gentile converts. It was a show of Christian solidarity. Paul wanted the help of the Christians in Rome for his proposed journey to Spain to spread the Gospel there. Paul would eventually arrive in Rome a prisoner and we do not know if he ever made it to Spain. There would seem to have been many Jewish converts in Rome and so Paul is much milder when talking to them of the Law and Circumcision than he was in his letter to the Galatians. Notice how he calls himself "the slave of Jesus Christ". It is a slavery out of love. His love was so great that he had no will or life of his own. Everything was for Jesus Christ.

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

R. (2a) The Lord has made known his salvation.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.

Gospel Lk 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and their is something greater than Jonah here."

Jonah was a prophet with weaknesses of his own. He disobeyed the command of God. He was a reluctant preacher and would prefer the Ninevites to perish than be saved. Yet when he preached the people of Nineveh repented because they recognized they were sinners. The message is important and not the messenger. Jesus, sinless Servant of Yahweh, preached but the Jews in their self-righteousness would not listen. He is wisdom in person but still they would not listen to his message. We listen to the preaching of Jesus constantly for every time the Scriptures are read in church Jesus speaks to us. Do we open our hearts to his Word and live our lives according to it? We may not be self-righteous like the Pharisees but do we take the Word of God seriously? Do you reflect daily on his Word and examine your life in accordance with it?

Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
October 11, 2011

Reading 1 Rom 1:16-25

Brothers and sisters:
I am not ashamed of the Gospel.
It is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes:
for Jew first, and then Greek.
For in it is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith;
as it is written, "The one who is righteous by faith will live."

The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven
against every impiety and wickedness
of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
For what can be known about God is evident to them,
because God made it evident to them.
Ever since the creation of the world,
his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity
have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made.
As a result, they have no excuse;
for although they knew God
they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks.
Instead, they became vain in their reasoning,
and their senseless minds were darkened.
While claiming to be wise, they became fools
and exchanged the glory of the immortal God
for the likeness of an image of mortal man
or of birds or of four-legged animals or of snakes.

Therefore, God handed them over to impurity
through the lusts of their hearts
for the mutual degradation of their bodies.
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie
and revered and worshipped the creature rather than the creator,
who is blessed forever. Amen.

Paul will insist in this letter as in all his letters that we are saved by our faith in Jesus. Jesus alone has won us salvation and offers this to us as a gift. By accepting him as Lord and Saviour and repenting of our sins we receive is salvation as a free gift.

Paul says that if we reflect on the world with a pure and open mind then we will be able to recognize God as its Creator. ‘The wrath of God’ is an expression which reveals the absolute opposition God has to any form of evil. Evil and sin are abhorrent to God and is a rebellion against God. God cannot stand by unconcerned.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 19:2-3, 4-5

R. (2a) The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
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.

Gospel Lk 11:37-41

After Jesus had spoken,
a Pharisee invited him to dine at his home.
He entered and reclined at table to eat.
The Pharisee was amazed to see
that he did not observe the prescribed washing before the meal.
The Lord said to him, "Oh you Pharisees!
Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish,
inside you are filled with plunder and evil.
You fools!
Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?
But as to what is within, give alms,
and behold, everything will be clean for you."

The washing was not hygienic but a ritual to wash away “the sin” caused by touching the unclean. Jesus does not see sin as something external. Washing the body without ‘washing the heart’ is like cleaning a vessel externally while inside it stinks with rotting material. Our inner spirit must be consecrated to God in love. Then we will be full of justice and love for others, as God is. We hate to part with out material possessions because we love them and cling to them. ‘Where your treasure is, there is your heart’. Giving our treasures away to those in need purifies our heart of greed. We are able to love God and our brothers and sisters. Without a heart of pure love external religious practices, prayers and fasting have no value. To have a heart for God have you given away all you do not need.

Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
October 12, 2011

Reading 1 Rom 2:1-11

You, O man, are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment.
For by the standard by which you judge another you condemn yourself,
since you, the judge, do the very same things.
We know that the judgment of God on those who do such things is true.
Do you suppose, then, you who judge those who engage in such things
and yet do them yourself,
that you will escape the judgment of God?
Or do you hold his priceless kindness, forbearance, and patience
in low esteem, unaware that the kindness of God
would lead you to repentance?
By your stubbornness and impenitent heart,
you are storing up wrath for yourself
for the day of wrath and revelation
of the just judgment of God,
who will repay everyone according to his works,
eternal life to those who seek glory, honour, and immortality
through perseverance in good works,
but wrath and fury to those who selfishly disobey the truth
and obey wickedness.
Yes, affliction and distress will come upon everyone
who does evil, Jew first and then Greek.
But there will be glory, honour, and peace for everyone
who does good, Jew first and then Greek.
There is no partiality with God.

We are responsible beings – we have to give a response for the free choices we make. God too has to give a judgement which is based on justice. Life is not a game. On the day he has to judge then God will do it giving just rewards regardless of the person. This just requital is called his wrath. God does not want to condemn but justice will oblige him to on the Day of the Lord. Meanwhile he takes delight in forgiving those who repent. We are saved by faith: accepting Jesus as Lord and Saviour but the fullness of Salvation comes to those who persevere in good works. Without good works there is no salvation. our good works come from the Holy Spirit within us, given by Jesus when we wholeheartedly accept him. The way we treat others (our good works) is the way we treat God

Responsorial Psalm Ps 62:2-3, 6-7, 9

R. (13b) Lord, you give back to everyone according to his works.
Only in God is my soul at rest;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all.

Gospel Lk 11:42-46

The Lord said:
"Woe to you Pharisees!
You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb,
but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.
These you should have done, without overlooking the others.
Woe to you Pharisees!
You love the seat of honour in synagogues
and greetings in marketplaces.
Woe to you!
You are like unseen graves over which people unknowingly walk."

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
"Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too."
And he said, "Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them."

The Pharisees were so religious, yet Jesus does not approve of them. Fasting, saying prayers and observing the law was their life. But why were they doing this? Were they interested in what God thought of them.? St. Paul will say, I am not concerned about what men think of me. It is what judgement the Lord makes that counts. God is interested in a life of justice, of doing what is right towards people, of love for others and service. How many of us are faithful to church but do not practice justice and love in our lives? How many of us love to have the seats of honour and positions of power and authority in the Church only to satisfy our egos. It is not our external membership or our position in the Church but a religion of internal dedication, mercy, humility and love that God wants.

Thursday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

October 13, 2011

Reading 1 Rom 3:21-30

Brothers and sisters:
Now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law,
though testified to by the law and the prophets,
the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ
for all who believe.
For there is no distinction;
all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.
They are justified freely by his grace
through the redemption in Christ Jesus,
whom God set forth as an expiation,
through faith, by his Blood, to prove his righteousness
because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed,
through the forbearance of God?
to prove his righteousness in the present time,
that he might be righteous
and justify the one who has faith in Jesus.

What occasion is there then for boasting?  It is ruled out.
On what principle, that of works?
No, rather on the principle of faith.
For we consider that a person is justified by faith
apart from works of the law.
Does God belong to Jews alone?
Does he not belong to Gentiles, too?
Yes, also to Gentiles, for God is one
and will justify the circumcised on the basis of faith
and the uncircumcised through faith.

Paul declares that all of us are sinners and stand condemned but God in hi mercy forgives our sins if we believe in Jesus, His Son. To believe is not just to accept that Jesus is God but to accept him as Lord – to obey his commands – and accept him as Saviour and so receive his forgiveness with a grateful heart. Salvation has not come through our good works whether they are prayer, fasting or helping others but through the merciful forgiveness of God. We have then no right to boast that we have ‘earned’ heaven by our good lives.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4, 5-6ab

R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.

Gospel Lk 11:47-54

The Lord said:
"Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.
Therefore, the wisdom of God said,
"I will send to them prophets and Apostles;
some of them they will kill and persecute?
in order that this generation might be charged
with the blood of all the prophets
shed since the foundation of the world,
from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah
who died between the altar and the temple building.
Yes, I tell you, this generation will be charged with their blood!
Woe to you, scholars of the law!
You have taken away the key of knowledge.
You yourselves did not enter and you stopped those trying to enter."
When Jesus left, the scribes and Pharisees
began to act with hostility toward him
and to interrogate him about many things,
for they were plotting to catch him at something he might say.

