Lent IV [A] Sunday (March 15) 8-minute homily in 1 page (L-26)

Introduction: The Fourth Sunday of Lent is known as “Laetare (Rejoice) Sunday,” expressing the Church’s joy in anticipation of the Resurrection of our Lord. Today’s readings remind us that it is God Who both gives us proper vision in body as well as in soul and instructs us that we should be constantly on our guard against spiritual blindness.

Scripture lessons summarized: By describing the anointing of David as the second king of Israel, the first reading, taken from the First Book of Samuel, illustrates how blind we are in our judgments and how much we need God’s help. It reminds us that those whom God involves in his saving plans are not necessarily those whom the world perceives as great. In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Ephesians of their new responsibility as children of light “to live as children of the light, producing every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” In today’s Responsorial Psalm, (Ps 23), we celebrate the care of God, our Good Shepherd, who keeps us safe in the darkness of this world. Presenting the miracle of Jesus’ giving of sight to a man born blind, today’s Gospel teaches us the necessity of being willing to have our eyes opened by Faith, and warns us that those who assume they see the truth are often blind, while those who acknowledge their blindness are given clear vision. In this episode, the most unlikely person, namely the beggar born blind, receives the light of Faith in Jesus, while the religion-oriented, law-educated Pharisees remain spiritually blind. To live as a Christian is to see and to grow continually, gaining clearer vision about God, about ourselves and about others. Our Lenten prayers and sacrifices should help to heal our spiritual blindness so that we can look at others, see them as children of God, and love them as our own brothers and sisters, saved by the death and Resurrection of Jesus.

Life messages: 1) We need to allow Jesus to heal our spiritual blindness. We all have blind-spots — in our marriages, our parenting, our work habits, and our personalities. We are often blind to the presence of the Triune God dwelling within us and fail to appreciate His presence in others. Even practicing Christians can be blind to the poverty, injustice, and pain around them. Let us remember, however, that Jesus wants to heal our blindness. We need to ask him to remove from us the root causes of our blindness: self-centeredness, greed, anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, addiction to evil habits, hardness of heart, and the like. Let us pray with the Scottish Bible scholar William Barclay, “God our Father, help us see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly” day by day. 2) We need to get rid of cultural blindness. Our culture also has blind-spots. Often it is blind to things like selfless love, happiness, fidelity with true, committed sexual love in marriage, and the value of human life from birth to natural death. Our culture has become anesthetized to the violence, the sexual innuendo, and the enormous suffering in the world around us. Let us counteract this cultural blindness as, with His grace, we experience Jesus dwelling within us and within others, through personal prayer, meditative reading of the Bible, and a genuine Sacramental life.

Lent IV [A] (March 15): I Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: –Annie Sullivan enables Helen Keller to conquer her blindness and deafness: When Helen Keller was a healthy child of two years of age a serious illness, probably Scarlet fever, destroyed both her sight and her hearing. When Helen was seven, the inventor of Telephone, Alexander Graham Bell sent an efficient teacher from Perkin’s School for the Bind from Boston, Annie Mansfield Sullivan to tackle the apparently impossible job of making contact with Helen’s mind through the sense of touch. Annie Sullivan worked out a sort of alphabet by which she spelled words on Helen’s hand. Gradually the child was able to connect the words with objects. Once started, Helen made rapid progress. Within three years she could read and write in Braille. At the age of ten she decided to perfect her speech. She was taken to the Perkin School for the Blind in Boston and then to a School for the Deaf in New York. At 16 she entered Radcliff college from which she graduated with honors in 1904 and she became one of the most highly educated women of her time, giving speeches all around the world. Annie Sullivan was constantly at her side until the dedicated teacher died in 1936. Today’s Good News tells us how Jesus cured a man of his blindness, giving him both physical and spiritual eyesight. (Msgr. Arthur Tonne).  Watch the Helen Keller Movie “The Miracle Worker” by clicking on https://youtu.be/Y_5zqDjGd5s  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#2:  “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent:” Sherlock Holmes and his smart assistant Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, enjoy a heavy barbeque dinner with a bottle of whisky, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson replies, “I see millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” Watson ponders for a minute. “Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?” Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent!”– Watson had missed the most obvious observation. He was clever enough to notice the complexities of the stars, but he missed what was plain and simple.  Today’s Gospel reading is about a whole lot of people who miss the point. In Jesus’ healing of a blind man, the Pharisees missed the most evident point that it was a real miracle by Divine intervention. (http://www.lothlorien.net/collections/humor/watson.html ) . (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#3: Obstacles and triumphs: History is replete with stories of people who triumphed over seemingly insurmountable disadvantages and challenges.  Homer was blind, as was John Milton, but both men achieved unparalleled status as poets. Beethoven was deaf when he composed his Ninth Symphony, so deaf that when his work was first performed, he could not hear a note of the magnificent ode, “Joy, thou heavenly spark of Godhead,” with which the symphony concludes. Thomas Edison, who lost his hearing at the age of eight went on to invent over 100 useful devices, including the phonograph and moving pictures.  Alexander the Great and Alexander Pope suffered skeletal deformities as did Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Epictetus and Franklin Roosevelt.  Francis Mouthelon, a man with no hands was awarded first prize by the French society of artists for the most excellent painting of 1875.  Helen Keller, one of the world’s most renowned women, was blind, deaf and mute from early childhood, yet she became a teacher, author and educator.  Anne Sullivan, Keller’s teacher and companion for 49 years was half-blind at birth, orphaned, and institutionalized as a young girl.  Nevertheless, she devoted her life to the care of the blind. When Sullivan became totally blind as an adult, Keller took on the role of teacher, helping her devoted friend to overcome her inability to see.  George Frederick Handel, the great musician suffered several setbacks.  He lost his health and his right side was paralyzed.  When he lost his money, his creditors threatened to imprison him.  In the throes of his darkest days, Handel composed his finest work, The Hallelujah Chorus, which is part of his Messiah, citing his Faith in God as the only thing that sustained him.  — Triumphs like these bolster the human spirit with the knowledge that handicaps, and hardships need not remain incapacitating; indeed, such experiences can prove to be the impetus for achieving greatness.  The Lenten season challenges us to reflect on those obstacles, which tend to stunt our spiritual development.  Let us remember that, like the people mentioned above and like the blind man in today’s Gospel, we are also capable of overcoming whatever stands between us and the wholeness to which God calls us. (Sanchez archives). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 4: The gift of true eye- sight: Have you ever played a game with a blindfold? Or, have you ever been on a trust walk, where you are blindfolded and led by another person? Playing games with a blindfold helps us appreciate the gift of sight. Sight is a double blessing in a culture in which the media manipulate visual contents, patterns, and timing. A quickly edited, fast moving commercial on television proves the point; your eyes quickly “read” the message. Through the cure of a person born blind, John’s Gospel presents sight in a spiritual sense. Sometimes a person can look, but not see. Here, the blind man received not only the ability to use his eyes but the gift to see the truth. (Word Sunday.com). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 Scripture lessons summarized: By describing the anointing of David as the second king of Israel, the first reading, taken from the First Book of Samuel, illustrates how blind we are in our judgments and how much we need God’s help. It also reminds us that those whom God involves in His saving plans are not necessarily those whom the world perceives as great. In today’s Responsorial Psalm, (Ps 23), we celebrate the care of God, our Good Shepherd, singing, “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.”  In the second reading, Paul reminds the Ephesians of their new responsibility as children of light: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” Jesus’ giving of sight to a blind man, reported in today’s Gospel, teaches us the necessity of our having our spiritual and mental eyes opened by Faith and warns us that   those who assume they see the truth are often blind, while those who acknowledge their blindness are given clear vision. In this episode, the most unlikely person, namely the beggar born blind, receives the light of Faith in Jesus, while the religion-oriented, law-educated Pharisees remain spiritually blind.  “There are none so blind, as those who will not see.”  To live as a Christian is to see, to have continually growing and deepening clearer vision about God, about ourselves and about others.  Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are to live as children of the light, seeking what is good and right , true and beautiful.  Our Lenten prayers and sacrifices should serve to heal our blindness so that we can look at others, see them as children of God, and love them as our own brothers and sisters, saved by the death and Resurrection of Jesus.  

First reading: I Sm 16:1a, 6-7, 10-13a explained: For a long time, Israel had been ruled by Judges.  Samuel was the last of these Judges, and towards the end of his life he had more or less succeeded in forming a loose confederation among the twelve tribes of the Israelites with the Lord God as their Sovereign Ruler. But the people were displeased with the lack of unity and political security.  The pagan nations which surrounded them were ruled by kings who led them to battle and who organized their territories on a sound, political basis.  In spite of the Lord’s warning and the wise advice of the elders, the people demanded a king so that they could be like other nations.  Finally, the Lord granted them Saul as their first king (1030 BC). Though successful in many battles, Saul offended God, and the kingship was taken from him.  The Lord then prompted Samuel, the last Judge in Israel, to go to Bethlehem to anoint the next king. Today’s passage shows us Samuel’s journey to find the Lord’s chosen one and the ritual for anointing the new king. As an old and experienced judge who had studied how the first king (Saul) had failed, Samuel had his own ideas about whom God would choose.  But God chose the most unlikely candidate, namely, David, the shepherd boy, the youngest son of Jesse.   The reason He gave Samuel for this choice was:   “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.”  

The second Reading: Eph 5:8-14 explained:  The whole passage extends the  darkness-versus-light metaphor, leading to the blindness-versus-sight theme of today’s Gospel.  For Paul, Baptism is a “participation in the death and Resurrection of Jesus” (Rom 6:3-4) and a “clothing with Christ’’ (Gal 3:27).  In today’s reading, taken from his letter to the Ephesians, Paul echoes Is  26:19; 60  , saying that Baptism is also an “awakening and living in the light”— that is, Christ:  “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” That is why in the early Greek-speaking Church, Baptism came to be known as photismos meaning “an illumination or bath in light.”  Hence, Paul reminds Christians of their new responsibility as children of light: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” The Benedictine Bible scholar, Ivan Havener explicates today’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians thus: “The readers of this letter were once Gentiles without Christ and were darkness itself, but now as Gentiles in the Lord, they have become light. Their new identity as children of light requires that they live in a different way. The fruit produced by their light-life is all goodness, righteousness, and truth, considering what is pleasing to the Lord. Therefore, instead of participating in the unproductive works of darkness, they should condemn such deeds.”

Gospel Exegesis: The paradox of blindness. The healing described in today’s Gospel occurred when Jesus came to Jerusalem with his Apostles to participate in the feast of Tabernacles or the festival of tents (Sukkoth).  As part of the celebration of Sukkot, four huge golden four-branched candelabra were set up and lit in the courts of the Temple—each was 50 cubits (=75 feet) high. The Mishnah says that “there was not a courtyard in all of Jerusalem” that did not gleam with the light from the Temple menorahs when they were lit for Sukkot. The healing of the blind man, told so dramatically in today’s Gospel, brings out the mercy and kindness of Jesus, “the light of the world.”  Isaiah prophesied, and the Jewish people of that era believed, that when the Messiah came, he would heal blindness and other diseases.  The type of blindness which we now call ophthalmic conjunctivitis was very common in Biblical times.  Jesus gave to the beggar who was born blind not only his bodily eyesight but also the light of Faith.   This story also shows how the stubborn pride and prejudice of the Pharisees prevented them from seeing in the humble “Son of Man” the long-expected Messiah, and that made them incapable of recognizing the miracle. The healed beggar  begins by identifying Jesus as “a man.” Questioned further by the Pharisees, he declares that the man who healed him is a Prophet.  When the parents of the blind man convinced them that their son had been born blind, the Pharisees argued that the healer was a “sinner,” because the miracle had been performed on the Sabbath. But the cured man insisted that Jesus, his healer, must be a man from God, and they excommunicated him from Temple worship.  When Jesus heard this, He sought and found the man He had healed, and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” the man answered, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” In response to Jesus,’ “You have seen Him, and the One speaking with you is He,” the now-sighted man said, “… ‘I do believe, Lord,’ and he worshipped Him.”  Fr. Harrington S.J. comments, “The blind man’s progress in spiritual sight reminds us that we need God’s grace and revelation to move toward sharper spiritual vision.”

Blindness and Baptism: The healing of the blind man by Jesus involved clay, spittle, smearing or anointing of the eyes with the saliva and a washing in water. Early baptismal rituals incorporated similar gestures and the sacrament of baptism was referred to as enlightenment (Heb 6:4, 10:32; Justin Martyr, Apologia 1.61-12, 65:1)). In the context of the Lenten RCIA scrutinies, the Church challenges us to see this man’s journey from darkness to light as a paradigm for our own spiritual lives—from the darkness of doubt to belief (for catechumens preparing for Baptism); from the darkness of sin to the light of repentance, mercy, and freedom (for those of us already baptized, who are called to renew our Baptismal promises, and to “own” our Baptism more consciously). From earliest times, today’s Gospel story has been associated with Baptism. Just as the blind man went down into the waters of Siloam and came up whole, so also believers who are immersed in the waters of Baptism come up spiritually whole, totally healed of the spiritual blindness with which all of us are born. Raymond Brown comments that in the lectionaries and liturgical books of the early Church, there developed the practice of three examinations before one’s Baptism. These correspond to the three interrogations of the man born blind. When the catechumens had passed their examinations, and were judged worthy of Baptism, the Gospel book was solemnly opened and the ninth chapter of John was read, with the confession of the blind man, “I do believe, Lord,” serving as the climax of the service. Paintings on the walls of the catacombs of Rome portray Jesus healing the man born blind as a symbol of Holy Baptism. One of the writings from that time says: “Happy is the Sacrament of our water, in that, by washing away the sins of our earthly blindness, we are set free unto eternal life.” The early Christians looked at their Baptism as leaving behind blindness and darkness and stepping into the glorious light of God. In other words, they realized that their becoming Christians and then continuing as followers of Christ, was indeed a miracle – as great as, if not greater than, the healing of the physical blindness of the man in the Gospel today.

The spiritual blindness of the Pharisees: The Pharisees suffered from spiritual blindness.  They were blind to the Holy Spirit.  They had the externals of religion but lacked the spirit of Jesus’ love.  They were also blind to the suffering and pain right before their eyes. They refused to see pain and injustice.  There was no compassion in their hearts.  In short, they were truly blind both to the Holy Spirit and to the human misery around them. “The blind man’s progress in spiritual sight is paralleled by the opponents’ descent into spiritual blindness.” (Fr. Harrington). Here is a contrast between those who know they are blind and those who claim to see. According to these blind Pharisees, Jesus, by healing the blind man doubly broke the Sabbath law, which forbade works of healing, and also kneading which was involved in making clay of spittle and dust. Raymond Brown adds a third and fourth reason that increased the seriousness of what Jesus had done: in the Jewish tradition: “there was an opinion that it was not permitted to anoint an eye on the Sabbath,” and “one may not put fasting spittle on the eyes on the Sabbath.” So, they concluded, “The man who did this cannot be from God, because he does not obey the Sabbath law.”

Spiritual blindness of modern Pharisees: Although the Pharisees have long since disappeared from history, there are still many among us who are blinded by the same pride and prejudice. Spiritual blindness is very common in modern times. Perhaps, the most awful disease in our country today is the spiritual blindness which refuses to see the truths of God’s revelation, and  even to admit that God or Christ exists.   In their pride, the spiritually blind claim that everything ends with death and that there is no life after death.  They propagate their errors and accuse believers of childish credulity and folly.  They ignore the gifts of the intellect we all possess.  God’s revelation through Christ informs us that there is a future life awaiting us in which our spiritual faculties and our transformed bodies will be fully and fittingly glorified. According to Pope Benedict XVI, the miracle of the healing of the blind man is a sign that Christ wants not only to give us sight, but also to open our interior vision, so that our Faith may become ever deeper and we may recognize Him as our only Savior. He illuminates all that is dark in life and leads men and women to live as “children of the light” (Lenten message-2011).

Life messages: 1) We need to allow Jesus to heal our spiritual blindness. Physiologically, the “blind-spot” is the part of our eye where vision is not experienced. It is the spot where the optic nerve enters the eyeball. A blind spot in a vehicle is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly observed by the driver.   In real life, we all have blind-spots — in our marriages, our parenting, our work habits, and our personalities.  We often wish   to remain in the dark, preferring darkness to light.  It is even possible for the religious people in our day to be like the Pharisees:  religious in worship, in frequenting the Sacraments, in prayer-life, in tithing, and in knowledge of the Bible – but blind to the poverty, injustice, and pain around them.  Let us remember, however, that Jesus wants to heal our blind spots.  We need to ask Jesus to remove from us the root causes of our blindness, among them, self-centeredness, greed, anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, addiction to evil habits and hardness of heart. Let us pray with the Scottish Bible scholar William Barclay, “God our Father, help us see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly” day by day.

2) We need to get rid of cultural blindness.  Our culture also has blind-spots.  Often it is blind to things like love, happiness, marriage, and true, committed sexual love in marriage.  Our culture has become anesthetized to the violence, the sexual innuendo, and the enormous suffering of the world around us.  Our culture, our media, our movies and our values, are often blind as to what it means to love selflessly and sacrificially. Our culture, in spite of scientific proofs, is blind to the reality that life begins at the moment of conception, and it callously promotes abortion. We continue to advance destructive practices such as embryonic stem-cell research, homosexual “marriages,” transgenderism,  euthanasia, and human cloning, and we refuse to see the consequences of godless behavior on human society. In the name of individual rights, the radical left in our society decries any public demonstration of religious beliefs and practices, or the public appearance of traditional values, questioning the substance of family values. The radical right, on the other hand, decries the immorality of our times, without lifting a finger to help the poor and the underprivileged and without ever questioning unjust foreign policies and wars. This   cultural blindness can only be overcome as each one of us enters the living experience of having Jesus dwelling within us and within others, through personal prayer, meditative reading of the Bible and a genuine Sacramental life.

3) We need to pray for clear vision:  Peter Marshall, the former chaplain to the United States Congress used to pray, “Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”  Today’s Gospel challenges our ability to see clearly.   Do we see a terrorist in every member of a particular religion?  Do we see people who are addicted to drugs as outcasts and sinners?  Do we fail to see God at work in our lives because He has shown us no miracles?  Jonathan Swift said, “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.”  Let us remember that this gift belongs to those who can see the good hidden in the kernels of suffering and of failure.  It resides in those who never give up hope.  Let us pray for the grace to see and experience the presence of a loving and forgiving God.

4) Let us not allow the world and Satan to blind us so that we forget our real identity and call – that we have been created by God and bought with the blood of Jesus; that we have been adopted as God’s chosen children; and,  consequently, that our role is to become God’s representatives in our community and our world. We are called to “stand out” by the way we show love and concern for others. We are called to promote justice and peace; to set an example of what it means to live according to God’s way. We are called to discipleship – that means leading a disciplined life of prayer, the study of God’s Word, worship with our fellow Christians, and standing out in the crowd (even though that may be difficult to do), when it means sticking up for those who are being wronged and confessing that Christ in our lives does make a difference. It’s so easy to miss the point of what it means to be a Christian, and we end up “blending in” and fail to become a positive and powerful influence bringing about positive changes in people’s lives and in our world. Lent is a good time to take stock of how we are affected by this blindness, to see just how blind we have been to Jesus and His call to discipleship, and to realise how often we have preferred to stay blind. Lent is a good time to renew our vision and fix our eyes again on the Saviour who came so that we can be assured of forgiveness for such blindness, for the times when Jesus has come to us through his word and we have been too blind to see him, and too deaf to hear him calling us to action.

5)“Lord give me Your eyes.” This is a beautiful prayer which enables us to walk in the true light of Christ, a prayer that God always seems to answer – that we may see things as Christ, that is, in the light of faith. This is also a very useful prayer to pray when we are conversing with someone, so that we can see that person as Christ sees him or her. The prayer  is especially helpful  when we encounter someone who tries our patience, for rather than continuing to see  only the person’s irritating defects, we are helped by the Lord to see what He finds so lovable in that person —  what, in fact, would lead Him to trade his own life for that person all over again if he had to. The prayer is  recommended also to those of us who have difficulty overcoming negative thoughts and habitual criticism of others. We pray, “Lord, give me your eyes,” so that we may see not only the good things that God has given the person, but also that we may be able to look with compassion on the various hardships that the other person has endured, leading to some of that person’s irritating habits. It is useful also to those  of us who are encountering serious Crosses. With the eyes of Faith, we can see those crosses not so much as mortifications but as gifts from God to help us  to grow in holiness, to acquire Christ’s own virtues, to unite ourselves to Christ on the Cross and follow him up close all the way through the Cross to glory. It is helpful to those of us who have a problem with our own self-esteem and morale, for when we turn to Jesus to ask for His eyes, we are asking him to help us  that we can discover our own selves in our true dignity and recognize how tremendously lovable we are to God. For those of us who have trouble with contrition, examining our lives and hearts from God’s perspective — with God‘s eyes — we  will be better able to see just how horrible our sins are and what each of them cost the Lord.

JOKES OF THE WEEK

#1: The blind farmer was often taken for a walk in the fields by a kind neighbor.  However kindly the neighbor might have been, he was undoubtedly a coward.  When a bull charged towards them one day, he abandoned the blind man.  The bull, puzzled by a lack of fear, nudged the blind farmer in the back.  He turned very quickly, caught the bull by the horns and threw it to the ground with a bump that left it breathless.  “Aidan,” shouted the neighbor, “I never knew you were so strong.”  “It’s the strength of Faith,” said the blind man. “If I could have got that fella off the handlebars of his bicycle, I’d have thrashed him properly.” (He was under the impression that a bicycle had hit him).

#2: A blind man is walking down the street with his guide dog one day.  They come to a busy intersection and the dog, ignoring the high volume of traffic zooming by on the street, leads the blind man right out into the thick of the traffic.  This is followed by the screech of tires as panicked drivers try desperately not to run the pair down.  Horns blaring around them, the blind man and the dog finally reach the safety of the sidewalk on the other side of the street, and the blind man pulls a cookie out of his coat pocket, which he offers to the dog. A passerby, having observed the near fatal incident, can’t control his amazement and says to the blind man, “Why on earth are you rewarding your dog with a cookie?  He nearly got you killed!” The blind man turns partially in his direction and replies, “To find out where his head is, so I can kick his rear end!”

#3:  Ode To Myopia

 
USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1) Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  

2) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes & texts on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://sundayhomilies.au/homilies/

 

4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

6) Bishop Barron’s Sunday video homily for Lent IV Sunday

https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/and-now-i-see/5422/

7) Fr. William Grimm’s video homily: https://youtu.be/GSh0iCfftpg

8) Lenten reflections: 1) https://youtu.be/MOstFC5QZyc 

   2) https://youtu.be/AHzG3ocLaj4

      30- Additional anecdotes

1) “Amazing Grace” is the story of the healing of one person’s personal as well as cultural blindness. John Newton was born in 1740 in England. He grew up in the Anglican Church. As a little boy he went to Church and learned Bible lessons.   His mother died when he was only eleven, and so he traveled with his father who was the captain and owner of a cargo ship.  The “cargo” was two to three hundred black slaves packed, lying next to each other, in the ship’s hold.  In a storm, little John Newton was washed overboard and was picked up on the open seas by a slave trader who trained John in his trade as he grew up.  Before his conversion, Newton’s life had become so debauched, irreverent, and immoral that even his fellow sailors were shocked by his conduct and coarse speech. On one return voyage to England, Newton was caught in such a fierce storm that all aboard despaired of life.  The Scriptures John had once learned at his mother’s knee returned to his mind, and he began to hope that Jesus could deliver him, dreadful sinner though he was.  For the first time in years, John sought the Lord in prayer, and as he later wrote, “the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.” It was on March 21, a date he remembered yearly for the rest of his life, that Newton began to realize the enormity of the evil in his life and his complicity with the evil of slavery in his slave-trading.  He left the ship, joined the seminary, was ordained and became a zealous pastor.  Thanking God for the grace of conversion, he composed a song which is now one of Americans’ favorite hymns: “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” — Jesus always comes to heal people who are spiritually blind if they ask for help.  Newton, like his culture, had a huge personal blind-spot — tolerance for slave-trading.  And Jesus healed John Newton’s spiritual blindness. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) Anne Mansfield Sullivan and Helen Keller: Anne Mansfield Sullivan was a “miracle worker” who overcame obstacles in seeking to assist others.  Partially blind from birth, she managed to overcome this handicap and graduated from the prestigious Perkins School for the Blind in Boston.  The miracle of Anne Sullivan’s life, however, had very little to do with her own handicap, but it had everything to do with the multiple handicaps of a young girl.  The miracle began to be manifest on March 2, 1887, when twenty-year-old Anne Mansfield Sullivan met six-year-old Helen Keller.  Helen was born in 1880, a healthy and strong child.  At nineteen months of age, however, she contracted a disease, which left her blind, deaf, and ultimately mute; Helen Keller lived in a world of total darkness and silence.  When Helen was six, her mother sent Helen with her father, to seek out Dr. J. Julian Chisolm, an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist in Baltimore, for advice.  He subsequently put them in touch with Alexander Graham Bell who was working with deaf children at the time.  Bell knew Anne Sullivan and arranged for the first meeting between student and teacher.  Anne Sullivan’s task was monumental.  The first thing that was necessary was for Anne to gain Helen’s confidence, which was accomplished with relative ease. The next step, however, would be much more difficult.  Anne needed to teach Helen that her condition afforded her the opportunity to see, hear, and speak in new and different ways, to communicate on another level.  Helen Keller could not see images and she could not read the words on the printed page, but she could feel and, thus, learned to read through the use of Braille.  Helen could not hear or speak, but she did learn to finger-spell and sign in order to communicate with others.  Helen Keller learned her lessons well.  In fact, she learned so well that in 1904 she graduated cum laude from Radcliff College, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education for women.  She went on to become a successful author and an internationally known celebrity who aided the cause of handicapped people throughout the world.  It was the life of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, however, which in many ways was the true miracle.  She opened the mind of Helen Keller to a world of possibilities.  Maybe it is odd to say, but it seems that normal sight, hearing, and speech might have been impediments to Helen Keller, for without them she reached her full potential and greatness.  Anne Sullivan was a woman who brought the light to a child shrouded in darkness, silence, and fear.  She was not able to cure any of the many physical maladies that plagued Helen Keller, but she brought Helen what may have been more important – that is the light and hope of Faith.  — Jesus, as we hear in today’s famous passage from John’s Gospel, physically healed the man born blind, but gave him much more; Jesus secured for him the vision of Faith.  We, in a similar way, are called to seek the light, cast out the blindness that exists in our lives, and do what we can to assist others to do the same. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Seeing is believing. Brennan Manning (from Messy Spiritually: God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People by Michael Yaconeli, quoted in Pulpit Resource, Vol. 33, No. 1, p. 44) tells the story of a man recently converted to Jesus and how an unbelieving friend sought to “see” why. “So you have been converted to Christ?” “Yes.” “Then you must know a great deal about Him. Tell me, what country was he born in?” “I don’t know.” “What was his age when he died?” “I don’t know.” “How many sermons did he preach?” “I don’t know.” “You certainly know very little for a man who claims to be converted to Christ.” “You are right. I am ashamed at how little I know about him. But his much I know: Three years ago I was a drunkard. I was in debt. My family was falling to pieces; they dreaded the sight of me. But now I have given up drink. We are out of debt. Ours is a happy home. My children eagerly await my return home each evening. All this Christ has done for me. This much I know of Christ.” (Rev. Mike Ripski). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) What kind of God do some people have?  Kathryn Lindskoog has suffered for two decades with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease that gradually weakens and paralyzes the body.  She has been amazed at some of the advice she has received from friends and relatives.  A few typical examples: “You must really like to be sick; you bring so much of it on yourself.”  That comment was from a nearby relative who never so much as sent a get-well card.  “The reason I have perfect health is that I think right; nobody gets sick unless he thinks wrong.”  That from another relative.  “I know just how you feel about being crippled; I had a bad case of tennis elbow last month.”  “Your present improvement is just wishful thinking.”  How’s that for encouragement?  “I know you fake your limp to try to get attention.”  That comment was from her pastor. He was entirely serious.  And this last one: “God must cherish you to trust you with this burden.”  [Kathryn Lindskoog, “What do You Say to Job?”  Leadership (Spring 1985), 93-94. Quoted in Ron Lee Davis, Healing Life’s Hurts (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1986).] — That hurts.  What kind of God do some people have? (Rev. King Duncan). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) “I believe he overdid it this time.”  A country preacher was visiting his parishioners after a local flood.  He called on a farmer whose crop had washed away and whose cows had all drowned.  “Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth,” quoted the preacher, trying to offer some comfort.  The farmer looked at him and said dryly, “Well, I believe He overdid it this time.”  The farmer was right. —  What kind of God do some people have?  Many people were startled to hear TV evangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell blame the bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on God’s unhappiness with gays, feminists and People for the American Way.  Did these two influential clergymen really mean that God killed thousands of innocent people because God was unhappy with the lifestyles of other people in our land?  Is God the ultimate terrorist?  What kind of God do some people have?  Jesus and his disciples passed a man blind from birth.  “Who sinned,” asked Jesus’ disciples, “this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  What kind of God did these disciples have? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “Who sinned,” the disciples asked Jesus, “that this man was born sightless?” Back in 1991, there was an article in The New York Times Magazine concerning a group of more than 100 women who reside in Long Beach, California.  These women, Cambodian refugees who witnessed the horror of the Pol Pot Regime, are certifiably blind, yet doctors say their eyes function perfectly well. These sightless women suffer from psychosomatic or hysterical blindness.  They are really blind, but their blindness stems from their minds; though they have eyes, they are unable to see.  The women from Cambodia are sightless because their minds have subconsciously closed out horrific images they did not want to see.  Although those having blind sight also have healthy eyes, because of damage to other parts of their neurological system,  they are not aware of the images their eyes are transmitting. — Our lesson from John’s Gospel is about a beggar who was born blind. As far as we know, people in Bible times knew nothing about psychosomatic illness, nor did they know about neurological damage.  Their explanation for any form of suffering was that someone must have sinned.  “Who sinned,” the disciples asked Jesus, “that this man was born sightless?” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “Did you ever have a taste of Jesus?” Bob Allred tells the story about a country preacher who was listening to a seminary professor cast doubt on the core issues of the Faith.  When the professor finished his lecture, the elderly pastor got up, took an apple from his lunch bag and started eating it as he said, “Mr. Professor, I haven’t read many of them books you quoted.”  Then he took another bite of the apple.  “Mr. Professor, I don’t know much about the great thinkers you mentioned,” as he took still another bite of his apple.  “Mr. Professor, I admit I haven’t studied the Bible like you have,” as he finished his apple and dropped it back in the bag.  “I was just wondering, this apple that I just ate, was it sour or sweet?  The Professor —   To which the old preacher replied, “With all due respect, sir, I was just wondering if you had ever had a taste of my Jesus?” The now-sighted blind man in today’s Gospel says, “Whether or not the cure was approved by the FDA, I once was blind, but now I see.”  You all argue and explain all you want, but that’s enough for me. (Dr. J. Howard Olds) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Lead kindly Light”: Video= (https://youtu.be/3j2hBSgZMrw) St. John Henry Cardinal Newman was a professor at Oxford University. When he was an Anglican priest, along with the other scholars, he started the Oxford movement. When he was thirty-two years old, his health was bad, and he took a break from his writings and went to Europe to recuperate. But unfortunately, he contacted a deadly fever. He wanted to return to England, but no transportation was available. As he waited, his life became lonely and tedious; he was experiencing great physical and emotional despair. It is then that he penned a beautiful hymn asking God for light: “Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on; The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on: Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see: the distant scene — one step enough for me.” — In his confusion and distress, Newman prayed to the God of Light to lead him from darkness to light, from confusion to certainty, and from sickness to health. God heard his prayer and led him home safely. In 1845, he was converted to the Roman Catholic faith. [John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) As a small child, he lost his sight: Rev. Tony Campolo, in his book Carpe Diem [(Dallas: Word Publishing, 1994), p. 17.], tells a story from the life of a man whom many consider to be one of the truly creative minds of the twentieth century.  He is known as a philosopher, thinker, visionary, inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician, poet, cosmologist, and more.  R. Buckminster Fuller was born in Milton, Massachusetts on July 12, 1895. Throughout the course of his life Fuller held 28 patents, authored 28 books and received 47 honorary degrees.  And while his most well-known artifact, the geodesic dome, has been produced over 300,000 times worldwide, Fuller’s true impact on the world today can be found in his continued influence upon generations of designers, architects, scientists, and artists working to create a more sustainable planet.  So numerous are his achievements that a list of his inventions would fill a good-sized book.  Fuller explained that the source of his creativity was a painful misfortune that occurred during his childhood.  He described how, as a small child, he lost his sight.  He went to bed one night able to see and awoke the next morning, blind.  Medical experts were not able to explain the cause of his horrific and sudden blindness.  There was no reason for it.  It just happened.  For several years young Fuller remained blind.  Then, just as suddenly and as inexplicably as he had lost his sight, he regained it.  Without any indication as to what was coming, one morning he woke up able to see again. — In retrospect, Fuller explained, that tragic time proved to be a blessing in disguise.  Upon regaining his sight, he found the world miraculously new and strangely wonderful to him.  Along with his renewed vision, he put to use the creative imagination developed during his years of blindness.  He claimed his excitement for life was intensified beyond anything that would have been possible had he always been able to see.  Don’t you imagine that this man Jesus healed had that same excitement about life? (Rev. Frank Lyman) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “Why has this happened to me?  The Hoover Dam, built in 1935 on the Colorado River, is an engineering wonder.  Hoover is what is called an arch-gravity dam.  It is so designed that greater the pressure applied to the dam the more it is wedged into the solid rock.  The greater the forces against the dam, the stronger it becomes. —  So, let it be with us.  When heartaches come, as they will, let us not cry out, “Why has this happened to me?  Why has this happened to someone I love?  What have I done to deserve this?”  Rather, let’s surrender our need to a healing God.  Let’s allow our hurt to wedge us ever more surely into the solid Rock. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “Now I see.”  During the Depression of the 1930s, a boat captain managed to make a modest living by piloting his boat up and down the Mississippi River.  His boat was old and needed repair.  The engines were grimy, emitting soot and smoke.  The captain was untidy and rude.  It so happened that on one of his trips, he met a traveling missionary, who introduced him to Christ and the Gospel.  The captain’s conversion was profound and authentic.  One of the first things he did was to clean up his boat and repair its engines.  The deck and deck chairs were freshly painted, and all the brass fixtures were polished.  His personal appearance and demeanor were transformed.  Clean-shaven and with a smile he greeted his customers who remarked about the change in the man. —  In reply, the captain said, “I was spiritually blind, but now I see people and events as they really are.  I have gotten a new glory and it shines out in all I do.   That is what Christ does for a person — gives him clear vision and a glory.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Blind to the need for a change of heart. There is a Sufi story about a Muslim on a horse who was determined to kill the enemy he was pursuing.  In the middle of the chase the call to prayer rang out from a mosque.  Instantly, the Muslim got off his horse, unrolled his prayer mat and prayed the set prayers as fast as he could, then got back on his horse and continued the chase. —  He had fulfilled the requirements of the law but was blind to what the law really required:  namely, a change of heart. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13)”You are more beautiful than I ever imagined!” When William Montague Dyke was ten years old, he was blinded in an accident.  Despite his disability, William graduated from a university in England with high honors.  While he was in school, he fell in love with the daughter of a high-ranking British naval officer, and they became engaged.  Not long before the wedding, William had eye surgery in the hope that the operation would restore his sight.  If it failed, he would remain blind for the rest of his life.  William insisted on keeping the bandages on his eyes until his wedding day.  If the surgery were successful, he wanted the first person he saw to be his new bride.  The wedding day arrived. The many guests – including royalty, cabinet members, and distinguished men and women of society – assembled together to witness the exchange of vows. William’s father, Sir William Hart Dyke, and the doctor who performed the surgery stood next to the groom, whose eyes were still covered with bandages. The organ trumpeted the wedding march, and the bride slowly walked down the aisle to the front of the church.  As soon as she arrived at the altar, the surgeon took a pair of scissors out of his pocket and cut the bandages from William’s eyes.  Tension filled the room.  The congregation of witnesses held their breath as they waited to find out if William could see the woman standing before him.  As he stood face-to-face with his bride-to-be, William’s words echoed throughout the cathedral, “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined!” — Author Kent Crockett, who tells this story in his book, Making Today Count for Eternity, writes: “One day the bandages that cover our eyes will be removed.  When we stand face-to-face with Jesus Christ and see His face for the very first time, His glory will be far more splendid than anything we have ever imagined in this life.” Rev. Frank Lyman (Sisters Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 101-102). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) The eye-opening prayer of a pastor with guts: His prayer still upsets some people.  When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard: “Heavenly Father, We come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good.’  But that is exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.  We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.  We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.  We have killed our unborn and called it choice.  We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.  We have abused power and called it politics.  We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of speech and expression.  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our Forefathers and called it enlightenment.  Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”

— The response was immediate.  A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.  In six short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.  The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea.  Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, The Rest of the Story, and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.  With the Lord’s help, may this prayer sweep over our Nation and wholeheartedly become our desire, so that we again can be called “one nation under God.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “Wwwwhat ddddid tttthe tttturkey ddddo?” I am reminded of a very devout Christian woman who went to a pet store.  She saw this beautiful parrot, immediately fell in love with it and decided to buy it.  Well, the owner knowing this lady said, “Lady, I cannot sell you that parrot.”  The lady said, “Why not?”  He said, “Well, you see, he was owned by a sailor and he curses a blue streak.” But the woman was not to be denied.  She said, “I will change that parrot and turn him into a good parrot.  I do want to buy him.”  She took that parrot home, believing that with some Christian love and firm discipline he could be changed. No sooner had she gotten that parrot home and the parrot began cursing and swearing just as the man had warned.  Well, she looked at that parrot and said, “I will not have that kind of language in this house, and if I hear any more of it I am going to put you in the freezer for ten minutes and teach you a lesson.”  Well, the parrot continued to swear, so the woman took the parrot out of the cage and put him in the freezer.  After ten minutes she took him out.  The shivering parrot looked at her and said, “Pppplease, Llllady, wwwwould yyyyou ttttell mmmme jjjjust oooone tttthing?  Wwwwhat ddddid tttthe tttturkey ddddo?” —  When Jesus and his   apostles  passed a man, bline from birth, the apostles asked, “Rabbi,  who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” he replied,  “It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him,” and promptly healed the man.  Likewise, we are sinners, spiritually blind from birth, thanks to Adam and Eve’s legacy of Original Sin, but  for the same reason, that God’s work might be manifest in us,  Jesus healed us from our “blindness” through His obedient, loving acceptance of His Passion and Death on the Cross. Our job is to accept that amazing grace and live our Faith out in our lives.  (Rev James Merritt) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “When he stands up, he can turn around!” The story’s told about a couple who lived on a beautiful piece of ground in an isolated area. In the course of time, the husband died. Before he died, he expressed his strong desire to be buried upon their property. His widow made the necessary arrangements with a funeral service center for digging grave in the North- South direction. But the diggers said: “We always dig them East and West because it has something to do with the Lord’s second coming from the East and the risen people facing Him.”  But the practical widow insisted: “Dig it like I laid it out. — When my husband stands up at resurrection, he needs no glasses and hearing aid to turn around and see the Lord coming from the East!” (Gerald Hill, Powderly, TX). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Not seeing with both eyes: John Killinger tells the story of a man who visited one day in a classroom for visually impaired children. Troubled by what he saw, the man remarked, insensitively, in their presence, “It must be terrible to go through life without eyes.” One little girl quickly responded, “It’s not half as bad as having two good eyes but still not being able to see.” — Her point was well made. There is physical blindness, and there is another, even more tragic form of blindness that affects the spirit. Both forms of blindness are present in today’s Gospel reading.    (Rev. Johnny Dean). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) “Now I see again!” During World War II John Howard Griffin was blinded in an airplane explosion. For the next 12 years he couldn’t see a thing. Then, one day he was walking down a street near his parent’s home in Texas. Suddenly he began to see “red sand” in front of his eyes. Without warning, his sight returned again. An eye specialist explained to him later that a blockage of blood to the optic nerve, caused by the explosion, had opened, causing his sight to return again. — Commenting on the experience, Griffin told a newspaper reporter “You don’t know what it is for a father to see his children for the first time. They were both much more beautiful than I ever suspected.” (Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 

19) “We don’t do that. We BELIEVE in it!”: On an ABC News Special, In the Name of God, Peter Jennings interviewed the founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, John Wimber. Wimber said that the first time he went to Church he expected dramatic things to happen, but they didn’t. After attending Church for three Sundays, he became frustrated. After the worship service, he approached a man who looked like someone with authority. “When do you do it?” he asked. “When do we do what?” the man replied. “You know, the stuff,” Wimber answered. “And what stuff might that be?” the man asked. “The stuff in the Bible,” Wimber said, becoming more frustrated by the moment. “I still don’t understand,” the man replied. “You know,” said Wimber, “multiplying loaves and fish, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, giving sight to blind people. That stuff.” “Oh,” the man said, apologetically, “we don’t do that. We BELIEVE in it, and we pray about it. But we don’t actually DO it! Nobody does, except for those crazy fundamentalists.” — Today’s Gospel tells us the story of a blind man who believed with trusting Faith and was healed. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 

20) “Corpses do bleed.” There was a man in a psychiatric hospital one time, and one of his problems was that he was convinced he was dead. The psychiatrist tried every trick in the book, but nothing could change his mind. Finally, as the psychiatrist thought, he got a brilliant breakthrough. He got the man to agree that a corpse is lifeless, and therefore, not having any blood circulating, it cannot bleed. Having got a clear acceptance of that simple fact, the psychiatrist proceeded to drive home the point. He got a pin, took the man’s finger, and gave him a good enough prod to draw blood. He squeezed the finger until the blood was clearly evident, and he then proclaimed, “Now can you see? That’s blood. You are bleeding.” — The man looked at the blood in apparent disbelief, and then he turned to the psychiatrist with a look of amazement, and said, “Well, what do you know! Corpses do bleed!” The Pharisees in today’s gospel were not different from this mental patient. (Biblical IE). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) “A poor sinner, your brother.” In Vienna in Austria there is a Church in which deceased members of the former ruling family in Austria, the Hapsburgs, were buried. When royal funerals used to arrive, the mourners would knock at the door of the Church to be allowed in. A priest inside would ask, “Who is it that desires admission here?” A guard would call out, “His Apostolic Majesty, the Emperor.” The priest would answer, “I don’t know him.” They would knock a second time, and again the priest would ask, “Who is there?” The funeral guard outside would announce, “The Highest Emperor.” A second time the priest would say, “I don’t know him.” A third time they would knock on the door and the priest would ask, “Who is it?” The third time the answer would be, “A poor sinner, your brother,” and the funeral cortege would be admitted for the funeral. — We all require inner vision to recognize who we truly are and thus to guard against spiritual blindness as taught by today’s Gospel. (Fr. Tommy Lane) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Bearded wisdom: Early in his career, young Clarence Darrow was defending a client against an older, more experienced attorney, who sarcastically dismissed Darrow as “that beardless youth.”  Darrow rebutted, “My worthy adversary seems to downgrade me for not having a beard.  Let me reply with a story: The King of Spain once dispatched a youthful nobleman to the court of a neighboring monarch, who sneered, “Does the King of Spain lack men that he sends me a beardless boy?  To which the young ambassador replied, “Sire, if my King had supposed that you equated wisdom with a beard, he would have sent a goat.”  — Clarence Darrow won the case! Prejudice often blinds us. (Bennet Cerf). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 23) Spiritual Blindness: A sixty-year-old woman living in a mid-western town was finally prevailed upon by her family to see the eye doctor.  She had never worn glasses in her life.  The doctor gave her a thorough test and asked her to return in three days when he would have her glasses ready.  He fitted the glasses and asked her to look out of the window.  Almost breathless, she exclaimed, “Why, I can see the steeple of our church, and it is three blocks away.”  “You mean you have never been able to see that steeple at that short a distance?” asked the doctor.  “Gracious no”, she declared, “I never knew I was supposed to see that far.”  “Madam”, said the eye expert, “you’ve been going for years half-blind.”– Similarly, many cannot see the truth which God has made known to us…(Msgr. Arthur Tonne) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) Have you heard of the great writer Helen Keller? She was born in the late 19^th century in Alabama. Shortly after her birth in 19 months she contracted a serious sickness, a severe fever, which she ultimately survived from but that left her deaf and blind for the rest of her life. She could have easily given up hope, but she did not. Her father who was a writer himself put her in touch with Alexander Graham Bell who organized a teacher for her. The teacher taught her how to read, to speak and to behave. She accomplished a lot in life, reading and writing in Braille, going to the Radcliffe College, withstanding the taunts of those who mocked at her, graduating with a degree in Arts and writing a book etc. At times it was tough for her but through this painful process she only grew as a strong and confident person who stands as a model of hope for those who have disabilities.  — In our lives, too, we can be spiritually blind or turn a deaf ear to the unjust happenings that surround us. The readings for today highlight the metaphor of darkness/light and in turn assure us that Christ is our light. By describing the anointing of David as the second king of Israel, the first reading, taken from the First Book of Samuel, illustrates how blind we are in our judgments and how much we need God’s help in our lives (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 25) What Does 20/20 Vision Mean? Visual acuity is usually measured with a Snellen chart. Snellen charts display letters of progressively smaller size. “Normal” vision is 20/20. This means that the test subject sees the same line of letters at 20 feet that person with normal vision sees at 20 feet. 20/40 vision means that the test subject sees at 20 feet what a person with normal vision sees at 40 feet. Another way of saying this is that a person with 20/40 vision has vision that is only half as good as normal – or, objects must be at half the normal distance for him to see them. A person with 20/20 vision is able to see letters 1/10th as large as someone with 20/200 vision. 20/20 is not the best possible eyesight however, for example, 20/15 vision is better than 20/20. A person with 20/15 vision can see objects at 20 feet that a person with 20/20 vision can only see at 15 feet. 20/20– Normal vision — Fighter pilot minimum: Required to read the stock quotes in the newspaper, or numbers in the telephone book. 20/40 — Able to pass Driver’s License Test in all 50 States. Most printed material is at this level. 20/80 – Able to read alarm clock at 10 feet. News Headlines are this size. 20/200 – Legal blindness. Able to see STOP sign letters.  (source: https://www.eyecaretyler.com/resources/how-the-eye-works/what-does-2020-mean/). — We have eyeglasses, contact lenses, eye drops, caps that shade our vision, polarized lens that eliminate glare. We can have perfect vision, and it does little for us in dark room, much less a pitch-black room. We start fumbling for the light switch right away. Christ restores our vision to its fullest spiritual potential through his light and his perfect vision. (E-Priest).  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 26) The blind genius: Jacqui Kess-Gardner narrates a touching story of how she received light and insight into God’s plan (cf. “These Are the Children We Hold Dear,” Guideposts, May 1997, p. 28-31). When Jermaine, her second baby was born, one eye was sealed shut and the other was a milky mass. He had no bridge to his nose and his face looked crushed. Anger at God surged through her. She could not stand anyone staring at her baby and avoided going out of the house. What hurt Jacqui the most was not getting any smiles from Jermaine, which is common in blind infants who cannot mimic a smile because they do not see anyone smiling at them. She felt it was another slight from God. Her younger sister, Keetie pleaded with her insistently: “Jacqui, you’ve got to pray to God to forgive you. You’ve got to come back to Him. He has a plan.” She resisted. One day when Jermaine was six months old and strapped to her back, she found herself crying as Keetie pleaded with her once more on the phone. She put down the spoon she was using to stir the spaghetti sauce and repeated the words Keetie was praying: “Lord, forgive me. I have been angry at You. I’m sorry. Help me trust in Your wisdom. I know You have some plan in this. Help me see it.” Two months later God’s plan was revealed. Jacqui recounts: “Jamaal had been practicing the piano in the family room, playing ‘Lightly Row’ again and again. (By then I had taken to leaving Jermaine strapped to his high chair next to the piano while his brother played.) He had just finished, and came downstairs to the bedroom where my husband James and I were sitting. Suddenly a familiar plink plunk-plunk, plink plunk-plunk floated down the stairs. I looked at James; James looked at me. It couldn’t be Jamaal. He was jumping on the bed in front of us. We stared at each other for a second, then tore upstairs. At the piano, his head thrown back, a first-ever smile splitting his face, Jermaine was playing ‘Lightly Row.’ The right keys, the right rhythm. It was extraordinary.” Jacqui thanked Jesus and she knew that Jermaine had found the incredible gift of God. At two-and-a-half, the marvelous blind boy was playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”. When he was four, he performed with Stevie Wonder. At age five, he played for Nancy Reagan at the White House. He appeared on national television and received invitations to perform from far and wide. The dream of this blind boy who has brought so much light, inspiration and joy to others is to start a music school for the blind. The proud mother happily affirms: “God had a plan for our son. He did indeed.”–  Jacqui’s Paschal experience from a situation of spiritual darkness to light gives us a glimpse of the fascinating spiritual journey of the Man Born Blind presented in today’s Gospel reading (Jn 9:1-41). (Lectio Divina). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) A crucifix, a Divine Mercy image, and a Bible. There’s nothing surprising about a Catholic keeping those three devotional items about. What’s surprising about these particular items is where they’re housed: inside the locker room of the Carolina Panthers football team. Or to be more precise, inside the locker of Panthers wide-receiver Chris Horn. The devotional items housed in his locker are just one of the ways the Idaho native lets his teammates know about his Catholic faith. Horn’s faith is no secret in the NFL, mostly because as Horn, 28, moved through the ranks of professional football, he discovered that the more open he was about his Catholicism, the easier it was to live his Faith. He also discovered that the more open he was, the more chances he had to help others. Now teammates regularly seek counsel from him on issues ranging from abortion ethics to marital problems. Even before he felt free to share his beliefs, Horn still took his faith seriously. The second oldest of five, he remembers his mother coming home early in the morning after working all night and forgoing sleep so she could take the children to Mass. “Her sacrifices and lessons were priceless”, Horn recalled. Now married and the father of two, Horn and his wife, Amy, try to provide the same kind of faithful witness to their young children. Together, they’ve twice prayed the yearlong St. Brigitte novena for each of their children, and family Mass-going and family prayers are integral parts of daily life. In the world of professional sports, where an injury or a bad season can quickly end a career, that daily practice of Faith provides a steady foundation for Horn’s family. Conversely, the discipline that years of training for his sports demanded has helped Horn grow in the practice of spiritual disciplines – prayer, forgiveness, charity. — Horn knows the lessons he’s learned about the Faith through football are lessons others can learn as well, which is why, a year ago, he joined Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC). The recently founded organization, made up of athletes and former athletes, uses sports as a platform to teach the Faith. Through speaking engagements and conferences arranged by CAC, Horn regularly speaks to youth and men’s groups about God, the Church and football. According to Horn, “As Catholics we haven’t always been as vocal as we need to be about our Faith. But because of the importance our culture gives to sports, we can use athletics as a way to start talking to people about it and reach people who might not normally be open.” (Lectio Divina). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 28) Blinded by prejudice: In the late 1700s, the manager of a large hotel in Baltimore refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer. He turned the farmer away because he thought this fellow’s shabby appearance would discredit the reputation of his distinguished hotel. The farmer picked up his bag and left without saying a further word to anyone. Later that evening, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than the Vice-President of the United States – Thomas Jefferson! Immediately, the manager sent a note of apology to the famed patriot, asking him to come back and be his guest in the hotel. Jefferson replied by instructing the messenger as follows, “Tell him I have already reserved a room. I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no room for a common American farmer, then he has no room for the Vice-President of the United States of America.” [Brian Cavanaugh in The Sower’s Seeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

29) Dr. Larry Baker became totally blind because of a viral infection when he was 25. The doctor told Baker, “I’m afraid that I have to tell you something that will affect the rest of your life. You will never see again.” Baker replied, “Doctor, I understand what you are saying, but I will determine the effect [this will have on my life].” Baker took what would be a devastating blow to anyone else, and made it a pivotal point from which he grew and expanded his horizons. When Baker lost his sight, he was married, with three children and working for a family dairy delivering milk. Now Baker decided he wanted something more than that. Taking advantage of a scholarship offered to persons with sight disabilities, Baker entered Indiana University and received a bachelor’s degree, ranking fifth in a class of 780. He also received the Presidential Achievement Award, and went on to earn his Master’s and Doctor’s degrees in Business Administration He served as a university professor for 10 years. Then he formed his own company, Time Management Center, Inc. in St. Louis. He now presents time management seminars internationally, and his company produces more than 60 publications on time management and related subjects. — Baker believes everyone has some disability, some lack of ability to do something that they need to do. “The most severe disability I have ever encountered,” he says, “are people who are paralyzed from the neck up–people who are not coping with change in ideas and concepts. We make progress by our willingness to make changes.” Baker learned to ski after the age of 45 and urges his listeners not to let people set limits for them. “Nobody has ever gone broke giving more than they receive,” Baker said. “Have faith in God, your family, friends, and last, but not least, have faith in yourself. Set your objectives and pay the price.” (Rev. King Duncan). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) Letters to such fictional and historical persons by Pope:  In his insightful and entertaining book, Illustrissimi, Albino Luciani (Pope John Paul I), penned a series of letters to such fictional and historical persons as Mark Twain, Pinocchio, Figaro the Barber, Hippocrates, Guglielmo Marconi and Jesus. Luciani’s correspondence with these famous figures reflected the fact that he was first and foremost a pastor. Taking to heart the ancient Christian maxim, “per verbum ad Verbum,” he believed that a believer could reach Word of God through the study of the literary word. Within the familiar, conversant style of each letter, Luciani taught some aspect of the Christian ideal. The pope who died within five weeks of his 26 August, 1978 election, wrote in his letter to David, king of Israel, “The Bible presents the various components of your personality: poet and musician, brilliant officer, a shrewd king, sometimes involved–alas! not always happily–with women and in harem intrigues with the consequent family tragedies; and, nevertheless, a friend of God, thanks to your noble piety, which kept you aware of your insignificance in the face of God.” (Illustrissimi, Letters from Pope John Paul I, Little, Brown and Co., Boston: 1978). David’s insignificance is also acknowledged in this excerpted reading from 1 Sm. Youngest son of Jesse, left at home to tend the family’s flocks, David was nevertheless, the one who was chosen by God to be king because the “Lord who looks into the heart” (vs 7) judges people according to a different standard. David’s youthful inexperience which appeared to his father, brothers and even to Samuel to be an obstacle which would have prevented his accession to the throne did not deter the saving plan of God. (Sanchez Files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

31) Tragedy of blindness: Shakespeare’s play King Lear is a tragedy. One of the essential ingredients of a tragedy is the hero’s fatal flaw, the flaw that leads to the hero’s downfall. The word that the Greek philosopher Aristotle used to name this fatal flaw is harmatia, and that is one of the Greek words that the New Testament uses for sin. Shakespeare’s King Lear is a play about a king who, because of his vanity, is blind to the truth that is staring him in the face. That is his fatal flaw, and it leads to chaos and cruelty. The elderly king decides to give up his power and divide his realm amongst his three daughters, Cordelia, Regan and Goneril. His plan is to give the largest portion of his kingdom to the daughter who professes to love him the most. He is certain that Cordelia, his favourite daughter, will win the contest.. Goneril and Regan shamelessly flatter their father: Goneril says: Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter; dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty; Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare. And Regan, not to be outdone, says: I am alone felicitate in your dear highness’ love. And now it’s Cordelia’s turn. What can you say to gain a third more opulent than your sisters? Speak. Nothing, my lord. Nothing? Nothing.

Nothing will come of nothing: speak again. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. Lear’s fatal flaw is his vanity and his blindness. He cannot see the treachery of his daughters Goneril and Regan, and he is blind to Cordelia’s purity of heart. It’s not hard to be blind to what is right before our very eyes as demonstrated in today’s gospel by the Scribes and Pharisees. (Fr. Geoffrey Plant) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

32) Seeing and not seeing: A man who had a serious problem with alcohol

consulted his local doctor. The doctor could tell immediately that alcohol was

seriously affecting his patient’s health. It was clear that he would have to give up

alcohol for good. But anything that the doctor said to his patient seemed to go in

one ear and out the other. The doctor therefore decided that he would demonstrate to his patient how harmful alcohol was. The doctor took two glasses, one of which he filled with ordinary tap water, the other with whisky. He then took an ordinary earth worm and dropped it into the glass of water. The worm swam around in the water, seemingly quite happy. The doctor then took the worm out of the water and dropped it into the glass of whisky. The worm immediately went into contortions and began to cough and splutter before quickly dying. The doctor, looking sternly at his patient, said: There you are! Did you see that? What does that tell you? “Well, Doc, it just goes to show that if you drink whisky you’ll never get worms!” We see what we want to see! Today’s first reading from the first book of Samuel is also about seeing and not  seeing. (Fr. Geoffrey Plant) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 21) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle C homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  (Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507)

 

 

 

 

 

Lent IV [A] (March 15): I Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a; Eph 5:8-14; Jn 9:1-41

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: –Annie Sullivan enables Helen Keller to conquer her blindness and deafness: When Helen Keller was a healthy child of two years of age a serious illness, probably Scarlet fever, destroyed both her sight and her hearing. When Helen was seven, the inventor of Telephone, Alexander Graham Bell sent an efficient teacher from Perkin’s School for the Bind from Boston, Annie Mansfield Sullivan to tackle the apparently impossible job of making contact with Helen’s mind through the sense of touch. Annie Sullivan worked out a sort of alphabet by which she spelled words on Helen’s hand. Gradually the child was able to connect the words with objects. Once started, Helen made rapid progress. Within three years she could read and write in Braille. At the age of ten she decided to perfect her speech. She was taken to the Perkin School for the Blind in Boston and then to a School for the Deaf in New York. At 16 she entered Radcliff college from which she graduated with honors in 1904 and she became one of the most highly educated women of her time, giving speeches all around the world. Annie Sullivan was constantly at her side until the dedicated teacher died in 1936. Today’s Good News tells us how Jesus cured a man of his blindness, giving him both physical and spiritual eyesight. (Msgr. Arthur Tonne).  Watch the Helen Keller Movie “The Miracle Worker” by clicking on https://youtu.be/Y_5zqDjGd5s  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#2:  “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent:” Sherlock Holmes and his smart assistant Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, enjoy a heavy barbeque dinner with a bottle of whisky, set up their tent, and fall asleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” Watson replies, “I see millions of stars.” “What does that tell you?” Watson ponders for a minute. “Astronomically speaking, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, it tells me that Saturn is in Leo. Timewise, it appears to be approximately a quarter past three. Theologically, it’s evident the Lord is all powerful and we are small and insignificant. Meteorologically, it seems we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. What does it tell you?” Holmes is silent for a moment, then speaks. “Watson, you idiot, someone has stolen our tent!”– Watson had missed the most obvious observation. He was clever enough to notice the complexities of the stars, but he missed what was plain and simple.  Today’s Gospel reading is about a whole lot of people who miss the point. In Jesus’ healing of a blind man, the Pharisees missed the most evident point that it was a real miracle by Divine intervention. (http://www.lothlorien.net/collections/humor/watson.html ) . (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#3: Obstacles and triumphs: History is replete with stories of people who triumphed over seemingly insurmountable disadvantages and challenges.  Homer was blind, as was John Milton, but both men achieved unparalleled status as poets. Beethoven was deaf when he composed his Ninth Symphony, so deaf that when his work was first performed, he could not hear a note of the magnificent ode, “Joy, thou heavenly spark of Godhead,” with which the symphony concludes. Thomas Edison, who lost his hearing at the age of eight went on to invent over 100 useful devices, including the phonograph and moving pictures.  Alexander the Great and Alexander Pope suffered skeletal deformities as did Shakespeare, Sir Walter Scott, Lord Byron, Epictetus and Franklin Roosevelt.  Francis Mouthelon, a man with no hands was awarded first prize by the French society of artists for the most excellent painting of 1875.  Helen Keller, one of the world’s most renowned women, was blind, deaf and mute from early childhood, yet she became a teacher, author and educator.  Anne Sullivan, Keller’s teacher and companion for 49 years was half-blind at birth, orphaned, and institutionalized as a young girl.  Nevertheless, she devoted her life to the care of the blind. When Sullivan became totally blind as an adult, Keller took on the role of teacher, helping her devoted friend to overcome her inability to see.  George Frederick Handel, the great musician suffered several setbacks.  He lost his health and his right side was paralyzed.  When he lost his money, his creditors threatened to imprison him.  In the throes of his darkest days, Handel composed his finest work, The Hallelujah Chorus, which is part of his Messiah, citing his Faith in God as the only thing that sustained him.  — Triumphs like these bolster the human spirit with the knowledge that handicaps, and hardships need not remain incapacitating; indeed, such experiences can prove to be the impetus for achieving greatness.  The Lenten season challenges us to reflect on those obstacles, which tend to stunt our spiritual development.  Let us remember that, like the people mentioned above and like the blind man in today’s Gospel, we are also capable of overcoming whatever stands between us and the wholeness to which God calls us. (Sanchez archives). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 4: The gift of true eye- sight: Have you ever played a game with a blindfold? Or, have you ever been on a trust walk, where you are blindfolded and led by another person? Playing games with a blindfold helps us appreciate the gift of sight. Sight is a double blessing in a culture in which the media manipulate visual contents, patterns, and timing. A quickly edited, fast moving commercial on television proves the point; your eyes quickly “read” the message. Through the cure of a person born blind, John’s Gospel presents sight in a spiritual sense. Sometimes a person can look, but not see. Here, the blind man received not only the ability to use his eyes but the gift to see the truth. (Word Sunday.com). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 Scripture lessons summarized: By describing the anointing of David as the second king of Israel, the first reading, taken from the First Book of Samuel, illustrates how blind we are in our judgments and how much we need God’s help. It also reminds us that those whom God involves in His saving plans are not necessarily those whom the world perceives as great. In today’s Responsorial Psalm, (Ps 23), we celebrate the care of God, our Good Shepherd, singing, “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.”  In the second reading, Paul reminds the Ephesians of their new responsibility as children of light: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth.” Jesus’ giving of sight to a blind man, reported in today’s Gospel, teaches us the necessity of our having our spiritual and mental eyes opened by Faith and warns us that   those who assume they see the truth are often blind, while those who acknowledge their blindness are given clear vision. In this episode, the most unlikely person, namely the beggar born blind, receives the light of Faith in Jesus, while the religion-oriented, law-educated Pharisees remain spiritually blind.  “There are none so blind, as those who will not see.”  To live as a Christian is to see, to have continually growing and deepening clearer vision about God, about ourselves and about others.  Today’s Gospel reminds us that we are to live as children of the light, seeking what is good and right , true and beautiful.  Our Lenten prayers and sacrifices should serve to heal our blindness so that we can look at others, see them as children of God, and love them as our own brothers and sisters, saved by the death and Resurrection of Jesus.  

First reading: I Sm 16:1a, 6-7, 10-13a explained: For a long time, Israel had been ruled by Judges.  Samuel was the last of these Judges, and towards the end of his life he had more or less succeeded in forming a loose confederation among the twelve tribes of the Israelites with the Lord God as their Sovereign Ruler. But the people were displeased with the lack of unity and political security.  The pagan nations which surrounded them were ruled by kings who led them to battle and who organized their territories on a sound, political basis.  In spite of the Lord’s warning and the wise advice of the elders, the people demanded a king so that they could be like other nations.  Finally, the Lord granted them Saul as their first king (1030 BC). Though successful in many battles, Saul offended God, and the kingship was taken from him.  The Lord then prompted Samuel, the last Judge in Israel, to go to Bethlehem to anoint the next king. Today’s passage shows us Samuel’s journey to find the Lord’s chosen one and the ritual for anointing the new king. As an old and experienced judge who had studied how the first king (Saul) had failed, Samuel had his own ideas about whom God would choose.  But God chose the most unlikely candidate, namely, David, the shepherd boy, the youngest son of Jesse.   The reason He gave Samuel for this choice was:   “Not as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance, but the Lord looks into the heart.”  

The second Reading: Eph 5:8-14 explained:  The whole passage extends the  darkness-versus-light metaphor, leading to the blindness-versus-sight theme of today’s Gospel.  For Paul, Baptism is a “participation in the death and Resurrection of Jesus” (Rom 6:3-4) and a “clothing with Christ’’ (Gal 3:27).  In today’s reading, taken from his letter to the Ephesians, Paul echoes Is  26:19; 60  , saying that Baptism is also an “awakening and living in the light”— that is, Christ:  “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light.” That is why in the early Greek-speaking Church, Baptism came to be known as photismos meaning “an illumination or bath in light.”  Hence, Paul reminds Christians of their new responsibility as children of light: “You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.  Live as children of the light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord.” The Benedictine Bible scholar, Ivan Havener explicates today’s passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians thus: “The readers of this letter were once Gentiles without Christ and were darkness itself, but now as Gentiles in the Lord, they have become light. Their new identity as children of light requires that they live in a different way. The fruit produced by their light-life is all goodness, righteousness, and truth, considering what is pleasing to the Lord. Therefore, instead of participating in the unproductive works of darkness, they should condemn such deeds.”

Gospel Exegesis: The paradox of blindness. The healing described in today’s Gospel occurred when Jesus came to Jerusalem with his Apostles to participate in the feast of Tabernacles or the festival of tents (Sukkoth).  As part of the celebration of Sukkot, four huge golden four-branched candelabra were set up and lit in the courts of the Temple—each was 50 cubits (=75 feet) high. The Mishnah says that “there was not a courtyard in all of Jerusalem” that did not gleam with the light from the Temple menorahs when they were lit for Sukkot. The healing of the blind man, told so dramatically in today’s Gospel, brings out the mercy and kindness of Jesus, “the light of the world.”  Isaiah prophesied, and the Jewish people of that era believed, that when the Messiah came, he would heal blindness and other diseases.  The type of blindness which we now call ophthalmic conjunctivitis was very common in Biblical times.  Jesus gave to the beggar who was born blind not only his bodily eyesight but also the light of Faith.   This story also shows how the stubborn pride and prejudice of the Pharisees prevented them from seeing in the humble “Son of Man” the long-expected Messiah, and that made them incapable of recognizing the miracle. The healed beggar  begins by identifying Jesus as “a man.” Questioned further by the Pharisees, he declares that the man who healed him is a Prophet.  When the parents of the blind man convinced them that their son had been born blind, the Pharisees argued that the healer was a “sinner,” because the miracle had been performed on the Sabbath. But the cured man insisted that Jesus, his healer, must be a man from God, and they excommunicated him from Temple worship.  When Jesus heard this, He sought and found the man He had healed, and asked him, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” the man answered, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” In response to Jesus,’ “You have seen Him, and the One speaking with you is He,” the now-sighted man said, “… ‘I do believe, Lord,’ and he worshipped Him.”  Fr. Harrington S.J. comments, “The blind man’s progress in spiritual sight reminds us that we need God’s grace and revelation to move toward sharper spiritual vision.”

Blindness and Baptism: The healing of the blind man by Jesus involved clay, spittle, smearing or anointing of the eyes with the saliva and a washing in water. Early baptismal rituals incorporated similar gestures and the sacrament of baptism was referred to as enlightenment (Heb 6:4, 10:32; Justin Martyr, Apologia 1.61-12, 65:1)). In the context of the Lenten RCIA scrutinies, the Church challenges us to see this man’s journey from darkness to light as a paradigm for our own spiritual lives—from the darkness of doubt to belief (for catechumens preparing for Baptism); from the darkness of sin to the light of repentance, mercy, and freedom (for those of us already baptized, who are called to renew our Baptismal promises, and to “own” our Baptism more consciously). From earliest times, today’s Gospel story has been associated with Baptism. Just as the blind man went down into the waters of Siloam and came up whole, so also believers who are immersed in the waters of Baptism come up spiritually whole, totally healed of the spiritual blindness with which all of us are born. Raymond Brown comments that in the lectionaries and liturgical books of the early Church, there developed the practice of three examinations before one’s Baptism. These correspond to the three interrogations of the man born blind. When the catechumens had passed their examinations, and were judged worthy of Baptism, the Gospel book was solemnly opened and the ninth chapter of John was read, with the confession of the blind man, “I do believe, Lord,” serving as the climax of the service. Paintings on the walls of the catacombs of Rome portray Jesus healing the man born blind as a symbol of Holy Baptism. One of the writings from that time says: “Happy is the Sacrament of our water, in that, by washing away the sins of our earthly blindness, we are set free unto eternal life.” The early Christians looked at their Baptism as leaving behind blindness and darkness and stepping into the glorious light of God. In other words, they realized that their becoming Christians and then continuing as followers of Christ, was indeed a miracle – as great as, if not greater than, the healing of the physical blindness of the man in the Gospel today.

The spiritual blindness of the Pharisees: The Pharisees suffered from spiritual blindness.  They were blind to the Holy Spirit.  They had the externals of religion but lacked the spirit of Jesus’ love.  They were also blind to the suffering and pain right before their eyes. They refused to see pain and injustice.  There was no compassion in their hearts.  In short, they were truly blind both to the Holy Spirit and to the human misery around them. “The blind man’s progress in spiritual sight is paralleled by the opponents’ descent into spiritual blindness.” (Fr. Harrington). Here is a contrast between those who know they are blind and those who claim to see. According to these blind Pharisees, Jesus, by healing the blind man doubly broke the Sabbath law, which forbade works of healing, and also kneading which was involved in making clay of spittle and dust. Raymond Brown adds a third and fourth reason that increased the seriousness of what Jesus had done: in the Jewish tradition: “there was an opinion that it was not permitted to anoint an eye on the Sabbath,” and “one may not put fasting spittle on the eyes on the Sabbath.” So, they concluded, “The man who did this cannot be from God, because he does not obey the Sabbath law.”

Spiritual blindness of modern Pharisees: Although the Pharisees have long since disappeared from history, there are still many among us who are blinded by the same pride and prejudice. Spiritual blindness is very common in modern times. Perhaps, the most awful disease in our country today is the spiritual blindness which refuses to see the truths of God’s revelation, and  even to admit that God or Christ exists.   In their pride, the spiritually blind claim that everything ends with death and that there is no life after death.  They propagate their errors and accuse believers of childish credulity and folly.  They ignore the gifts of the intellect we all possess.  God’s revelation through Christ informs us that there is a future life awaiting us in which our spiritual faculties and our transformed bodies will be fully and fittingly glorified. According to Pope Benedict XVI, the miracle of the healing of the blind man is a sign that Christ wants not only to give us sight, but also to open our interior vision, so that our Faith may become ever deeper and we may recognize Him as our only Savior. He illuminates all that is dark in life and leads men and women to live as “children of the light” (Lenten message-2011).

Life messages: 1) We need to allow Jesus to heal our spiritual blindness. Physiologically, the “blind-spot” is the part of our eye where vision is not experienced. It is the spot where the optic nerve enters the eyeball. A blind spot in a vehicle is an area around the vehicle that cannot be directly observed by the driver.   In real life, we all have blind-spots — in our marriages, our parenting, our work habits, and our personalities.  We often wish   to remain in the dark, preferring darkness to light.  It is even possible for the religious people in our day to be like the Pharisees:  religious in worship, in frequenting the Sacraments, in prayer-life, in tithing, and in knowledge of the Bible – but blind to the poverty, injustice, and pain around them.  Let us remember, however, that Jesus wants to heal our blind spots.  We need to ask Jesus to remove from us the root causes of our blindness, among them, self-centeredness, greed, anger, hatred, prejudice, jealousy, addiction to evil habits and hardness of heart. Let us pray with the Scottish Bible scholar William Barclay, “God our Father, help us see Christ more clearly, love him more dearly and follow him more nearly” day by day.

2) We need to get rid of cultural blindness.  Our culture also has blind-spots.  Often it is blind to things like love, happiness, marriage, and true, committed sexual love in marriage.  Our culture has become anesthetized to the violence, the sexual innuendo, and the enormous suffering of the world around us.  Our culture, our media, our movies and our values, are often blind as to what it means to love selflessly and sacrificially. Our culture, in spite of scientific proofs, is blind to the reality that life begins at the moment of conception, and it callously promotes abortion. We continue to advance destructive practices such as embryonic stem-cell research, homosexual “marriages,” transgenderism,  euthanasia, and human cloning, and we refuse to see the consequences of godless behavior on human society. In the name of individual rights, the radical left in our society decries any public demonstration of religious beliefs and practices, or the public appearance of traditional values, questioning the substance of family values. The radical right, on the other hand, decries the immorality of our times, without lifting a finger to help the poor and the underprivileged and without ever questioning unjust foreign policies and wars. This   cultural blindness can only be overcome as each one of us enters the living experience of having Jesus dwelling within us and within others, through personal prayer, meditative reading of the Bible and a genuine Sacramental life.

3) We need to pray for clear vision:  Peter Marshall, the former chaplain to the United States Congress used to pray, “Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”  Today’s Gospel challenges our ability to see clearly.   Do we see a terrorist in every member of a particular religion?  Do we see people who are addicted to drugs as outcasts and sinners?  Do we fail to see God at work in our lives because He has shown us no miracles?  Jonathan Swift said, “Vision is the art of seeing things invisible.”  Let us remember that this gift belongs to those who can see the good hidden in the kernels of suffering and of failure.  It resides in those who never give up hope.  Let us pray for the grace to see and experience the presence of a loving and forgiving God.

4) Let us not allow the world and Satan to blind us so that we forget our real identity and call – that we have been created by God and bought with the blood of Jesus; that we have been adopted as God’s chosen children; and,  consequently, that our role is to become God’s representatives in our community and our world. We are called to “stand out” by the way we show love and concern for others. We are called to promote justice and peace; to set an example of what it means to live according to God’s way. We are called to discipleship – that means leading a disciplined life of prayer, the study of God’s Word, worship with our fellow Christians, and standing out in the crowd (even though that may be difficult to do), when it means sticking up for those who are being wronged and confessing that Christ in our lives does make a difference. It’s so easy to miss the point of what it means to be a Christian, and we end up “blending in” and fail to become a positive and powerful influence bringing about positive changes in people’s lives and in our world. Lent is a good time to take stock of how we are affected by this blindness, to see just how blind we have been to Jesus and His call to discipleship, and to realise how often we have preferred to stay blind. Lent is a good time to renew our vision and fix our eyes again on the Saviour who came so that we can be assured of forgiveness for such blindness, for the times when Jesus has come to us through his word and we have been too blind to see him, and too deaf to hear him calling us to action.

5)“Lord give me Your eyes.” This is a beautiful prayer which enables us to walk in the true light of Christ, a prayer that God always seems to answer – that we may see things as Christ, that is, in the light of faith. This is also a very useful prayer to pray when we are conversing with someone, so that we can see that person as Christ sees him or her. The prayer  is especially helpful  when we encounter someone who tries our patience, for rather than continuing to see  only the person’s irritating defects, we are helped by the Lord to see what He finds so lovable in that person —  what, in fact, would lead Him to trade his own life for that person all over again if he had to. The prayer is  recommended also to those of us who have difficulty overcoming negative thoughts and habitual criticism of others. We pray, “Lord, give me your eyes,” so that we may see not only the good things that God has given the person, but also that we may be able to look with compassion on the various hardships that the other person has endured, leading to some of that person’s irritating habits. It is useful also to those  of us who are encountering serious Crosses. With the eyes of Faith, we can see those crosses not so much as mortifications but as gifts from God to help us  to grow in holiness, to acquire Christ’s own virtues, to unite ourselves to Christ on the Cross and follow him up close all the way through the Cross to glory. It is helpful to those of us who have a problem with our own self-esteem and morale, for when we turn to Jesus to ask for His eyes, we are asking him to help us  that we can discover our own selves in our true dignity and recognize how tremendously lovable we are to God. For those of us who have trouble with contrition, examining our lives and hearts from God’s perspective — with God‘s eyes — we  will be better able to see just how horrible our sins are and what each of them cost the Lord.

JOKES OF THE WEEK

#1: The blind farmer was often taken for a walk in the fields by a kind neighbor.  However kindly the neighbor might have been, he was undoubtedly a coward.  When a bull charged towards them one day, he abandoned the blind man.  The bull, puzzled by a lack of fear, nudged the blind farmer in the back.  He turned very quickly, caught the bull by the horns and threw it to the ground with a bump that left it breathless.  “Aidan,” shouted the neighbor, “I never knew you were so strong.”  “It’s the strength of Faith,” said the blind man. “If I could have got that fella off the handlebars of his bicycle, I’d have thrashed him properly.” (He was under the impression that a bicycle had hit him).

#2: A blind man is walking down the street with his guide dog one day.  They come to a busy intersection and the dog, ignoring the high volume of traffic zooming by on the street, leads the blind man right out into the thick of the traffic.  This is followed by the screech of tires as panicked drivers try desperately not to run the pair down.  Horns blaring around them, the blind man and the dog finally reach the safety of the sidewalk on the other side of the street, and the blind man pulls a cookie out of his coat pocket, which he offers to the dog. A passerby, having observed the near fatal incident, can’t control his amazement and says to the blind man, “Why on earth are you rewarding your dog with a cookie?  He nearly got you killed!” The blind man turns partially in his direction and replies, “To find out where his head is, so I can kick his rear end!”

#3:  Ode To Myopia

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1) Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  

2) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes & texts on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://sundayhomilies.au/homilies/

4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

6) Bishop Barron’s Sunday video homily for Lent IV Sunday

https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/and-now-i-see/5422/

7) Fr. William Grimm’s video homily: https://youtu.be/GSh0iCfftpg

8) Lenten reflections: 1) https://youtu.be/MOstFC5QZyc 

   2) https://youtu.be/AHzG3ocLaj4

30- Additional anecdotes

1) “Amazing Grace” is the story of the healing of one person’s personal as well as cultural blindness. John Newton was born in 1740 in England. He grew up in the Anglican Church. As a little boy he went to Church and learned Bible lessons.   His mother died when he was only eleven, and so he traveled with his father who was the captain and owner of a cargo ship.  The “cargo” was two to three hundred black slaves packed, lying next to each other, in the ship’s hold.  In a storm, little John Newton was washed overboard and was picked up on the open seas by a slave trader who trained John in his trade as he grew up.  Before his conversion, Newton’s life had become so debauched, irreverent, and immoral that even his fellow sailors were shocked by his conduct and coarse speech. On one return voyage to England, Newton was caught in such a fierce storm that all aboard despaired of life.  The Scriptures John had once learned at his mother’s knee returned to his mind, and he began to hope that Jesus could deliver him, dreadful sinner though he was.  For the first time in years, John sought the Lord in prayer, and as he later wrote, “the Lord sent from on high and delivered me out of deep waters.” It was on March 21, a date he remembered yearly for the rest of his life, that Newton began to realize the enormity of the evil in his life and his complicity with the evil of slavery in his slave-trading.  He left the ship, joined the seminary, was ordained and became a zealous pastor.  Thanking God for the grace of conversion, he composed a song which is now one of Americans’ favorite hymns: “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.  I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see.” — Jesus always comes to heal people who are spiritually blind if they ask for help.  Newton, like his culture, had a huge personal blind-spot — tolerance for slave-trading.  And Jesus healed John Newton’s spiritual blindness. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) Anne Mansfield Sullivan and Helen Keller: Anne Mansfield Sullivan was a “miracle worker” who overcame obstacles in seeking to assist others.  Partially blind from birth, she managed to overcome this handicap and graduated from the prestigious Perkins School for the Blind in Boston.  The miracle of Anne Sullivan’s life, however, had very little to do with her own handicap, but it had everything to do with the multiple handicaps of a young girl.  The miracle began to be manifest on March 2, 1887, when twenty-year-old Anne Mansfield Sullivan met six-year-old Helen Keller.  Helen was born in 1880, a healthy and strong child.  At nineteen months of age, however, she contracted a disease, which left her blind, deaf, and ultimately mute; Helen Keller lived in a world of total darkness and silence.  When Helen was six, her mother sent Helen with her father, to seek out Dr. J. Julian Chisolm, an eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist in Baltimore, for advice.  He subsequently put them in touch with Alexander Graham Bell who was working with deaf children at the time.  Bell knew Anne Sullivan and arranged for the first meeting between student and teacher.  Anne Sullivan’s task was monumental.  The first thing that was necessary was for Anne to gain Helen’s confidence, which was accomplished with relative ease. The next step, however, would be much more difficult.  Anne needed to teach Helen that her condition afforded her the opportunity to see, hear, and speak in new and different ways, to communicate on another level.  Helen Keller could not see images and she could not read the words on the printed page, but she could feel and, thus, learned to read through the use of Braille.  Helen could not hear or speak, but she did learn to finger-spell and sign in order to communicate with others.  Helen Keller learned her lessons well.  In fact, she learned so well that in 1904 she graduated cum laude from Radcliff College, one of the most prestigious institutions of higher education for women.  She went on to become a successful author and an internationally known celebrity who aided the cause of handicapped people throughout the world.  It was the life of Anne Mansfield Sullivan, however, which in many ways was the true miracle.  She opened the mind of Helen Keller to a world of possibilities.  Maybe it is odd to say, but it seems that normal sight, hearing, and speech might have been impediments to Helen Keller, for without them she reached her full potential and greatness.  Anne Sullivan was a woman who brought the light to a child shrouded in darkness, silence, and fear.  She was not able to cure any of the many physical maladies that plagued Helen Keller, but she brought Helen what may have been more important – that is the light and hope of Faith.  — Jesus, as we hear in today’s famous passage from John’s Gospel, physically healed the man born blind, but gave him much more; Jesus secured for him the vision of Faith.  We, in a similar way, are called to seek the light, cast out the blindness that exists in our lives, and do what we can to assist others to do the same. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Seeing is believing. Brennan Manning (from Messy Spiritually: God’s Annoying Love for Imperfect People by Michael Yaconeli, quoted in Pulpit Resource, Vol. 33, No. 1, p. 44) tells the story of a man recently converted to Jesus and how an unbelieving friend sought to “see” why. “So you have been converted to Christ?” “Yes.” “Then you must know a great deal about Him. Tell me, what country was he born in?” “I don’t know.” “What was his age when he died?” “I don’t know.” “How many sermons did he preach?” “I don’t know.” “You certainly know very little for a man who claims to be converted to Christ.” “You are right. I am ashamed at how little I know about him. But his much I know: Three years ago I was a drunkard. I was in debt. My family was falling to pieces; they dreaded the sight of me. But now I have given up drink. We are out of debt. Ours is a happy home. My children eagerly await my return home each evening. All this Christ has done for me. This much I know of Christ.” (Rev. Mike Ripski). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) What kind of God do some people have?  Kathryn Lindskoog has suffered for two decades with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic disease that gradually weakens and paralyzes the body.  She has been amazed at some of the advice she has received from friends and relatives.  A few typical examples: “You must really like to be sick; you bring so much of it on yourself.”  That comment was from a nearby relative who never so much as sent a get-well card.  “The reason I have perfect health is that I think right; nobody gets sick unless he thinks wrong.”  That from another relative.  “I know just how you feel about being crippled; I had a bad case of tennis elbow last month.”  “Your present improvement is just wishful thinking.”  How’s that for encouragement?  “I know you fake your limp to try to get attention.”  That comment was from her pastor. He was entirely serious.  And this last one: “God must cherish you to trust you with this burden.”  [Kathryn Lindskoog, “What do You Say to Job?”  Leadership (Spring 1985), 93-94. Quoted in Ron Lee Davis, Healing Life’s Hurts (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1986).] — That hurts.  What kind of God do some people have? (Rev. King Duncan). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) “I believe he overdid it this time.”  A country preacher was visiting his parishioners after a local flood.  He called on a farmer whose crop had washed away and whose cows had all drowned.  “Whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth,” quoted the preacher, trying to offer some comfort.  The farmer looked at him and said dryly, “Well, I believe He overdid it this time.”  The farmer was right. —  What kind of God do some people have?  Many people were startled to hear TV evangelists Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell blame the bombing of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on God’s unhappiness with gays, feminists and People for the American Way.  Did these two influential clergymen really mean that God killed thousands of innocent people because God was unhappy with the lifestyles of other people in our land?  Is God the ultimate terrorist?  What kind of God do some people have?  Jesus and his disciples passed a man blind from birth.  “Who sinned,” asked Jesus’ disciples, “this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”  What kind of God did these disciples have? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “Who sinned,” the disciples asked Jesus, “that this man was born sightless?” Back in 1991, there was an article in The New York Times Magazine concerning a group of more than 100 women who reside in Long Beach, California.  These women, Cambodian refugees who witnessed the horror of the Pol Pot Regime, are certifiably blind, yet doctors say their eyes function perfectly well. These sightless women suffer from psychosomatic or hysterical blindness.  They are really blind, but their blindness stems from their minds; though they have eyes, they are unable to see.  The women from Cambodia are sightless because their minds have subconsciously closed out horrific images they did not want to see.  Although those having blind sight also have healthy eyes, because of damage to other parts of their neurological system,  they are not aware of the images their eyes are transmitting. — Our lesson from John’s Gospel is about a beggar who was born blind. As far as we know, people in Bible times knew nothing about psychosomatic illness, nor did they know about neurological damage.  Their explanation for any form of suffering was that someone must have sinned.  “Who sinned,” the disciples asked Jesus, “that this man was born sightless?” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “Did you ever have a taste of Jesus?” Bob Allred tells the story about a country preacher who was listening to a seminary professor cast doubt on the core issues of the Faith.  When the professor finished his lecture, the elderly pastor got up, took an apple from his lunch bag and started eating it as he said, “Mr. Professor, I haven’t read many of them books you quoted.”  Then he took another bite of the apple.  “Mr. Professor, I don’t know much about the great thinkers you mentioned,” as he took still another bite of his apple.  “Mr. Professor, I admit I haven’t studied the Bible like you have,” as he finished his apple and dropped it back in the bag.  “I was just wondering, this apple that I just ate, was it sour or sweet?  The Professor —   To which the old preacher replied, “With all due respect, sir, I was just wondering if you had ever had a taste of my Jesus?” The now-sighted blind man in today’s Gospel says, “Whether or not the cure was approved by the FDA, I once was blind, but now I see.”  You all argue and explain all you want, but that’s enough for me. (Dr. J. Howard Olds) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8)”Lead kindly Light”: Video= (https://youtu.be/3j2hBSgZMrw) St. John Henry Cardinal Newman was a professor at Oxford University. When he was an Anglican priest, along with the other scholars, he started the Oxford movement. When he was thirty-two years old, his health was bad, and he took a break from his writings and went to Europe to recuperate. But unfortunately, he contacted a deadly fever. He wanted to return to England, but no transportation was available. As he waited, his life became lonely and tedious; he was experiencing great physical and emotional despair. It is then that he penned a beautiful hymn asking God for light: “Lead, kindly Light, amid th’encircling gloom, Lead Thou me on; The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on: Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see: the distant scene — one step enough for me.” — In his confusion and distress, Newman prayed to the God of Light to lead him from darkness to light, from confusion to certainty, and from sickness to health. God heard his prayer and led him home safely. In 1845, he was converted to the Roman Catholic faith. [John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) As a small child, he lost his sight: Rev. Tony Campolo, in his book Carpe Diem [(Dallas: Word Publishing, 1994), p. 17.], tells a story from the life of a man whom many consider to be one of the truly creative minds of the twentieth century.  He is known as a philosopher, thinker, visionary, inventor, architect, engineer, mathematician, poet, cosmologist, and more.  R. Buckminster Fuller was born in Milton, Massachusetts on July 12, 1895. Throughout the course of his life Fuller held 28 patents, authored 28 books and received 47 honorary degrees.  And while his most well-known artifact, the geodesic dome, has been produced over 300,000 times worldwide, Fuller’s true impact on the world today can be found in his continued influence upon generations of designers, architects, scientists, and artists working to create a more sustainable planet.  So numerous are his achievements that a list of his inventions would fill a good-sized book.  Fuller explained that the source of his creativity was a painful misfortune that occurred during his childhood.  He described how, as a small child, he lost his sight.  He went to bed one night able to see and awoke the next morning, blind.  Medical experts were not able to explain the cause of his horrific and sudden blindness.  There was no reason for it.  It just happened.  For several years young Fuller remained blind.  Then, just as suddenly and as inexplicably as he had lost his sight, he regained it.  Without any indication as to what was coming, one morning he woke up able to see again. — In retrospect, Fuller explained, that tragic time proved to be a blessing in disguise.  Upon regaining his sight, he found the world miraculously new and strangely wonderful to him.  Along with his renewed vision, he put to use the creative imagination developed during his years of blindness.  He claimed his excitement for life was intensified beyond anything that would have been possible had he always been able to see.  Don’t you imagine that this man Jesus healed had that same excitement about life? (Rev. Frank Lyman) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “Why has this happened to me?  The Hoover Dam, built in 1935 on the Colorado River, is an engineering wonder.  Hoover is what is called an arch-gravity dam.  It is so designed that greater the pressure applied to the dam the more it is wedged into the solid rock.  The greater the forces against the dam, the stronger it becomes. —  So, let it be with us.  When heartaches come, as they will, let us not cry out, “Why has this happened to me?  Why has this happened to someone I love?  What have I done to deserve this?”  Rather, let’s surrender our need to a healing God.  Let’s allow our hurt to wedge us ever more surely into the solid Rock. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “Now I see.”  During the Depression of the 1930s, a boat captain managed to make a modest living by piloting his boat up and down the Mississippi River.  His boat was old and needed repair.  The engines were grimy, emitting soot and smoke.  The captain was untidy and rude.  It so happened that on one of his trips, he met a traveling missionary, who introduced him to Christ and the Gospel.  The captain’s conversion was profound and authentic.  One of the first things he did was to clean up his boat and repair its engines.  The deck and deck chairs were freshly painted, and all the brass fixtures were polished.  His personal appearance and demeanor were transformed.  Clean-shaven and with a smile he greeted his customers who remarked about the change in the man. —  In reply, the captain said, “I was spiritually blind, but now I see people and events as they really are.  I have gotten a new glory and it shines out in all I do.   That is what Christ does for a person — gives him clear vision and a glory.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Blind to the need for a change of heart. There is a Sufi story about a Muslim on a horse who was determined to kill the enemy he was pursuing.  In the middle of the chase the call to prayer rang out from a mosque.  Instantly, the Muslim got off his horse, unrolled his prayer mat and prayed the set prayers as fast as he could, then got back on his horse and continued the chase. —  He had fulfilled the requirements of the law but was blind to what the law really required:  namely, a change of heart. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13)”You are more beautiful than I ever imagined!” When William Montague Dyke was ten years old, he was blinded in an accident.  Despite his disability, William graduated from a university in England with high honors.  While he was in school, he fell in love with the daughter of a high-ranking British naval officer, and they became engaged.  Not long before the wedding, William had eye surgery in the hope that the operation would restore his sight.  If it failed, he would remain blind for the rest of his life.  William insisted on keeping the bandages on his eyes until his wedding day.  If the surgery were successful, he wanted the first person he saw to be his new bride.  The wedding day arrived. The many guests – including royalty, cabinet members, and distinguished men and women of society – assembled together to witness the exchange of vows. William’s father, Sir William Hart Dyke, and the doctor who performed the surgery stood next to the groom, whose eyes were still covered with bandages. The organ trumpeted the wedding march, and the bride slowly walked down the aisle to the front of the church.  As soon as she arrived at the altar, the surgeon took a pair of scissors out of his pocket and cut the bandages from William’s eyes.  Tension filled the room.  The congregation of witnesses held their breath as they waited to find out if William could see the woman standing before him.  As he stood face-to-face with his bride-to-be, William’s words echoed throughout the cathedral, “You are more beautiful than I ever imagined!” — Author Kent Crockett, who tells this story in his book, Making Today Count for Eternity, writes: “One day the bandages that cover our eyes will be removed.  When we stand face-to-face with Jesus Christ and see His face for the very first time, His glory will be far more splendid than anything we have ever imagined in this life.” Rev. Frank Lyman (Sisters Multnomah Publishers, 2001, pp. 101-102). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) The eye-opening prayer of a pastor with guts: His prayer still upsets some people.  When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard: “Heavenly Father, We come before you today to ask Your forgiveness and to seek Your direction and guidance.  We know Your Word says, ‘Woe to those who call evil good.’  But that is exactly what we have done.  We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.  We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.  We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.  We have killed our unborn and called it choice.  We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.  We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.  We have abused power and called it politics.  We have coveted our neighbor’s possessions and called it ambition.  We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of speech and expression.  We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our Forefathers and called it enlightenment.  Search us, O God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!”

— The response was immediate.  A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest.  In six short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively.  The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa, and Korea.  Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, The Rest of the Story, and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.  With the Lord’s help, may this prayer sweep over our Nation and wholeheartedly become our desire, so that we again can be called “one nation under God.”(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “Wwwwhat ddddid tttthe tttturkey ddddo?” I am reminded of a very devout Christian woman who went to a pet store.  She saw this beautiful parrot, immediately fell in love with it and decided to buy it.  Well, the owner knowing this lady said, “Lady, I cannot sell you that parrot.”  The lady said, “Why not?”  He said, “Well, you see, he was owned by a sailor and he curses a blue streak.” But the woman was not to be denied.  She said, “I will change that parrot and turn him into a good parrot.  I do want to buy him.”  She took that parrot home, believing that with some Christian love and firm discipline he could be changed. No sooner had she gotten that parrot home and the parrot began cursing and swearing just as the man had warned.  Well, she looked at that parrot and said, “I will not have that kind of language in this house, and if I hear any more of it I am going to put you in the freezer for ten minutes and teach you a lesson.”  Well, the parrot continued to swear, so the woman took the parrot out of the cage and put him in the freezer.  After ten minutes she took him out.  The shivering parrot looked at her and said, “Pppplease, Llllady, wwwwould yyyyou ttttell mmmme jjjjust oooone tttthing?  Wwwwhat ddddid tttthe tttturkey ddddo?” —  When Jesus and his   apostles  passed a man, bline from birth, the apostles asked, “Rabbi,  who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” he replied,  “It was not that this man sinned or his parents, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him,” and promptly healed the man.  Likewise, we are sinners, spiritually blind from birth, thanks to Adam and Eve’s legacy of Original Sin, but  for the same reason, that God’s work might be manifest in us,  Jesus healed us from our “blindness” through His obedient, loving acceptance of His Passion and Death on the Cross. Our job is to accept that amazing grace and live our Faith out in our lives.  (Rev James Merritt) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “When he stands up, he can turn around!” The story’s told about a couple who lived on a beautiful piece of ground in an isolated area. In the course of time, the husband died. Before he died, he expressed his strong desire to be buried upon their property. His widow made the necessary arrangements with a funeral service center for digging grave in the North- South direction. But the diggers said: “We always dig them East and West because it has something to do with the Lord’s second coming from the East and the risen people facing Him.”  But the practical widow insisted: “Dig it like I laid it out. — When my husband stands up at resurrection, he needs no glasses and hearing aid to turn around and see the Lord coming from the East!” (Gerald Hill, Powderly, TX). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Not seeing with both eyes: John Killinger tells the story of a man who visited one day in a classroom for visually impaired children. Troubled by what he saw, the man remarked, insensitively, in their presence, “It must be terrible to go through life without eyes.” One little girl quickly responded, “It’s not half as bad as having two good eyes but still not being able to see.” — Her point was well made. There is physical blindness, and there is another, even more tragic form of blindness that affects the spirit. Both forms of blindness are present in today’s Gospel reading.    (Rev. Johnny Dean). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) “Now I see again!” During World War II John Howard Griffin was blinded in an airplane explosion. For the next 12 years he couldn’t see a thing. Then, one day he was walking down a street near his parent’s home in Texas. Suddenly he began to see “red sand” in front of his eyes. Without warning, his sight returned again. An eye specialist explained to him later that a blockage of blood to the optic nerve, caused by the explosion, had opened, causing his sight to return again. — Commenting on the experience, Griffin told a newspaper reporter “You don’t know what it is for a father to see his children for the first time. They were both much more beautiful than I ever suspected.” (Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) “We don’t do that. We BELIEVE in it!”: On an ABC News Special, In the Name of God, Peter Jennings interviewed the founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship, John Wimber. Wimber said that the first time he went to Church he expected dramatic things to happen, but they didn’t. After attending Church for three Sundays, he became frustrated. After the worship service, he approached a man who looked like someone with authority. “When do you do it?” he asked. “When do we do what?” the man replied. “You know, the stuff,” Wimber answered. “And what stuff might that be?” the man asked. “The stuff in the Bible,” Wimber said, becoming more frustrated by the moment. “I still don’t understand,” the man replied. “You know,” said Wimber, “multiplying loaves and fish, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, giving sight to blind people. That stuff.” “Oh,” the man said, apologetically, “we don’t do that. We BELIEVE in it, and we pray about it. But we don’t actually DO it! Nobody does, except for those crazy fundamentalists.” — Today’s Gospel tells us the story of a blind man who believed with trusting Faith and was healed. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) “Corpses do bleed.” There was a man in a psychiatric hospital one time, and one of his problems was that he was convinced he was dead. The psychiatrist tried every trick in the book, but nothing could change his mind. Finally, as the psychiatrist thought, he got a brilliant breakthrough. He got the man to agree that a corpse is lifeless, and therefore, not having any blood circulating, it cannot bleed. Having got a clear acceptance of that simple fact, the psychiatrist proceeded to drive home the point. He got a pin, took the man’s finger, and gave him a good enough prod to draw blood. He squeezed the finger until the blood was clearly evident, and he then proclaimed, “Now can you see? That’s blood. You are bleeding.” — The man looked at the blood in apparent disbelief, and then he turned to the psychiatrist with a look of amazement, and said, “Well, what do you know! Corpses do bleed!” The Pharisees in today’s gospel were not different from this mental patient. (Biblical IE). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) “A poor sinner, your brother.” In Vienna in Austria there is a Church in which deceased members of the former ruling family in Austria, the Hapsburgs, were buried. When royal funerals used to arrive, the mourners would knock at the door of the Church to be allowed in. A priest inside would ask, “Who is it that desires admission here?” A guard would call out, “His Apostolic Majesty, the Emperor.” The priest would answer, “I don’t know him.” They would knock a second time, and again the priest would ask, “Who is there?” The funeral guard outside would announce, “The Highest Emperor.” A second time the priest would say, “I don’t know him.” A third time they would knock on the door and the priest would ask, “Who is it?” The third time the answer would be, “A poor sinner, your brother,” and the funeral cortege would be admitted for the funeral. — We all require inner vision to recognize who we truly are and thus to guard against spiritual blindness as taught by today’s Gospel. (Fr. Tommy Lane) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Bearded wisdom: Early in his career, young Clarence Darrow was defending a client against an older, more experienced attorney, who sarcastically dismissed Darrow as “that beardless youth.”  Darrow rebutted, “My worthy adversary seems to downgrade me for not having a beard.  Let me reply with a story: The King of Spain once dispatched a youthful nobleman to the court of a neighboring monarch, who sneered, “Does the King of Spain lack men that he sends me a beardless boy?  To which the young ambassador replied, “Sire, if my King had supposed that you equated wisdom with a beard, he would have sent a goat.”  — Clarence Darrow won the case! Prejudice often blinds us. (Bennet Cerf). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) Spiritual Blindness: A sixty-year-old woman living in a mid-western town was finally prevailed upon by her family to see the eye doctor.  She had never worn glasses in her life.  The doctor gave her a thorough test and asked her to return in three days when he would have her glasses ready.  He fitted the glasses and asked her to look out of the window.  Almost breathless, she exclaimed, “Why, I can see the steeple of our church, and it is three blocks away.”  “You mean you have never been able to see that steeple at that short a distance?” asked the doctor.  “Gracious no”, she declared, “I never knew I was supposed to see that far.”  “Madam”, said the eye expert, “you’ve been going for years half-blind.”– Similarly, many cannot see the truth which God has made known to us…(Msgr. Arthur Tonne) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) Have you heard of the great writer Helen Keller? She was born in the late 19^th century in Alabama. Shortly after her birth in 19 months she contracted a serious sickness, a severe fever, which she ultimately survived from but that left her deaf and blind for the rest of her life. She could have easily given up hope, but she did not. Her father who was a writer himself put her in touch with Alexander Graham Bell who organized a teacher for her. The teacher taught her how to read, to speak and to behave. She accomplished a lot in life, reading and writing in Braille, going to the Radcliffe College, withstanding the taunts of those who mocked at her, graduating with a degree in Arts and writing a book etc. At times it was tough for her but through this painful process she only grew as a strong and confident person who stands as a model of hope for those who have disabilities.  — In our lives, too, we can be spiritually blind or turn a deaf ear to the unjust happenings that surround us. The readings for today highlight the metaphor of darkness/light and in turn assure us that Christ is our light. By describing the anointing of David as the second king of Israel, the first reading, taken from the First Book of Samuel, illustrates how blind we are in our judgments and how much we need God’s help in our lives (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) What Does 20/20 Vision Mean? Visual acuity is usually measured with a Snellen chart. Snellen charts display letters of progressively smaller size. “Normal” vision is 20/20. This means that the test subject sees the same line of letters at 20 feet that person with normal vision sees at 20 feet. 20/40 vision means that the test subject sees at 20 feet what a person with normal vision sees at 40 feet. Another way of saying this is that a person with 20/40 vision has vision that is only half as good as normal – or, objects must be at half the normal distance for him to see them. A person with 20/20 vision is able to see letters 1/10th as large as someone with 20/200 vision. 20/20 is not the best possible eyesight however, for example, 20/15 vision is better than 20/20. A person with 20/15 vision can see objects at 20 feet that a person with 20/20 vision can only see at 15 feet. 20/20– Normal vision — Fighter pilot minimum: Required to read the stock quotes in the newspaper, or numbers in the telephone book. 20/40 — Able to pass Driver’s License Test in all 50 States. Most printed material is at this level. 20/80 – Able to read alarm clock at 10 feet. News Headlines are this size. 20/200 – Legal blindness. Able to see STOP sign letters.  (source: https://www.eyecaretyler.com/resources/how-the-eye-works/what-does-2020-mean/). — We have eyeglasses, contact lenses, eye drops, caps that shade our vision, polarized lens that eliminate glare. We can have perfect vision, and it does little for us in dark room, much less a pitch-black room. We start fumbling for the light switch right away. Christ restores our vision to its fullest spiritual potential through his light and his perfect vision. (E-Priest).  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26)The blind genius: Jacqui Kess-Gardner narrates a touching story of how she received light and insight into God’s plan (cf. “These Are the Children We Hold Dear,” Guideposts, May 1997, p. 28-31). When Jermaine, her second baby was born, one eye was sealed shut and the other was a milky mass. He had no bridge to his nose and his face looked crushed. Anger at God surged through her. She could not stand anyone staring at her baby and avoided going out of the house. What hurt Jacqui the most was not getting any smiles from Jermaine, which is common in blind infants who cannot mimic a smile because they do not see anyone smiling at them. She felt it was another slight from God. Her younger sister, Keetie pleaded with her insistently: “Jacqui, you’ve got to pray to God to forgive you. You’ve got to come back to Him. He has a plan.” She resisted. One day when Jermaine was six months old and strapped to her back, she found herself crying as Keetie pleaded with her once more on the phone. She put down the spoon she was using to stir the spaghetti sauce and repeated the words Keetie was praying: “Lord, forgive me. I have been angry at You. I’m sorry. Help me trust in Your wisdom. I know You have some plan in this. Help me see it.” Two months later God’s plan was revealed. Jacqui recounts: “Jamaal had been practicing the piano in the family room, playing ‘Lightly Row’ again and again. (By then I had taken to leaving Jermaine strapped to his high chair next to the piano while his brother played.) He had just finished, and came downstairs to the bedroom where my husband James and I were sitting. Suddenly a familiar plink plunk-plunk, plink plunk-plunk floated down the stairs. I looked at James; James looked at me. It couldn’t be Jamaal. He was jumping on the bed in front of us. We stared at each other for a second, then tore upstairs. At the piano, his head thrown back, a first-ever smile splitting his face, Jermaine was playing ‘Lightly Row.’ The right keys, the right rhythm. It was extraordinary.” Jacqui thanked Jesus and she knew that Jermaine had found the incredible gift of God. At two-and-a-half, the marvelous blind boy was playing Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata”. When he was four, he performed with Stevie Wonder. At age five, he played for Nancy Reagan at the White House. He appeared on national television and received invitations to perform from far and wide. The dream of this blind boy who has brought so much light, inspiration and joy to others is to start a music school for the blind. The proud mother happily affirms: “God had a plan for our son. He did indeed.”–  Jacqui’s Paschal experience from a situation of spiritual darkness to light gives us a glimpse of the fascinating spiritual journey of the Man Born Blind presented in today’s Gospel reading (Jn 9:1-41). (Lectio Divina). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) A crucifix, a Divine Mercy image, and a Bible. There’s nothing surprising about a Catholic keeping those three devotional items about. What’s surprising about these particular items is where they’re housed: inside the locker room of the Carolina Panthers football team. Or to be more precise, inside the locker of Panthers wide-receiver Chris Horn. The devotional items housed in his locker are just one of the ways the Idaho native lets his teammates know about his Catholic faith. Horn’s faith is no secret in the NFL, mostly because as Horn, 28, moved through the ranks of professional football, he discovered that the more open he was about his Catholicism, the easier it was to live his Faith. He also discovered that the more open he was, the more chances he had to help others. Now teammates regularly seek counsel from him on issues ranging from abortion ethics to marital problems. Even before he felt free to share his beliefs, Horn still took his faith seriously. The second oldest of five, he remembers his mother coming home early in the morning after working all night and forgoing sleep so she could take the children to Mass. “Her sacrifices and lessons were priceless”, Horn recalled. Now married and the father of two, Horn and his wife, Amy, try to provide the same kind of faithful witness to their young children. Together, they’ve twice prayed the yearlong St. Brigitte novena for each of their children, and family Mass-going and family prayers are integral parts of daily life. In the world of professional sports, where an injury or a bad season can quickly end a career, that daily practice of Faith provides a steady foundation for Horn’s family. Conversely, the discipline that years of training for his sports demanded has helped Horn grow in the practice of spiritual disciplines – prayer, forgiveness, charity. — Horn knows the lessons he’s learned about the Faith through football are lessons others can learn as well, which is why, a year ago, he joined Catholic Athletes for Christ (CAC). The recently founded organization, made up of athletes and former athletes, uses sports as a platform to teach the Faith. Through speaking engagements and conferences arranged by CAC, Horn regularly speaks to youth and men’s groups about God, the Church and football. According to Horn, “As Catholics we haven’t always been as vocal as we need to be about our Faith. But because of the importance our culture gives to sports, we can use athletics as a way to start talking to people about it and reach people who might not normally be open.” (Lectio Divina). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) Blinded by prejudice: In the late 1700s, the manager of a large hotel in Baltimore refused lodging to a man dressed like a farmer. He turned the farmer away because he thought this fellow’s shabby appearance would discredit the reputation of his distinguished hotel. The farmer picked up his bag and left without saying a further word to anyone. Later that evening, the innkeeper discovered that he had turned away none other than the Vice-President of the United States – Thomas Jefferson! Immediately, the manager sent a note of apology to the famed patriot, asking him to come back and be his guest in the hotel. Jefferson replied by instructing the messenger as follows, “Tell him I have already reserved a room. I value his good intentions highly, but if he has no room for a common American farmer, then he has no room for the Vice-President of the United States of America.” [Brian Cavanaugh in The Sower’s Seeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

29) Dr. Larry Baker became totally blind because of a viral infection when he was 25. The doctor told Baker, “I’m afraid that I have to tell you something that will affect the rest of your life. You will never see again.” Baker replied, “Doctor, I understand what you are saying, but I will determine the effect [this will have on my life].” Baker took what would be a devastating blow to anyone else, and made it a pivotal point from which he grew and expanded his horizons. When Baker lost his sight, he was married, with three children and working for a family dairy delivering milk. Now Baker decided he wanted something more than that. Taking advantage of a scholarship offered to persons with sight disabilities, Baker entered Indiana University and received a bachelor’s degree, ranking fifth in a class of 780. He also received the Presidential Achievement Award, and went on to earn his Master’s and Doctor’s degrees in Business Administration He served as a university professor for 10 years. Then he formed his own company, Time Management Center, Inc. in St. Louis. He now presents time management seminars internationally, and his company produces more than 60 publications on time management and related subjects. — Baker believes everyone has some disability, some lack of ability to do something that they need to do. “The most severe disability I have ever encountered,” he says, “are people who are paralyzed from the neck up–people who are not coping with change in ideas and concepts. We make progress by our willingness to make changes.” Baker learned to ski after the age of 45 and urges his listeners not to let people set limits for them. “Nobody has ever gone broke giving more than they receive,” Baker said. “Have faith in God, your family, friends, and last, but not least, have faith in yourself. Set your objectives and pay the price.” (Rev. King Duncan). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) Letters to such fictional and historical persons by Pope:  In his insightful and entertaining book, Illustrissimi, Albino Luciani (Pope John Paul I), penned a series of letters to such fictional and historical persons as Mark Twain, Pinocchio, Figaro the Barber, Hippocrates, Guglielmo Marconi and Jesus. Luciani’s correspondence with these famous figures reflected the fact that he was first and foremost a pastor. Taking to heart the ancient Christian maxim, “per verbum ad Verbum,” he believed that a believer could reach Word of God through the study of the literary word. Within the familiar, conversant style of each letter, Luciani taught some aspect of the Christian ideal. The pope who died within five weeks of his 26 August, 1978 election, wrote in his letter to David, king of Israel, “The Bible presents the various components of your personality: poet and musician, brilliant officer, a shrewd king, sometimes involved–alas! not always happily–with women and in harem intrigues with the consequent family tragedies; and, nevertheless, a friend of God, thanks to your noble piety, which kept you aware of your insignificance in the face of God.” (Illustrissimi, Letters from Pope John Paul I, Little, Brown and Co., Boston: 1978). David’s insignificance is also acknowledged in this excerpted reading from 1 Sm. Youngest son of Jesse, left at home to tend the family’s flocks, David was nevertheless, the one who was chosen by God to be king because the “Lord who looks into the heart” (vs 7) judges people according to a different standard. David’s youthful inexperience which appeared to his father, brothers and even to Samuel to be an obstacle which would have prevented his accession to the throne did not deter the saving plan of God. (Sanchez Files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

31) Tragedy of blindness: Shakespeare’s play King Lear is a tragedy. One of the essential ingredients of a tragedy is the hero’s fatal flaw, the flaw that leads to the hero’s downfall. The word that the Greek philosopher Aristotle used to name this fatal flaw is harmatia, and that is one of the Greek words that the New Testament uses for sin. Shakespeare’s King Lear is a play about a king who, because of his vanity, is blind to the truth that is staring him in the face. That is his fatal flaw, and it leads to chaos and cruelty. The elderly king decides to give up his power and divide his realm amongst his three daughters, Cordelia, Regan and Goneril. His plan is to give the largest portion of his kingdom to the daughter who professes to love him the most. He is certain that Cordelia, his favourite daughter, will win the contest.. Goneril and Regan shamelessly flatter their father: Goneril says: Sir, I love you more than words can wield the matter; dearer than eye-sight, space, and liberty; Beyond what can be valued, rich or rare. And Regan, not to be outdone, says: I am alone felicitate in your dear highness’ love. And now it’s Cordelia’s turn. What can you say to gain a third more opulent than your sisters? Speak. Nothing, my lord. Nothing? Nothing.