Not all Pharisees were bad but there were those who deserved the rebukes that Jesus gives. They may well have been the vocal ones in opposition to him. The Gospel is however not a history but a message for the believers of Jesus. Jesus demands that we be internally dedicated to God. It is not enough to go to church, on pilgrimages and be active members of the parish. Jesus demands a new heart which is sincere before God and man. He demands that our hearts be full of love for God. This love will manifest itself in love and service for others. We help others find the Kingdom by the lives we lead. We must be consciously the light of the world, not to attract attention to us but to God. Evangelisation is to share our experience of Jesus. Have you a burning desire to bring people to Jesus?

Friday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
October 14, 2011

Reading 1 Rom 4:1-8

Brothers and sisters:
What can we say that Abraham found,
our ancestor according to the flesh?
Indeed, if Abraham was justified on the basis of his works,
he has reason to boast;
but this was not so in the sight of God.
For what does the Scripture say?
Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
A worker's wage is credited not as a gift, but as something due.
But when one does not work,
yet believes in the one who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is credited as righteousness.
So also David declares the blessedness of the person
to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:

Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven
and whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not record.

We have sinned. There is no way that we can cancel the sin. Nothing we do is capable of paying just restitution to God against whom we sin. But God through his Son Jesus gives us a free remission of our sins. By or faith in Jesus we are declared righteous by God with our sins forgiven. It is a free gift. It is not like the wages of a worker which he receives out of justice for the work he has done.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 32:1b-2, 5, 11

R. (see 7) I turn to you, Lord, in time of trouble, and you fill me with the joy of salvation.
Blessed is he whose fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile.

Gospel Lk 12:1-7

At that time:
So many people were crowding together
that they were trampling one another underfoot.
Jesus began to speak, first to his disciples,
"Beware of the leaven'that is, the hypocrisy'of the Pharisees.

"There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed,
nor secret that will not be known.
Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness
will be heard in the light,
and what you have whispered behind closed doors
will be proclaimed on the housetops.
I tell you, my friends,
do not be afraid of those who kill the body
but after that can do no more.
I shall show you whom to fear.
Be afraid of the one who after killing
has the power to cast into Gehenna;
yes, I tell you, be afraid of that one.
Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows."

The crowds are following Jesus to Jerusalem in their thousands. What they were seeking? They were not his disciples. They didn’t understand his message of the Cross and of suffering for all who want to follow him. He turns and speaks with his disciples. The Pharisees are implacable opponents and because of their mentality there can be no truce. Jesus once again condemns their hypocrisy. Hypocrisy is to pretend to be what one is not. It is in the context of hypocrisy that Jesus proclaims that everything will one day be revealed. Can I stand upright when all is revealed? Jesus speak of fear five times. We are not to fear men. At most they can only kill our bodies. They can’t touch ‘us’. We are not to fear Satan either, but resist him in faith. We are to fear the One who gives the final judgement on our lives.

Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, virgin and doctor of the Church
Saturday October 15, 2011

Reading 1 Rom 4:13, 16-18

Brothers and sisters:
It was not through the law
that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants
that he would inherit the world,
but through the righteousness that comes from faith.
For this reason, it depends on faith,
so that it may be a gift,
and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants,
not to those who only adhere to the law
but to those who follow the faith of Abraham,
who is the father of all of us, as it is written,
I have made you father of many nations.
He is our father in the sight of God,
in whom he believed, who gives life to the dead
and calls into being what does not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope,
that he would become the father of many nations,
according to what was said, Thus shall your descendants be.

God made the promise to Abraham not as a result of Abraham’s keeping of the Law. There was no Law then. It was purely out of the goodness and plan of God. Abraham believed the Word of God and this pleased God. By accepting in faith the Word spoken to us by Jesus we are the children of Abraham. All God’s blessings depend on our faith in Jesus.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 105:6-7, 8-9, 42-43

R. (8a) The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
You descendants of Abraham, his servants,
sons of Jacob, his chosen ones!
He, the LORD, is our God;
throughout the earth his judgments prevail.

Gospel Lk 12:8-12

Jesus said to his disciples:
"I tell you,
everyone who acknowledges me before others
the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God.
But whoever denies me before others
will be denied before the angels of God.

"Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven,
but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit
will not be forgiven.
When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities,
do not worry about how or what your defense will be
or about what you are to say.
For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say."

We must have no fear in publicly acknowledging our faith in Jesus. Our salvation depends on publicly professing Jesus as Lord and Saviour. It is hypocrisy to hide our faith. God is active in the world bringing salvation through Jesus. If a person calls his work, which is manifestly from God, from the Devil he sins against the Spirit. He knowingly rejects the salvation which brings forgiveness. God is always ready to forgive but the person has cut himself off from the source of salvation. The Christian life is life in the Spirit. The children of God are lead by the Spirit at all times. He is the source of their power and wisdom to witness to Jesus even in extreme circumstances. We are not then to worry. Do you experience the courage given you by the Spirit in your Christian life among non believers.

God's Word for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time

  'My friend, how is it

that you came in here without a wedding garment?'

Gospel:Matthew 22:1-14

 

Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people

in parables, saying,
"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king
who gave a wedding feast for his son.
He dispatched his servants
to summon the invited guests to the feast,
but they refused to come.
A second time he sent other servants, saying,
"Tell those invited: "Behold, I have prepared my banquet,
my calves and fattened cattle are killed,
and everything is ready; come to the feast."'
Some ignored the invitation and went away,
one to his farm, another to his business.
The rest laid hold of his servants,
mistreated them, and killed them.
The king was enraged and sent his troops,
destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Then he said to his servants, 'The feast is ready,
but those who were invited were not worthy to come.
Go out, therefore, into the main roads
and invite to the feast whomever you find.'
The servants went out into the streets
and gathered all they found, bad and good alike,
and the hall was filled with guests.
But when the king came in to meet the guests,
he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment.
The king said to him, 'My friend, how is it
that you came in here without a wedding garment?'
But he was reduced to silence.
Then the king said to his attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet,
and cast him into the darkness outside,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.'
Many are invited, but few are chosen."

 

28th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

Isaiah 25:6-11, Psalm 22:Rv.6, Philippians 4:12-14, 19-20, Matthew 22:1-14.

The Lord will destroy death and wipe away the tears from every cheek.

You have prepared a banquet for me in the sight of my foes.

There is nothing I cannot master with the help of the One who gives me strength.

The servants went out and collected everyone they could find, good and bad alike.

Accept the wedding garment

The generosity of God is amazing. He has arranged a wedding feast. He calls first the children of Abraham. They refuse and even persecute his messengers. Their city is destroyed – the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 is seen as the result of their refusal. The wedding feast continues and guests are needed. So the king sends messengers ‘to the ends of the earth’. He invites everyone including the Jews. His Church is open to all and all can enter by believing in Jesus as Son of God. When the marriage hall is full the king goes in and sees a guest without a wedding garment. He cannot stay. The king throws him out

Just because we are baptized and are Catholics doesn’t mean that we are fit for the wedding in the kingdom of heaven. We need to wear the wedding garment. God has invited us and has given us the gift of faith, which we profess. But we have to respond to it. We have the priceless gift of free choice. Of ourselves we can do nothing but we can choose to accept Jesus. He stands at the door and knocks. We have to open the door and allow him to come into our life. When we invite him in he doesn’t come alone. He brings the Holy Spirit. The Spirit will recreate us and live in us. When the Spirit lives within us we are clothed with the fruits of his presence. We experience a change of heart and a new mentality. Jesus becomes a real person who lives in us and dines with us. The Spirit clothes us with Jesus Christ and the characteristics of Jesus: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, humility, generosity and self-discipline and all the fruits of the Spirit. This is the garment that we must wear if we are to share in the wedding feast.

God’s generosity and our good fortune are unbelievable. Jesus is the Bridegroom and the community of those who have accepted him and love him is the Bride. Each of us is called to the divine intimacy which can only be described at present in terms of a wedding. The reality will surpass anything we can imagine – ‘no eye has seen, no ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man to imagine what God has prepared for those who love him’.

Have you been struck with excitement at your being invited to the wedding? Have you opened the door to Jesus as he knocks? Do you allow the Spirit to fill you with his fruits which are the garment we must all wear for the wedding of the Lamb? Is preparation for the wedding the dominant work of your life? Or have you many other interests which take priority? 