Nothing will come of nothing: speak again. Unhappy that I am, I cannot heave my heart into my mouth. Lear’s fatal flaw is his vanity and his blindness. He cannot see the treachery of his daughters Goneril and Regan, and he is blind to Cordelia’s purity of heart. It’s not hard to be blind to what is right before our very eyes as demonstrated in today’s gospel by the Scribes and Pharisees. (Fr. Geoffrey Plant) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

32) Seeing and not seeing: A man who had a serious problem with alcohol

consulted his local doctor. The doctor could tell immediately that alcohol was

seriously affecting his patient’s health. It was clear that he would have to give up

alcohol for good. But anything that the doctor said to his patient seemed to go in

one ear and out the other. The doctor therefore decided that he would demonstrate to his patient how harmful alcohol was. The doctor took two glasses, one of which he filled with ordinary tap water, the other with whisky. He then took an ordinary earth worm and dropped it into the glass of water. The worm swam around in the water, seemingly quite happy. The doctor then took the worm out of the water and dropped it into the glass of whisky. The worm immediately went into contortions and began to cough and splutter before quickly dying. The doctor, looking sternly at his patient, said: There you are! Did you see that? What does that tell you? “Well, Doc, it just goes to show that if you drink whisky you’ll never get worms!” We see what we want to see! Today’s first reading from the first book of Samuel is also about seeing and not

seeing. (Fr. Geoffrey Plant) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 21) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle C homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  (Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507)

March 9-14: March 9 Monday: St. Frances of Rome, Religious: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-frances-of-rome

Lk 4:24-30: [23 And he said to them,
“Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, `Physician, heal yourself;
what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own
country.'”] 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27…30….

The context: Today’s Gospel presents Jesus reacting with prophetic courage to the skepticism and criticism with which the people of Nazareth, his hometown, responded to his “Inaugural Address” in their synagogue that Sabbath.

Jesus’ reaction to his people’s skepticism: Jesus reacted to the negative attitude of the Nazarenes with the comment, “No prophet is accepted in his native place!” Next, he referred to the Biblical stories of how God had blessed two Gentiles, while rejecting the many Jews in similar situations, precisely because those Gentiles had been more open to the prophets than the Jewish people were. First, Jesus reminded them of the Gentile widow of Zarephath, in Lebanon (1 Kgs 17:7-24). The Prophet Elijah stayed with her and her son during the three-and-a-half-year drought, fed them miraculously, and later revived her son from death. Then Jesus pointed out that Naaman, the pagan military general of Syria, was healed of leprosy by Elisha the prophet (2 Kgs 5:1-19), while other lepers in Israel were not. Jesus’ words implied that, like the people of his hometown, the Israelites of those former days had been unable to receive miracles because of their unbelief. Jesus’ reference to the unbelief of the Jews and to the stronger Faith of the Gentiles infuriated his listeners at Nazareth. They rushed to seize Jesus and throw him over the edge of the cliff on which their town was built. But Jesus escaped because, “His hour had not yet come.”

Life messages: 1) We need to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism especially when we experience the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect, or abuse from our friends, families, or childhood companions. 2) Let us not reject God in our lives, as the people in Jesus’ hometown did. Are we unwilling to be helped by God, or by others? Does our pride prevent us from recognizing God’s direction, help, and support in our lives, coming to us through His words in the Bible, through the teachings of the Church and through the advice and example of others? 3) We must have the prophetic courage of our convictions. The passage challenges us to have the courage of our Christian convictions in our day-to-day lives in our communities, when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian Faith. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

March 10 Tuesday: Mt 18:21-35: 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; 25 and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 …35

The lessons taught by the parable: (1) We must forgive so that we may be forgiven. Jesus explains this truth after teaching the prayer, Our Father. He warns us, “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt 6:14-15).As James states it later, “For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy” (Jas 2:13). Clearly, Divine and human forgiveness work together.

(2) We represent the greater debtor in the parable; that is, we owe God the ten thousand talents of the parable. We commit sins every day and, hence, we need God’s forgiveness every day. The sum total of all the offenses which our brothers and sisters commit against us is equivalent to the small debt of the second debtor in the parable, namely 100 denarii. Yet, shockingly and sadly, we are merciless towards our fellow human beings. The moral of Jesus’ story is that, as members of a community, we must treat one another as God has treated each of us. Here is a Divine call to throw away the calculator when it comes to forgiveness. We must choose the more honorable path and forgive one another “from the heart.” We have been forgiven a debt beyond all human paying – the sin of man which God forgave through the willing, sacrificial death of His own Son. Since that is so, we must forgive others as God has forgiven us. Otherwise, we cannot hope to receive any mercy ourselves.

Life messages: 1) We need to forgive: Having experienced forgiveness at the hands of God and God’s people, we are then called to make it possible for others to experience the same forgiveness. Let us forgive the person who has wronged us before hatred eats away our ability to forgive. 2) Forgiveness will not be easy, but God is there to help us. We can call on God’s help by offering that individual to God, not by sitting in judgment, but simply by saying, “Help so-and-so and mend our relationship.” We may never forget the hurt we have experienced, but we can choose both to forgive the one who harmed us and to join our hurt to Jesus in His Passion and death, offering it for the conversion and salvation of all of us for whom he died.

3) We need to remind ourselves that with God’s grace we have already forgiven the one that hurt us. As life goes on, we may remember the incident or occasion that was hurtful. Then let us offer the offender to God’s mercy again, and pray for God’s blessings on him or her. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

March 11 Wednesday: Mt 5:17-19:17 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”

The context: Today’s Gospel passage, taken fromJesus’ Sermon on the Mount, presents Jesus as giving the highest compliments to the Mosaic Law. These words of Jesus, which Matthew reports, touched the communities of converted Jews, helping them to overcome the criticism of the brothers of their own race who accused them saying, “You are unfaithful to the Law of Moses.” Ironically, Jesus himself would be falsely condemned and crucified as a Lawbreaker. Jesus says that the Old Testament, as the Word of God, has Divine authority and deserves total respect. The Mosaic Law was ultimately intended to help people honor God by practicing love. Its moral precepts are to be respected and obeyed because they are, for the most part, specific, Divine-positive promulgations of the natural law. ButChristians are not obliged to observe the legal and liturgical precepts of Old Testament because they were laid down by God for specific stages in Salvation History.

Jesus’ teaching: In Jesus’ time, the Law was understood differently by different groups of the Jews to be: 1) The Ten Commandments, 2) The Pentateuch, 3) The Law and the Prophets, or 4) The oral (Scribal) and the written Law. Jesus, and later Paul, considered the oral Law as a heavy burden on the people and criticized it, while honoring the Mosaic Law and the teachings of the prophets. At the time of Jesus, the Jews believed that the Torah (Law given to Moses), was the eternal, unchangeable, Self-Revelation of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that he did not come to destroy the Torah but to bring it to perfection by bringing out its inner meaning because He IS the ultimate self-Revelation of God, the Lawgiver. That is why the Council of Trent declared that Jesus was given to us, “not only as a Redeemer, in whom we are to trust, but also as a Lawgiver whom we are to obey” (“De Iustificatione,” can. 21). Jesus honored the two basic principles on which the Ten Commandments were based, namely the principle of reverence and the principle of respect. In the first four commandments, we are asked to reverence God, reverence His holy Name, reverence His holy day, and reverence our father and mother. The next set of commandments instructs us to respect life, the marriage bond, one’s personal integrity and others’ good name, the legal system, another’s property and spouse, and one’s own spouse. Jesus declares that he has come to fulfill all Divine laws based on these principles. By “fulfilling the law,” Jesus means fulfilling the purpose for which the Law was given: that is, justice, or “righteousness,” as the Scriptures call it – a word that includes a just relationship with God).

Life messages: 1) In obeying God’s laws and Church laws, let us remember these basic principles of respect and reverence. 2) Our obedience to the laws needs to be prompted by love of God and gratitude to God for His blessings. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

March 12 Thursday: Lk 11:14-23:Now he was casting out a demon that was mute; when the evil spirit hadgone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons”; 16 while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; 22 but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. 23 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.”

The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives the crushing reply of Jesus to the Scribes’ slanderous denigration of Jesus’ miracle, namely, that Jesus expelled devils by using the assistance of the leader of devils, Beelzebul.

Jesus refutes the false allegation raised by the Scribes against him with four counter-arguments. 1) A house divided against itself will perish, and a country engaged in civil war will be ruined. Hence, Satan will not fight against Satan by helping Jesus to expel Satan’s coworkers. 2) If Jesus is collaborating with Satan to exorcise minor demons, one must admit that the Jewish exorcists are doing the same. 3) Jesus claims that he is using the power of his Heavenly Father to evict devils, just as “when a strong man, fully armed, [the devil] guards his own palace, his goods are in peace,” he[the devil] can be routed when “one stronger than he”[Jesus, using the power of God]assails him[the devil]and overcomes him[the devil],he[Jesus]takes away his[the
devil’s]armor in which he[the devil]trusted, and divides his[the devil’s]spoil.”

4) Finally, Jesus delivers a crushing blow to his accusers as described in Mark’s Gospel (Mk 3:22-30), warning them that by telling blatant lies, they are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit; their sins are unforgivable because they deny they are sinning, and so will not repent and ask for forgiveness.

Life messages: 1) We can be influenced by the evil spirit if we listen to him and follow him. 2) Hence, we have to keep our souls daily cleansed and filled with the Spirit of God, leaving no space for the evil spirit to enter our souls. 3) If we disregard and disobey God’s word, we open the door to the power of sin. 4) When we fail to guard our five senses properly we open ourselves, to Satan’s deception and control.

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

March 13 Friday: Mk 12:28-34: 28 And one of the scribes camd up and heard them disputing with one another and, seeing that [Jesus] answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; 33 and to love Him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more that all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that , no one dared to ask Him any auestions.

The context: A scribe who believed in both the written Law and the oral tradition was pleased to see how Jesus had defeated the Sadducee who had tried to humiliate him with the hypothetical case of a woman who had married and been widowed by seven husbands in succession. Out of admiration, the scribe challenged Jesus to summarize the most important of the Mosaic Laws in one sentence. In the Judaism of Jesus’ day, there was a double tendency: to expand the Mosaic Law into hundreds of rules and regulations and to condense the 613 precepts of the Torah into a single sentence or few sentences.

Jesus’ novel contribution: Jesus gave a straightforward answer, quoting directly from the Law itself and startling all with his profound simplicity and mastery of the Law of God and its purpose. He combined the first sentence of the Jewish Shema prayer from Deuteronomy 6:4-5: Hear, O Israel, The Lord your God is Lord Alone! Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength” with its complementary law from Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Thus, Jesus proclaims that true religion is to love God both directly, in Himself, and in directly, as living in our neighbor. Jesus underlines the principle that we are to love our neighbor as we love ourselves because both of us bear God’s image. For, to honor God’s image is to honor both Him Who made it and Him Whom it resembles. Besides, our neighbors, too, are the children of God our Father, redeemed by the Blood of Jesus. Love for our neighbor is a matter, not of feelings, but of deeds by which we share with others the unmerited love that God lavishes on us. This is the agape love for neighbor that God commands in His Law. Jesus then uses the parable of the Good Samaritan, as reported in Luke’s Gospel, to show them what God means by “neighbor.”

Life Messages:1) We need to love God whole-heartedly: Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, means that we should place God’s will ahead of our own, seek the Lord’s will in all things, and make it paramount in our lives. It also means that we must find time to adore Him, to present our needs before Him, and to ask His pardon and forgiveness for our sins. 2) God’s will is that we should love everyone, seeing Him in our neighbor. This means we have to help, support, encourage, forgive, and pray for everyone without regard to color, race, gender, age, wealth, social status, intelligence, education, or charm. Fr. Tony (L-26)

For additional reflections, cluck on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections).

March 14 Saturday: Lk 18:9-14: 9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, `God, I thank Thee that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week, I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, `God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

The context: The main theme of today’s Gospel is that true humility must be the hallmark of our prayers. However, the central focus of today’s parable is not prayer, but rather pride, humility, and the role of grace in our salvation. The parable was mainly intended to convict the Pharisees who proudly claimed they obeyed all the rules and regulations of the Jewish law, while they actually ignored the Mosaic precepts of mercy and compassion. Through this parable of Jesus, Luke was reminding his Gentile listeners that God values the prayer of any humble, contrite heart.

In the parable, Jesus tells us about two men who went to pray, a Pharisee and a tax-collector. The Pharisee stood in the very front of the Temple, distancing himself from his inferiors, and explained to God his meticulous observance of the Mosaic Law, at the same time despising the publican. But the tax-collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to Heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” Jesus declared that only the humble tax-collector went home justified in the eyes of God.

Life messages: 1) We need to evict the Pharisee and revive the publican in each one of us. There is a big dose of the Pharisee’s pride in us and a small jewel of the tax-collector’s humility. Hence, we have to make the pilgrimage from pride to humility daily, realizing the truth that if we are not sensitive to other people, we are not sensitive to God.

2) Let us have the correct approach in our prayer life. For most of us, prayer means asking God for something when we are in need. We conveniently forget the more important aspects of prayer: adoration, praise, contrition, and thanksgiving. If we have forgotten God through our years of prosperity, how can we expect Him to take Our day’s work, our sufferings, our joys, and our day’s recreation, if offered for the honor and glory of God, are prayers pleasing in His sight. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Lent III [A] Sunday (March 8) Eight-minute homily in one page (L/26)

Introduction: Today’s readings are centered on Baptism and new life. Living Water represents God’s Holy Spirit Who comes to us in Baptism, penetrating every aspect of our lives and quenching our spiritual thirst. The Holy Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Sacraments of God in the Church are the primary sources of the living water of Divine Grace. We are assembled here in the Church to drink this water of eternal life and salvation. Washed in it at Baptism, renewed by its abundance at each Eucharist, invited to it in every proclamation of the Word, and daily empowered by the anointing of the Holy Spirit, we are challenged by today’s Gospel to remain thirsty for the living water, which only God can give.

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading describes how God provided water to the ungrateful complainers of Israel, thus placing Jesus’ promise within the context of the Exodus account of water coming from the rock at Horeb. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 95), refers both to the Rock of our salvation and also to our hardened hearts. It reminds us that our hard hearts need to be softened by God through our grace-prompted, grace-assisted prayer, fasting and works of mercy which enable us to receive the living water of the Holy Spirit, salvation, and eternal life from the Rock of our salvation. In the second reading, Saint Paul asserts that, as the Savior of mankind, Jesus poured the living water of the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts. In the Gospel, an unclean, ostracized Samaritan woman is given an opportunity to receive the living water. Jesus awakened in the woman at the well a thirst for the wholeness and integrity which she had lost, a thirst which he had come to satisfy. This Gospel passage also gives us Jesus’ revelation about himself as the Source of Living Water and teaches us that we need the grace of Jesus Christ for eternal life because Jesus IS that life-giving water.

Life messages: 1) We need to allow Jesus free entry into our personal lives. Jesus wishes to come into our “private” life, not to embarrass us, not to judge or condemn us, but to free us, to change us, and to offer us what we really need: the living water of the Holy Spirit. Let us find this living water in the Sacraments, in prayer, and in the Holy Bible, especially during this Lenten season. 2) We need to be witnesses to Jesus as the Samaritan woman was. Let us have the courage to “be” Jesus for others, especially in those “unexpected” places for “unwanted” people. Let us also have the courage of our Christian convictions to stand for truth and justice in our day-to-day life.

3) We need to leave the “husbands” behind during Lent as the Samaritan woman did. Today’s Gospel message challenges us to get rid of our unholy attachments and the evil habits and sinful addictions that keep us enslaved and idolatrous. Lent is our time to learn from our mistakes of over-indulgence in food, drink, drugs, gambling, promiscuity, or any other addiction that distances us from the Living Water.

LENT III [A] (March 8): Ex 17:3-7; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42 (L/26)

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1:  Photeine, the Samaritan woman evangelist: Venerated as a saint among the Greek and Russian Orthodox and given the name Photeine (Greek) or Svetlana (Russian), which means radiant or shining (from the Greek noun phos or light), the woman at the well has been variously praised by Origen, John Chrysostom, Augustine, and Teresa of Avila as: (1) an “apostle,” (2) one who “left her water pot at the well in order to go off and preach the Gospel,” (3) “the first apostle to the Gentiles who invited her neighbors to ‘Come and see’.” (Svetlana Alliluyeva was the youngest and only daughter of the Soviet President Joseph Stalin; she defected to the United States of America on April 21,  1967). Legend has it that when the woman left Samaria to preach the Good News, she eventually made her way to Carthage in Africa where she was imprisoned for the Faith and died a martyr. Another legend, preserved in Spain, says that Photeine (also Photina) converted and baptized Nero’s daughter and 100 of her servants (Margaret Hebblethwaite, Six New Gospels, Cowley Publications, Boston: 1994). Fascinating legends and traditions notwithstanding, the woman of Shechem offers veteran believers and catechumens a living example of the dynamics and ramifications of Christian Baptism including: (1) the overture of God to the sinner 2) the sinner’s growing response in Faith and consequent conversion. (3) the mission of the disciple to proclaim the Good News to others.  (Sanchez Archives). (It is also interesting to note that in the Hebrew Scriptures Abraham’s servant found the future wife of Isaac, Rebekah, at a village well, Jacob found his wife, Rachel, at a well and Moses found his wife Zipporah, at a well, and in the New Testament Jesus found his first Samaritan apostle at a well side).   (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: A Samaritan woman evangelist: There is a Greek monastery at Mount Athos in which nothing female is allowed. Today, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, and 2,000 monks from Greece and other Eastern Orthodox countries, including Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia. These monks live an ascetic life, isolated from the rest of the world. The Mount – actually a 335 sq km (130 sq mile) peninsula – may be the largest area in the world from which women, and female animals, are banned. Men can enter but not women, roosters but not hens, horses but not mares, bulls but not cows.  Armed guards patrol the border to ensure that nothing feminine passes the gates.  It has been this way for more than 700 years. [Arnold Prater, The Presence, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993).]  — Separate and definitely not equal: that has been the attitude toward women of many Churches through the ages.  So, it’s really remarkable that this particular Samaritan evangelist happens to be a woman.  She would be as surprised about it as anybody.  When she first met Jesus, she was surprised that even he talked to her in a culture which did not allow a Jewish rabbi even to talk to his wife in a public place.  Once converted, this outcast woman became an evangelist, enthusiastically introducing Jesus to her fellow villagers. (Dr. William P. Barker) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3:  “No drinkin’ and no dancin’ area”!  A couple of Catholic young men from the North were visiting a dusty little town in the back country of West Texas.  It was a hard-shell Baptist town in the Bible belt of the South: “No drinkin’ and no dancin’ area”!  But since these two men were strangers, they asked a cowboy where they might get a drink.  “In this town,” said the cowboy, “we use whiskey only for snakebite: to wash the wound as first aid.”  Then he added slyly, “If you guys are so thirsty for whiskey, there’s only one poisonous snake in this town and that is in the zoo.  So, you better get a ticket to the zoo, go to the snake park, get hold of a cobra through the iron bar of its cage and give it a big hug! The zookeeper will appear immediately with whisky.” —  The woman at the well had a mighty thirst, a thirst like that of these young guys for whiskey, a thirst so big that it led her through five husbands and who knows what else.  And still she was thirsty — a thirst caused by the absence of God in her life.  A meeting with Jesus gave her the living waters of friendship with Jesus and the anointing of the Spirit of God which restored her dignity and changed her life. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: Today’s readings are centered on Baptism and new life.  Today’s liturgy makes use of the symbol of water to refer to our relationship with God. Water represents God’s Holy Spirit Who comes to us in Baptism. Baptism is the outward, symbolic sign of a deep Reality, the coming of God as a Force penetrating every aspect of a person’s life. The Holy Spirit quenches our spiritual thirst. Just as water in the desert was life-giving for the wandering Israelites, the water of a true, loving relationship with Jesus is life-giving for those who accept him as Lord and Savior.  We are assembled here in the Church to share in this water of eternal life and salvation.  The Holy Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Sacraments of God in the Church are the primary sources for the living water of Divine Grace.  Washed in it at Baptism, renewed by its abundance at each Eucharist, invited to it in every proclamation of the Word, and daily empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are challenged by today’s Gospel to remain thirsty for the living water which only God can give.

Scripture readings summarized:  The first reading describes how God provided water to the ungrateful complainers of Israel, thus placing Jesus’ promise within the context of the Exodus account of water coming from the rock at Horeb.  The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 95), refers both to the Rock of our salvation and also to our hardened hearts.  It reminds us that our hard hearts need to be softened by God through our  grace-prompted, grace-assisted prayer, fasting and works of mercy which enable us to receive the living water of the Holy Spirit, salvation, and eternal life from the Rock of our salvation. In the second reading, Saint Paul asserts that, as the Savior of mankind, Jesus poured the living water of the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts.  In the Gospel, an unclean, ostracized Samaritan woman is given an opportunity to receive living water.  Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus awakened in the woman at the well a thirst for the wholeness and integrity which she had lost, a thirst which He had come to satisfy. In revealing himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman, Jesus speaks to her of the fountain of water he will give — the life-giving waters of Baptism.   The water that Jesus promises is closely linked to conversion and the forgiveness of sin.  Here is a woman who comes to Faith and then becomes a missionary who brings others to Jesus.  Jesus recognizes the gifts and ministries of women in his future Church. This is also a narrative about God wooing the outsider or, as Paul will say, “the godless.” The Samaritans, who were considered godless in general, in this town ended up confessing Jesus as the Savior of “the world.” This Gospel passage also gives us Jesus’ revelation about Himself as the Source of Living Water and teaches us that we need the grace of Jesus Christ for eternal life, because He is that life-giving water.  

The first reading: Ex 17:3-7, explained: Today’s Gospel gives us Jesus’ revelation of himself as the Source of Living Water. Hence, the passage chosen from Exodus tells of the Jews’ complaining about their thirst, a figure of human longing for God and spiritual satisfaction. The rock which Moses strikes represents God who gives the water (God’s own life), essential for our spiritual life.  This reading shows us a time when God’s people literally thirsted, and God satisfied them.  The Israelites had been slaves for several generations in Egypt, and for the most part, they had forgotten their ancestral religion and their God’s Covenant with their patriarch Abraham.  Now their new leader, Moses, was telling them that their ancient Lord had at last heard their cries and was now leading their escape from Egypt back to their homeland.  In spite of the mighty deeds God had done for their liberation from Egypt, the former slaves complained that in Egypt, at least they were not thirsty! It is astounding to see their lack of Faith.

The second reading: Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 explained: In the second reading, Saint Paul asserts that, as the Savior of mankind, Jesus poured the living water, or the gift of the Holy Spirit, into our hearts.  We need the Holy Spirit to sustain us spiritually, just as we need water to sustain us physically.  Through Jesus, God gave us the Spirit when we were dying of thirst.  Paul realized that he and all the Jews who kept the Law of Moses were trying to become justified on their own.  But keeping the Law is not an adequate means of justification because we are unable to make ourselves worthy of God’s favor, whether by good works, by keeping the Commandments, by rituals, or by prayers.  The word grace, in this context, means the gratuitous, unearned, undeserved love and favor of God for us.  By living water in today’s Gospel, Jesus is referring to this grace as a relationship with God and an active participation in His life.  According to Paul, redemption or justification is the gratuitous gift of God, manifested in Jesus’ saving death on the cross.  By virtue of his death, Jesus has made just, or put in right relationship with God, every sinner who will appropriate His saving gifts by Faith.  Faith, then, is the admission that one cannot justify oneself, and that it is God who will grant us justification by His grace.

Gospel exegesis:   The conversion texts for Cycle A Gospel: Since each of the persons featured in the Gospels, e.g. the woman of Samaria (Lent III Sunday), the man born blind (Lent IV) and Lazarus (Lent V), is an example  of conversion, their stories offer excellent catechesis for Lenten penitents and  OCIA participants, and, hence, they were placed in the Lenten Sunday lectionary from the fourth century, where they have remained. Each of these Gospel texts also features the transforming love of Christ for those whom he calls to salvation; he is living water, light and sight for the blind, and the source of life for all who believe.

 Jesus’ mission trip from Judea to Galilee: Palestine is only 120 miles long from north to south.  Judea is in the extreme south, Samaria in the middle and Galilee in the extreme North.  In order to avoid the controversy about baptism, Jesus decided to concentrate his ministry in Galilee.  The usual route around Samaria, normally taken by the Jews to avoid the hated Samaritans, took six days.  The shortcut (three days’ journey), from Judea to Galilee crossed through Samaria and, on the way to the town of Sychar, passed Jacob’s well.  The well itself was more than 100 feet deep.  It was located on a piece of land that had been bought by Jacob (Gn 33:18-19), and later bequeathed to Joseph (Gn 48:22).

Jesus’ encounter with an outcast sinner:  Jesus came to the Samaritan town called Sychar, near the land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well is there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. When Jesus and his disciples reached the well, it was a hot midday, and Jesus was weary and thirsty from traveling. Ignoring the racial barriers and traditional hostility between Samaritans and Jews, Jesus sent his disciples to buy some food in the Samaritan town.  It was at this point that a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water.  She had probably been driven away from visiting the common well in the town of Sychar at dawn by the other women of the town, as a moral outcast.  It was this woman whom Jesus asked for water, and it is no wonder that she was surprised, because the petitioner was a Jew who hated her people as polluted outcasts and betrayers of Judaism. The scene recalls Old Testament meetings between future spouses at wells. Abraham’s servant, seeking a wife for Isaac, meets Rebekah at the well of Haran (Gn 24:10-20, ff),  Jacob meets Rachel at a well where Laban’s daughters were trying to water their sheep (Gn 29:1-12, ff),  and Moses and Zipporah meet at a well in Midian (Ex 1:15-18, ff).

The background history: The mutual hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans had begun centuries earlier when the Assyrians carried the northern tribes of Israel into captivity.  The Jewish slaves betrayed their heritage by intermarrying with the Assyrians, thus diluting their bloodline and creating a “mongrel race” called the Samaritans.  The Assyrian men who were relocated to Israel married Jewish women, thus producing a mixed race in Israel as well. Hence, southern Jews considered all Samaritan bloodlines and their heritage impure.  By the time the Samaritan Jews returned to their homeland, their views of God had been greatly contaminated.  By contrast, when the southern Hebrew tribes were carried off into captivity, they stubbornly resisted the Babylonian culture.  They returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, proud that they had compromised neither their religious convictions nor their culture.  So, when the Samaritans offered to help to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple, the southern Jews who had returned from exile vehemently rejected Samaritan assistance.  Consequently, the rejected and ostracized Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim.  But in 129 B.C. a Jewish General destroyed it, a slap in the face for Samaritan dignity that continued to sting for centuries, deepening the mutual scorn and hostility between Samaritans and Jews.

The Divine touch and conversion: So, the water-seeking Samaritan woman who faced Jesus that day belonged to a heritage rejected by the Jews.  In addition, she expected scorn simply because she was a woman, for in the ancient Middle East, men systematically degraded women.  Finally, this Samaritan woman seemed unwanted by her own people.  Since she had had five “husbands,” and was living with a sixth “lover,” she seems to have been considered by “the “decent” women” of the town a  social leper endangering their own homes, which is why she came to draw water at the well only after the rest were  done and gone.  Perhaps she had not stopped wishing that somewhere, sometime, some way, God would touch His people — that He would touch her!  Jesus’ meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well illustrates the principal role of Jesus as the Messiah: to reconcile all men and women to the Father.  Hence, Jesus deliberately placed himself face-to-face with this person whom, apparently, no one else wanted.  Jesus saw, in this social outcast and moral wreck, a person who mattered to God.  The Samaritan woman must have unburdened her soul to this stranger because she had found one Jew with kindness in his eyes instead of an air of critical superiority.  She was thirsting for love that would last, love that would fill her full and give purpose to her life. Just as Jesus confronted the woman at the well with the reality of her own sinfulness and brokenness, so we must, with God’s grace, confront our own sinfulness and, in doing so, realize our need for God. 

The conversion leading to witnessing: Jesus not only talked with the woman, but, in a carefully orchestrated, seven-part dialogue, he guided her progressively from ignorance to enlightenment, and from misunderstanding to clearer understanding, thus making her the most carefully and intensely catechized person in this entire Gospel!  Jesus always has a way of coming into our personal lives.  When Jesus became personal with this woman and started asking embarrassing questions about her five husbands, she cleverly tried to change the subject and talk about religion.  She didn’t want Jesus to get personal.  But Jesus wanted to free her, forgive her, shape her life in a new direction, and change her.  He wanted to offer this woman Living Water. [Scholars have debated as to precisely what Jesus meant when he referred to living water. As Raymond E. Brown has explained, there are two possibilities: living water means the revelation or teaching which Jesus came to give, and it also means the Spirit which Jesus bestows (The Gospel According to John, Anchor Bible, Vol. 29, Doubleday, New York: 1966).] The living water may refer to Baptism and the gift of the Spirit, the source of life.  It may also refer to Jesus as the source of life.  At the end of their long, heart-to-heart conversation, Jesus revealed himself to the woman as the Messiah, which in turn led her to Faith in him.  This growth in understanding on the part of the woman moved through several stages: first, she called him a Jew, then Sir or Lord, then Prophet, and finally Messiah.  When the Samaritans came to hear Jesus because of her testimony, their affirmation of Faith reached its climax as they declared that Jesus was the Savior of the world, and that they believed in him not just because of what she had said, but because “we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”   Step-by-step Jesus had led this marginalized woman in her Faith journey, and her enthusiastic response, powerful personal testimony, and brave witnessing with its dramatic results in her town, stand in vivid contrast to Nicodemus’ hesitance (3:9), the crowd’s demand for proof (6:25-34) and the Pharisees’ refusal to acknowledge the hand of God in the healing of a blind man (9:24-34).

 Life messages:   1) We need to allow Jesus free entry into our personal lives.  A sign that God is active in our lives is His entering in to our personal, “private” lives. Jesus wants to “get personal” with us, especially during this Lenten season.  Jesus wants to get into our “private” life, because this is the part  of our life is the part which is contrary to the will of God.  Christ wishes to come into that “private” life, not to embarrass us, not to judge or condemn us, not to be unkind or malicious to us, but reconnect us to the Will of God, our Salvation, by freeing us, changing us, and offering us what we really need: living water.  The living water is God the Holy Spirit Who enters the soul of the woman through Jesus and his love.  We human beings are composed of four parts: mind, body, emotions and spirit.  When we let God, the Holy Spirit come into us and take control of our thinking, our physical activity, our emotions and our spirit, He can bring harmony to all four parts of our humanity, and so to the way we live. We can find this living water in the Sacraments, in prayer and in the Holy Bible.

2) We need to be witnesses to God’s work in us, just as the Samaritan woman was, proclaiming Jesus as God and Savior through our loving lives.  Let us have the courage to “be” Jesus for others, especially in those “unexpected” places for “unwanted” people.  Let us also have the courage of our Christian convictions to stand for truth and justice in our day-to-day life. Today, the invitation of the Samaritan women to “Come and see” reminds all thirsty sinners that we are daily called to be cleansed, taught, renewed and satisfied by Jesus’ great gift.

3) We need to be open to others and accept them as they are, just as Jesus did. We have been baptized into a community of Faith so that we may become one with each other as brothers and sisters of Jesus and as children of God.  To live this oneness demands that we open ourselves to others and listen to one another.  We need to provide the atmosphere, the room, for all to be honestly what they really are: the children of God.  It is the ministry of Jesus that we inherit and share.  Jesus did not allow the woman’s status, past, attitude, or anything else obstruct his ability to love her.  And loving her, he freed her and made her whole, made her the child of God she already was.  Let us also open our hearts to one another and accept each other as God’s gifts to us.  Thus, we shall experience resurrection in our own lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

4) We need to leave the “husbands” behind during Lent as the Samaritan woman did.  Today’s Gospel message challenges us to get rid of our unholy attachments and the evil habits that keep us enslaved and idolatrous.  Lent is the time to learn from our mistakes of over-indulgence in food, drink, drugs, gambling, promiscuity, or any other addiction that keeps us from coming to the living waters of a right relationship with God.  We all have our short list, don’t we?  And we all know, honest to God, what it is we need to leave behind before we come to the Living Water and the Bread of Heaven!  Let us make an earnest attempt to do so during this Lenten season.

5) We need to turn to Jesus who loves us with  non-judgmental, unconditional love: We all face moments when guilt plagues us; when we are upset for falling for the same temptations again and again; when we make choices that turn out to be all wrong; when our relationships with others fall in a heap; when we feel lonely, sick, and tired of the way people are treating us; when we are depressed and upset, and can’t see anything good in ourselves; when our Faith is at rock bottom and we feel as if the Church and religion aren’t doing anything for us; when we beat ourselves up for lack of enthusiasm to be true disciples of Jesus ready to do anything for him; when we survey the days that have gone  by without a word of prayer; when all we feel is failure and defeat.  During such moments it is great to read a story about Jesus and his love and acceptance of the woman at the well. Let us rest, assured, that Jesus is there to accept us warmly and help us to see that he will give us the strength and the power we need to overcome whatever it is that is grieving us.

JOKES OF THE WEEK

# 1:  Anthony de Mello tells the story of the little girl who asks a boy, “Are you a Presbyterian?” He answers, “No, we belong to another abomination.”

 

# 2: Baptizing cow into fish for Lent: John Smith was the only Protestant to move into a large Catholic neighborhood.  On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill.  Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper.  This went on each Friday of Lent.  On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John!  He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn’t take it anymore.  They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism.  They went over and talked to him and were so happy when he decided to join his neighbors and become a Catholic.  After an intensive training in Catholic Catechism they took him to their pastor and got him baptized and announced to him:  “You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic.”  The men were most relieved, that their biggest Lenten temptation had been resolved.  The next year’s Lenten season rolled around.  The first Friday of Lent came, and just at supper time, when the neighborhood was setting down to their tuna fish dinner, came the wafting smell of steak cooking on a grill.  The neighborhood men could not believe their noses!  WHAT WAS GOING ON?  They called each other up and decided to meet over in John’s yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent.  The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water.  He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, “You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, but now you are a fish.”

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1) Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  

2) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://sundayhomilies.au/

 

4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

• Liberation theology: http://liberationtheology.org/,
• Most visited Catholic Websites: http://www.catholicchurch.org/cid/top40.html
• General Catholic Resources:  http://www.everythingcatholic.com/1024/default.asp 
• http://www.lentreflections.com/five-simple-ways-to-deepen-your-prayer-life/ (Lenten reflections by Fr. Robert Barron- text & video)http://www.lentreflections.com/five-simple-ways-to-deepen-your-prayer-life/ (Lenten reflections by Fr. Robert Barron- text & video)
• Text week sermon resources on Lent III(A): http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/jn4.htm
• YouTube presentation: https://youtu.be/zF7ma1yoLNk

26-Additional anecdotes:

1) “Here comes my friend, Douglass!” Carl Sandberg describes the firm stand that Abraham Lincoln took against racial prejudice. One particularly stirring drama unfolded on the night of Lincoln’s second Inaugural Ball.  He had just delivered the blazing address in which he made famous the words, “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work that we are in.”  That evening in a White House reception room, Lincoln stood shaking hands with a long line of well-wishers.  Someone informed him that Frederick Douglass was at the door, but security wouldn’t let him in because he was black.  Lincoln broke off from high-level protocol and instructed security to bring Douglass to him, at once.  The crowd of guests hushed as the great black leader appeared at the door.  In a booming voice that filled the silence, Lincoln unashamedly announced, “Here comes my friend, Douglass!”  And then turning to Douglass, Lincoln said, “I am glad to see you.  I saw you in the crowd today, listening to my address.  There is no man in the country whose opinion I value more than yours.  I want to know what you think of it.” — Those who see and respect the rich human qualities in those individuals whom others reject blaze pioneer trails through thick jungles of bigotry.  The next generation can walk on the paths made by such giants as Lincoln who drew inspiration from Jesus’ example and teaching! Today’s Gospel shows us Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman and social outcast, giving us a model to follow in this world. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “The dawn is coming!” During those awful days following Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination on Thursday, April 4, 1968, pandemonium broke out across America.  The New York Times sent a reporter into Harlem to interview a prominent minister. He was asked what he was going to tell his people on the coming Sunday — Palm Sunday that year. The minister replied angrily, “I don’t know, but it won’t be about the love of Jesus.”  But on that Palm Sunday, another pastor in another large city stood in his pulpit. His name was Martin Luther King, Sr.  If anyone had a right to anger or despair or revenge, it was he.  But Dr. King, Sr. declared, “The night is never so dark that you cannot see a star.  Hold on.  Keep the Faith.  The dawn is coming!” — Can we really get along?  Yes, with the help of Jesus.  Today’s Gospel presents the detailed dialogue between Jesus and an ostracized Samaritan woman, teaching us how to get along with those who are different, sharing with them the love of God. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 3) “Is there more than one way to Heaven?” Around the world of religion today, there are about 2 billion Christians, 1 billion Muslims, 750 million Hindus, 334 million Buddhists, 18 million Jews, and a growing number of people who declare no religious allegiance at all.  Once upon a time, religious tolerance consisted of Baptists having a worship service with Methodists or a Protestant marrying a Roman Catholic.  Now a Hindu may be your next-door neighbor or a Baha’i may be dating your daughter.  All of us down deep in our hearts are trying to decide whether we love or hate Muslims.  The religious marketplace has become complex. At the crossroads of Faith, we Christians must now consider our relationships with people of other religions.  Tibetan leader, His Holiness Dalai Lama says, “All religions are essentially the same in their goal of developing a good human heart that we may become better human beings.” — As the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well described in today’s Gospel becomes intimate, the woman creates distance by introducing a religious debate: “Is there more than one way to Heaven?”  Jesus clarifies that He is the Messiah – the way, truth and life. (Dr. J. Howard Olds) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) A very special horse: According to a legend, St. Thomas Aquinas told of a man who heard about a very special horse and determined to have it for his own.  He traveled all over the world.  He spent his entire fortune.  He gave his whole life to the search for this horse.  At last, just moments before he died, he realized he had been riding on that very special horse all that time! — You are searching for happiness, perhaps? Look no farther.  Look no farther than your own heart.  Open your heart to God through His Son, Jesus Christ.  He will give you the living water he promised to the woman at the well.  You need never thirst again. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).5) “Water is life.” Mohandas Gandhi, India’s great Champion, proved to the whole world that a person can go without food for a long, long time – for weeks – but water is something else.  I don’t know how long someone can live without water, but it isn’t very long.  A baby who can’t keep down fluids will dehydrate and die in just a few days.  Adults last only slightly longer.  The only life-sustaining substance that we need more frequently than water is air.  Water, then, is essential to life.  In one sense, water is life.  Where there is no water, there is no life.  Cactuses and camels and gnarled trees and grasses of the desert can adapt to conditions of low water, but there isn’t any living thing on this earth that can adapt to no water. “Water is life.”  Lack of water is death.  To be thirsty is to stare death in the eye.  — It’s no wonder that Jesus turned water and thirst into spiritual teachings as he sat there by Jacob’s well, that ancient and sacred place for quenching thirst.  If thirst of the body is the very taste of death, then thirst of the soul is the very picture of spiritual despair. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Life-giving water: Thirty-four years ago, Hurricane Andrew (1992) devastated southern Florida. Houses were leveled, trees were uprooted, and human lives were severely disturbed. To cope with this chaos, the National Guard was called out to restore a semblance of order and to respond to immediate human needs. One of the first things the Guard did in the midst of people whose lives had been devastated by water and wind was to supply clean drinking water. In the midst of so much loss, clean drinking water was absolutely necessary to sustain health and life. You may recall the image of a National Guardsman standing next to a tanker dispensing clean drinking water to those who were victimized by Hurricane Andrew. In 1994, we saw the same scene in Rwanda, where thousands died of cholera until the UN could get America and other nations to set up clean water systems to supply life-giving water to the dying. — Do we go to Jesus, who alone can satisfy our thirst, as our fountain of water springing up to eternal life? (Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “God will not let you stumble or fall.”  One of the commencement traditions at Harvard University is Senior Class Chapel.  On the morning of graduation, seniors gather in Memorial Church to hear the minister offer words of solace and encouragement as they leave “the Yard” to take their places in the world.  The 1998 senior class heard the unvarnished truth from the Rev. Peter Gomes, minister at Harvard and the author of several books on the Bible, including The Good Book and Sermons.  In his gentle ringing tones, that call to mind a cross between a Shakespearean actor and the TV sitcom character Frasier, the inimitable Doctor Gomes took no prisoners as he began: “You are going to be sent out of here for good, and most of you aren’t ready to go.  The president is about to bid you into the fellowship of educated men and women and,” – and here he paused and spoke each word slowly for emphasis – “you know just – how – dumb – you – really – are.”  The senior class cheered in agreement.  “And worse than that,” Doctor Gomes continued, “the world – and your parents in particular – are going to expect that you will be among the brightest and best.  But you know that you can no longer fool all the people even some of the time.  By noontime today, you will be out of here.  By tomorrow you will be history.  By Saturday, you will be toast.  That’s a fact – no exceptions, no extensions. Nevertheless, there is reason to hope,” Doctor Gomes promised.  “The future is God’s gift to you.  God has not brought you this far to this place to abandon you or leave you here alone and afraid.  The God of Israel never stumbles, never sleeps, never goes on sabbatical.  Thus, my beloved and bewildered young friends, do not be afraid.”  –What Doctor Gomes did for the senior class at Harvard, Jesus does for the woman at the well described in today’s Gospel. (Rev. Brett Blair and Staff) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Well, we never gave pamphlets to people.”  Bruce Larsen, in his book, Ask Me to Dance, includes the story of a member of his congregation who had come from another country.  Pastor Larsen said of this person, “Her Faith sparkled, and the living water of the Spirit flowed out of her soul to all around her.”  He invited her to go with him to a seminar on the topic of evangelism.  The leaders had prepared tables filled with all sorts of pamphlets and strategies and demographic studies, all aimed at reaching the un‑churched in their area.  At some point during the program the leaders turned to this woman and asked her to share some of the reasons that made the Church so important and so vital in her home country.  At first, she was a bit intimidated by the crowds, but then she had this to say, “Well, we never gave pamphlets to people because we never had any.  We just showed people by our life and example what it is like to be a Christian, and when they can see for themselves, then they want to be a Christian, too.”  (Cited by Rev. Judith Carrick, http://www.episcopalchurch.org/6087_61962_ENG_HTM.htm) — That’s the bottom line, isn’t it?  After her encounter with the Master, the Samaritan woman passed the test for being an effective Christian witness. (Cited by Rev. Judith Carrick) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) “I want to be that finger.”  The highly esteemed theologian Karl Barth had a painting of the crucifixion on the wall of his study that was painted by the artist Matthias Grunewald.  In the painting there is an image of John the Baptist.  The artist portrayed John the Baptist pointing his finger to the cross of Jesus in the center of the painting. It’s said that when Barth would talk with a visitor about his work, he would direct them to John the Baptist in the painting, and he would say, “I want to be that finger.”  Barth wanted to point people to Christ.  (Jeremy Troxler, http://faithandleadership.com/sermons/coming-soon).  — Pointing people to Christ is our most important task as His people.  This is properly referred to as evangelization, sharing with others the love of Jesus Christ.  Today’s message is about one of the most effective evangelists who ever lived.  But this evangelist had a shady past. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Water-bearers and water-sharers: Centuries ago, a waterman used to carry water from the river to the king’s palace in two earthen pots – one perfect, another cracked – and was paid according to the amount of water he brought. Unfortunately, the waterman was poorly paid since much water leaked through his cracked pot. Dejected, the cracked-pot cried, “Master, I’m cracked and bring you less money. Discard me!” The waterman replied, “No! Watch carefully!” Then, he took the two pots back to the river, filled them, and told the cracked pot to look at the pathway on its side. The cracked pot was surprised to see beautiful flowers beneath it. “See that?” explained the waterman, “I knew you were a cracked-pot, so I sowed seeds along the way. You’ve sprayed water on them and made the king’s pathway beautiful!”–  Like the king’s waterman, today’s readings describe water-bearers. Two of them, Moses and Jesus bring water to the thirsty. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) Lessons from Noah’s Ark:  There’s an anonymous e-mail making the rounds that says “Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah’s Ark…”  1. Don’t miss the boat.  2. Remember that we’re all in the same boat.  3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.  4. Stay fit.  When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.  5. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.  6. Build your future on high ground.  7. For the sake of safety, travel in pairs.  8. Speed isn’t always an advantage.  The snails were on board with the cheetahs.  9. When you’re stressed, float a while.  10. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.  11. No matter the storm, when you’re with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting. God promised Noah that there would never again be a world-devastating Divine deluge. — In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus offers the ultimate soul-saturating drink — a living, vital relationship with God made possible by Christ’s own sacrifice. (Rev. Leonard Sweet). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

12) “I hope you won’t lose sight of me in the crowd.  Amen.”  There was a cartoon I saw some time back, which showed a little boy kneeling by his bed saying his bedtime prayers.  He prayed: “As you know, God, Monday is the first day of school.  I hope you won’t lose sight of me in the crowd.  Amen.”  Then he climbed in bed, thought for a minute, and then crawled out and said: “Oh, and by the way God, I’ll be the one wearing the red shorts and a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt.” — Like this little boy, the woman in the passage for today needed someone to see her.  She had lost sight of her own life and was sure that God had, too.  She was thirsty beyond measure and needed to drink deeply of what only God can offer. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) E. T. is one of the most successful movies of all time. It is about an extra-terrestrial creature who heals cuts with the touch of his finger, raises dead flowers to life, and who himself is raised from the dead before he departs from the earth, his spaceship leaving a rainbow in the sky. — I would guess that millions of people who had never entered the door of a Church flocked to E.T. and were moved by it.  They were searching for a source of hope.  They were looking for a model of themselves as people who are loved by a Power that will not let them go even in their darkness.  Today’s Gospel tells us about a Samaritan woman who was looking for God to quench her thirst. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Ingrid Bergman on Ed Sullivan’s show: Some of you are old enough to remember when Ingrid Bergman was invited by Ed Sullivan to appear on his program, The Toast of the Town.  This was around 1958.  For our younger members, Ed Sullivan’s show was one of the leading programs on television in those days long ago.  Bergman had left her husband and had borne a child to her lover.  Now here is what is interesting: When it was announced that Bergman was going to be on the Sullivan show, such a public clamor arose that Sullivan had to rescind his invitation to her. — Can you imagine that in light of what is allowed on television today?  There has been a definite change in the moral climate in our society.  Even in Evangelical Christian circles, it is not unusual to find young adults living together without benefit of wedlock.  Meanwhile, the number of unwed mothers is soaring.  We think we invented this new amorality.  We did not.  It has been around since recorded history.  All we’ve done in our society today is to make it semi-respectable. — But in Jesus’ time, things were a little different.  There were still laws on the books that prescribed that the adulteress be stoned to death.  So, you can imagine how surprised this Samaritan woman was that a man of Jesus’ piety and stature had any dealing with her at all, not only because she was a woman but also because she was not a “nice” woman. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “Some things are just too important not to share.” A Mercedes-Benz TV commercial shows one of their cars colliding with a concrete wall during a safety test. Someone then asks a Mercedes engineer why their company does not enforce their patent on their car’s energy-absorbing car body. The Mercedes’ design has been copied by almost every other car maker in the world in spite of the fact that Mercedes-Benz has an exclusive patent. The engineer replies in a clipped German accent, “Because in life, some things are just too important not to share.” [Jim Wideman, Illustration Digest, (Mar-Apr 1992).] — As Christians we believe that the Good News of Jesus Christ is one of those things that is too important not to share.  The work of sharing the news of Jesus Christ we call evangelization. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus shared the Good News of God’s forgiveness and love with a sinful woman. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “Would you read the 23rd Psalm?” Sociologist and evangelical Christian Tony Campolo tells a powerful story about a friend who’s a pastor of a Church in Brooklyn, in a run-down, beat-up area of the city.  This friend got a telephone call one day from the local funeral director who said that he had a funeral that nobody wanted to take.  None of the ministers in the area wanted anything to do with this funeral.  The man had died of AIDS.  This friend, Jim, took the funeral. Tony Campolo asked Jim, “What was it like?”  Jim said that when he got there, there were about 30 homosexual men.  They never looked up at him.  Their heads were down and they stared at the floor the whole time he spoke.  After the funeral service was over, they got into the waiting automobiles and went out to the cemetery.  He stood on one side of the grave with the undertaker and the homosexual men stood on the other side.  They were frozen in place like statues. They seemed to be motionless.  Not a nerve or sinew moved as he read Scripture and prayed.  They lowered the body into the grave and Jim pronounced the benediction.  He turned to leave and then he realized that none of them were moving.  He turned back and asked, “Is there anything more I can do?”  One of the men said, “Yes. They always read the 23rd Psalm at these things and you didn’t do that.  Would you read the 23rd Psalm?”  Jim said, “Certainly.”  And he did.  Another man spoke up and he said, “There is a passage in the 3rd chapter of John which says that the spirit of God goeth where it leadeth and you cannot tell on whom the spirit of God falls.  Could you read that passage?”  And he did. And then one of the men said, “Would you read to me and to all of us that passage that talks about the love of God, that nothing can separate us from the love of God?”  And Jim said, “I turned to these homosexual men and I said quite simply this, ‘Neither height nor depth nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come, neither life nor death, nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’” —  Jim said nothing was more thrilling than to say to these men, who had been so ostracized and hurt by the Church, that God still loved them and that nothing could separate them from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2006, http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/campolo_5001.htm) Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus reached out to a sinful Samaritan woman. Rev. King Duncan (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) “We are the Samaritan woman“: Rev. Randall D. Bell tells a powerful story about a pastor who stood in court beside a member of his congregation–an individual who had been “out with the boys,” and had had too much to drink. As he was driving home on the rain‑soaked streets and through the dense fog, he turned a corner and heard a sickening clash of metal and breaking glass.  Two young people lay dead.  They had been thrown from their motorcycle.  He was charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence.  He sat in court trembling after days of testimony.  The judge was about to speak.  It could mean years of prison, loss of job, and poverty for his family.  The judge spoke: The test for drunkenness had not been properly done; the motorcycle had no proper lights; the jury was ordered to render a not guilty verdict.  All that was ominous, and foreboding was now gone.  He was a free man.  The court declared him “not guilty.”  His family kissed him–they could go on with their life, all because he had been declared innocent.  Then Rev. Bell adds these words, “Now maybe this story and the way it ended angers you, because you hurt over those young people who were killed.  But know this–you and I are that man.  His story is our story.  We are the sinner who finds himself in the presence of God the Eternal Judge.” (http://www.clcaugustamo.org/sermons/August%2021_2005.html.) — You see, not only are we blinded by our prejudices against people like the Samaritan woman with her unseemly lifestyle, we are also blinded to the fact that we are the Samaritan woman.  We, too, have fallen short of the grace of God, but the Hand of Grace is reached out to us as well. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Dare to be different: Dare to be different in all walks of your life.  Dare to stand-alone.  Dare to stand up for your convictions, even if the crowd around you may move in another way.  Dare to be a fool for the sake of Christ.  With the Word of God and power of the Spirit, dare to be a Crusader for Christ.  Dare to follow the footsteps of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man.  Dare to take up the cross and follow Jesus wherever He leads you.  Dare to be a real Christian with a strong backbone.  Dare to say “no” to momentary pleasures that the world has to offer.  Dare to tell others about your Heavenly Dad.  Dare to stand for holiness, purity, and sanctity as a dove, no matter what it takes (Judy Sara Mathew). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). 

19) Doing the impossible: An incredible story of determination and success is reported about Musa Alami, an Arab gentleman educated at Cambridge. He made the Judean desert to blossom like a rose. He went beyond Jordan to the edge of Jericho to the great, bleak, arid desert of Jordan Valley. With the exception of few oases, nothing had been cultivated in this hot and weary land. Everyone said that nothing could be cultivated because no water could be brought to this place. “What about tapping the underground water,” asked Musa. Everyone laughed aloud and said, “Has anyone heard of such a thing in this desert?” There was no water under that hot desert and for ages it was covered by the Dead Sea water; and now the sand was full of salt, which further added to its aridity. Musa Alami decided that he could find water there. A few poverty-stricken refugees from the nearby Jericho refugee Camp helped him in the digging. They dug, not with any drilling-equipment, but with pickaxe and shovels. Day after day, month after month they dug. For six months they dug, then one day the sand beneath was wet, and finally sweet water gushed forth. — The Arabs who had gathered there, did not cheer, but wept. Water had been found in the ancient desert! (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 20) Finding our own well: Once, there was a woman who had to make a daily trip of a mile to draw water from a public well. Over the years she grew weary of the journey. No matter how much water she brought home, she always ended up with an empty container. Then one day she was doing some work in her own garden when in a remote corner she came upon a large flagstone lying on the ground. The flagstone was completely covered with moss. Her curiosity flared up. She cleared away the moss then removed the flagstone to discover a lovely well. She was thrilled. –Never again would she have to make that tiresome journey to the public well. She now had an unfailing source of water of her own. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holyday Liturgies). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Barriers erected to prevent abuse: Some of you may be familiar with George Orwell’s book Animal Farm. It’s a bit like a fairy tale but it’s really a comment about a certain political regime. It contains a story of how the animals on a farm oust Farmer Jones and his family and take over the farm. They want a better life and start off with the grand vision that all animals are equal, and that all property is shared. Soon the pigs take control and one of them, Napoleon, becomes the leader of all the animals. He is tyrant. Equality amongst the animals is out, and the pigs use and abuse the rest of the animals on the farm. The pigs use the other animals for their own purposes and discard them if they are no longer useful. — Most of us know what it’s like to feel used and abused by others. We have the best intentions and try our best to be helpful but all we have done is taken for granted and we are discarded like a used Kleenex. It is a well-known fact that when people feel they have been used and abused and their good nature exploited they become suspicious, bitter and cautious for fear of being hurt again. Barriers are erected, relationships shunned, because they never want to be used and abused again. Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus lifts such a barrier of prejudice to save a sinful woman. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Cornea donated transformed a child’s life: Their daughter sees today because of a cornea transplant.  Their joy is tempered by the realization that the cornea belonged to another nine-year old killed in an auto accident.  The deceased child’s family finds some peace in knowing that a part of their daughter will live on — and the recipient family is transformed by what they have received.  Not only a physical piece but the deceased child’s generosity and selflessness live on, as well, in the recipient’s family’s new dedication to advocacy work on behalf of organ donation. –For the evangelist John, today’s Gospel is not just about a sinful woman reconciled to God by Jesus, but about a woman who is so transformed by her encounter with Jesus that she becomes a witness for his reconciling presence in the midst of her people.  We have all experienced such grace, such generosity, such compassion that it changes our perspective and approach to life: we embrace the Goodness that has embraced us; we become vehicles of the Compassion and Grace that has blessed our lives. (Connection). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) What is water? What am I thirsting for? In The Story of My Life, Helen Keller wrote of the ways in which her teacher, Annie Sullivan, led her as a child out of the dark world in which her deafness and blindness had imprisoned her. “I remember the morning that I first asked the meaning of the word, Love. This was before I knew many words… [My Teacher] tried to kiss me but at that time I did not like to have anyone kiss me except my mother. Miss Sullivan put her arm gently round me and spelled into my hand, I LOVE Helen. ‘What is love?’ I asked. She drew me closer to her and said, ‘It is here,’ pointing to my heart, whose beats I was conscious of for the first time…’You cannot touch love, but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy.’…” (J. Maurus in Source Book of Inspiration; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) He came cursing: The former Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas once described a visit he had made to a part of the Moslem world that segregates women much as was done in Judea 2,000 years ago.  One evening as Douglas was talking with two Moslem women, the husband of one of the women arrived on the scene.  He came cursing.  “His face was livid,” said Douglas.  “He lunged at his wife with closed fist, hit her on the side of the face, and knocked her to the ground.”  Later the husband came to apologize to Mr. Douglas, but not for his own behavior.  Amazingly he apologized for his wife’s conduct.  He hoped Mr. Douglas would not think too badly of his wife for what she had done.  What was his wife’s “disgraceful” conduct?  She had spoken to Douglas.  [Henri Cormier, The Humor of Jesus (New York: Alba House, 1977).] — It’s no wonder that when the woman in today’s Gospel met Jesus, she was shocked that he would talk to her.  (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) “My soul THIRSTS for God,  the living God!” It is said that some years ago a vessel sailing on the northern coast of the South American continent was observed to make signals of distress. When hailed by another vessel, they reported themselves as “Dying for water!” “Dip it up then,” was the response. “You are in the mouth of Amazon river.” There was fresh water all around them, and they had nothing to do but to dip it up, and yet they were dying of thirst because they thought themselves surrounded by sea water. — People are often ignorant of God and without His Word. How sad that they should perish for lack of knowledge! During this Lenten Season, we are challenged to come to the well and meet Jesus there. He will give us living water, which is water that does not run out because it grows from within, and it quenches our deepest thirst – the thirst for God. “My soul thirsts for God, the living God!” And this is the Good News of today.   (Fr. Lakra). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) Jesus the source of “Living Water.” It never ceases to amaze me that my body is composed of seventy percent water. It is hard to imagine that seventy percent of the flesh standing before you today is water. That means about 154 pounds of water is standing before you right now. I am not going to tell you what I weigh but I can guarantee you that 70% of my body weight and your body weight is composed of water. There are two and a half quarts of water in my blood. There are fifteen quarts of water in the extra plasma in my body. There are thirty quarts of water in the cells of my body, allowing all those little cells to grow. It always amazes me that 154 pounds of water are standing before you today at this moment. Truly, I am living water. Some people say that I am a bag of wind. Others say that I am a bag of hot air. But I am really a bag of water. I am a great big bag of water. Standing before you today is walking, breathing, living water. I am truly living water. Water is important to my diet It amazes me that I cannot live without water, that water is more important to my diet than food. It amazes me that I can exist for thirty days without food, but I can exist only one to four days without water. I cannot live without water. It amazes me how absolutely necessary water is for by body to exist. Likewise, it always amazes me that during my first nine months of life, I was in the water of my mother’s womb. I began in a bag of living water. I lived as a fetus for nine months in my mother’s womb. I could not live without that water surrounding me and in me. Truly, as a fetus, I was surrounded by living water. The water around me was truly the water of life. The bag of water around you as a fetus and me as a fetus was living water. — Water is part of our everyday life. Water is part of our essential life. It is with these images that we hear the great words of Jesus when he says, “The water I give is living water. Whoever drinks of the water I give will never thirst. He who believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. The rivers of living water I give will become a spring of living water, welling up into eternal life.” (Rev. Edward F. Markquart). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) Some of you have probably read Lonesome Dove. It is basically a story about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. At one point they have to cross a vast, arid plain; the lack of water causes the cattle to slow down and even die. The men on horseback do what they can to urge the cattle forward. All of a sudden, things change. The animals’ nostrils expand and they begin snorting. Long before the men sense it, the cattle smell water in the distance and they start to stampede. Now the cowhands have to race to keep up with them. Our lives are like that. Sometimes we begin to slow down, we know not why. We perhaps even feel a desire to stop entirely. We could keep going if we had a sense that somewhere, not too far away, is what we most want – cool, drinkable water. The sad thing is that although water is coming down in cascades very near to us, we cannot pick up the scent. We say that water is odorless, but the beasts know better. Our problem is that we have manufactured so many syrupy substitutes that we cannot recognize the real thing.* Water is at hand, but we remain thirsty. (Fr. Phil Bloom).L/26

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 20) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

 Kindly visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Please contact me by email only at akadavil@gmail.com. For additional homilies, you may visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies from 1998 to 2020) My post-retirement U. S. postal address is  Fr. Anthony Kadavil,  C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al, U. S. A. 36507

 

 

 

 

 

LENT III [A] (March 8): Ex 17:3-7; Rom 5:1-2, 5-8; Jn 4:5-42 (L/26)

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1:  Photeine, the Samaritan woman evangelist: Venerated as a saint among the Greek and Russian Orthodox and given the name Photeine (Greek) or Svetlana (Russian), which means radiant or shining (from the Greek noun phos or light), the woman at the well has been variously praised by Origen, John Chrysostom, Augustine, and Teresa of Avila as: (1) an “apostle,” (2) one who “left her water pot at the well in order to go off and preach the Gospel,” (3) “the first apostle to the Gentiles who invited her neighbors to ‘Come and see’.” (Svetlana Alliluyeva was the youngest and only daughter of the Soviet President Joseph Stalin; she defected to the United States of America on April 21,  1967). Legend has it that when the woman left Samaria to preach the Good News, she eventually made her way to Carthage in Africa where she was imprisoned for the Faith and died a martyr. Another legend, preserved in Spain, says that Photeine (also Photina) converted and baptized Nero’s daughter and 100 of her servants (Margaret Hebblethwaite, Six New Gospels, Cowley Publications, Boston: 1994). Fascinating legends and traditions notwithstanding, the woman of Shechem offers veteran believers and catechumens a living example of the dynamics and ramifications of Christian Baptism including: (1) the overture of God to the sinner 2) the sinner’s growing response in Faith and consequent conversion. (3) the mission of the disciple to proclaim the Good News to others.  (Sanchez Archives). (It is also interesting to note that in the Hebrew Scriptures Abraham’s servant found the future wife of Isaac, Rebekah, at a village well, Jacob found his wife, Rachel, at a well and Moses found his wife Zipporah, at a well, and in the New Testament Jesus found his first Samaritan apostle at a well side).   (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: A Samaritan woman evangelist: There is a Greek monastery at Mount Athos in which nothing female is allowed. Today, it is home to 20 Eastern Orthodox monasteries, and 2,000 monks from Greece and other Eastern Orthodox countries, including Bulgaria, Serbia and Russia. These monks live an ascetic life, isolated from the rest of the world. The Mount – actually a 335 sq km (130 sq mile) peninsula – may be the largest area in the world from which women, and female animals, are banned.Men can enter but not women, roosters but not hens, horses but not mares, bulls but not cows.  Armed guards patrol the border to ensure that nothing feminine passes the gates.  It has been this way for more than 700 years. [Arnold Prater, The Presence, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1993).]  — Separate and definitely not equal: that has been the attitude toward women of many Churches through the ages.  So, it’s really remarkable that this particular Samaritan evangelist happens to be a woman.  She would be as surprised about it as anybody.  When she first met Jesus, she was surprised that even he talked to her in a culture which did not allow a Jewish rabbi even to talk to his wife in a public place.  Once converted, this outcast woman became an evangelist, enthusiastically introducing Jesus to her fellow villagers. (Dr. William P. Barker) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3:  “No drinkin’ and no dancin’ area”!  A couple of Catholic young men from the North were visiting a dusty little town in the back country of West Texas.  It was a hard-shell Baptist town in the Bible belt of the South: “No drinkin’ and no dancin’ area”!  But since these two men were strangers, they asked a cowboy where they might get a drink.  “In this town,” said the cowboy, “we use whiskey only for snakebite: to wash the wound as first aid.”  Then he added slyly, “If you guys are so thirsty for whiskey, there’s only one poisonous snake in this town and that is in the zoo.  So, you better get a ticket to the zoo, go to the snake park, get hold of a cobra through the iron bar of its cage and give it a big hug! The zookeeper will appear immediately with whisky.” —  The woman at the well had a mighty thirst, a thirst like that of these young guys for whiskey, a thirst so big that it led her through five husbands and who knows what else.  And still she was thirsty — a thirst caused by the absence of God in her life.  A meeting with Jesus gave her the living waters of friendship with Jesus and the anointing of the Spirit of God which restored her dignity and changed her life. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: Today’s readings are centered on Baptism and new life.  Today’s liturgy makes use of the symbol of water to refer to our relationship with God. Water represents God’s Holy Spirit Who comes to us in Baptism. Baptism is the outward, symbolic sign of a deep Reality, the coming of God as a Force penetrating every aspect of a person’s life. The Holy Spirit quenches our spiritual thirst. Just as water in the desert was life-giving for the wandering Israelites, the water of a true, loving relationship with Jesus is life-giving for those who accept him as Lord and Savior.  We are assembled here in the Church to share in this water of eternal life and salvation.  The Holy Spirit of God, the Word of God, and the Sacraments of God in the Church are the primary sources for the living water of Divine Grace.  Washed in it at Baptism, renewed by its abundance at each Eucharist, invited to it in every proclamation of the Word, and daily empowered by the Holy Spirit, we are challenged by today’s Gospel to remain thirsty for the living water which only God can give.

Scripture readings summarized:  The first reading describes how God provided water to the ungrateful complainers of Israel, thus placing Jesus’ promise within the context of the Exodus account of water coming from the rock at Horeb.  The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 95), refers both to the Rock of our salvation and also to our hardened hearts.  It reminds us that our hard hearts need to be softened by God through our  grace-prompted, grace-assisted prayer, fasting and works of mercy which enable us to receive the living water of the Holy Spirit, salvation, and eternal life from the Rock of our salvation. In the second reading, Saint Paul asserts that, as the Savior of mankind, Jesus poured the living water of the gift of the Holy Spirit into our hearts.  In the Gospel, an unclean, ostracized Samaritan woman is given an opportunity to receive living water.  Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus awakened in the woman at the well a thirst for the wholeness and integrity which she had lost, a thirst which He had come to satisfy. In revealing himself as the Messiah to the Samaritan woman, Jesus speaks to her of the fountain of water he will give — the life-giving waters of Baptism.   The water that Jesus promises is closely linked to conversion and the forgiveness of sin.  Here is a woman who comes to Faith and then becomes a missionary who brings others to Jesus.  Jesus recognizes the gifts and ministries of women in his future Church. This is also a narrative about God wooing the outsider or, as Paul will say, “the godless.” The Samaritans, who were considered godless in general, in this town ended up confessing Jesus as the Savior of “the world.” This Gospel passage also gives us Jesus’ revelation about Himself as the Source of Living Water and teaches us that we need the grace of Jesus Christ for eternal life, because He is that life-giving water.  

The first reading: Ex 17:3-7, explained: Today’s Gospel gives us Jesus’ revelation of himself as the Source of Living Water. Hence, the passage chosen from Exodus tells of the Jews’ complaining about their thirst, a figure of human longing for God and spiritual satisfaction. The rock which Moses strikes represents God who gives the water (God’s own life), essential for our spiritual life.  This reading shows us a time when God’s people literally thirsted, and God satisfied them.  The Israelites had been slaves for several generations in Egypt, and for the most part, they had forgotten their ancestral religion and their God’s Covenant with their patriarch Abraham.  Now their new leader, Moses, was telling them that their ancient Lord had at last heard their cries and was now leading their escape from Egypt back to their homeland.  In spite of the mighty deeds God had done for their liberation from Egypt, the former slaves complained that in Egypt, at least they were not thirsty! It is astounding to see their lack of Faith.

The second reading: Rom 5:1-2, 5-8 explained: In the second reading, Saint Paul asserts that, as the Savior of mankind, Jesus poured the living water, or the gift of the Holy Spirit, into our hearts.  We need the Holy Spirit to sustain us spiritually, just as we need water to sustain us physically.  Through Jesus, God gave us the Spirit when we were dying of thirst.  Paul realized that he and all the Jews who kept the Law of Moses were trying to become justified on their own.  But keeping the Law is not an adequate means of justification because we are unable to make ourselves worthy of God’s favor, whether by good works, by keeping the Commandments, by rituals, or by prayers.  The word grace, in this context, means the gratuitous, unearned, undeserved love and favor of God for us.  By living water in today’s Gospel, Jesus is referring to this grace as a relationship with God and an active participation in His life.  According to Paul, redemption or justification is the gratuitous gift of God, manifested in Jesus’ saving death on the cross.  By virtue of his death, Jesus has made just, or put in right relationship with God, every sinner who will appropriate His saving gifts by Faith.  Faith, then, is the admission that one cannot justify oneself, and that it is God who will grant us justification by His grace.

Gospel exegesis:   The conversion texts for Cycle A Gospel: Since each of the persons featured in the Gospels, e.g. the woman of Samaria (Lent III Sunday), the man born blind (Lent IV) and Lazarus (Lent V), is an example  of conversion, their stories offer excellent catechesis for Lenten penitents and  OCIA participants, and, hence, they were placed in the Lenten Sunday lectionary from the fourth century, where they have remained. Each of these Gospel texts also features the transforming love of Christ for those whom he calls to salvation; he is living water, light and sight for the blind, and the source of life for all who believe.

Jesus’ mission trip from Judea to Galilee: Palestine is only 120 miles long from north to south.  Judea is in the extreme south, Samaria in the middle and Galilee in the extreme North.  In order to avoid the controversy about baptism, Jesus decided to concentrate his ministry in Galilee.  The usual route around Samaria, normally taken by the Jews to avoid the hated Samaritans, took six days.  The shortcut (three days’ journey), from Judea to Galilee crossed through Samaria and, on the way to the town of Sychar, passed Jacob’s well.  The well itself was more than 100 feet deep.  It was located on a piece of land that had been bought by Jacob (Gn 33:18-19), and later bequeathed to Joseph (Gn 48:22).

Jesus’ encounter with an outcast sinner:  Jesus came to the Samaritan town called Sychar, near the land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well is there and Jesus, tired by the journey, sat down by the well. When Jesus and his disciples reached the well, it was a hot midday, and Jesus was weary and thirsty from traveling. Ignoring the racial barriers and traditional hostility between Samaritans and Jews, Jesus sent his disciples to buy some food in the Samaritan town.  It was at this point that a Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water.  She had probably been driven away from visiting the common well in the town of Sychar at dawn by the other women of the town, as a moral outcast.  It was this woman whom Jesus asked for water, and it is no wonder that she was surprised, because the petitioner was a Jew who hated her people as polluted outcasts and betrayers of Judaism. The scene recalls Old Testament meetings between future spouses at wells. Abraham’s servant, seeking a wife for Isaac, meets Rebekah at the well of Haran (Gn 24:10-20, ff),  Jacob meets Rachel at a well where Laban’s daughters were trying to water their sheep (Gn 29:1-12, ff),  and Moses and Zipporah meet at a well in Midian (Ex 1:15-18, ff).

The background history: The mutual hostility between the Jews and the Samaritans had begun centuries earlier when the Assyrians carried the northern tribes of Israel into captivity.  The Jewish slaves betrayed their heritage by intermarrying with the Assyrians, thus diluting their bloodline and creating a “mongrel race” called the Samaritans.  The Assyrian men who were relocated to Israel married Jewish women, thus producing a mixed race in Israel as well. Hence, southern Jews considered all Samaritan bloodlines and their heritage impure.  By the time the Samaritan Jews returned to their homeland, their views of God had been greatly contaminated.  By contrast, when the southern Hebrew tribes were carried off into captivity, they stubbornly resisted the Babylonian culture.  They returned from Babylon to Jerusalem, proud that they had compromised neither their religious convictions nor their culture.  So, when the Samaritans offered to help to rebuild the Jerusalem Temple, the southern Jews who had returned from exile vehemently rejected Samaritan assistance.  Consequently, the rejected and ostracized Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim.  But in 129 B.C. a Jewish General destroyed it, a slap in the face for Samaritan dignity that continued to sting for centuries, deepening the mutual scorn and hostility between Samaritans and Jews.

The Divine touch and conversion: So, the water-seeking Samaritan woman who faced Jesus that day belonged to a heritage rejected by the Jews.  In addition, she expected scorn simply because she was a woman, for in the ancient Middle East, men systematically degraded women.  Finally, this Samaritan woman seemed unwanted by her own people.  Since she had had five “husbands,” and was living with a sixth “lover,” she seems to have been considered by “the “decent” women” of the town a  social leper endangering their own homes, which is why she came to draw water at the well only after the rest were  done and gone.  Perhaps she had not stopped wishing that somewhere, sometime, some way, God would touch His people — that He would touch her!  Jesus’ meeting the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well illustrates the principal role of Jesus as the Messiah: to reconcile all men and women to the Father.  Hence, Jesus deliberately placed himself face-to-face with this person whom, apparently, no one else wanted.  Jesus saw, in this social outcast and moral wreck, a person who mattered to God.  The Samaritan woman must have unburdened her soul to this stranger because she had found one Jew with kindness in his eyes instead of an air of critical superiority.  She was thirsting for love that would last, love that would fill her full and give purpose to her life. Just as Jesus confronted the woman at the well with the reality of her own sinfulness and brokenness, so we must, with God’s grace, confront our own sinfulness and, in doing so, realize our need for God. 

The conversion leading to witnessing: Jesus not only talked with the woman, but, in a carefully orchestrated, seven-part dialogue, he guided her progressively from ignorance to enlightenment, and from misunderstanding to clearer understanding, thus making her the most carefully and intensely catechized person in this entire Gospel!  Jesus always has a way of coming into our personal lives.  When Jesus became personal with this woman and started asking embarrassing questions about her five husbands, she cleverly tried to change the subject and talk about religion.  She didn’t want Jesus to get personal.  But Jesus wanted to free her, forgive her, shape her life in a new direction, and change her.  He wanted to offer this woman Living Water. [Scholars have debated as to precisely what Jesus meant when he referred to living water. As Raymond E. Brown has explained, there are two possibilities: living water means the revelation or teaching which Jesus came to give, and it also means the Spirit which Jesus bestows (The Gospel According to John, Anchor Bible, Vol. 29, Doubleday, New York: 1966).] The living water may refer to Baptism and the gift of the Spirit, the source of life.  It may also refer to Jesus as the source of life.  At the end of their long, heart-to-heart conversation, Jesus revealed himself to the woman as the Messiah, which in turn led her to Faith in him.  This growth in understanding on the part of the woman moved through several stages: first, she called him a Jew, then Sir or Lord, then Prophet, and finally Messiah.  When the Samaritans came to hear Jesus because of her testimony, their affirmation of Faith reached its climax as they declared that Jesus was the Savior of the world, and that they believed in him not just because of what she had said, but because “we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world.”   Step-by-step Jesus had led this marginalized woman in her Faith journey, and her enthusiastic response, powerful personal testimony, and brave witnessing with its dramatic results in her town, stand in vivid contrast to Nicodemus’ hesitance (3:9), the crowd’s demand for proof (6:25-34) and the Pharisees’ refusal to acknowledge the hand of God in the healing of a blind man (9:24-34).

 Life messages:   1) We need to allow Jesus free entry into our personal lives.  A sign that God is active in our lives is His entering in to our personal, “private” lives. Jesus wants to “get personal” with us, especially during this Lenten season.  Jesus wants to get into our “private” life, because this is the part  of our life is the part which is contrary to the will of God.  Christ wishes to come into that “private” life, not to embarrass us, not to judge or condemn us, not to be unkind or malicious to us, but reconnect us to the Will of God, our Salvation, by freeing us, changing us, and offering us what we really need: living water.  The living water is God the Holy Spirit Who enters the soul of the woman through Jesus and his love.  We human beings are composed of four parts: mind, body, emotions and spirit.  When we let God, the Holy Spirit come into us and take control of our thinking, our physical activity, our emotions and our spirit, He can bring harmony to all four parts of our humanity, and so to the way we live. We can find this living water in the Sacraments, in prayer and in the Holy Bible.

2) We need to be witnesses to God’s work in us, just as the Samaritan woman was, proclaiming Jesus as God and Savior through our loving lives.  Let us have the courage to “be” Jesus for others, especially in those “unexpected” places for “unwanted” people.  Let us also have the courage of our Christian convictions to stand for truth and justice in our day-to-day life. Today, the invitation of the Samaritan women to “Come and see” reminds all thirsty sinners that we are daily called to be cleansed, taught, renewed and satisfied by Jesus’ great gift.

3) We need to be open to others and accept them as they are, just as Jesus did. We have been baptized into a community of Faith so that we may become one with each other as brothers and sisters of Jesus and as children of God.  To live this oneness demands that we open ourselves to others and listen to one another.  We need to provide the atmosphere, the room, for all to be honestly what they really are: the children of God.  It is the ministry of Jesus that we inherit and share.  Jesus did not allow the woman’s status, past, attitude, or anything else obstruct his ability to love her.  And loving her, he freed her and made her whole, made her the child of God she already was.  Let us also open our hearts to one another and accept each other as God’s gifts to us.  Thus, we shall experience resurrection in our own lives and in the lives of our brothers and sisters.

4) We need to leave the “husbands” behind during Lent as the Samaritan woman did.  Today’s Gospel message challenges us to get rid of our unholy attachments and the evil habits that keep us enslaved and idolatrous.  Lent is the time to learn from our mistakes of over-indulgence in food, drink, drugs, gambling, promiscuity, or any other addiction that keeps us from coming to the living waters of a right relationship with God.  We all have our short list, don’t we?  And we all know, honest to God, what it is we need to leave behind before we come to the Living Water and the Bread of Heaven!  Let us make an earnest attempt to do so during this Lenten season.

5) We need to turn to Jesus who loves us with  non-judgmental, unconditional love: We all face moments when guilt plagues us; when we are upset for falling for the same temptations again and again; when we make choices that turn out to be all wrong; when our relationships with others fall in a heap; when we feel lonely, sick, and tired of the way people are treating us; when we are depressed and upset, and can’t see anything good in ourselves; when our Faith is at rock bottom and we feel as if the Church and religion aren’t doing anything for us; when we beat ourselves up for lack of enthusiasm to be true disciples of Jesus ready to do anything for him; when we survey the days that have gone  by without a word of prayer; when all we feel is failure and defeat.  During such moments it is great to read a story about Jesus and his love and acceptance of the woman at the well. Let us rest, assured, that Jesus is there to accept us warmly and help us to see that he will give us the strength and the power we need to overcome whatever it is that is grieving us.

JOKES OF THE WEEK

# 1:  Anthony de Mello tells the story of the little girl who asks a boy, “Are you a Presbyterian?” He answers, “No, we belong to another abomination.”

# 2: Baptizing cow into fish for Lent: John Smith was the only Protestant to move into a large Catholic neighborhood.  On the first Friday of Lent, John was outside grilling a big juicy steak on his grill.  Meanwhile, all of his neighbors were eating cold tuna fish for supper.  This went on each Friday of Lent.  On the last Friday of Lent, the neighborhood men got together and decided that something had to be done about John!  He was tempting them to eat meat each Friday of Lent, and they couldn’t take it anymore.  They decided to try and convert John to Catholicism.  They went over and talked to him and were so happy when he decided to join his neighbors and become a Catholic.  After an intensive training in Catholic Catechism they took him to their pastor and got him baptized and announced to him:  “You were born a Baptist, you were raised a Baptist, but now you are a Catholic.”  The men were most relieved, that their biggest Lenten temptation had been resolved.  The next year’s Lenten season rolled around.  The first Friday of Lent came, and just at supper time, when the neighborhood was setting down to their tuna fish dinner, came the wafting smell of steak cooking on a grill.  The neighborhood men could not believe their noses!  WHAT WAS GOING ON?  They called each other up and decided to meet over in John’s yard to see if he had forgotten it was the first Friday of Lent.  The group arrived just in time to see John standing over his grill with a small pitcher of water.  He was sprinkling some water over his steak on the grill, saying, “You were born a cow, you were raised a cow, but now you are a fish.”

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1) Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  

2) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://sundayhomilies.au/

4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

• Liberation theology: http://liberationtheology.org/,

• Most visited Catholic          Websites: http://www.catholicchurch.org/cid/top40.html

• General Catholic     Resources:  http://www.everythingcatholic.com/1024/default.asp 

• http://www.lentreflections.com/five-simple-ways-to-deepen-your-prayer-life/  (Lenten reflections by Fr. Robert Barron- text & video)

1. http://www.lentreflections.com/five-simple-ways-to-deepen-your-prayer-life/  (Lenten reflections by Fr. Robert Barron- text & video)

1. Text week sermon resources on Lent III(A): http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/jn4.htm

1. YouTube presentation: https://youtu.be/zF7ma1yoLNk

26-Additional anecdotes:

1) “Here comes my friend, Douglass!” Carl Sandberg describes the firm stand that Abraham Lincoln took against racial prejudice. One particularly stirring drama unfolded on the night of Lincoln’s second Inaugural Ball.  He had just delivered the blazing address in which he made famous the words, “With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work that we are in.”  That evening in a White House reception room, Lincoln stood shaking hands with a long line of well-wishers.  Someone informed him that Frederick Douglass was at the door, but security wouldn’t let him in because he was black.  Lincoln broke off from high-level protocol and instructed security to bring Douglass to him, at once.  The crowd of guests hushed as the great black leader appeared at the door.  In a booming voice that filled the silence, Lincoln unashamedly announced, “Here comes my friend, Douglass!”  And then turning to Douglass, Lincoln said, “I am glad to see you.  I saw you in the crowd today, listening to my address.  There is no man in the country whose opinion I value more than yours.  I want to know what you think of it.” — Those who see and respect the rich human qualities in those individuals whom others reject blaze pioneer trails through thick jungles of bigotry.  The next generation can walk on the paths made by such giants as Lincoln who drew inspiration from Jesus’ example and teaching! Today’s Gospel shows us Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman and social outcast, giving us a model to follow in this world. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “The dawn is coming!” During those awful days following Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s assassination on Thursday, April 4, 1968, pandemonium broke out across America.  The New York Times sent a reporter into Harlem to interview a prominent minister. He was asked what he was going to tell his people on the coming Sunday — Palm Sunday that year. The minister replied angrily, “I don’t know, but it won’t be about the love of Jesus.”  But on that Palm Sunday, another pastor in another large city stood in his pulpit. His name was Martin Luther King, Sr.  If anyone had a right to anger or despair or revenge, it was he.  But Dr. King, Sr. declared, “The night is never so dark that you cannot see a star.  Hold on.  Keep the Faith.  The dawn is coming!” — Can we really get along?  Yes, with the help of Jesus.  Today’s Gospel presents the detailed dialogue between Jesus and an ostracized Samaritan woman, teaching us how to get along with those who are different, sharing with them the love of God. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “Is there more than one way to Heaven?” Around the world of religion today, there are about 2 billion Christians, 1 billion Muslims, 750 million Hindus, 334 million Buddhists, 18 million Jews, and a growing number of people who declare no religious allegiance at all.  Once upon a time, religious tolerance consisted of Baptists having a worship service with Methodists or a Protestant marrying a Roman Catholic.  Now a Hindu may be your next-door neighbor or a Baha’i may be dating your daughter.  All of us down deep in our hearts are trying to decide whether we love or hate Muslims.  The religious marketplace has become complex. At the crossroads of Faith, we Christians must now consider our relationships with people of other religions.  Tibetan leader, His Holiness Dalai Lama says, “All religions are essentially the same in their goal of developing a good human heart that we may become better human beings.” — As the conversation between Jesus and the woman at the well described in today’s Gospel becomes intimate, the woman creates distance by introducing a religious debate: “Is there more than one way to Heaven?”  Jesus clarifies that He is the Messiah – the way, truth and life. (Dr. J. Howard Olds) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) A very special horse: According to a legend, St. Thomas Aquinas told of a man who heard about a very special horse and determined to have it for his own.  He traveled all over the world.  He spent his entire fortune.  He gave his whole life to the search for this horse.  At last, just moments before he died, he realized he had been riding on that very special horse all that time! — You are searching for happiness, perhaps? Look no farther.  Look no farther than your own heart.  Open your heart to God through His Son, Jesus Christ.  He will give you the living water he promised to the woman at the well.  You need never thirst again. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) “Water is life.” Mohandas Gandhi, India’s great Champion, proved to the whole world that a person can go without food for a long, long time – for weeks – but water is something else.  I don’t know how long someone can live without water, but it isn’t very long.  A baby who can’t keep down fluids will dehydrate and die in just a few days.  Adults last only slightly longer.  The only life-sustaining substance that we need more frequently than water is air.  Water, then, is essential to life.  In one sense, water is life.  Where there is no water, there is no life.  Cactuses and camels and gnarled trees and grasses of the desert can adapt to conditions of low water, but there isn’t any living thing on this earth that can adapt to no water. “Water is life.”  Lack of water is death.  To be thirsty is to stare death in the eye.  — It’s no wonder that Jesus turned water and thirst into spiritual teachings as he sat there by Jacob’s well, that ancient and sacred place for quenching thirst.  If thirst of the body is the very taste of death, then thirst of the soul is the very picture of spiritual despair. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Life-giving water: Thirty-four years ago, Hurricane Andrew (1992) devastated southern Florida. Houses were leveled, trees were uprooted, and human lives were severely disturbed. To cope with this chaos, the National Guard was called out to restore a semblance of order and to respond to immediate human needs. One of the first things the Guard did in the midst of people whose lives had been devastated by water and wind was to supply clean drinking water. In the midst of so much loss, clean drinking water was absolutely necessary to sustain health and life. You may recall the image of a National Guardsman standing next to a tanker dispensing clean drinking water to those who were victimized by Hurricane Andrew. In 1994, we saw the same scene in Rwanda, where thousands died of cholera until the UN could get America and other nations to set up clean water systems to supply life-giving water to the dying. — Do we go to Jesus, who alone can satisfy our thirst, as our fountain of water springing up to eternal life? (Gerard Fuller inStories for all Seasons). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “God will not let you stumble or fall.”  One of the commencement traditions at Harvard University is Senior Class Chapel.  On the morning of graduation, seniors gather in Memorial Church to hear the minister offer words of solace and encouragement as they leave “the Yard” to take their places in the world.  The 1998 senior class heard the unvarnished truth from the Rev. Peter Gomes, minister at Harvard and the author of several books on the Bible, including The Good Book and Sermons.  In his gentle ringing tones, that call to mind a cross between a Shakespearean actor and the TV sitcom character Frasier, the inimitable Doctor Gomes took no prisoners as he began: “You are going to be sent out of here for good, and most of you aren’t ready to go.  The president is about to bid you into the fellowship of educated men and women and,” – and here he paused and spoke each word slowly for emphasis – “you know just – how – dumb – you – really – are.”  The senior class cheered in agreement.  “And worse than that,” Doctor Gomes continued, “the world – and your parents in particular – are going to expect that you will be among the brightest and best.  But you know that you can no longer fool all the people even some of the time.  By noontime today, you will be out of here.  By tomorrow you will be history.  By Saturday, you will be toast.  That’s a fact – no exceptions, no extensions. Nevertheless, there is reason to hope,” Doctor Gomes promised.  “The future is God’s gift to you.  God has not brought you this far to this place to abandon you or leave you here alone and afraid.  The God of Israel never stumbles, never sleeps, never goes on sabbatical.  Thus, my beloved and bewildered young friends, do not be afraid.”  –What Doctor Gomes did for the senior class at Harvard, Jesus does for the woman at the well described in today’s Gospel. (Rev. Brett Blair and Staff) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Well, we never gave pamphlets to people.”  Bruce Larsen, in his book, Ask Me to Dance, includes the story of a member of his congregation who had come from another country.  Pastor Larsen said of this person, “Her Faith sparkled, and the living water of the Spirit flowed out of her soul to all around her.”  He invited her to go with him to a seminar on the topic of evangelism.  The leaders had prepared tables filled with all sorts of pamphlets and strategies and demographic studies, all aimed at reaching the un‑churched in their area.  At some point during the program the leaders turned to this woman and asked her to share some of the reasons that made the Church so important and so vital in her home country.  At first, she was a bit intimidated by the crowds, but then she had this to say, “Well, we never gave pamphlets to people because we never had any.  We just showed people by our life and example what it is like to be a Christian, and when they can see for themselves, then they want to be a Christian, too.”  (Cited by Rev. Judith Carrick, http://www.episcopalchurch.org/6087_61962_ENG_HTM.htm) — That’s the bottom line, isn’t it?  After her encounter with the Master, the Samaritan woman passed the test for being an effective Christian witness. (Cited by Rev. Judith Carrick) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) “I want to be that finger.”  The highly esteemed theologian Karl Barth had a painting of the crucifixion on the wall of his study that was painted by the artist Matthias Grunewald.  In the painting there is an image of John the Baptist.  The artist portrayed John the Baptist pointing his finger to the cross of Jesus in the center of the painting. It’s said that when Barth would talk with a visitor about his work, he would direct them to John the Baptist in the painting, and he would say, “I want to be that finger.”  Barth wanted to point people to Christ.  (Jeremy Troxler, http://faithandleadership.com/sermons/coming-soon).  — Pointing people to Christ is our most important task as His people.  This is properly referred to as evangelization, sharing with others the love of Jesus Christ.  Today’s message is about one of the most effective evangelists who ever lived.  But this evangelist had a shady past. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Water-bearers and water-sharers: Centuries ago, a waterman used to carry water from the river to the king’s palace in two earthen pots – one perfect, another cracked – and was paid according to the amount of water he brought. Unfortunately, the waterman was poorly paid since much water leaked through his cracked pot. Dejected, the cracked-pot cried, “Master, I’m cracked and bring you less money. Discard me!” The waterman replied, “No! Watch carefully!” Then, he took the two pots back to the river, filled them, and told the cracked pot to look at the pathway on its side. The cracked pot was surprised to see beautiful flowers beneath it. “See that?” explained the waterman, “I knew you were a cracked-pot, so I sowed seeds along the way. You’ve sprayed water on them and made the king’s pathway beautiful!”–  Like the king’s waterman, today’s readings describe water-bearers. Two of them, Moses and Jesus bring water to the thirsty. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) Lessons from Noah’s Ark:  There’s an anonymous e-mail making the rounds that says “Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah’s Ark…”  1. Don’t miss the boat.  2. Remember that we’re all in the same boat.  3. Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.  4. Stay fit.  When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.  5. Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job that needs to be done.  6. Build your future on high ground.  7. For the sake of safety, travel in pairs.  8. Speed isn’t always an advantage.  The snails were on board with the cheetahs.  9. When you’re stressed, float a while.  10. Remember the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.  11. No matter the storm, when you’re with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting. God promised Noah that there would never again be a world-devastating Divine deluge. — In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus offers the ultimate soul-saturating drink — a living, vital relationship with God made possible by Christ’s own sacrifice. (Rev. Leonard Sweet). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

12) “I hope you won’t lose sight of me in the crowd.  Amen.”  There was a cartoon I saw some time back, which showed a little boy kneeling by his bed saying his bedtime prayers.  He prayed: “As you know, God, Monday is the first day of school.  I hope you won’t lose sight of me in the crowd.  Amen.”  Then he climbed in bed, thought for a minute, and then crawled out and said: “Oh, and by the way God, I’ll be the one wearing the red shorts and a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt.” — Like this little boy, the woman in the passage for today needed someone to see her.  She had lost sight of her own life and was sure that God had, too.  She was thirsty beyond measure and needed to drink deeply of what only God can offer. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) E. T. is one of the most successful movies of all time. It is about an extra-terrestrial creature who heals cuts with the touch of his finger, raises dead flowers to life, and who himself is raised from the dead before he departs from the earth, his spaceship leaving a rainbow in the sky. — I would guess that millions of people who had never entered the door of a Church flocked to E.T. and were moved by it.  They were searching for a source of hope.  They were looking for a model of themselves as people who are loved by a Power that will not let them go even in their darkness.  Today’s Gospel tells us about a Samaritan woman who was looking for God to quench her thirst. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Ingrid Bergman on Ed Sullivan’s show: Some of you are old enough to remember when Ingrid Bergman was invited by Ed Sullivan to appear on his program, The Toast of the Town.  This was around 1958.  For our younger members, Ed Sullivan’s show was one of the leading programs on television in those days long ago.  Bergman had left her husband and had borne a child to her lover.  Now here is what is interesting: When it was announced that Bergman was going to be on the Sullivan show, such a public clamor arose that Sullivan had to rescind his invitation to her. — Can you imagine that in light of what is allowed on television today?  There has been a definite change in the moral climate in our society.  Even in Evangelical Christian circles, it is not unusual to find young adults living together without benefit of wedlock.  Meanwhile, the number of unwed mothers is soaring.  We think we invented this new amorality.  We did not.  It has been around since recorded history.  All we’ve done in our society today is to make it semi-respectable. — But in Jesus’ time, things were a little different.  There were still laws on the books that prescribed that the adulteress be stoned to death.  So, you can imagine how surprised this Samaritan woman was that a man of Jesus’ piety and stature had any dealing with her at all, not only because she was a woman but also because she was not a “nice” woman. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “Some things are just too important not to share.” A Mercedes-Benz TV commercial shows one of their cars colliding with a concrete wall during a safety test. Someone then asks a Mercedes engineer why their company does not enforce their patent on their car’s energy-absorbing car body. The Mercedes’ design has been copied by almost every other car maker in the world in spite of the fact that Mercedes-Benz has an exclusive patent. The engineer replies in a clipped German accent, “Because in life, some things are just too important not to share.” [Jim Wideman, Illustration Digest, (Mar-Apr 1992).] — As Christians we believe that the Good News of Jesus Christ is one of those things that is too important not to share.  The work of sharing the news of Jesus Christ we call evangelization. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus shared the Good News of God’s forgiveness and love with a sinful woman. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “Would you read the 23rd Psalm?” Sociologist and evangelical Christian Tony Campolo tells a powerful story about a friend who’s a pastor of a Church in Brooklyn, in a run-down, beat-up area of the city.  This friend got a telephone call one day from the local funeral director who said that he had a funeral that nobody wanted to take.  None of the ministers in the area wanted anything to do with this funeral.  The man had died of AIDS.  This friend, Jim, took the funeral. Tony Campolo asked Jim, “What was it like?”  Jim said that when he got there, there were about 30 homosexual men.  They never looked up at him.  Their heads were down and they stared at the floor the whole time he spoke.  After the funeral service was over, they got into the waiting automobiles and went out to the cemetery.  He stood on one side of the grave with the undertaker and the homosexual men stood on the other side.  They were frozen in place like statues. They seemed to be motionless.  Not a nerve or sinew moved as he read Scripture and prayed.  They lowered the body into the grave and Jim pronounced the benediction.  He turned to leave and then he realized that none of them were moving.  He turned back and asked, “Is there anything more I can do?”  One of the men said, “Yes. They always read the 23rd Psalm at these things and you didn’t do that.  Would you read the 23rd Psalm?”  Jim said, “Certainly.”  And he did.  Another man spoke up and he said, “There is a passage in the 3rd chapter of John which says that the spirit of God goeth where it leadeth and you cannot tell on whom the spirit of God falls.  Could you read that passage?”  And he did. And then one of the men said, “Would you read to me and to all of us that passage that talks about the love of God, that nothing can separate us from the love of God?”  And Jim said, “I turned to these homosexual men and I said quite simply this, ‘Neither height nor depth nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come, neither life nor death, nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’” —  Jim said nothing was more thrilling than to say to these men, who had been so ostracized and hurt by the Church, that God still loved them and that nothing could separate them from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (30 Good Minutes, Chicago Sunday Evening Club, 2006, http://www.csec.org/csec/sermon/campolo_5001.htm) Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus reached out to a sinful Samaritan woman. Rev. King Duncan (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) “We are the Samaritan woman“: Rev. Randall D. Bell tells a powerful story about a pastor who stood in court beside a member of his congregation–an individual who had been “out with the boys,” and had had too much to drink. As he was driving home on the rain‑soaked streets and through the dense fog, he turned a corner and heard a sickening clash of metal and breaking glass.  Two young people lay dead.  They had been thrown from their motorcycle.  He was charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence.  He sat in court trembling after days of testimony.  The judge was about to speak.  It could mean years of prison, loss of job, and poverty for his family.  The judge spoke: The test for drunkenness had not been properly done; the motorcycle had no proper lights; the jury was ordered to render a not guilty verdict.  All that was ominous, and foreboding was now gone.  He was a free man.  The court declared him “not guilty.”  His family kissed him–they could go on with their life, all because he had been declared innocent.  Then Rev. Bell adds these words, “Now maybe this story and the way it ended angers you, because you hurt over those young people who were killed.  But know this–you and I are that man.  His story is our story.  We are the sinner who finds himself in the presence of God the Eternal Judge.” (http://www.clcaugustamo.org/sermons/August%2021_2005.html.) — You see, not only are we blinded by our prejudices against people like the Samaritan woman with her unseemly lifestyle, we are also blinded to the fact that we are the Samaritan woman.  We, too, have fallen short of the grace of God, but the Hand of Grace is reached out to us as well. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Dare to be different: Dare to be different in all walks of your life.  Dare to stand-alone.  Dare to stand up for your convictions, even if the crowd around you may move in another way.  Dare to be a fool for the sake of Christ.  With the Word of God and power of the Spirit, dare to be a Crusader for Christ.  Dare to follow the footsteps of our Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God and Son of Man.  Dare to take up the cross and follow Jesus wherever He leads you.  Dare to be a real Christian with a strong backbone.  Dare to say “no” to momentary pleasures that the world has to offer.  Dare to tell others about your Heavenly Dad.  Dare to stand for holiness, purity, and sanctity as a dove, no matter what it takes (Judy Sara Mathew). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). 

19) Doing the impossible: An incredible story of determination and success is reported about Musa Alami, an Arab gentleman educated at Cambridge. He made the Judean desert to blossom like a rose. He went beyond Jordan to the edge of Jericho to the great, bleak, arid desert of Jordan Valley. With the exception of few oases, nothing had been cultivated in this hot and weary land. Everyone said that nothing could be cultivated because no water could be brought to this place. “What about tapping the underground water,” asked Musa. Everyone laughed aloud and said, “Has anyone heard of such a thing in this desert?” There was no water under that hot desert and for ages it was covered by the Dead Sea water; and now the sand was full of salt, which further added to its aridity. Musa Alami decided that he could find water there. A few poverty-stricken refugees from the nearby Jericho refugee Camp helped him in the digging. They dug, not with any drilling-equipment, but with pickaxe and shovels. Day after day, month after month they dug. For six months they dug, then one day the sand beneath was wet, and finally sweet water gushed forth. — The Arabs who had gathered there, did not cheer, but wept. Water had been found in the ancient desert! (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Finding our own well: Once, there was a woman who had to make a daily trip of a mile to draw water from a public well. Over the years she grew weary of the journey. No matter how much water she brought home, she always ended up with an empty container. Then one day she was doing some work in her own garden when in a remote corner she came upon a large flagstone lying on the ground. The flagstone was completely covered with moss. Her curiosity flared up. She cleared away the moss then removed the flagstone to discover a lovely well. She was thrilled. –Never again would she have to make that tiresome journey to the public well. She now had an unfailing source of water of her own. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holyday Liturgies). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Barriers erected to prevent abuse: Some of you may be familiar with George Orwell’s book Animal Farm. It’s a bit like a fairy tale but it’s really a comment about a certain political regime. It contains a story of how the animals on a farm oust Farmer Jones and his family and take over the farm. They want a better life and start off with the grand vision that all animals are equal, and that all property is shared. Soon the pigs take control and one of them, Napoleon, becomes the leader of all the animals. He is tyrant. Equality amongst the animals is out, and the pigs use and abuse the rest of the animals on the farm. The pigs use the other animals for their own purposes and discard them if they are no longer useful. — Most of us know what it’s like to feel used and abused by others. We have the best intentions and try our best to be helpful but all we have done is taken for granted and we are discarded like a used Kleenex. It is a well-known fact that when people feel they have been used and abused and their good nature exploited they become suspicious, bitter and cautious for fear of being hurt again. Barriers are erected, relationships shunned, because they never want to be used and abused again. Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus lifts such a barrier of prejudice to save a sinful woman. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Cornea donated transformed a child’s life:Their daughter sees today because of a cornea transplant.  Their joy is tempered by the realization that the cornea belonged to another nine-year old killed in an auto accident.  The deceased child’s family finds some peace in knowing that a part of their daughter will live on — and the recipient family is transformed by what they have received.  Not only a physical piece but the deceased child’s generosity and selflessness live on, as well, in the recipient’s family’s new dedication to advocacy work on behalf of organ donation. —For the evangelist John, today’s Gospel is not just about a sinful woman reconciled to God by Jesus, but about a woman who is so transformed by her encounter with Jesus that she becomes a witness for his reconciling presence in the midst of her people.  We have all experienced such grace, such generosity, such compassion that it changes our perspective and approach to life: we embrace the Goodness that has embraced us; we become vehicles of the Compassion and Grace that has blessed our lives. (Connection). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) What is water? What am I thirsting for? In The Story of My Life, Helen Keller wrote of the ways in which her teacher, Annie Sullivan, led her as a child out of the dark world in which her deafness and blindness had imprisoned her. “I remember the morning that I first asked the meaning of the word, Love. This was before I knew many words… [My Teacher] tried to kiss me but at that time I did not like to have anyone kiss me except my mother. Miss Sullivan put her arm gently round me and spelled into my hand, I LOVE Helen. ‘What is love?’ I asked. She drew me closer to her and said, ‘It is here,’ pointing to my heart, whose beats I was conscious of for the first time…’You cannot touch love, but you feel the sweetness that it pours into everything. Without love you would not be happy.’…” (J. Maurus in Source Book of Inspiration; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) He came cursing: The former Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas once described a visit he had made to a part of the Moslem world that segregates women much as was done in Judea 2,000 years ago.  One evening as Douglas was talking with two Moslem women, the husband of one of the women arrived on the scene.  He came cursing.  “His face was livid,” said Douglas.  “He lunged at his wife with closed fist, hit her on the side of the face, and knocked her to the ground.”  Later the husband came to apologize to Mr. Douglas, but not for his own behavior.  Amazingly he apologized for his wife’s conduct.  He hoped Mr. Douglas would not think too badly of his wife for what she had done.  What was his wife’s “disgraceful” conduct?  She had spoken to Douglas.  [Henri Cormier, The Humor of Jesus (New York: Alba House, 1977).] — It’s no wonder that when the woman in today’s Gospel met Jesus, she was shocked that he would talk to her.  (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) “My soul THIRSTS for God,  the living God!” Itis said that some years ago a vessel sailing on the northern coast of the South American continent was observed to make signals of distress. When hailed by another vessel, they reported themselves as “Dying for water!” “Dip it up then,” was the response. “You are in the mouth of Amazon river.”There was fresh water all around them, and they had nothing to do but to dip it up, and yet they were dying of thirst because they thought themselves surrounded by sea water. — People are often ignorant of God and without His Word. How sad that they should perish for lack of knowledge! During this Lenten Season, we are challenged to come to the well and meet Jesus there. He will give us living water, which is water that does not run out because it grows from within, and it quenches our deepest thirst – the thirst for God. “My soul thirsts for God, the living God!” And this is the Good News of today.   (Fr. Lakra). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) Jesus the source of “Living Water.” It never ceases to amaze me that my body is composed of seventy percent water. It is hard to imagine that seventy percent of the flesh standing before you today is water. That means about 154 pounds of water is standing before you right now. I am not going to tell you what I weigh but I can guarantee you that 70% of my body weight and your body weight is composed of water. There are two and a half quarts of water in my blood. There are fifteen quarts of water in the extra plasma in my body. There are thirty quarts of water in the cells of my body, allowing all those little cells to grow. It always amazes me that 154 pounds of water are standing before you today at this moment. Truly, I am living water. Some people say that I am a bag of wind. Others say that I am a bag of hot air. But I am really a bag of water. I am a great big bag of water. Standing before you today is walking, breathing, living water. I am truly living water. Water is important to my diet It amazes me that I cannot live without water, that water is more important to my diet than food. It amazes me that I can exist for thirty days without food, but I can exist only one to four days without water. I cannot live without water. It amazes me how absolutely necessary water is for by body to exist. Likewise, it always amazes me that during my first nine months of life, I was in the water of my mother’s womb. I began in a bag of living water. I lived as a fetus for nine months in my mother’s womb. I could not live without that water surrounding me and in me. Truly, as a fetus, I was surrounded by living water. The water around me was truly the water of life. The bag of water around you as a fetus and me as a fetus was living water. — Water is part of our everyday life. Water is part of our essential life. It is with these images that we hear the great words of Jesus when he says, “The water I give is living water. Whoever drinks of the water I give will never thirst. He who believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. The rivers of living water I give will become a spring of living water, welling up into eternal life.” (Rev. Edward F. Markquart). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) Some of you have probably read Lonesome Dove. It is basically a story about a cattle drive from Texas to Montana. At one point they have to cross a vast, arid plain; the lack of water causes the cattle to slow down and even die. The men on horseback do what they can to urge the cattle forward. All of a sudden, things change. The animals’ nostrils expand and they begin snorting. Long before the men sense it, the cattle smell water in the distance and they start to stampede. Now the cowhands have to race to keep up with them. Our lives are like that. Sometimes we begin to slow down, we know not why. We perhaps even feel a desire to stop entirely. We could keep going if we had a sense that somewhere, not too far away, is what we most want – cool, drinkable water. The sad thing is that although water is coming down in cascades very near to us, we cannot pick up the scent. We say that water is odorless, but the beasts know better. Our problem is that we have manufactured so many syrupy substitutes that we cannot recognize the real thing.* Water is at hand, but we remain thirsty. (Fr. Phil Bloom).L/26

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 20) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Kindly visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Please contact me by email only at akadavil@gmail.com. For additional homilies, you may visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks toVatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies from 1998 to 2020) My post-retirement U. S. postal address is  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al, U. S. A. 36507

March 2-7: March 2 Monday: Lk 6:36-38: 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. 37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

The context: In today’s passage, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs his followers to be merciful, non-judgmental, forgiving, and generous. He condemns our careless, malicious, and rash judgments about another person’s behavior, feelings, motives, or actions. St. Augustine explains it thus: “What do you want from the Lord? Mercy? Give it, and it shall be given to you. What do you want from the Lord? Forgiveness? ‘Forgive, and you will be forgiven.’”