Father, may I welcome Jesus each day into my life and share in the wedding of the Lamb.

 

 

God's Word for the weekdays from 3rd October

Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary
Friday, 07 October 2011

Reading 1 Jl 1:13-15; 2:1-2

Gird yourselves and weep, O priests!
wail, O ministers of the altar!
Come, spend the night in sackcloth,
O ministers of my God!
The house of your God is deprived
of offering and libation.
Proclaim a fast,
call an assembly;
Gather the elders,
all who dwell in the land,
Into the house of the LORD, your God,
and cry to the LORD!

Alas, the day!
for near is the day of the LORD,
and it comes as ruin from the Almighty.

Blow the trumpet in Zion,
sound the alarm on my holy mountain!
Let all who dwell in the land tremble,
for the day of the LORD is coming;
Yes, it is near, a day of darkness and of gloom,
a day of clouds and somberness!
Like dawn spreading over the mountains,
a people numerous and mighty!
Their like has not been from of old,
nor will it be after them,
even to the years of distant generations.

“If you kept a record of our sins who could escape condemnation?” (Psalm 130:3). Who can stand without fear before God to be judged? This is what the prophet is proclaiming and there is a Day of the Lord for each of us. Then our lives will be under scrutiny and a just rewards will be given. We should never forget this. However now is the time of mercy and if we confess our sinfulness and detest our sins then God will forgive. This is the only way that we can stand before him on judgement day. Now is the time of salvation. 

Responsorial Psalm Ps 9:2-3, 6 and 16, 8-9

R. (9) The Lord will judge the world with justice.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart;
I will declare all your wondrous deeds.
I will be glad and exult in you;
I will sing praise to your name, Most High.

Gospel Lk 11:15-26

When Jesus had driven out a demon, some of the crowd said:
"By the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons,
he drives out demons."
Others, to test him, asked him for a sign from heaven.
But he knew their thoughts and said to them,
"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
and house will fall against house.
And if Satan is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that it is by Beelzebul that I drive out demons.
If I, then, drive out demons by Beelzebul,
by whom do your own people drive them out?
Therefore they will be your judges.
But if it is by the finger of God that I drive out demons,
then the Kingdom of God has come upon you.
When a strong man fully armed guards his palace,
his possessions are safe.
But when one stronger than he attacks and overcomes him,
he takes away the armor on which he relied
and distributes the spoils.
Whoever is not with me is against me,
and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

"When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
"I shall return to my home from which I came."
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.

Jesus has driven out a demon. Whatever he does there are those who oppose him. They are adamant in their refusal to accept him. They say he is in league with Satan and drives out evil spirits by Satan’s power. Jesus reveals the hollowness of this argument. Then he shows how Satan once master of this world, is no longer. Jesus has come to liberate mankind from his slavery. Satan has to yield because Jesus is stronger. He is now vanquished and powerless. Jesus heals us of sin, breaks evil habits and makes us clean within. The Spirit opens our ears to hear God’s Word. He loosens our tongue to call God “Father”. But if our heart is not filled with the Spirit of God and his Word, the evil spirit returns. We become slaves again to what possessed us before. Has Jesus healed you? What spirit fills your heart?

Thursday of the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
October 06, 2011

Reading 1 Mal 3:13-20b

You have defied me in word, says the LORD,
yet you ask, "What have we spoken against you?"
You have said, "It is vain to serve God,
and what do we profit by keeping his command,
And going about in penitential dress
in awe of the LORD of hosts?
Rather must we call the proud blessed;
for indeed evildoers prosper,
and even tempt God with impunity."
Then they who fear the LORD spoke with one another,
and the LORD listened attentively;
And a record book was written before him
of those who fear the LORD and trust in his name.
And they shall be mine, says the LORD of hosts,
my own special possession, on the day I take action.
And I will have compassion on them,
as a man has compassion on his son who serves him.
Then you will again see the distinction
between the just and the wicked;
Between the one who serves God,
and the one who does not serve him.
For lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven,
when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble,
And the day that is coming will set them on fire,
leaving them neither root nor branch,
says the LORD of hosts.
But for you who fear my name, there will arise
the sun of justice with its healing rays.