Reasons why we should not judge others: 1) No one except God is good enough to judge others because only God sees the whole truth, and only He can read the human heart; hence, only He has the right and authority to judge us.

2) We are often prejudiced in our judgment of others, and total fairness cannot be expected from us.

3) We do not see all the facts, the circumstances, and the power of the temptation which have led a person to do something evil.

4) We have no right to judge others because we have the same fault as, and often to a more serious degree than, the one we are judging (remember Jesus’ funny example of a man with a wooden beam in his eye trying to remove the dust particle from another’s eye?) St. Philip Neri commented, watching the misbehavior of a drunkard: “There goes Philip but for the grace of God.”

Life message: 1) We should leave all judgment to God and practice mercy and forgiveness, remembering the advice of saints: “When you point one finger of accusation at another, three of your fingers point at you.” Let us pay attention to the Jewish rabbi’s advice: “He who judges others favorably will be judged favorably by God.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

March 3 Tuesday: St. Katharine Drexel, Virgin (U.S.A): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-katharine-drexelMt 23:1-12:1Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. 3Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. 4They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. 5All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, 7greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ 8As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. 10Do not be called ‘Master’;you have but one master, the Christ. 11The greatest among you must be your servant. 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

The context: For Jesus, it was the third day of the very first “Holy Week” in Jerusalem, a day of controversy and personal attacks. Jesus, under fire from the religious leaders of Israel who reject Him as the Messiah, faced them in the public forum and, in agape love, turned the Light of Truth on their behavior. He showed them, in detail, where and how they were failing themselves and their vocation- and so the Lord God. Then He laid out the consequences of their mistaken choices, pronouncing eight woes against them, and clearly identifying their behavior as hypocritical because they were more concerned about self-promotion than serving others.  These home truths, spoken publicly, were intended to humble them, in order to cause them to see themselves as God saw them, and, horrified, to reform. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm

Three sins of the Scribes and Pharisees:  Jesus raises three objections to the Pharisees: (1) “They do not practice what they teach“ (v. 3). They lack integrity of life and fail to practice what they preach, namely, justice, mercy, and charity.  (2) They overburden the ordinary people (v. 4). The scribes and the Pharisees, in their excessive zeal for God’s laws, split the 613 laws of the Torah into thousands of rules and regulations affecting every movement of the people, thus making God’s laws a heavy burden. (3) “They do all their deeds to be seen by others“ (v. 5). Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of annexing the glory that rightly belongs to God.  They express their love of honor in several ways, thereby converting Judaism into a religion of ostentation: (a) “They make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (v. 5).  b) They “love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues” (v 6).  (c) They “love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi” (v 7). 

Life messages: 1) We need servant-leaders in a serving community:  The Church is a servant-community in which those who hunger, and thirst are to be satisfied; the ignorant are to be taught; the homeless are to receive shelter; the sick are to be cared for; the distressed are to be consoled; and the oppressed are to be set free.  Hence, leaders should have a spirit of humble service in thought, word, and deed.  2) We need to live the Faith we profess. Our Faith tells us that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Heavenly Father.    Hence, we should always pray for each other. Instead of judging the poor, we should be serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of economic justice.  Instead of criticizing those of other races, we should be serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of racial justice. Instead of ignoring the homeless, we should be serving them through efforts to supply them with adequate housing. 3) We need to accept the responsibilities which go with our titles. Titles and polite forms exist to remind each of us of our specific responsibilities in society.  Hence, let us use everything we are and have in a way that brings glory to God, by serving His children. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

 March 4 Wednesday: St. Casimir: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-casimir (1458-1483) : Mt 20:17-28: 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; 28 even as the Son of man came  not to be served but serve, and to give his life as a reasom for many.”

The context: We celebrate the feast of St. James the apostle on July 25th. James was the son of Zebedee, the fisherman and Salome, Mary’s sister (Mt 27:56). John the apostle was his brother. The two, with Simon Peter, made up Jesus’ inner circle of disciples who were given the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. Jesus called James and John “sons of thunder,” probably because of their volatile character and high ambitions. Later, James was known as James the Greater to distinguish him from James the Less who wrote the epistles and led the Jerusalem Church community. James the Greater was probably the first apostle martyred by Herod in an attempt to please the Jews (Acts 12:1-3)

The Gospel episode: The incident in today’s Gospel describes how ambitious, far-sighted, and power-crazy James and his brother John were in their youth. They sought the help of their mother to recommend them to Jesus in their desire to be chosen as the two cabinet ministers closest to Jesus when he established his Messianic kingdom after ousting the Romans. But they picked the most inappropriate moment to make this request because Jesus had just predicted his passion and death for a third time.

Jesus’ response: Jesus told them that it was the spirit of service which would make his disciples great because he himself had come,  ”not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Life message: 1: The leaders in Jesus’ Church must be the servants of all as Mary was (“Behold the handmaid of the Lord”). That is why the Pope is called “the servant of the servants of God.” The priesthood of the ordained priests is called the ministerial priesthood because the duty of ordained priests is to give spiritual services to the people of God who share the royal priesthood of Christ by their Baptism (Rv 1:6; cf. 1 Pt 2:5,9). Church leaders must be ready to serve others sacrificially with agape love in all humility. In other words, leaders among Christians must be humble, loving, selfless and “the servants of all.” Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;

March 5 Thursday: Lk 16:19-31: “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor an died and was carried by the angels to Abraha’s bosom. The rich mana lso died and wa buried; 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 … 31

The context: The main theme of today’s Gospel is the warning that the selfish and extravagant use of God’s blessings, including personal wealth, without sharing them with the poor and the needy, is a serious sin deserving eternal punishment.  The rich man’s punishment was not for having riches, but for neglecting the Scriptures and what they taught.

Objectives: Jesus told this parable to condemn the Pharisees for their avarice (love of and greed for money), and for their lack of mercy and compassion for the poor.  He also used the parable to correct the Jewish misconception that material prosperity in this life is God’s reward for moral uprightness, while poverty and illness are God’s punishments for sin.  The parable further reminds us that we will be judged (private judgment), and rewarded or punished immediately after our death. The parable finally offers an invitation to each one of us to be conscious of the sufferings of those around us and to share our blessings generously with the needy.

One-act play: The parable is presented as a one-act play with two scenes.  The opening scene presents the luxurious life of the rich man in costly dress enjoying five-course meals every day, in contrast to the miserable life of the poor, sick beggar living on the street by the rich man’s front door, competing with stray dogs for the crumbs discarded from the rich man’s dining table.  As the curtain goes up on the second scene, the situation is reversed.  The beggar, Lazarus, is enjoying Heavenly bliss as a reward for his fidelity to God in his poverty and suffering, while the rich man has been thrown down into the excruciating suffering of Hell as punishment for ignoring God in his prosperity and for not doing his duty of showing mercy to the poor by sharing with the beggar at his door the mercies and blessings God had given him.

Life messages: 1) We are all rich enough to share our blessings with others.  God has blessed each one of us with wealth, or health, or special talents, or social powe, or political influence, or a combination of many other blessings. The parable invites us to share with others, in various ways, what we have been given — instead of using everything exclusively for our own pleasure.. 2) We need to remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment: Matthew (25:31ff), tells us that all six questions Jesus will ask each of us when he comes in glory as our judge are based on how we have/have not shared our blessings from him (food, drink, home, mercy and compassion), with others. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;

March 6 Friday: Mt 21:33-43, 45-46: 33 “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in  their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:  “’The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” …45 – 46

The context: Told by Jesus during Passover week, the parable of the wicked tenants is actually an allegorical “parable of judgment,” accusing the Pharisees of not producing the fruits of repentance and renewal of life which God expected from them as leaders of His Chosen people. “I expected my vineyard to yield good grapes. Why did it yield sour ones instead?” The parable also explains the necessity of our bearing fruit in the Christian life and the punishment for sterility and wickedness. The meaning of the parable: As an allegory, this parable has different meanings. Like the Jews, the second- and third-generation Christians also understood God as the landlord. The servants sent by the land-owner represented the prophets of the Old Testament. They were to see that God’s chosen people produced fruits of justice, love, and righteousness. But the people refused to listen to the prophets and produced the bitter grapes of injustice, immorality, and idolatry.  Further, they persecuted and killed the prophets. As a final attempt, the landowner sent his son, (Jesus) to collect the rent (fruits of righteousness) from the wicked tenants (the Jews). But they crucified him and continued to lead lives of disloyalty and disobedience. Hence, God’s vineyard was taken away from His Chosen People and was given to a people (Gentile Christians and Jewish converts), who were expected to produce the fruit of righteousness. The parable warns us that if we refuse to reform our lives and become productive, we also could be replaced as the old Israel was replaced by us, the “new” Israel. 

Life messages: 1) We need to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of the Church.  Jesus has given the Church everything necessary to make Christians fruit-bearing. Having already received the Gift of Life in Baptism, we find we also have the following: a) the Bible to know the will of God; b) the priesthood to lead the people in God’s ways; c) the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the remission of sins; d) the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food; e) the Sacrament of Confirmation for a dynamic life of Faith; f) the Sacrament of Matrimony for the sharing of love in families, the fundamental unit of the Church; g) the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to heal us in spirit, and in body if God so wills, and to prepare us for bodily death; and h), the Sacrament of Holy Orders by which the priesthood of Jesus is continued on earth and will be continued until the end of the world.  We are expected make use of these gifts and to produce fruits for God. 2) We need to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of our family. By our mutual sharing of blessings, by our sacrificing of our time and talents for the welfare of all the members, by our humbly and lovingly serving others in the family, by our recognizing and encouraging each other, and by our honoring and gracefully obeying our parents, and by  teaching and caring for our children, we become producers of “good fruit” or good vine-branches in our families. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

March 7 Saturday: St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-perpetua-and-felicity/

Lk 15:1-3.11-32:  1Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say. 2 But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, mut­tering: «This man welcomes sinners and eats with them». 3 So Jesus told them this parable …. 11 «There was a man with two sons. 12 The younger said to his father: “Give me my share of the estate.” So the father divided his property between them. 13 Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. 14 Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. 15 So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. 16 So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything. 17 Finally coming to his senses, he said: “How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against God and before you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.’” 20 With that thought in mind, he set off for his father’s house. »He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said: “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son…”. 22 But the father turned to his servants: “Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Take the fattened calf and kill it. We shall celebrate and have a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found.” And the celebration began. 25 »Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and was near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. 27 The servant answered: “Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration and killed the fattened calf.” 28 The elder son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. 29 The indignant son said: “Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. 30 Then when this son of yours returns after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him’.”  31 The father said: “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  32 But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.”»

The context: Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel has been called “the Gospel within the Gospel,” because it is the distilled essence of the Good News about our Heavenly Father. The whole chapter is essentially one complete parable, the “Parable of the Lost and Found,” with three illustrations: the story of the lost sheep, the story of the lost coin and the story of the lost son. These parables remind us that we have a God Who welcomes sinners and forgives their sins when they return to Him with genuine contrition, resolved to reform. In addition, He is always in search of His lost and straying children.

The lost son: This parable speaks about the deep effects of sin, the self-destruction of hatred, and the infinite mercy of God. This is a story of love, of conflict, of deep heartbreak, and of ecstatic joy. The scene opens on a well-to-do Jewish family. With the immaturity of a spoiled brat, the younger son impudently extracts his share of the coming inheritance from his gracious father. He sells out his share and then squanders the money in a faraway city.  Then, bankrupt and starving, the prodigal son ends up feeding pigs, a task that was forbidden to a Jew (Lv 11:7; 14:8).  Finally, comng “to his senses” (v. 17), he decides to return to his father, asking for forgiveness and begging to be given the status of a hired servant.  When he sees his son returning, however, the father runs to him, embraces him, kisses him and gives him a new robe, a ring and new shoes. The father also throws a great feast for him, to celebrate his return, killing the “fatted calf’” reserved for the Passover feast, so that all may rejoice with him at the wanderer’s return. 

Life messages: 1) We need to meet the challenge for self-evaluation: If we have been in sin, God’s mercy is seeking us, searching for our souls with a love that is wild beyond all imagining.  God is no less ready to receive and welcome us back than Jesus was to welcome sinners in his time. 2) We should also ask God for the courage to extend this forgiveness to others who have offended us. 3) Let us confess our sins and regain peace and God’s friendship. The first condition for experiencing the joy and relief of having our sins forgiven is to see them as they are and give them up. We have to be humble enough to recognize that we need God’s forgiveness to be whole. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

 For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;

 

 

 

— and so the Lord God. Then He laid out the consequences of their mistaken choices, pronouncing eight woes against them, and clearly identifying their behavior as hypocritical because they were more concerned about self-promotion than serving others.  These home truths, spoken publicly, were intended to humble them, in order to cause them to see themselves as God saw them, and, horrified, to reform. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm

Three sins of the Scribes and Pharisees:  Jesus raises three objections to the Pharisees: (1) “They do not practice what they teach” (v. 3). They lack integrity of life and fail to practice what they preach, namely, justice, mercy, and charity.  (2) They overburden the ordinary people (v. 4). The scribes and the Pharisees, in their excessive zeal for God’s laws, split the 613 laws of the Torah into thousands of rules and regulations affecting every movement of the people, thus making God’s laws a heavy burden. (3) “They do all their deeds to be seen by others” (v. 5). Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of annexing the glory that rightly belongs to God.  They express their love of honor in several ways, thereby converting Judaism into a religion of ostentation: (a) “They make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (v. 5).  b) They “love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues” (v 6).  (c) They “love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi” (v 7). 

Life messages: 1) We need servant-leaders in a serving community:  The Church is a servant-community in which those who hunger, and thirst are to be satisfied; the ignorant are to be taught; the homeless are to receive shelter; the sick are to be cared for; the distressed are to be consoled; and the oppressed are to be set free.  Hence, leaders should have a spirit of humble service in thought, word, and deed.  2) We need to live the Faith we profess. Our Faith tells us that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Heavenly Father.    Hence, we should always pray for each other. Instead of judging the poor, we should be serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of economic justice.  Instead of criticizing those of other races, we should be serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of racial justice. Instead of ignoring the homeless, we should be serving them through efforts to supply them with adequate housing. 3) We need to accept the responsibilities which go with our titles. Titles and polite forms exist to remind each of us of our specific responsibilities in society.  Hence, let us use everything we are and have in a way that brings glory to God, by serving His children. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

 March 4 Wednesday: St. Casimir: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-casimir (1458-1483) : Mt 20:17-28: 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them. 26 It shall not be so among you; but whoever would be great among you must be your servant, 27 and whoever would be first among you must be your slave; 28 even as the Son of man came  not to be served but serve, and to give his life as a reasom for many.”

The context: We celebrate the feast of St. James the apostle on July 25th. James was the son of Zebedee, the fisherman and Salome, Mary’s sister (Mt 27:56). John the apostle was his brother. The two, with Simon Peter, made up Jesus’ inner circle of disciples who were given the privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to life of the daughter of Jairus, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. Jesus called James and John “sons of thunder,” probably because of their volatile character and high ambitions. Later, James was known as James the Greater to distinguish him from James the Less who wrote the epistles and led the Jerusalem Church community. James the Greater was probably the first apostle martyred by Herod in an attempt to please the Jews (Acts 12:1-3)

The Gospel episode: The incident in today’s Gospel describes how ambitious, far-sighted, and power-crazy James and his brother John were in their youth. They sought the help of their mother to recommend them to Jesus in their desire to be chosen as the two cabinet ministers closest to Jesus when he established his Messianic kingdom after ousting the Romans. But they picked the most inappropriate moment to make this request because Jesus had just predicted his passion and death for a third time.

Jesus’ response: Jesus told them that it was the spirit of service which would make his disciples great because he himself had come,  ”not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Life message: 1: The leaders in Jesus’ Church must be the servants of all as Mary was (“Behold the handmaid of the Lord”). That is why the Pope is called “the servant of the servants of God.” The priesthood of the ordained priests is called the ministerial priesthood because the duty of ordained priests is to give spiritual services to the people of God who share the royal priesthood of Christ by their Baptism (Rv 1:6; cf. 1 Pt 2:5,9). Church leaders must be ready to serve others sacrificially with agape love in all humility. In other words, leaders among Christians must be humble, loving, selfless and “the servants of all.” Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;

March 5 Thursday: Lk 16:19-31: “There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day.  20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 The poor an died and was carried by the angels to Abraha’s bosom. The rich mana lso died and wa buried; 23 and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus in his bosom. 24 … 31

The context: The main theme of today’s Gospel is the warning that the selfish and extravagant use of God’s blessings, including personal wealth, without sharing them with the poor and the needy, is a serious sin deserving eternal punishment.  The rich man’s punishment was not for having riches, but for neglecting the Scriptures and what they taught.

Objectives: Jesus told this parable to condemn the Pharisees for their avarice (love of and greed for money), and for their lack of mercy and compassion for the poor.  He also used the parable to correct the Jewish misconception that material prosperity in this life is God’s reward for moral uprightness, while poverty and illness are God’s punishments for sin.  The parable further reminds us that we will be judged (private judgment), and rewarded or punished immediately after our death. The parable finally offers an invitation to each one of us to be conscious of the sufferings of those around us and to share our blessings generously with the needy.

One-act play: The parable is presented as a one-act play with two scenes.  The opening scene presents the luxurious life of the rich man in costly dress enjoying five-course meals every day, in contrast to the miserable life of the poor, sick beggar living on the street by the rich man’s front door, competing with stray dogs for the crumbs discarded from the rich man’s dining table.  As the curtain goes up on the second scene, the situation is reversed.  The beggar, Lazarus, is enjoying Heavenly bliss as a reward for his fidelity to God in his poverty and suffering, while the rich man has been thrown down into the excruciating suffering of Hell as punishment for ignoring God in his prosperity and for not doing his duty of showing mercy to the poor by sharing with the beggar at his door the mercies and blessings God had given him.

Life messages: 1) We are all rich enough to share our blessings with others.  God has blessed each one of us with wealth, or health, or special talents, or social powe, or political influence, or a combination of many other blessings. The parable invites us to share with others, in various ways, what we have been given — instead of using everything exclusively for our own pleasure.. 2) We need to remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment: Matthew (25:31ff), tells us that all six questions Jesus will ask each of us when he comes in glory as our judge are based on how we have/have not shared our blessings from him (food, drink, home, mercy and compassion), with others. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;

March 6 Friday: Mt 21:33-43, 45-46: 33 “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in  their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:  “’The very stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” …45 – 46

The context: Told by Jesus during Passover week, the parable of the wicked tenants is actually an allegorical “parable of judgment,” accusing the Pharisees of not producing the fruits of repentance and renewal of life which God expected from them as leaders of His Chosen people. “I expected my vineyard to yield good grapes. Why did it yield sour ones instead?” The parable also explains the necessity of our bearing fruit in the Christian life and the punishment for sterility and wickedness. The meaning of the parable: As an allegory, this parable has different meanings. Like the Jews, the second- and third-generation Christians also understood God as the landlord. The servants sent by the land-owner represented the prophets of the Old Testament. They were to see that God’s chosen people produced fruits of justice, love, and righteousness. But the people refused to listen to the prophets and produced the bitter grapes of injustice, immorality, and idolatry.  Further, they persecuted and killed the prophets. As a final attempt, the landowner sent his son, (Jesus) to collect the rent (fruits of righteousness) from the wicked tenants (the Jews). But they crucified him and continued to lead lives of disloyalty and disobedience. Hence, God’s vineyard was taken away from His Chosen People and was given to a people (Gentile Christians and Jewish converts), who were expected to produce the fruit of righteousness. The parable warns us that if we refuse to reform our lives and become productive, we also could be replaced as the old Israel was replaced by us, the “new” Israel. 

Life messages: 1) We need to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of the Church.  Jesus has given the Church everything necessary to make Christians fruit-bearing. Having already received the Gift of Life in Baptism, we find we also have the following: a) the Bible to know the will of God; b) the priesthood to lead the people in God’s ways; c) the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the remission of sins; d) the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food; e) the Sacrament of Confirmation for a dynamic life of Faith; f) the Sacrament of Matrimony for the sharing of love in families, the fundamental unit of the Church; g) the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to heal us in spirit, and in body if God so wills, and to prepare us for bodily death; and h), the Sacrament of Holy Orders by which the priesthood of Jesus is continued on earth and will be continued until the end of the world.  We are expected make use of these gifts and to produce fruits for God. 2) We need to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of our family. By our mutual sharing of blessings, by our sacrificing of our time and talents for the welfare of all the members, by our humbly and lovingly serving others in the family, by our recognizing and encouraging each other, and by our honoring and gracefully obeying our parents, and by  teaching and caring for our children, we become producers of “good fruit” or good vine-branches in our families. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

March 7 Saturday: St. Perpetua and St. Felicity, Martyrs: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-perpetua-and-felicity/

Lk 15:1-3.11-32:  1Tax collectors and sinners were seeking the company of Jesus, all of them eager to hear what He had to say. 2 But the Pharisees and the scribes frowned at this, mut­tering: «This man welcomes sinners and eats with them». 3 So Jesus told them this parable …. 11 «There was a man with two sons. 12 The younger said to his father: “Give me my share of the estate.” So the father divided his property between them. 13 Some days later, the younger son gathered all his belongings and started off for a distant land where he squandered his wealth in loose living. 14 Having spent everything, he was hard pressed when a severe famine broke out in that land. 15 So he hired himself out to a well-to-do citizen of that place and was sent to work on a pig farm. 16 So famished was he that he longed to fill his stomach even with the food given to the pigs, but no one offered him anything. 17 Finally coming to his senses, he said: “How many of my father’s hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will get up and go back to my father and say to him: ‘Father, I have sinned against God and before you. 19 I no longer deserve to be called your son. Treat me then as one of your hired servants.’” 20 With that thought in mind, he set off for his father’s house. »He was still a long way off when his father caught sight of him. His father was so deeply moved with compassion that he ran out to meet him, threw his arms around his neck, and kissed him. 21 The son said: “Father, I have sinned against Heaven and before you. I no longer deserve to be called your son…”. 22 But the father turned to his servants: “Quick! Bring out the finest robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Take the fattened calf and kill it. We shall celebrate and have a feast, 24 for this son of mine was dead and has come back to life. He was lost and is found.” And the celebration began. 25 »Meanwhile, the elder son had been working in the fields. As he returned and was near the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. 26 He called one of the servants and asked what it was all about. 27 The servant answered: “Your brother has come home safe and sound, and your father is so happy about it that he has ordered this celebration and killed the fattened calf.” 28 The elder son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and pleaded with him. 29 The indignant son said: “Look, I have slaved for you all these years. Never have I disobeyed your orders. Yet you have never given me even a young goat to celebrate with my friends. 30 Then when this son of yours returns after squandering your property with loose women, you kill the fattened calf for him’.”  31 The father said: “My son, you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.  32 But this brother of yours was dead, and has come back to life. He was lost and is found. And for that we had to rejoice and be glad.”»

The context: Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel has been called “the Gospel within the Gospel,” because it is the distilled essence of the Good News about our Heavenly Father. The whole chapter is essentially one complete parable, the “Parable of the Lost and Found,” with three illustrations: the story of the lost sheep, the story of the lost coin and the story of the lost son. These parables remind us that we have a God Who welcomes sinners and forgives their sins when they return to Him with genuine contrition, resolved to reform. In addition, He is always in search of His lost and straying children.

The lost son: This parable speaks about the deep effects of sin, the self-destruction of hatred, and the infinite mercy of God. This is a story of love, of conflict, of deep heartbreak, and of ecstatic joy. The scene opens on a well-to-do Jewish family. With the immaturity of a spoiled brat, the younger son impudently extracts his share of the coming inheritance from his gracious father. He sells out his share and then squanders the money in a faraway city.  Then, bankrupt and starving, the prodigal son ends up feeding pigs, a task that was forbidden to a Jew (Lv 11:7; 14:8).  Finally, comng “to his senses” (v. 17), he decides to return to his father, asking for forgiveness and begging to be given the status of a hired servant.  When he sees his son returning, however, the father runs to him, embraces him, kisses him and gives him a new robe, a ring and new shoes. The father also throws a great feast for him, to celebrate his return, killing the “fatted calf’” reserved for the Passover feast, so that all may rejoice with him at the wanderer’s return. 

Life messages: 1) We need to meet the challenge for self-evaluation: If we have been in sin, God’s mercy is seeking us, searching for our souls with a love that is wild beyond all imagining.  God is no less ready to receive and welcome us back than Jesus was to welcome sinners in his time. 2) We should also ask God for the courage to extend this forgiveness to others who have offended us. 3) Let us confess our sins and regain peace and God’s friendship. The first condition for experiencing the joy and relief of having our sins forgiven is to see them as they are and give them up. We have to be humble enough to recognize that we need God’s forgiveness to be whole. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

 For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;

Feb 23-28: Feb 23 Monday: Mt 25:31-46 : 31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 …46

The context: Today’s Gospel describes the Last Judgment and its criterion using as an image the Palestinian shepherds’ practice of the nightly separation of the over-active, less docile goats from the docile sheep. Jesus promises that he will come in all his glory as a Judge (Christ’s Second Coming), to reward the good people and punish the bad people. This will be the final and the public separation of the good people from the evildoers.

The lessons: The parable teaches us that the main criterion of the Last Judgment will be the works of Christian charity, kindness, and mercy we have done, or not done, for others, for in everyone we have — knowingly or unknowingly — served, or refused to serve, Christ,. The parable tells us that Christ, the Judge, is going to ask us six questions, and all of them are based on how well we have cooperated with God’s grace to offer acts of charity, kindness, to everyone around us, because we have come to know through Faith that it is actually Jesus, dwelling in each of us, whom we serve. The first set of questions is: “I was hungry, thirsty, homeless. Did you give me food, drink, accommodation?” The second set of questions is: ”I was naked, sick, imprisoned. Did you clothe me? Did you help me by visiting me in my illness or in prison?” If the answers are yes, we will be eternally rewarded because we have cooperated with God’s grace by practicing charity. But if the answers are negative, we will be eternally punished. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “If sometimes our poor people have had to die of starvation, it is not because God didn’t care for them, but because you and I didn’t give, were not instruments of love in the hands of God, to give them that bread, to give them that clothing; because we did not recognize Christ, when once more Christ came in distressing disguise.”

Life messages: 1) The Holy Bible, the Seven Sacraments, the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Church are all meant to help us to practice corporal and spiritual works of charity (mercy), in this life so that we may become able to receive God’s love, our eternal reward of Heavenly bliss.

2) Sins of omission (in which, we fail to recognize those in need as our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we fail to serve them in love), are very serious matters leading us toward eternal punishment. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Feb 24 Tuesday; Mt 6:7-15:7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their 0many words. 8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9″Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

The context: In today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs the crowd that they should not pray like the Gentiles, repeating empty phrases. He means that true prayer is not so much a matter of the number of words as of the frequency and the love with which one turns towards God, raising one’s mind and heart to God. So, Jesus teaches them a model prayer. Jesus’ prayer, “Our Father,” consists of two parts. In the first part, we praise and worship God, addressing Him as our loving, caring, and providing Heavenly Father, asking Him to help us to do His Holy Will in our lives as obediently and lovingly as His Will is done in Heaven and, thus, remaining in His kingdom. In the second part, we present our petitions before the Triune God. First,we ask God for our present needs, food clothing, and shelter, (“give us this day our daily bread”), then for our past needs, especially for forgiveness of our sins (“forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”), and finally, for our future needs, protection against the tempter and his temptations (“and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”). In this part, we also bring the Trinitarian God into our lives. We bring in: 1) God the Father, the Provider, by asking for daily bread; 2) God the Son, our Savior, by asking forgiveness for our sins; and 3) God the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, Who is our Guide, Advocate, Comforter, and Illuminator, by asking for protection and deliverance from evil. Special stress on the spirit of forgiveness:We are told to ask for forgiveness from others for our offenses against them, and to offer unconditional forgiveness to others for their offenses against us as a condition for receiving God’s forgiveness. Jesus clarifies, “If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in Heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either” (Mt 6:14-15).

“For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, now and forever. Amen.”The manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this phrase, nor do any of the Catholic translations. Martin Luther added this doxology to the Our Father in his translation of Matthew’s Gospel, and the King James editions of the Biblekeep it. The doxology is actually taken from the Divine Liturgy or Catholic Mass. Known as the final doxology, it takes up the first three petitions to our Father. By the final “Amen,” which means, “So be it”, we ratify what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

Feb 25 Wednesday: Lk 11:29-32:29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

The context: Since there had been many false prophets and false messiahs in the past, and since their pride and prejudice did not permit them to see the Messiah in a carpenter-from-Nazareth-turned-wandering-preacher, the Jewish religious leaders demanded that Jesus should show some “Messianic” signs and miracles taken from their list. They would not accept that the plethora of miracles, healings, and signs which Jesus had been performing everywhere, actually were the Messianic signs foretold by the prophets. It would be Levi-Matthew who in his Gospel, would painstakingly track down the prophetic sources of the Messianic Signs, and painstakingly attach attached them to Jesus’ miracles

Jesus’ negative response: Calling them an apostate generation who refused to believe in their own prophets and denied the hand of God in the miracles he worked, Jesus warned these religious leaders that they would be condemned on the Day of Judgment by the people of Nineveh and by the Queen of Sheba from the South. (Sheba, or Saba, was a southern kingdom centred on Yemen or Ethiopia, and possibly including both. The distance from Yemen to Jerusalem is 2084 miles). This is one of the instances in which Jesus held up Gentiles as models of Faith and goodness (other examples: the Canaanite woman in Mt 15, the centurion in Lk 7, the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10; etc.). The pagan Ninevites heard the voice of the Lord God in the prophet Jonah, repented, and were spared. The Queen of Sheba recognized God’s Wisdom in King Solomon, and she traveled to Israel to receive more of it. Nevertheless, Jesus gave the religious leaders challenging him, “the sign of Jonah.” It was the undeniable Messianic sign of his own Resurrection from the tomb on the third day after his death and burial, just as Jonah had spent three days in the belly of the giant fish before finally going to Nineveh to accomplish the mission God had originally given him.

Life messages: We need to recognize God-given signs in our lives: 1) Each Sacrament in the Church is an external sign representing God’s grace. 2) On the altar we re-present Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, using liturgical signs and prayers. 3) Everyone living with us or working with us is a sign of God’s living presence in our midst, inviting us to love and honor him or her as God’s child and the living Temple of the Holy Spirit. 4) All world events and all the events in our lives are signs of God’s care and protection for us, His children. 5) The Holy Bible is a sign of God communicating His message to us every day. So, let us learn from these God-given signs instead of looking for “signs” in weeping Madonnas, bleeding crucifixes and daily messages of visionaries. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

Feb 26 Thursday; Mt 7:7-12:7 “Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

The context: In today’s Gospel, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines the conditions for fruitful and effective prayer.

1) The first condition is trusting Faith and confidence in the goodness and promises of a loving Father. As a loving Father, God knows what to give, when to give, and how to give, irrespective of what we ask for. As One Who knows our past, present, and future, God knows what is best for us at any given time. He is a loving Father, and He will not give us evil things as did the grudging and mocking gods in Greek stories to their worshippers. Jesus explains this with two examples. Even a bad parent would not give a bread-shaped piece of limestone to his child asking for bread, or a stinging scorpion instead of a fish. So, all the experiences in our lives, including illnesses and tragedies, are permitted by a loving God with a definite purpose – to work in us for our ultimate good

2) Persistence in prayer is the second condition Patient, trusting persistence reflects our dependence on, and trust in, God. That is why Jesus asks us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking. St. Augustine explains God’s delay in answering our prayers as His way of stretching us, expanding our desire so as to enable us to receive the gift He desires to give us.

Life messages: 1) Let us remember that we can’t have a close relationship with anyone, especially with God, without daily, persistent, and intimate conversation, by lifting up our hearts and minds to God. 2) We need to remember the fact that prayer is a conversation with God, by, listening to God, speaking to us through the Bible and the Church and talking to God by our personal, family and liturgical prayers. 3) We need to stop giving lame excuses for not praying, like a) we are too busy; b) we believe that prayer doesn’t do that much good, other than giving us psychological motivation to be better persons; c) a loving God should provide for us and protect us from the disasters of life, such as disease or accidents, without our asking Him; or d) prayer is boring. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

Feb 27 Friday: Mt 5:20-26: 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. 25 Make friends quickly with your accuser, while you are going with him to court, lest your accuser hand you over to the Judge, and the Judge to the guard, and you be put in prison; truly, I say to you, you will never get out till you have paid the last penny.”

The context: For the Scribes and the Pharisees, the external fulfillment of the precepts of the Mosaic Law was the guarantee of a person’s salvation. In other words, a man saved himself through the external works of the Law. Jesus rejects this view in today’s Gospel passage, taken from the Sermon on the Mount. For Jesus, justification or sanctification is a grace, a free, strengthening gift from God. Man’s role is one of cooperating with that grace by being faithful to it, and using it as God means it to be used. Jesus then outlines new moral standards for his disciples.

Control of anger: Anger is the rawest, strongest, and most destructive of human emotions. Describing three stages of anger and the punishment each deserves, Jesus advises his disciples not to get angry in such a way that they sin.

Anger in the heart (“brief stage of insanity” Cicero):It has two forms: a) a sudden, blazing flame of anger which dies down suddenly. b) a surge of anger which boils inside and lingers, so that the heart seeks revenge and refuses to forgive or forget. Jesus prescribes trial and punishment by the Village Court of Elders as its punishment.

Anger in speech: The use of words which are insulting, like (“raka“=“fool”), or damaging to the reputation (“moros” = a person of loose morals). Jesus says that such an angry (verbally abusive) person should be sent to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religion’s Supreme Court, for trial and punishment.

Anger in action: Sudden outbursts of uncontrollable anger, which often result in physical assault or abuse. Jesus says that such anger deserves hellfire as its punishment.

In short, Jesus teaches that long-lasting anger is bad, contemptuous speech or destroying someone’s reputation is worse, and harming another physically is the worst.

Life messages: 1)Let us try to forgive,forget, and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible. St. Paul advises us “Be angry (righteous anger), but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). 2) When we keep anger in our mind, we are inviting physical illnesses like hypertension, and mental illnesses like depression. 3) Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry, pray for God’s strength for self-control, and ask Him for the grace, first to desire to forgive, and then the grace actually to do the forgiving of those who have injured us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Feb 28 Saturday: Mt 5:43-48: 43″You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect

The context: Today’s Gospel passage is perhaps the central and the most famous section of the Sermon on the Mount. It gives us the Christian ethic governing personal relationship: one must love one’s enemies, as well as one’s neighbors, and show one’s love for one’s enemies by forgiving them and praying for them. Above all, it tells us that what makes Christians different is the grace with which we interact with others, treating them with loving kindness and mercy, especially when those others seemingly “don’t deserve it.” The Old Law never said we were to hate our enemies, but that was the way some Jews understood the matter. That is one reason why Jesus directly commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us; This command, obeyed, would fully demonstrate that we are the children of a merciful Heavenly Father. From the cross, Jesus, “living what he preached,” did for His enemies (those who called Him Enemy and, at that moment, were mocking him in his agony on the Cross what God demands of each of us: He forgave them Himself and then turned tot he Father and made excuses for them!

Lent II [A] Sunday (March 1) 1-page summary of an 8- minute homily L/26

Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is metamorphosis or transformation. The readings invite us to work, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit, to transform and renew our lives during Lent, so that we may radiate the glory and grace of the transfigured Lord, which we have just received, all around us by our Spirit-filled lives.

Scripture lessons: The first reading describes the transformation of a pagan patriarch into a believer in the one God. His name will be transformed from Abram to Abraham and his small family into a great nation. All Abram has to do is to obey the Lord God’s command, and he does so. The second reading, taken from St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy, explains the type of Lenten transformation expected of us. We are transformed when we recognize the hand of a loving, providing, and disciplining God behind all our hardships, pain, and suffering and try our best to grow in holiness by cooperating with the grace of God given to us through Jesus and his Gospel. In the Transfiguration story in today’s Gospel, Jesus is revealed as a glorious figure, superior to Moses and Elijah. The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to allow Jesus to consult his Heavenly Father in order to ascertain His plan for His Son’s suffering, death, and Resurrection. The secondary aim was to make his chosen disciples aware of Jesus’ Divine glory, so that they might discard their worldly ambitions and their dreams of him as a conquering political Messiah, and that they might be strengthened in their time of trial. On the mountain,Jesus is identified out of the Cloud by the Heavenly Voice (God the Father), as “My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased!” On Jesus, the Holy Spirit would also descend as a dove, confirming for John (Jesus’ Precursor and Baptizer), the the identity of his cousin Jesus of Nazareth, as the Promised Messiah, as John publicly proclaimed. Thus, the Transfiguration narrative is a Christophany, that is, a manifestation or revelation of who Jesus really is. Describing Jesus’ Transfiguration, the Gospel gives us a glimpse of the Heavenly glory awaiting those who do God’s will by putting their trusting Faith in Him, as the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33), for today, encourages us to do.

Life messages: (1) The Transubstantiation in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength. In each Holy Mass our offering of bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus under the appearances of bread and wine. Hence, just as the Transfiguration of Jesus strengthened the Apostles in their time of trial, each Holy Mass should be our source of Heavenly strength for resisting evil when the evil one incites us to disobey the will of God and to choose to serve ourselves as gods turning our backs on God, rejecting His Love, Grace and salvation — and then yielding ourselves more completely to the evil one’s ways and lies. The Holy Mass, then is the best defense against the barrages of temptations for it provides us with and inexhaustible source a source of grace for renewing our lives during Lent and of strengthened protection against temptations at repeated attacks of the evil one. In addition, should be a source of daily transformation of both our minds and hearts, enabling us to see Jesus in every one of our brothers and sisters with whom we come in contact each day. (2) Each Sacrament that we receive transforms us. Baptism, for example, transforms us into sons and daughters of God and heirs of heaven. Confirmation makes us the temples of the Holy Spirit. By the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God brings the sinner back to the path of holiness. The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, received in Faith, gains for the recipient complete spiritual healing, forgiveness for all our sins and whatever kind of Physical healing God knows will be best for us at that time.

(3) A message of hope and encouragement. In moments of doubt, pain and suffering, disappointment and despair, we need mountain-top experiences to reach out to God and listen to His consoling words: “This is my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased.” Our Lenten penance will lead us to Easter joy.

LENT II [A] Sunday (March 1): Gn 12:1-4a; II Tm 1:8b-10; Mt 17:1-9

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” There is a mysterious story in 2 Kings that can help us understand what is happening in the Transfiguration. Israel was at war with Aram, and Elisha, the man of God, was using his prophetic powers to reveal the strategic plans of the Aramean army to the Israelites. At first the King of Aram thought that one of his officers was playing the spy, but when he learned the truth, he dispatched his troops to go and capture Elisha who was residing in Dothan. The Aramean troops moved in under cover of darkness and surround the city. In the morning Elisha’s servant is the first to discover that they are surrounded and fears for his master’s safety. He runs to Elisha and says, “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” The prophet answers “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” But who would believe that, when the surrounding mountainside is covered with advancing enemy troops? So, Elisha prays, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opens the servant’s eyes, and he looks and sees the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:8-23). — This vision was all that Elisha’s disciple needed to reassure him. At the end of the story, not only was the prophet of God safe, but the invading army was totally humiliated. (Fr. Munacci) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2:“Lord, give me the grace for transformation.” The word transfiguration means a change in form or appearance. Biologists call it metamorphosis (derived from the Greek word metamorphoomai used inMatthew’s Gospel), to describe the change that occurs when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. (Holo-metabolism, also called complete metamorphism, is a form of insect development which includes four life stages – as an embryo or egg, a larva, a pupa and an imago or adult). As children, we might have curiously watched the process of the caterpillar turning into a chrysalis and then bursting into a beautiful Monarch butterfly.  Fr. Anthony De Mello tells the story of such a metamorphosis in the prayer life of an old man.  “I was a revolutionary when I was young, and all my prayer to God was: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change the world.’ As I approached middle age and realized that half of my life was gone without changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: ‘Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come in contact with me; just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.’  Now that I am old and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been.  My one prayer now is: ’Lord, give me the grace to change myself.’  If I had prayed for this right from the start, I should not have wasted my life.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: Metamorphosis of a Grub into a Dragonfly: You will recall from 7th-grade science class that metamorphosis is the process by which a caterpillar becomes a butterfly and a tadpole becomes a frog. It’s a gradual change on the inside that produces a total transformation on the outside.  Holo-metabolism, also called complete metamorphism, is a form of insect development which includes four life stages – as an embryo or egg, a larva, a pupa and an imago or adult. At the bottom of a pond some little grub worms or nymphs (larvae of dragonflies) are crawling around in the mud.  Perhaps they wonder what happens to their members who climb up the stem of the water lily and never come back.  They agree among themselves that the next one who is called to the surface will come back and tell them what happened.  The next grub worm (nymph) that finds itself drawn to the surface by nature, crawls out on a lily leaf and emerges from its last molting skin as a beautiful adult dragonfly.   It has been dark and murky down below, but the dragonfly sees that everything is bright and sunny in the upper world.   Suddenly something begins to happen. The transformed grub spreads out two huge, beautiful, colored wings and flies back and forth across the pond to convey the glad tiding of its transfiguration to its friends.  It can see the other grubs in the pond below, but they can’t see him.  It also realizes that it cannot dive into the pond to convey the glad tidings of its great transformation.  This metamorphosis is nothing in comparison to the glorious transformation awaiting us after our death. 1) https://youtu.be/-Hc5BYGQrP8 b 2) https://youtu.be/0C21zranBUw (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Metamorphosis of antlion to fly        4) Holo-metabolism of Butterflies

Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is metamorphosis or transformation.  The readings invite us both to work with the Holy Spirit as He goes about transforming us and  renewing our lives during Lent, and to learn from His teaching and example, how to radiate the grace of the transfigured Lord to all around us by our Spirit-filled lives.  The Transfiguration of Jesus on the mountain reminds us that the way of the cross leads to Resurrection and eternal life, and that the purpose of Lent is to help us better to enter into those mysteries.

Scripture readings summarized: Both the first and second readings present salvation history as a response to God’s call, a call going out to a series of key persons beginning with Abraham and culminating with Jesus Christ and His Apostles.  Faith is presented here as the obedient, trusting response to the call of God which opens up channels  in us, in the Church, and in the World, for the full, free,  redemptive action of God in history, thus transforming the world. In answering this call, both Abram and Saul broke with the experiences of their past lives and moved into an unmapped future to become new “people of the Promise,” for a new life.  The first reading presents the change or transformation of the patriarch Abram from a childless pagan tribesman into a man of Faith in the One God. This, years later, leads to God’s transforming his name from Abram to Abraham, and making him, as promised, the father of God’s chosen people, Israel. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33) Response, “Lord, let Your Mercy be on us, as we place our trust in You,” reminds us that we must trust in the Lord ”Who is our Help and our Shield,”  for, “Upright is the Word of the Lord, and all His works are trustworthy.” The second reading, taken from St. Paul’s second letter to Timothy, explains the type of Lenten life-transformation expected of us.  Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ Transfiguration during prayer on a mountain.

First reading: Genesis 12:1-4 explained: The reading from Genesis explains how  blind obedience to God transforms the childless and pagan Abram into a believer in the one true God, and, later in his story, from Abram into the Abraham who became theprototype of trusting Faith and the father of God’s Chosen People. Blind obedience to God at His command transformed childless Abram into the Patriarch Abraham, a believer in the one God.  Today’s passage is really the first encounter between Abram and God. Abram, a pagan, was prosperous in land and livestock, but he had no children, and that, to people of his time, was the most serious of all possible deprivations.  So,  God challenged him with an offer: “I will make of you a great nation.” But God’s requirements were absolute: “Go forth from the land of your kin.”  Abram (from Ab, father, and ram, great) was from Ur in Chaldea (Gn 11:31) and, as one of Terah’s sons, journeyed with his family to Haran in upper Mesopotamia, about 900 miles north of Ur. The requirements were to become even more absolute when, after Abraham finally had a son of his own body through Sarah, the barren, God asked him to sacrifice that same son (Gn 22:1-18).  God asks us, too, to leave our old life of sin behind, to go forth with Him into a period of repentance, renewal of life and transformation, and to give Him the whole of our being in loving surrender forever.

The second reading: II Timothy 1:8-10 explained:  St. Paul’s letter to Timothy explains the type of Lenten life-transformation expected of us.  We should be ready to bear hardship for the Gospel’s sake, and to be thankful to God for our call to holiness, not trusting in our own merits but in His grace to live obedient, loving, Faith-filled lives:  “Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God.”  This passage has the following Lenten themes: a) bearing hardship for the sake of the Gospel; b) understanding that we are called not because of our own good works, but by undeserved grace; c) allowing God to make our belief, that we were drawn into the central reality in our daily living; and d) facing death while hoping for immortality, a share in the Resurrection.  The phrase “manifest through the appearance of our Savior,” meaning after Jesus’ Resurrection from the dead, may also be a reference to today’s Gospel story of Jesus’ Transfiguration, traditionally read on the second Sunday of Lent.

Gospel exegesis: The objectives and the time of the Transfiguration:   The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to consult his Heavenly Father in order to ascertain His plan for Our Lord’s suffering, death and Resurrection.  The secondary aim was to make Jesus’ chosen disciples aware of His Divine glory, so that they might discard their worldly ambitions about a conquering political Messiah. A third purpose was to strengthen their Faith and Hope and to encourage them to persevere through the future ordeal (CCC #568). The Transfiguration took place in late summer, probably in AD 29, just prior to the Feast of Tabernacles.  Hence, the Orthodox tradition celebrates the Transfiguration at about the time of the year when it actually occurred in order to connect it with the Old Testament Feast of Tabernacles.  Western tradition celebrates the Transfiguration twice, first at the beginning of Lent with this Gospel account and second on August 6 with a full Feast Day liturgy.

The location of the Transfiguration was probably Mount Hermon in North Galilee, near Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus had camped for a week before the Transfiguration.  The 9200-foot mountain was desolate.  The traditional oriental belief that the transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor is based on Psalm 89:12.   Mount Tabor, on the other hand, is a hill in the south of Galilee, less than 1000 feet high with a Roman fort on top of it, an unlikely place for solitude and prayer. But, says modern Bible scholar John McKenzie “It is far more probable that this mountain, like the mountain of the Sermon (Mt 5:11) has no geographical location. It is the symbolic mountain on which the events of Sinai are re-enacted in the life of the new Moses.”

The scene of Heavenly glory: The disciples received a preview of the glorious figure Jesus would become at Easter and beyond. While praying, Jesus was transfigured into a shining figure, full of Heavenly glory.  This reminds us of Moses and Elijah who also experienced the Lord in all His glory.  Moses had met the Lord in the burning bush at Mount Horeb (Ex 3:1-4).  After his later encounter with God, Moses’ face shone so brightly that it frightened the people, and Moses had to wear a veil over his face (Ex 34:29-35). The luminosity of the face of Moses is also meant to signal the loving, welcomed invasion of God. Into his soul. The Jews believed that Moses was taken up in a cloud at end of his earthly life (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 4. 326).  Elijah had traveled for forty days to Mt. Horeb on the strength of the food brought by an angel (1 Kgs 19:8).  At Mt. Horeb, Elijah sought refuge in a cave as the glory of the Lord passed over him (1 Kgs 19:9-18).  Finally, Elijah, was taken directly to Heaven in a chariot of fire without experiencing death (2 Kgs 2:11-15). In addition, “Moses led his people out of slavery in Egypt, received the Torah on Mount Sinai and brought God’s people to the edge of the Promised Land. Elijah, the great prophet in northern Israel during the ninth century B.C., performed healings and other miracles and stood up to Israel’s external enemies and the wicked within Israel. Their presence in Matthew’s Transfiguration account emphasizes Jesus’ continuity with the Law (Moses) and the prophets (Elijah) in salvation history.” (Fr. Harrington S. J.)

These representatives of the Law and the Prophets, foreshadowed Jesus who is the culmination of the Law and the Prophets.  Both prophets were initially rejected by the people but were vindicated by God.  The Jews believed that these men did not die, because God Himself took Moses (Dt 34:5-6), and Elijah was carried to heaven in a whirlwind (2 Kgs 2:11).  So, the implication is that although God spared Moses and Elijah the normal process of death, He did not spare His Son. Peter’s offer to pitch three tents (vs. 4) is an allusion to the feast of Sukkoth (Tabernacles, Tents, Booths) which commemorated the wilderness period when the Israelites lived in tents (Dt 16:13-15).

 God the Father’s Voice from the Cloud: The book of Exodus describes how God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai from the Cloud.  God often made appearances in a cloud (Ex 24:15-17; 13:21-22; 34:5; 40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10-11).  I Kgs 8:10 tells us how, by the cover of a cloud, God revealed His presence over the Ark of the Covenant and in the Temple of Jerusalem on the day of its dedication.  The Jews generally believed that the phenomenon of the Cloud would be repeated when the Messiah arrived.  God the Father, Moses, and Elijah approved the plan for Jesus’ suffering, death and Resurrection.  God’s words from the Cloud: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with Him I am well pleased; listen to Him,” are the same words used by God at Jesus’ baptism (Mk 3:17).  They summarize the meaning of the Transfiguration: on this mountain: God reveals Jesus as His Son — His beloved — the One in Whom He is well pleased and to Whom we must listen.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church, #556, underlines the implication of the Lord’s baptism and his Transfiguration for our life: “On the threshold of the public life: the baptism; on the threshold of the Passover: the Transfiguration. Jesus’ baptism proclaimed the mystery of the first regeneration, namely, our Baptism. The Transfiguration is the sacrament of the second regeneration: our own Resurrection.” In the transfigured Jesus we see a preview of where we are going on this journey of Faith: to a transfigured humanity. But going down from the mountain he reminds us of the costs of this journey. Jesus, God’s Son and servant, is called to be a suffering servant. The road to the final transfiguration goes by way of Mount Calvary. Paul reminds us of this when he calls us to join him in suffering for the Gospel.

Life messages: (1) The Transubstantiation in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength.  At the shortage of wine during the wedding of Cana, Jesus changed water into wine: one substance became another substance, and the appearances changed. In each Holy Mass our offering of bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus under the unchanged appearances of bread and wine.  Hence, just as Jesus’ Transfiguration strengthened the Apostles in their time of trial, each Holy Mass should be our source of Heavenly strength against our own temptations and our source for the renewal of our lives during Lent.  In addition, communion with Jesus in prayer and in the Eucharist, should be a source of daily transformation for both our minds and hearts.  We must also be transformed by becoming humbler and more selfless, sharing love, compassion, and forgiveness with others. But in our everyday lives, we often fail to recognize Jesus when he appears to us “transfigured,” hidden in someone who is in some kind of need.  Jesus is happy when we attend to His needs in a needy person. With the eyes of Faith, we must see that Jesus truly IS, in every single one of our brothers and sisters in need – and that includes everybody!  When we do see, and do act upon what we believe, we are indeed true Brothers and Sisters of Christ the children of God.

(2) Each Sacrament that we receive transforms us.   Baptism transforms us into sons and daughters of God and heirs of heaven.  Confirmation makes us the temples of the Holy Spirit.  By the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God brings back each of us  sinners  back to the path of holiness. By receiving in Faith, the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, we are spiritually, and, if God wills, physically, healed and our sins are forgiven (CCC  #568). And so it is with Marriage, and  most particularly with our reception of Jesus Himself, in the Eucharist and with Holy Orders in which a man becomes  a Priest, an alter Christus,  who with the Power of the Holy Spirit, offers the Sacrifice of the Mass and serves as a Shepherd of Jesus’ sheep.

(3) A message of hope and encouragement.  In moments of doubt and during feelings of despair, the expectation of our transformation in Heaven helps us to reach out to God and listen to His consoling words: “This is my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased.”

(4) We need these ‘mountain-top’ experiences in our own lives.  We can share experiences like those of Peter, James, and John when we spend some extra time with Jesus in prayer during Lent.  Perhaps we may want to fast for one day, taking only water, thus releasing spiritual energy, which in turn, can lift our thoughts to a higher plane.  Such a fast may also help us to remember the starving millions in the world and make us more willing to help them.

JOKES OF THE WEEK:  1) Lenten penance: There is a story of a father trying to explain Lent to his ten-year-old son. At one point, the father said, “You ought to give up something for Lent, something you will really miss, like candy.” The boy thought for a moment, then asked, “What are you giving up, Father?” “I’m giving up liquor,” the father replied. “But before dinner you were drinking something,” the boy protested. “Yes, but that was only sherry,” said the father. “I gave up hard liquor.” To which the boy replied, “Well then, I think I’ll give up hard candy.”

 2) “I have decided to give up drinking for Lent:” An Irishman moves into a tiny hamlet in County Kerry, walks into the pub and promptly orders three beers.  The bartender raises his eyebrows, but serves the man three beers, which he drinks quietly at a table, alone and orders three more.  As this continued every day the bartender asked him politely, “The folks around here are wondering why you always order three beers?”  “It’s odd, isn’t it?” the man replies, “You see, I have two brothers, and one went to America, and the other to Australia.  We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank.” Then, one day, the man comes in and orders only two beers.  As this continued for several days, the bartender approached him with tears in his eyes and said, “Folks around here, me first of all, want to offer condolences to you for the death of your brother.  You know-the two beers and all…”  The man ponders this for a moment and then replies with a broad smile, “You’ll be happy to know that my two brothers are alive and well.  It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent.”

3) “Don’t worry about me, Lord.” A certain missionary on a study trip to the Holy Land was visiting Jaffa (Joppa) where Peter was residing when he baptized Cornelius (Acts 10). The breath-taking beauty of this small seaside town was such that it inspired the missionary to come up with this joke: At the Transfiguration Peter offered to build three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Jesus said, “And what about you, Peter?” And Peter replies, “Don’t worry about me Lord! I got a better place in Jaffa.”

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1) Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  

2) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes & pdf texts on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://sundayhomilies.au/

4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

6) http://www.worship.ca/easter.html

7) http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/lent.htm

8) http://www.churchyear.net/lent.html

9)http://www.dmoz.org/Society/Religion_and_Spirituality/Christianity/Calendar/Lent/

10) Put Catholic Bible at your fingertips (on your Desktop) chapters & verses:  Procedure: USCCB Catholic Bible on the desktop. 1) Open the website http://www.usccb.org/bible/books-of-the-bible/index.cfm 

  1) Click File 2) Save as 3) Desktop.  

21- Additional anecdotes 1) “You don’t really know how it works, do you, Mom?“ A little boy asked his mother, “Marriage makes you have babies, doesn’t it, Mom?” The mother reluctantly answered her son, “Well, not exactly. Just because you are married does not mean that you have a baby.” The boy continued his inquiry: “Then how do you have babies?” His mother, not very enthusiastic about continuing, answered, “It’s kind of hard to explain.” The boy paused and thought for a moment. He then moved closer to Mom, looked her right in eye, and carefully said, “You don’t really know how it works, do you, Mom?” — Believe it or not, today’s Gospel passage on theophany on a mountain is one of those “What does that mean, and how am I supposed to explain that?” sort of passages. It’s difficult because, as the little boy told his mother, we “don’t really know how it works.” And when you don’t know how something works, it’s hard to explain. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) Baby powder and Christian transformation: You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from Russia, he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, “On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk; you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice; you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, ‘What a country!’” Smirnoff was joking, but we make these assumptions about Christian Transformation—that people change instantly from sinners to saints. Catholics call it transformation through repentance and renewal of life, deriving strength through the word of God and the Sacraments to cooperate with God’s grace for doing acts of charity. Some other Christian denominations call it Sanctification of the believer. Whatever you call it, most denominations expect some quick fix for sin.  According to this belief, when someone gives his or her life to Christ, accepting Him as Lord and personal Savior, and confesses his or her sins to Him, there an immediate, substantive, in-depth, miraculous change in habits, attitudes, and character. — Can we go to Church as if we are going to the grocery store to get Powdered Christian? The truth is that Disciples of Christ are not born by adding water to Christian powder, for there is no such powder, and disciples of Jesus Christ are not instantly born adult.  They are slowly raised through many trials, sufferings, and temptations and by their active cooperation with the grace of God, expressed through works of charity. (Adapted from James Emery White, Rethinking the Church, by Baker). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3)  Edmund Hillary’s mountain-top experience on Mount  Everest. The seniors among us certainly recall that amazing story 73 years ago, May 29, 1953. A New Zealand beekeeper named Edmund Hillary and a Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, were the first ever to reach Everest’s summit. Here was a mountain – unreachable, tantalizing, fearsome, deadly – that had defeated 15 previous expeditions. Some of the planet’s strongest climbers had perished on its slopes. For many, Everest represented the last of the earth’s great challenges. The North Pole had been reached in 1909; the South Pole in 1911. But Everest, often called the Third Pole, had defied all human efforts – reaching its summit seemed beyond mere mortals. Now success! And heightening the impact even further was the delicious coincidence of their arrival just before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and the dramatic announcement of their triumph on the morning of the coronation. It was literally a “mountaintop experience.” — The mountaintop experience recounted in today’s Gospel a moment ago had Jesus and His three closest Apostles – Peter, James, and John – going up on a high mountain where they experienced the miraculous Transfiguration undergone by Jesus, making His Heavenly glory visible to His disciples. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “I just want you to know that I love you.” Did you hear the story about an inattentive, workaholic husband who suddenly decided to surprise his wife with a night to remember? He went down to the department store and bought her the expensive dress she had been admiring. He bought her a large bottle of perfume to go with it. He ordered tickets to the Broadway play she had been wanting to see and made reservations at their favorite restaurant. On his way home he stopped by the florist and bought two dozen red roses which he carried home under his arm. Upon arriving home, he exploded through the door, hugged his wife affectionately and told her what he had done. “I just want you to know that I love you; I appreciate you; I adore you.” Instead of melting in the man’s arms his wife started screaming at the top of her voice. “This has been the worst day of my life,” she shouted. “It was awful at the office. We lost our biggest account; my co-workers were obnoxious; the clients were unreasonable. I came home to find the kids had broken my favorite lamp; the babysitter is quitting; and the water heater is out; and now surprise of surprises, my normally sober husband comes home drunk!” — When today’s Gospel starts talking about a Transfiguration with radiant faces and glowing garments and visitors from the dead, we become more than a little suspicious. What is going on here? All along the question remains: Are we willing to let ourselves be engulfed in mystery, inspired by glory, transformed by encounters of a Divine kind? That’s what the Transfiguration of Jesus is all about.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) The new Prioress is turning monastic life into “one big party.” A most unusual protest took place in a convent in New Jersey. Four nuns locked themselves in a tiny second floor infirmary and took a vow of “near silence.” They were protesting new rules established by their new prioress, Mother Theresa Hewitt. It seems that Mother Theresa had introduced television, secular videos, recorded music, bright lights, and (horror of horrors) daily “sweets” into the convent. The sweets consisted of a tin of candy which was passed around each day and each nun was supposed to indulge. In the words of one of the protesting nuns (who were among the younger nuns in the order, by the way) the new prioress was turning monastic life into “one big party.” In order to express their revulsion at these ungodly changes, the four sisters locked themselves away. — We can sympathize. There is much in our brave new world from which I would like to withdraw. I can sympathize with Simon Peter who wanted to build three booths and stay on the mountaintop of the Transfiguration in the presence of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Unfortunately, he was not given that option, and neither are we. We must live in this world of strident, discordant noise. There is no retreat. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Movie preview: You go into the movie theatre, find a seat that’s suitable. You find a place for your coat, sit down, and get ready to watch the movie. The house lights dim; the speakers crackle as the dust and scratches on the soundtrack are translated into static, and an image appears on the screen. It is not the film you came to see. It is the preview of coming attractions, a brief glimpse of the highlights of a film opening soon. The moviemakers and theater owners hope the preview will pique your interest enough to make you want to come back and see the whole film. — On the Mount of the Transfiguration, Peter, James, and John, the inner circle of Jesus’ disciples, were given a preview of coming attractions. Today’s Gospel gives us a splendid preview of Jesus, radiant in Divine glory, his mortal nature brilliantly, though not permanently, transfigured — a dazzling preview of His Divinity, unalloyed and perfectly pure, shining in glory like the very sun. This was a “sneak preview, “ in other words, of Easter and of His final coming in Glory to take us Home, the triumphant climax of the epic love story between God and humanity. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “I had an hour of Glory on a windswept hill.” Dr. William Stidger once told of a lovely little 90-year-old lady named Mrs. Sampson. Mrs. Sampson was frail, feeble, even sickly. But Dr. Stidger said that when he was discouraged, he always went to visit Mrs. Sampson. She had a radiant spirit that was contagious. One day he asked this 90-year-young woman, “What is the secret of your power? What keeps you happy, contented and cheerful through your sickness?” She answered with a line from a poem, “I had an hour of Glory on a windswept hill.” Bill Stidger said, recounting this experience, “I knew she had been in touch with God and that was the whole reason for her cheerfulness.”– Listen again to her words: “an hour of Glory on a windswept hill.” It sounds very much like the experience Peter, James and John had on the Mount of Transfiguration. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “What did you do with the ship?” A brilliant magician was performing on an ocean liner. But every time he did a trick, the Captain’s parrot would yell, “It’s a trick. He’s a phony. That’s not magic.” Then one evening during a storm, the ship sank while the magician was performing. The parrot and the magician ended up in the same lifeboat. For several days they just glared at each other, neither saying a word to the other. Finally, the parrot said, “OK, I give up. What did you do with the ship?”– The parrot couldn’t explain that last trick! It was too much to comprehend, even for a smart parrot. — Peter was like that parrot after witnessing the Transfiguration scene. He said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three tents-one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) The Mountain Top. John A. Redhead, Jr. tells of a father and son who have a really good relationship. Among their many good times together, one stood out above all the rest: It was a hike up a particular mountain where they seemed to reach the height of a beautiful friendship. After they returned home, there came a day when things did not seem to run as smoothly. The father rebuked the son, and the son spoke sharply in return. An hour later, the air had cleared. “Dad,” said the son, “whenever it starts to get like that again, let’s one of us say ‘The Mountain Top.’” So, it was agreed. In a few weeks another misunderstanding occurred. The boy was sent to his room in tears. After a while, the father decided to go up and see the boy. He was still angry until he saw a piece of paper pinned to the door. The boy had penciled three words in large letters: “The Mountain Top.” That symbol was powerful enough to restore the relationship of father and son. (Harry Emerson Fosdick, Riverside Sermons (New York: Harper and Brothers, 1958).) — Come with me to the mountain. It is there that relationships can be made right. Come with me to the mountain. See who Jesus is. See what, by his grace, you and I can yet become. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) The Church of Transfiguration: The traditional site for the Transfiguration is Mount Tabor, a high mountain in the north country of Israel. Over the years, the Church has gone where Peter could not go, and we have built what he could not build.  Helena, mother of Constantine, built a sanctuary on the top of Mount Tabor in 326 A.D.  By the end of the sixth century, three churches stood on the mountaintop, one each for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  More shrines were built there over the next 400 years, and Saladin destroyed them all in 1187.  A fortress built in 1212 was destroyed by the end of the thirteenth century. The summit was abandoned for another six hundred years, until a Greek Orthodox community built a monastery there.  Sometime later, the Franciscans built a Latin basilica on the highest point of the summit, where they now maintain worship services and a website. The site can be reached at http://www.christusrex.org/www1/ofm/san/tab00mn/html) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “Then you can imagine how humble and awkward I feel in yours.” Winston Churchill knew the difference between celebrities and heroes. In the summer of 1941, Sergeant James Allen Ward was awarded the Victoria Cross for climbing out onto the wing of his Wellington bomber at 13,000 feet above ground to extinguish a fire in the starboard engine. Secured only by a rope around his waist, he managed to smother the fire and return along the wing to the aircraft’s cabin. Churchill, an admirer as well as a performer of swashbuckling exploits, summoned the shy New Zealander to 10 Downing Street. Ward, struck dumb with awe in Churchill’s presence, was unable to answer the Prime Minister’s questions. Churchill surveyed the unhappy hero with some compassion. “You must feel very humble and awkward in my presence,” he said, “Yes, Sir,” managed Ward. “Then you can imagine how humble and awkward I feel in yours,” returned Churchill. [Max Anders, Jesus (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995), p. 24.] — Churchill knew he was in the presence of a real hero. So did the disciples. In fact, they knew they were in the presence of Someone whose significance went beyond celebrity, even beyond heroic. He was their Lord, their Master, their King. If we are wise, Jesus will be our Lord, our Master, our King. If we are wise, Christ will be our Hero, too. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12)  “Let me build three booths here”  Do you remember how President Reagan insisted he had done the right thing after he visited the cemetery in Bitburg, West Germany, despite the fact that it contained the bodies of at least twenty-nine Nazi SS soldiers, and later, as if to offset the visit to Bitburg, made a pilgrimage to one of the concentration camps? His argument, supporting his contention that he had done a good deed, was based on what he learned about the manner in which the German people actually make pilgrimages to some of the death camps to keep alive the terrible memory in adults and make children realize how awful those camps were. Graphic and gruesome photographs and news stories of the atrocities, uncovered after the Allies liberated them, are posted in prominent places so no one will ever forget.  — “Let me build three booths here” was Peter’s way of marking the spot of Jesus’ Transfiguration so no one would ever forget. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) The shepherd’s pipe once played by Moses:  John Killinger tells the legend about “the simple shepherd’s pipe once played by Moses when he kept his father-in-law’s flocks. When the pipe was discovered, many years after Moses’ death, it was decided that it should be put on display for the benefit of his admirers. But it looked far too common for such an important purpose, so someone suggested that it be embellished by an artist. A few centuries later, when the pipe was given a new home in an upscale museum, a committee said it needed improving yet again. So, another artist was employed to overlay it in fine gold and silver filigree. The result, in the end, was a breathtaking piece of art, a marvelous sight indeed. It was so beautiful, in fact, that no one ever noticed that it was no longer capable of the clear, seductive notes once played upon it by Moses.” [God, the Devil, and Harry Potter (New York: Thomas Dunne, 2002), 162-3]. — How do we tell what voices to listen to, whose advice to take, what directives are important, and what we should just let fall on deaf ears? In today’s Gospel text, the Divine Voice from the enshrouding Cloud offered Peter, James, and John simple, straightforward words: “This is my Beloved Son, listen to him.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Into Thin Air: A few years ago, a book was published that described a different kind of mountaintop experience. It was Jon Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air. It was his description of a disastrous expedition in which he took part – a climb up Mount Everest. Mount Everest is the highest point on earth, rising 29,029 feet above sea level. Hundreds of people have died trying to scale its slopes. On May 10, 1996, climbers from three different expeditions attempting to reach the summit of Everest ­found themselves in a traffic jam as they approached the final ascent. An unexpected storm suddenly came up, claiming the lives of eight of the climbers. Jon Krakauer was in one of those three groups. The title of his book, Into Thin Air, comes partially from an experience he had on top of the mountain. As he was beginning his slow descent back down the mountain, Krakauer became concerned about his oxygen supply. He was going to stop and rest for a few moments while he waited on others who were still making it to the top. So, he asked Andy Harris, a guide with another team with whom he had become close friends, to turn down his oxygen supply, so as to conserve it for the trip back. Harris turned the knob on the back of his pack, and Krakauer sat, to wait for the rest of his team. There atop Everest, Krakauer says he had this moment of absolute clarity as he gazed out over the craggy peaks of the Himalayan Mountains. After a difficult journey up, he felt in control for the first time on the trip. And then . . . his oxygen ran out. You see, his friend Andy Harris had turned the knob in the wrong direction: he hadn’t turned it down, he’d turned it up. The moment of absolute clarity that Krakauer experienced was the result of an oversupply of oxygen‑rich air. His feeling of control was an illusion. [Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air (Villard Books, 1997)]. — That moment of terror for Jon Krakauer is comparable to what Peter, James and John felt as the mountain on which they stood suddenly became enveloped by a Cloud, and they heard a Voice from that Cloud. They were terrified. Jesus said to them, as he often had to say to them, “Don’t be afraid.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “I just want to hold on to the ball as long as I can.” Some of you who are baseball fans, remember former major league catcher and TV personality Joe Garagiola. Garagiola is a great storyteller. He tells a story about baseball legend Stan Musial. Musial came to the plate in a critical game. The opposing pitcher in the game was young and nervous. Garagiola was catching, and he called for a fastball to be pitched to Musial. The pitcher shook his head. He didn’t want to throw that pitch. Joe signaled for a curve, and again the pitcher shook him off. Then he signaled for a change-up. Still the pitcher hesitated. Garagiola went out to the mound to talk to his young pitcher. He said, “I’ve called for every pitch in the book; what do you want to throw?” “Nothing,” was the pitcher’s reply. “I just want to hold on to the ball as long as I can.” — Well, who can blame him? Musial was a legendary hitter. And that’s the way many of us are living — holding on as long as we can to our grudges, holding onto our resentments, holding onto our fears. Why? Because we’re afraid to let go. Listen, friend. Jesus is here today, and he is saying to you, “Don’t be afraid.” Don’t be afraid. Listen to his voice. This day can mean the beginning of a new you. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) Missing the point: Once upon a time, a man took his new hunting dog on a trial hunt. After a while, he managed to shoot a duck and it fell into the lake. The dog walked on the water, picked up the duck and brought it to his master. The man was stunned. He didn’t know what to think. He shot another duck and again it fell into the lake and, again, the dog walked on the water and brought it back to him. What a fantastic dog – he can walk on water and get nothing but his paws wet. The next day he asked his neighbor to go hunting with him so that he could show off his hunting dog, but he didn’t tell his neighbor anything about the dog’s ability to walk on water. As on the previous day, he shot a duck and it fell into the lake. The dog walked on the water and got it. His neighbor didn’t say a word. Several more ducks were shot that day and each time the dog walked over the water to retrieve them and each time the neighbor said nothing and neither did the owner of the dog. Finally, unable to contain himself any longer, the owner asked his neighbor, “Have you noticed anything strange, anything different about my dog?” “Yes,” replied the neighbor, “Your dog doesn’t know how to swim.” — The neighbor missed the point completely. He couldn’t see the wonder of a dog that could walk on water; he could only see that the dog didn’t do what other hunting dogs had to do to retrieve ducks – that is to swim. The disciple, Peter, was good at missing the point at the theophany of Transfiguration as is clear from his declaration: “I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17)  The Transfiguration: Rabbi Abraham Twersky tells a story about his great-grandfather who was sitting with other rabbinical scholars studying the Talmud when it was decided to take a break for refreshments. One of the groups offered to pay for the refreshments, but there was no one who volunteered to go for them. According to Twersky, in his book Generation to Generation, his great-grandfather said, “Just hand me the money, I have a young boy who will be glad to go.” After a rather extended period, he finally returned with the refreshments, and it became obvious to all that the rabbi himself had gone and performed the errand. — Noticing their discomfort, the rabbi explained: “I didn’t mislead you at all. You see, many people outgrow their youth and become old men. I have never let the spirit of my youth depart. And as I grew older, I always took along with me that young boy I had been. It was that young boy in me that did the errand.” (Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Film: Phenomenon –Transforming Light: In the film,George Malley is a simple, pleasant, and popular man who lives in a small town where he fixes cars and experiments in growing vegetables in his garden. He turns 37 and after his birthday celebration, he is knocked unconscious by a bright light in the sky that falls towards him and explodes. When he comes to, he has been transformed. His I.Q has soared, and he develops telekinetic powers. He begins to speed-read and is able to translate for the local doctor when he is treating a non-English speaking patient. The townspeople are puzzled because George has always been so ordinary. A scientist interviews and tests him. George is apprehended by the FBI who are suspicious about his amazing knowledge and contacts. Meanwhile, his friends support him; so does Lace, a furniture maker with two small children whom George begins to court. Eventually his physical condition deteriorates, and the FBI keeps him in custody in a hospital. He escapes and returns to Lace, and we discover the reasons for his extraordinary intelligence before he dies. Lace mourns for George. A year later the whole town and his friends gather to celebrate his birthday as his memory and spirit live on. (Peter Malone in ‘Lights, Camera… Faith!’) –As we journey in life, may we be transformed by touches of His presence!(Fr. Botelho)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) Finding God on the mountain? The 17th century English poet, John Donne, tells of a man searching for God. He is convinced that God lives on the top of a mountain at the end of the earth. After a journey of many days, the man arrives at the foot of the mountain and begins to climb it. At the same time God says to the angels: “What can I do to show My people how much I love them?” He decides to descend the mountain and live among the people as one of them. As the man is going up one side of the mountain, God is descending the other side. They don’t see each other because they are on opposite sides of the mountain. On reaching the summit, the man discovers an empty mountaintop. Heartbroken, the man concludes that God does not exist. — Despite speculation to the contrary, God does not live exclusively on mountaintops, in deserts, or at the end of the earth, or even in some Heaven. God dwells among and within human beings and in the Person of Jesus. Staying on in the safety of the mountain is what Peter would prefer. During the Transfiguration, Peter and his companions get a glimpse of the future glory of Jesus’ Resurrection. They want nothing more. However, after they come down the mountain, they are told by Jesus that the glory they witnessed would be real only after he had gone through suffering and death.  — We too will share in his glory, only by sharing in his suffering and death. (Simon K. inThe Sunday Liturgy; quoted by Fr. Botelho).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) IT’S BETTER HIGHER UP!” There is a story told of a certain woman who was always bright, cheerful and optimistic, even though she was confined to her room because of illness. She lived in an attic apartment on the fifth floor of an old, rundown building. A friend visiting her one day brought along another woman – a person of great wealth. Since there was no elevator, the two ladies began the long climb upward. When they reached the second floor, the well-to-do woman commented, “What a dark and filthy place!” Her friend replied, “It’s better higher up.” When they reached the third landing, the remark was made, “Things look even worse here.” Again, the reply, “It’s better higher up.” The two women finally reached the attic level, where they found the bedridden saint of God. A smile on her face radiated the joy that filled her heart. Although the room was clean and flowers were set on the windowsill, the wealthy visitor could not get over the stark surroundings in which this woman lived. She blurted out, “It must be very difficult for you to be here like this!” — Without a moment’s hesitation the shut-in, pointing towards heaven, responded, “IT’S BETTER HIGHER UP.” (Fr.    Lakra). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Transfiguration of a dreamer: Elizabeth Sherill, a veteran writer who suffers from an arthritic neck, writes about an eventful meeting that she and her husband, John, had with Berendina Maazel, an 81-year old widow who needs a motorized wheelchair to move more than few steps (cf. “Berendina’s Dream” in Guideposts magazine, February 2005, p.10-12). At the age of 17, during the German occupation of Holland where she was born, Berendina became ill with a strange malady that left her in complete agony. Totally paralyzed for six months, she almost died in a looted ward where her father, a doctor, worked. Later diagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis, her vicious illness would never allow her to have a single hour free of pain, for all her life. A gifted artist, Berendina is a tiny, bone-thin woman with a ravaged face, a crooked spine and terribly twisted hands. But there is a beauty about her, some quality that Elizabeth couldn’t define. When she asked Berendina, “How did you ever keep going?” The latter answered, “By hanging onto my dreams!” Her father told her that when God plants a dream, he also provides the strength to reach for it. Indeed, Berendina did not allow her malady to stifle her dreams. She did fulfill her dreams to go to art school, to work in her chosen field of stage design, to travel, and to get married. While recuperating at Los Angeles Orthopedic Surgery from yet another surgery, Berendina requested an aide to wheel her to meet the other patients. When she was brought to the children’s wing and saw the youngsters in wheelchairs, God gave her the biggest dream of all. The dream: to help provide the resources for handicapped children that had not been available for her. She fulfills this dream by painting, and 100 % of the proceeds from her paintings benefit the work with children. Elizabeth’s final narrative seems to be a modern-day Transfiguration account. “Berendina’s studio is at the rear of the house, about as far as she can walk. Night had fallen while we talked, but when we entered the studio it was like stepping into the sunlight. Radiant landscapes, vibrant flowers, soaring birds! What was the special feeling in that room? Joy, certainly. Beauty. Wellness – not a hint that the painter of these canvases had ever suffered a moment’s ill health. Yes, the room was alive! Alive like the woman who for 64 years has looked through pain to her dreams.” — The Transfiguration account (Mt 17:1-9) proclaimed in the liturgical assembly on the Second Sunday of Lent is meant to illumine the Lenten spiritual journey of the Church toward the Easter glory. (Lectio Divina) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Transformation with age: Genesis tells us that Abram was at that moment 75 years old. Now, it is true that for some mysterious reason (probably symbolic) the Bible attributes extraordinarily long lives to the patriarchs. No matter, here. It is clear that God picked Abram precisely because he was no youth, but a man of long experience and ripe wisdom. Abraham lived his life by responding fully to God’s call to journey with Him, and he responded whenever he heard His voice. He reacted without question, trusting completely in God. For that reason, he is honored with the title “Father of our Faith” and extolled in Hebrews 11 for his faithfulness to God. — Actually, some people’s leadership improves with age; others start second and more notable careers late in life. Thus, Anna Mary Robertson Moses (better known as “Grandma Moses”) began her career as a painter when 80, and continued it until her death in 1961 at the age of 101. Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967) was a minor political figure in Germany – the mayor of Cologne – until arrested by the Nazis in 1933. After World War II, when 69, he was called upon to engineer the recovery of Germany. When he retired in 1963 at 87, not only Germany but the world hailed “Der Alte” (“The Old Man”) for his successful achievement. Finally, Cardinal Angelo Roncalli was 75 when elected pope in 1958. He reigned as Pope John XXIII for only five years, but during that time, he launched Vatican II, one of the most influential ecumenical councils in the history of the Church. — Of course, not all senior citizens are physically and mentally ready for prolonged or second careers. But they should not automatically be treated as liabilities. Rather, these people can become distinct assets to society. Their presence reminds us of a past that has given us all we are. Their experience can help us to barge ahead more confidently into a future that has yet to come. (Father Robert F. McNamara). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) The story of rejuvenation of the eagle: (a fable without scientific basis) The eagle has the longest lifespan of its species and can live up to 70 years… but to reach this age, the eagle must make a hard decision. In its 40th year its long and flexible talons can no longer grab prey which serves as food, its long and sharp beak becomes bent and its aged and heavy wings, due to their thick feathers, stick to its chest and make it difficult to fly. Then, the eagle is left with only two options; die or go through a painful process of change which lasts 150 days. The process requires that the eagle fly to a mountain top and sit on its nest. There the eagle knocks its beak against a rock until it plucks it out. Then the eagle waits for a new beak to grow back. It will pull out its talons and when new talons grow back, the eagle starts plucking its old aged feathers. After five months, the eagle takes its famous flight of rebirth and lives for 30 more years. — This story helps us to consider, why is change needed? Many times, in order to survive, we have to start a change process. We sometimes need to get rid of old memories, habits, and other past traditions. Only freed from past burdens, can we take advantage of the present. (This story is untrue. Eagles do not live for 70 years, more like 30 in the wild, they do not lose their beak (it would lead to certain death), and they never go through a rebirth stage. You can read more about the debunking of this story at https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rebirth-of-the-eagle/) .

24) Impossible Becomes Possible:  Raphael (1483-1520) became an orphan at 11, but it did not prevent him from becoming one of the master painters of the Italian High Renaissance. When he was only 25, he was commissioned by Pope Julius II to paint at the Vatican. In 1514, he was appointed as the architect of the new St. Peter’s Basilica. When he died at the age of 37 on Good Friday, he was still working on a beautiful painting of the transfiguration of Jesus. His student, Giulio Romano, completed this work. If you want to see this painting by Raphael, look at the cover of this bulletin. In the upper half of this famous painting, we see Jesus floating in the air, surrounded by Moses and Elijah. The Apostles Peter, John, and James are also seen in the upper half. The lower half of this painting gives the picture of the apostles trying unsuccessfully, to drive out a demon from a boy, as narrated in the Gospel account of Mathew (17:1-21) According to Giorgio Vasari, a 16th-century painter, and biographer, the Transfiguration is Raphael’s most beautiful and most divine painting. According to scholars, by having two parts of this painting, Raphael intended to show the redemptive power of Jesus in the context of the inability of man to save himself, as shown in the failure of the apostles to drive out a demon from a boy. What was impossible for the apostles was possible for Jesus because he was the beloved Son of our Heavenly Father. — As pointed out by Raphael, we cannot free ourselves from the power of evil by our own strength. However, with the help of Jesus, we can be freed from the clutches of evil. But to be freed from the power of evil, we must listen to Jesus, as reminded by our Heavenly Father at the time of the transfiguration. During this Season of Lent, let us try to become fully committed to listening to the words of Jesus. If we listen to him, what is impossible will become possible for us. (Fr. Jose P. CMI) L/26

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 19) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Kindly visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Please contact me by email only at akadavil@gmail.com. For additional homilies, you may visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks toVatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies from 1998 to 2020) My post-retirement U. S. postal address is  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al, U. S. A. 36507

Feb 23-28: Feb 23 Monday: Matthew 25:31-46 : "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 …46

The context: Today’s Gospel describes the Last Judgment and its criterion using as an image the Palestinian shepherds’ practice of the nightly separation of the over-active, less docile goats from the docile sheep. Jesus promises that he will come in all his glory as a Judge (Christ’s Second Coming), to reward the good people and punish the bad people. This will be the final and the public separation of the good people from the evildoers.

The lessons: The parable teaches us that the main criterion of the Last Judgment will be the works of Christian charity, kindness, and mercy we have done, or not done, for others, in whom we have actually served, or not served, Christ, knowingly or unknowingly. The parable tells us that Christ, the Judge, is going to ask us six questions, and all of them are based on how we have cooperated with God’s grace to do acts of charity, kindness, and mercy for others because Jesus actually dwells in them. The first set of questions: “I was hungry, thirsty, homeless. Did you give me food, drink, accommodation?” The second set of questions: ”I was naked, sick, imprisoned. Did you clothe me? Did you help me by visiting me in my illness or in prison?” If the answers are yes, we will be eternally rewarded because we have cooperated with God’s grace by practicing charity. But if the answers are negative, we will be eternally punished. Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, “If sometimes our poor people have had to die of starvation, it is not because God didn’t care for them, but because you and I didn’t give, were not instruments of love in the hands of God, to give them that bread, to give them that clothing; because we did not recognize Christ, when once more Christ came in distressing disguise.”

Life messages: 1) The Holy Bible, the Seven Sacraments, the Ten Commandments and the precepts of the Church are all meant to help us to practice corporal and spiritual works of charity (mercy), in this life so that we may become able to receive God’s love, our eternal reward of Heavenly bliss. 2) Sins of omission (in which, we fail to recognize those in need as our brothers and sisters in Christ, and we fail to serve them in love), are very serious matters leading us toward eternal punishment. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23 

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Feb 24 Tuesday; Mt 6:7-15: Mt 6: 7-15: 7 "And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their 10many words. 8 "So do not be like them; for 11your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 "12Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ’13Your kingdom come. 14Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 ’15Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And 16forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but 17deliver us from 18evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever. Amen.'] 14 "19For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 "But 20if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

The context: In today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs the crowd that they should not pray like the Gentiles, repeating empty phrases. He means that true prayer is not so much a matter of the number of words as of the frequency and the love with which one turns towards God, raising one’s mind and heart to God. So, Jesus teaches them a model prayer. Jesus’ prayer, “Our Father,” consists of two parts. In the first part, we praise and worship God, addressing Him as our loving, caring, and providing Heavenly Father and asking Him to help us to do His Holy Will in our lives as obediently and lovingly as His Will is done in Heaven and, thus, to remain remaining in His kingdom. In the second part, we present our petitions before the Triune God. First,we ask God for our present needs, food clothing, and shelter, (“give us this day our daily bread”), then for our past needs, especially for forgiveness of our sins (“forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”), and finally, for our future needs, protection against the tempter and his temptations (“and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”). In this part, we also bring the Trinitarian God into our lives. We bring in: 1) God the Father, the Provider, by asking for daily bread; 2) God the Son, our Savior, by asking forgiveness for our sins; and 3) God the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, Who is our Guide, Advocate, Comforter, and Illuminator, by asking for protection and deliverance from evil. Special stress on the spirit of forgiveness:We are told to ask for forgiveness from others for our offenses against them, and to offer unconditional forgiveness to others for their offenses against us as a condition for receiving God’s forgiveness. Jesus clarifies, “If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in Heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either” (Mt 6:14-15).

“For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, now and forever. Amen.”The manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this phrase, nor do any of the Catholic translations. Martin Luther added this doxology to the Our Father in his translation of Matthew’s Gospel, and the King James editions of the Biblekeep it. The doxology is actually taken from the Divine Liturgy or Catholic Mass. Known as the final doxology, it takes up the first three petitions to our Father. By the final "Amen," which means, "So be it", we ratify what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

Feb 25 Wednesday: Lk 11:29-32:29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, "This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.

The context: Since there had been many false prophets and false messiahs in the past, and since their pride and prejudice did not permit them to see the Messiah in a carpenter-from-Nazareth-turned-wandering-preacher, the Jewish religious leaders demanded that Jesus should show some “Messianic” signs and miracles taken from their list. They would not accept that Jesus’ numerous miraculous healings were the Messianic signs foretold by the prophets.

Jesus’ negative response: Calling them an apostate generation who refused to believe in their own prophets and denied the hand of God in the miracles he worked, Jesus warned these religious leaders that they would be condemned on the Day of Judgment by the people of Nineveh and by the Queen of Sheba from the South. (Sheba, or Saba, was a southern kingdom centred on Yemen or Ethiopia, and possibly including both. The distance from Yemen to Jerusalem is 2084 miles). This is one of the instances in which Jesus held up Gentiles as models of Faith and goodness (other examples: the Canaanite woman in Mt 15, the centurion in Lk 7, the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10; etc.). The pagan Ninevites heard the voice of the Lord God in the prophet Jonah, repented, and were spared. The Queen of Sheba recognized God’s Wisdom in King Solomon, and she traveled to Israel to receive more of it. Nevertheless, Jesus gave the religious leaders challenging him, “the sign of Jonah.” It was the undeniable Messianic sign of his own Resurrection from the tomb on the third day after his death, just as Jonah had spent three days in the belly of the giant fish before finally going to Nineveh to accomplish the mission God had originally given him.

Life messages: We need to recognize God-given signs in our lives: 1) Each Sacrament in the Church is an external sign representing God’s grace. 2) On the altar we re-present Christ’s sacrifice on the cross using liturgical signs and prayers. 3) Everyone living with us or working with us is a sign of God’s living presence in our midst, inviting us to love and honor him or her as God’s child and the living Temple of the Holy Spirit. 4) All world events and all the events in our lives are signs of God’s care and protection for us, His children. 5) The Holy Bible is a sign of God communicating His message to us every day. So, let us learn from these God-given signs instead of looking for signs in weeping Madonnas, bleeding crucifixes and daily messages of visionaries. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

Feb 26 Thursday; Mt 7:7-12:7 "Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! 12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets.

The context: In today’s Gospel, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines the conditions for fruitful and effective prayer.

1) The first condition is trusting Faith and confidence in the goodness and promises of a loving Father. As a loving Father, God knows what to give, when to give, and how to give, irrespective of what we ask for. As One Who knows our past, present, and future, God knows what is best for us at any given time. He is a loving Father, and He will not give us evil things as the grudging and mocking gods in Greek stories did to their worshippers. Jesus explains this with two examples. Even a bad parent would not give a bread-shaped piece of limestone to his child asking for bread, or a stinging scorpion instead of a fish. So, all the experiences in our lives, including illnesses and tragedies, are permitted by a loving God with a definite purpose – to work in us for our ultimate good

2) Persistence in prayer is the second condition Patient, trusting persistence reflects our dependence on, and trust in, God. That is why Jesus asks us to keep on asking, seeking and knocking. St. Augustine explains God’s delay in answering our prayers as His way of stretching us, expanding our desire so as to receive the gift He desires to give us.

Life messages: 1) Let us remember that we can’t have a close relationship with anyone, especially with God, without daily, persistent, and intimate conversation, by lifting up our hearts and minds to God. 2) We need to remember the fact that prayer is a conversation with God, by, listening to God speaking to us through the Bible and the Church and talking to God by our personal, family and liturgical prayers. 3) We need to stop giving lame excuses for not praying, like a) we are too busy; b) we believe that prayer doesn’t do that much good, other than giving us psychological motivation to be better persons; c) a loving God should provide for us and protect us from the disasters of life, such as disease or accidents, without our asking Him; or d) prayer is boring. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Feb 27 Friday:Mt 5:20-26: 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift

The context: For the Scribes and the Pharisees, the external fulfillment of the precepts of the Mosaic Law was the guarantee of a person’s salvation. In other words, a man saved himself through the external works of the Law. Jesus rejects this view in today’s Gospel passage, taken from the Sermon on the Mount. For Jesus, justification or sanctification is a grace, a free, strengthening gift from God. Man’s role is one of cooperating with that grace by being faithful to it, and using it as God means it to be used. Jesus then outlines new moral standards for his disciples.

Control of anger: Anger is the rawest, strongest, and most destructive of human emotions. Describing three stages of anger and the punishment each deserves, Jesus advises his disciples not to get angry in such a way that they sin.

Anger in the heart (“brief stage of insanity” Cicero): It has two forms: a) a sudden, blazing flame of anger which dies suddenly. b) a surge of anger which boils inside and lingers, so that the heart seeks revenge and refuses to forgive or forget. Jesus prescribes trial and punishment by the Village Court of Elders as its punishment.

Anger in speech: The use of words which are insulting (“raka“=“fool”), or damaging to the reputation (“moros” = a person of loose morals). Jesus says that such an angry (verbally abusive) person should be sent to the Sanhedrin, the Jewish religion’s Supreme Court, for trial and punishment.

Anger in action: Sudden outbursts of uncontrollable anger, which often result in physical assault or abuse. Jesus says that such anger deserves hellfire as its punishment.

In short, Jesus teaches that long-lasting anger is bad, contemptuous speech or destroying someone’s reputation is worse, and harming another physically is the worst.

Life messages: 1)Let us try to forgive,forget, and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible. St. Paul advises us “Be angry (righteous anger), but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). 2) When we keep anger in our mind, we are inviting physical illnesses like hypertension, and mental illnesses like depression. 3) Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry, pray for God’s strength for self-control, and ask Him for the grace, first to desire to forgive, and then actually to forgive, those who have injured us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Feb 28 Saturday: Mt 5:43-48: "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect

The context: Today’s Gospel passage is perhaps the central and the most famous section of the Sermon on the Mount. It gives us the Christian ethic of personal relationship: love one’s enemies, as well as one’s neighbors, and show one’s love for one’s enemies by forgiving them and praying for them. Above all, it tells us that what makes Christians different is the grace with which we interact with others, treating them with loving kindness and mercy, especially when those others seemingly don’t deserve it. The Old Law never said to hate enemies, but that was the way some Jews understood it. Jesus commands us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us in order to demonstrate that we are children of a merciful Heavenly Father. From the cross, Jesus, living what he preached, did as he commands us to do, praying to God His Father for Mercy for all of those who were responsible for the Crucifixion – which includes all fallen humankind, and so ourselves — saying, “Father forgive them; they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34). A Christian has no personal enemies. If we only love our friends, we are no different from pagans or atheists.

We need to love our neighbors and our enemies, too: The Greek word used for loving enemies is not storge(= affection or natural love towards family members), or philia (= friendship, love of close friends), or eros (= romance) (passionate love between a young man and woman), but agápe (= unconditional selfless love) which is the invincible benevolence, or good will, for another’s highest good. Sinceagápe, or unconditional love, is not natural, practicing it is possible only with God’s help. Agápe love is a choice more than a feeling. We choose to love our enemies because Jesus loved them enough to die for them, and they, too, are the children of our God. We have in the Acts of the Apostles the example of St. Stephen, the first Christian martyr, who, like Jesus on the cross, prayed for those who were putting him to death. 

Life Messages: We are to try to be perfect, to be like God: 1) We become perfect when we fulfill God’s purpose in creating us: with His help, to become God-like. 2) We become perfect when, with His ongoing help, we try to love as God loves, to forgive as God forgives, and to show unconditional good will and universal benevolence as God does. Perfection means we are striving to live each and every moment doing God’s will, using or cooperating with the grace of God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

Lent I [A] (Feb 22) Eight-minute homily in one page (L/26)

Introduction:Lent is primarily the time of intense spiritual preparation for conquering our temptations, using the means Jesus used during his forty days of preparation in the desert for his public life. It is also the time of repenting for our sins and renewing our lives so that we can celebrate Easter with our Risen Lord Who conquered sin and death by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Today’s readings teach us that we are always tempted by the devil, by the world, and by our own selfish interests. So, we need to cooperate actively with God’s grace, if we are to conquer our temptations and practice prayer, self-control, and charity.

Scripture lessons: The first reading, taken from the book of Genesis describes the “Original Temptation" – “You will be like gods, knowing what is good and what is evil." Adam and Eve were given the freedom to make a choice to live for God, dependent upon, and obedient to, His will, or to say no to God. The temptation to evil led Adam and Eve to an act of faithlessness and sin. In contrast, today’s Gospel from St. Matthew shows us how Jesus Christ conquered temptation by relying on Faith in God’s Word and authority.

In the second reading, St. Paul describes how the disobedience of Adam, who fell to Satan’s Original Temptation, brought him and us sin, death, and a broken relationship with God. Paul explains that Christ regained for us a right relationship with God by his perfect obedience to God his Father. Today’s Gospel teaches us how the "desert experience" of fasting, praying, and soul-strengthening enabled Jesus to confront his temptations successfully and then to preach the Good News of salvation. The tempter urges Jesus to turn stones into loaves of bread. But Jesus rejects that temptation — to mistrust His Father by satisfying his own immediate, temporal needs — thus reducing His Divine mission to self-satisfaction! The tempter then suggests that Jesus prove that he is really the Son of God by jumping off the parapet of the Temple. Jesus rejects this as a temptation to act as God’s superior and demand He prove His Trustworthiness! Finally, Jesus rejects the temptation to idolatry, even if worshipping Satan would enrich and empower Jesus with all kingdoms of the world.

Life messages: 1) We are to confront and conquer temptations as Jesus did, using the means Jesus employed. Every one of us is tempted to seek sinful pleasures, easy wealth, and a position of authority, power, and glory, and to use any means, even unjust or sinful ones, to gain these things. Jesus serves as a model for us in conquering temptations by strengthening himself through prayer, penance, and the effective use of the Word of God. Hence, during this Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies with prayer (especially by participating in the Holy Mass), with penance, and with meditative reading of the Bible.

2) We are to grow in holiness during Lent through prayer, reconciliation, and sharing: a) by finding time to be with God every day of Lent, speaking to Him in fervent prayer, and listening to Him through the meditative reading of the Bible; b) by offering penitential acts of reparation for our sins; c) by getting reconciled with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and reconciled with others by asking their forgiveness for our offenses against them; d) by sharing our love with others through selfless, humble service, almsgiving, and helping those in need.

LENT I [A] (Feb 22) Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7; Rom 5:12-19; Mt 4:1-11

 Homily starter anecdotes # 1: Alluring music of the Sirens: The story of the Sirens in Greek mythology describes the negative and positive ways of fighting temptations. The Sirens are creatures with the heads of beautiful women and the bodies of attractive birds.  They lived on an island (Sirenum scopuli– a group of three small rocky islands).  With the irresistible charm of their song, they lured mariners to their destruction on the rocks surrounding their island (Homer’s Odyssey XII, 39-54, 158-200; Virgil’s Aeneid V, 42-44; Ovid’s Metamorphoses XIV, 88-89).  They sang so sweetly that all who sailed near their home in the sea were fascinated and drawn to the shore, only to be destroyed.  When Odysseus, the hero of the Odyssey, was going to pass that enchanted spot he first ordered his sailor comrades to put wax in their ears, so that they might not hear the luring and bewitching strains, and then, wanting to hear the music for himself, he ordered his crew to tie him to the mast and not to release him no matter what happened.  Thus, he defeated the Sirens and saved his crew. Jesus compares his disciples with the children of the bridal chamber.  These people were selected friends of the bridegroom who feasted in the company of the bride and groom during a week of honeymoon.  Nobody expected them to fast.  Jesus declares that his disciples will fast when the Bridegroom (Jesus himself), is taken away from them. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy, and it is mentioned next after love in St Paul’s list, “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22).   Hence, we are to welcome the joys of Christian life as ordering himself to be tied to the mast and But King Tharsius chose a better and positive way of conquering Sirens’ temptations. He took the great Greek singer and lyrist Orpheus along with him. Orpheus took out his lyre and sang a song so clear and ringing that it drowned the sound of those lovely, fatal voices of the Sirens. — Today’s readings advise us that the best way to break the charm of this world’s alluring voices during Lent is not by trying to shut out the music with ear-plugs, but to have our hearts and lives filled with the sweeter music of prayer, penance, the word of God, self-control, and acts of charity.  Then temptations will have no power over us (RH). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: Temptation to keep large carnivores as pets: Antoine Yates lived in New York City and for some inexplicable reason brought home a 2-month-old tiger cub “Ming” and later an alligator, “Al”.  It’s not clear where he found them.  But they were with him for two years — in his apartment.  What was a little tiger cub, became a 500-pound Bengal tiger and a mini alligator had turned into three-footer! It was inevitable.  The police got a call about a “dog” bite and when they got to the 19-story public housing apartment building, they discovered Yates in the lobby with injuries to his right arm and leg.  Someone alerted them of the possibility of a “wild animal” at his apartment.  A fourth-floor resident complained that urine had seeped through her ceiling from Yates’ apartment.  When they arrived, the police peered through a hole and saw the huge cat prowling around in the apartment.  To make a long story short, it took a contingent of officers at the door, and some rappelling from the roof to use a dart gun to bring this animal under control.  When they entered the apartment, they found the big cat lying atop some newspapers.  The alligator was nearby.  Both animals were relocated to shelters. — As for Yates, he missed his tiger and alligator, demonstrating that it’s possible to be in love with the very things that can kill you.  That is what happens to those who entertain temptations in the form of evil thoughts and desires, evil habits and addictions. (http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Northeast/10/04/nyc.tiger/) For more details, visit : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ming_of_Harlem  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: “On the ninth trip around the block, there it was!” A comical, but illustrative, story shows us how adept we are at rationalizing our actions: A very overweight man decided that it was time to shed a few pounds. He went on a new diet and took it seriously. He even changed his usual driving route to the office in order to avoid his favorite bakery. One morning, however, he arrived at the office carrying a large, sugar-coated coffee cake. His office mates roundly chided him, but he only smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, “What could I do? This is a very special cake. This morning, from force of habit, I accidentally drove by my favorite bakery. There in the window were trays of the most delicious goodies. I felt that it was no accident that I happened to pass by, so I prayed, ‘Lord, if you really want me to have one of these delicious coffee cakes, let me find a parking place in front of the bakery.’ Sure enough, on the ninth trip around the block, there it was!” — Temptation is strong, but we must be stronger. We should not tempt fate, and we should not rationalize our actions. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: Ours is a vibrant culture, always in pursuit of happiness.  Death is an obscenity, hidden by cascades of flowers and relegated to remote burial lawns on the edge of town.  Sin is denied, camouflaged, psychoanalyzed, and repressed — not confessed.  We don’t really sin.  We make mistakes of judgment.  If a popular politician lies, he or she is only being human.  Lent is a time to look at such temptations, sins, and their consequences. It is a time that reminds us of the human journey of fall and redemption. Like Adam and Eve, and Jesus, we all face temptations.  Originally, Lent was the season when those about to be baptized repented of their sins and sought to know the Lord Jesus more intimately.  Then it became a season for the baptized to do the same.  We are challenged yearly to die to sin so that we may rise again to the new life in Christ.  Since the Church begins the season with a reflection on the origins of sin among us, the main themes in today’s readings are temptation, sin, guilt, and forgiveness.  We are told of the temptations offered to our Lord, submission to which would have destroyed his mission.  Today’s readings give us the notion that testing comes to us by an agency apart from and in opposition to God.  But the truth is that, while testing comes from the outside, temptation comes from within us.  nevertheless, the Good News remains good: though we are tempted and often succumb, God’s grace still provides the way of salvation for us. The ultimate temptations in life are NOT those that only push us to “do” things we aren’t supposed to “do”; rather they are the ones that push us to “be” persons we weren’t made to “be.” — Let us then during this Lenten season very earnestly pray, as Jesus has taught us to pray to Our Father in heaven – “Lead us not into temptation  [that is, “put us not to the test”]  but deliver us from evil.” 

The first reading from the book of Genesis (Gen 2:7-9, 3:1-7) describes the “Original Temptation” – “You will be like gods, knowing what is good and what is evil.”  This is the story of the first sin, disobedience to the only command God gave them in the Garden: not to eat the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge [experience] of Good and Evil. It tells us that Adam and Eve were given the responsibility of making the fundamental choice to obey or disobey the Lord God, that is, to choose to be dependent upon, and obedient to His will, or to refuse His Authority and be gods for themselves! Like Adam and Eve, we are all tempted to put ourselves in God’s place.  Consequently, we resent every limit on our freedom, and we don’t want to be held responsible for the consequences of our choices.  In Genesis, we witness how temptation to evil led Adam and Eve to an act of faithlessness and sin, losing the Life of God in the process, as well their first home in the Garden.   In contrast, today’s Gospel from St. Matthew shows us how Jesus Christ conquered temptation by relying on Faith in God’s Word and authority. Are we tempted to serve the gods of our inordinate desires instead of serving our loving and providing God? Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 51) presents our contrition or acknowledgment of guilt before God: “Against Thee, thee only, have I sinned.”

The second reading (Rom 5:12-19) explained: St. Paul describes how the disobedience of Adam who fell to Satan’s Original Temptation brought him and us both death and a broken relationship with God. He presents Adam who did not resist temptation with its evil consequences for humanity, and Christ, who did resist temptation. and so gave humanity the promise of new Life.  Paul reminds us of the social consequences of sin. Sin is never a private affair, affecting only myself. When we sin, all our relationships are affected: our relationship with our inner self, our relationships with our brothers and sisters, our relationship with our God and our relationship with nature and the world in which we live. Paul says that just as sin and death came through Adam, salvation and life come through Christ. Paul compares human sin and its consequences to Christ’s saving action and its restorative effects on humankind. Christ regained for us the right relationship with God that Paul calls justification, which comes to us as undeserved grace. Thus, Paul’s words to the Romans describe humanity’s rehabilitation by grace. The first Adam brought disobedience, sin, condemnation, and death. The new Adam has brought obedience, righteousness, justification, and eternal life. (St. Paul uses what theologians call typology to help us understand exactly what Jesus has done for us and how he established for us a new life, overcoming what Adam and Eve wrought for us. He sees Adam as a type or foreshadowing of Christ).

Today’s Gospel (Mt 4:1-11) teaches us how the “desert experience” of fasting, praying, and soul-strengthening was a kind of spiritual “training camp” for Jesus which enabled him to confront his temptations successfully, and then to preach the Good News of salvation.  The Gospel also prescribes a dual action plan for Lent: (1) We should confront our temptations and conquer them as Jesus did, by fasting, prayer, and the Word of God.  (2) We should renew our lives by true repentance and live the Good News of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness.

Gospel exegesis: (A) Forty days of fasting and prayer in the desert: The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the huge fifteen-by-thirty-five mile desert between the mountain of Jerusalem and the Dead Sea so that he could pray to the Father about the public ministry that he was about to commence. “Forty days” was a Hebrew expression meaning a considerable period of time, as seen in various incidents in Jewish history:  a) the 40 days of rain in Noah’s time which Noah spent in the ark in prayer;  b) the 40 days which Moses spent on the mountain with God (Ex. 24:18); c) the 40 days the prophet Elijah traveled on the strength of the meal which the angel had given him (II Kg. 19:8).

(B) The temptations. The graphic descriptions of the temptations of Jesus given in Matthew and Luke are sometimes interpreted as the dramatic presentation of a single temptation Jesus experienced throughout his public life.  The devil was trying to entice Jesus away from his mission to die for all of us, so that he could become, instead, a political messiah of power and fame according to the Jewish expectation, while using His Divine power to avoid suffering and death.  In this account, we are given a glimpse of the inner struggle of Jesus as he faced the question of how to accomplish his mission.  Matthew presents Jesus as conquering the tempter and beginning his preaching in Galilee.  We always encounter temptation in its three major forms: power, prestige, and prosperity with two qualifying terms: “more” and “control.” We want “more” of everything and “control” of our destiny, feeling that only we know what is best for ourselves. Jesus’ temptations remind us of the temptations Israel experienced in the desert. The first temptation recalled God’s gift of manna to Israel in the desert (Exodus 16:4-8) and tested him in his capacity as the Son of God. The second temptation was a test of Jesus’ authentic sonship and it recalled the wilderness incidents wherein Israel complained against God and demanded Him to show His power by providing for their needs. Then in the third test, Jesus is offered a vision of all the world’s kingdoms in their splendor, to be entirely his – if he would bow down before Satan in worship! Jesus was shown those kingdoms, just as Moses, atop Mt. Nebo, surveyed the promised land (Dt 34:1-4), and just as the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 2:6-8) describes God giving his Messiah-son-king the nations of the earth as an inheritance. The first temptation has to do with Jesus’ own need for food.  The second temptation involves a wider circle in Jerusalem and the Temple.  Finally, the third temptation takes in the whole world.  Matthew saw the sequence of the three temptations as significant, in that they moved to greater heights, from stones on ground level, to the pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem, and finally to a mountain top from which all the kingdoms of the earth could be surveyed.  The progression was also greater in intensity and scope, from personal food to power in Israel,  and then to rule over the whole world.

The gradation in temptations: The three temptations – turn stones into bread (4:3); jump off the Temple pinnacle (4:6); worship Satan (4:9) – demonstrate three kinds of control: material, spiritual and civil.  They correspond to three wrong evaluations: 1) those who have material resources are blessed by God; 2) those who have spiritual powers are blessed by God; 3) those who have national power are blessed by God.  These, in turn, correspond to three human-Divine bargains: 1) I will worship You if you make me rich; 2) I will worship You if You endow me with magical powers; and 3) I will worship You if You give me political power.  These temptations of Jesus are traditionally treated as archetypes of the temptations we experience: the temptation to satisfy personal needs by material possessions, the temptation to perform miraculous deeds for oneself by spiritual power, and the temptation to seek political power and social influence by evil means. But Jesus dismisses all three temptations using the Word of God.  He quotes the Law from Scripture itself: “One does not live by bread alone” (Dt 8:3); “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (6:16); “Worship the Lord, your God” (6:13).  Each time the devil tempts him Jesus responds with a quote from the Book of Deuteronomy which describes the experience of Israel during her forty years in the desert.

The first temptation: Is it possible to fast forty days and live to tell the tale? The New York Times says the average person can go for thirty days without eating. Gandhi and the Irish prisoners in British jails in Belfast fasted even longer. Mitch Snyder, the US advocate for the homeless, fasted fifty-one days. The first temptation could not have been better timed.  Jesus had been fasting for forty days.  He was entitled to eat.  Even Israel in the Old Testament was miraculously fed with manna.  Why not the Son of God?  “Turn these stones into loaves of bread.  Use your power to satisfy your physical need.  You are entitled to food after a forty-day fast.”  The temptation was that Jesus use the miraculous powers God had given Him to use for His mission to provide for himself.  This first temptation of Jesus was not merely the urge to satisfy his hunger by some miraculous deed.  It also had implications as to how Jesus would respond to the physical needs of others, especially their need for food.  Matthew tells us, for example, that Jesus miraculously fed a multitude of people (14:13-21 and 15:32-39).  Jesus would be seen as the Messiah who provided for their pressing needs.