God argues with those who say that it is useless to serve God because he does not reward them – that is with the blessings of this world. The rich and the evildoers prosper while those who serve the Lord are penalized. God answers that one day will come when he will see that justice is done. We are called to do good and to trust in God. Who are we to ‘argue’ with God. We are to trust in his love and goodness under any circumstances.

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

R. (Ps 40:5a) 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 11:5-13

Jesus said to his disciples:
"Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
"Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,"
and he says in reply from within,
"Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything."
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.

"And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father  among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?"

We often think that prayer is about asking for things – good health, a good job, a loving wife or husband. Prayer is about all these things but they are secondary. The great desire of our God is to give us Himself in an intimate loving relationship. And so the Father sent his only Son to be one of us and invite us and he in his turn sends the Holy Spirit who is the Love of God in Person. We are invited to become divine and share in everything that belongs to God. Prayer is our answer. Prayer is to express our total trust in the goodness and love of Almighty God for us. We can surrender ourselves with the utmost confidence to the will of God. He loves us more than we do ourselves. Do you see prayer as an abiding relationship with explicit moments of communication?

Wednesday of the Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
 

5th September 2011

Reading 1 Jon 4:1-11

Jonah was greatly displeased
and became angry that God did not carry out the evil
he threatened against Nineveh.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD,
is not this what I said while I was still in my own country?
This is why I fled at first to Tarshish.
I knew that you are a gracious and merciful God,
slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish.
And now, LORD, please take my life from me;
for it is better for me to die than to live."
But the LORD asked, "Have you reason to be angry?"

Jonah then left the city for a place to the east of it,
where he built himself a hut and waited under it in the shade,
to see what would happen to the city.
And when the LORD God provided a gourd plant
that grew up over Jonah's head,
giving shade that relieved him of any discomfort,
Jonah was very happy over the plant.
But the next morning at dawn
God sent a worm that attacked the plant,
so that it withered.
And when the sun arose, God sent a burning east wind;
and the sun beat upon Jonah's head till he became faint.
Then Jonah asked for death, saying,
"I would be better off dead than alive."

But God said to Jonah,
"Have you reason to be angry over the plant?"
"I have reason to be angry," Jonah answered, 'angry enough to die."
Then the LORD said,
"You are concerned over the plant which cost you no labour
and which you did not raise;
it came up in one night and in one night it perished.
And should I not be concerned over Nineveh, the great city,
in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons
who cannot distinguish their right hand from their left,
not to mention the many cattle?"

In this somewhat humorous tale the Word of God teaches us a very serious truth. In the context of the author, the Jews in seeing themselves as the chosen people despised others and had no desire for their salvation except by their becoming Jews. God hear teaches his desire for all men and women to repent and comeback to him. All men and women are his people and he loves them and desires them to come of their own free will and embrace him as he embraces them. We too need to be living witnesses of God’s love for all, now manifested through Jesus His Son in whom we believe and preach first by our life ad as occasion offers by our words. In this the life of Jonah was a counter witness. Is ours?

Responsorial Psalm Ps 86:3-4, 5-6, 9-10

R. (15) Lord, you are merciful and gracious.
Have mercy on me, O Lord,
for to you I call all the day.
Gladden the soul of your servant,
for to you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.

Gospel Lk 11:1-4

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples."
He said to them, "When you pray, say:

Father, hallowed be your name,
your Kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread
and forgive us our sins
for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us,
and do not subject us to the final test."

When Jesus prayed he would be carried away. He was rejected in a ‘foreign land’. In prayer with his Father he found peace. The disciples longed to pray like him. One of them asks him to teach them to pray like he does. He shares not a formula but his experience of being with his Father. As a man Jesus needed to pray. In prayer we receive enlightenment, strength and courage. Jesus needed all these. We talk to God with the confidence of a small child. We want most of all that all men and women will come to know him and love him as their Father. Trusting in him we expect him to look to all our needs. We must never forget that we are sinners. Our Father forgives us and we must forgive others. Is prayer an experience for you or a set of formulae? 

Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi, religious

Tuesday, 04 October 2011

Reading 1 Jon 3:1-10

The word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time:
"Set out for the great city of Nineveh,
and announce to it the message that I will tell you."
So Jonah made ready and went to Nineveh,
according to the LORD's bidding.
Now Nineveh was an enormously large city;
it took three days to go through it.
Jonah began his journey through the city,
and had gone but a single day's walk announcing,
"Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed,"
when the people of Nineveh believed God;
they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small,
put on sackcloth.

When the news reached the king of Nineveh,
he rose from his throne, laid aside his robe,
covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in the ashes.
Then he had this proclaimed throughout Nineveh,
by decree of the king and his nobles:
"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep,
shall taste anything;
they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water.
Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth
and call loudly to God;
every man shall turn from his evil way
and from the violence he has in hand.
Who knows, God may relent and forgive,
and withhold his blazing wrath,
so that we shall not perish."
When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.

The story may not say how the people of Nineveh repented. They didn’t seem to do so in real life but the story shows how God wants people of all races to repent so that he can forgive and bless them. God’s threats of punishment are not to destroy but for the good of people, so that they will attain the wisdom to repent and receive his blessings.

Responsorial Psalm Ps 130:1b-2, 3-4ab, 7-8

R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.

Gospel Lk 10:38-42

Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
"Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me."
The Lord said to her in reply,
"Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her."

Martha is anxious and worried. She is not at peace. She is working for Jesus but is she doing the work of Jesus? Mary has chosen the better part. She sits at his feet engrossed in what Jesus says. “Man does not live by bread alone”. ”My mother and my brethren are those who hear the Word of God and keep it”. We need to learn to sit at the feet of Jesus daily in quiet peace, concentrating on his presence. Silent awareness of his presence and resting there is prayer. We are to listen to him speaking in our hearts. His Word gives life, eternal life now. Then we can work as he did full of God’s presence doing his work. Our work will not drain us but we will experience his peace and closeness. Have you gone beyond the anxiety of prayers to the peace of his presence?

Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
October 03, 2011

Reading 1 Jon 1:1:2:1-2, 11

This is the word of the LORD that came to Jonah, son of Amittai:

"Set out for the great city of Nineveh, and preach against it;
their wickedness has come up before me."
But Jonah made ready to flee to Tarshish away from the LORD.
He went down to Joppa, found a ship going to Tarshish,
paid the fare, and went aboard to journey with them to Tarshish,
away from the LORD.

The LORD, however, hurled a violent wind upon the sea,
and in the furious tempest that arose
the ship was on the point of breaking up.
Then the mariners became frightened and each one cried to his god.
To lighten the ship for themselves, they threw its cargo into the sea.
Meanwhile, Jonah had gone down into the hold of the ship,
and lay there fast asleep.
The captain came to him and said, "What are you doing asleep?
Rise up, call upon your God!
Perhaps God will be mindful of us so that we may not perish."

Then they said to one another, "Come, let us cast lots
to find out on whose account we have met with this misfortune."
So they cast lots, and thus singled out Jonah.
"Tell us," they said, 'what is your business?
Where do you come from?
What is your country, and to what people do you belong?"
Jonah answered them, "I am a Hebrew,
I worship the LORD, the God of heaven,
who made the sea and the dry land."

Now the men were seized with great fear and said to him,
"How could you do such a thing!"
They knew that he was fleeing from the LORD,
because he had told them."
They asked, "What shall we do with you,
that the sea may quiet down for us?"
For the sea was growing more and more turbulent.
Jonah said to them, "Pick me up and throw me into the sea,
that it may quiet down for you;
since I know it is because of me
that this violent storm has come upon you."

Still the men rowed hard to regain the land, but they could not,
for the sea grew ever more turbulent.
Then they cried to the LORD: "We beseech you, O LORD,
let us not perish for taking this man's life;
do not charge us with shedding innocent blood,
for you, LORD, have done as you saw fit."
Then they took Jonah and threw him into the sea,
and the sea's raging abated.
Struck with great fear of the LORD,
the men offered sacrifice and made vows to him.

But the LORD sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah;
and Jonah remained in the belly of the fish
three days and three nights.
From the belly of the fish Jonah prayed
to the LORD, his God.

This is a story which will declare God’s desire to save everyone and not only the ‘chosen people’. We see how God makes use of a very imperfect prophet. Nonetheless though Jonah disobeys God, God brings him to the point of repentance so that he will go to Nineveh. Still Jonah is imperfect prejudiced against the Ninevites and God will need to teach him that all people are precious to him

Responsorial Psalm Jon 2:3, 4, 5, 8

R. You will rescue my life from the pit, O Lord.
Out of my distress I called to the LORD,
and he answered me;
From the midst of the nether world I cried for help,
and you heard my voice.

Gospel Lk 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test Jesus and said,
"Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?
How do you read it?"
He said in reply,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself."
He replied to him, "You have answered correctly;
do this and you will live."

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus,
"And who is my neighbor?"
Jesus replied,
"A man fell victim to robbers
as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho.
They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.
A priest happened to be going down that road,
but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
Likewise a Levite came to the place,
and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.
But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him
was moved with compassion at the sight.
He approached the victim,
poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.
Then he lifted him up on his own animal,
took him to an inn, and cared for him.
The next day he took out two silver coins
and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction,
"Take care of him.
If you spend more than what I have given you,
I shall repay you on my way back."
Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbour to the robbers? victim?"
He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."

Jesus said to him: Go and do likewise.

“What must I do to inherit eternal life?” Could there be a more important question? The answer which is the distilled wisdom of the Old Testament tells us to love God from whom we have come with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. There is no room for any other love but for God and we are to love him and serve him alone with everything we have and are. We are to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. As we want others to treat us so we must treat others: a simple rule of thumb. In practice the two can be reduced to one. Our attitude and behaviour towards our neighbour is our attitude and behaviour towards God. If we despise even one person we despise God. If we deceive or treat harshly even one person we do the same to God.  How do you then love God?

God's Word for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Let me sing to my friend the song of his love for his vineyard 

God of hosts bring us back; let your face shine on us and we will be saved.

The peace of God will guard your hearts and your thoughts in Christ Jesus.

Finally he sent his son to them.

 Gospel Mt 21:33-43

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:

"Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard,
put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey.

When vintage time drew near,

he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce.
But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat,
another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones,
but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking,
'They will respect my son.'
But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another,
'This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.'
They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"
They answered him,
"He will put those wretched men to a wretched death
and lease his vineyard to other tenants
who will give him the produce at the proper times."
Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures:
The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?
Therefore, I say to you,
the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and given to a people that will produce its fruit." 

Your response?

When we read this parable we are amazed at the patient love of God. After all what are humans? We may and do think of ourselves as important. Who is God, we may even ask? The fact is, we were nothing – totally lacking in existence. Then God quite freely decided to create us. He made us in his own image – ‘male and female he made us’. He chose us in Christ before creation. He gave us life and gave us the power to choose and most of all the power to choose to love. In us he sees a reflection of himself and each of us is precious in his eyes. Since we have received everything from him we should love him. He put us on earth to give us time to use the gift of choice, time to choose him as he chose us. He wants our life here to be a foretaste of the life with himself. This is his vision.

Everything went sadly wrong. Rather than choosing to love him from whom they had received everything, men chose to rebel. They disregarded his commandments considering them a bind and not the road to happiness. Still he wanted to save men from their own destructive ways. He chose Abraham so that he could prepare a race in which his own Son could be born. He sent them prophets to teach them the truth and keep them faithful. But they rejected one prophet after another and rejected God who cared for them. Nonetheless he still sent his Son – ‘they will respect my Son’. This was his hope. Jesus came and lived among them. He became one of them. Some did accept him and he gave them the power to become the children of God and heirs ‘of all God possessed’. But others rejected him and handed him over to be crucified. Still God did not lose hope. Jesus still loved even as he hung on the Cross –‘Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing’.

God still has not lost faith, hope and love for us humans. He still sends his Son to every generation to give us the invitation to the banquet in the kingdom. Though we are nothing, he still treats us as being ‘little less than a god’ respecting to the end the gifts he has given us.

We are now in the vineyard and the Son is coming to us. What do you say? Do you accept Jesus into your life as the Son? Are you willing to give him the fruits of faith – love for others as God loves you, forgiveness for others as God forgives you, compassion for others as God is compassionate to you. This is not a parable any more. It is the fact of life: Jesus is standing at your door and knocks.

Father, as we accept Jesus into our lives may we show you the fruits of faith; love, compassion and forgiveness.