The very seat of religious life, namely, the sacred precincts of the Temple itself became the scene of the second temptation.  The devil was suggesting that, on the basis of Scripture, Jesus must believe in and insist on Divine protection: if He were the Son of God, He had the right to expect safety and protection from His heavenly Father.  Here Jesus is pressured either to identify Himself as God’s Son and Messiah, or to discredit His mission by apparently either denying His trust in God, the truth of Scripture, or His own right to speak in God’s Name.  An additional temptation for Jesus was to use his miraculous powers to amaze people and thereby attract followers.

In the third temptation, the devil wanted Jesus to enter the world of political power to establish his own Kingdom instead of choosing the path that would lead to suffering, humiliation and death.  It was a temptation to do the right thing using the wrong means.  Jesus was being tempted to win the world by worshipping the devil.  Why not compromise a bit?  Why not strike a deal with the evil powers?  Spirit-filled, sanctified, spiritually vibrant Christians are still subject to the same temptations.  We need companionship, acceptance, the approval of others, love, and appreciation.  We are tempted to fulfill these legitimate needs using the wrong means.

(C) The preaching: The Greek word used for preaching is kerussein meaning a herald’s proclamation of his king’s message. Jesus’ preaching bore the notes of authority, certainty and reliability – as coming from God his Father.

(D) Call to repentance: Metánoia the Greek word used in Matthew for repentance, meant a change of mind which included being sorry for sin and its consequences, and turning away from sinful thoughts, words, and deeds, thus reversing our life-direction from ourselves to God.

(E) The message: believe in the Good News: “Believe in” means accept Jesus’ words as Truth, based on his authority as the Son of God.  The content of Jesus’ message was called Good News because it corrected the incorrect Jewish belief (and the bad news), that God was an angry, demanding, punishing judge, and taught the Good News that God is a loving, merciful, forgiving Father Who wants to save everyone from the bondage of sin through His Son.  Hence, St. Paul calls it Good News of hope (Col 1:23), peace (Eph 6:15), promise (Eph 3:6), immortality (Tm 1:10) and salvation (Eph 1:13).

Life messages: 1) We are to confront and conquer temptations as Jesus did, using the means he employed.  Every one of us is tempted to seek sinful pleasures, easy wealth, and a position of authority, power, and glory, and to use any means, even unjust or sinful ones, to gain these things.  Jesus serves as a model for us in conquering temptations by strengthening himself through prayer, penance, and the active use of the Word of God. Temptations make us more powerful warriors of God by strengthening our minds and hearts. By constantly struggling against temptations, we become stronger. Each time one is tempted to do evil but does good, one becomes stronger.  Further, we are never tempted beyond our power.  In his first letter, St. John assures us: “Greater is the One Who is in us, than the one who is in the world (1 Jn 4: 4). We may be strengthened by St. Paul’s words in 1 Cor 10:13: “No testing has overtaken you, that is not common to everyone.  God is faithful, and [God] will not let you be tested beyond your strength, but with the testing [God] will also provide the way out so that you may be able to endure it.” Hence, during this Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies by prayer (especially by participating in the Holy Mass), by penance, and by meditative reading of the Bible.

2) We are to grow in holiness by prayer, reconciliation and sharing during Lent:   a) by finding time to be with God every day of Lent, speaking to Him in fervent prayer, and listening to Him through the meditative reading of the Bible; b) by repenting of our sins daily and asking God’s forgiveness every night at bedtime; c) by being reconciled with God through the Sacrament of Reconciliation; d)  by being reconciled with others, forgiving them the hurts they have caused us and asking their pardon for the hurts we have inflicted on them; e) by sharing our love with others through selfless, humble service, almsgiving, and helping those in need; f) by living the Gospel, or the Good News, of God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness in our lives, thus bearing true Christian witness.

3) Lent is the time for the desert experience. We can set aside a place and time to be alone daily with God, a time to distance ourselves from the many noises that bombard our lives every day, a time to hear God’s word, a time to rediscover who we are before God, and a time to say yes to God and no to Satan as Jesus did.

(“Our generation has had no Great War, no Great Depression. Our war is spiritual. Our depression is our lives.” Chuck Palahniuk). 

JOKE OF THE WEEK “I gave them up for Lent!” A Catholic priest working in an inner city was walking down an alley one evening on his way home when a young man came down the alley behind him and poked a knife against his back. “Give me your money,” the young man said. The priest opened his jacket and reached into an inner pocket to remove his wallet, exposing his clerical collar. “Oh, I’m sorry, Father,” said the young man, “I didn’t see your collar. I don’t want YOUR money.” Trembling from the scare, the priest removed a cigar from his shirt pocket and offered it to the young man. “Here,” he said. “Have a cigar.” “Oh, no, I can’t do that,” the young man replied, “I gave them up for Lent!”

Making peace with his penance: A priest spied a parishioner enjoying some tasty smoked sausage on Friday during Lent — a strict no-no in the Church. The priest, being a pragmatic soul, told the man for his penance he was to bring a load of lumber to the church to help repair the roof. The man grumbled but went off to do his penance. He arrived at the church on the next Friday and proceeded to dump a huge load of sawdust into the parking lot. “What’s this?” the priest wanted to know. “I told you your penance was a load of lumber, not sawdust.” The man replied coolly, “Well, if that sausage I ate was meat, then this sawdust is lumber.”

Just have a beer: A man took his young son to a baseball game. While they were sitting there, he asked the boy what he was going to give up for Lent. The boy replied, “I don’t know, Dad. What are you going to give up?”
His father said, “I’ve thought about this a lot and decided to give up liquor.” Later in the game, the beer man came by, and the man ordered a beer. His son objected, “Hey, I thought you were giving up liquor!” His dad answered, “Hard liquor, son. I’m giving up hard liquor. This is just a beer.” To which the boy replied, “Well then, I’m giving up hard candy.”

Fish ‘n’ chips: It is February 22, the third Friday of Lent, and the faithful parishioner stumbles through pouring rain past hamburger huts and steak houses into the monastery at Mount Angel and requests shelter. He’s just in time for dinner and is treated to the best fish and chips he’s ever had.
After dinner, he goes into the kitchen to thank the chefs. He’s met by two brothers, “Hello, I’m Brother Michael, and this is Brother Francis.” “I’m very pleased to meet you. I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful dinner. The fish and chips were the best I’ve ever tasted. Out of curiosity, who cooked what?” Brother Michael replies, “Well, I’m the fish friar.” The man turns to the other brother and says, “Then you must be . . .” “Yes, I’m afraid I’m the chip monk.”

“I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent.” A bartender notices that every evening, without fail, one of his patrons orders three beers. After several weeks of noticing this pattern, the bartender asks the man why he always orders three beers. The man says, “I have two brothers who have moved away to different countries. We promised each other that we would always order an extra two beers whenever we drank as a way of keeping up the family bond.” Several weeks later, noticing that the man only ordered two beers, the bartender said, “Please accept my condolences on the death of one of your brothers. You know, the two beers and all…” The man replied, “You’ll be happy to hear that my two brothers are alive and well… It’s just that I, myself, have decided to give up drinking for Lent.”

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1) Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  

2) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes & pdf texts on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://sundayhomilies.au/)

4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

6) Lenten Liturgical Resources:1) http://www.textweek.com/lent.htm

2)http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/

3) http://www.churchyear.net/lent.html

4) http://www.catholic.org/lent/

7) Living Lent daily: http://www.loyolapress.com/our-catholic-faith/liturgical-year/lent/living-lent-daily

8) Video Sunday-Scripture study by Fr. Geoffrey Plant: https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant2066

9) Lenten videos: a) Christopher West

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=oWCxvoA_LqI

b) Bishop Barron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vm3JK7JYAKs , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvsOFWxbyRM

https://youtu.be/skXQ_XD7wHE?list=PL58g24NgWPIxlOD1lVXDei9TngqVR-lTj

c) USCCB: https://youtu.be/qzyfrCZL0e0?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAoMqHc4moKtTJSI6gsth32

 

27- Additional anecdotes: 1) “I’m already working on a murder case!” The local sheriff was looking for a deputy, and one of the applicants — who was not known to be the brightest academically — was called in for an interview. “Okay,” began the sheriff, “What is 1 and 1?” “Eleven,” came the reply. The sheriff thought to himself, “That’s not what I meant, but he’s right.” Then the sheriff asked, “What two days of the week start with the letter ‘T’?” “Today & tomorrow,” replied the applicant. The sheriff was again surprised over the answer, one that he had never thought of himself. “Now, listen carefully. Who killed Abraham Lincoln?” asked the sheriff. The jobseeker seemed a little surprised, then thought really hard for a minute and finally admitted, “I don’t know.” The sheriff replied, “Well, why don’t you go home and work on that one for a while?” The applicant left and wandered over to his pals who were waiting to hear the results of the interview. He greeted them with a cheery smile, “The job is mine! The interview went great! First day on the job and I’m already working on a murder case!” — In our Gospel reading this morning, (Mt 4:1-11), it is Jesus’ first day on the job. Immediately he is confronted with three major temptations. And he is confronted with this basic question: Will he take the crown without the cross?  (Rev. Brett Blair) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “I only want to get my nose in:” An Arab fable tells of a miller who was startled by seeing a camel’s nose thrust in at the door of the tent where he was sleeping.  “It’s very cold outside,” said the camel, “I only want to get my nose in.” The nose was allowed in, then the neck, finally the whole body.  Soon the miller began to be inconvenienced by such an ungainly companion in a room not large enough for both.  “If you are inconvenienced,” said the camel, “you may leave; as for myself I shall stay where I am.” —  “Give but an inch,” says Lancelot Andrews, “and the devil will take an ell; if he can get in an arm, he will makeshift to shove in his whole body.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Devil’s timing: In basketball, things change much more quickly than in football. This is partly because there are three-point shots; partly because of the trumping effect of last second foul shots; partly because the basketball court is still the same size it’s always been while players are all now seven feet tall, weigh 250 pounds, and can dunk from the free-throw line. The basketball score, the balance of power, in any game seems as though it can change in an instant. In basketball, two minutes left on the clock is an eternity. Entire games are played, entire lifetimes are lived, in those last two minutes. Unless your team is down by more than 20 points, you still have a chance. That’s why the most nail-biting, hair-raising, ulcerating, blood-pressure-raising moments in sports are in the last 10 seconds of neck-and-neck basketball games. In the last few seconds of a one-point game the test becomes not of skill, or style, or strength. No: at that crunch-point everything comes down to timing. — In the big game – the game of life – timing is everything. Does anyone doubt the devil’s timing when he arrived to accompany Jesus after he had spent forty days and forty nights of fasting in the wilderness? Jesus was exhausted, hungry, alone, tired, wobbly.  The devil wrongly calculated that Jesus would be a perfect victim. But his timing is often perfect when he tempts us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “The higher up you go, the stronger the timber grows.” A group of mountain hikers came across an old woodsman with an axe on his shoulder. “Where are you going?” they asked him. “I’m headed up the mountain to get some wood to repair my cabin.” “But why are you going up the mountain?” they asked incredulously. “There are plenty of trees all around us here.” “I know,” he said, “but I need strong timber and it grows only on the highest elevations, where the trees are tested and toughened by the weather around them. The higher up you go, the stronger the timber grows.” — And that is what God desires for us, that through the winds of trial and the storms of temptation we may grow strong and live on a higher level: strong to resist the devil’s urging, strong to serve God, and strong as we stand together in Faith and loving service to one another. Take my advice, and stay close to each other, worship regularly and often, avoid temptation when it comes your way, and fill your hearts with God’s word. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) “Micro-chipped” their dogs and cats. An increasing number of responsible pet owners have now “micro-chipped” their dogs and cats. A small “chip” is injected under the skin and when a special scanner is run over the chip, the creature’s whole history is made available—-pet’s name, owner’s name, home address, home phone, vet’s name, vet’s phone, medications taken. It’s all there. Most animal shelters now have these scanners. When a lost or wandering animal is brought in, “scanning” is the first procedure. Often the “lost” is “found,” immediately. Parents of teenagers have gotten the message too. An increasing number of parents—-with, or more often without, their teen’s knowledge—-“bug” their kids’ car to keep track of where they are at all times. Tiny spy cameras can also keep an eye on driving habits, speed, and who gets in and out of the car. . . . I see some teenagers looking at their parents very nervously right now. . .More familiar are parental controls put on e-mail accounts, alerting mom and dad when inappropriate web sites are accessed, or e-mails received. For example, we have an AOL alert on our 10- and 12-year old’s email accounts. — But think again. Even in such a “Big Brother is watching” world, the truth is that there is just too much temptation, and too strong an urge to misbehave, to ever keep track of everything. Today’s Gospel teaches us how to defeat temptations using Jesus’ techniques. (Rev. Leonard Sweet) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “What did you miss the most?” After his famous expedition to the South Pole, Admiral Richard E. Byrd was riding on a train. A man came up to him and asked, “What did you miss the most down at the South Pole?” Byrd answered that they missed a lot of things. Some of them they didn’t mind missing, and others they did; some they were very glad to get away from. He said he was discussing that very thing in the middle of the six months long Polar night with one of the Irishmen in the camp, Jack O’Brien. Byrd asked, “Jack, what are you missing most from civilization?” Jack answered without any hesitation, “Temptation!” —Temptation is a very real part of life: temptation to stray from the values we hold dear, temptation to take short cuts, to avoid struggle, to find the easy way through. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “A man who has no more temptations.” In the stories of the Desert Fathers there is one concerning Abbot John the Dwarf. Abbot John prayed to the Lord that all passion be taken from him. His prayer was granted. He became impassible. In this condition he went to one of the elders and said: “You see before you a man who is completely at rest and has no more temptations.” The elder surprised him. Instead of praising him, the elder said: “Go and pray to the Lord to command some struggle to be stirred up in you, for the soul is matured only in battles.” Abbot John did this, and when the temptations started up again, he did not pray that the struggle be taken away from him. Instead, he prayed: “Lord, give me strength to get through the fight.” [Thomas Merton, The Wisdom of the Desert (New York: New Directions, 1960), p. 56-57.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Run, D.J., run!” William H. Hinson tells about an amusing article that appeared in his local paper. Over the past several years in Houston, Texas there has been a rash of incidents in which dogs have attacked small children. As a result, the newspapers have run several stories about the attacks, some of which have been pretty gruesome. There was one, however, involving a little boy called D.J. that was not so tragic. A reporter asked D.J. how he managed to come away from a recent dog attack unharmed. You can almost picture the serious expression on the little guy’s face as he said, “Well, right in the middle of the attack, the Lord spoke to me.” “Oh, really?” asked the reporter, “And what did God say?” “He said, ‘Run, D.J., run!'” the young man reported. [William H. Hinson, Reshaping the Inner You (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1988).] — There may have been times in your life in which God has whispered,”Run, Jim, run!” Or “Run, Sally, Run!” This is a particularly valuable message when we are tempted by the devil.(Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) “I’m back, thanks to God!” Betty Hutton was a famous movie star and huge box office attraction back in the 40’s and 50’s. But Betty Hutton got lost. Family problems, emotional problems, illness, bankruptcy, depression, and alcoholism stole her life away. In her trouble, she cried to the Lord, and the Lord heard her cry. The Lord delivered her from the forces of wickedness, restored her soul, and called her life back to order, making her a new person. As a new woman, Betty Hutton made a comeback in the theatrical world playing Mrs. Hennigan in the Broadway musical Annie. At the first performance, the program notes contained extensive biographical sketches of the cast members — except for Betty Hutton. Under her picture and name were five words, “I’m back, thanks to God!” [James W. Moore, Some Things Are Too Good Not To Be True (Nashville: Dimensions for Living, 1994).] — Somebody here today needs to experience down in his or her heart, God’s great delivery and write on the biography of his or her life, “I’m back, thanks to God.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Confess your corporate sins: A moving documentary on Abraham Lincoln shows us that the revered American president considered the Civil War to be a great sin.  But the greater offense against the Almighty, in Lincoln’s mind, was the sin of slavery.  In his Second Inaugural address Lincoln said, “If God wills that [this war] continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man’s two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said: ‘The judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether’” [A Documentary History of the United States, edited by Richard D. Heffner(New York: The New American Library of World Literature, Inc., 1956), p. 157.] — Lincoln believed that there would be no redemption for this nation until our corporate sin was confessed. But Lent and Lincoln have now been vaporized by a culture that refuses to face its violent and racist history.  To confess our corporate sin is to admit weakness, to disclose our vulnerability, and to diminish our self-esteem. — Thus, we indeed resemble the culture, which H. Richard Niebuhr so aptly described two generations ago when he wrote, “A God without wrath brought men without sin into a kingdom without judgment through the ministrations of a Christ without a cross.” [The Kingdom of God in America, (New York, Harper Brothers, 1937), p. 193.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “Now, that's temptation." William Willimon, in his book What's Right with the Church (San Francisco: Harper & Row, Publishers, 1985), tells about leading a Sunday School class that was studying the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. After careful study and explanation of each of the three temptations, Dr. Willimon asked, "How are we tempted today?" A young salesman was the first to speak. "Temptation is when your boss calls you in, as mine did yesterday, and says, 'I'm going to give you a real opportunity. I'm going to give you a bigger sales territory. We believe that you are going places, young man.' ‘But I don't want a bigger sales territory,’ I told him.  ‘I'm already away from home four nights a week. It wouldn't be fair to my wife and daughter.’ ‘Look,’ my boss replied, ‘we're asking you to do this for your wife and daughter. Don't you want to be a good father? It takes money to support a family these days. Sure, your little girl doesn't take much money now, but think of the future. Think of her future!  I'm only asking you to do this for them,’ the boss said. -- The young man told the class, "Now, that's temptation."  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) “You knew what I was when you picked me up” We are often tempted by material things, opportunities, and possibilities of contemporary life – items that we generally know will only lead us away from God. The choice to avoid such temptations is ours and, thus, we must be wary of their allure. A Native American folk tale describes this problem: One day an Indian youth, in an effort to prepare for manhood, hiked into a beautiful valley, green with trees and decorated with many lovely flowers. There he fasted and prayed, but on the third day he looked up at the surrounding mountains and noticed one tall and rugged peak capped with snow. He decided that he would test himself by climbing this mountain. Thus, he put on his buckskin shirt, wrapped a blanket around his shoulders, and set out to climb the peak. When he reached the top he looked out from the rim to the world so far below. Then he heard a rustling sound and, looking around, saw a snake slithering about. Before he could move, the snake spoke to him, “I am about to die. It’s too cold for me up here; I am freezing. There is little food and I am starving. Please put me under your shirt where I will be warm and take me down the mountain.” The young man protested, “No. I have been forewarned about your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up you will bite me and I might die.” But the snake answered, “Not so. I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, you will be special to me, I will not harm you, and you will receive whatever you want.” The young man resisted for some time, but this was a very persuasive snake with beautiful diamond markings. At last, the young man tucked the snake under his shirt and carried it down the mountain. Once in the valley he gently placed the snake on the ground. Suddenly the snake coiled, rattled, and then bit the man on the leg. “You promised me!” cried the youth. — “You knew what I was when you picked me up,” said the snake, which then slithered away. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “First, I want to hear that harmonica!” A young man was sent to Spain by his company to work in a new office they were opening there. He accepted the assignment because it would enable him to earn enough money to marry his long-time girl-friend. The plan was to pool their money and, when he returned, put a down payment on a house, and get married. As he bid his sweetheart farewell at the airport, he promised to write her every day and keep in touch. However, as the lonely weeks slowly slipped by, his letters came less and less often and his girlfriend back home began to have her doubts. “Spain is filled with beautiful women,” she wrote, “and after all you are a handsome man.” When he received that letter, the young man wrote her right back declaring that he was paying absolutely no attention to the local girls. “I admit,” he wrote, “that I am tempted. But I find myself so busy with my work that I have no time for such foolishness.” However, in the very next mail delivery, the young man received a package from his sweetheart. It contained a harmonica and a note. “I’m sending you this harmonica,” his girlfriend wrote, “so you will have something to take your mind off those girls.” The young man wrote her back, thanking her for the gift and promising her that he would practice the harmonica every night and think only of her. Finally, after months of waiting, the day came for him to return to the States and his sweetheart was waiting for him at the airport. As he rushed forward to embrace her, she held up restraining hand and said sternly, “Hold on there. First, I want to hear that harmonica!” — She was a wise young lady. She knew the power of temptation and the weakness of the human heart. And so did Jesus. (Rev. Lee Griess) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) “Get behind me Satan.” Experiencing marital problems, a Christian couple sought out the advice of a marriage counselor. After numerous sessions, it became quite evident that their problems centered on monetary issues. “You have to quit spending money foolishly,” he said. “The next time you feel tempted just forcefully say, “Get behind me Satan!”  They both agreed that this would work within a week. The husband quit making his weekly stop at the tool section in the local hardware store and his wife, a chronic spendthrift obsessed with purchasing the latest fashions, ceased buying dresses every time she went out to the mall. For whenever they got the urge to spend money, they would both repeat the words, the counselor told them, “Get behind me Satan.”  However, by the third week the woman succumbed to her weakness and bought an extremely expensive evening gown. Her husband was furious “Why didn’t you say, ‘Get behind me Satan’?” “I did” replied his wife. “But when I did, I heard a response.” “Yeah, and what was that response?” growled back her husband. “Well I heard him say, ‘It looks better from the back than it does from the front!’” (Sent by Deacon Gary) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) Eagle in Niagara Falls: It was a cold, winter day. A carcass on an ice floe floated slowly down the Niagara River. An Eagle flying overhead spied the easy prey below and descended upon it. He began to eat. As he did, the water of the river began slowly pushing the floe toward the falls. But could not the eagle, stretch forth his great wings and fly? Could he not, at the very brink of the falls, leap into the safety of the air? Had he not done so a thousand times before? So slowly, he continued to eat. As he waited, the water of the river began pushing the floe faster and faster and closer and closer to the falls, until the roar of the falls began to echo throughout the canyon. — He waited until the very mists of the falls began rising above his head. Finally, he stretched forth his great wings to fly. Unknown to him, his talons, sunk in the frozen flesh of his prey and sunk in the ice of the floe, had frozen solid. His fate was sealed. He struggled, and he struggled, and he tried to get away, but he could not, until at last, the floe went over the falls and onto the rocks below. He had waited too long. (Knight’s Master Book of New Illustrations). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) Surf torture: The U.S. Navy has a Special Forces team called the SEALS. It takes a lot to become part of this elite group. One of the many physical challenges that SEALS in training must complete is called “surf torture.” Basically, the entire class must wade into the surf zone to their waistline and then sit down with arms linked. The whole time they are there the waves crash into them, hence the term “surf torture”. The biting cold water quickly sucks out all of the body’s warmth and before long, the entire class shivers in unison as the waves crash over their heads. The plan calls for submersion to the brink of hypothermia, then the trainees get pulled out for some calisthenics to warm up – then back in the surf for more conditioning. The training session has been proven a very successful way to teach prospective SEALS how to fend off the effects of hypothermia mentally. –= That is exactly what God is doing with us by permitting temptations. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) St. Ignatius Loyola Gets Smart: St. Ignatius Loyola was a Christian knight from the Basque country of northern Spain. He inherited all the swashbuckling worldliness of the flashiest Spanish gallants, and as a young man he threw himself into the battles with France that raged in the borderlands surrounding his home. There he was blasted with a cannonball. The break in his leg was badly set and, in his vanity, he told them to break it again and reset it properly.  The whole process took months of  recuperation. Bored stiff, he asked for some romance novels to read. None were available in the castle, but there was a Life of Christ and a few volumes of lives of the saints. Just to pass the time, he began to read them. Soon he began to relish them. By the time he recovered, he had become firmly convinced of the vanity of earthly glory. He made a pilgrimage and began leading a truly Christian life, laying deep foundations of intense and heartfelt prayer and building up an impressive spiritual edifice of self-denial, charity, and dedication to the Kingdom of Christ. He then took up studies for the priesthood in Europe’s greatest university, even though he was twice as old as most of the students. He gathered some fellow students around him and convinced them to dedicate their lives completely to serve the cause of Christ. — That little group became the seed of the Company of Jesus, later known as the Society of Jesus and, familiarly as the Jesuits, which has had more of an impact on the world, perhaps, than any other.  This Order has had more Saints than any other institution besides the Church itself. Since its foundation in 1541, there has never been a day in which the earth has not been blessed with the presence of a Jesuit who was later canonized as a saint. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Triumph and Tragedy of Mel Gibson: Many of us know who Mel Gibson is and how he messed up his life after making The Passion of the Christ. It wasn’t coincidence. My theory is that he did so much good through this movie that it brought on him a lot of attacks by the evil one as revenge for the spiritual good done by the film. Because he wasn’t “careful” enough or did not recognize  all the fame and wealth what that had come his way as his new spiritual battlefield, Gibson wasn’t ready for battles that came after he had finished the Passion movie. Because of his well-documented paranoia, he repeatedly roared threats to kill his estranged ex-wife of 28 years and burn down her house. He alludes to having earlier hit her hard enough to break several of her teeth—something he claims she “deserved.” — Mel’s former wife surely knows that not only is Mel a racist, homophobe, misogynist, and an anti-Semite, he is a drug- and alcohol-abuser and a violent or potentially violent man. Why did he have all these tragedies after the great triumph of his career, The Passion of the Christ, which grossed over $604 million worldwide?  Because he ignored Peter’s advice, “Stay sober and alert. Your opponent the devil is prowling like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, solid in your Faith. (1 Pt 5:8-9a). (Adapted from Fr Matuesz Rudzik). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) Lent Day 35 – The Lesson of Lough Derg:

I don’t know any other place on earth that better exemplifies purgative suffering than Lough Derg. Otherwise known as St. Patrick’s Purgatory, this Irish island was purportedly visited by St. Patrick in the 5th century. The saint came there   in order to embark on a penitential retreat of forty days and forty nights.  There, pilgrims from the Middle Ages to the present day, have journeyed there, in imitation of Patrick, to do penance and to pray. When the retreatants arrive, they are instructed immediately to take off their shoes and socks, and they endure the three-day process barefoot, regardless of the weather. That first day, they fast (eating nothing but dry bread and a soup composed of hot water and pepper), and they move through a series of prayers and spiritual exercises. The first night, they are compelled to stay awake, fasting from sleep. If someone dozes off, his fellow pilgrims are expected to wake him up. The following day, they continue with their fast and their exercises, but they are allowed to sleep that night. The third day involves still more prayer and culminates with confession and Mass. After the liturgy, the pilgrims put their shoes back on and are ferried across to the mainland. Those who come to Lough Derg take their spiritual lives with utter seriousness, and that is precisely why they are willing to endure hardship – even imposing it on themselves – in order to deepen their communion with God. They know that there are certain tendencies within their bodies and souls that are preventing the achievement of full friendship with God and therefore they seek, quite sensibly, to discipline themselves. — St. John Henry Newman commented that the ascetical principle is basic to a healthy Christianity. He meant that Christians, at their best, understand that our sinful nature has to be chastised, disciplined, and rightly ordered. When the ascetical instinct disappears (as it has in much of Western Christianity), the spiritual life rapidly becomes superficial and attenuated, devolving into an easy “I’m okay and you’re okay,” attitude. The whole point of the Christian life is to find joy, but the attainment of true joy comes, in a sinful world, at the cost of some suffering. (Bishop Robert Barron). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Why Penance? Once upon a time a very earnest young man visited a famous rabbi. He told the rabbi that he wanted to become a rabbi and asked for his advice. It was wintertime. The rabbi stood at the window looking out into the yard while the rabbinical candidate gave him a glowing account of his piety and learning. The young man said, “You see, Rabbi, I always dress in spotless white like the sages of old. I never drink any alcoholic beverages; only water ever passes my lips. I perform numerous penances. For instance, I always carry sharp-edged nails inside my shoes to mortify me. Even in the coldest weather. I lie naked in the snow to punish my flesh. And to complete my penance, I take a dozen lashes every day on my bare back.” As the young man spoke, a stable boy led a white horse into the yard and took him to the water trough. The horse drank his fill of water, and having done so, rolled in the snow, as horses sometimes do. “Just look!” cried the rabbi. “That animal, too, is dressed in white. It also drinks nothing but water, has nails in its shoes and rolls naked in the snow. Also, rest assured, it gets its daily ration of lashes on the rump from its master. Now, I ask you, is it a saint, or is it a horse?” — The point the rabbi was making was that penance is not an end in itself. What is the purpose of penance? Is it meant to undo the past? The past is done. Is it meant to persuade God to erase our sins and forgo the punishment we deserve for them? Why penance? (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22. True Penance: A wealthy Jewish merchant treats a poor old man with rudeness and disdain as they travel together on a train. When they arrive at their common destination, the merchant finds the station thronged with pious Jews waiting in ecstatic joy to greet the arrival of one of the holiest rabbis in Europe, and learns to his chagrin that the old man in his compartment is that saintly rabbi. Embarrassed at his disgraceful behavior and distraught that he missed a golden opportunity to speak in privacy to a wise and holy man, the merchant pushes his way through the crowd to find the old man. When he reaches him, he begs the rabbi’s forgiveness and requests his blessing. — The old man answered, “To receive forgiveness you must go out and beg it from every poor old person in the world.” (Brian Cavanaugh in The Sower’s Seed; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) “Begone Satan!” In 1988, Martin Scorsese film The Last Temptation of Christ, based on the Nikos Kazantzakis novel, made waves, worldwide. The core controversy was Jesus’ relationship with Mary Magdalene. In 2005, Dan Brown’s novel, The Da Vinci Code, was similarly sensational. Now, a new film, The Aquarian Gospel, is being shot to unveil Jesus’ hidden years during which he imbibes Indic wisdom with a beautiful Indian confidante named Saraswati. This film is set to become a box-office hit in India, at least, since the mademoiselle in question is the sexy Indian actress, Mallika Sherawat. — Let us not labor to disclose the devilry of fanciful films. But reflections upon Christ’s first temptation will assist our Lenten observances. May Lent lead us to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, so that every “first temptation” might be met with a resolute “Begone, Satan!” (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) You look different…A number of years ago Doug Alderson wrote a beautiful article in Campus Life magazine. It described his 2,000-mile hike down the Appalachian Trail. Doug had just graduated from high school and had lots of unanswered questions: Was there a God? What was the purpose of life? What was his purpose in Life? Commenting on all this, Doug wrote: “There had to be more to life than money, TV, parties and getting high…My hike was a search for inner peace, a journey to find myself.” The hike proved to be more difficult than Doug anticipated. At times the trail became dangerously steep. The days were often rainy. Doug’s clothes got soaked, his feet got wet, his body shivered and ached at night. But Doug didn’t give up. The long hours of walking and climbing gave Doug a chance to think. They also gave him a chance to get to know himself better. There was no one around to influence him. Five months later Doug reached home. He was a different person. Even his dog eyed him strangely, as if to say, “Where have you been? What have you done? You look different.” — Doug was different. He had found what he was searching for. There was a God. Life had a purpose, and he had a role to play in it. Doug summed up his experience this way: “I was more my own person. I liked what I saw in myself.” (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) Temptations: A lark flying safely high in the air, observed a small object moving slowly along the path in a garden below. Out of curiosity it descended to take a closer look. He discovered it was a small wagon with a cat pulling it and chanting all the time, “Fresh worms for sale. Fresh worms for sale!” Interested, the lark alighted on the path -but at a safe distance. He asked what the worms were selling for. “Three nice worms for one feather from your wing.” said the cat. The lark thought that was a bargain and pulled a feather from his wing and enjoyed the delicious worms. Then he took off and soared again but the thought of those juicy worms brought him down to the wagon again. This time he bought twice as many, and bartered away two more feathers. The same thing happened several more times. But the pussycat was watching closely. — Robbed of wing power, the lark was not able to get away when the cat sprang at him… and thus met his death in the garden where temptation had proved too strong for him.  (Msgr. Arthur Tonne in Tonic for the Heart; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) To become the person, you once needed: When Sara became ill many years ago, bulimia was not yet a household world.  Filled with guilt at her uncontrollable behavior, she was taken to specialist after specialist until someone was able to identify the problem as something much more than teenage rebellion.  Slowly she fought her way back from the edge.  Sara was surrounded by many loving adults, but no one could understand why she was doing this to herself.  She didn’t understand it either.  Sara fought her disease alone and managed to conquer it. Now happily married, Sara read a story in her local newspaper about a new support group for those suffering from bulimia.  Although Sara had not suffered from its symptoms since she was a teenager, she was intrigued by the idea of a support group and went to the meeting.  It was a powerful experience.  The desperately ill young people there touched her heart.  While she felt unable to help them, she cared about them and continued attending the meetings.  Other than saying she had bulimia as a girl, Sara revealed little about herself at the meetings; she sat quietly and listened to the stories of others. As she was about to leave one of the sessions, Sara was stopped by a painfully thin girl who thanked her for coming and told her how much it meant to know her.  The girl’s eyes filled with tears.  Sara responded with her usual graciousness but was puzzled.  Sara could not recall ever speaking to this girl and did not even know her name. As she drove home, Sara wondered how she could have forgotten something so important to someone else.  She was almost home when it dawned on her. Her husband, who met her at the front door, was surprised to see that she had been crying. “Sara, what’s wrong?” he asked. A smile broke through her tears. “Harry, I’ve become the person I needed to meet,” she told him and walked into his arms. [From My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D.] — The lesson of the Transfiguration is that there exists within each one of us the Spirit of God to become the person God calls us to be. (Connections) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) “You shall not put God to the test!”: Perhaps the Bible phrase with which our Lord answered Satan in the desert, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test,” is better known in its older translation, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” No matter — either version tells us, “Don’t shake your fist at God!” One American of yore who did “shake his fist at God” was Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899), a free-thinking lawyer, politician, and public speaker who rejoiced in the moniker,  “The Great Agnostic.” Ingersoll, born in Dresden, N.Y., south of Geneva, was a self-educated man, the rationalist son of an orthodox Congregationalist minister. After studying law, he was admitted to the Illinois Bar. During the Civil War, he formed a regiment, was named its colonel, saw action, and was also held for some months as a prisoner of war. After the War he turned Republican and served as attorney general of Illinois. As a delegate to the 1876 Republican National Convention, he was given the honor of nominating the party’s presidential candidate, James G. Blaine. Blaine lost, but Ingersoll’s nomination speech was such a classic that he was much in demand afterwards as a lecturer. Indeed, he could earn as much as $3,500 for a single talk. Col. Ingersoll spoke on many things, but preferred religious (or rather, irreligious), subjects  —  especially exposés of God, Moses, the Devil, and Superstition. He attacked common belief with scientific “proofs.” As a speaker, he loved to shock. When he lectured on God, for instance, he started by taking out his watch and declaring, “If there is a God, I will give him five minutes to strike me dead.” This was truly “shaking his fist at God.” Of course, Ingersoll always won – not because God was dead, but because He IS infinitely patient. Robert Ingersoll meanwhile had high hopes that Republicans in power would promote him to important civil office. They never did because, very sensibly, they didn’t want to raise to a position of power one who so delighted in offending the religious sensibilities of the majority of Americans. — As Lent begins, we who believe in God can only pray the He may be as patient with us as He was with Robert Green Ingersoll. (Father Robert F. McNamara). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) “All right, Mom! But please do not look.”  A young mother wanted to quit smoking. She knew it was bad for her health and the people around her. For her, it had been a vicious cycle of quitting and restarting. Each relapse was inflicting a heavier toll on her body and self-esteem. One tension-filled day, while on a busy run to do the shopping, the urge to light up a cigarette was overpowering. Without knowing why, she pleaded to her three-year old son, seated beside her on the car’s front seat, to do something. He answered with disarming seriousness, “All right, Mom! But please do not look.” She peeked anyway. The little boy was bowing his head in prayer, with the palms of his hands joined. — The mother knew that she could not betray the faith of her praying son. The desire for a cigarette left her. From then on, she had more strength to cope with her weakness. Her little son had helped her to overcome temptation and addiction. (Lectio Divina). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) Temptation trap for ring-tailed monkeys: Men who trap animals in Africa for zoos in America say that one of the hardest animals to catch is the ring-tailed monkey. For the Zulus of that continent, however, it’s simple. They’ve been catching this agile little animal with ease for years. The method the Zulus use is based on knowledge of the animal. Their trap is nothing more than a melon growing on a vine. The seeds of this melon are a favorite of the monkey. Knowing this, the Zulus simply cut a hole in the melon, just large enough for the monkey to insert his hand to reach the seeds inside. The monkey will stick his hand in, grab as many seeds as he can, then start to withdraw it. This he cannot do. His fist is now larger than the hole. The monkey will pull and tug, screech and fight the melon for hours. But he can’t get free of the trap unless he gives up the seeds, which he refuses to do. Meanwhile, the Zulus sneak up and nab him. (Fr. Tony Kayala) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/26

 Give Up for Lent: GIVE UP grumbling! Instead, “In everything give thanks.” Constructive criticism is OK, but “moaning, groaning, and complaining” are not Christian disciplines.

GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, get up, and use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion.

GIVE UP looking at other people’s worst points. Instead, concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.

GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?

GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety spends emotional energy on something we can do nothing about — like tomorrow! Live today and let God’s grace be sufficient.

GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit some lonely or sick person. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the “tube?” Give someone a precious gift: your time!

GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We are called to be stewards of God’s riches, not consumers.

GIVE UP judging by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ. (Craig Gates, Jackson, MS, “What to Give up for Lent”)

Summary of WHAT TO GIVE UP in Lent

Give up complaining. . . . . . . .focus on gratitude.

 Give up pessimism. . . . . . . . . become an optimist.

 Give up harsh judgments . . .think kindly thoughts.

 Give up worry. . . . . . . . . . . . . trust Divine Providence.

 Give up discouragement. . . . .be full of hope.

Give up bitterness. . . . . . . . . . turn to forgiveness.

 Give up hatred. . . . . . . . . . . . . return good for evil.

 Give up negativism . . . . . . . . .be positive.

 Give up anger. . . . . . . . . . . . . .be more patient.

 Give up pettiness. . . . . . . . . . .become mature.

 Give up gloom. . . . . ………enjoy the beauty all around you.

 Give up jealousy. . . . . . . . . . . .pray for trust.

 Give up gossiping. . . . . . . . . . .control your tongue.

 Give up sin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . turn to virtue.

 Give up giving up. . . . . . . . . . . hang in there!

If we were......

If we were:

 —   knives, Lent would be a time to sharpen our cutting

               edges. 

 —  cars, Lent would be a time for an oil change and tune-up.

 —  swimming pools, Lent would be a time to filter the dirt  

               from our water.     

 — gardens, Lent would be a time to fertilize our soil and dig

              out our weeds. 

 — carpets, Lent would be a time to get power-cleaned. 

— VCRs, Lent would be a time to clean our heads and adjust

              our tracking.  

—  computers, Lent would be a time to overhaul our disk

              drive. 

—   highways, Lent would be a time to repair our cracks and

             fill our potholes. 

—   TV sets, Lent would be a time to adjust our focus and our

              fine-tuning. 

—   silverware, Lent would be a time to clean away our tarnish. 

—   batteries, Lent would be a time to be recharged. 

—   seeds, Lent would be a time to germinate and reach for

              the  sun.

But we are none of those things.

We are people who  -- sometimes do wrong things: we need

                 to atone for them.  

--  sometimes get spiritually lazy: we need to get back into 

                 shape. 

--  sometimes become selfish: we need to stretch out of our 

                  narrowness and begin giving again. 

--  sometimes lose sight of our purpose on earth and the 

              immense promise within us: we need to regain our

           vision. 

And because we are also people who sometimes tend to put those things off, we need a special sort of official time to

concentrate on doing them. So we have Lent. The Easter candy will taste sweeter, the Easter flowers will bloom more brightly, the Easter Sunday sun will shine more warmly, if we become better people - and all because of how we spend these next forty days. 

Source: (http://www.stagnes.rcec.london.on.ca/lenten.htm)L-17

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 18) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Kindly visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Please contact me by email only at akadavil@gmail.com. For additional homilies, you may visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks toVatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies from 1998 to 2020) My post-retirement U. S. postal address is  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al, U. S. A. 36507

  

9 things you need to know about Lent byJimmy  Aiken (The Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers).( https://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-lent1?gclid=CjwKCAiAjrXxBRAPEiwAiM3DQmcHMspWiQc1U3tjHObcS7RT_hJR8BLyCDq42LKWVaCwHf-TO1qwSBoCpiMQAvD_BwE )

1. What is Lent? According to the Universal Norms for the Liturgical Year and the General Roman Calendar [.pdf]: 27. Lent [is a liturgical season that] is ordered to preparing for the celebration of Easter, since the Lenten liturgy prepares for celebration of the Paschal Mystery both catechumens, by the various stages of Christian initiation, and the faithful, who recall their own Baptism and do penance. 

2. Where does the word “Lent” come from? The Catholic Encyclopedia notes: The Teutonic word Lent, which we employ to denote the forty days’ fast preceding Easter, originally meant no more than the spring season. Still, it has been used from the Anglo-Saxon period to translate the more significant Latin term quadragesima (French carême, Italian quaresima, Spanish, cuaresma), meaning the “forty days”, or more literally the “fortieth day”. This in turn imitated the Greek name for Lent, tessarakoste (fortieth), a word formed on the analogy of Pentecost (pentekoste), which last was in use for the Jewish festival before New Testament times.

3. When does Lent begin and end? The Universal Norms state:

28. The forty days of lent run from Ash Wednesday up to but excluding the Mass of the Lord’s Supper exclusive. This mean that Lent begins at 12:01 a.m. on Ash Wednesday and runs to just before the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on the evening of Holy Thursday. As soon as the Mass of the Lord’s Supper starts, it’s a new liturgical season: Triduum. 

4. Is Lent exactly forty days long as currently celebrated? No, it’s actually a little longer than forty days. The number is approximative, for spiritual purposes. More info on the precise number of days visit: http://jimmyakin.com/2011/03/annual-lent-fight-2011-ed.html#duration  

5. Are the Sundays in Lent part of Lent?

Yes. See question 1 for the duration of Lent. It runs from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday. No exceptions are made for Sundays. Furthermore: The Sundays of this time of year are called the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent [emphasis added]. The Sixth Sunday, on which Holy Week begins, is called, “Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.”  

6. Why is the number forty significant?

Pope Benedict XVI explains: Lent recalls the forty days of our Lord’s fasting in the desert, which He undertook before entering into His public ministry. We read in the Gospel: “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry” (Mt 4,1-2). Like Moses, who fasted before receiving the tablets of the Law (cf. Ex 34,28) and Elijah’s fast before meeting the Lord on Mount Horeb (cf. 1 Kings19,8), Jesus, too, through prayer and fasting, prepared Himself for the mission that lay before Him, marked at the start by a serious battle with the tempter [Message for Lent 2009].

7. What are the rules for fasting in Lent? Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast. The law of fast binds those who are from 18 to 59 years old, unless they are excused for a sufficient reason (e.g., a medical condition that requires more frequent food, etc.). According to the Church’s official rules (as opposed to someone’s personal summary of them): The law of fasting allows only one full meal a day, but does not prohibit taking some food in the morning and evening, observing—as far as quantity and quality are concerned—approved local custom [Apostolic Constitution Paenitemini, Norms, III:2].

The system of mitigated fasting that is required by law thus allows for “one full meal” and “some food” in the morning and evening. The Church’s official document governing the practice of fasting does not encourage scrupulous calculations about how much the two instances of “some food” add up to, though obviously each individually is less than a full meal, since only one of those is allowed.

8. What are the rules for abstinence in Lent?

Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence (as well as Good Friday). An exception is if a solemnity falls on a Friday, but no solemnities fall on Fridays in 2026, so all Fridays are days of abstinence.

The law of abstinence binds those who are 14 years old or older. According to the Church’s official rules: The law of abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, the products of milk or condiments made of animal fat [Paenitemini, Norms III:1].

9. Do you have to give up something for Lent? If you do, can you have it on Sundays?

The traditional custom of giving up something for Lent is voluntary. Consequently, if you give something up, you set the parameters. If you choose to allow yourself to have it on Sundays as to promote joy on this holy day, that is up to you.

Visit also: 1) https://www.getfed.com/lenten-season-101-5994/

2) USCCB: Questions and Answers about Lent and Lenten Practices: http://www.usccb.org/prayer-and-worship/liturgical-year/lent/questions-and-answers-about-lent.cfm

OT VI [A] Sunday (Feb 15) Eight-minute homily in one page (LP/26)

Introduction: Today’s readings challenge us to choose freely and wisely to observe the laws given by a loving and caring God. He revealed His laws to His Chosen People through Moses and the prophets in the Old Testament, and through His own Son, Jesus, in the New Testament. For the Israelites, the Torah was not a set of laws, but the instruction or teaching intended to promote the holiness and wholeness of each believer. It was the revealed will of a caring God, for the people with whom had He made His covenant. In today’s gospel Jesus as a new law-giver reinterprets four Mosaic laws. (An anecdote may be added)

Scripture lessons: The first reading, taken from Sirach, contains the clearest statement in the Old Testament concerning the God-given freedom of the human will. It exonerates God from all responsibility for evil in the world. “If you choose, you can keep the commandments . . . before you are life and death, whichever you choose shall be given you.” In the second reading, Paul challenges his Corinthian believers to appreciate the wisdom of God’s saving plan for His people, a plan hidden for ages but now revealed by the Spirit. In the selection from the Sermon on the Mount in today’s Gospel, while challenging his disciples to live a life of justice and righteousness which should exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus, as the new lawgiver, sets forth his own position with regard to the Law given through Moses, by providing new interpretation and meaning for the old laws. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus explains the real meaning of three Mosaic laws concerning murder, adultery, divorce and false oaths. Anger is murder, impure look is adultery and unlawful divorce is double violation of natural law and covenant with God and false oaths are sacrilegious.

Life messages: 1) We need to obey God’s Law, appreciating its basic principles: In obeying God’s law and Church law, let us remember the two basic principles on which these laws are based, namely, the principle of reverence and the principle of respect. In the first four of the Ten Commandments, we are asked to reverence God, reverence His holy Name, reverence His holy day, and reverence our father and mother. The next six commandments instruct us to respect life, one’s personal integrity and good name, the legal system, another’s property and another's spouse. Our obedience to these laws must be prompted by love of God and gratitude to God for His blessings. Jesus explains that anger is murder, evil thoughts, words, looks and behavior are adultery, unlawful divorce is sinful and false oaths are sacrilegious. 

2) We need to forgive,forget, and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible. St. Paul advises us “Be angry (righteous anger) but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). When we keep anger in our spirit, we are inviting physical illnesses, like hypertension, and mental illnesses, like depression. Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry, wait before acting on our anger, giving it time to detoxify and cool off, pray for God’s strength for self-control, and give the Holy Spirit time to help us to see the event through Jesus’ eyes instead of through anger’s eyes. 3) We need to be true to God, to ourselves, and to others. Let us allow God’s word of truth to penetrate our minds and hearts and to form our consciences, making us men and women of integrity. (LP/26)

O T VI [A] (Feb 15): Sir 15:15-20, I Cor 2:6-10, Mt 5:17-37 

Homily starter anecdotes: 1) “I’ve got good news and bad news.” A cartoon in a national magazine shows Moses with two tablets under his arm coming down a mountain. “I’ve got good news and bad news,” he says. “The good news is I got Him down to ten. The bad news is adultery is still in there.” Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard once said: “Most people believe that the Christian Commandments are intentionally a little too severe, like setting a clock half an hour ahead to make sure of not being late in the morning.” Cable TV wizard, Ted Turner said that the Ten Commandments are out of date. I wonder which ones he would scrap. “Thou shalt not kill?” Absurd. Or “Thou shalt not steal?” Try stealing CNN’s signal without paying for it. Probably he had in mind, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Turner has been wrong before. — The Ten Commandments will never be obsolete. Adultery is just as serious now as it was then. And neither God in the Old Testament nor Jesus in the New “intentionally [made His Commandments] a little too severe.” Jesus knew that happiness comes from living according to God’s laws. Breaking those laws, or sinning, brings unhappiness and even death. The life of integrity, or righteousness, is the life God intends for us to live. So according to the Sermon on the Mount, integrity is a big deal. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 2) Passion and Reason: The Greek philosopher, Plato, four hundred years before Christ, wrote of two horses in the human heart, Passion and Reason. Passion is the wild untamed horse with boundless strength and energy, but very hard to control and direct. Reason is the tamed horse, accustomed to the reins, disciplined in stride and responding to directions. A chariot hitched to a pair of Passions might go anywhere but would surely crash or overturn before long. However, a charioteer who selects a pair of Reasons will be too cautious and fearful to go anywhere worthwhile. But if Passion and Reason can be paired, then the powerful energy is harnessed, and the journey of life can be enjoyed. – The teaching of Jesus strongly affirms the need for rules, but rules are to be understood as a means to the end, which is a life of spiritual strength and commitment. (Sylvester O’Flynn in The Good News of Mathew’s Year). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3)    Anger destroyed his life: Two great men were born in the year 1564 A.D. One man, Shakespeare, lived to the age of fifty-two and became the greatest dramatist of the English language. The other, Christopher Marlowe, perished midway in his life at the age of twenty-nine, because of his anger. Christopher wrote some of the best tragical plays at a very young age. One of his best plays is The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Dr. Faustus. Had he lived longer he probably would have become greater than Shakespeare. But he was a man given to anger. He picked up a quarrel with a man in a tavern. That man challenged him to a sword fight unto death. They both fought and Christopher was mortally wounded and later succumbed to his injuries. A great promise was terminated because of anger. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: Today’s readings challenge us to choose freely and wisely in order to observe the laws given us by a loving and caring God.  God revealed His laws through Moses and the prophets in the Old Testament and through His own Son, Jesus, in the New Testament. For the Israelites, the Torah was not a set of laws, but the instructions or teachings intended to promote the holiness and wholeness of each believer. It was the revealed will of a caring God for His Chosen People, those with whom He had made His covenant.  

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading, from Sirach, contains the clearest statement in the Old Testament concerning the God-given freedom of the human will and exonerating God from all responsibility for evil in the world. “If you choose, you can keep the commandments . . . before you are life and death, whichever you choose shall be given you.”  In the second reading, Paul challenges his Corinthian believers to appreciate the wisdom of God’s saving plan for His people, a plan hidden for ages but now revealed by the Spirit. In today’s Gospel, while challenging his disciples to live a life of justice and righteousness which would exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus sets forth his own position with regard to the Law given through Moses by providing  a new interpretation and meaning for the old laws. Jesus shows us how to go to the root of the commandments about murder, adultery, divorce, taking foolish oaths, retaliation against,  and love of, neighbor. 

First reading, Sirach 15:15-20 explained: The book of Sirach, one of the seven “Deuterocanonical” books, was written very late in Old Testament times. The author lived in a cosmopolitan, mostly pagan, community that did not support his religious values. Hence, his book was intended for Diaspora, Jews who were exposed to the pervasive influence of a Hellenistic culture which believed that humans were helpless pawns in the hands of the gods.   He asserted that there should be no compromise with the prevailing culture when it came to keeping God’s law. God never forces us to do good or evil. It is our free choice to obey or disobey God’s laws, and we are responsible for the serious consequences of our choices. This is the clearest statement in all of the canonical and deuterocanonical OT writings on the subject of human free will.  This reading and the Gospel lend solemnity and authority to each other. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 119), declares, ”Blessed are they who observe His  decrees, who seek Him with all their heart” (v 2)

The second reading, 1 Corinthians 2:6-10 explained. Paul herecontrasts the wisdom of the prevailing Greek culture with the wisdom of God, advising Christians to seek true wisdom in God’s revelation instead of indulging in endless discussions of Greek philosophy. God in His wisdom has saved us through Jesus and prepared for those love Him, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard and what has not entered the human heart.”

Gospel exegesis: Jesus came to give the Torah its full meaning: In Jesus’ time, the Law was understood differently by different groups of the Jews to be 1) The Ten Commandments, 2) The Pentateuch, 3) The Law and the Prophets, or 4) The oral (Scribal) and the written Law. The Jews believed that the Torah (Law given through Moses), was the eternal and unchangeable Self-revelation of God. (According to a 3rd century rabbi, Moses gave 365 prohibitions and 248 positive commands. David reduced them to 11 in Psalm 15. Isaiah made them 6 (Isaiah 33:14, 15). Micah 6:8 binds them into 3 commands. Habakkuk reduces them all to one great statement: “The just shall live by Faith.”)  Jesus, and later Paul, considered the oral Law as interpreted by the scribes a heavy burden on the people and criticized it, while honoring the Mosaic Law and the teachings of the prophets. Today’s Gospel passage, fromJesus’ “Sermon on the Mount,” presents Jesus as giving the highest compliments to the Mosaic Law, although he himself would be condemned later and crucified as a Lawbreaker. Jesus says that, as the word of God, the Old Testament has a Divine authority and deserves total respect. Its moral precepts are to be respected because they are, for the most part, specific, Divine-positive promulgations of the natural law. For the Scribes and the Pharisees, the external fulfillment of the precepts of the Mosaic Law was a guarantee of a person’s salvation. Jesus rejects this view in today’s Gospel passage, taken from the “Sermon on the Mount.”  For Jesus, justification, or sanctification, is a grace from God. Man’s role is one of cooperating with that grace by being faithful to it. Jesus then outlines the new moral standards for his disciples. In today’s Gospel, Jesus says that he did not come to destroy the Torah but to bring it to perfection by bringing out its inner meaning, because Jesus Himself is the ultimate Self-revelation of God, the Lawgiver. Jesus also explains the real meaning of three Mosaic laws concerning murder, adultery and false oaths.

 Respect life in all its stages, in words and deed: Jesus explains that the fifth commandment means respecting life in all its stages by honoring others in words and deeds.  This means that we have to control our anger because it is the rawest, strongest and most destructive of human emotions. Describing three stages of anger and the punishment each deserves,  Jesus advises his disciples not to get angry in such a way that they sin. 1)  Anger in the heart (“brief stage of insanity”-- Cicero), has two forms: a) a sudden, blazing flame of anger which dies suddenly. b) a surge of anger which boils inside and lingers so that the heart seeks revenge and refuses to forgive or forget. Jesus prescribes trial and sentencing by the Village Court of Elders. 2) Anger in speech: Using words which are insulting (“raka“=“fool”), or damaging to the reputation (“moros” meaning a person of loose morals). Jesus says that such an angry one should be sent to the Sanhedrin or Jewish religion’s Supreme Court for trial and sentencing. 3) Anger in action: Sudden outbursts of uncontrollable anger often result in physical assault or abuse. Jesus says that such anger deserves hellfire as its punishment. In short, Jesus teaches that long-lasting anger is bad, contemptuous speech or destroying someone’s reputation is worse and harming another physically is the worst.

Jesus’ teaching on sexual sins:  In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines a new moral code for his followers, which is different from the Mosaic moral code. Jesus insists that adultery, the violation of the sixth commandment, is also committed through willfully generated evil and impure thoughts and desires which are willingly sustained in the mind. Our hands become agents of sin according to what we touch and how we touch, in lust or greed or violence. Our eyes become agents of sins according to what they look at. When Jesus recommends mutilation of eyes and hands, he is not speaking literally, because we have more sins than we have body-parts. Besides, even if all offending parts were removed, our minds — the source of all sins – would still be intact, causing us to sin by thoughts and desires.  So,  Jesus teaches us that, just as a doctor might remove a limb or some part of the body, like an infected gall bladder, inflamed appendix, etc., in order to preserve the life of the whole body, so we must be ready to part with anything that causes us to commit grave sin or which leads to spiritual death. Hence, these warnings are actually about our attitudes, dispositions, and inclinations.  Jesus recommends that our hands become agents of compassion, healing and comfort   and that our eyes learn to see the truth, goodness and beauty around us.

Jesus’ clear teaching on divorce: According Matthew’s version, adultery is the only ground for sanctioning divorce. Based on the NT teachings given in Mk 10:1-12, Mt. 5:31-32; Mt. 19:3-9; Lk 16:18; and 1 Cor 7:10-11, the Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a sacrament involving both a sacred and legal contract between a man and a woman and, at the same time, is a special covenant with the Lord.  “Divorce is also a grave offense against the natural law.  Besides, it claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death ….  Divorce is immoral also because it introduces disorder into the family and into society” (CCC # 2384, 2385).

We are to be men and women of integrity and character: According to the teachings of the Jewish rabbis, the world stands fast on truth, justice and peace; hence, liars, slanderers, scoffers and hypocrites will not enter Heaven. The rabbis classified two types of oaths as offensive to God: 1) frivolous oaths using God’s name to support a false statement, because this violates the second commandment and 2) evasive oaths using words like Heaven, Jerusalem, or my head, because God is everywhere, and He owns everything. Jesus interprets the Mosaic Law on oaths to mean that we should be righteous men and women of integrity and character.  If one is honest in one’s words and deeds, there is no need for one to support one’s statements and transactions with oaths or swearing. How forceful are honest words! (Jb 6:25). An oath is a solemn invocation of God (So help me, God!) to bear witness to the truth of what one asserts to be the case or to the sincerity of one’s undertakings in regard to future actions. It is necessary and admissible to ask God’s help in the discharge of an important social duty (e.g., President’s oath of office), or while bearing witness in a court of law (“I will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth … “So, help me, God.”). Jesus teaches,  “Say yes when you mean yes and say no when you mean no” (Mt 5:37). That is, he invites us to live in truth in every instance and to conform our thinking, our words, and our deeds to the truth.

Life messages: 1) We need to obey God’s Law, appreciating its basic principles: In obeying God’s law and Church law, let us remember the two basic principles on which these laws are based, namely, the principle of reverence and the principle of respect. In the first four of the Ten Commandments we are asked to reverence God, His holy Name and His holy Day and to reverence our father and mother. Th  next six commandments instruct us to respect life, one’s personal integrity and good name, the legal system, another’s property and another's spouse. Our obedience to the laws must be prompted by our love for God and our gratitude to God for His blessings.

2) We need to forgive, forget, and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible.  St. Paul advises us “Be angry (righteous anger) but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). When we keep anger in our spirit, we are inviting physical illnesses, like hypertension, and mental illnesses, like depression. Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry, wait before acting on our anger, give it time to detoxify and cool off, pray for God’s strength for self-control, and give the Holy Spirit time to help us see the event through Jesus’ eyes instead of through anger’s eyes.

3) We need to be true to God, to ourselves and to others. Let us allow God’s word of truth to penetrate our minds and hearts and to form our consciences, making us men and women of integrity.
 
Jokes of the Week

1) Bless my ex-sister.  Two sisters spent the day fighting. That evening they prepared for bed, still mad at each other. As usual, each knelt by the side of her bed for their prayers. “Dear God,” the 8-year-old began, “Bless Daddy and Mommy, bless our cat and dog.” Then she stopped. Her mother gently prodded, “Didn’t you forget somebody?” She glared across the bed at her 6-year-old sister and added, “And, oh yes, God, bless my ex-sister.” [Pulpit Resource (Jan-Mar 1992), p. 14.]

2) You win the war: My wife and I have a rule. We don’t fight on Saturday nights. You know why? Because I have to preach on Sunday morning. Now I don’t want you to get the idea that we fight the other six nights of the week. Quite frankly, I gave her an unconditional surrender several years ago. Husbands let me teach you a lesson that will save you a lot of grief. When it comes to your wife, if you lose the battle, you win the war. (Rev. Curtis Fussell).

3) “But if he is alive in the morning.”  Little Johnny had a quarrel with his younger brother, Willy. Before he said his night prayers, Johnny’s mother said to him, “Now I want you to forgive your brother.” But Johnny was not in a forgiving mood.” No, I won’t forgive him”, he said. Mother tried persuasions of every motherly variety, but nothing worked. Finally, she said, “What if your brother were to die tonight? How would you feel if you knew that you hadn’t forgiven him?” Johnny gave in or so it seemed. “All right, I forgive him,” he said, “but if he is alive in the morning, I’ll get even with him.” — The Gospel invites us to reconcile with our brothers and sisters before we come to him. (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word)

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method  to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).

1)Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  

2)Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes & pdf texts on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://sundayhomilies.au/)

4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

6)Bishop Barron’s online videos: https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/video/

7) Bishop Barron’s audio Sunday homilies: https://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/

8) Bishop Barron’s video message on people with no religion in the U. S. A.: https://youtu.be/pG2mtELrxkg?list=UUcMjLgeWNwqL2LBGS-iPb1A

9) The Catholic Lectionary website (Dr. Felix Just)  http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/

10) “Traditional Mass lectionary”: http://catholic-resources.org/Lectionary/Roman_Missal.htm

11) Movie clip: https://youtu.be/gMu4nQxumBM

12) Ask a priest: Q & A:  https://rcspirituality.org/category/ask-a-priest/

35- Additional anecdotes 

1) A marriage that disintegrated over a bar of soap. Philip Yancey in his book, What’s So Amazing About Grace? tells about a novel by a Nobel prize-winning author that illustrates how anger nursed in the heart destroys a marriage. In the novel, Love in the Time of Cholera, Gabriel Garcia Marquez portrays a marriage that disintegrates over a bar of soap. “It was the wife’s job to keep the house in order, including provision of towels, toilet paper, and soap in the bathroom. One day she forgot to replace the soap, an oversight that her husband mentioned in an exaggerated way (‘I’ve been bathing for almost a week without any soap’), and that she vigorously denied. Although it turned out that she had indeed forgotten, her pride was at stake and she would not back down. For the next seven months they slept in separate rooms and ate in silence. “Even when they were old and placid,” writes Marquez, “they were very careful about bringing it up, for the barely healed wounds could begin to bleed again as if they had been inflicted only yesterday. —  How can a bar of soap ruin a marriage? Because neither partner would say, ‘Stop. This cannot go on. I’m sorry. Forgive me.’” Today’s Gospel gives Jesus’ teaching on the indissolubility of marriage. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) Whichever you choose: John Trippe of Rochester, New York, developed a kidney malfunction at the age of five. By the time he was 27, this condition had so worsened that he was bedridden and constantly on a dialysis machine. There was only one possible permanent remedy, physicians assured the family – a kidney transplant. Transplant donors are usually sought among members of the patient’s family. Unfortunately, none of the older members of the Trippe family was found to qualify; neither the parents nor John’s four sisters. That left kid-brother Jerry who was only 16. It was a big decision for a teen-ager, so the family was careful to bring no pressure upon him. John himself, however much he desired to regain his health, neither encouraged Jerry to take the tests nor discouraged him. The choice had to be his own. Jerry decided to take the tests because he wanted to. He volunteered to submit to the almost excessive number of examinations required. He almost had to fight his way to be considered. The doctors and technicians warned him again and again to think twice about doing something he might live to regret. Final results of the tests showed that John and Jerry’s system matched closely. Hence there was 80-90% chance of successful transplant which could give John at least 24 more years to live. Jerry gave his consent. The operation took place November 17, 1981. The transfer of the one kidney from brother to brother was a success, and both recovered nicely. When an interviewer of the Democrat and Chronicle asked Jerry why he had fought so hard to give up a kidney, he said, “I love John, and I wanted to do it. It’s as simple as that!”–  One of God’s gifts most like God Himself is His Gift to us of our free will. As today’s first reading says, “There are set before you fire and water: to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand.” We can choose fire and be burned, or water and be refreshed. But we can choose, of our own free will. What better motive is there for choosing to sacrifice a part of our life than because we love our brother? (Fr. Robert F. McNamara) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “Blessed are they who follow the Law of the Lord!” A story is told about Fiorello LaGuardia, who, when he was mayor of New York City during the worst days of the Great Depression and all of WWII, was called by adoring New Yorkers ‘the Little Flower’ because he was only five foot four and always wore a carnation in his lapel. He was a colorful character who used to ride the New York City fire trucks, raid speakeasies with the police department, take entire orphanages to baseball games, and whenever the New York newspapers were on strike, he would go on the radio and read the Sunday funnies to the kids. One bitterly cold night in January of 1935, the mayor turned up at a night court that served the poorest ward of the city. LaGuardia dismissed the judge for the evening and took over the bench himself. Within a few minutes, a tattered old woman was brought before him, charged with stealing a loaf of bread. She told LaGuardia that her daughter’s husband had deserted her, her daughter was sick, and her two grandchildren were starving. But the shopkeeper, from whom the bread was stolen, refused to drop the charges. “It’s a real bad neighborhood, your Honor.” the man told the mayor. “She’s got to be punished to teach other people around here a lesson.” LaGuardia sighed. He turned to the woman and said “I’ve got to punish you. The law makes no exceptions–ten dollars or ten days in jail.”But even as he pronounced sentence, the mayor was already reaching into his pocket. He extracted a bill and tossed it into his famous Stetson hat saying: “Here is the ten dollar fine which I now remit; and furthermore, I am going to fine everyone in this courtroom fifty cents for living in a town where a person has to steal bread so that her grandchildren can eat. Mr. Bailiff, collect the fines and give them to the defendant.” So the following day the New York City newspapers reported that $47.50 was turned over to a bewildered old lady who had stolen a loaf of bread to feed her starving grandchildren, fifty cents of that amount being contributed by the red-faced grocery store owner, while some seventy petty criminals, people with traffic violations, and New York City policemen, each of whom had just paid fifty cents for the privilege of doing so, gave the mayor a standing ovation.In this story we see how the mayor of New York City maintained and defended the laws under his jurisdiction, not by merely keeping them himself, but much more than that by showing respect, even to the accused and being compassionate to her and helping her out at the same time.  — Today is the 6^th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and through the Scripture Readings of today God calls us to a radical way of living. We are called to be more than just moral: God calls us to be virtuous. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)..

4) “Never curse the umpire:  Angelo Bartlett Giamatti was the President of Yale University, and later, the seventh Commissioner of Major League Baseball. Giamatti loved baseball. He felt that the structure of the game was a paradigm of the human journey in which all of us seek to break from the box, make a wide turn and get home safely. At his memorial service, Giamatti’s son recalled endless hours in which his father (clad in a vest, a tie and a Red Sox cap) pitched them in to him. His son also recalled a word of advice, forcefully delivered after a Little League argument at first base (with father admonishing son): “Never curse the umpire. He’s the only one who knows the rules.” It was Giamatti’s contention, you see, that the beauty of the game … indeed, the very ballet of the game … required someone who could define the difference between ball and strike, fair and foul, safe and out, and who could also articulate the rules that give the game its structure. — For the rules are to baseball as the law is to life. They are not the game. But without them, the game has no meaning. Or, as a character exclaims in Woody Allen’s excellent film Crimes and Misdemeanors: “Without the law, all is darkness.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus reinterprets the Mosaic laws giving them a new meaning. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) Stealing a hammer is no big deal? A man confessed to his pastor that he stole something, a hammer, from the steel mill where he worked. Everybody was doing it, he said. No big deal. His pastor, though, told him about a report in the newspapers that thefts at this particular mill averaged out to a thousand dollars a week. His hammer along with what others were taking was costing the company over $50,000 a year. “To make up for that loss,” his pastor noted, “the factory raises the price of steel. Consequently, everyone who buys a car, purchases an appliance, remodels his house, etc., has to pay the price for your hammer. You didn’t hurt the company,” his pastor assured him, “you hurt everybody in this city” [B.A. Botkin, ed., A Treasury of American Anecdotes (New York: Galahad Books), pp. 205-206).] — And that’s true. We hurt the entire society when integrity is not maintained. It pays to be a person of integrity. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Excluded from both groups: An amusing anecdote relates the experience of a group of theologians who were debating predestination and free will.  Their arguing escalated to the point that the group divided into two factions. But one theologian was undecided as to which group he favored; finally, he decided to side with those who believed in predestination. When he came to join them, they asked, “Who sent you here?” “Nobody”, he replied, “I came of my own free will!” “Free will?!” they shouted. “You belong with the other group.” When he turned and tried to join the proponents of free will, they inquired, “When did you decide to join us?” “I didn’t decide,” the theologian responded. “I was sent here!” At this, the group shut him out saying, “You can’t join us unless you choose to do so by your own free will.” — In the end, the theologian was excluded from both groups. A similar debate concerning human free will forms the backdrop for today’s first reading from Jesus Ben Sirach. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) Phenol in the leaves: Recently, ecologists at the University of Washington found that willow trees transmit a warning to other willows from as far away as two hundred feet. When caterpillars are attacking, the trees emit a chemical signal that travels on the wind. This enables distant trees to prepare their protection, phenol in the leaves which is distasteful the caterpillars. This advance warning of an attack amazes scientists: The individual trees have the ability to behave in a way that benefits, not just themselves, but the whole species. [Melanie Brown, PH.D. Attaining Personal; Greatness, (New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1987).] —  Are we not a higher form of species than willow trees? That is why the Sermon on the Mount insists that we should treat other people as we would like to be treated. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Dead body on the mattress for funeral: Henry Nouwen tells the story of a family he knew in Paraguay. The father, a Doctor, spoke out against the military regime there and its human rights abuses. Local police took their revenge on him by arresting his teenage son and torturing him to death. The father responded with the most powerful protest imaginable. At the funeral, the father displayed his son’s body as he had found it in the jail – naked, scarred from the electric shocks and cigarette burns and beatings. All the villagers filed past the corpse, which lay, not in a coffin, but on the blood-soaked mattress from the prison. [Philip Yancey, Disappointment with God, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1988), p. 185.] — Is that not what God did at Calvary? He laid it all out there so all of us could see the price that must be paid for humanity’s refusal to obey God’s Law. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Manage your anger: Richard F. Shepard in his book, In Enemy Waters, tells about two men he saw pummeling each other in a gutter where each had a car half-parked, one frontward, one backward, in a parking space. The irrationality of it all, he says, was emphasized by a sign in front of the parking place that said, “No Parking.” Of course, the point wasn’t that they were both trying to park in a no parking zone. The point was that they both were probably carrying around anger that was just waiting to erupt. There was an article in the newspapers about two men in Philadelphia who got into an argument over who was the better point guard, Allen Iverson of the 76ers or Gary Payton of the Seattle Supersonics. Words turned to gunfire and when the smoke cleared two innocent bystanders–a man and a woman, both of whom were parents of small children — lay dead. — Do you think that either combatant in those fights really cared that much the parking space, or who was the better point guard? Of course not. They were simply venting anger. Anger can make you do stupid things. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “Don’t let her brush your hair.” In the book, Wit and Wisdom from the Peanut Butter Gang, by H. Jackson Brown, Jr. some children offer advice on spotting and dealing with anger. Morgan, age 11 says, “When your mom is mad at your dad, don’t let her brush your hair.” Lezlee, age 11 advises, “When your mother is mad and asks you, ‘Do I look stupid?’ it’s best not to answer her.” — Children become quite adept at spotting the signs of anger because so often they become the unsuspecting target of adult anger. Martin Luther King admonished his people “to avoid not only violence of deed but violence of spirit.” That’s sound advice based on the Sermon on the Mount. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) Angry argument splitting a family:  The Knot of Vipers by Nobel prize winner Francois Mauriac tells a similar story of an old man who spends the last decades of his marriage sleeping down the hall from his wife. A rift had opened thirty years before over whether the husband showed enough concern when their five-year-old daughter fell ill. Now, neither husband nor wife is willing to take the first step. Every night he waits for her to approach him, but she never appears. Every night she lies awake waiting for him to approach her, and he never appears. Neither will break the cycle that began years before. Neither will forgive.” [Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D., Making Peace with your Parents, (Ballantine Books, 1983).] —  Shall we say it again? “Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!” But it happens. Do not harbor negative thoughts in your heart. Often healing comes as soon as one party is willing to take the first step. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) What is the Sermon on the Mount? George Barna is a well-known Christian pollster and religious sociologist. One of his recent surveys opened with this indictment, “Americans revere the Bible, but, by and large, they don’t read it. And because they don’t read it, they have become a nation of Biblical illiterates.” Some of the data behind that summary is as follows: * Fewer than half of all adults can name the Four Gospels. * Sixty percent of Americans can’t name even five of the Ten Commandments. * Eighty-two percent believe that the proverb, “God helps those who help themselves” is found in Scripture. For those who identify themselves as serious Christians, the percentage is only one percent better! * Twelve percent of adults think Joan of Arc was Noah’s wife! * Fifty percent of graduating high school seniors think Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife! [Quoted in R. Albert Mohler, “The Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy,” Southern Seminary: The Tie,” Spring 2006, Vol. 74, No. 1, inside cover] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) "Stop the car and let me out!" Have you ever noticed that anger can cause us to do some dumb things? Several years ago, William F. Merten, of Mt. Clemens, Michigan, wrote to Readers’ Digest to tell about a memorable argument he had with his wife. The argument was well under way as they left a party one evening. Once they were in the car, words were flying. The area they were driving through was not the best, so they stopped arguing just long enough to lock the doors. Then they started again. Merton’s wife had really worked up a storm, and after a few choice words from him, she shouted, "Stop the car and let me out!" Merton pulled over to the curb. His wife unlocked the door and got out, but then looked around and got back in again. Looking a little sheepish she said, "Take me to a better neighborhood." That broke them both up – and the argument too! Anger can cause us to do some dumb things. [William F. Merton in “Our Argument…. Argument too” –Reader’s Digest (Oct. 1983). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Road rage: One of the phenomena we are seeing now in America is what is called road rage. Recently, on the Golden State Freeway in Sylmar, CA, Delfina Moralis and her daughter were irritated by an unnamed driver. Other motorists saw the two women tailgate a van and make angry gestures at the driver. When the van exited from the freeway, Mrs. Moralis followed closely and then got into position to spin her tires and splash the van with mud. She quickly spun around flinging mud and then drove up the ramp from which both vehicles had just exited. In her state of anger, she lost her bearings and treated the off ramp like an on ramp. She drove straight into oncoming freeway traffic. She and her daughter were instantly killed when they crashed into a Federal Express truck. -- Anger, like that, can not only cause you to become a murderer in your heart but it can become the murderer of yourself. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) Da Vinci’s Last Supper: The story is told that when the painter Leonardo Da Vinci was painting “The Last Supper,” he had an intense and bitter argument with a fellow painter. Da Vinci began to think of a way to get back at this guy. He came up with a devious plan. He decided to paint the face of his enemy as the face of Judas Iscariot so it would be captured for all time, and that is exactly what he did. When people came to look at his work, while it was still in progress, they immediately knew who “Judas” was. Da Vinci got great joy out of portraying this man as Judas Iscariot. But as he continued his work on the painting of Jesus and his disciples, he finally came to the face he had saved for the very end-the face of Jesus. But he drew a mental blank. He had what writers call “writer’s block.” He could not paint a thing. Finally, God convicted him and showed him the trouble was he had painted the face of his enemy as the face of Judas Iscariot. — He realized that his hatred and bitterness was keeping him from being able to face the face of Christ. So, he went back to the image of Judas and painted some nebulous face. He went to his painter enemy, asked forgiveness, and they were reconciled. Then he went back and could clearly paint the face of Christ and finish one of the world’s greatest portraits. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “I was also taught that you forgive people, no matter what.” The date was June 11, 1963; the place – The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa. Vivian Malone, a young black woman, enrolled that day as a freshman. Federal troops ensured her entrance, but the doorway was blocked by Governor George Wallace. Holding out for segregation, the governor ultimately failed, and Ms. Malone became the first African American to graduate from the University of Alabama. Vivian wasn’t the only newcomer that day. James Hood was at her side and needed encouragement. So, she slipped him a note; on it was this prayer: “Whatever may be our adversary this day, our Father, help us to face it with courage, for it can be conquered when Thou art with us. In faith we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.” Years later, after an assassination attempt and a deep change of heart, Wallace was rolled in his wheelchair into the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, and there, asked forgiveness. More particularly, the former governor regretted how he had treated Vivian and sought her forgiveness face to face. He wanted to make amends before he died. At their meeting, Vivian told him that she had forgiven him years earlier. Interviewed in 2003, she was asked about the meeting: “You said you’d forgiven him many years earlier?” “Oh yes.” “And why did you do that?” Her reply: —  “This may sound weird. I’m a Christian, and I grew up in the Church. And I was taught that — just as I was taught that no other person was better than I — that we were all equal in the eyes of God. I was also taught that you forgive people, no matter what. And that was why I had to do it. I didn’t feel as if I had a choice.” (Edited by Newsweek, October 24, 2005, 10. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Volunteers, please: Dr. Emil Coccaro has studied anger for decades. He says many hotheads suffer from a newly named pathology, Intermittent Explosive Disorder (I.E.D). Dr. Coccaro is championing treatment with the drug Depakote. — Oddly enough, an effort to find volunteers with volatile tempers for the clinical studies has been unproductive. Apparently, few people see their anger as a problem, and that is itself part of the problem. (PreachingToday.com) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 18) “You have room for one more VIP.”  In 1962 came the Cuban missile crisis. It was a nuclear war standoff between the US and the USSR. In the event of attack, two thousand of the most important people in the US government were to be saved in a bomb shelter dug into a Virginia mountain. One VIP was Earl Warren, Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court. When he was handed his survival pass, Warren asked, “Where is my wife’s?” He was told she was not a VIP. Smiling, he handed the pass back. “In that case,” he said, “you have room for one more VIP.” — This is the type of marriage Jesus had in mind because nowhere in the 5000 years of recorded history was marriage in worse shape than when Jesus came with its high rate of divorce denying all rights to wives. (Fr.James Gilhooley). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) “I can’t help it.” A famous Jimmy Carter story illustrates this in a humorous way. When he was running for president, Carter mentioned in an interview that, although he had never been unfaithful to his wife, he had, he admitted, “committed adultery in my heart.” Back on the campaign trail, a married couple approached Carter, “This is my wife,” the man said with a smile, “but, please Mr. Carter, but don’t lust after her in your heart.” Carter looked at the portly, middle-aged lady and said, “I can’t help it.” — Well, Jimmy Carter had a way of being self-effacing. It was one of his better qualities. The whole issue of lustful desires is something that we need to approach with humility and good humor. When a person thinks he has it all under control and starts looking down on others, it often precedes a fall. (Fr.Phil Bloom) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Be reconciled first: Little Johnny had a quarrel with his younger brother, Willie. Before he said his night prayers, Johnny’s mother said to him, “Now I want you to forgive your brother.” But Johnny was not in a forgiving mood. “No, I won’t forgive him.” He said.  Mother tried persuasions of every motherly variety, but nothing worked. Finally, she said, “What if your brother were to die tonight? How would you feel if you knew you hadn’t forgiven him?” Johnny gave in, or so it seemed. “All right, I forgive him.” He said, “but if he’s alive in the morning, I’ll get even with him.” –Today’s Gospel invites us to be reconciled with our brothers and sisters first, before we come to him. (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Making choices out of love: Once Baal Shen, a Jewish Rabbi had a dream. He was in Heaven. He saw two empty seats and asked the angel for whom they were reserved. The angel told him one was for him and the other was for his companion if he used his intelligence. Baal Shen went to see his companion and found that although he was a Jew, he was not following the Jewish laws. He was a very happy man with a lovely family. The Rabbi asked him why he was not following the Jewish law. He said that he was very happy that he loved God and his neighbor. Then Baal Shen visited hell and found two empty seats there too. The devil told him one seat was for him and the other was for his companion. Baal Shen then went to his companion and found that he was a strict Jew who kept all the external laws, but he and his family were not happy. The Rabbi told him to change but he was not ready to change as he considered himself righteous for observing all the laws. From this Baal Shen concluded that truly good and happy people are righteous. But not all the righteous are good and happy. —  We can be true to our calling as Christians if in addition to our love for God and neighbor we also attempt to keep the spirit of the law we practice, intact. – “The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath.” (Elias Dias in Divine Stories for Families). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) St. Thecla Shows the Power of a Grace-Filled Heart: Every once in a while, God reveals to the world the true power of a heart that is full of His grace and love. Take St. Thecla, for example. She grew up in the first century, a well-educated, young pagan woman who lived in the Greek city of Iconium. She became a Christian when St. Paul and St. Barnabas arrived and began to preach there. She fell in love with Christ through their teaching and witness, was baptized, received Holy Communion, and consecrated her entire life to the Lord.  Her pagan parents and fiancée were furious with this decision. They did everything possible to convince her to abandon her Christian faith and her consecration. But she persevered. Finally, they turned her over to the authorities (Christians were being persecuted at the time because they refused to worship the local, pagan false gods). The governor put her on trial, but she refused to give up her Faith. Even after eight days of prison, she still refused. They condemned her to death by burning. But when they tied her to the stake in the local arena and lit the fire, the eager crowds were amazed: miraculously, the flames left her entirely unharmed! And so, the frustrated governor sent her to the larger city of Antioch for execution. There she was put into an arena with an un-caged lion. The lion roared and circled around her, baring its teeth, as she knelt in prayer, then lay down beside her, licking her feet. They released three more lions – but the results were the same. Finally, the authorities gave up and set her free, and she spent the rest of her life in prayer and service, spreading the good news about Jesus Christ and his plan of salvation. — Jesus looks to the heart, because he knows that that’s what really matters: a heart full of his grace can overcome any obstacle, withstand any trial, and conquer any evil. (E- Priest) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) “Going beyond…” A soldier who was a Christian made it his practice to conclude every day with Bible reading and prayer. As his fellow soldiers gathered in the barrack and retired for the night, he would kneel by his bunk and offer prayers to the Lord. The other soldiers saw this and began to mock and harass him. But one night the abuse went beyond verbal assault. As the soldier bowed before His Lord in prayer, one antagonist threw his boot through the dark and hit him in the face. The other soldiers snickered and jeered, hoping for a fight. But there was no retaliation. The next morning when the taunting soldier awoke, he was startled to discover something at the foot of his bed. For all to see there were his boots, returned and polished. — That is the Christian spirit taught by today’s Gospel. (Stephen Lawson in Absolutely Sure). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) Lutz Long and Jesse Owens: Most people then had heard of Jesse Owens, who won four gold medals in the Berlin Olympics in 1936. But who had heard of Lutz Long? Lutz was one of Germany’s top athletes in the 1936 games. He was one of Adolf Hitler’s favourites. In the long-jump trials he broke the Olympic record. Only one man could possibly beat him –Jesse Owens. Just before Jesse’s turn came to qualify, Hitler left his seat and walked out. It was viewed as a snub of the black athlete, who did not fit Hitler’s Aryan supremacy theory. His snub affected Jesse, it made him mad and he fouled his first and second attempt to qualify. With just one try left he panicked. Then Jesse felt a hand on his shoulder and looked around to see Lutz. He suggested Jesse draw a line a few inches short of the take-off board and jump from there. It worked and Jesse qualified. That moment marked the beginning of a close friendship between Jesse and Lutz. In the days ahead Jesse won three gold medals with Lutz cheering him at each event. Then came the long jump finals, it pitted Jesse against Lutz. Jesse won! He recalls what happened next: “While Hitler glared, Lutz held up my hand and shouted to the gigantic crowd, ‘Jes-se Ow-ens! Jes-se Ow-ens!’ The stadium picked it up. ‘Cha-zee Oh-wenz! Cha-zee Oh-wenz!” My hair stood on end. Ordinary athletes don’t help their opponents. But Lutz Long was no ordinary athlete. He did for Jesse what he would have liked Jesse to do for him. Ordinary athletes don’t celebrate their opponent’s victory. Lutz rejoiced in Jesse’s victory. Ordinary athletes are usually forgotten a few years after their career ends. But Lutz was remembered half a century later. Every four years at Olympic time, the clip of Lutz chanting ‘Jes-se Ow-ens’ was shown worldwide on television. –All this speaks to us about the passage we just read from Matthew’s Gospel, where Jesus demands that we go beyond what is the norm, motivated by love. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25)Peter Pan: There is a delightful scene in James Matthew Barrie’s famous play, Peter Pan. Peter is in the children’s bedroom. They’re all jumping up and down with excitement. Peter has just flown across the room, and now the children want to fly too. They try to fly from the floor, then try to fly from the bed, but they can’t do it. “How did you do it?” John asks Peter. Peter answers, “It’s easy, John. Just think wonderful, beautiful thoughts. They will lift you off the ground and send you soaring into the air.” –It’s the same way with the Christian life. The way to live a Christian life is to “think wonderful, beautiful thoughts.” They will lift you off the ground and send you soaring to Heaven. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) “To be, or not to be: that is the question” To some extent every man is a split personality. There is a part of him which is attracted to good, and part of him which is attracted to evil. William Shakespeare presents this conflict beautifully in his play Hamlet. On a dark winter night, a ghost walked the ramparts of Elsinore Castle in Denmark. Discovered first by a pair of watchmen, then by the scholar Horatio, the ghost resembled the recently deceased King Hamlet, whose brother Claudius had inherited the throne and married the king’s widow, Queen Gertrude. When Horatio and the watchmen brought Prince Hamlet, the son of Gertrude and the dead king, to see the ghost, it spoke to him, declaring ominously that it was indeed his father’s spirit, and that he was murdered by none other than Claudius. Ordering Hamlet to seek revenge on the man who had usurped his throne and married his wife, the ghost disappeared with the dawn. Prince Hamlet devoted himself to avenging his father’s death, but, because he was contemplative and thoughtful by nature, he delayed, entering into a deep melancholy and even apparent madness. He thought of taking his life: “To be, or not to be: that is the question” . Hamlet was unable to make a decision. One part of him instigated him to end everything in death. But the other part told him that it was against the commandment of God. —  We all experience this inner tension. So long as there is this inner tension, this inner conflict, life must be insecure. In such circumstances the only way to safety, is to eradicate the desire for the forbidden thing for ever. The standard Jesus demands from us is not only our deeds but also our thoughts should be pure. So,  Jesus forbids forever the anger which broods, the anger which will not forget, the anger which refuses to be pacified, the anger which seeks revenge. (Fr. Bobby Jose). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) Beyond the letter of the Law: While explaining the ABCs of Christianity to an aged tribal chieftain, a missionary was stressing the don’ts more than the do’s. “You mean I must not take my friends’ wives?” clarifies the chieftain. “That’s right!” said the missionary. “And not rob their goats and cattle?” The missionary nodded. “And not kill warring chieftains?” queried the chieftain again. “Yes!” replied the missionary. “Then,” concluded the chieftain, “I’ll be a good Christian because I am too old to do any of those things.”– We often reduce Christianity to a long list of don’ts forgetting that the essence of Christianity is the ‘spirit’ behind them. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) Criterion of corruption: A cartoon in New Yorker magazine: Two clean-shaven middle-aged men are sitting together in a jail cell. One inmate turns to the other and says: “All along, I thought our level of corruption fell well within community standards.” — But in today’s Gospel, Jesus insists that our righteousness should exceed that of the scribes and the Pharisees. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

29) Develop the virtue of forgiveness: Once the son of King Louis XVI was taken prisoner by a rival nation and sent to the torture room. The French Dauphin was held prisoner by one of the most difficult jailors. The jailor was waiting to lay his hands upon this poor helpless child, for having been born into the royal family. Every day, the jailor would increase his torture a little more, and each time the child would quietly bear it all, praying to God. One day the jailor asked him, “What would you do, Capeto, if the Vendeanos set you free? What would you do with me? Would you have me hanged?” The little boy smiled and said: “I would forgive you.” — Forgiveness is one of the noblest virtues of man. As St. Francis de Sales once said, “If, someone in hatred were to pluck out my left eye, I think I could look kindly at him with my right eye. If he plucked that one out too, I would still have the heart with which to love him.”(G. Francis Xavier in 101 Inspiring Stories). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) Dentist’s mirror: Evangelist Fred Brown used three images to describe the purpose of the Law. First, he likened it to a dentist’s little mirror, which he sticks into the patient’s mouth. With the mirror, he can detect any cavities. But he doesn’t drill with it or use it to pull teeth. It can show him the decayed area or other abnormality, but it can’t provide the solution. Brown then drew another analogy. He said that the law is also like a flashlight. If suddenly at night the lights go out, you use it to guide you down the darkened basement stairs to the electrical box. When you point it toward the fuses, it helps you see the one that is burned out. But after you’ve removed the bad fuse, you don’t try to insert the flashlight in its place. You put in a new fuse to restore the electricity. In his third image, Brown likened the law to a plumb line. When a builder wants to check his work, he uses a weighted string to see if it’s true to the vertical. But if he finds that he has made a mistake, he doesn’t use the plumb line to correct it. He gets out his hammer and saw. — The law points out the problem of sin; it doesn’t provide a solution. (Quoted by Fr. Tony Kayala).

(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

31) “Man is the only animal that blushes.” Somebody asked Charles Darwin the proponent of the theory of evolution the question, “Is there anything that is true only of man?”  Darwin answered: “Man is the only animal that blushes.” And what does it mean to blush? It means that there is an innate capacity for embarrassment. And what is “an innate capacity for embarrassment,” if not an internal awareness that one is falling short of expected standards of behavior and deportment? Consider Adam and Eve. The Bible says that when they violated God’s commandment “their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked.” Who told them they were naked? Here we are, talking about the world’s first blush, as recorded in the world’s first story. — In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches us how to obey God’s laws so that we need not blush. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

32) Unexploded bombs become more dangerous with time:  In 1994, Christopher Burns wrote an article, “Wars’ Lethal Leftovers Threaten Europeans,” on the casualties of war — not the most current one with its Improvised Explosive Devices but of wars that officially ended seventy-eight years ago in the case of World War II (1946) and one hundred twenty-three years ago as regards World War I (1919). How is that? “The bombs of World War II are still killing in Europe. They turn up, and sometimes blow up, at construction sites, in fishing nets, or on beaches decades after the guns that loosed them had fallen silent. Hundreds of tons of explosives are recovered every year in France alone. Thirteen old bombs exploded in France in 2009, killing twelve people and wounding eleven, the Interior Ministry said. ‘I’ve lost two of my colleagues,’ said Yvon Bouvet, who heads a government team in the Champagne-Ardennes region that defuses explosives from both World War I and World War II…. ‘Unexploded bombs become more dangerous with time,’ Bouvet said. ‘With corrosion inside, the weapon becomes more unstable, the detonator can be exposed.’”(PreachingToday.com). —  What is true of buried bombs is true of lingering anger. It explodes when we least expect it. That is why Jesus advises us to manage our anger in the Sermon on the Mount. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

33) Anger — I Told You Not to Bite: There are times when expressing our anger is the proper thing to do. There is an old story of a Swami at a village temple in Bengal, who claimed to have mastered anger.  When his ability to control his anger was challenged, he told the story of a cobra who used to sit by the path and bite people on their way to the temple. The Swami went to visit with the snake to end the problem.  Using a mantra, he called the snake to him and brought it into submission.  Telling the snake that it was wrong to bite people, the Swami persuaded it to promise never to do it again. And when the people saw that the snake now made no move to bite them, they grew unafraid. Unfortunately, before long the village boys were tormenting the poor snake by dragging it through the village.  Later the Swami again visited the snake to see if he had kept his promise.  He found the snake miserable and hurting.  The Swami, on seeing this, exclaimed, “You are bleeding.  Tell me how this has come to be.” The snake was in anguish and blurted out that he had been abused ever since the Swami had made him promise to stop biting people. To which the swami said, “I told you not to bite, but I did not tell you not to hiss.” (Rev King Duncan) (Quoted by Fr. Tony Kayala). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

34) Destructive Anger: In the Spring of 1894, the Baltimore Orioles came to Boston to play a routine baseball game. But what happened that day was anything but routine. The Orioles’ John McGraw got into a fight with the Boston third baseman. Within minutes all the players from both teams had joined in the brawl. The warfare quickly spread to the grandstands. Among the fans the conflict went from bad to worse. Someone set fire to the stands and the entire ballpark burned to the ground. Not only that, but the fire spread to 107 other Boston buildings as well. — Anger, my brothers and sisters, is destructive. It poisons relationships. It often brings violence. (Quoted by Fr. Tony Kayala). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

35) As Forgiving as Children: Leo Buscalgia writes of observing two children having an argument. The children were quarreling over some insignificant things. “You’re stupid!” one said to the other. “Well, so are you!” the other replied. “Not as stupid as you!” the first one said. “Oh, yeah?” the other one said. “That’s what you think.” When Buscalgia passed by the playground not more than ten minutes later, these two children were playing together again, having forgotten the whole thing. — “No brooding, no wounded egos, no blame, no dredging up the past, no recriminations,” Buscalgia writes. “There it was, a brief and honest exchange of angry feelings, an even briefer cooling off period, and all was forgiven.  — Children are certainly much more forgiving than adults,” Buscalgia concludes. “Somewhere in the process of growing up we seem to have become experts at holding grudges, cradling fragile egos and unforgiving natures.” (Leo F. Buscalgia) (Quoted by Fr. Tony Kayala). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). LP/26

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 15) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Kindly visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Please contact me by email only at akadavil@gmail.com. For additional homilies, you may visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks toVatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies from 1998 to 2020) My post-retirement U. S. postal address is  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al, U. S. A. 36507

Feb 9-14: Feb 9 Monday: Mk 6: 53-56:  53 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, 55 and ran about the whole neighbourhood and began to bring sick people on their pallets to any place where they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the marketplaces, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

The context: Gennesaret was a tract of land four miles long on the western border of the Sea of Galilee, lying between current-day Tabgha and ancient Magdala. Known as the “Paradise of Galilee,” its land had rich soil in which farmers were able to grow walnuts, dates, olives, figs, and grapes. Since the strip of land bordered on the Sea of Galilee, it served as a fishing center as well.  Today’s Gospel passage describes the reaction of the people of Gennesaret when the healing and preaching miracle-worker, Jesus, unexpectedly landed on their shore. They considered it a golden opportunity to hear his message and to get all their sick people healed by bringing them to Jesus with trusting Faith in his Divine power. They were confident that even touching Jesus’ garment would heal the sick. Actually, they may have been more interested in having the healer to heal their sick people than in taking in Jesus’ preaching which offered them spiritual healing. Our innate human tendency, as fallen selfish people in a fallen world, is to “USE” others to get something from them.  We “make use of” God when we call Him only when we are in need or when we are sick, or when tragedy strikes us,and fail to thank Him when He helps us.  Some of us “make use of” the Church only to be baptized, married and buried. Sometimes, we “make use of” our friends to get their company, help and support. Sometimes even grown-up children make use of their parents’ home for eating and sleeping without returning anything to their parents, who might rightly expect, but do not ask, a return, from them.

 Life message: 1) A healing greater  than physical healing  is available to us especially in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Hence, we should have a much deeper desire to seek out Jesus in the confessional than the people of Jesus’ day had for physical healing.

2)  Instead of making use of God, let us learn to live in His presence, and recognize His presence in others in the community.

 2) When we present our needs before Him, let us do so with expectant Faith and gratitude, and promise Him with the help of His grace that we will do His will.

3) Let us also hasten (“scurry”) to Mass, hasten to bring people to Jesus, or hasten to say prayers with your children at night? Do we hasten to see the face of Jesus in our neighbors? Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Feb 10 Tuesday: St. Scolastica, Virgin ☹https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-scholastica) Mk 7:1-13: 1 Now, when the Pharisees gathered together to him, with some of the Scribes, who had come from Jerusalem, 2 they saw that some of his disciples ate with hands defiled, that is, unwashed. 3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they wash their hands, observing the tradition of the elders; 4 and when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they purify themselves; and there are many other traditions which they observe, the washing of cups and pots and vessels of bronze.) 5 And the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with hands  defiled?” 6 And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, `This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; 7 in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ 8 You leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men.” 9 And he said to them, “You have a fine way of rejecting the commandment of God, in order to keep your tradition! 10 For Moses said, `Honor your father and your mother’; and, `He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him surely die’; 11 but you say, `If a man tells his father or his mother, What you would have gained from me is Korban’ (that is, given to God) — 12 then you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or mother, 13 thus making void the word of God through your tradition which you hand on. And many such things you do.”

The context: Today’s Gospel passage describes Jesus’ confrontation by the Scribes and the Pharisees sent from Jerusalem by the Jewish religion’s Supreme Court, the Sanhedrin, to assess Jesus’ “heretical teachings.” They first asked Jesus wwhy he did not command his disciples to do the ritual washing of hands before meals or during a banquet. Exodus 30:17ff had laid down rules for how the priests should wash their hands before offering sacrifice, but Jewish tradition had extended this purification to all Jews before every meal, in an effort to give meals a religious significance.  Ritual purification was a symbol of the moral purity a person should have when approaching God. One should have a clean conscience and clean mind.  But the Pharisees had focused on the mere external rite. Therefore, Jesus restored the genuine meaning of these precepts of the Law, the purpose of which was to teach the right way to render homage to God. 

Jesus’ explanation: Jesus shocked his questioners by accusing them of hypocrisy and giving lip-service to God while ignoring His teachings, replacing them with man-made interpretations. As an example, Jesus pointed out how they were cleverly evading God’s commandment to honor one’s parents by falsely interpreting the precept of Korban. According to their interpretation, one could be freed from taking care of one’s parents in their old age by declaring the money or property meant for their support as “Korban,” or a special offering to God. Jesus told them that the true source of defilement was a person's heart and mind. True religion should not be mere external observances disconnected from the mind and the intentions. 

Life messages: 1) We need to remember that the essence of religion is a personal relationship with God and with our fellow-human beings, not merely the external observances of religion. 2) God expects from us what He always gives us  in abundance through Jesus —  that generosity and good will which urge us to practice more mercy, offer more kindness, show more willingness to forgive offenses, and exercise more readiness to serve others lovingly and sacrificially. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26:

For additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

 Feb 11 Wednesday:  Our Lady of Lourdes: Mk 7: 14-23:  Our Lady of Lourdes): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/our-lady-of-lourdes/ and  the 34^th  World Day of the Sick (introduced by Pope St.John Paul II in 1992): It was three years and two months after the proclamation of the dogma of the Immaculate Conception by Blessed Pope Pius IX (1854) that Mary appeared for the first time (February 11, 1858), to St. Bernadette Soubirous in the grotto at Massabielle, in Lourdes, France. Bernadette, a 14-year-old peasant girl, was the oldest daughter among the six children of Francois Soubirous and Louise Casterot. One day Bernadette went to the rocky area to collect firewood with her sister and a friend. It was when she was left behind by the other two near a big rock that Bernadette heard a loud noise. As she turned to investigate, she caught sight of a very beautiful Lady clothed in white with a rosary hanging on her arm standing in a grotto in the rock wall. The beautiful Lady smiled at her and summoned her to pray the rosary and they prayed together. Bernadette received 18 apparitions of our Lady starting in February and ending in July 1858. (Watch the movie: Song of Bernadette: https://youtu.be/wLKFAKIfn-w ) Additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

On her 18th appearance, the Holy Virgin gave the young visionary the answer to her pastor’s question, “Who are you?” In the local language Mary said, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”During her previous appearances, theBlessed Virgin Mary had instructed Bernadette to tell people to pray and do penance. All must pray especially for the conversion of sinners.  Our Lady instructed Bernadette to go and tell her pastor that she wished a chapel to be built on the spot where she was appearing, and processions to be made to the grotto. But it wasn’t until four years later, in 1862, that the Bishop of the diocese declared the faithful “justified in believing the reality of the apparition,” and Pope Pius IX authorized him to permit the veneration of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes. A basilica was built upon the rock of Massabielle by the parish priest in 1865.  It was consecrated, and the statue of Our Lady of Lourdes was solemnly crowned. In 1883 the foundation stone of another Church was laid, as the first was no longer large enough. It was built at the foot of the basilica, was consecrated in 1901, and was named the Church of the Rosary. Pope Leo XIII authorized a special office and a Mass, in commemoration of the apparition, and in 1907 Pius X extended the observance of this feast to the entire Church to be observed on 11 February. Since apparitions are private revelation and not public revelation, Catholics are not bound to believe them. However, all recent Popes have visited the Marian shine. Benedict XV, Pius XI and St. John XXIII went there as bishops, Pius XII as papal delegate. Pope Pius XII also issued a Lourdes encyclical on the 100th anniversary of the apparitions in 1958. Pope St. John Paul II visited Lourdes three times, Pope Benedict XVI completed a visit there on 15 September 2008 to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the apparitions, and Pope Francis visited Lourdes in 2015.   

Life Messages: The 34^th World Day of the Sick will be observed on February 11, 2026. This day serves the purpose of reminding the members of the Church of the healing ministry of the Church. It reminds us of our Christian obligation to attend to the sick and the suffering around us. 2) This is also a day to show our gratitude to the caregivers, the doctors, the nurses, the health care workers, the pastoral ministers and all those who strive to restore the physical and spiritual health of the sick Fr. Tony Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

Intercessory Prayers for the World Day of Prayer for the Sick

Priest: Oh God, you have always cared for the sick in a special way, wanting your children to be healed in both body and soul. With Pope Leo XIV, we pray in special gratitude for those health care workers who continue to be signs of the merciful hands of God, offering care and comfort even as they perhaps struggle themselves. As we remember now all the ways you have come to heal the sick, we pray together: Oh God, heal all who are sick in body and soul.

Reader: God said, “I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast.” (Jer. 30:17)

All: O God, heal all who are sick in body and soul.

Reader: “The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness You restore him to full health” (Psalm 41:3).

All: O God, heal all who are sick in body and soul.

Reader: “All who had people sick with various diseases brought them to [Jesus]. He laid his hands on each of them and cured them.” (Lk 4:40).

All: O God, heal all who are sick in body and soul.

Reader: “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’” (Lk 10:8-9)

All: O God, heal all who are sick in body and soul.

Closing Prayer
Priest: Hear our prayer, O God, and heal the many illnesses that afflict us in body, mind and soul. Bring comfort to those who suffer. Bring consolation to those who despair. Bring strength to those of us who walk with the sick. Bring hope to all for whom the path to healing is long or may not end. Let us never forget your special care for the sick, that they may also know they are precious and loved. Amen.

Additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Feb 12 Thursday: Mk 7:24-30:  24 And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house, and would not have any one know it; yet he could not be hid. 25 But immediately a woman, whose little daughter was possessed by an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell down at his feet. 26 Now the woman was a Greek, a Syro-Phoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. 27 And he said to her, “Let the children first be fed, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” 28 But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” 29 And he said to her, “For this saying you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” 30 And she went home, and found the child lying in bed, and the demon gone.”

The context: In the Gospel, Jesus demonstrates that salvation is meant for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews by healing the daughter of a Gentile woman as a reward for the mother’s strong Faith. Thus, Jesus shows that God’s mercy and love are available to all who call out to Him in Faith.

This is the second of the three miracles of healing Jesus performed for Gentiles. The first was the exorcism and healing of the possessed man in the the territory of the Geresenes (Mk 4:1-12) The third is the healing of the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:10-12). These miracles foreshadowed the future preaching of the Gospel to the whole world.  Jesus first ignored both the persistent cry of the woman and the impatient demand of his disciples that the woman be sent away. Jesus then tried to awaken true Faith in the heart of this woman by an indirect refusal. We notice that the woman was refused three times by Jesus before he granted her request. Finally, the fourth time, her persistence was rewarded, and her plea was answered. She recognized Jesus as the Messiah (the Son of David) and expressed her need in clear, simple words. She persisted, undismayed by obstacles, and she expressed her request in all humility: "Have mercy on me." (Navarre Bible commentary). Jesus was completely won over by the depth of her Faith, her confidence and her wit, and responded exuberantly, "Woman, great is your Faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish."  

Life messages: 1) We need to persist in prayer with trustful confidence.  Christ himself has told us to keep on asking him for what we need: “Ask and you shall receive.” Asking with fervor and perseverance proves that we have “great Faith.” We must realize, and remember, that we do not always get exactly what we have asked for, but rather what God knows we need and what is really best for us at the most appropriate time.

 2) We need to pull down our walls of separation and share in the universality of God’s love. Today’s Gospel reminds us that God’s love and mercy are extended to all who call on Him in Faith and trust, no matter who they are.  It is therefore fitting that we should pray that the walls which we have raised (or are in process of raising), by our pride, intolerance, and prejudice may crumble into dust. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/;

 Feb 13 Friday: Mk 7:31-37: 31 Then he returned from the region of Tyre, and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee, through the region of the Decapolis. 32 And they brought to him a man who was deaf and had an impediment in his speech; and they besought him to lay his hand upon him. 33 And taking him aside from the multitude privately, he put his fingers into his ears, and he spat and touched his tongue; 34 and looking up to heaven, he sighed, and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” 35 And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. 36 And he charged them to tell no one; but the more he charged them, the more zealously they proclaimed it. 37 And they were astonished beyond measure, saying, “He has done all things well; he even makes the deaf hear and the dumb speak.”

The context: Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus, by healing a deaf and mute man, fulfilled Isaiah’s Messianic prophecy, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped”(Isaiah 35:5). The Gospel invites us to become humble instruments of healing in Jesus’ hands by giving a voice to the needy and the marginalized in our society.   It also challenges us to let our ears be opened to hear the word of God, and to let our tongues be loosened to convey the Good News of God’s love and salvation to others.  Through this miracle story, Mark’s account also reminds us that no one can be a follower of the Lord without reaching out to the helpless (“preferential option for the poor”).

The miracle is described in seven ritual-like steps: (1) Jesus leads the man away from the crowd;  (2) puts his fingers into the man’s ears;  (3) spits on his own fingers;  (4)  touches the man’s tongue  with the spittle; (5) looks up to Heaven;  (6) sighs;  (7)  and speaks  the healing command: “Ephphatha”  (“be opened.”). And so it was done: the man’s hearing and speech were restored to him. Jesus carried out this elaborate ritual probably because the dumb man could not hear Jesus’ voice nor express his needs.  Jesus applied a little saliva to the man’s tongue because people in those days believed that the spittle of holy men had curative properties. The miracle is about the opening of a person’s ears so that he will be able to hear the word of God, and the loosening of his tongue so that he will be able to profess his Faith in Jesus.

Life messages: 1) Jesus desires to give us his healing touch in order to loosen our tongues so that he may speak to the spiritually hungry through us.   Jesus invites us to give him our hearts so that, through us, he may touch the lives of people in our day.

2) We must allow Jesus to heal our spiritual deafness and muteness because otherwise we may find it hard to speak to God in prayer and harder still to hear Him speaking to us through the Bible and through the Church.

3) Let us imitate the mute man in the Gospel by seeking out Jesus, following him away from the crowd, spending more of our time in getting to know him intimately through studying the Holy Scriptures, and experiencing him personally in our lives through prayer.   The growing awareness of the healing presence of Jesus in our lives will open our ears and loosen our tongues. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

 Feb 14 Saturday: St. Cyril, Monk; St. Mehodius, Bishop☹https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-cyril-and-methodius

 Mk 8:1-10:  1 In those days, when again a great crowd had gathered, and they had nothing to eat, he called his disciples to him, and said to them, 2 “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; 3 and if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come a long way.” 4 And his disciples answered him, “How can one feed these men with bread here in the desert?”  5 And he asked them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven.”6 And he commanded the crowd to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to his disciples to set before the people; and they set them before the crowd. 7 And they had a few small fish; and having blessed them, he commanded that these also should be set before them. 8 And they ate, and were satisfied; and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 9 And there were about four thousand people.10 And he sent them away; and immediately he got into the boat with his disciples and went to the district of Dalmanutha.

The context: The miraculous feeding described in today’s Gospel took place on a hill near the Sea of Galilee after Jesus’ return from the Decapolis. A large crowd remained with Jesus for three days, participating in his preaching and healing ministry till all the food they had carried with them was gone.

Jesus felt pity for the hungry multitude and instructed his Apostles to feed them with what they had, namely, seven loaves of bread and a few small fish. They brought these to Jesus who said a prayer of thanksgiving over them and instructed them to distribute the bread and fish to the people. After the crowd had eaten their fill, the Apostles filled seven baskets with leftover broken pieces. This passage appears to be a repetition of Mk 6:34-44.  But there are two differences: the first account shows the miracle performed for the benefit of Jews, the second for Gentiles.  In the first account there are twelve basketfuls of scraps left over, in the second only seven.  The language is “Eucharistic”: Jesus “took the loaves and giving thanks he broke them and handed them to his disciples to distribute.” 

 Life messages: 1) We need to help Jesus to feed the hungry today. Jesus invites us to give him our hearts so that he may touch the lives of people in our day through us, just as he touched the lives of millions through saintly souls like Francis of Assisi, Fr. Damien, Vincent de Paul and Mother Teresa. Let us feed the spiritually hungry with words and deeds of kindness, mercy, and sharing love.    2) We need to be fed by Jesus so that we may feed others. Jesus continues to feed us in His Church with His own Body and Blood in Holy Communion and with the word of God through the Holy Bible. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26

For additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections