Aug 31- Sept 5: Aug 31 Monday: Lk 4:16-30: 16 And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went to the synagogue, as his custom was, on the Sabbath day. And he stood up to read; 17 and there was given to him the book of the prophet Isaiah. He opened the book and found the place where it was written, 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.” 20 And he closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Is not this Joseph’s son?”… 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 And there were many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” 28 When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with wrath. 29 And they rose up and put him out of the city and led him to the brow of the hill on which their city was built, that they might throw him down headlong. 30 But passing through the midst of them he went away.
Today’s Gospel presents the reaction of Jesus’ fellow- townsmen, to the “Inaugural Address” offered them at a synagogue in Nazareth when Jesus visited the town as a rabbi with a band of disciples. The readingshows us how Jesus faced skepticism and criticism with prophetic courage. The incident reminds us that we should have and show the courage of our Christian convictions daily as we live in our communities, especially when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian Faith and its practice.
Amazement turns to hatred. The first reaction of the people in the synagogue to Jesus’ words was astonishment. They were amazed that one of their fellow villagers could speak with such grace, eloquence, and authority. But their amazement turned into displeasure when Jesus, speaking as a prophet, (different from the image of the miracle-worker that people wished to see), claimed identity with the Messiah described by Isaiah. That claim turned Jesus’ fellow-townsmen’s displeasure into anger, then hatred. They challenged Jesus’ Messianic claim, asking, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” They could not understand how a mere carpenter from their hometown Nazareth, could be the Messiah, who would liberate them from Roman rule and reestablish the Davidic kingdom. Jesus’ reaction to His people’s skepticism: Jesus reacted to their negative attitude with the comment, “No prophet is accepted in his native place.” Next, Jesus referred to the Biblical stories of how God had blessed two Gentiles, while rejecting the many Jews in similar situations, precisely because those Gentiles were more open to the prophets than the Jewish people. 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, raised her son from death. Then Jesus described how Naaman, the pagan military general of Syria, was healed of leprosy by Elisha, the prophet, while many in Israel suffered from the same disease, but were not healed .
Life messages: 1) We need to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism, 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, like the people in Jesus’ hometown, reject God in our lives. 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 through His words in the Bible, through the teachings of the Church, and through the advice and examples of others? 3) We must have and use the prophetic courage of our convictions. This passage challenges us to remember our Christian convictions and to draw on the courage God provides in our day-to-day lives in our communities, when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian Faith. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Sept 1 Tuesday: Lk 4:31-37: 31 And he went down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the Sabbath; 32 and they were astonished at his teaching, for his word was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue, there was a man who had the spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 “Ah! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 35 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no harm. 36 And they were all amazed and said to one another, “What is this word? For with authority and power he commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” 37 And reports of him went out into every place in the surrounding region.
Context: After the sad experience in Nazareth, Jesus used the city of Capernaum — 30 miles away from Nazareth, planted on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and serving as the center of the fishing business — as a base for his teaching, healing, and preaching ministry. The people were impressed by the authority with which Jesus taught. The Old Testament prophets had taught using God’s delegated authority, and the scribes and Pharisees taught quoting Moses, the prophets and the great rabbis. But Jesus, as God Incarnate, taught using Divine authority and the Perfect knowledge of God, acting always in complete obedience to the will of God His Father, and having absolute confidence in God as the Source and Support of his teaching authority. The second part of today’s Gospel describes a healing by exorcism, which Jesus performed in the synagogue. We are told how Jesus, as God Incarnate, exercised Divine authority to cast out the devil by just one compound command: “Be silent, and come out of him!” The demon obeyed at once, throwing the man it had possessed to the floor in the midst of the people in the synagogue on its departure. The people were impressed with Jesus’ power and authority that could command even evil spirits.
Life messages: 1) Our Faith is based on the Divinity of Christ, demonstrated by His miracles, which in turn give authority and validity to His teaching and promises. Hence, let us accept Jesus’ teachings, even if some of them are mysteries beyond our understanding. 2) Let us read the authoritative word of God every day and, leaning on the Magisterium and the Holy
Spirit for full and correct interpretation, assimilate it into our lives. 3) In our illnesses, let us confidently approach Jesus the Healer with trusting Faith first, then go to the doctors who are the ordinary instruments of Jesus’ healing ministry in our midst. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Sept 2 Wednesday: Lk 4:38-44: 38 And he arose and left the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was ill with a high fever, and they besought him for her. 39 And he stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her; and immediately she rose and served them. 40 Now when the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to him; and he laid his hands on every one of them and healed them. 41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. 42 And when it was day he departed and went into a lonely place. And the people sought him and came to him, and would have kept him from leaving them; 43 but he said to them, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other cities also; for I was sent for this purpose.” 44 And he was preaching in the synagogues of Judea. .
The context: Today’s Gospel tells us that preaching the Good News of God’s love, mercy, and salvation, and healing the sick were the means Jesus used to build up the Kingdom of God. By preaching and healing, Jesus drew listeners to belief in a loving and providing God and to loving obedience to His will. We are told that Jesus drew renewed spiritual strength from God, His Father, every day by talking with and listening to Him, often in a desolate place at night.
Healing mission: Jesus never tired of healing the sick, thus demonstrating the mercy and compassion of His Heavenly Father to every sick person who approached with trusting Faith. Having finished the day’s preaching in the synagogue on one Sabbath, Jesus went to Simon’s home and healed Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever. In the evening, when the Sabbath rest was over, people brought all their sick dear ones to Jesus for healing and exorcism. Jesus either concluded the day or, as here, began the new day, by spending time with the Father in prayer in a lonely place.
Life messages: 1) We are called to continue Jesus’ preaching mission primarily by bearing witness to Christ through our day-to-day lives, radiating Christ’s mercy, love, forgiveness, and spirit of humble service to all around us. 2) We can participate in Jesus’ healing mission by praying for the sick and by visiting, helping, and encouraging the sick and shut-ins. 3) We, too, need to have our spiritual batteries recharged by prayer every day, as Jesus did. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Sept 3 Thursday:St. Gregory the Great, Bishop, Doctor of the Church: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-gregory-the-great/Lk 5:1-11:1 While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret. 2 And he saw two boats by the lake; but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. 3 Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat. 4 And when he had ceased speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” 5 And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” 6 And when they had done this, they enclosed a great shoal of fish; and as their nets were breaking, 7 they beckoned to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink. 8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord.” 9 For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; 10 and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men.” 11 And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him.
The context: The scene is the Sea of Galilee (Gennesaret in Greekand Tiberius in Latin). The story of the miraculous catch of fish described in today’s Gospel is similar to the post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus recounted in Jn 21:4-14. It is one of the “epiphany-call stories” which direct our attention to the fact that Jesus had distinct criteria for selecting people to be apostles. The reading challenges us to examine our own personal calls to conversion and discipleship.
The miraculous catch followed by the call: After teaching the crowd from a seat in the boat of Simon, Jesus said to him “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Simon and his companions were stunned by the biggest catch of their lives. This event led Simon to acknowledge his unworthiness, as a sinner, even to stand before the Divine Presence of Jesus. Recognizing in Simon’s obedience and confession of unworthiness, the genuineness of their Faith, Jesus immediately invited Simon, Andrew, James and John to become close disciples and so to “catch men” instead of fish.
Life Messages: 1) Our encounter with the Holiness of God is meant to lead us to recognize our sinfulness. The Good News of today’s Gospel is that our sinfulness — our pride and self-centeredness – does not repel God. That is why we offer this Mass asking God’s pardon and forgiveness, and why we receive Jesus in Holy Communion only after acknowledging our unworthiness.
2) With Jesus, the seemingly impossible becomes possible. Today’s Gospel passage tells us an important truth about how God works in and through us for His glory. God chooses ordinary people – people like you and me – as His ambassadors. He uses the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives and our responses to open the minds and hearts of those to whom we minister (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Sept 4 Friday: Lk 5:33-39: 33 And they said to him, “The disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.” 34 Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? 35 But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them, then they will fast in those days.” 36 And he also told them a parable. “No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one. Otherwise, he will tear the new and the piece from it will not match the old cloak. 37 Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins, and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins. 39 (And) no one who has been drinking old wine desires new, for he says, ‘The old is good.’”
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ reply to the question asked by a few disciples of John the Baptist about fasting and feasting. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were three cardinal works of Jewish religious life. Hence, John’s disciples wanted to know why they and the Pharisees fasted while Jesus’ disciples were seen feasting with him and never fasting.
Jesus’ reply: Jesus responds to their sincere question using three metaphors: the metaphor of the “children of the bridal chamber,” the metaphor of patching torn cloth, and the metaphor of wineskins. First, Jesus compares the apostles to the friends of the bride and groom who feasted in the company of bride and groom during a week of honeymoon. Nobody expected them to fast. Jesus explains that the apostles will fast when Jesus, the Bridegroom, has been taken away from them. In the same way, we are to welcome both the joys of Christian life and the crosses it offers us. Jesus uses the comparisons of the danger of using new, unshrunken cloth to make a patch for an old garment and of using old wineskins to store freshly fermented wine, to tell the questioners that they must have more elastic and open minds and larger hearts to understand and follow the new ideas they are hearing, which are in many cases different from (and fulfilment of) the traditional Jewish teachings.
Life messages: 1) We need to be adjustable, responsive Christians with open and elastic minds: The Holy Spirit, working actively in the Church and guiding the Church’s teaching authority (Magisterium), enables the Church to have new visions, new ideas, and new adaptations and to refresh old ways of worship with new. In the same way, we should have the generosity and good will to follow the teachings of the Church.
2) At the same time, we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit, Who works through the Church’s Magisterium to interpret and apply Scripture – the Old Testament revelations and the New Testament teachings — and Sacred Tradition to our daily lives. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L26
Sept 5 Saturday:St. Teresa of Calcutta, Virgin: (Mother Teresa): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-teresa-of-calcutta Lk 6:1-5: 1 While he was going through a field of grain on a Sabbath, his disciples were picking the heads of grain, rubbing them in their hands, and eating them. Some Pharisees said, “Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have you not read what David did when he and those (who were) with him were hungry? (How) he went into the house of God, took the bread of offering, which only the priests could lawfully eat, ate of it, and shared it with his companions.” Then he said to them, “The Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ teaching on the purpose of the Sabbath and on its proper observance. This was Jesus’ response to a criticism and a silly accusation made by some Pharisees against the apostles who, to satisfy their hunger on a Sabbath, had plucked ears of grain from a field for their snack, removed the husks by rubbing the grain between their palms and blowing away the chaff. The Pharisees accused them of violating Sabbath laws by performing three items of work forbidden on Sabbath, namely, harvesting, threshing and winnowing!
Counter-arguments: Jesus gives three counter-arguments from Holy Scripture defending the apostles. (1) Basic human needs, like hunger, take precedence over Divine worship and Sabbath observance. Jesus cites from Scripture the example of the hungry David and his selected soldiers. They approached Abimelech, the priest of Nob, who gave them for food the “offering bread” which only the priests were allowed to eat (1 Sm 21:1-6). (2) No law can stand against Divine worship. That is why the priests were not considered as violating Sabbath laws, although they did the work of preparing two rams for sacrifice in the Temple (Nm 28:9-10). (3) Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea to remind the accusers of God’s words: “I want mercy, not sacrifice” (Hos 6:6). Further augmenting the counter-arguments, Jesus, as Son of Man (a Messianic title), claims Lordship over the Sabbath itself.
Life messages: Like the Jewish Sabbath, the Christian Sunday is to be 1) a day of rest and refreshment with members of the family; 2) a day for thanksgiving and the recharging of spiritual batteries, (through participation in the Eucharistic celebration, for Catholics); 3) a day for parents to teach religious Faith and the Bible to their children; 4) a day to do works of charity in the neighborhood and in the parish and 5) a day for socializing with family members, neighbors and fellow-parishioners. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
O. T. 23 [A] (Sept 6th, 2026 Sunday (Eight-minute homily in one page)
Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is God’s command concerning our spiritual responsibility and individual accountability for others in our families, parishes, and community. This accountability arises from our identity as God’s children. As brothers and sisters in Christ, then, we become each other’s “keepers,” and take on a painful, triple responsibility. We must lovingly and prudently correct each other when we err, forgive those who offend us, and ask forgiveness from those we have offended.
Scripture readings summarized: In the first reading, God tells Ezekiel that he is to be a watchmanobliged to warn Israel of moral dangers. If Ezekiel should refrain from speaking God’s word given to convert the wicked, God will hold Ezekiel responsible for the death of the wicked.
In the second reading, St. Paul points out that the love we should have for one another should be our only reason for admonishing and correcting the sinner.Love seeks the good of the one who is loved. Therefore, we should admonish one another with love, so that each of us may repent and grow in holiness.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that true Christian charity obliges a Christian, not only to assist his neighbors in their temporal and spiritual needs with material help and prayer, but also to aid with correction those brothers and sisters who have damaged the community by public sin. If the erring one refuses a one-on-one, loving correction by the offended party, then the Christian is to try to involve more people: first, “one or two others,” and eventually “the Church.” Finally, Jesus mentions the efficacy of community prayer in solving such problems, for Christ is present in the praying Christian community.
Life messages:1) We are our brother’s/sister’s keepers: Modern believers tend to think that they have no right to intervene in the private lives of their fellow believers. Others evade the issue saying, “As a sinner, I don’t have the moral courage or the right to correct anyone.” But Jesus emphatically affirms that we are our brothers’ keepers, and we have the serious obligation to correct others. We need to offer advice and encouragement to our friends, neighbors, and coworkers when it is needed, and loving correction, in private, for a personal offense where that is possible.
2) We need to gather in Jesus’ Name so that He can do His work in all of us,even to working miracles: Today’s Gospel reminds us of the good we can do together, and of how we can do it. Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” If any group of us gathers, works, and acts with the Holy Spirit guiding us, we will become much more than simply the sum of our numbers. Today, Jesus makes it clear how important we are, one to another. One in Christ, our community can draw on God’s power to make His healing, life-giving love, more effective among His people.
O.T. XXIII [A] (Sept 6, 2026): Ez 33:7-9; Rom 13:8-10; Mt 18:15-20
Homily starter anecdotes#1:“Fraulein, will you forgive me?” Corrie ten Boom often thought back over the horrors of the Ravensbruck concentration camp. How could she ever forgive the former Nazis who had been her jailers? Where was love, acceptance, and forgiveness in a horror camp where more than 95,000 women died? How could she ever forget the horrible cruelty of the guards and the smoke constantly coming from the chimney of the crematorium? Then in 1947 Corrie was speaking in a Church in Munich, and when the meeting was over, she saw one of the most ruel male guards of Ravensbruck coming forward to speak to her. He had his hand outstretched. “I have become a Christian,” he explained. “I know that God has forgiven me for the cruel things I did, but I would like to hear it from your lips as well. Fraulein, will you forgive me?” A conflict raged in Corrie’s heart. The Spirit of God urged her to forgive. The spirit of bitterness and coldness urged her to turn away. “Jesus, help me,” she prayed. Then she knew what she must do. “I can lift my hand,” she thought to herself. “I can do that much.” As their hands met it was as if warmth and healing broke forth with tears and joy. “I forgive you, brother, with all my heart,” she said. Later Corrie testified, “it was the power of the Holy Spirit” Who had poured the love of God into her heart that day. (Garrie F. Williams, “Welcome, Holy Spirit.” Copyright (c) 1994) — I don’t know any other way true forgiveness can take place. We turn our hurt over to God. We ask God for the ability to forgive.
#2: “I must forgive”: Sister Helen Prejean, in her book Dead Man Walking, tells the real story of Lloyd LeBlanc, a Roman Catholic layman, whose son was murdered. When he arrived in the cane field with the sheriff’s deputies to identify his son David’s body, LeBlanc immediately knelt by his boy’s body and prayed the Lord’s Prayer. When he came to the words: “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us,”he realized the depth of the commitment he was making. “Whoever did this, I must forgive them, I resolved,” he later told Sr. Prejean. LeBlanc confessed that it had been difficult not to be overcome by the bitterness and feelings of revenge that welled up from time to time, especially on David’s birthday. But for the rest of his life, forgiveness was prayed for and struggled for and won. He went to the execution of the culprit Patrick Sonnier, not for revenge but hoping for an apology. Before sitting in the electric chair Patrick Sonnier, the murderer said, “Mr. Le Blanc, I want to ask your forgiveness for what I did,” and Lloyd LeBlanc nodded his head, signaling forgiveness he had already given. — Today’s Gospel reminds us and challenges us to continue on the path to forgiveness and reconciliation.
# 3: Ancient Jewish rules on fraternal correction: Among the preserved writings of the ancient Essenes (a sect of Palestinian Judaism) is a Manual of Discipline, the rules of which governed and safeguarded the integrity and holiness of the community. One section of the manual, concerning communal correction, reads as follows: “They shall rebuke one another in truth, humility, and charity. Let no one address his companion with anger, or ill-temper, or obduracy, or with envy prompted by the spirit of wickedness. Let him not hate him but let him rebuke him on the very same day, lest he incur guilt because of him. And furthermore, let no one accuse his companion before the congregation without having first admonished him in the presence of witnesses” (1 QS 5:24-6:1). Similar guidelines regarding community discipline are found in the rabbinic writings. The consensus of scholars is that the procedure outlined Matthew in today’s Gospel may have been influenced by these earlier sources. — Today’s Gospel passage reflects the early Church’s concern for the spiritual well-being of each of its members and specifies that the responsibility for that well-being be shouldered by each believer. As with any important undertaking, the process of communal correction (vv. 15-17) will, no doubt, be exercised more justly and mercifully when it is permeated by prayer and the accompanying Divine presence. In fact, praying for those who have strayed from the truth should probably be the first (but not only) step in any spiritual rescue effort. (Sanchez Files).
Introduction:The common theme of today’s readings is the impact of our membership in the Church on our “private” lives. Being members of the Church means we belong to the single Body of Christ and form a community of brothers and sisters in Christ. We are, therefore, the “keepers” of our brothers and sisters, for each one of us is important to all the others in our Faith community. That is why we have to be meaningfully present to, and take responsibility for, other people. Inhuman behavior against defenseless people, like child-abuse, elder-abuse or spouse-abuse, is something about which we need to be really concerned, to the point of taking appropriate action to protect the victims. This individual responsibility in a Christian society includes, as today’s readings remind us, our responsibility for each other. Perhaps the most painful obligations of watchful love are fraternal correction and generosity in forgiving and forgetting injuries
Scripture readings summarized: In the first reading, God tells Ezekiel that he is to be a “watchman for the house of Israel,” obliged to warn Israel of moral dangers. If Ezekiel should refrain from speaking God’s word, intended to convert the wicked, God would hold Ezekiel responsible for the death of the wicked. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 95), urges sinners to hear God’s Voice, not to harden their hearts, and to remember that He is the One Who made us, and the Rock of our salvation. In the second reading, St. Paul points out that the love we should have for one another should be our only reason for admonishing the sinner.Love seeks the good of the one who is loved. Therefore, we should admonish one another so that we all may repent and grow in holiness. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that true Christian charity obliges a Christian not only to assist his neighbors in their temporal and spiritual needs with material help and prayer, but also with correction and counsel for an erring brother or sister who has damaged the community by his or her public sin. If the erring brother refuses a one-on-one loving correction by the offended party, then the Christian is to try to involve more people: first, “one or two others,” and eventually “the Church.” But harsh words and an aggressive attitude have no place in a Christian community. Finally, Jesus mentions the efficacy of community prayer in solving such problems, for Christ is present in the praying Christian community. The whole thrust of the passage is that we should all work towards reconciliation rather than punishment.
The first reading (Ezekiel 33:7-9) explained:In today’s first reading, the Lord God defines the role of an Old Testament prophet. The prophet is Ezekiel who was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar and brought from Jerusalem to Babylon in 597 B.C., together with King Jehoiachin of Judah (Ez 1:1-3), and most of the nobles of the country. “You, son of man,” Yahweh addresses His prophet, “I have appointed you watchman for the house of Israel; when you hear Me say anything, you shall warn them for Me.” Like a watchman, the prophet exists only for the good of others, in this case, those deported with him from Israel to Babylon. He is to give them God’s words, to challenge them, and to correct them from time to time, so that if they should go wrong, the responsibility would be theirs. Here, Ezekiel gets straightforward orders from Yahweh, assigning responsibility to him and to the people, with no ifs, ands, or buts tolerated. God charges Ezekiel with the responsibility of remaining faithful to his prophetic mission, confronting the wicked with their own wickedness as the Lord God instructs him. In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls the Church to the same responsibility for confronting the sinful. Very few people in the world today would consider themselves accountable and responsible for anything that happens in the society, but the truth is that we are. For, as Christians, we are all God’s prophets, God’s representatives, God’s watchmen, set on elevated places to give warning of approaching danger to our brothers and sisters. The prophets of all times have a grave responsibility for their people’s salvation. None of us can retire from the task of being watchmen. As Ezekiel is appointed watchman over the house of Israel in today’s first Reading, so Jesus in the Gospel today establishes His disciples as guardians of the new Israel of God, the Church (see Gal 6:16). They have the power to bind and loose, to forgive sins and to reconcile sinners in His name (see Jn 20:21-23). (Scott Hann).
The second reading, (Romans 13:8-10) explained: After finishing his treatment of doctrinal questions on Christ and our relationship with him, Paul used to write an application of the doctrine to the day-to-day behavior of the congregation receiving the letter. In today’s reading, after urging the Christian converts of Rome to obey their lawful civil authorities, and after discussing the inability of the Mosaic Law to save anyone, no matter how well he may keep it, Paul adds such an application. He seems to be saying, “You still want the Law? I’ll give you the real law! Love one another. That fulfills the law.”If God is not known and loved, there can be no basis or motive for true love of neighbor. It is only the Presence of God in each human being and the recognition of others as God’s children that can form a sound basis for the love of our neighbors. In short, love is the basis of the law, and we fulfill the law by loving our neighbor. Paul reminds us that love requires that we should watch out for one another’s souls, and love specifies the way our watchful care of one another should be exercised. Mutual, self-giving love is to be the motivation which guides all rescue efforts, whether physical or spiritual.
Gospel exegesis: Today’s Gospel deals with the relationship of members of the Church to each other and highlights one of the most painful responsibilities that we have towards others, namely fraternal correction. Matthew expands a saying of Jesus, originally concerned primarily with forgiveness (compare the shorter version in Lk 17:3-4), into a four-step procedure for disciplining members in the new eschatological Community of the Church. In the seventeenth century, the great Anglican priest and poet John Donne reminded us, “No man is an island, entire unto himself.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples about relationships among members of the Church, because through Baptism we assume a serious responsibility for our fellow-believers. Suppose a son or daughter, friend or acquaintance, relative, neighbor, even parent or teacher, does “something wrong” to us, whether the sin is of commission or omission. By outlining a four-step process of confrontation, negotiation, adjudication and excommunication, Jesus tells us how to deal with and finally mend a broken relationship within the Christian fellowship.
1) Confrontation: The worst thing that we can do about a wrong done to us is to brood about it. Brooding can poison our whole mind and life, until we can think of nothing else but our sense of personal injury. We mustn’t gossip either. Hence, the first step proposed by Jesus to the one who has been wronged is that he should go to meet the offender in person, and point out lovingly, but in all seriousness, the harm he has done. This first stage is designed to let the two people concerned solve the issue between them. If it works out at that level, that is the ideal situation. “You have won back your brother.” Abraham Lincoln said that only he has the right to criticize who has the heart to help.
2) Negotiation: Suppose the first step does not resolve the situation and the person refuses to admit wrongdoing and continues the bad behavior injuring both himself as well as the one he has injured. This creates a problem, for example, among young persons, where a friend steals or shoplifts, uses drugs or drinks excessively, hangs around with a bad crowd, plans to run away, contemplates suicide or abortion, or just “goofs off” in school. Here, the second step is to take one or two other members of the Church along with the wronged person to speak to the wrongdoer and to act as confirming witnesses. The taking of the witnesses is not meant to be a way of proving to a man that he has committed an offence. It is meant to assist the process of reconciliation by emphasizing and explaining calmly the gravity of the situation. Nowadays, we call that an “intervention” and the group may also include a qualified third party – counselor, teacher, priest or physician. The Rabbis had a wise saying, “Judge not alone, for none may judge alone except God.”
3) Adjudication: If the negotiation step does not resolve the situation either, the third step is to have the whole Church or community of believers confront the wrongdoer. The case is brought to the Christian fellowship because troubles are never amicably settled by going to a civil court of law. Further, the Church provides an atmosphere of Christian prayer, Christian love, and Christian fellowship in which personal relationships may be righted in the light of love and of the Gospel. Finally, in matters of honor and shame, the community is the final arbiter, for the community suffers from the wrong.
4) Excommunication: If the offender chooses to disregard the believing community’s judgment, the consequence is “excommunication.” This means that if none of the three steps has brought a resolution of the situation, then the wrongdoer should be treated like “a Gentile or a tax collector.” That is, the wrongdoer should be put out of the Church with the hope that temporary alienation alone may bring the erring person to repentance and change. The sinner is expelled because every obvious case of unrepented sin denies the Gospel’s power and the Church’s mission of reconciling sinners to God and to the community. But the excommunication should be carried out with genuine grief (1 Cor 5:2), not with vindictive glee over another’s “fall” or self-righteous pride.
Many Scripture scholars think that Jesus would not have suggested this step, and that it is a personal addition by Mathew. They wonder how this type of expulsion can be squared with Jesus’ openness to sinners, including corrupt tax collectors and prostitutes, or with the story of the Prodigal Son. But let us remember that Jesus’ reception of these people depended on their change of heart and the abandonment of their sinful ways, for only these responses enabled them to be reconciled with, and able to receive and respond to the love of God and of the community. Jesus concludes the action plan by stating that all his disciples have authority to “bind or loose,” that is, to settle conflicts and legal cases between community members. In addition, Jesus gives the assurance that when the Church community gathers in Jesus’ name, in the spirit of prayer, to hear a legal case, Jesus is there to guide and ratify the procedure.
Four requisites for fraternal correction recommended by “Doctrinal Outlines.” Four things that can make the spiritual work of mercy of “admonishing the sinner” or fraternal correction effective rather than destructive are supernatural outlook, humility, consideration, and affection. Fraternal correction is only to be given because we are convinced God wants it for the sake of the person we are correcting and those affected by him. We pray about him and for him, asking the Holy Spirit if He wants this correction made and how it should be made. That is what a supernatural outlook enables us to do. Humility is necessary because we are sinners ourselves and fail in many ways. We could just as easily have the same fault, and we certainly have other imperfections. Nevertheless, God wants us to help each other. It is also necessary to be considerate, that is, to say what we have to say in the least hurtful way possible but without beating around the bush. It is so easy to humiliate another, and no one likes being corrected. Finally, the correction should be given out of love and concern. The motive for the correction is the true good of the others, not the corrector’s own benefit. That is true affection.
The authors of the Days of the Lord, vol. 4, conclude their remarks on today’s Gospel thus: “The perspective of evangelical discipline remains that of forgiveness. A community is Christian in the measure in which all know and want themselves to be responsible for the good of each member. This concern about others’ salvation must be at the heart of every cell of the Church, especially the heart of the family. This is why charitable correction is a duty that, although, difficult, devolves on everyone.”
Life messages:1) We are keepers of our brothers and sisters: Modern believers tend to think that they have no right to intervene in the private lives of their fellow believers, so they pay no heed to the serious obligation of encouraging an erring brother or sister to give up his or her sinful ways. Others evade the issue saying, “As a sinner, I don’t have the moral courage or the right to correct someone else.” But Jesus emphatically affirms that we are our brothers’ keepers, and we have the serious obligation to correct one who has injured us in order to help our neighbors retain their Christian Faith and practice, especially through our model Christian lives. Have we offered advice and encouragement to our friends and neighbors and co-workers when it was needed, and loving correction in private where that was possible? Let us admit the fact that a great part of the indifference to religion shown by our young men and women is due to lack of parentalcontrol, training, and example. If the children of Christian families grow up as practical pagans, it is mainly because the Christian Faith has meant little or nothing to their parents. It is a well-known fact that when parents are loyal to their Faith in their daily lives, their children will, as a rule, be loyal to it.
2) Gather in Jesus’ name and work miracles: Today’s Gospel reminds us of the good we can do together, and of how we can do it. Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” If any group of us will gather, work, and act with the Holy Spirit guiding us, we become much more than simply the sum of our numbers. Two becomes more than two, and three becomes more than three. The sum of our individual ideas, resources, and abilities becomes much more because of the synergy that God’s Presence provides. In our Faith community, we act together so that we may help one another in God’s Name, thereby multiplying our resources and ability to do what God calls us to do. Today, Jesus makes it clear how important we are, one to another. Through our links to one another in Christ, a capacity rises in our community, enabling us to draw on God’s power to make healing and life-giving love more effective among us, His people. We come together, we stay together, we work together –- in our Lord’s Name, bringing to focus the Presence of God and unleashing the power of the Spirit –- to transform our lives and the lives of all God’s children. When we gather in Jesus’ name, the action opens our hearts to allow Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man, to be a part of us and of what we do. That is what we experience at each Eucharist—we in Him and He in us.
JOKES OF THE WEEK:
# 1: A pastor preached a wonderful sermon, saying we should love our enemies. And, when he got through he asked, “Is there anybody in the congregation who can truthfully say that he or she has no enemies?” An old gentleman got up right underneath the pulpit, and he said, “Father, I ain’t got no enemies.” So, the Pastor tells the congregation, “Let’s listen. This man has the secret. He can teach us something. Go ahead, sir, now tell us how we do that.” “Oh,” he said, “it ain’t hard. You see, I’ve outlived all those rascals.”
# 2) Grandma’s list: There was the grandmother celebrating her golden wedding anniversary who told the secret of her long and happy marriage. “On my wedding day, I decided to make a list of ten of my husband’s faults which, for the sake of the marriage, I would overlook.” A guest asked the woman what some of the faults she had chosen to overlook were. The grandmother replied, “To tell you the truth, I never did get around to making that list. But whenever my husband did something that made me hopping mad, I would say to myself, “Lucky for him that’s one of the ten.”
# 3: Or would you be more like the woman who was bitten by a rabid dog, and it looked as if she was going to die from rabies. The doctor told her to put her final affairs in order. So the woman took pen and paper, and began writing furiously. In fact, she wrote and wrote and wrote. Finally, the doctor said, “That sure is a long will you’re making.” She snorted, “Will, nothing! I’m making a list of all the people I’m going to bite!”
# 4: One New Year’s Eve at London’s Garrick Club, British dramatist Frederick Lonsdale was asked by Seymour Hicks to reconcile with a fellow member. The two had quarreled in the past and never restored their friendship. “You must,” Hicks said to Lonsdale. “It is very unkind to be unfriendly at such a time. Go over now and wish him a happy New Year.” So Lonsdale crossed the room and spoke to his enemy. “I wish you a happy New Year,” he said, “but only one.”
(Why do we use anecdotes in homilies? 1) Because they tell us forcefully how today’s Gospel challenged and changed the lives of people. 2) Mt 13: 34: All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable!)
1) “Don’t allow them to turn you again into their prisoner!'” When Bill Clinton met Nelson Mandela for the first time, he had a question on his mind: “When you were released from prison, Mr. Mandela,” the former President said, “I woke my daughter at three o’clock in the morning. I wanted her to see this historic event.” Then President Clinton zeroed in on his question: “As you marched from the cellblock across the yard to the gate of the prison, the camera focused in on your face. I have never seen such anger, and even hatred, in any man as was expressed on your face at that time. That’s not the Nelson Mandela I know today,” said Clinton. “What was that about?” Mandela answered, “I’m surprised that you saw that, and I regret that the cameras caught my anger. As I walked across the courtyard that day, I thought to myself, ‘They’ve taken everything from you that matters. Your cause is dead. Your family is gone. Your friends have been killed. Now they’re releasing you, but there’s nothing left for you out there.’ And I hated them for what they had taken from me. Then, I sensed an inner voice saying to me, ‘Nelson! For twenty-seven years you were their prisoner, but you were always a free man! Don’t allow them to make you into a free man, only to turn you into their prisoner!’” [Tony Campolo, Let Me Tell You a Story (Nashville: Word Publishing, 2000).] — You can never be free to be a whole person if you are unable to forgive. You see that, don’t you? There are many people who are imprisoned by their own anger, their own hurt, their own inability to let go of the past and move on. Here’s the other thing we need to see about forgiveness: THERE IS ONLY ONE PLACE YOU CAN FIND THE ABILITY TO FORGIVE. It is at the throne of Christ.
2) Jackie Joyner-Kersee formula: Jackie Joyner-Kersee, one of the world’s best female athletes, who holds the world record in the heptathlon, and is a three-time Olympic gold medalist, and her husband, Bobby, have a unique solution for discussing problems. Off the side of their house is an office which they’ve designated the “Mad Room.” Whenever they have a serious disagreement, Bobby and Jackie go to the “Mad Room” to discuss it. Neither is allowed to leave that room until the matter is settled. — What a great idea! This couple is committed to making certain their conflicts do not smolder and get out of hand. They understand that Jesus was right in warning us that who is right is sometimes not as important as maintaining communication.
3) “What a Friend We Have in Jesus!” There was a Church where the pastor and the minister of music were not getting along. As time went by, this began to spill over into the worship service. The first week the pastor preached on commitment and how we all should dedicate ourselves to the service of God. The music director led the song, “I Shall Not Be Moved.” The second week the pastor preached on tithing and how we all should gladly give to the work of the Lord. The director led the song, “Jesus Paid it All.” The third week the pastor preached on gossiping and how we should all watch our tongues. The music director led the song, “I Love to Tell the Story.” With all this going on, the pastor became very disgusted over the situation and the following Sunday told the congregation that he was considering resigning. The musician led the song, “O, Why Not Tonight?” As it came to pass, the pastor did indeed resign. The next week he informed the Church that it was Jesus who led him there and it was Jesus who was taking him away. The music leader led the song, “What a Friend We Have in Jesus!” — Is there anybody you have trouble getting along with? Today’s Gospel teaches how to proceed.
4) Marshall Tito and Bishop Sheen: In a little church in a small village, an altar boy serving the priest at Sunday Mass accidentally dropped the cruet of wine. The village priest struck the altar boy sharply on the cheek and in a gruff voice shouted, “Leave the altar and don’t come back.” That boy became Marshall Tito, the Communist leader. In the cathedral of a large city in another place, another altar boy serving the bishop at Sunday Mass also accidentally dropped the cruet of wine. With a warm twinkle in his eyes, the bishop gently whispered, “Someday you will be a priest.” Do you know who that boy was? Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen. — How do you deal with others who have caused problems for you? Jesus has the answer in today’s Gospel: with straight talk, due process, but most of all, with grace.
5) Childish stupidity: Here are some clippings from the national media: — In one of those good news/bad news things, school officials in Boston, mirroring a national trend, report that fighting by boys in school yards is down. Picking up the slack, unfortunately, are girls, who are resorting less to name-calling and more to punch-throwing. Equal opportunity stupidity, I guess. [The Old Farmer’s Almanac, 1998 (Dublin, NH: Yankee Publishing, Inc., 1997]. — Some years back there was a report in the press that Turkish Airlines had fired pilot Altan Tezcan and co-pilot Erdogan Gecim. It seems these two were flying 240 passengers from Bangkok to Istanbul when they got into a fist fight in the cockpit while arguing over the plane’s altitude. It’s important that we choose our battles. Endangering a plane-load of passengers by fighting over who’s right is irresponsible. — In September 1996, Mark E. Mire was convicted in Baton Rouge, La., for shooting to death a man in a bar in 1994 because the man had said Mire’s dog was ugly. My guess is that this was drunken stupidity. — A few years ago, at the Daytona 500, NASCAR legend Richard Petty was in third place going into the last lap. All at once the car in second place tried to pass the No. 1 car on the final stretch. This caused the first car to drift inside and forced the challenged driver onto the infield grass, and slightly out of control. What happened next was incredible. The offended driver pulled his car back onto the track, caught up with the leader, and forced him into the outside wall. Both vehicles came to a screeching halt. The two drivers jumped out and quickly got into an old-fashioned slugging match. In the meantime, third-place Petty cruised by for the win. [Bruce Nash and Allan Zullo, The Misfortune (New York: Simon & Schuster, Inc., 1988), pp. 125-126]. Good Ol’-Boy stupidity. — Wouldn’t it be great if we could take interpersonal hostility out of life? Wouldn’t it be great if we could live in peace and harmony with all people? Well, Jesus tried to help us out with this. “If your brother sins against you,” said Jesus, “Go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.”
6) Why does the Church refuse to provide discipline for her members? When a sixteen-year-old stays out all night drinking, then drives home, a father disciplines him with grounding. When a student cuts class, is late with papers, and turns in inferior work, a college professor disciplines him with failing marks. When an employee is lazy and is caught pilfering company goods, his boss disciplines him by firing him. At the businessman’s club, a member who skips meetings and refuses to join in service projects is disciplined by dismissal from club membership. A Church member having an adulterous affair – what happens? Nothing. A Church member who has not attended worship in six months and has no legitimate excuse except a busy social schedule – what happens? Nothing. A pastor, hard-working and faithful, yet is being slandered by a mean-spirited and disgruntled Church member – what happens? Absolutely nothing. Indeed! The question is, why does the Church refuse to provide discipline for her members? — One reason is that we are ignorant of what the Scriptures say, verses like the text in Mt 18:15-20. We either do not know the verse, or we pass over it in disbelief. We also are afraid to discipline sin in the church because of popular verses that are taken out of context and improperly interpreted. “Let him who is without sin cast the first stone.” “Judge not that you may not be judged.” Indeed, we surmise, how can a sinner correct a sinner? The result is, there is precious little discipline in the typical Church today. People do as they please. We forget the fact that before the Christian congregation can be salt and light, before it can reach out in service to a broken world, it needs to get its own act straightened out. That is why the bulk of Matthew’s code of discipline for Church life is packed into today’s Gospel text.
7) Albanian blood feuds: According to people who have been there, the country of Albania is one of the more challenged countries in the world. It is on the fringe of Europe, but it has none of the advantages enjoyed by Western nations. One of the reasons may be Albania’s culture of revenge. It is unlike anything seen elsewhere in the modern world. It’s common in Albania to have blood feuds which date back many generations. In each family, the men of the family bear a solemn obligation to avenge any harm done not only to their families, but also to their ancestors’ families, and this obligation is passed down to each son as soon as he reaches an age of responsibility. If one man kills another man, the family of the victim is required to seek vengeance on any male members of the killer’s family, even decades later if necessary. James Pettifer, author of the Blue Guide to Albania, reports that there are “some 2,000 blood feuds going on in Albania and that as many as 60,000 people are involved.” [Rourke, P.J. Eat the Rich (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1998), p. 52]. — What a tragic loss of life! An integral part of the Christian ethic is forgiveness. Our Lord taught us that, before we can be forgiven, we must forgive others. This emphasis on forgiveness distinguishes us from every other religion on earth. Imagine how different our world would be today if, after the Second World War, people living in Allied countries had not forgiven the peoples they had defeated
8) “He is a camel thief.” Many years ago, Colonel Jeff O’Leary served as part of the UN peacekeeping forces in the Sinai Peninsula region. While there, he encountered a number of Bedouins, a nomadic people who travel this desert region. One afternoon, Colonel O’Leary had tea with a group of Bedouin men. Colonel O’Leary couldn’t help but notice that his host kept staring at a man who was tending his camels. The host pointed out the man and hissed at Colonel O’Leary, “Do you see that man? He is a camel thief.” Colonel O’Leary wanted to know why his host would hire a camel thief to tend his camels, so he began asking questions. Turns out that, in his host’s eyes, this man was a camel thief because he came from a family of camel thieves. Why were they a family of camel thieves? Because one of their ancestors had once stolen some camels from this man’s family. “How long ago?” O’Leary asked. “Eight hundred years ago,” the Bedouin host replied. — For eight hundred years, the host’s family and this man’s family had hated each other, because one man had stolen the other man’s camels. For eight hundred years, the host’s family had passed down the story of the camel thief. Forgiveness was not an option for them. In the Bedouin host’s mind, the crime was just as horrible as if it had occurred yesterday, and this man was just as much a thief as his ancestor who had actually stolen the camels. [Colonel Jeff O’Leary, Taking the High Ground (Colorado Springs, CO: Victor, 2001), pp. 240-241] Imagine how difficult it would be to build a better world if all the peoples of the world operated on this same principle.
9) Born Again: Most of us are familiar with Chuck Colson’s role as hatchet man for Richard Nixon in the days before Watergate. A few of us have perhaps read his moving book, Born Again. In it, he tells of those days of pain and humiliation that have become a regrettable part of our national legacy. On the evening before Colson pleaded guilty to charges of obstructing justice, three men joined him at home, staying until well into the night: ex-Senator Harold Hughes; former Texas congressman Graham Purcell; and lay worker, Douglas Coe. They were not there to give Colson legal or professional support. They were there to pray with him and to give him the moral and spiritual strength to do what he knew was right. — Their prayers did not prevent Colson’s incarceration, but those prayers did enable him to come through his prison ordeal a wiser and better man and to touch many lives in a positive manner along the way. What a grand opportunity Christ has given us! That is why it is so important to maintain harmony among believers. There is much power in a Church that is united. That is the crowning conclusion to this passage. “For where two or more are gathered in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.”
10)“‘My goodness, God has a long reach.‘ I mean, in the Lucky’s Supermarket on a Sunday morning.” The Washington Times carried a story not long ago about Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. According to this newspaper article, Dr. Rice once described to a Sunday school class at National Presbyterian Church in Washington, how she had drifted from her Christian Faith and how God reached out and brought her back: “I was a preacher’s kid,” says Dr. Rice, “so Sundays were Church, no doubt about that. The Church was the center of our lives.” In segregated black Birmingham of the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Church was not just a place of worship. It was the place where families gathered; it was the social center of the community, too. “Although I never doubted the existence of God,” Dr. Rice continues, “I think, like all people, I’ve had some ups and downs in my Faith. When I first moved to California in 1981 to join the faculty at Stanford, there were a lot of years when I was not attending Church regularly. I was traveling a lot. I was a specialist in international politics, so I was always traveling abroad. I was always in another time zone. One Sunday I was in the Lucky’s Supermarket not very far from my house, I will never forget, among the spices, and an African-American man walked up to me and said he was buying some things for his Church picnic. And he said, ‘Do you play the piano by any chance?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ They said they were looking forsomeone to play the piano at Church. It was a littleAfrican-American church right in the center of Palo Alto. A Baptist church. So I started playing for that Church. That got me regularly back into Churchgoing. I don’t play Gospel very well; I play Brahms. And you know how black ministers will start a song and the musicians will pick it up? I had no idea what I was doing, and so I called my mother, who had played for Baptist churches. ‘Mother,’ I said, ‘they just start. How am I supposed to do this?’ She said, ‘Honey, play in C and they’ll come back to you.’ And that’s true,” says Dr. Rice, “If you play in C, people will come back. I tell that story,” she goes on, “because I thought to myself, ‘My goodness, God has a long reach!’ I mean, in the Lucky’s Supermarket on a Sunday morning.!” (http://www.ehpchurch.org/folder/070404.html.) — You see, a black pastor had approached someone else in Jesus’ name, and Christ was there in Lucky’s Supermarket. We are not alone. This is where we find strength for the journey. Our Lord has given us an incredible promise: “Where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.” He’s been here today. Now take Him to everyone you meet.
11) “When did this happen?” Christian author Jill Briscoe was counseling a woman who also was dealing with a great load of emotional pain. In the course of their conversation, the woman blurted out, “My husband abused me.” Slowly, she shared the painful details of her suffering. Yet as Jill listened, she noticed no marks on the woman that would indicate the horrible abuse she had endured. Finally, she asked the woman, “When did this happen?” And the woman replied, “Twenty years ago.” — Twenty years ago! I don’t want to seem insensitive, but friends, it is time for that woman to let go and move on. Because she had never healed emotionally from the abusive relationship, the pain was still just as intense in her mind as on the day he first hit her. Until she could work through her pain and forgive her ex-husband, this woman would continue to relive her pain and fear. [Jill Briscoe, Heartstrings (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 1997), pp.45-46]. Dr. Michael Brickley, a psychologist who studies successful aging in our culture, claims that most centenarians (people who make it to 100 years old), or more, have learned to get rid of “emotional baggage” from the past. Old hurts, past failures, unfinished business, unresolved relationships, regret — centenarians learn how to process these issues in a healthy manner and let them go. [Michael Brickley, “The Extended Life: Four Strategies for Healthy Longevity,” The Futurist (Sept.-Oct. 2001), p. 55.]
12) “There are no fish under the ice.” A drunk decides to go ice fishing, so he gathers his gear and goes walking around until he finds a big patch of ice. He heads into the center of the ice and begins to saw a hole. All of sudden, a loud booming voice comes out of the sky. “You will find no fish under that ice.” The drunk looks around, but sees no one. He starts sawing again. Once more, the voice speaks. “As I said before, there are no fish under the ice.” The drunk looks all around, high and low, but can’t see a single soul. He picks up the saw and tries one more time to finish. Before he can even start cutting, the huge voice interrupts. “I have warned you three times now. This is not a lake and there are no fish!” The drunk is now flustered and somewhat scared, so he asks the voice, “How do you know there are no fish? Are you God trying to warn me?” “No,” the voice replied. “I am the manager of this ice hockey rink!” — Today’s readings are about correcting our brothers and sisters with loving concern for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the community.
13) “Let us have harmony!” More than thirty years ago, a brief story appeared in Reader’s Digest about a town in Minnesota that got its name in a strange way. When the community was first settled, it had no name. People began to move to the area, and soon the townspeople called a meeting to choose a name for their town. Many suggestions were made, but they couldn’t agree on the name. The discussion soon became heated and quarrelsome. One man in attendance that night became so disgusted by the way things were going that he jumped up, pounded on the table with his fist, and shouted, “Let us have harmony!” Someone present suddenly seized the idea and shouted back, “Yes! Let’s have harmony!” And the town got its name: Harmony, Minnesota.
— Harmony is a wonderful thing to have in a community, a family or a church. If harmony is going to take place, someone has to heed Jesus’ advice for reconciliation as given in today’s Gospel.
14) No Yankee, nor Sherman: Just a few years back, a man in Hardeeville, South Carolina went down to the Jasper County Courthouse. There he filed a deed restriction. The restriction barred the sale of any part of his 1,688-acre plantation to anyone north of the Mason-Dixon Line or anyone named Sherman. It seems that more than a century before, General William T. Sherman’s troops burned every building on this man’s property and Mr. Ingram vowed never to let his plantation fall into Yankee hands again. (Great Stories, Oct.-Dec., 1998, p. 6). — Now there’s a man who knows how to hold a grudge! Unfortunately, he’s not alone.
15) “Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.” In one of the popular Chicken Soup volumes, Dennis E. Mannering tells about an assignment he once gave to a class he teaches for adults. He told them, “Go to someone you love, and tell them that you love them.” At the beginning of the next class, one of the students began by saying, “I was angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment. I didn’t feel I had anyone to say those words to. But as I began driving home my conscience started talking. Then I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’ to. Five years ago, my father and I had a vicious disagreement and never really resolved it. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at family gatherings. We hardly spoke. So, by the time I got home, I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father I loved him. Just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest. At 5:30, I was at my parents’ house ringing the doorbell, praying that Dad would answer the door. I was afraid if Mom answered, I would chicken out and tell her instead. But as luck would have it, Dad did answer the door. I didn’t waste any time. I took one step in the door and said, ‘Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.’ It was as ifa transformation came over my dad. Before my eyes his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear and he began to cry. He reached out. But that’s not even my point. Two days after that visit, my dad had a heart attack. So my message to all of you is this: Don’t wait to do the things you know need to be done. What if I had waited to tell my dad? Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!” (“Do It Now!” Condensed Chicken Soup for Souls, Copyright 1996 by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen & Patty Hansen.). — That’s the advice that Jesus would give us. People hurt us, sometimes intentionally, sometimes without meaning to. But sometimes who is in the right and who is in the wrong is not as important as finding a common ground where the relationship can be maintained. Sometimes that means that we have to take the first step, even though we know that the other person is in the wrong. And the best time to take that step is today!
16) “I have no enemies. I shot them all.” When the great nineteenth-century Spanish General, Ramon Narvaez, lay dying in Madrid, a priest was called in to give him last rites. “Have you forgiven your enemies?” the padre asked. “Father,” confessed Narvaez, “I have no enemies. I shot them all.” — Too often that is the story of our lives, and Jesus knows it. It was General Philip Sheridan who gave us the striking reflection in 1869, “The only good Indian is a dead Indian.” Post-9/11 there were many voices that seemed to echo his advice in the new and painful context.
17) We’ve all heard of Gilbert and Sullivan, the dynamic duo of the stage. They created fun-filled musicals and light operas a generation ago, giving high school drama departments and community theaters plenty of material to dazzle and delight. Their names always appeared in tandem on the programs: Gilbert & Sullivan’s H.M.S. Pinafore; Gilbert & Sullivan’s Patience; Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado; Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance. It was as if they were a married couple. Indeed, much of their career felt like that. It was only right that their names be wedded together in common speech. At the height of their success, they even purchased a theater together so that they could exert full creative control over their new works. Then came the nasty disagreement. Sullivan ordered the installation of new carpets. But when the bill arrived, Gilbert hit the roof at the cost and refused to share in payment. They argued and fought about it, and finally took the case to court. A legal judgment settled the claim, but it did nothing to heal the breach between them. These grown men never spoke to one another again as long as they lived. When Sullivan wrote the music for a new production he would mail it to Gilbert. Then, when Gilbert finished the libretto, he would post it back to Sullivan again. Gilbert quarantined Sullivan in the prison of his mind, and Sullivan banished Gilbert from his social continent. Eventually, they each became warders for the prison of the other. — Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel are very pertinent. We are social creatures who cannot live in isolation. Yet, because of the sin and stupidity that trouble our human condition, we do not live well with those around us. That is why the German philosopher, Schopenhauer, compared us to porcupines trying to nest together on a cold winter’s night.
18) “Not bad for a small Church like ours. Not bad.” Our text for the morning reminds me of a story of a pastor in a drought-stricken part of the South who implored his people to begin praying for rain. In fact, he asked each member of the Church to join in a prayer vigil that would continue day and night until God granted their request. Never had there been a greater sense of urgency in that Church than was revealed over the next few days. At any hour, one might pass that small rural church and find the lights on and someone at the altar praying. Finally, late Wednesday evening, some dark clouds began to roll in. Soon rain began falling in torrents. For four straight days it rained without ceasing. The creeks began overflowing their banks. It became necessary to evacuate persons from their homes. Still the water kept rising. The entire community was now under water. As rescue workers made their way in a boat through the perilous floodwater evacuating the last reluctant stragglers, one of the boats passed that little country Church, now almost completely submerged. Here sat the pastor on the roof of the Church with a look of grand satisfaction on his face. He could be heard saying to himself as he surveyed the flood waters around him, “Not bad for a small Church like ours! Not bad!” — Jesus said, “If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven.” That is a stunning endorsement of corporate prayer. It is important that we pray, but it is even more important that we pray together. We are a community. Better yet, we are a family.
20) ‘Then I can live without my legs.” Roy A. Burkhart told this story. Once a boy went out of his home to do something that his parents felt was wrong. He was involved in an accident and lost both legs. It was a terrible blow, but the father told me one of the most beautiful stories I have ever heard. He said, “When his mother and I saw him in the hospital cot lying there aware that he had lost both legs, he said, ‘Will you forgive me?’ We both ran up and hugged him and said, ‘Of course; we have already forgiven you.’ And he answered, ‘Then I can live without my legs.’ “
21) “Won’t you tell him so yourself?“ Wilhelmina Schroder, a famous actress and singer, was already past her prime. One day she was traveling from Hamburg to Frankfurt in a first-class carriage. The conversation turned on herself. A lady declared that Ms. Schroder’s voice had much gone off, her future as a star was over. She had gone as podgy as a fatted goose. A gentleman beside her, overhearing this criticism, suggested with a smile: “You can say that to the singer herself because she happens to be sitting opposite to you.” The lady paled and stammered a string of apologies. At last, she came upon a saving excuse. “My stupid remarks madame, she said to the actress, “are certainly the fault of the journalist in the evening paper. One can never trust in his poisonous theatre reviews. A dreadful man that journalist!” The actress replied sweetly: “Won’t you tell him so yourself? He is sitting right beside you.” — Jesus advises us in today’s Gospel to correct our erring brother or sister with forging love. (Pierre Lefevre –One Hundred Stories to Change your Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
22)Praying together: In 1868, Susan B. Anthony and her friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton persuaded a Congressman to introduce an amendment to grant voting rights to American Women. Although their efforts failed at the time, they began the Women’s Suffrage Movement, which gradually gained momentum until the 19th Amendment was finally passed in 1920. Today we see the results of the revolution Susan and Elizabeth began as more and more women not only decide political elections with their votes, but also participate in them as candidates themselves. Other examples of two or three people getting together to initiate significant change include: Ralph Nader and consumer advocate groups, and MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers). — Jesus presents his own pressure group version in today’s Gospel and he does it in the context of prayer. “If two or three of you join your voices on earth to pray for anything whatever, it shall be granted you by my Father in Heaven. Where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I in their midst.” (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
23)Long Walk to Freedom: In his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom, Nelson Mandela describes his long years of imprisonment on Robben Island. He tells how one day he was called to the main office. General Steyn was visiting the Islands and wanted to know from Mandela if the other prisoners had any complaints. Badenhorst, the officer in command of the island, was also present. Now Badenhorst was feared and hated by the prisoners. In a calm, but forceful and truthful manner, Mandela informed the visitor about the chief complaints of the prisoners. But he did so without bitterness or recriminations. The general duly took notice of what he had to say, which amounted to a damning indictment of Badenhorst’s regime. The following day Badenhorst went to Mandela and said, “I’m leaving the Island. I just want to wish you people good luck.” The remark left Mandela dumbfounded. — Mandela says that he thought of the incident for a long time afterwards. Badenhorst was perhaps the most callous and barbaric commanding officer they had had on the Island. But that incident revealed that there was another side to his nature, a side that had been obscured but that still existed. And Mandela concludes, “It is a useful reminder that all men, even the seemingly cold-blooded, have a core of decency, and that if their hearts are touched, they are capable of changing. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
24)Two or three, bound or free! A couple was constantly quarrelling for the flimsiest of reasons. Once, after a heated argument with his wife, the man shouted, “Why can’t we live peacefully like our two dogs who never fight?” “No, they don’t,” agreed his wife; and added, “but bind them together as we’re bound, and see what happens!” — When two or three individuals are bound – as in matrimony or in family – conflicts inevitably arise. Today’s readings instruct us about conflict-resolution. Like the husband and wife perpetually on the warpath, it’s not easy to live in family and community. A bachelor friend once remarked, “It’s better to be alone than in the best of company!” But, Jesus says, “If two of you agree about anything they ask, it will be done by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered in My Name, there am I in the midst of them.” Jesus stresses community indicated by the use of two or three. (Francis Gonsalves inSunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
25)Mrs. O’Neil’s Test: Jerome Weidman, author of the book Hand of the Hunter, was involved in such a situation as a boy. He said that about 30 years ago he was attending a public school on New York’s lower East Side. He had a third-grade arithmetic teacher named Mrs. O’Neill. One day she gave her class a test. When she was grading the papers, she noticed that 12 boys had given the same unusual wrong answer to the same question. The next day she asked the 12 boys to remain after the dismissal bell. Then, without accusing any of them, she wrote 21 words on the board. They read: “The measure of a man’s real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out.” Then she wrote the name of the man who said them: Thomas Babington Macaulay. — Weidman wrote: “I don’t know about the other 11 boys. Speaking for the only one of the dozen with whom I am on intimate terms, I can say this: it was the most important single lesson of my life.”(Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
26)Putting Despair on Film: In Mel Gibson’s movie, The Passion of the Christ, one of the most haunting scenes shows Judas as he gives into despair. It is the morning of Good Friday, and Judas has spent the night being tortured with regret for his betrayal. His years of hidden sins have finally led him down a path of hopelessness and despair. Of course, even then Jesus would have forgiven him, if he had just asked for forgiveness. But his deep selfish habits have put him under the devil’s power, and he can’t seem to shake himself loose. He finds himself outside the walls of Jerusalem, alone with his anguish. Then he notices something on the ground nearby and turns towards it. It is a dead donkey. The carcass is rotting, foul, and crawling with worms and maggots. At that point, in the film, Judas begins to weep, and then he hangs himself from a nearby tree. It was a difficult scene to film, because showing utter despair is not an easy thing to do. They did a lot of takes, but couldn’t get it quite right. Then Mel Gibson gave the following instruction to the actor playing Judas: “When you see that rotting donkey carcass, you have to think to yourself: ‘My soul is in worse condition than that.’” The very next take was perfect: the look of despair and hopelessness, the tears – it all flowed just right. — That’s a perfect image for sin. Sin causes death in the soul. It corrodes the human heart, poisons relationships – especially our relationship with God – and distorts our true self. That’s why Jesus is so insistent about not ignoring it. (E- Priest).
27) “Your color like mine is green.” On a busy corner in New York City a burly, Irish cop is directing traffic. He notices that a fellow crosses the street at the orange caution light. The traffic cop stops him. He discovers he is a fellow Irishman. Gently he says, “Your color like mine is green.” The perp gets back on the curb. The light turns green. The man walks across. As he passes him, the cop says with a smile, “We don’t give an Orangeman a chance around here.” (Arthur Tonne). — The cop has much to teach us. He was not humiliating the pedestrian. Rather, he was emphasizing gently but firmly that he must cross on the green and not in between. He did not make a Federal case out of the incident. He surrounded his reprimand with such good humor the guilty party could not fault it. The cop didn’t find a fault; he found a remedy. His intent was not to win a battle but to win over the offender. The cop believed that society is improved one life at a time. (Homilies.net). Today’s Gospel teaches us how to make fraternal correction.
28)Film –The Devil’s Advocate: When a talented small-town Southern lawyer, Kevin Lomax, discovers his client is guilty, he goes to the restroom to compose himself. He returns to the courtroom, humiliates the prosecution’s young witness and emerges victorious. Soon after, he is offered an opportunity to join a prestigious firm in New York. His wife is uncertain about the move and his very religious mother is against it, but he joins and strange things happen in New York. Kevin’s wife is lonely and hallucinates, Kevin’s confidence in his work begins to falter, he is attracted to a female lawyer, and his relation with his wife suffers. He gets a wealthy but guilty businessman acquitted of murder charges. Kevin’s wife claims that she has been assaulted by John Milton the company’s head. When Kevin confronts Milton, he discovers that Milton is the devil incarnate who offers Kevin the world and the opportunity to sire an Antichrist. Milton reveals that Kevin is actually his son, and Kevin puts a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. … Suddenly, Kevin is back in the restroom where he had gone to plan the next move for his guilty client. He decides to do the right and noble thing – to discontinue defending the client, knowing that he will be disbarred. But as he leaves the courtroom, a journalist asks Kevin for an interview that will make him a celebrity. — The Devil’s Advocate deals explicitly with sin, and the screenplay raises themes of God, the devil, salvation, damnation, and free-will. The film is about choices people have to make to live an upright life with all its challenges, or to live an easy life that leads to doom. Jesus, in today’s Gospel, reminds us that we have to make a choice for God or for the Satan. The way of the devil is attractive and comfortable. The way of the Messiah is the way of the Cross, hard, challenging but in the end fulfilling. (Peter Malone in Lights Camera…Faith!Quoted by Fr. Botelho)
29) It wasn’t easy…To play the role of a leader, a prophet, is never easy and entails readiness to face hardship and suffering. Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison or ten thousand days approximately. Before that he was on the run for a couple of years. Of the years he was on the run, he wrote later in the Long Walk to Freedom:“It wasn’t easy for me to separate myself from my wife and children, to say good-bye to the good old days when, at the end of a strenuous day at the office, I could look forward to joining my family at the dinner table, and instead take up the life of a man hunted continuously by the police, living separated from those who are closest to me, facing continually the hazards of detention and arrest. This was a life infinitely more difficult than serving a prison sentence.”(Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
30)Losing to gain: In the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, 16-year-old Mary Lou Retton became the first American girl to win a gold medal in gymnastics. To accomplish this extraordinary feat, she had to make many sacrifices during her two-year period of intense training prior to the Olympics. While other teenagers were enjoying themselves with a full schedule of dating and dancing, Mary Lou Retton could only participate on a very limited basis. To improve her skills she had to practice long hours in the gym; to nourish her body properly she had to follow a strict diet, and to increase her confidence she had to compete frequently in meets. — But what Mary Lou Retton gave up in terms of good times and junk food was little compared to what she gained in self-satisfaction and public acclaim when she won her Olympic gold medal. What she lost in the usual social life of a teenager she found in the special setting of becoming a champion gymnast — acceptance, camaraderie and respect.\ Mary Lou Retton’s Olympic experience illustrates Christ’s paradox in today’s Scriptures. (Quoted by Fr. Botelho).
31) Heroes who realized theresponsibility each one of us has regarding the spiritual welfare and salvation of others: Every once in a while, the daily gloomy reporting of the world’s violence, wars, hatred and inhumanity is pierced by an account of selfless courage and altruism. One such account featured the heroism of Lenny Skutnik, an erstwhile meat-packer, house painter, factory worker and short-order cook. A heavy storm had blanketed Washington D.C. on the afternoon of January 13, 1982. Skutnik was making his evening commute to his home in Virginia when Air Florida, Flight 90 struck the 14th Street Bridge and plunged into the Potomac River shortly after taking off from National Airport. Hundreds of horrified commuters stood on the river’s banks while rescue efforts were attempted by helicopter. When Skutnik made his way to the shore, he found the plane, partially submerged with several passengers clinging to the wreckage. Without hesitation, he jumped into the icy waters and managed to save one of the passengers, a woman. Seventy-eight other passengers perished. Later, when interviewed about his heroic efforts, Skutnik said simply, “Nobody else was doing anything. It was the only way.” Similar accounts of heroism tell of people rushing into buildings, engulfed in fire, in order to save the life of another. One report told of a mother who repeatedly returned to her burning home, and although her injuries soon proved to be fatal ones, she succeeded in saving all six of her children. Soldiers can recount comparable incidents of bravery. The Portland Oregonian newspaper carried this story from the Vietnam War. Several soldiers were together in a trench when a live grenade was thrown in among them. Within an instant, one soldier threw his body on the grenade and muffled the explosion which took his life, but saved all of the others with him. Even as I write these words, there are people risking their lives for others; rescuers are wading chest-deep in the alligator and snake infested muck of the Florida Everglades, searching for possible survivors of a recent plane crash. In each of these reports of courage and selflessness, the heroes and/or heroines have chosen to put themselves at risk for the well-being and safety of another. — In a sense, believers are proffered a similar challenge in today’s readings. Both the first reading (Ezekiel) and the Gospel (Matthew) are concerned with the responsibility each one of us has regarding the spiritual welfare and salvation of others. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez).
32) Correct with your life!A man approached St. Francis of Assisi and asked him, “Brother Francis, I am in a quandary. In the Bible, it says we should rebuke sinners, but I see people sinning all the time. I don’t feel like I should go around rebuking everybody.” St. Francis then said, “What you must do is to live in such a way that your life rebukes the sinner– How you act will call others to repentance.” (Johnson V. in The Sunday Liturgy)
33)“Don’t you know there is a smoking car up ahead?” The story is told of a lady who was having a pleasant journey travelling by train from New York to Philadelphia as there was only one more passenger besides her. But her joy was short-lived when the man lit a cigar and started smoking. The lady deliberately coughed and made an unpleasant face. Nothing worked. He continued to smoke. Then she blurted out: “You might be a foreigner. Don’t you know there is a smoking car up ahead? Smoking is prohibited here.” The man quietly put out the cigar and maintained his equanimity. When the conductor came to check the tickets, the lady realized with horror that her co-passenger was the famous General Ulysses Grant. She had boarded his private car by mistake. — As the lady made a hasty exit, the General did not even look her way so as not to embarrass her. He turned his head and smiled only after the lady was out of sight. (Anonymous)
34)Moving beyond the argument: Having an argument with someone we love is not unusual. We all experience rifts of various degrees with family and friends. There are times when we all act insensitively and say hurtful things. The question is how we deal with those arguments and heal those rifts.
In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal (July 15, 2014), reporter Elizabeth Bernstein spoke with psychologists, therapists and counselors about how to best make up after an argument. One psychologist summarized the process this way: “You don’t want to avoid [conflict]. You want to manage it.” How? The Journal article outlines five steps: First: Wait to talk. Give time for both of you to calm down. If one side is still “hot,” the other’s apology will only escalate the argument. Second: Give up the idea of being right. Remember that each of you believes that you are right and the other is in the wrong. Focus instead on each other’s feelings. Third: Verbalize your understanding of how the other person feels: “I understand that you are hurt because . . . “ And ask if you are correct. Fourth: Quash the impulse to defend yourself. If you apologize and the other person says, “Yes, you behaved badly,” just nod your head. Explain to the other that you really care about him or her and that you are willing to modify your behavior. Fifth: Accept the fact that it will take a while to feel better. Care enough to check in later. If each of you shows the other that you really care, the larger issues will resolve themselves. And never use the word “but” in an apology. “I’m sorry, but . . . ” undermines the entire purpose of apologizing. — The point of both The Wall Street Journal article and today’s Gospel is that reconciliation takes determined and focused work. Elizabeth Bernstein offers several insights into healing a rift between family members and friends; Jesus outlines a process for reconciling a conflict within a community. (Connections).
35)Tribal reconciliation: One summer evening after a festal hour of singing and dancing the whole tribe sat around the chieftain. He began to speak to them: “If you have quarreled with a brother and you have decided to kill him,” as he spoke he looked directly at the one of the group, “first sit down, fill your pipe and smoke it. When you have finished smoking you will realize that death is too severe a punishment for your enemy for the fault he has committed, and you decide to give a good whipping instead. Then you fill your pipe a second time and smoke it to the bottom. By then you feel that the lashes will be too much and instead some simple words of reproof would be sufficient. Then when the third time you have filled your pipe and smoked it to the finish, you will be better convinced that the better thing to do is going to that brother and embrace him.” (Fr. Lakra)
36) Sisterly correction from the best friend: I love Margot Fonteyn’s autobiography, written with the fluency that distinguishes her dancing. The famous English ballerina narrates an incident in which she experienced a sisterly correction from her best friend, Pamela May (cf. Margot Fonteyn: Her Own Best Selling Autobiography, London: Wyndham Publications Ltd., 1976, p. 98-99). Pamela May was away from the ballet for quite a while having a baby. June Brae, the other member of our ‘triptych’, had met David Breeden at Cambridge at the same time that I met Tito and Pamela met Painton. June and David married early in the war, and their daughter was born soon after Pamela’s son. I seemed to be the odd girl out. Alone in No. 1 dressing room, without my closest friends, I developed a star complex, and for a time I was really impossible, imagining that I was different from, and superior to, those around me. Then Pamela came to see us. It was soon after she had been widowed. Completely broken up by her loss and living as she did facing up to stark reality, she was in no mood to put up with my fanciful airs. She told me outright that I had become a bore. Thinking it over, I decided that I far preferred the company of my friends to the isolated pinnacle implied by the title “Prima Ballerina Assoluta,” which I had been trying to reach, so I climbed down. As a matter of fact, it had been partly the fault of what I call false friends – those who, with the best will, and believing themselves your warmest admirers, unwittingly destroy you with such talk as: “People didn’t realize how great you are”; “You are the greatest ballerina alive; people should fall back in awe when you leave the stage door”; “You should be treated like a queen.” All of which is, of course, rubbish. (Lectio Divina).
37)U. S. Catholics must be sentinel prophets: The following excerpt from the document, “The Challenge of Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship”, issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in November 2007, illustrates what it means to be a “sentinel prophet” in the world today. The Bishops speak out against the sinful situations of the society and at the same time offer guidelines toward a well-formed conscience that is in consonance with truth. “Our nation faces political challenges that demand urgent moral choices. We are a nation at war, with all of its human costs; a country often divided by race and ethnicity; a nation of immigrants struggling with immigration. We are an affluent society where too many live in poverty; part of a global community confronting terrorism and facing urgent threats to our environment; a culture built on families, where some now question the value of marriage and family life. We pride ourselves on supporting human rights, but we fail even to protect the fundamental right to life, especially for unborn children. We bishops seek to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with the truth, so they can make sound moral choices in addressing these challenges. We do not tell Catholics how to vote. The responsibility to make political choices rests in each person and his or her properly formed conscience.”…” In light of Catholic teaching, as bishops we rigorously repeat our call for a renewed politics that focuses on moral principles, the defense of life, the needs of the weak, and the pursuit of the common good. This kind of political participation reflects the social teachings of our Church and the best traditions of our nation.”
38)“But I have many more bridges to build.” The following beautiful story, “The Carpenter”, circulated through the internet, gives a glimpse on how to promote mutual and forgiving love in our community. Once upon a time, two brothers who lived on adjoining farms fell into conflict. It was the first serious rift in 40 years of farming side-by-side, sharing machinery and trading labor and goods as needed without a hitch.
Then the long collaboration fell apart. It began with a small misunderstanding and it grew into a major difference and finally, it exploded into an exchange of bitter words followed by weeks of silence. One morning there was a knock on John’s door. He opened it to find a man with a carpenter’s toolbox. “I’m looking for a few days’ work”, he said. “Perhaps you would have a few small jobs here and there I could help with? Could I help you? “Yes”, said the older brother. “I do have a job for you. Look across the creek at that farm. That’s my neighbor. In fact, it’s my younger brother! Last week there was meadow between us. He recently took his bulldozer to the river levee and now there is a creek between us. Well, he may have done this to spite me, but I’ll do him one better. See that pile of lumber by the barn? I want you to build me a fence, an 8-foot fence – so I won’t need to see his place or his face anymore.” The carpenter said, “I think I understand the situation. Show me the nails and the post-hole digger and I’ll be able to do a job that pleases you.” The older brother had to go to town, so he helped the carpenter get the materials ready and then he was off for the day. The carpenter worked hard all that day – measuring, sawing and nailing. About sunset when the farmer returned, the carpenter had just finished his job. The farmer’s eyes opened wide; his jaw dropped. There was no fence there at all. It was a bridge! A bridge that stretched from one side of the creek to the other! A fine piece of work, handrails and all! And the neighbor, his younger brother, was coming toward him, his hand outstretched. “You are quite a fellow to build this bridge after all I’ve said and done.” The two brothers stood at each end of the bridge, and then they met in the middle, taking each other’s hand. They turned to see the carpenter hoist his toolbox onto his shoulder. “No, wait! Stay a few days. I’ve a lot of other projects for you”, said the older brother. “I’d love to stay on”, the carpenter said, “but I have many more bridges to build.”(Lectio Divina).
39)Public Wants or Public Needs? Playwrights for stage, screen and television can’t people their dramas with saints only. Human beings are sinners as well as saints or a mixture of both. Trouble is the professional theater is a business as well as an art; so when show business is slow, producers are always tempted to “give the public what it wants”: to glamorize sin. This, of course, is irresponsible. It is cashing in on the weaknesses of one’s neighbor. Some theatrical people go along with such trends, but the really great actors and actresses will usually refuse. They have too much respect for their art to allow it to become an agent of human corruption. Take, for instance, one of America’s theatrical “greats,” our original “Peter Pan” – Maude Adams (1872-1953). Here is what she said: “If a play and the acting call out unhealthy emotions and lead us to believe they are normal or customary, the theater serves no good purpose.” Aristotle, the famous philosopher of ancient Greece, who wrote a whole book on the aims of drama, would have agreed. So does today’s second reading: “…Love never does any wrong to the neighbor” (Rom 13:10). (Father Robert F. McNamara).
40)I heard a country song the other day entitled, “Anyway.” It reminded me of something I’ve used for years. It goes like this:
People are illogical, unreasonable and self-centered,
Love them anyway.
If you are good, people will accuse you of ulterior motives,
Do good anyway.
Honesty and frankness will make you vulnerable,
Be honest and frank anyway.
People really need help, but may attack you if you help them,
Help them anyway.
In the final analysis, it’s between you and God,
It was never between you and them anyway.(Rev. Dr. J. Howard Olds) L/26 “Scriptural Homilies”Cycle A (No. 50) by Fr. Tony:akadavil@gmail.com
Kindly visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/for missed or previous Cycle C & A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only atakadavil@gmail.com as I spent my retirement at home in my home country. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies of Fr. Nick’s collection of famous 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 by May 2020). My post-retirement U. S. postal address for land mail: is Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Jogy M. C., St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507, U. S. A.
Aug 24-29: Aug 24 Monday:St. Bartholomew, Apostle: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-bartholomew/John 1:45-51 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Beth-sa’ida, the city of Andrew and Peter). 45 Philip found Nathan’a-el, and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathan’a-el said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathan’a-el coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” 48 Nathan’a-el said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathan’a-el answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
In today’s Gospel of John (John 1:43-51), Nathanael, also called Bartholomew or “son of Tholomay,” is introduced as a friend of Philip. He is described as initially being skeptical about the Messiah coming from Nazareth, saying: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” But he accepted Philip’s invitation to meet Jesus. Jesus welcomed him, saying “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” Jesus’ comment, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” is probably based on a Jewish figure of speech referring to studying the Torah. Nathanael immediately recognized Jesus as “the Son of God” and “the King of Israel.” Nathanael reappears at the end of John’s Gospel (John 21:2), as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Tiberius after his resurrection from the tomb. The Gospels thus present Bartholomew as a man with no malice, a lover of Torah, who was open to truth and ready to accept it. Nathanael was the first Apostle to make an explicit confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah and as the Son of God. (Source: The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries,”
Life message: 1) Let us pray for the grace to love the word of God as Bartholomew did. Let us also pray that we may accept the teaching of the Bible as the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, interprets it with open heart and open mind and without pride or prejudice. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26
Aug 25 Tuesday: St. Louis King of France: – https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-louis-of-france/, St. Joseph Calasanz: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-joseph-calasanz/Mt 23:23-26: 23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides, straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel! 25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and rapacity. 26 You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the outside also may be clean.
The context: Chapter 23 of Matthew’s Gospel presents the rolling thunder of Jesus’ anger and sorrow at the blatant hypocrisy of the Pharisees, in the form of a series of eight denunciations. Today’s Gospel passage contains the fourth, fifth, and sixth charges: unauthorized extra tithing, exaggerated zeal for the Law and undue emphasis on external cleanliness as a cheap substitute for internal purity. For Jesus, the essence of religion is offering a clean heart to God, a heart filled with love, mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. Mere external observance of rituals without cleansing the heart is hypocrisy.
The fourth of the eight accusations is that the Pharisees practice non-required and silly tithing of herbs in the kitchen garden, while they fail to observe “the weightier matters of the Law, Justice, Mercy and Faith,” thus missing the spirit of tithing. Tithing was intended to remind the Chosen People that God, their Creator, owns everything He has created and given to them, and to express that truth by gratefully offer Him their tithes; to support the Temple worship, and to help the poor in the Jewish community. The fifth denunciation is of their exaggerated zeal for observing the letter of the Law, for instance filtering the drinks to avoid unclean insects, while committing serious sins without any prick of conscience. The sixth indictment is of their exaggerated zeal for ritual, external cleanliness while they leave their minds and hearts filled with pride, evil intentions, prejudice, and injustice and fail to practice mercy or offer compassion to suffering people.
Life Message: 1) Let us not be Pharisaical in our religious lives by meticulously practicing external observance of piety and devotion while remaining unjust, uncharitable, arrogant, impatient, cruel, stubborn, irritable, and judgmental. 2) We are tempted to hide the bad things about ourselves and advertise the good things, so, the bad things grow, and the good things are dissipated. 3) Let us try to have noble intentions for all our good deeds and to learn how to love God living in others by rendering them sacrificial service with agápe love. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26
Aug 26 Wednesday: Mt 23:27-32: 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 saying, `If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you witness against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
The context: Today’s passage, again taken from chapter 23 of Matthew’s Gospel, gives the seventh and eighth accusations made against the Pharisees on the third day of the original “Holy Week” in Jerusalem, as Jesus addressed them in the Temple precincts. Jesus called them hypocrites seven times told them plainly that they were whitewashed tombs containing rotten stuff inside.
Hypocrisy exposed: Jesus compared the scribes and Pharisees to the tombs on the sides of the road leading to Jerusalem. In preparation for the three major Jewish feasts, the Scribes and Pharisees used to have these tombs whitewashed, so that the pilgrims would not be ritually defiled by unknowingly walking over one. In this seventh charge, Jesus accused the Pharisees of moral filth, of hiding injustice and immorality inside themselves and covering the corruption with “whitewash” — the pretenses of piety and religious fervor. In his eighth and final indictment, Jesus also criticized their false zeal in decorating the old monuments and rebuilding new monuments for the past prophets who had been persecuted and murdered by their forefathers the Pharisees of Jesus’ time had neither learned from nor been changed by the messages of the now-dead prophets.
Life message: 1) We need to be men and women of integrity, sincerity, and good character originating from our Christian Faith and convictions without any element of hypocrisy in our Christian life. 2) We should not flaunt exernal piety and religious fervor when we realize that we are not internally holy. Here is St. John Chrysostom’s (4th century) comment on the matter: “You have been counted worthy to become temples of God. But you have instead suddenly become more like sepulchers, having the same sort of foul smell. This is dreadful. It is extreme wretchedness that one in whom Christ dwells and in whom the Holy Spirit has worked such great works should turn out to be a sepulcher, a place for death, carrying a dead soul – a soul deadened by sins, a soul paralyzed – in a living body!” (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/26)
Aug 27 Thursday:St. Monica:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-monica: Matthew 24: 42-51: 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect. 45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has set over his household, to give them their food at the proper time? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. 47 Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. 48 But if that wicked servant says to himself, `My master is delayed,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eats and drinks with the drunken, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, 51 and will punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth.
The context: The central theme of today’s Gospel passage is the necessity for Faith and vigilant preparedness in the lives of Christ’s followers. The passage contains a pair of short parables in which the chief characters are a master (representing the risen Jesus), and his servants (Jesus’ followers, ourselves). Jesus warns the disciples that they must be prepared at all times because the Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour. According to the Fathers of the Church, Jesus’ words in this passage have two senses. In the narrower sense, the words refer to the Second Coming of Jesus, but in the broader sense they refer to the time of our own death, when God will call us to meet Him and to give Him an account of our life on earth. Jesus wants all of us to be ready at every moment to do God’s will by loving others through humble, sacrificial service.
Steadfast Faith and eternal vigilance: In the first part of this discourse, prior to today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the disciples the need for constant vigilance, using the mini-parable of the thief and the treasure. We should not lose our treasure of Divine grace or close relationship with Jesus, like the man who awoke one morning to discover that a thief had stolen his wealth in the night. In the second part (today’s Gospel), Jesus exhorts the disciples to be steadfast in their Faith and ever vigilant. When he had to be away from home, a master would make a servant his steward and entrust to him the management of the household. A trusted steward was expected to run his master’s house well, to govern the master’s servants, and to administer the master’s estate. When his master was not at home, a wise and trustworthy steward was ever vigilant. He prepared himself for his master’s return at any time of the day or night by always doing his duties faithfully. Jesus illustrates the same point by using another mini-parable of the foolish and wicked steward who got drunk, abused the other servants, and was caught red-handed by his master.
Life message: 1) These parables encouraging “wakefulness” and “preparedness” are addressed to all believers. Since the time of our death is quite uncertain, we, too, must be ever ready to meet our Lord at any moment. Our Master should find us carrying out our tasks of love, mercy, and service, rather than leaving things undone or half-done or postponed. He should also find us at peace with God, ourselves and with our fellowmen (Eph 4:26) (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
Aug 28 Friday:St. Augustine, Bishop, Doctor of the Church; https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-augustine-of-hippo/Mt 25:1-13: 1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. 2 Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; 4 but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. 5 As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ 7 Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the foolish said to the wise, `Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise replied, `Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. 11 Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, `Lord, lord, open to us.’ 12 but he replied ‘Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor he hour.”
The context: Today’s parable, taken from Matthew’s Gospel, brings the usual warnings about preparation for the end of our own world, the end of our own times, and our own passage to another world. The parable tells us that a searching, watching, and growing heart is essential for a lively, dynamic Faith in God; it also asks us whether we are ready for these events and how we are preparing for them.
The parable: Since a wedding was a great occasion, the whole village would line up at the sides of the road to wish God’s blessings on the bride and groom in procession. The invited ones would join the procession, which started from the bride’s house, and ended at the groom’s house to take part in the week-long celebration. Since the bridegroom might come to the bride’s house unexpectedly, the bridal party had to be ready at any time, with virgins carrying lighted torches and reserve oil in jars. The five foolish virgins who could not welcome the groom’s party lost not only the opportunity of witnessing the marriage ceremony, but also of participating in the week-long celebration that followed. The local meaning is that the foolish virgins represent the “Chosen People of God” who were waiting for the Messiah but were shut out from the Messianic banquet because they were unprepared. The universal meaning is that the five foolish virgins represent those who fail to prepare for the end of their lives and for the Final Judgment. They do not put their Faith in Jesus and live it out by keeping Jesus’ Commandment to love others as Jesus Himself did.
Life messages: 1) We must be wise enough to remain ever prepared: Wise Christians carefully make their daily choices for God. They are ready to put the commandment of love into practice by showing kindness and forgiveness. 2) Let us be sure that our lamps are ready for the end of our lives: Spiritual readiness, preparation and growth come as a result of intentional habits built into one’s life. These include taking time for prayer and being alone with God; Adoration of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, reading God’s Word; leading a Sacramental life; cooperating with God’s grace by offering acts of humble loving service to others; practicing moral faithfulness, and living always in loving obedience to Him. (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/26)
Aug 29 Saturday:The Passion of St. John the Baptist: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/martyrdom-of-saint-john-the-baptist: Mk 6:17-29: 14 King Herod heard of it; for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead; that is why these powers are at work in him.” 15 But others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” 17 For Herod had sent and seized John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; because he had married her. 18 For John said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 And Herodias had a grudge against him, and wanted to kill him. But she could not, 20 for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and kept him safe. When he heard him, he was much perplexed; and yet he heard him gladly. 21 But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his courtiers and officers and the leading men of Galilee. 22 For when Herodias’ daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will grant it.” 23 And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, even half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the baptizer.” 25 And she came in immediately with haste to the king, and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And the king was exceedingly sorry; but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her 27And immediaately the King sent a soldier of the guard and gave orders to bring his head. He went and beheaded him in the prison, 28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body, and laid it in a tomb.
The context: Today’s Gospel presents the last scene of a tragic drama with three main characters, Herod, Herodias, and John the Baptist. Herod was a jealous, weak puppet-king with a very guilty conscience, who answered to Rome for his rule of one section of Israel, at that time a Roman subject-province. Herod feared the prophet John because John had publicly scolded him for divorcing his legal wife without adequate cause and for marrying his sister-in-law Herodias who was his niece, thus committing a double violation of Mosaic Law. Herodias was an immoral, greedy woman, stained by a triple guilt and enraged by John’s public criticism of her: 1) She was an unfaithful woman of loose morals. 2) She was a greedy and vengeful woman. 3) She was an evil mother who used her teenage daughter for the wicked purposes of murder and revenge by encouraging the girl to dance in public in the royal palace against the royal etiquette of the day. John the Baptist was a fiery preacher and the herald of the Promised Messiah. He was also a Spirit-filled prophet with the courage of his prophetic convictions who dared to criticize and scold an Oriental monarch and his proud wife in public.
God’s punishment: After the martyrdom of John, Herod was defeated by Aretas, the father of his first wife. Later, both Herod and Herodias were sent into exile by Caligula, the Roman emperor. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26
O.T. XXII [A] (Aug 30, 2026)Eight-minute homily in one page
Introduction: Today’s Gospel passage reminds us that Christian discipleship demands self-control (“Deny yourself”), the willingness to suffer (“take up your cross”), the readiness to follow Jesus by obeying his commandment of love, and the ongoing surrender of our whole being to God (“to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God” (Rom 12:1). (An anecdote may be added)
Scripture lessons summarized: Today’s readings explain how we should practice true, dynamic Christian discipleship. Jeremiah, in the first reading, is certainly a prototype of the suffering Christ. In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 63), the Psalmist manifests his profound trust in God, just as Jeremiah himself does. In the second reading, Paul advises the Romans and us (Rom 12:1-2): to ‘’offer our bodies as a living sacrifice” to God by explicitly rejecting the ungodly behavior of the world around us, and by discerning and doing the will of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples by surprise when, after Peter’s great confession of Faith, Jesus announces that he “must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” After correcting Peter’s protest, Jesus announces the three conditions of Christian discipleship: “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.”
Life messages: # 1: We need to be “extremophiles” for Christ: True disciples of Christ are: a) truly compassionate: they are willing to visit and help the infected and the sick in hospitals, the incontinent elderly, the handicapped, and those who suffer dementia in nursing homes, and AIDS patients in hospices; b) truly humble: they areable to see that every good gift comes from God alone, and that His gifts to us of time, personal talents, and resources should inspire gratitude, not pride; c) truly patient: they are committed to working with challenging children, adolescents with problems, young adults who are struggling with their Faith, with the intellectually challenged and with those suffering dementia; d) truly forgiving: they are willing to forgive not just once, or twice, but again and again, because they know that God has forgiven them again and again; e) truly loving: they willingly visit people in prisons, in retirement homes, and in homeless shelters; and f) truly faithful: they are living out a committed, trusting relationship with God, with spouse, with family and friends.
# 2: We need to ask these questions as we examine our conscience. A true disciple examines his or her conscience every day, asking three questions about discipleship: a) Am I sacrificing a part of my time, talents, and income b) Am I practicing self-control over my thoughts, words, deeds, and use of mass media, and put loving restriction on the cell phone and Internet activities of my children? c) Am I training my children in my Faith in a loving, providing, redeeming God by encouraging them, as we spend some time together as a family, praying and reading the Bible? d) Am I teaching my children through example and word to pardon each other, to ask for God’s pardon for our own sins and failures, to thank God for His blessings, and to participate in the Sunday school classes and youth programs?
OT XXII [A] (Aug 30, 2026)Jer 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16:21-27
Homily Starter Anecdotes# 1:“There is no Polandwithout a cross.” Years ago, when Poland was still under Communist control, the Prime Minister ordered that crucifixes be removed from classroom walls. Catholic Bishops attacked the ban, which had stirred waves of anger and resentment all across Poland. Ultimately the government relented, insisting that the law remain on the books, but agreeing not to press for removal of the crucifixes, particularly in the schoolrooms. But one zealous Communist school administrator, the director of the Mietnow Agricultural College, Ryszard Dobrynski, took the crosses down from his seven lecture halls where they had hung since the school’s founding in the twenties. Days later, a group of parents entered the school and hung more crosses. The administrator promptly had these taken down as well. The next day two-thirds of the school’s six hundred students staged a sit-in. When heavily-armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby Church where they were joined by twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the Church. But the press was there as well, and pictures from inside of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did the words of the priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that morning. “There is no Poland without a cross.” (http://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/09/world/student-protest-swells-in-poland-return-of-crucifixes-is-demanded.html) — Perhaps the cross has come to symbolize comfort to us because we have had to sacrifice little in our lives. The more we are called upon to carry our own crosses, the more we will understand the one our Savior carried outside the city gates to the hill called Golgotha. That is why today’s Gospel challenges us to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus.
# 2: Jesus’ call to be extremophiles or “extreme-lovers.” Probably, you’ve never met these creatures called extremophiles. This is because they are extremely small microorganisms which live in environments where the Fahrenheit temperature ranges either from 170 to 215 degrees (water boils at 212 °F), or down to several degrees below freezing point — or in acidic media. One such extremophile is Pyrococcus furiosus. Pyro is only one of many microorganisms attracting the attention of scientists today. Biotechnologists are learning a lot from such microorganisms living way out there, in dangerous places like hot springs, polar ice caps, salty lakes and acidic fields. They live in conditions that would kill humans and most plants and animals. Extremophile microbes are also busy industrialists, reports The Futurist magazine, because they produce enzymes that are enormously useful in the food, chemical, pharmaceutical, waste treatment and other industries. Suppose you need an enzyme to replace bleaching by Chlorine …. (Cynthia G. Wagner, “Biotech Goes to Extremes,” The Futurist, October 1998). — Today’s reading points us to the Greatest Extremophile of all time. In the district of Caesarea Philippi, Jesus reveals himself to be an “extremophile,” showing his disciples that he “must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised” (Mt 16:21). When Peter objects to this extremely painful prediction, Jesus rebukes him sharply: “Get behind me, Satan! … you are setting your mind not on Divine things but on human things.” He then tells his disciples, ”Whoever wishes to come after memustdeny himself, take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (16:24-25).
# 3: “Quo vadis Domine?” There is an ancient legend about Peter, which became the basis for the Polish novel Quo Vadis written by Henryk Sienkievicz between 1895-1896 which became a motion picture in 1951. At the time of the great persecution under Nero, the Christians of Rome told Peter to leave. “You’re too valuable,” they said. “Get out of town! Find your safety! Go to another place and preach the Gospel.” Peter hastily hurried out of town as fast as he could. But as he hurried along the Appian Way, away from the Eternal City, he was met by Christ, going toward the city. Peter said to him in Latin, “Quo vadis, Domine?” “Where are you going, Lord?” To which Jesus replied, “Back to Rome, to be crucified with my people. Where are you going, Peter?” Peter’s eyes filled with tears of remorse, as he turned and walked back to Rome, where, according to tradition, he was crucified head downward, feeling that he was not worthy to die in the same manner as had his Lord. — Jesus’ question to Peter comes to us also: “Quo vadis?”“Where are you going?” Are we going with Christ, or away from him and from his cross? That’s the really important question. It doesn’t matter how far we have traveled. What does matter is the direction in which we are going.
# 4: “They prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team huddles.” Like a burning fire within, the irresistible word of the Lord compels us to resist evil. It strengthens us to speak for the reign of God. The following high-impact story, circulated through the Internet, illustrates the challenges for today’s Christians as well as the appeal of Saint Paul “not to conform … but be transformed”. — “Tennessee Football”:This is a statement that was read over the PA system at the football game at Roanne County High School, Kingston, Tennessee, by school principal Jody McLeod.
It has always been the custom of Roanne County High School football games, to say a prayer and play the National Anthem, to honor God and country. Due to a recent ruling by the Supreme Court, I am told that saying a Prayer is a violation of Federal Case Law. As I understand the law at this time, I can use this public facility to approve of sexual perversion and call it “an alternate lifestyle”, and if someone is offended, that’s OK. I can use it to condone sexual promiscuity, by dispensing condoms and calling it, “safe sex”. If someone is offended, that’s OK. I can use this public facility to present the merits of killing an unborn baby as a “viable means of birth control”. If someone is offended, no problem … I can designate a school day as “Earth Day” and involve students in activities to worship religiously and praise the goddess “Mother Earth” and call it “ecology”. I can use literature, videos and presentations in the classroom that depict people with strong, traditional Christian convictions as “simple minded” and “ignorant” and call it “enlightenment” … However, if anyone uses this facility to honor GOD and to ask HIM to bless this event with safety and good sportsmanship, then Federal Case Law is violated. This appears to be inconsistent at best, and at worst, diabolical. Apparently, we are to be tolerant of everything and anyone, except GOD and HIS commandments. Nevertheless, as a school principal, I frequently ask staff and students to abide by rules with which they do not necessarily agree. For me to do otherwise would be inconsistent at best, and at worst, hypocritical … I suffer from that affliction enough unintentionally. I certainly do not need to add an intentional transgression. For this reason, I shall “Render unto Caesar that which is Caesar’s” and refrain from praying this time. However, if you feel inspired to honor, praise and thank GOD and ask HIM, in the name of JESUS, to bless this event, please feel free to do so. As far as I know, that’s not against the law – yet.
One by one, the people in the stands bowed their heads, held hands with one another and began to pray. They prayed in the stands. They prayed in the team huddles. They prayed at the concession stand and they prayed in the Announcer’s Box. The only place they didn’t pray was in the Supreme Court of the United States of America – the Seat of “Justice” in the “one nation, under GOD, indivisable”. Somehow, Kingston, Tennessee remembered what so many have forgotten. We are given the freedom OF/FOR religions, not the freedom FROM religion. Praise GOD that HIS remnant remains! JESUS said, “If you are ashamed before men, then I will be ashamed of you before MY FATHER.” (Lectio Divina).
Introduction: The readings for this Sunday remind us that Christians are called to live their lives in a different way from others around them. Christian discipleship demands honesty, the willingness to suffer (“take up your cross”), generosity (“to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God”), and readiness to follow Jesus by obeying his commandment of love. Today’s readings explain how this Christian mission should be accomplished, specifically that we should know and live the will of God and accept the suffering involved in doing so. These readings tell us as well, that while suffering is an integral part of our earthly life, it is also our road to glory. There is no crown without a cross. Jeremiah, in the first reading, is a certainly a prototype of the suffering Christ. Jeremiah tried to live the will of God bravely facing confrontations and persecution, and he continued to proclaim God’s message, because when he tried to stop, the message itself became ”like a fire, burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in! I cannot endure it.” In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 63), the Psalmist sings, “O God, You are my God Whom I seek; for You my flesh pines and my soul thirsts, like the earth parched, lifeless and without water. … You are my Help, and in the shadow of Your Wings I shout for joy. My soul clings fast to You: Your right hand upholds me.” In the second reading, Paul advises the Romans, and us (Rom 12:1-2): to ‘’offer our bodies as a living sacrifice” to God by explicitly rejecting the ungodly behavior of the world around us and by discerning and doing the will of God. Paul learned from personal experience that one’s commitment to God’s requires of one e fearless, faithful resistance to one’s contemporary culture. Paul details the physical sufferings and hostile rejections he met because of his fidelity to, and love for, Jesus and the Gospel entrusted to him in his apostolic mission to the Gentiles. In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples by surprise when, after Peter’s great confession of Faith, Jesus “began to show his disciples that hemust go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” After correcting Peter’s protest, Jesus announces the three conditions of Christian discipleship: “deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” Unless we constantly remind ourselves of the demands of this difficult vocation from God, we will fail to be the kind of disciples that Christ expects us to be.
The first reading: Jer 20:7-9 explained: The prophet Jeremiah lived from about 650 B.C. to about 580 B.C. Most of his work was done in Judah’s capital, Jerusalem. Jeremiah was sent by God, “to tear up and to knock down, to destroy and to overthrow” (Jer 1:10). He tried to keep this people, who lived in an atmosphere of political intrigue and backstabbing, faithful to God. Jeremiah was regarded as a traitor by his own people because, as God’s mouthpiece, he had to foretell the dire results that would follow from their plan of revolt against the mighty power of Babylon. In his discouragement, Jeremiah complained bitterly to God. The English word jeremiad means an elaborate and prolonged lamentation or tale of woe. Today’s first reading is the purest of jeremiads. In it, Jeremiah accuses Yahweh of tricking him and offers us a powerful description of someone suffering for obedience to his conscience.
Second reading (Rom 12:1-2) explained: In the second reading, Paul advises the Roman Christians that they must live their Christian lives in such a way that they differ both from the Jews and from the pagans. St. Paul calls them to adopt an attitude of sacrifice in their worship of God. In order to do this, they must explicitly reject the behavior of the world around them. Paul tells them, and us (Rom 12:1-2): “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice” to God. Paul then explains that the sacrifices that should be offered are not the animals or grain of Jewish Temple worship, but their bodies “as a living sacrifice … spiritual worship.” In this way, by non-conformity to their own age, they would differ from the Jews and the pagans, and that would cost them suffering and sometimes their very lives. Like Paul’s Christians, we too must “discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect,”– and then do it!
Gospel exegesis:"Get behind me, Satan!”After Peter had confessed his Faith that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus, in today’s Gospel, explained to the apostles what the Messianic Mission and their responsive discipleship really meant. Jesus realized that, although he had predicted his suffering and death three times, his disciples were still thinking in terms of a conquering Messiah, a warrior king, who would sweep the Romans from Palestine and lead Israel to power. That is why Peter, unable to bear the idea of a suffering Messiah, protested., and received a stern rebuke from Jesus: "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to Me; for you are not on the side of God but of men!” (Mt 16:23). Jesus’ rebuke was intended to nullify what was, in fact, a temptation of the evil one urging Him to shrink from doing the work for which He had come. It was the same kind of rebuke He had delivered to Satan in the wilderness. Origen suggests that Jesus was saying to Peter: "Peter, your place is behind me, not in front of me. It's your job to follow me in the way I choose, not to try to lead Me in the way YOU would like me to go."Satan is banished from the presence of Christ, and Peter is recalled to become, again, Christ's follower. “This foundation-stone-become-stumbling-stone stands as a cautionary tale for all of us who are called to serve with authority in the Church, a reality that surely extends to parents with respect to their children and teachers with respect to students.” (Fr. Reginald Fuller). -- The Good News is that, by the grace of God, rehabilitation is not only possible but likely, if we pray. Like Peter, the Church is often tempted to judge the success or failure of her ministry by the world’s standards. But Jesus teaches that worldly success is not always the Christian way. That is why Jesus decided that the time had come for him to confront the forces of the scribes and the Pharisees at the seat of their power, Jerusalem, realizing fully well what the agonizing consequences would be.
Three conditions of Christian discipleship: After correcting Peter for trying to divert him from what would be his way of the cross in Jerusalem, Jesus declares three conditions for anyone who would become and live as his disciples: a) deny yourself b) take up your cross and c) follow me. A) Self-denial means evicting selfish thoughts, desires, and tendencies from our hearts and letting God fill our hearts with Himself. It also means being cleansed of all evil habits, enthroning God in in our hearts, and sharing Him with others. B) Carrying the cross with Jesus always entails pain and suffering. Our personal sufferings become the cross of Jesus when: 1) we suffer by serving others selflessly; 2) we give ourselves — our health, wealth, time and talents – to others until it hurts us; 3) we join our physical, mental or emotional sufferings to Jesus’ sufferings and offer them with him to the Father in reparation for our sins and those of the world; and we work with the Spirit Who is purifying us through our personal sufferings or penitential practices. C) Following Jesus means that, as disciples of Christ, we should live our lives according to the word of God by obeying Jesus’ commandment of love. To follow someone who has asked us to “take up our cross” daily seems foolish. But in the words of the Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen, “to be a fool for Christ is the greatest compliment the world can give. You and I are in good company, because most of the saints embraced the Cross of Christ and were considered fools for doing so.” The Catechism teaches, “The way of perfection,” that is, the path leading to holiness, “passes by way of the Cross” (CCC #2015).“There is no holiness without renunciation and spiritual battle” (CCC #2015).“Spiritual progress entails the ascesis and mortification that gradually lead to living in the peace and joy of the Beatitudes” (CCC #2015).
Losing life, finding life: Matthew was writing for the Christian community in the bitterest days of persecution – AD 80-90. Hence, he emphasizes Jesus’ teaching that a man who is faithful may die for his Faith in Jesus, but in dying he will live. The man who risks everything for Christ finds life. On the other hand, the man who abandons his Faith for safety or security may live, but he is actually dying. History is full of noble souls who risked their lives for the sake of others. If certain scientists had not been prepared to take risks, many a medical cure would not exist. If mothers were not prepared to take risks, no child would ever be born. If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that there are constant opportunities for us to choose to be true to the Gospel. But the world is essentially opposed to the Gospel and those who live out its truths. Archbishop Desmond Tutu was questioned once as to whether or not he was a politician. He answered, “No, I am not. I am a Church person who believes that religion does not deal just with a certain compartment of life. Religion has relevance for the whole of life, and we have to say whether a particular policy is consistent with the policy of Jesus Christ or not, and if you want to say that that is political, then I will be a politician in those terms….My role, the role of people of Faith, is to be able to say: ‘Thus saith the Lord.’”
Life messages:# 1: We need to be extremophilesfor Christ: True disciples of Christ are: a) truly compassionate: they are willing to visit the infected and the sick in hospitals, the incontinent elderly, the handicapped, those who suffer dementia in nursing homes, and AIDS patients in hospices; b) truly humble: they are able to see that every good gift comes from God alone, and that His gifts to us of time, personal talents, and resources should inspire gratitude, not pride; c) truly patient: they are committed to working with challenging children, adolescents with problems, young adults who are struggling with their Faith, with the intellectually challenged, and with those suffering dementia; d) truly forgiving: they are willing to forgive, not just once or twice but again and again, because they know that God has forgiven them again and again; e) truly loving: they willingly visit people in prisons, in retirement homes, and in homeless shelters; f) truly faithful: they are living out a committed, trusting relationship with God, with spouse, with family and friends.
# 2:We need to askthese questions as we examine our conscience. A true disciple examines his or her conscience every day asking three questions about discipleship: a) Did I sacrifice a part of my time, talents, and income for my parish and the missionary activities of the Church? b) Did I practice self-control over my thoughts, words, deeds, and use of mass media, and put loving restriction on the cell phone and Internet activities of my children? c) Did I train my children in my Faith in a loving, providing, redeeming God by encouraging them as we spend some time together as a family praying and reading the Bible and by teaching them through example and word to pardon each other, to ask for God’s pardon for our own sins and failures, to thank God for His blessings and to participate in the Sunday school classes and youth programs?
# 3: We need to askadditional questions. Does my Church offer a Faith strong enough to command a sacrifice on my part? Do I have enough Faith to offer up a genuine sacrifice for Christ’s sake? Can a Church in today’s self-centered culture ask its people to sacrifice something for the sake of the Gospel? Jesus’ challenge to all would-be disciples requires more than a “feel-good” spirituality. A true disciple asks, “Am I willing to sacrifice something for the Kingdom?” What made it possible for first-century Christians to choose a martyr’s death? What has kept generations of Christians from losing Faith and falling apart when confronted by the violence and hatred of this world? How can I offer even the day-to-day sacrifices of my Faith that demand things I don’t want to do or give? Can I sacrifice some of my time in order to visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen? Can I sacrifice my job security and refuse to “go along” with a policy that is unjust? Can I sacrifice my need to be in control and let Christ do with me whatever he may will? Can I refuse to let my children watch television programs filled with sex and violence?
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Three holy, religious priests, a Dominican, a Franciscan, and a Jesuit were in the same hospice. All were near death. One evening, the Angel of Death appeared before them and informed them that it was their time. He said, however, that each could have a final request before accompanying him from this world as they had scrupulously practiced the triple norms of Christian discipleship in their pretty long lives. The Dominican went first, and he asked to gaze upon the face of his Savior. In an instant, the face of Christ appeared before him. He was satisfied and felt he could die with no regrets. The Franciscan was next. He asked to touch the wounds in the hands and feet of Jesus before he died. No sooner had he spoken than Christ appeared and invited him, as he did Thomas, to examine His wounds. The dying priest touched Christ’s hands and feet, wept with joy and was content and at peace. Finally, the angel turned to the Jesuit and asked his final request. Without hesitation, the Jesuit replied: “I’d like a second opinion.”
1) Heroic modern cross bearers: Valerie Price, Maximilian Kolbe and Dom Helder Camara: Here are the stories of three Christians who accepted the challenge of Christian discipleship given in today’s Gospel, by “denying themselves, taking up their crosses and following Jesus.” Twenty-three-year-old Valerie Price went to Somalia to work as a nurse. She wanted to help people who had nothing. She wanted to offer them a better way of life. Valerie was concerned about her safety, but nothing could stop her from doing her work. She was put in charge of a feeding center in Mogadishu. Through her efforts, children who had been near starvation were fed. Valerie even established a school so the children could learn and have some hope for the future. She became nationally known for her committed service. Valerie, however, was killed by armed bandits outside the school she had started. She was willing to risk her life to help other people.
St. Maximilian Kolbe was born in Poland. It seems that his early years – while good – were not that remarkable. He was devoted to Mary. He became a Conventual Franciscan priest. His Faith was important to him. But when the Nazis invaded Poland in 1939, Kolbe saw the writing on the wall. He knew that if he were to be a person of Faith – and be true to his Faith – he would probably have to suffer. In February 1941, because he spoke out against the horror of the Nazis, he was arrested and imprisoned at Auschwitz. On July 30, 1941, a prisoner escaped from Auschwitz, and in retaliation, the commandant of the camp lined up the inmates of cellblock 14 and ordered that ten of them be selected at random for punishment. They would be consigned to an underground bunker and starved to death. Ten men were selected. One of them, Francis Gajowniczek, cried out in tears, “My poor wife and children! I will never see them again.” At this point Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and volunteered to take his place. The commandant accepted his offer, and so Fr. Maximillian Kolbe assumed his place among the condemned. By August 14, Kolbe was dead, his body cremated in the camp ovens.
Dom Helder Camara was an Archbishop of the poorest and least developed Archdiocese of Brazil. But he has been described as “one of the shapers of the Catholic Church in the second half of the twentieth century.” Early in his life, he was part of a conservative political movement inspired by Italian Fascism. But as he became more and more involved in pastoral work in Rio de Janeiro, he became increasingly affected by the poor. In trying to relate the message of the Gospel to their sufferings, he underwent a radical conversion, which finally reached the point where he himself was labeled a Communist and called “the red bishop.” His was an outspoken witness for peace and social justice in a land ruled by a brutal military dictatorship. Dom Helder’s message was reflected in his style of leadership. Instead of a pectoral cross of gold or silver, he wore a simple wooden cross. He moved out of the bishop’s palace and lived in a much poorer house. He encouraged the training of lay catechists and opened the seminary doors to lay people and women. His own door was always open to any who sought him, and he presented himself as truly the servant of the people. His house was sprayed with machine-gun fire, his diocesan offices were repeatedly ransacked, he was banned for thirteen years by the government from any public speaking, the newspapers were not permitted to mention his name, and even the Church in Rome continually questioned his orthodoxy. When he retired as Archbishop of Recife, his conservative successor reversed nearly all his initiative. Dom Helder died on 27 August 1999, aged 90. But his spirit lives on. — Valerie and St. Maximillian Kolbe and Don Helder Camara did not choose to suffer; they chose to live the Gospel, to be true to the covenant God offered them. Valerie wanted to serve the poor – she didn’t want to be shot to death. Maximillian Kolbe wanted to preach the Gospel in every way possible – he didn’t want to be starved to death. Don Helder Camara wanted to be with his people – he didn’t want to be reviled.
2) “I will take your identification and wait here.” Bruce Riggins was working sacrificially with underprivileged people in London. When the reporter asked one of these women what had inspired her Christian Faith and action, she shared her story of how seeing another Christian’s Faith converted her. She was a Jew fleeing the German Gestapo in France during World War II. She knew she was close to being caught, and she wanted to give up. When she came to the home of a French Huguenot, a widow working with the underground came to tell her it was time to flee to a new place. This Jewish lady said, “It’s no use, Ma’am, they’ll find me anyway. They are so close behind.” The Christian widow said, “Yes, they will find someone here, but it’s time for you to leave. Go with these people to safety; I will take your identification and wait here.” Then the Jewish woman understood. The Gestapo would come and find this widow and think she was the fleeing Jew. As Bruce Riggins listened to this story, the now-Christian woman of Jewish descent looked him in the eye and said, “I asked her why she was doing that and the widow responded, ‘It’s the least I can do; Christ has already done that and more for me.'” The widow was caught and imprisoned in the Jewish woman’s place, allowing the Jewish fugitive time to escape. Within six months, the Christian widow was dead in the concentration camp. The Jewish woman never forgot and became a follower of Christ through that one widow’s living sacrifice. — Who knows how many people will come to new life through the witness of our living sacrifice? What will it be for us? Mission field? Ministry? More committed service in our Church or in our workplace? Only we and God can decide. Whatever it is, let us just do it – present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable, deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.
3) GenericChristians: As Maxie Dunnam was driving one day on Poplar Avenue, in Memphis, Tennessee, he noticed a bumper sticker on the car in front of him. He inched closer and saw that the bumper sticker read in big letters, “I am a Generic Christian.” That got his attention. He tried to get closer. Some smaller letters were written beneath the larger ones. He got dangerously close to the back of the car to read the words, “Ask me what I mean.” He was intrigued even more. What was the person with this bumper sticker trying to say? A couple of blocks later the driver pulled into a car wash. Dunnam had no intention of having his car washed that day. Nevertheless, he also turned in to the car wash hoping to meet and speak with the driver with the intriguing bumper sticker. The man told him that he was a member of a local congregation. He was so tired, though, of the denominational emphasis in so many churches that he wanted to proclaim a different kind of message. He wanted the world to know that he was a Christian not tied to any label – hence a generic Christian. The man might have had a point, but on further reflection Dr. Dunnam says, “I wonder if we don’t have too many generic Christians and not enough disciples who are ready to deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Jesus as demanded by today’s Gospel.” [Maxie Dunnam, Congregational Evangelism, (Nashville: Discipleship Resources, 1992), p. 25]
4) Christians in the Roman amphitheater who accepted Jesus’ challenge: The year is AD 177. The place is the arena at Lyons, France and the sport is killing criminals, runaway slaves, and Christians. A letter from the local Church to a sister Church in Turkey describes what happened: “The Roman governor who ruled France in those days ordered the Christians to form a procession for the enjoyment of the crowd. First Maturus, then Sanctus, Blandina, and Attalus were led to face the lions in the amphitheater. The virgin Blandina, after the whips, after the lions, after the iron chair, was at last thrown into a basket and presented to a bull. For a time, the animal tossed her, but she had now lost any sense of what was happening, thanks to her Hope, her steadfast Faith and her close communion with Christ.”(Quoted by Christopher Kelly in Times Literary Supplement, 22 December 1995). The governor was so fond of violence that he ordered his soldiers to turn the faces of the mauled, mutilated, dying Christians in his direction, so he could enjoy their final moments of agony. The people who were in the stadium, the people who roared even louder than the lions when Blandina and her Christian companions were led into the arena, were not the rabble, but the respectable, the wealthy, the good, decent, law-abiding citizens of France. — Think we have finally risen above exploiting the kind of canned violence that the French and the Romans cheered at in their Coliseums? Like the ancient Romans and the French, we are bombarded daily by images of brutality on our computer, movie and TV screens, and we seem to need ever more heinous acts to quench our blood lust. “Today, experts estimate that by the end of elementary school, the average American child will have seen 8,000 screen murders and more than 100,000 acts of violence. In real life during the past decade, there has been a fifty-five percent increase in the number of juveniles arrested for murder. More American teens today die from violence thanfrom disease” (Louis Moore, as quoted in Current Thoughts and Trends, January, 1996). — Today’s Gospel text acknowledges the painful reality that we live in a violent world and that we are a violent people. Consequently, we find it difficult to accept the challenge Jesus extends to those who would be true disciples: “Take up [your] cross and followMe …. whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (vv. 24-25).
5) “…I’ll fight; while men go to prison…” Remember the words of General William Booth, founder of The Salvation Army and a friend to the down and out? Three months, before his death he wrote: “While women weep as they do now, I’ll fight; while little children go hungry as they do now, I’ll fight; while men go to prison, in and out, in and out, as they do now, I’ll fight; while there is a drunkard left, while there is a poor lost girl upon the streets, while there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight – fight to the very end.”— Can you imagine General Booth writing a book entitled Looking Out For Number One? What has happened to us? “If any man or woman would be my disciple,” Jesus says to us, “Let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” That is the word we desperately need to hear. It is a call, as M. Scott Peck would phrase it to walk “a road less traveled.” In Zig Ziglar’s analogy, it is the lonely stairway as opposed to the crowded elevator. Or as Jesus himself once said, it is the narrow way that only a committed few will pursue.
6) “There is no Poland without a cross.” Years ago, when Poland was still under Communist control, the Prime Minister ordered that crucifixes be removed from classroom walls. Catholic Bishops attacked the ban, which had stirred waves of anger and resentment all across Poland. Ultimately the government relented, insisting that the law remain on the books, but agreeing not to press for removal of the crucifixes, particularly in the schoolrooms. But one zealous Communist school administrator decided that the law was the law. So, one evening he had seven large crucifixes removed from lecture halls where they had hung since the school’s founding in the twenties. Days later, a group of parents entered the school and hung more crosses. The administrator promptly had these taken down as well. The next day two-thirds of the school’s six hundred students staged a sit-in. When heavily armed riot police arrived, the students were forced into the streets. Then they marched, crucifixes held high, to a nearby Church where they were joined by twenty-five hundred other students from nearby schools for a morning of prayer in support of the protest. Soldiers surrounded the Church. But the press was there as well, and pictures from inside of students holding crosses high above their heads flashed around the world. So did the words of the priest who delivered the message to the weeping congregation that morning. “There is no Poland without a cross.“ — Perhaps the cross has come to symbolize comfort to us because we have had to sacrifice little in our lives. The more we are called upon to carry our own crosses, the more we will understand the one our Savior carried outside the city gates to the hill called Golgotha.
7) Mistaken identity: Mistaken identity is not all that uncommon, especially since there are only so many variations of our common facial features. After both Albert Schweitzer and Albert Einstein had gained worldwide fame and had had their pictures printed in a variety of media, some mistook the former for the latter. Once Schweitzer was approached hesitantly by a mother and daughter duo who asked if he were the great scientist, Einstein. Rather than disappoint them, with more magnanimous grace than he felt, Schweitzer signed an autograph, “Albert Einstein, by way of his friend, Albert Schweitzer.” Or take the case of Queen Elizabeth II of England. She was stopped on one occasion in Norfolk as she entered a tea shop. Two women were exiting carrying baskets of cakes and breads. One commented to her that she looked remarkably similar to the queen. “How very reassuring,” said the modest royal personage, and moved on. Her daughter, Princess Anne, had a similar encounter. At a sporting event, she was approached by a woman who said, “Has anyone ever told you that you look like Princess Anne?” She replied, “I think I’m better looking than she is!” — Mistaken identities may be commonplace, but on some occasions, they are more serious than others. Certainly, that is true in Matthew 16. Just before these verses, Jesus had asked his disciples what people were saying about him. Did they get it right? Peter did. But when Jesus explained that it was by undergoing a shameful death on the cross that he would accomplish his Messianic mission, Peter tried to discourage him and was challenged by Jesus for it, as described in today’s Gospel.
8) What it is that separates man from the great apes? Richard Leaky, the famous archeologist who worked in northern Kenya, discusses in his book, People of the Lake, what it is that separates man from the great apes. It is not man’s intelligence, says Leakey, but his generosity. Only human beings have the ability to share. Only human beings are capable of genuine compassion. Only human beings are capable of laying down their lives for a friend. — When it comes to taking up the cross of self-denial, however, many of us have not discovered our humanity. If we don’t care what happens to this world, who will? If we don’t feed the hungry, who will? If we don’t shelter the homeless, who will? If we don’t tell the world about Christ, who will? If we don’t pray and offer sacrifices, who will?
9) “That’s the reason, Ruth. No one else is doing it.” You may know the thrilling story of Glen Cunningham, a young man whose legs were so badly burned when he was a boy that doctors said he would never walk again. However, this determined champion went on to win an Olympic gold medal as a miler. Even more importantly, Glen Cunningham devoted his life to helping troubled young people. Once, his wife asked, “Glen, why do we have to give so much more than others? No one else is doing what we are.” — Glen answered, “That’s the reason, Ruth. No one else is doing it.”
10) “The least compassionate people I ever knew.” Michael Slaughter in his book, Unlearning Church, tells about a religion editor from a local newspaper who came to his Church to interview him about a conference they were having. At the end of the interview, he asked if she went to Church. He assumed she did, since she was a religion editor. She said, “No, I am a Buddhist. I was raised in the Church,” she went on, “but about ten years ago, I became interested in Buddhism because the highest value of Buddhism is the value of compassion.” Michael Slaughter says her next comment made him feel as if she had put her hand in his chest and squeezed his heart. “The people I grew up around in the Church,” she added, “were some of the least compassionate people I ever knew.” — “Ouch,” says Michael Slaughter, and then he adds, “Yet Jesus is compassion made visible.” And he’s right. Jesus is compassion made visible. Having Jesus’ name, but not his heart is a dangerous combination. It can make us turn away people that Jesus is calling us to embrace.
11) The Hollywood movie, The Insider. In 1995, Jeffrey Wigand made headlines when he exposed illegal and unethical practices by his employer, Brown & Williamson, a major tobacco company. Overnight, Wigand lost his $300,000-per-year job. He became the target of death threats. Wigand faced tremendous pressure from former friends and colleagues. His ordeal was documented in the Hollywood movie, The Insider. — Today, Jeffrey Wigand is still the target of occasional threats. He is making only about one-tenth of his former salary. But he claims to be happier now than he’s ever been in his life. In an interview with Time magazine, Wigand commented, “I felt dirty before [as a cigarette executive]. Now I feel good . . . I don’t need the cars and fancy ties and all those trappings that consumed me once. My enjoyment comes when some kid comes up to me and says, ‘I’m never gonna smoke.’ I can take that to the bank, whatever bank you want to call it.”– It takes nerve to offend your friends, offend your employer. Many Christians are pleased that Jesus died on a cross on their behalf, but they seem to try studiously to avoid taking up a cross of their own.
12) “My God, I could have bought back two more people with this ring:” There is a powerful scene in the movie Schindler’s List. In the beginning of the story, a Czech businessman named Oskar Schindler built a factory in occupied Poland using Jewish labor because, in those tragic days at the start of World War II, Jewish labor was cheap. As the war progressed, however, and he learned what was happening to the Jews under Adolph Hitler, Schindler’s motivations switched from profit to sympathy. He used his factory as a refuge for Jews to protect them from the Nazis. As a result of his efforts, more than 1,100 Jews were saved from death in the gas chambers. You would think that Oskar Schindler would have felt quite pleased with himself, but at the end of the war Schindler, in the midst of some of the Jews he had saved, broke down in tears, took off his gold ring and said, “My God, I could have bought back two more people [with this ring]. These shoes? One more person. My coat? Two more people. These cufflinks? Three more people.” There he stood, not gloating but weeping with regret that he had not done more. — I wonder if one day you and I, as followers of Christ, will ask ourselves, “Could I have done more? Have I truly borne the cross of Christ?” That is the first question on today’s test: Is our Faith sacrificial? Is it costing us something?
13) Free legal service: Valerie Place was preaching in West Virginia one night. Two young lawyers were part of the congregation. Campolo’s sermon was on the cost of discipleship. At the conclusion of the service the invitation was given for people to commit themselves fully to Christian service. The two young lawyers did not come forward. However, they did accept the challenge to change their lives and seek ways in which they could more fully serve Christ. The two men practiced law together. As a result of the call to discipleship, these lawyers decided to offer free legal services to poor people in their county. This was a decision that went beyond the amount of free service that most law firms provide. These lawyers would help anyone in the county who needed their help – without cost. People responded to their generosity. Their commitment to helping the poor, though, changed their lives in ways they did not expect. They soon gained new paying customers. Even more surprising, a number of people who had been delinquent with their bills suddenly paid them in full. “I suppose they didn’t want to cheat lawyers who helped the poor,” one of the lawyers explained. — These men have taken the first step in becoming disciples of Jesus, and they are headed in the right direction. They are doing something significant for Christ in their everyday lives. [Tony Campolo, Wake up America! (San Francisco: Harper, 1991), pp. 83].
14) In baseball and in Christian life you “sacrifice…” In football, you “Tackle!” In baseball, you “catch flies…” In football, you “Punt!” In baseball, you “bunt…” Football is played on a “Gridiron”! Baseball is played on a “field…” In football, you “Score!” In baseball you “go home…” In football, you “Kill!”In baseball, you “sacrifice…” Baseball may be the only sport where you actually can hear this last word. It’s one of the few places anywhere that you hear it in a self-centered, “I-take-care-of-myself-and-worry-about-myself-and-I-don’t worry-about-anybody-else” society. In contrast to football, sacrifice may sound like a sign of weakness, but I hardly think of any of the Atlanta Braves or Minnesota Twins as weak. Baseball’s one thing; life is quite another. In our society, there are still Christians who sacrifice their lives for Christ and who really deny themselves and takes up their crosses. [The Gates of New Life, Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1940), p. 3]. — Here is a young man who wanted to be a lawyer, but his father died, and he had to leave school and work to keep things going at home. Here is a young woman who wanted to be a great doctor but was never admitted to medical school. Here is a businessman who had hoped all his life to make his business a great success, but the competition was much tougher than he had ever expected, and he soon found himself declaring bankruptcy. Here is a couple whose marriage is on the rocks. When it started out it was so sweet and good but now… now it’s just not the same. There is not a person in any congregation who has not sacrificed a hope, or a dream as burnt offering on the high altar of the providence of God.
15) “I wasn’t hard enough on myself, that’s all.” During the Los Angeles Open Golf Tournament a few years ago, Arnold Palmer, the legendary golfer, was interviewed while practicing on the putting green. “Arnie,” he was asked, “What do you feel was wrong to make you play so poorly this past year?” Without looking up from his putting, Arnold answered in his own direct way, “I wasn’t hard enough on myself, that’s all.” Two hours after this brief interview, the same reporter came back to find Palmer still practicing on the putting green. The reporter concluded, “The greatness of Arnold Palmer is his choice of the hard way.” — Success in life requires a willingness to resist the lure of the easy way. A sound body requires that we exercise, eat the right foods, conquer bad habits. A sound mind requires that we read, that we observe, that we continually learn. A sound marriage requires that each partner go into it with the understanding that marriage is not a 50/50 proposition but a 70/30 one in which both parties give the 70. A sound family means that we take the time to be sensitive to the needs of our children and that we provide not only for their physical needs but for their emotional and spiritual needs as well. Such goals require sacrifice, they require perseverance, and they require determination. But every one of us knows that the path to personal success is the path of self-denial.
16) A Russian Soldier Fights for Christ: Every aspect of our lives, everything we do, can glorify God and help build up his Kingdom. The great Catholic apologist and writer G.K. Chesterton once said that when he became a believer, it even changed the way he brushed his teeth. This is one of the reasons why Christianity is such a dynamic religion — it isn’t limited to the sacristy and the altar; it overflows into everything we do and fills us with desires to do more and more. One of Pope St. John Paul II’s favorite phrases was a line written by St Ireneaus in the third century: “The glory of God is man fully alive.” The Christian God is a Father Who rejoices in seeing His children grow and flourish. Years ago, a book came out that told the story of a young man who had been drafted into the Russian Communist army. He was a Russian who loved his country, but he was also a Christian. Of course, Russian Communism had no room for Christianity; it was an atheistic social system. And so, during his training, the officers paid special attention to this Christian soldier. They were constantly looking for opportunities to humiliate him in front of the other soldiers, to make life hard for him, so that he would give up his Christian Faith. But no matter how closely they watched him, they couldn’t find anything to punish him for. In every point of military discipline, he was the top soldier: he was always on time; his uniform was always impeccable; his performance was exceptional; his knowledge always complete. — He was a Christian, and so everything he did, from kitchen duty to the parade ground, he did with love and excellence, making his whole life into a spiritual worship that was pleasing to God. (E- Priest).
17) Mary Lou Rettonlosing to win: In the 1984 Olympics at Los Angeles, 16-year-old Mary Lou Retton became the first American girl to win a gold medal in gymnastics. To accomplish this extraordinary feat, she had to make sacrifices during her two years of intensive training prior to the Olympics. While other teenagers were enjoying themselves with a full schedule of dating and dancing, Mary Lou Retton could only participate on a very limited basis. To improve her skills, she had to practice long hours in the gym; to nourish her body properly she had to follow a strict diet and practice long hours, and to increase her confidence she had to compete frequently in meets. — But what Mary Lou Retton gave up in terms of good times and junk food was little compared to what she gained when she won her Olympic gold medal. What she lost in the usual social life of a teenager she found in the special setting of becoming a champion gymnast: acceptance, camaraderie, and respect. — Mary Lou Retton’s Olympic experience illustrates somewhat Christ’s paradox in today’s Scripture: “Whoever would save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
18)Saving one’s soul: “What good will it do you, even if you gain the whole world, if you lose your soul?” (Mt 16:26). These are good words to recall when we are faced with important and difficult choices. Here is a modern example. The scene: a prison for political prisoners near Moscow (during the era of Stalin). Ivan knew at once that they wanted something from him. “Would you like a remission?” they asked him. ”What do I have to do?” he asked. “We’d like to transfer you to another prison to take charge of an important project. If you agree, you will be free in six months.” “What is the project?” “We want you to perfect a camera that works in the dark, and another miniature one that can be fitted to the jamb of a door, and which works when the door is opened. We know you can do this.” Ivan was perhaps the only person in the whole of Russia who could produce a blueprint for these devices. After seventeen years in prison the idea of going home appealed to him. Here surely was the answer to his wife Natasha’s prayer. All he had to do was invent a device that would set him free. “Could I not go on working on television sets as I am at present?” he asked. “You mean you refuse?” said the general. Ivan thought: Who would ever thank him? Were those people out there worth saving? Natasha was his lifelong companion. She had waited for him for seventeen years. “I couldn’t do it,” he said at last. “But you’re just the man for the job,” said the general. “We’ll give you time to make up your mind.” “I won’t do it. Putting people in prison because of the way they think is not my line. That’s my final answer.” — Ivan knew what his ‘no’ meant. A few days later he was on a train to Siberia to work in a copper mine where starvation rations, and probable death awaited him. No fate on earth could be worse. Yet he was at peace with himself. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
19)The cost of discipleship: Nelson Mandela spent twenty-seven years in prison or ten thousand days (approximately). Before that he was on the run for a couple of years. Of the time he was on the run he wrote later: “It wasn’t easy for me to separate myself from my wife and children, to say good-bye to the good old days when, at the end of a strenuous day at the office, I could look forward to joining my family at the dinner table, and instead to take up the life of a man hunted continuously by the police, living separated from those who are closest to me, facing continually the hazards of detection and of arrest. This was a life infinitely more difficult than serving a prison sentence.” [Long Walk to Freedom, 1994, (Little, Brown and Company).] — What drove him to make such great sacrifices was his love for his country. This was the ‘cross’ he carried because of his love for his people. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
20) Cross-road to life! In the 1998-99 persecutions against Gujarat’s Dangi Christians, many tales of Faith fortitude went unrecorded. I still remember the battered, bleeding youth, Sitaram Devasyabhai, who told me, “I will not give up Christianity even if they kill me!” Earlier in Karota village of the Dawada mission where I served as priest, Poslabhai Vasava confessed, “I find great strength in Jesus crucified although friends joke that I adore a helpless, naked deity.” A young Christian from Mumbai, Neil Gaikwad gave witness to self-sacrifice. “For twelve hours during torrential rains that submerged Mumbai in July 2005, he swam to save the lives of 60 people trapped in a bus. Eyewitnesses said, Neil must’ve gone up and done 40-50 times to take people out.” Texan Lance Armstrong too, combated cancer and went on to win the prestigious Tour de France cycle-rally on July 24, 2005, for an unprecedented 7th time in succession. — Neil and Lance demonstrate that life comes through dying to self, and all Cross-roads lead to Heaven. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
21) Salt March of Gandhi: One of the very important events in the history of struggle for Indian independence was the Historic Salt March. During British Colonialism in India, the British Salt Tax rule was imposed, making it illegal to sell or produce salt. Gandhiji saw this as an injustice to the people of India. Gandhiji decided to protest against it. He decided to lead 78 people on a 240-mile journey from his Ashram to the coastal village of Dandi, Gujarat, on 12 March 1930. The March involved high risk. Hence, veteran politicians, and experienced leaders warned Gandhi about its consequences and tried to dissuade him. But, Gandhiji was determined. Thousands of Indians, inspired by his non-violent demonstration and strong will joined him on his march to the sea. — It is a common experience that people try to stay in their comfort zone, and, so, try to dissuade those who struggle to come out of it — because leaving one’s comfort zone involves risk; it means daring to enter into the unknown, brings a lot of challenges, and causes suffering. In today’s Gospel, Jesus shows his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. The Apostles could not accept this, and so missed the comfort of His promise that on the third day after his death, Jesus would Rise. (Fr. Bobby Jose).
22) Graceful acceptance of temporary suffering results in lasting glory: When a bud goes through the pain of bursting, it is transformed into a beautiful flower, when a pupa struggles out of a cocoon, it is transformed into a charming butterfly; when a chicken breaks the shell and comes out it becomes a lovely bird.; when a seed bursts the pod and falls to the ground it begins to grow as a plant. – Similarly, when we undergo the suffering and pain of life we are strengthened. Arthur Golden reminds us, “Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn, so that we see ourselves as we really are.” (Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha). St. Paul wrote: “Suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” (Rom 5:3-4). ”Suffering is not the last thing in life. It leads us to something greater, as long as we are ready to accept its challenges. A bend in the road is not the end of the road… unless you fail to make the turn.” (Fr. Bobby Jose).
23) Why do injustices prevail? Eugene Orowitz was a skinny, 100-pound sophomore at Collingswood High at Collingswood, N.J. One afternoon the gym coach held classes in the middle of the track field to show the kids how to throw a javelin. After instructions he let the kids try their hand at it. The longest throw was 30 yards. “You want to throw it too, Orowitz?” the coach asked Eugene. The other kids laughed at Eugene. Someone shouted “Careful! You’ll stab yourself!” Eugene pictured himself as a young warrior about to battle the enemy; he raised the javelin and threw it over 50 yards till it crashed into the empty bleachers, its tip broken. The coach ignoring his feat, looked at the broken head and said, “What the heck Orowitz, you broke the thing. It’s no good to the school any longer.” That summer Eugene began throwing the javelin in a vacant lot. By the end of the year, he threw the javelin 211 feet, farther than any high schooler in the nation. He was given an athletic scholarship at the University of Southern California and he began dreaming of the Olympics. Then one day he didn’t warm up properly and tore the ligaments of his shoulder. That put an end to javelin throwing, his scholarship, and his dreams. Eugene dropped out of college and took a job in a warehouse. — The tragic story of Eugene Orowitz raises a vexing question which prophet Jeremiah asks in the first reading today. Why does God let misfortune wreck the lives of so many good people? (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
24) The film, The Devil’s Advocate: When a talented small-town Southern lawyer, Kevin Lomax, discovers his client is guilty, he goes to the restroom to compose himself. He returns to the courtroom, humiliates the prosecution’s young witness and emerges victorious. Soon after, he is offered an opportunity to join a prestigious firm in New York. His wife is uncertain about the move and his very religious mother is against it, but he joins, and strange things happen in New York. Kevin’s wife is lonely and hallucinates, Kevin’s confidence in his work begins to falter, he is attracted to a female lawyer and his relationship with his wife suffers. He gets a wealthy but guilty businessman acquitted of murder charges. Kevin’s wife claims that she has been assaulted by John Milton the company’s head. When Kevin confronts Milton, he discovers that Milton is the devil incarnate who offers Kevin the world and the opportunity to sire an Antichrist. Milton reveals that Kevin is actually his son, and Kevin put a gun to his head and pulls the trigger. Suddenly, Kevin is back in the restroom where he had gone to plan the next move for his guilty client. He decides to do the right and noble thing — to discontinue defending the client, knowing that he will be disbarred. But as he leaves the courtroom, a journalist asks Kevin for an interview that will make him a celebrity. — The Devil’s Advocate deals explicitly with sin and the screenplay raises themes of God, the devil, salvation, damnation, and freewill. The film is about choices people have to make to live an upright life with all its challenges, or to live an easy life that leads to doom. Jesus, in today’s Gospel, reminds us that we have to make a choice for him or for Satan. The way of the devil is attractive and comfortable. The way of the Messiah is the way of the Cross, hard, challenging but in the end fulfilling. (Peter Malone in Lights Camera..Faith!; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
25) Cheap grace and costly grace: “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, Baptism without Church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price, to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Costly grace is the Gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because, freely given, it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because through it, God gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because through it God justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: “you were bought at a price,” and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life but freely and with love for us, delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God. (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship). — Today’s Gospel challenges us to pray that we may accept and make use of this costly grace.
26) Pope St. John Paul II on suffering: In his apostolic letter of February 11, 1984, entitled Salvifici Doloris, Pope St. John Paul II speaks about suffering. Here is a summary: 1. Suffering is evil. Evil is the absence of good, rooted in sin, which can bring about death. This absence of good can cause greater suffering, if the one who suffers thinks he/she does not deserve such suffering. 2. There are different kinds of suffering: physical, spiritual, and psychological. There are also private sufferings like loneliness. And there are common sufferings like those caused by epidemic, calamity, and famine. 3. Suffering comes from the world. It does not come from God. Yet the one who suffers usually turns to God to ask about the causes and objectives of suffering. 4. Suffering can be a punishment arising from the justice of God. It can also be a test, as it was with Job. And God can also permit suffering in order that it can serve as a seed for a greater good that will come because of it, like holiness, or greatness. 5. Our sufferings can also be joined with the sufferings of Christ for our salvation, or for that of others, not because Christ’s suffering are not enough, but because Christ has left his sufferings open to Love so that the bitter sufferings of man — mingled with this Love, may turn into a sweet spring which shall overflow into eternity.
27) “Take up your cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24). Acertain lady who spent her time working for the Lord – visiting the sick and the bed-ridden, helping the elderly and the handicapped – was diagnosed with a knee-problem needing surgery. The surgery unfortunately, was not a success, and the woman was left in constant pain, unable to walk. It seemed that the Lord had ignored the prayers of this woman and her friends for a successful surgery. This was a woman who considered herself a personal friend of Jesus. She was utterly disappointed, and her cheerful disposition turned into sadness and gloom. One day she pulled herself together and shared with her confessor what was going on in her soul. The confessor suggested that she go into prayer and ask her Friend Jesus why he had treated her this way. And she did. The following day the priest met her and saw peace written all over her face in spite of her pain. “Do you know what Jesus said to me?” she began, “As I was looking at the crucified Jesus and telling him about my bad knee, he said to me, ‘Mine is worse.’” (Fr. Lakra).
28) The intimate connection between carrying the cross and Christian discipleship: The following modern-day account gives insight into the intimate connection between carrying the cross and Christian discipleship: One of the most devastating events that anyone can experience is the death of a child. Some parents never recover from the shock and grief. For others time heals some of the pain, but there remains a deep sadness, that never quite goes away. Mayo and Karlene Ryan lived this parental nightmare. Their son, Timothy Ryan, lost his life in a tragic accident in 1986. Tim Ryan was a promising, delightful young man. He was a scholar and athlete, popular and respected at school and seemed to have endless potential, but less than one year after graduating from high school, Tim was gone, leaving behind shattered parents, family members and friends. Mayo, a longtime Poverello board member, and Karlene, a volunteer here for many years, were overcome with sorrow. Faith, friends, and the passage of time lessened some of the pain, but at some point, they decided that helping someone else might be a way of bringing some closure to the tragedy, and at the same time honor the memory of Tim. At the time of his death, Mayo and Karlene asked that remembrances be sent to the Poverello House in Tim’s name, and the Timothy Ryan Memorial Fund was started. The fund’s original purpose was to provide scholarships to men in the Poverello Resident Program. Over the years, the Timothy Ryan Memorial Fund has paid tuition to college and other vocational schools, provided specialized equipment, books and uniforms, and in general supported graduates of Poverello’s rehabilitation program in their training for a better life. There had been fewer candidates for the scholarship in the past couple of years, so Mayo and Karlene decided to turn their attention to the neighborhood surrounding Poverello, one of the poorest areas in the city. Thanks to the Ryan Fund and Mayo and Karlene’s personal contributions, children from King, Lincoln, Kirk, and Columbia Elementary Schools, 1,813 students in all, will begin their 2014-2015 school year with new backpacks, filled with items needed for school. cf. “Help for the Neighborhood” in Poverello News, July 2014, p. 3-4). (Lectio Divina).
29) Why not accept the irresistible force of God’s call as the prophet Jeremiah did? The following article by Paul Thigpen illustrates the prophetic ministry of Pope St. Paul VI (canonized October 19, 2018) and shows us how the Christians of today are called to witness to God’s truth about the sanctity of life and “not to conform themselves to this age” (Rom 12:2a)
I read an article yesterday in the Washington Post by a woman planning to have a third child. She noted, with some perplexity, a certain reaction she has encountered to her pregnancy. Some people complain – in all seriousness – that she and others like her are just “showing off”, ostentatiously advertising their financial security. Only well-off families, they insist, can afford three children. Well, just tell that to my parents. Mom and Dad barely eked out a living in our little family-owned business, a meat market where we kids grew up working alongside them to bring home the bacon. All five kids, that is. My folks would have been mystified by the notion that we five little ones were somehow a luxury they were presumptuous to take on. I was the third child, and I certainly never felt like a luxury.
Yet I don’t think Pope St. Paul VI, who became pontiff the year my baby sister was born (1963), would have been mystified at all by this disturbing attitude. Why not? Because he described the context for its development in his encyclical letter Humanae vitae, whose 57th anniversary the Church commemorates on July 25, 2020. In this profound but controversial document on the transmission of human life, the Pope laid out the reasons why artificial contraception is gravely immoral. In it, he noted that the desire to contracept is only one of many modern attempts to extend our control over every aspect of life, including those aspects that represent a mystery not of our own making, much less of our own understanding. In short, it’s an endeavor to play God, and a dangerous one indeed. When much of a society comes to believe – as ours has – that the miracle of life’s transmission is simply one more mechanical function to manipulate at will, then the “product of conception”, as they are now termed (we once called them “children”) are viewed as nothing more than a commodity. So we feel free to abort them. We buy and sell them. We use them as lab rats. We figure their costs to see whether we can work them into our financial plan – just one more budget item to be added or subtracted, according to how many other luxury items we might rank ahead of them. Pope St. Paul VI courageously declared that children are gifts from God to be gratefully received, not assets to be calculated or liabilities disposed of. Fifty-seven years later, we must acknowledge his prophetic insight – and mourn a world that has largely rejected his warning. (cf. “Paul VI, Pope and Prophet” in The Catholic Answer, July-August 2006, p. 4). (Lectio Divina).
30) On Instructing the Instructors: Back in the 1950’s, when Catholics still spoke of Africa as a distinctly “mission” continent, a film on the missions in East Africa was shown to the children of St. Mary’s School in Corning, New York. A well-produced Technicolor movie, it illustrated both the earnest work of the missionaries and the devotion and the simple Christian dignity of the black African converts. Then, to fill out the movie hours, the projectionist concluded with an American film on sports-car games and contests. Daredevil drivers jumped their autos through flaming rings; stock-cars battled stock cars, racing about the field and bumping into each other in a madcap game. The contrast between the two moving pictures did not escape the kids. At the end of the show, a fifth-grader said to Sister Suzanne, “Why do we go over to convert the Negroes in Africa? They ought to come over here and convert us!” — “… Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may judge what is God’s will, what is good, pleasing and perfect” (Rom 12:2). Today’s second reading). (Father Robert F. McNamara).
31)“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.” Vincent Capodanno joined the Catholic Foreign Mission Society, Maryknoll, where he was ordained in 1958 to the priesthood. He went to the missions in Taiwan, where he served the Church and the people faithfully for six years. He developed by discernment a strong notion of serving as a chaplain in the military for those going to Vietnam and requested his order to allow him to serve as a chaplain. Eventually, the Maryknoll superiors granted this request, and, after finishing Officer Candidate School in 1966, Father Capodanno reported to the 7th Marines in Vietnam. As the chaplain for the battalion, his immediate focus was on the young enlisted troops or “grunts.” In fact, he was affectionately given the title of “Grunt Padre” by those he served.
It was during his second tour on September 4, 1967, with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines that Father Vincent Capodanno made the ultimate sacrifice. After hours of heavy fighting from a North Vietnamese ambush, Father Capodanno, himself seriously injured and refusing to be evacuated (having been wounded in the hand, arms, and legs while administering the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick to wounded Marines), ran to the assistance of a wounded corpsman and the Marine the corpsman was assisting, who were pinned down by an enemy machine gunner. Father Capodanno administered medical and spiritual attention to both of them. The enemy opened fire on the unarmed Father Capodanno, who sustained 27 bullet wounds and died making the ultimate sacrifice while serving his flock to the very end. — He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1969 in addition to other military awards including the Purple Heart. Before his sacrificial death, he was widely known for his willingness to share the hardships of suffering Marines — “radiating Christ” to those around him. The cause for his sainthood has been opened by the Church and he has been declared a Servant of God. (Homiletic & Pastoral Review)
32)A short story by famous Russian novelist Anton Chekhov titled ‘Rothschild’s Fiddle.’“Yakov!” Martha cried. “I am dying!” Yakov just looked at his wife. He did not move. He did not say a word. He continued to look glum. Not because she was sick and dying but because he was overwhelmed by his losses. Yakov was a coffin maker by trade. He was also a good violinist. So, apart from the meager income he made making coffins, he occasionally got some money by playing the violin for weddings. However, what he earned was enough only to meet his basic needs. It was nothing compared to what he always dreamed of making. Even though many older adults were in his village, they were not dying as often as he wished. Hence, he could not make much money by making coffins. When the police inspector of his town became very sick, he dreamed of making and selling an expensive casket for his funeral. However, things did not turn out the way he had anticipated. To save him from death, the relatives of the police inspector took him to a faraway place for better medical treatment. However, he died soon and was buried there. Since Yakov lost his opportunity to make a coffin for the police inspector, he counted 10 rubles as his loss. That made him remember the other losses he had incurred during the year. There were weddings in the village for which he was not invited to play the violin, which resulted in the loss of hundreds of rubles. There was a Jewish orchestra in the village for which sometimes he was invited to play the violin. But recently, they were also not calling him, which resulted in the further loss of hundreds of rubles. When he added up all the figures, he discovered he had lost more than 1000 rubles that year. Then, it dawned on him that he also lost the interest he could have received from the bank for that lost amount of 1000 rubles. The interest would have been 40 rubles. He added the 40 rubles to his lost amount! When he became aware of his terrible losses, he began sweating and heaved a long sigh of despair. “Yakov!” Martha cried again. “I am dying!” Turning to her, he looked at her face, which was unusually joyful and bright at that time. ”She must be happy to die as it would end all her misery,” Yakov said to himself. As he continued to look at her, he sadly remembered that he never said a tender word to her or bought her anything to make her happy. He also felt a sharp pang of guilt for not allowing her to have tea and insisting that she should be satisfied with drinking hot water. He recalled how she had always cooked and cleaned for him without complaint for fifty years of their life together. Yakov took Martha to the village hospital on horseback at dawn the next day. “Put a cold bandage around her head,” the doctor ordered after examining Martha, who was shivering with fever. The doctor was sure Martha was going to die soon. Hence, he did not bother to give her any medicine. Yakov was sad the doctor did not try to make her well. Since Martha would die soon, Yakov decided to make a coffin for her. He took her measurement and made her a cheap coffin for which he wrote three rubles as its expense in his account book. Martha died the following morning, and he buried her without spending much money, for which he patted himself on the back. However, while leaving the cemetery, he was hit with an avalanche of memories, which made him shudder. He remembered with distress the times he mistreated her or failed to say a kind or tender word to her during their fifty years together. He regretted that he had never shown any gratitude to her for the cooking and cleaning she had done for him over the years. The weight of his guilt made him die soon after Martha’s death. — This is how the sad story of Yakov ends in the short story by famous Russian novelist Anton Chekhov titled ‘Rothschild’s Fiddle.’ Yakov was always unhappy about the money he could not make. Moreover, he was unusually troubled about how people spent money for themselves. That is why he ordered his wife not to have tea, which he thought was a waste of money. When we read the story of Yakov, we might wonder whether there are people like Yakov in this world. When we take an account of our life, is it always about our money and wealth? If it is so, we are not much different from Yakov. There were many things in his life about which Yakov should have considered, like his love for his wife or the success of his family life. He should also have taken into account the good deeds he was expected to do as a normal human being. However, his focus was always on money and wealth, which resulted in his forgetting his duties and responsibilities in life. The temptation will always be there to go after money and wealth, forgetting our duties and responsibilities in life. If that is what happens in our lives, no matter how much money we make, we will end up with terrible losses in our lives. The account of our life will be an account of heavy losses with no gain. Hence, let us ensure that we will always hold on to a value system that gives more emphasis to right living and less attention to material things in life. L/26
Visit my websiteby clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/for missed or previous Cycle C & A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me by email only atakadavil@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 websitehttp://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020). My post-retirement U. S. postal address: Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Jogy M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507. But I moved to my home country in June 2023 and live with my younger brother’s family, close to our Cathedral church
Aug 17-22: Aug 17 Monday: Mt 19:16-22: 16 And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have observed; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
The context: Today’s Gospel reminds us thatwe do not possess anything in our life that we refuse to surrender to the Lord. Rather, it often possesses us, and we become the prisoners of our possessions, violating the First Commandment, which demands that we give unconditional priority to God. Jesus reminds the rich young man of the Commandments that deal with his relationships with other people and challenges him to sell what he has and give it to the poor. Jesus’ challenge exposed what was missing in the young man’s life: a sense of compassion for the poor and the willingness to share his blessings with the needy.
The incident of the rich, young ruler: The rich young man who came to Jesus in search of eternal life really wanted to be accepted by Jesus as a disciple. The young man claimed that from childhood he had observed all the Commandments Jesus mentioned. His tragedy, however, was that he loved “things” more than people, and his possessions “possessed him.” Jesus told him that keeping the Commandments, while enough for salvation, was not enough for perfection and challenged him to share his riches with the poor. “There is one thing lacking. Sell all you have and give to the poor, and then you will have real treasure. After that, come and be with me.” Jesus asked him to break his selfish attachment to wealth by sharing it. But “when the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.”(This young man has become a symbol of the kind of Christian whose mediocrity and shortsightedness prevent him from turning his life into a generous, fruitful self-giving to the service of God and neighbor. (Navarre Bible Commentary).
Life messages: 1) Jesus makes the same challenge to each of us today. Our following of Jesus has to be totally and absolutely unconditional. Our “attachment” may not be to money or to material goods, but to another person, a job, one’s health, position, or reputation. We must be ready to cut off any such attachment in order to become true Christian disciples, sharing our blessings with others. 2) To follow Jesus, we must have generous hearts and the willingness to share our blessings with others to show our generosity. St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) puts it in her own style: “Do SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL for God. Do it with your life. Do it every day. Do it in your own way. But do it!”(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Aug 18 Tuesdays: Mt 19:23-30:23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “Lo, we have left everything and followed you. What then shall we have?” 28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And ever one who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many that are first will be last, and the last first.
The context: Jesus had told a rich, young man who had expressed his desire to follow Jesus as a disciple that he had to share his possessions with the less fortunate as a condition for becoming a perfect disciple. But “when the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.”It was then that Jesus made the comment given in today’s Gospel. Jesus uses a vivid hyperbole or “word cartoon” to show how riches bar people from Heaven. The camel was the largest animal the Jews knew, and the eye of a needle the smallest hole. “The needle’s eye” is variously interpreted. a) Most probably Jesus used the image literally. b) The little, low, narrow pedestrian gate on the outer wall of the city of Jerusalem through which even a man could hardly pass erect was called, “The Needle’s Eye” in Jesus’ time. c) The Greek word used in the passage for camel is kamelos, which can also mean a ship’s thick cable or hawser rope. In any case, Jesus is saying that it is not impossible, by the grace of God, for a wealthy person to keep his spiritual integrity, but it is extremely difficult and uncommon. Why do riches prevent one from reaching God? First, the rich think that they can buy their way out of sorrow and into happiness, so they don’t need God. Second, riches shackle one to this earth, and one ignores an afterlife, as we are taught in Scripture (Mt 6:21). Third, riches tend to make one selfish. The Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of all evil; it says, “the love of money is the root of all evil” (1 Tm 6:10). Jesus also challenges the Jewish belief that material wealth and prosperity are signs of God’s blessings, and poverty is the sign of His punishment. Jesus condemns a value system that makes “things” more valuable than people.
Life message: 1) We need to accept God’s invitation to generosity. Jesus’ Infinitely generous Self-gift to us has the crucifix as “Exhibit A,” and in the Eucharist Jesus actually becomes our spiritual Food and Drink. To follow Jesus, we must have a generous, self-giving heart, and we should be willing to use it by sharing our blessings with others. God does not ask us to give up our riches, but He does ask us to use them wisely in His service. How do we use our talents? What about time – do we use it for God? We each get 168 hours every week. How do we use our time? Are we too busy to pray each day? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Aug 19 Wednesday:St. John Eudes, Priest:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-stephen-of-hungaryMt 20:1-16: 1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and to them he said, `You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So, they went. 5 Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, `Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the householder, 12 saying, `These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
The context: The parable described in today’s Gospel is known as the “Parable of Workers in the Vineyard” or the“Parable of the Generous Landlord.” This remarkable and rather startling parable is found only in Matthew. There is Gospel, or “Good News,” in this parable because it is the story of the landlord’s love and generosity, representing God’s love and generosity. The question in God’s mind is not, “How much do these people deserve?” but rather, “How can I help them? How can I save them before they perish?” It’s all about grace and blessings. God is presented in the parable as a loving mother who cares about each of her children equally. The parable in a nutshell: The Kingdom of Heaven, says Jesus, is like a landowner who goes out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. He rounds up a group at 6 AM, agrees to pay them the usual daily wage and then puts them into action. At 9 AM, he rounds up another group, saying He wil give them what is just. At noon, he recruits a third team, and then at 3 PM, a fourth. Finally, at 5 PM, he finds still more laborers who are willing and able to work. He sends them into the vineyard to do what they can before sundown. As the day ends, the landowner instructs his manager to pay each of the workers one denarius, the daily living wage, and to begin with those who started at 5 PM.
Life messages: (1) We need to follow God’s example and show grace to our neighbor. When someone else is more successful than we are, let us rejoice with him and assume he has earned the success. When someone who does wrong manages to escape discovery, let us remember the many times we have done wrong and gotten off free. We mustn’t wish pain on people for the sake of “fairness,” for that is envy, and we become envious of others because of our lack of generosity of heart. 2) We need to express our gratitude to God in our daily lives. God personally calls each of us to a particular ministry. He shows his care by giving us His grace and eternal salvation. All our talents and blessings are freely given us by God, so we should thank Him by avoiding sins, by rendering loving service to others, and by listening and talking to Him. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Mt 22:1-14: Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests andthe elders of the people in parables saying, “The Kingdom of Heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened, cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.” ‘Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then the king said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. But when the king came in to meet the guest, he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”
The context: The Parable of the royal banquet is a parable about the Kingdom of God and about the people who will eventually belong to it. It is also the first of three parables that challenge the legitimacy of the Jewish leadership. The parables all contrast the true Israel with the attitudes and lives of the Pharisees, demonstrating the claims of the Pharisees as false. In addition, theParable of the Royal Banquet and the Wedding Garment is Jesus’ interpretation of the History of Salvation. It is also one of the three parables of judgment or “rejection parables” that Jesus told at the Temple in Jerusalem during the last week of his public life, addressing the “chief priests and elders of the people,” i.e., Israel’s religious and civic leaders.
By telling an allegoric parable of judgment in the Temple of Jerusalem two days before his arrest, Jesus was accusing the Jewish religious and civil leaders of rejecting God’s invitation to the Heavenly Banquet given to them through God’s Own Son, Himself. They have been rejecting God’s invitation by not listening to the Good News preached by Jesus and by not reforming their lives. The Lo rd God had repeatedly extended His invitation to Israel through the prophets, including John the Baptist. But the leadership contemporary with Jesus rejected the reality that Jesus was the fulfillment of all prophecy, refused to accept God’s invitation to righteous living given through John the Baptist and through Jesus, and now planned to kill God’s own Son, Jesus. Hence, God is inviting the sinners and Gentiles to His banquet, and that is why Jesus is keeping the company of sinners.
Life messages: 1) We need to keep wearing the wedding garment of holiness and righteousness, the state of grace, all the time, do good for everyone, and appreciate, receive, and use God’s graces in the Church: a) We received the “wedding garment” of sanctifying grace in Baptism; the other Sacraments provide the additional graces we need to retain it. b) Our participation in the Eucharistic celebration and in personal and family prayers helps us to recharge our spiritual batteries and enables us to lead Spirit-filled, prayerful lives, doing good for all. c) Jesus nourishes us in the Church through the proclamation of word of God and through His Body and Blood offered to us as spiritual Food and Drink in Holy Communion.
2) We need to participate in the Eucharistic banquet with proper preparation by repenting of our sins and by actively participating in the prayers and singing during the Holy Mass. Participating in Holy Mass is the best preparation and greatest Source of power for our future participation in the Heavenly banquet. L/26
Aug 21 Friday:St. Pius X, Pope:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-pius-x/Mt 22:34-40: 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment.39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.” .
The context: The Pharisees, who believed in both the written Law and the oral tradition, were pleased to see how Jesus defeated the Sadducee who had tried to humiliate him with the hypothetical case of a woman who married seven husbands in succession. So, a lawyer challenged Jesus to summarize the most important of the Mosaic Laws into one sentence. Jesus’ answer teaches us that the most important Commandment isto love God in loving others and to love others in loving God. In other words, we are to love God completely, and express our love by loving our neighbor who is a son or daughter of God in whom God lives.
Jesus’ novel contribution: Jesus gives a straightforward answer quoting the Law and startling his listeners with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its purpose. He cites the first sentence of the Jewish Shema prayer (Dt 6:4-5)“…Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.”Then He adds its complementary law (Lv 19:18): “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus combines the originally separate commandments and presents them as the essence of true religion. We are to love our neighbor as our self because this is a way to love God: God gives us our neighbors to love and be loved by, so that we may learn to love Him.
Life messages: 1) How do we love God? There are several means by which we can express our love for God: a) by thanking God daily for His blessings and expressing our gratitude by obeying His Commandments and sharing His gift to us with others; b) by being reconciled with God daily, confessing our sins, and asking His forgiveness; c) by acknowledging our total dependence on God, presenting our needs before Him with trusting Faith; d) by keeping friendship with God, daily talking to Him in prayer and listening to Him in reading the Bible; and e) by recharging our spiritual batteries through participating in Sunday Mass, receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, and leading a Sacramental life.
2) How do we love our neighbor? Since every human being is the child of God and the dwelling place of the Spirit of God, created in the “image and likeness of God” and saved by the precious Blood of Christ, we are actually giving expression to our love of God by loving our neighbor as Jesus loves him, and by loving Jesus in our neighbor. This means we need to help, support, encourage, forgive, and pray for every one of God’s children patiently, without discrimination based on attractiveness, responsiveness, color, race, creed, gender, age, wealth, or social status. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Lk 1:26-38 — This special Liturgical Feast was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on October 11, 1954 through his Encyclical Letter Ad Caeli Reginam. But Mary’s title as “Queen of Heaven and Earth” is a great scandal to many non-Catholic Christians. Here is the Biblical argument supporting her Queenship given in the encyclical.
Theology of Mary’s queenship: Since Holy Scripture presents Jesus Christ as a king, his mother Mary is the Queen-Mother. Jesus is King by Nature, as God; but Mary is Queen by “Divine relationship,” that is, by being the Mother of God. Mary is also Queen by grace. She is full of grace, the highest in the category of grace, next to her Son. She is Queen by singular choice of God the Father. If a mere human can become King or Queen by choice of the people how much greater a title is the choice of the Father Himself! Biblical basis: The Holy Father gives three biblical citations supporting Mary’s queenship.1) The messianic prophecies. In most of the Messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Micah (5:1), Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel (7:13-14), Christ, the Messiah, is represented as a King, an identity given to Jesus in the New Testament: Lk 1:32-33, Mt 2:2, Lk 19:38, Jn 18:37. 2) The Annunciation scene: The beginning of the concept that Mary is a Queen is found in the Annunciation narrative, given in today’s Gospel (Lk 1:26-38). For the angel tells Mary that her Son will be King over the house of Jacob forever. So, she, His Mother, would be Queen Mother. 3) Vision of Mary in the Book of Revelation: Mary’s Queenship can be seen in the great vision described in Revelation: “And a great portent appeared in Heaven, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in anguish for delivery” (Rv 12:1–2). Thus Revelation 12 portrays Mary as the new Queen-Mother in the Kingdom of God, sharing in her Son’s rule over the universe.
Role of Queen-mother in the Bible: In the monarchy of King David, as well as in other ancient kingdoms of the Near East, the mother of the ruling king held an important office in the royal court and played a key part in the process of dynastic succession. In fact, the king’s mother ruled as queen, not his wife or one of his wives. The prophet Jeremiah tells how the Queen-Mother possessed a throne and a crown, symbolic of her position of authority in the kingdom (Jer 13:18, 20). Probably the clearest example of the Queen-Mother’s role is that of Bathsheba, wife of David and mother of Solomon (1 Kgs 1:16–17, 31; 1 Kgs 2:19–20; 1 Kgs 2:19–20). Some Old Testament prophecies incorporate the Queen-Mother tradition when telling of the future Messiah. One example is Isaiah 7:13-14.
Life message: 1) Understanding Mary as Queen-Mother explains her important intercessory role in the Christian life. (Once, King Solomon responded to a request made by the queen-mother of the Davidic kingdom , Bathsheba, with “Ask it, my Mother, for I will not refuse you”1 Kings 2:20), In this case, though, hearing the petition and discovering that the real petitioner, was a rival who desired to kill him and usurp the Kingdom entrusted to him by God through David, Solomon refused, not his Mother (whose will was always one with her son’s), but the real petitioner whom he had killed at once (1 Kgs 2:21-25). So Jesus, the King of the universe, responds to Mary, his Mother, whose will is completely one with that of God, and who serves Him in acting as our advocate before her Divine Son. Hence, we should approach our Queen-Mother with confidencene (provided, of course, that our requests are consonant with the Will of God), knowing that she carries our petitions to her Royal Son.
The prayer Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen) is perfect for today: “Hail holy Queen, Mother of mercy, our life, our sweetness, and our hope. To thee do we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious Advocate, thine eyes of mercy toward us. And after this our exile, show unto us the blessed Fruit of thy womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary. V: Pray for us, O holy Mother of God R: that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ. Amen”. (Fr. Tony)
OT XXI [A] Sunday (Aug 23rd)Eight-minute homily in one page (L/26)
Introduction: We might call this Sunday “Power Sunday” because the main theme of all three readings is that God is the Source of all authority. God shares His authority with civil rulers elected to serve the people and with the Pope and the other Church leaders for the material and spiritual welfare of His children. Today’s Gospel challenges us to accept the authority of Jesus as our Lord and Savior as St. Peter did at Caesarea Philippi.
Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading, taken from Isaiah, tells us how God hates unfaithful and selfish officials. He removed the proud “master of the royal palace” from his office, taking from Shebna the power and responsibility of which he had proven unworthy, and gave both to the humble and faithful Eliakim. The robe, the sash, and the keys were the insignia of this office. In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 138), David thanks God for having raised him from lowly origins and given him authority as king over the people of Israel. In the second reading, St. Paul praises God for the depth of His wisdom, knowledge, and correct judgment, asserting that He is the Source of all authority on earth and in Heaven. Today’s Gospel passage shows us how Peter confessed Jesus as his Lord and Savior and how Jesus, in turn, approved Peter’s words and gave him teaching and ruling authority in Jesus’ Church. Thus, Jesus establishes a “Magisterium” to serve the spiritual and physical needs of the Church members. His statement, “I will give you the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven,” gives Peter and his successors the power to bind and to loose (make laws; exercise authority) in the Church, with assurance that their decisions would be ratified in Heaven.
Life messages:1) We need to accept and experience Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior:: First, we should accept Jesus as the Son of God and our personal Savior. This means that we are accepting Jesus as our Good Shepherd, our Divine Savior, and our Redeemer. Second, Jesus should become a living experience for us – as our God protecting us and providing for us in our life’s journey, loving us, forgiving us, helping us, and transforming our lives and outlook. We receive these gifts by listening to Jesus through the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, by talking to Jesus through daily, personal, communal and liturgical prayers, by offering our lives on the altar with Jesus whenever we participate in the Holy Mass, by receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, and by leading exemplary lives, as we cooperate with God’s grace. Our personal experience of Jesus will also lead us to praise and thank God in all the events of our lives, both pleasant, and painful, realizing that God’s loving hands are behind everything.
2) We need to surrender our lives to Jesus, our Lord and Savior. That surrender requires that we freely give all areas of our lives to Jesus and radiate to all around us Jesus’ sacrificial agápe love, unconditional forgiveness, overflowing mercy, and committed service. The joy, the love, and the peace that we find in Jesus need to be reflected in the way we live our whole lives. We also surrender our lives to Jesus by rendering loving, humble service to others with the strong conviction that Jesus is present in every person.
OT XXI [A] (Aug 23/26) Sunday:Is 22:19-23; Rom 11:33-36; Mt 16:13-20
Homily starter anecdotes: [Is there any Biblical basis for using anecdotes? “All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable” (Mt 13: 34).]
#1: “Who do you think I am?”In 1896, after fifteen centuries, Athens renewed the Olympic Games. You can imagine how proud the Greeks were to host the first modern Olympics. The Greeks were by far the most successful nation in terms of total medals (forty-six), 26 more than the U. S. Nevertheless, their number of first-place finishes (10) was one fewer than the Americans who gained 11. The last competition was the marathon. Greece’s entrant was named Spyridon Louis, a water carrier with a little military training, and not much competitive background. He learned endurance by transporting mineral water from his village to the city. When the race started, Louis was far back in the pack of marathoners. But as the miles passed, he moved up steadily. One by one the leaders began to falter. The French hero fell in agony. The hero from the United States had to quit the race. Soon, word reached the stadium that a lone runner was approaching the arena, and the emblem of Greece was on his chest! He even slowed down for a glass of wine. As the excitement grew, Prince George of Greece hurried to the stadium entrance where he met Louis and ran with him to the finish line. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece_at_the_1896_Summer_Olympics). — In this sports’ tale, we have something of the history of the human race. Jesus Christ started from way back in the pack. He was born in relative obscurity, never had many followers, commanded no army, erected no edifices, wrote no books. He died young, was buried in a borrowed grave, and you’d think he’d be quickly forgotten. But, no! His reputation has grown, so that today Jesus is worshiped on every continent, has more followers than ever before, and sixteen times has been pictured on the cover of TIME magazine, while Jesus’ sayings have been translated into more than 200 languages. Consider: Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for fifty, and Aristotle, forty. Jesus Christ only taught for three years. Yet which has influenced the world more, one hundred thirty years of classical thought or three years of Christ’s? In the Library of Congress there are 1,172 reference books on William Shakespeare, 1,752 on George Washington, 2,319 on Abe Lincoln, and 5,152 on Jesus Christ. Perhaps H. G. Wells best summed up the runaway difference in interest. “Christ,” he wrote, “is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.” As Emerson once noted, “The name of Jesus is not so much written as PLOUGHED into the history of the world.” — Today’s Gospel challenges us to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior as St. Peter did at Caesarea Philippi.
# 2: “Who is Jesus?” In his teens, C.S. Lewis was a professed agnostic. He was influenced in his conversion to Christianity by reading G.K. Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man, and through the influence of two of his Christian friends. After his conversion, he wrote a number of books defending Christianity. During the Second World War, in his famous BBC radio talk, “Mere Christianity,” he said, “I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Jesus: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.” — If we accept Jesus as a moral teacher, then we must necessarily accept Him as God, for great moral teachers do not tell lies. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies)
#3: “Suppose Jesus were to come here.” Without the 19th century essayist Charles Lamb, William Shakespeare would be “missing in action.” It was Mr. Lamb’s essays that snatched the 17th century playwright from undeserved obscurity after he had been famous for Andy Warhol’s fifteen minutes. One night, Lamb and his guests were chatting about the Bard over Spanish port and Cuban cigars. “Supposing,” someone asked Lamb, “Shakespeare were to stroll into our dining room at this moment.” The essayist replied, “We would raise a glass of port to the great man.” “Supposing,” said another, “Jesus were to come here.” Lamb answered, “We would all get down on our knees.” — There is the essential difference between the Man from Nazareth and all other great people you can think of. “The Christ is God, and all others, no matter what their deeds, are but fools who strut on the stage for a brief time and then exit.” (Fr. Gilhooly)
#4: “I am the governor of this state.”When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts, he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (and no lunch), he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished. As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line. “Excuse me,”Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”“Sorry,” the woman told him. “I’m supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person.”“But I’m starved,” the governor said. “Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.” Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around. “Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state.” “And do you know who I am?” the woman said. “I’m the Lady in Charge of the Chicken. Move along, Mister.” —This is a short, and simple, and humorous story about two people viz. Governor Herter and the Lady in Charge of the Chicken, each trying to exert authority over to the other by telling – ‘who I am.’
Introduction:We might call this Sunday “Power Sunday,” because the main theme is the handing over of the “Keys” which open and shut, representing authority in the Church and in the Kingdom. In today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us to know him personally and to serve him and love him as Lord, and he wants from each one of us our total, whole-hearted response.
The Scripture readings summarized: The first reading, taken from Isaiah, gives a detailed description of the investiture of a royal court official. The robe, the sash, and the keys are insignia of this office. The Lord God, through Isaiah, tells Shebna that the keys of authority will be taken away from him, the unfaithful, proud “master of the royal palace.” In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 138), David thanks God for having raised him from lowly origins and given him authority as King over the people of Israel. In the second reading, St. Paul points out that God is the Source of all authority on earth and in Heaven. Today’s Gospel passage, giving the Petrine promise of Mt. 16:16-20, defines Catholicism. Here, Jesus reveals his plan to build his Church on the strong bedrock foundation of Peter, to whom he will then give the Keys of teaching and governing authority in the Church. Thus, Simon Bar-Jona receives a new mission symbolized by a change of name, Cephas (Peter), is the rock (petros), on which Jesus will build his Church which the power of evil cannot overcome. Peter and his successors, will be given the Keys of the Kingdom and the power to bind and to loose (make laws; exercise authority) on earth, decisions which Heaven will ratify. Thus, Jesus commissions Peter, giving him authority and leadership in the Church.
The first reading (Is 22:19-23) explained: Chapters thirteen through twenty-three of Isaiah record oracles in which the prophet Isaiah pronounces God’s judgment against various nations. In chapter twenty-two, Shebna, the proud, unfaithful royal official, is severely criticized and told by the Lord God, through Isaiah, that he will have to yield to a replacement named Eliakim: “I will thrust you from your office and pull you down from your station.” The reason for the degradation of Shebna, the “master of the royal palace,” (the most powerful person next to the King), was that he had tried to immortalize himself by beginning to construct his own tomb in a lofty place on the mountain. The Lord demands faithfulness to His Way and His Word. Hence, Shebna was removed from his position of controlling access both to the city and to the king
The “master of the royal palace” proudly carried the “key,” an iron bar of considerable size, on his shoulder during state occasions. This “key” symbolism recalls Eliakim’s installation as “major domo” (second in command to the king) in King Hezekiah’s palace. The reference to the “key of the house of David” in this text prompted some Fathers to see in it a Messianic prophecy, foretelling the removal from power of the leaders of the Chosen People of the Old Testament, and the transfer of that power to Christ, who in turn would hand it on to Peter as head of His Church. The robe and the sash indicate that Eliakim has been invested with authority. The key symbolizes jurisdiction, and the tent peg is a sign of stability. This passage prepares us for today’s Gospel, Matthew 16:13-20, in which Jesus grants Peter “the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” The “key of David” connects with Matthew’s “Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven.” Isaiah emphasizes the charismatic dimension of authority, stating that it is Yahweh who gives certain individuals the charism of leadership. “Isaiah foretells that the keys to David’s kingdom would be given to a new master, who would rule as father to God’s people. Jesus, the root and offspring of David, alone holds the Kingdom’s keys (see Rv 1:18; 3:7; 22:16). (Dr. Scott Hann). The purpose of authority in the Church, or of authority at any level, is not to control the lives of others, but rather to help them to seek the values that will bring them lasting joy, both in this changing world and in the next.
The Second Reading(Romans 11:33-36) explained: Paul praises the wisdom of God and His inscrutable ways of bringing salvation to all people. Paul marvels at the Divine Goodness, Wisdom, and Knowledge. He emphasizes the wisdom of God (described in chapters 9-11), which allowed the Jews to reject Jesus and called a few Jewish believers, like Paul, empowering them to evangelize the Gentiles. When the Gentiles had been converted, some of the Jews might be impressed and accept Christ themselves. These Jews would attain salvation through the example provided by the Gentiles. The result would be the salvation of the whole world – a good greater than the election of Israel. Thus, the ancient promise of God to Abraham would be fulfilled. With this in mind Paul exclaims, “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are His judgments and how unsearchable His ways!”
Gospel exegesis:Two questions and the answers. In Matthew and Mark, Jesus asked certain questions about his identity. This incident took place at Caesarea Philippi, (presently called Banias), twenty-five miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus asked a question in two parts. The first question: “What is the public opinion?” The apostles’ answer was, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” John the Baptist was so great a figure that it might well be that he had come back from the dead. Elijah, the greatest of the prophets was believed to be the forerunner of the Messiah. [“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” (Mal 4:5). In 2Esdr 2:18 the promise of God is: “For thy help I will send my servants Isaiah and Jeremiah.”] The phrase “one of the prophets” suggested that Jesus had a ministry like that of the former prophets. When the people identified Jesus with Elijah and with Jeremiah, they were, according to their lights, paying him a great compliment and setting him in a high place, for Jeremiah and Elijah were the expected forerunners of the Anointed One of God. When they arrived, the Kingdom would be very near indeed.
The second question: “What is your personal opinion? For the first time in their relationship Peter, speaking for the other disciples, declared publicly: “You are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the living God.” Peter was the first apostle to recognize Jesus publicly as the Anointed One (also translated Messiah or Christ. Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah). Peter was saying that Jesus is the Christ, the anointed one of God, Immanuel, the Salvation of God — God Himself who became Man to save sinners! It is evident that Jesus was well pleased with Peter’s answer. Jesus first pronounced a blessing upon Peter, the only disciple in the Gospels to receive a personal blessing. “Blessed are you, Simon son of John!” Next, Jesus confirmed Peter’s insight as a special revelation from God. “No mere man has revealed this to you, but my Heavenly Father.” However, Jesus was quick to explain to the disciples that he was not a political Messiah. He was, rather, a Messiah who must suffer, die, and be raised to life again.
The promise: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.”Ever since Pope Stephen I (254-257), used this text against Cyprian of Carthage to defend Roman primacy, these verses have been among the most disputed in the New Testament. Historically, they have been central to issues of authority in the Church, especially of the authority of the episcopacy and of the Bishop of Rome. Jesus’ promise to Peter is the Catholic basis for the position of the Pope and of the Church. The Church teaches that Peter was given the keys which admit a man to Heaven or exclude him from it, and that to Peter was given the power to absolve or not to absolve a man from his sins. In other words, Jesus gave to Peter the authority to determine what courses of action would be permitted or forbidden in the Church. It is further argued by the Catholic Church that this power given to Peter has descended to Peter’s successors, all the Bishops of Rome throughout all ages, and that it exists today in Pope Leo XIV who, as the direct successor of Peter, is the Head of the Church and the Bishop of Rome.
The Magisterium of the Church in the First Vatican Council defined the doctrine of the primacy of Peter and his successors in these terms: 6 “We teach and declare, therefore, according to the testimony of the Gospel, that the primacy of jurisdiction over the whole Church was immediately and directly promised to and conferred upon the blessed Apostle Peter by Christ the Lord. For to Simon, Christ had said, ‘You shall be called Cephas’ (John 1:42). Then, after Simon had acknowledged Christ with the confession, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’ (Mt 16:16), it was to Simon alone that the solemn words were spoken by the Lord: ‘Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in Heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the powers of hell shallnot prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven’ (Mt 16:17-19). Then, after His Resurrection, Jesus conferred upon Simon Peter alone the jurisdiction of supreme shepherd and ruler over His whole fold with the words, ‘Feed my lambs … Feed my sheep’” (Jn21:15-17). […]
The keys of Heaven and the binding power.The wording has its roots in Is 22:22, (today’s first reading): “I will place on Eliakim’s shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and no one shall shut; he shall shut, and no one shall open.” Eliakim thus became the steward of the house, responsible for opening the house in the morning, closing it at night, and controlling access to the royal presence. According to Jewish historian Josephus, “The power of binding and loosing was always claimed by the Pharisees. Under Queen Alexandra the Pharisees became the administrators of all so as to be empowered to banish and readmit whom they pleased as well as to loose and bind.” (http://www.canapologetics.net/peter_and_papacy_2.html) So here, in the New Testament, we see Jesus handing over these “keys” of the Kingdom of Heaven, to Peter, one of the apostles. We notice the similarities and differences between this passage and the one from Isaiah. Where Eliakim has the key placed on his shoulder, Jesus says he “will give” the keys to Peter; Where “he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open,” Peter is told “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven.” The Anchor Bible commentary, an Interfaith work (Catholic, Protestant and Jewish scholars), says this: “By conferring the power to bind and loose upon Church leadership, Jesus authorizes it to interpret the Scriptures and establish norms for Christian behaviour (vol. 1).” One final quote comes from a primary Protestant authority, Martin Luther, who, five years after the Reformation, declared “So we stand here and with open mouth stare heavenward and invent still other keys. Yet Christ says very clearly in Mt 16:19 that he will give the keys to Peter. He does not say he has two kinds of keys, but He gives to Peter the keys He Himself has and no others. It is as if He were saying: “Why are you staring heavenward in search of the keys? Do you not understand I gave them to Peter? They are indeed the keys of Heaven, but they are not found in Heaven. I left them on earth. Don’t look for them in Heaven or anywhere else except in Peter’s mouth where I have placed them. Peter’s mouth is my mouth, and his tongue is my key case. His office is my office, his binding and loosing are My binding and loosing” [Martin Luther, “The Keys,” in Conrad Bergendoff, ed., trans. Earl Beyer and Conrad Bergendoff, Luther’s Works, volume 40, (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1958), p 365-366.] In this role, Peter was the first to preach Christ, and he did so to three thousand people at Pentecost (Acts 2); he became the spokesman to the Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). “Bind and loose” also concerns doctrine and ethical conduct, declaring certain actions as either forbidden or permitted. Later Christian tradition extended this principle to include the power to forgive or retain sins (18:18; Jn 20:23). In Mt 18:18, Jesus extends this authority to the whole group of disciples, saying, “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.” Catholics believe that Peter’s authority passed from Peter to the Popes who followed him. “In giving those Keys to Peter, Jesus fulfills that prophecy, establishing Peter – and all who succeed him – as holy father of His Church. His Church, too, is the new house of God – the spiritual temple founded on the “rock” of Peter, and built up out of the living stones of individual believers (see 1 Peter 2:5)”. (Dr. Scot Hann).
Guarantees given to Peter and his successors: The Catholic Church teaches that by giving Peter the “keys” along with the promise that all his decisions would be ratified in Heaven, Christ gave Peter the power of freedom from error when he was officially teaching the universal Church. In other words, Peter received primacy in the Church and the gift of infallibility in his official teaching on matters of Faith and morals. The first Vatican Council defined this Dogma, and the second Vatican Council reconfirmed it. As the Church was to continue long after Peter had died, it was rightly understood from the beginning that those privileges given to Peter which were necessary for the successful mission of the Church, were given to his lawful successors – the Popes – as well.
The most disputed text –“Upon this rock I will build my Church”:Origen interpreted the text to mean that Peter is the type of every true, spiritual Christian on whom the Church is built. The “Eastern” Church interpreted the rock as the Faith of Peter, so that the Church is built on the Faith of believing Christians. The Roman (or Pontifical) interpretation which dates from the fourth century is that rock is Peter, and the promises made to Peter apply also to Peter’s successors in the Petrine ministry. Since Vatican I, this has been the normative interpretation for Roman Catholics. The Middle Ages gave the Christological interpretation, according to which Christ is the Rock (see 1 Cor. 3:11, 10:4). Non-Catholics argue that there is no evidence that Peter’s ministry would be successive. However, the whole context and meaning of the imagery from the beginning to the end show it to be a ministry that must be successive. First of all, the image of the rock is, by its very nature, a timeless and everlasting image. That’s why the image of the rock was chosen. That’s how rocks are. They’re there to stay. Then, in Mt 16, Jesus himself says that the steward’s ministry will have an eternal dimension. He holds the keys to the Kingdom of God and the gates of hell will never prevail against it. Finally, the image of the shepherd, as we have seen, is an eternal one because God Himself is the ultimate Good Shepherd. If the Rock, the Steward, and the Shepherd are eternal ministries, then for it to last that long, the ministry given to Peter must be successive. How could this eternal ministry have died out with Peter himself and still have been eternal?
Authority for service: In a dramatic return to the Spirit of the Apostolic Church, the participants at the Second Vatican Council affirmed the teaching of Jesus, in that Authority is always to be exercised as a service and in a collegial manner for the building up of the community (Dogmatic Constitution on The Church, # 27). Following Vatican II, a number of ecumenical dialogues have resulted in more of a consensus among Christians concerning authority in the Church. The Anglican, Roman-Catholic International Commission issued a document entitled “An Agreed Statement on Authority in the Church“ (1977). According to this commission, the model of authority in the Church is not political, sociological, structural or juridical but rather one of koinonia, viz., a union based on mutual loving service in the truth of Christ, activated by the Holy Spirit, in order to create community with God and all persons. Similar statements by the Lutheran Catholic Dialogue remind contemporary disciples of Jesus that all Christian authority is rooted in Christ and in the Gospel, a word of power from God (Rom1:16) which is proclaimed by various witness-servants who are given a share in the authority of Christ, the Witness-Servant-Model for us all.
Life messages:1)We need to accept Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior: Jesus is not merely the founder of a new religion, or a revolutionary Jewish reformer, or one of the great teachers. For Christians, he is the Son of God and our personal Savior. This means that we have to see Jesus as the Good Shepherd, the Savior, and the Redeemer. He is our beloved Friend, closer to us than our dear ones, and a living experience, who walks with us, loves us, forges us, helps us, and transforms our lives and outlook. We have to give all areas of our lives to him. He must have a say in our daily lives, and we must radiate all around us his sacrificial agápe love, unconditional forgiveness, overflowing mercy, and committed service. The joy, the love, and the peace that we find in Jesus should be reflected in the way we live our lives.
2) We need to experience Jesus as our Lord and Savior and surrender our lives to him. The knowledge of Jesus as Lord and personal Savior should become a living, personal experience for each Christian. This is made possible by our listening to Jesus through the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, by our talking to Jesus through daily, personal and communal prayers, by our offering our lives on the altar with Jesus whenever we attend Holy Mass, and by our leading a Sacramental life. The next step is the surrender of our lives to Jesus by rendering humble, loving service to Him in Himself and in all others, with the strong conviction that Jesus is present in every person. The step after that is to praise and thank God in all the events of our lives, both pleasant and painful, realizing that God’s loving hands are behind everything.
JOKES OF THE WEEK:
1) “Do you know who I am?” The archbishop wanted to pray for and share his love with the residents of a local nursing home. As he entered the lobby of the nursing home, he saw a ninety-year-old lady sitting in a wheelchair. He faced her and asked her whether she knew who he is. She said, “Sir, if you do not know who you are, go to the front desk and ask the receptionist. It is always better to know who you are before visiting old folks like me!”
2)“But how did the other ear get burned?”:On Sunday morning, a man showed up at Church with both his ears terribly blistered, so his pastor asked, “WHAT happened to YOU?” “I was lying on the couch watching a ball game on TV while my wife was ironing nearby. I was totally engrossed in the game when she went out, leaving the iron near the phone. The phone rang, and keeping my eyes on the TV, I grabbed the hot iron and put it to my ear.” “How dreadful,” gasped the pastor. “But how did the other ear get burned?” “Well, you see, I’d no sooner hung up and the guy called back!” — He just didn’t get it! Lots of folks never get it, never understand how life really works, even at the simplest levels. That’s why Jesus is pressing his followers — and us — so insistently in today’s Gospel: “Do you understand Who I AM,” he asks, “and what My being here means for you?” (Msgr. Dennis Clarke)
3) “But on the other hand..” Three of the clergy—a Lutheran, a Catholic, and an Episcopalian—ended up at the Pearly Gates one day. It was St. Peter’s day off, so Jesus was administering the entrance exam. “The question is simple,” he said. “Who do you say that I AM?” The Lutheran stepped forward and began, “The Bible says . . . ” but Jesus interrupted and said, “I know what the Bible says; who do you say that I AM?” The Lutheran said, “I don’t know,” and fell through a trapdoor to that other place. The Catholic stepped forward and began, “The Pope says . . . ” But Jesus interrupted him and said, “I know what the Pope says; who do you say that I am?” “I’m not sure,” said the Catholic, and promptly fell through the trapdoor to that other place. Jesus turned to the Episcopalian and asked, “Who do you say that I AM?” The Episcopalian replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!” Then, just as Jesus smiled and gestured for the Pearly Gates to be opened, the Episcopalian continued, “but on the other hand…”
21- Additional anecdotes:1) “To draw out all his savings?” A teacher was giving her students a lesson in logic. “Here is the situation,” she said. “A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife in her riverside house hears the commotion, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank instead of calling for help?” A girl raised her hand and asked, “To draw out all his savings?” — In today’s Gospel, the disciples are faced with a similar situation – like being in class when the teacher asks a very important question. We want to seem intelligent so we blurt out an answer – not always the right one – but an answer nonetheless. In today’s Gospel lesson Peter blurts out an answer that is theologically correct, inspired, and amazing.
2) Mount Rushmore National Memorial: When one thinks of South Dakota, one thinks of Mount Rushmore. Carved into the mountainside by Gutzon Borglum are the heads of four of the great leaders of the United States. It’s ironic that this monument is in the heart of an area sacred to the Lakota and Dakota people whose ancestors possessed the land centuries before George Washington’s family came to America. Thousands of Americans visit Mount Rushmore each year. Many come away with flags, patriotic symbols and T- shirts reading, “God Bless America.” Perhaps they feel a rush of pride and make resolutions to be better Americans in the future. — Let us remember that Christians are part of the Rock. Jesus built his Church on the Rock of Peter as a reward for his great confession of Faith in the Divinity of Christ. The members of the Church are given a new face on the same Rock, the face of Jesus, as they proclaim his love, mercy, and forgiveness in their daily lives.
3)“But I know who she is and I know who I am:” Every day Tim would go to the nursing home and visit her. Each time she would ask Tim who he was and why he was visiting her. And each time Tim would explain who he was and why he was visiting. He would tell the story of all the children and grandchildren, all the activities and all the news of his family. And while he was feeding her lunch each day, he would gently remind her that he was married for 52 years to the same woman and that woman was she. Then each time she would smile brightly as if told for the first time. That woman was Margaret, and Margaret suffers from Alzheimer’s disease; she moves in and out of reality. Tim tends to her each and every day and before he leaves, he caresses her gently, kisses her and tells her that he loves her dearly, knowing well, that tomorrow he will have to repeat the whole routine over and over again. His friends ask Tim as why he continues to put himself through this. They tell him, “She doesn’t even know who you are any more.” And he would always respond in the same way, “But I know who she is, and I know who I am.” — The reality of our lives is that we are known by our actions. How we treat one another is how we first know who we are for ourselves, and that is how others come to know us. It is in our actions that we will be known. And that is what Jesus asks today, “Who do people say that I am?” Do I know Jesus? Do I know who I am? (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
4) Who is this Jesus? Where do we find Him? In his book, Pray from Where You Are, James Carroll recalls something many of us remember from our childhood. Every Sunday, the comic page of our newspapers used to carry a series of printed games. One of everybody’s favorites was a picture showing some scene, like a family enjoying a picnic in a park. Printed beneath the picture were the words, “Can you find the man hidden in the picture?” You’d look and look, and at first wouldn’t see anything that looked like a man. Then you’d turn the paper this way and that to get a different view of it. Suddenly, from the edge of a fluffy white cloud you’d see an ear. Then, from the green leaves of a tree you’d see a mouth, and so on, until you’d see an entire man’s face smiling out at you from the picnic scene. Once you saw the man, that picnic scene was never the same again. For you had found the hidden man. You yourself had seen the smiling face. — It’s the same way in our own lives. We Christians know by Faith that there is a Man hidden away in every scene of daily life. And that Man’s name is Jesus. Once we find Jesus, up close and personal, no scene in our lives is ever the same. That is part of the message of today’s Gospel. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
5) Confusion most confounded: Just take the world of medicine. Anyone confused the way I am? Does it seem to you that one study is always negating the finds of the previous study? Hormone replacement therapy is great. No. Hormone replacement therapy causes cancer. Saccharine causes cancer; NutraSweet is good. No. NutraSweet causes cancer and Saccharine is good. LowCarb/HighFat is the best diet. Whoops, no, we meant to say NoFat/LowCarb is the best diet. Being slightly underweight is best. No. Being slightly overweight is best. Stock market recommendations and economist’s predictions are equally confusing. Watch Fox’s Saturday morning stock market analysis. The experts end up calling each other’s advice ridiculous, completely wrong, amazingly erroneous, and downright stupid. — Same thing happened at Caesarea Philippi where Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of the living God. Jesus congratulated him as the spokesman of God the Father’s revelation. At the same time Jesus warned his disciples not to tell this truth to anyone.
6) What is in a name? In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says to Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”The Journal of the American Medical Association did a study on the names of people in the medical profession in the United States. Doctors’ names included: Needle, Probe, Lance, Ligate, Drill, Scope, Bolt, Pin, Croak and Klutz. On the up side, we find physicians named Fix, Cure, Heal, Brilliant, Able, and Best. Our vet’s name is Dr. Fish. There is an Episcopal priest in New York City named Donald Goodness. Do names make a difference? Can a person’s name determine his or her destiny? If you had the choice, would you pick Dr. Brilliant or Dr. Klutz? Many actors will take a stage name because their real name is considered unattractive, dull, or amusing for the wrong reason, or because it projects the wrong image, or is considered too “ethnic.” — Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus, who gave Simon a new name, Peter, made him the bedrock foundation of his Church.
7) Novel/Film – Shoes of the Fisherman: When the Italian pope dies in the latter part of the twentieth century, the Cardinals debate who will succeed him. Some want a conservative pope, while others feel that modern times call for a different approach so that the Church can speak to the real needs of the people. The conclave elects a Slavic cardinal who was imprisoned for twenty years by the Communists. He becomes Pope Kiril I. He feels constricted by Vatican protocol, so he ventures out one night to meet the real people of Rome. He also relates with theologians in difficulties with pastoral kindness and understanding. At his papal coronation, he gives away the tiara. He tries to negotiate an accord between the warring nations, China and Russia, and he says he is ready to sell the treasures of the Vatican to alleviate starvation in China. When Morris West’s novel, Shoes of the Fisherman, first appeared in 1963, it was regarded as prophetic. When John Paul I died in 1978 after barely a month in office, the Polish Cardinal, Karol Wojtyla, was elected, and Pope St. John Paul II is considered to have been one of the chief influences in the collapse of the Soviet Union.– Morris West was even more prophetic than people realized. Shoes of the Fisherman takes past perceptions of the papacy and papal authority and looks at them in new ways. Like Pope Kiril in the film, Pope St. John Paul II traveled outside Rome and tried to enter into dialogue with everyone. He exercised spiritual authority and tried to show that the role of the papacy was for service, especially in the political and economic arenas. The film shows the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. Shoes of the Fisherman continues to challenge audiences to understand the papacy more deeply. Shoes of the Fisherman was almost a blueprint for the papacy of Pope St. John Paul II. The film expresses a different yet converging definition of what ‘Church’ means and what authority and service entail. (Peter Malone in Lights Camera….Faith!)
8) Pray TV and the dog Spuds MacKenzie: The ABC television network carried a program titled Pray TV. Actor John Ritter played the role of an evangelist. Incredibly, some 22,000 people called local television stations wanting to pledge financial contributions to Ritter’s work. These figures were verified by various telephone companies who had monitored and logged the incoming calls. Just after a scene in which the evangelist said, “We need your prayers,” a fictitious toll-free number was flashed on the screen. Many viewers around the country tried to phone the number to offer prayers and money. It pays never to underestimate the gullibility (or generosity, in this case?) of the American people. Characters in soap operas tell horror stories about viewers who confuse the actors with the roles they are playing. In 1968, when actor Leslie Nielsen played a brutal sheriff in the television film Shadow Over Elviron, he received more than two hundred poison pen letters, mostly from women. Some of these were shockingly vulgar. Even Spuds MacKenzie, the dog on certain beer commercials, receives an average of five thousand letters a month. Not the trainer, not the sponsor, not the agent, not the handlers – the dog herself receives the fan mail! Winston Churchill once was congratulated on the size of a crowd that turned out to hear him speak. He said the crowd would be twice as large if he were being hanged. — Jesus wasn’t really that concerned about what the majority of the people were thinking about him. He knew that some in the crowds cheering him would later shout the loudest for his crucifixion. So, he wasn’t really all that concerned when he asked, “Who do men say that I am?” However, he was concerned when he turned to his disciples and asked them, “And who do you say that I am?” Jesus’ plan for the salvation of the world lay with this small group of men.
9) “You are the Christ.” Fr. Herbert O’Driscoll uses a wonderful image to explain the structure of the Church. His idea is to look at all of the last 20 centuries as rings of time, or as concentric circles of time. Today’s Christians, in the 21st century, are in the outermost circle, farthest away from the center – which is a Cross. We are brought into the circle, into the Faith, in large part because somewhere, somehow, someone in the circle just before ours took us by the hand and said, “Come,” and so drew us in. That is one very important reason why we are here. That person was able to do this for us because someone had taken him or her by the hand and had drawn that person in. And so it went, back through all the centuries until we reach the hands that had actually touched the mark of the nails. In this way, Christ builds his Church. We constantly re-live this Gospel story. When we say to Jesus, “You are the Christ,” he says to each of us—“You, too, are Peter, you too, are a rock, and with you, also, I am building my Church.” What happened to Peter continues to happen and actually includes us.
10) Peter Johnson the Rocky: It is said that Winston Churchill never liked talking to subordinates. He always wanted to go to the top because he figured that was the only way he could get any action. So, as the story goes, when Churchill went to heaven, he met St. Peter at the gate and said, “Who are you?” When Peter said, “I’m St. Peter,” Churchill said, “To hell with you, get God!” How did poor Peter get this job in the first place? It all started with the story recounted in this text when Jesus renamed him “Rocky” and gave him the keys to the Kingdom. Actually, he called him Cephas, an Aramaic nickname meaning rock. Its Greek counterpart is Petros which also means rock. Thus, on that day at Caesarea Philippi about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, Simon Johnson, as he was known to his fishing buddies and his family, got a new name — Rocky. Rocky was the big one, bigger than the boxer by that name, Marciano, or the character Sylvester Stallone played in the movie called Rocky and all its sequels. I can just hear him calling the other disciples with a tough Brooklyn street-kid accent, “Hey you’se guys, let’s go get some fish.”
11) “Catholic Church” or “universal church”: A woman was talking to her Presbyterian minister, taking him to task for using, in praying the creed during a worship service, the words, “I believe in the holy, catholic church” instead of saying “universal church” or something similar, because, she said, it was “not Presbyterian.”“Well,” the minister replied, “you don’t mean to say that you believe that the only way you can get to Heaven is by being a Presbyterian, do you!”— She thought a minute and said, “No, not really. But no genteel person would think of going any other way.” [B. Clayton Bell, Moorings in a World Adrift: Answers for Christians Who Dare to Ask Why, (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990) p. 87.]
12) “The powers of death (Gates of hell) shall not prevail against it.” There is a story about a poor guy who died. Much to his surprise he was sentenced not to Heaven, but to Satan’s domain. Before he was admitted, however, he was interviewed by Satan himself. “It’s pretty bad down here, isn’t it?” asked the man. “Not at all!” said Satan. “You’re surrounded by people who know how to enjoy! Each day we have a theme. Monday, for example, is Party Day! We party around the clock. Tuesday is Alcohol Day! An open bar, take all you want! Wednesday is Tobacco Day! The finest Havana cigars, all the best cigarette blends.” The guy begins to brighten up. He says, “I’m sold. Let me in!” They let him in the gate and he promptly falls into a fiery pit where he is prodded by a nasty looking thing with a pitchfork. “Hey,” he cried, “what happened to those Theme Days?” “Today is Thursday,” Satan giggles with glee. “Thursdays, we tell lies!” (The Jokesmith).
13) “The powers of death shall not prevail against it.” No. 2 Elaine Pagels is a distinguished professor at Princeton University who studies and knows a lot about the human phenomenon of religion. She begins her book, Beyond Belief, with an unusual anecdote and a very powerful witness. On a bright, cold Sunday morning in New York, she interrupted her daily run by stopping in the vestibule of a church to get warm. Two days earlier, her two-and-a-half-year-old son had been diagnosed with an invariably fatal lung disease. Two-and-a-half years old. Barely born and already dying. Imagine the pain in her heart, if you can. But here is how she describes that scene in the Church that day: “Since I had not been in Church for a long time, I was startled by my response to the worship in progress–the soaring harmonies of the choir singing with the congregation; and the priest, a woman in bright gold and white vestments, proclaiming the prayers in a clear resonant voice. As I stood watching, a thought came to me: Here is a family that knows how to face death…Standing in the back of that church, I recognized, uncomfortably, that I needed to be there. — Here was a place to weep without imposing tears upon a child; and here was a heterogeneous community that had gathered to sing, to celebrate, to acknowledge common needs, and to deal withwhat we cannot control or imagine.” (http://www.uccseb.org/Sermons/2004/March%2028,%202004.htm )
14) “God does not always settle accounts in October.” There is a story about an irreligious farmer who gloried in his irreligion. He wrote a letter to a local newspaper in these words: “Sir: I have been trying an experiment with a field of mine. I plowed it on Sunday. I planted it on Sunday. I harvested it on Sunday. I carted the crop home to the barn on Sunday. And now, Mr. Editor, what is the result? This October I have more bushels to the acre from the field than any of my neighbors have.” He expected applause from the editor, who was not known to be a religious man himself. When he opened the paper the next week, there, sure enough, was his letter printed just as he had sent it, but underneath it was the short but significant sentence: “God does not always settle accounts in October.’” — Let us ask ourselves, when did we last show ourselves disciples of Jesus, or witness him in public? (Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
15) Under Rock and Key: Late one evening, Jerry lost the key of his moneybox and went down on fours looking for it outside. His neighbors joined him in searching under streetlights until all were exhausted. “Where did you lose the key?” asked a concerned friend. “Inside my house,” replied Jerry. “Then why are we looking for it outside?”“Because” explained Jerry, “there is better light outside than inside my house!” — We often look for keys in wrong places, and, ironically, the keys to understand today’s readings is a Key of the House of David in the first reading, and the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven in the Gospel. On April 24, 2005, at his installation as Pontiff, Benedict XVI described himself as “weak servant of God” showing deep awareness of being “servus servorum Dei” (servant of servants of God). Likewise, on October 22, 1978, when Pope St. John Paul II began his ministry, he said “Open wide the doors for Christ!” It is heartening that those who hold the Keys are aware of their responsibility to serve and open Church doors for the Spirit’s action. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Gospel Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
16) “I am a Christian. I refuse to give up my Faith.” Neo-martyr Michael Paknanas was less than twenty years old, and he worked as a gardener in Athens in the 1800s. The Turks, who enslaved Greece at the time, were trying to convince him to give up his Faith. When flattery and wealth failed to persuade him, they put to use some of their more convincing standard missionary work by torturing the teenager. When all the tortures proved to be futile, the executioner was preparing to behead the young man, but at the same time he was feeling some compassion for him. So he began cutting his neck slowly with the sword by administering very light blows, while asking the martyr to reconsider. The martyr’s response? “I told you, I am a Christian. I refuse to give up my Faith.” The ax-man struck with another light blow to make some more blood flow, to possibly convince him. The martyr repeated, “I told you, I am a Christian. Strike with all your might, for the Faith of Christ.” This totally aggravated the executioner. He did exactly that, and St. Michael was sent to the Heavenly mansions. — These are the people who understood who Jesus is, and what his place is in their lives. (Fr. Bobby Jose).
17) “There are five things you need to know:” There is a beautiful story about the pencil. The pencil maker took the pencil aside, just before putting it into the box. “There are five things you need to know,” he told the pencil, “before I send you out into the world. Always remember them and never forget, and you will become the best pencil you can be. One: You will be able to do many great things, but only if you allow yourself to be held in someone’s hand. Two: You will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, but you’ll need it to become a better pencil. Three: You will be able to correct any mistakes you might make. Four: The most important part of you will always be what’s inside. And Five: On every surface on which you are used, you must leave your mark. No matter what the condition, you must continue to write.” — The same applies to each one of us too. When we find an answer to Jesus’ question (“Who do you say that I am?”), we will be able to make ourselves useful to our contemporaries. We have to undergo the process that the pencil undergoes. One: We will be able to do many great things, but only if we allow ourselves to be held in God’s hand, and allow other human beings access to the many gifts we possess. Two: We will experience a painful sharpening from time to time, by going through various problems in life, but we’ll need it to become a stronger person. Three: We will be able to correct any mistakes we might make. Four: The most important part of us will always be what’s on the inside. And Five: On every surface we walk through, we must leave our mark. No matter what the situation, we must continue to do our duties to the best of our abilities.
18)Ready to Serve? Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross was a former professor of psychiatry at the University of Chicago. She wrote a best-seller called Death and Dying. The book grew out of interviews with hundreds of people who had been declared clinically dead and then revived. Repeatedly these people report that during their near-death experience they underwent a kind of instant replay of their lives. It was like seeing a movie of everything they’d ever done. How did their instant replay affect these people? Did it reveal anything significant? Commenting on this, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross says: “When you come to this point, you see that there are only two things that are relevant: the service you rendered to others and love. All those things we think are important, like fame, money, prestige, and power, are insignificant.” — Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus gave authority to Peter and his successors in his Church to serve God’s people. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
19) “Pioneers of Persuasion” In his book The Image Makers, William Meyers has a chapter called “Pioneers of Persuasion.” One of the stories tells how an ad executive, Rosser Reeves, used carefully spliced television commercials during the 1952 presidential campaign to sell General Eisenhower to the public “like a tube of toothpaste.” Ever since then, professional image makers and marketing experts have been employed to “package” political candidates in glamorous ways so that they will appeal to the voters’ emotions. To be successful today, office seekers have to be as concerned about their image as about the campaign issues. Appearance and performance on television are as important as one’s experience and programs. — In the Gospel today, it seems that Jesus, too, was worried about his public image. “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” he asks his disciples. In response, they give sort of the latest Gallup poll readout of their day: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” But as we read further, we see that Jesus was not interested in his popularity rating. He is interested in the more profound question of his essential identity. “Who do you say that I am?” Moreover, Jesus is not aiming so much at finding out who he is (he knows that already), but is leading his disciples to discover this for themselves. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
20) God Has His Own Reasons to use His authority and power when He wants: Annick Theuroueville, a 20-year-old French girl who had been paralyzed from birth, took part in a Rosary pilgrimage to Lourdes on October 7, 1975. In her wheelchair, she joined the procession of more than 40,000 pilgrims, and then bathed in the pool fed by the original stream Our Lady had Bernadette find, and use to drink and wash in, some distance from the grotto. After bathing, she complained of being very tired. At three o’clock the next morning, she awakened in her hotel room. On a sudden impulse she got out of bed and walked. Apart from painful efforts to use crutches, she had never in her life done this. The other pilgrims at the hotel were amazed to see Annick come down the stairs for breakfast. Doctors who examined her on October 8 could find no medical explanation for her recovery. Of course, the medical bureau at Lourdes is very cautious about pronouncing cures miraculous. Conclusions are reached only after several years of observation. Naturally everybody was interested in asking Annick’s own reactions. Many knew that she had long since accepted her disability as the will of God. “It means joy” she answered, “but also sadness. For I ask myself, why me, and not the others?” – “…Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor? (Rom 11:34. Today’s second reading). (Father Robert F. McNamara)
21)To know Jesus personally is to be transformed by what one knows:A dialogue between a recent convert and an unbelieving friend: “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 this much I know. Three years ago, I was a drunkard. I was in debt. My family was falling to pieces. My wife and children would dread my return. That’s what Jesus did when I turned to Him and asked for help.” (cf. Anthony De Mello, The Song of the Bird, New York: Image Books, 1984, p. 112). — This story shows us that a simple, receptive heart is necessary for truly knowing Christ. We are witnesses of Christ. Our personal transformation testifies to his saving presence in our life. L/26
Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/for missed or previous Cycle C & A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only atakadavil@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). My post-retirement postal address: Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Jogy M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507
Caesarea Philippi at Jesus’ time: Please check Google images
Caesarea Philippi at present
Caesarea Philippi was a Greco-Roman city located near the ancient city of Dan, in the northern part of Israel, by Mount Hermon and the Jordan River. As you follow the Banias stream to the cliff area, you can tell immediately that you are in an incredibly unique place. There is a rocky face that rises 100 feet above you and 500 feet wide, centered by a foreboding cave with temple ruins strewn about. It was here that Herod the Great built the Temple of Augustus (Augusteum) in 19 B.C. to honor his Caesar. The temple sat in front of the cave that was believed to be the gateway to the underworld, and where the Greek god Pan lived.. Herod willed the region to his younger son Philip when he died in 4 B.C., who then built this city up to be his capital and to honor his Caesar, Tiberius. Josephus records the spot in the following: “And when Caesar had further bestowed upon him (Herod) another additional country, he built there also a temple of white marble, hard by the fountains of Jordan: the place is called Panium (Panias, Caesarea Philippi), Prior to the Romans, the Greeks under Alexander the Great had conquered the area. They were so enamored with the spot that Greek sanctuaries were built here to worship the god Pan, worship which included strange sexual acts with goats. The Greeks called this place Panias, and the cave was the main attraction for Hellenistic pagan worship. Animal sacrifices were thrown into the bottomless pool inside. If the sacrifices sank, the gods were appeased. Next to the Pan cave are five niches with indented scalloped areas cut into the face of the cliff for their idols. These niches had elaborate temples attached to worship Pan, Zeus, Nemesis, and a sanctuary to the cult of the “dancing goats.” Pan was the god of the goats and his pipe music would entice the goats to dance, and make their fertility assured (he is also linked to sex, lust, and bestiality). It was so wicked, a sin city like today’s Las Vegas, that rabbis forbade a good Jew to come here. Still, Jesus brought his men here anyway and revealed to them that He was the promised Messiah (Matthew 16). Why here? It was a simple way to let the world, both seen and unseen, know that there would be a coming battle for the souls of men. At the foot of this debauched mountain, the gauntlet was thrown at Satan’s feet; his time was over. This mountain’s other significance is as the traditional site of the Transfiguration of Jesus (Matthew 17:1-8).
Interesting again to note that He chose “Satan’s turf” to proclaim His glory to His disciples. No one knows the exact spot on Mount Hermon where this glorification occurred, but most believe that it was indeed here. Today you can see this cave, the rubble of the temples, and the shrines that were carved into the cliffs where Jesus acknowledged Peter’s revelation at Caesarea Philippi (today called Banias, most likely an Arab corruption of Pan, Panias). There are huge sections of carved stone from the Temple all around the area, and King Agrippa’s Palace nearby. The ancients believed that water symbolized the abyss and death, so the spring that flowed out of the Gate of Hades made Jesus’ promise about His Church’s supremacy all the more poignant. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the Gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:17-20). How perfect that one of the most sinful places in Israel was where He revealed Himself to be the true God of Israel.
Aug 10-15: Aug 10 Monday:St. Lawrence, Deacon, Martyr: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-lawrence: Jn 12: 24-26: 24 Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. 25 He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. 26 If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there shall my servant be also; if any one serves me, the Father will honor him.
The context: Jesus tells us a short parable followed by two amazing paradoxes. The parable is that of a grain of wheat sown into the muddy field, growing up and yielding a good crop. The parable followed by the paradoxes teaches us three lessons for Christian life. The first lesson is that life comes only through death. Only when the grain of wheat dies in the muddy soil of the field does it become a seedling. In the same way, the Church would grow up and flourish in the death of its martyrs: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”When we die to our personal ambitions and desires, we are born as useful instruments in the hands of God. The second lesson is that only by spending life we can retain it. The world owes a lot to saintly people like St. Don Bosco, St. Vincent De Paul, St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa), St. Jeanne Jugan, and St. Damien of Molokai, among others, who spent their energy in service of the poor and the down-trodden and gave themselves to God. The third lesson is that greatness comes through selfless and committed service. This explains why the world still honors and cherishes the memory of great souls mentioned above.
Life message: Let us surrender our lives to God in the service of others with agápe love in all humility, seeing the face of Jesus in each of them. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Aug 11 Tuesday:St. Clare, Virgin: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-clare-of-assisi: Matthew 18:1-5, 10,12,141 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me;10 See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in Heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father Who is in Heaven. 12 What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray? 14 So it is not the Will of my Father Who is in Heaven that one of these little ones should perish.”
The context: Chapter 18 of Matthew’s Gospel is a “discourse on the Church,” giving leaders of the Church instructions for administration. Jesus’ apostles shared the Jewish hope that the Messiah would be a political ruler; they hoped that they would hold important portfolios in the Messianic kingdom. Hence, in today’s passage (vv. 1-5), Jesus warned his apostles and the future hierarchy of his Church against the natural human tendencies to pride and ambition. He exhorted the spiritual leaders, as well as all believers in responsible positions, to be humble, trusting, and innocent – that is, to be like children. The additional parable of the shepherd rejoicing at the recovery of his lost sheep tells us that our Heavenly Father is very particular that His little ones should not perish due to our negligence.
Child-like qualities: Children are basically innocent and honest. They are naturally humble because they depend on their parents for everything. They trust and obey their parents because they know their parents love them. Hence, Jesus advises his disciples to forget their selfish ambitions and, with trusting Faith in a loving and providing God, to spend their lives serving others in all humility. Then they will be great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
Life Messages: 1) We need to practice humility in thoughts, words and actions. “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of heart.”“What is the essential thing in the religion and discipline of Jesus Christ?” St. Augustine asks, and then responds, “I shall reply: first humility, second humility and third humility.”
2) We should not seek recognition and recompense for the service we do for Christ and the Church as parents, teachers, pastors, etc.
3) Trusting Faith resulting from true humility is essential for all corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Since children reflect the innocence, purity, simplicity, and tenderness of our Lord, and since they are given the protection of a guardian angel, we are to love them, train them and take care not to give scandal to them. We need to try to treat everyone with love and respect because, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him to life,” (St. Basil) CCC # 336. (Fr. Tony) L/26.
Aug 12 Wednesday:St. Jane Francis de Chantal, Virgin: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-jane-frances-de-chantal/Mt 18: 15-20: 15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”USCCB video reflections:http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/
The context: The first part of today’s portion of Matthew’s Gospel is one of the passages many have found difficult to interpret. Many Bible commentators think that Jesus never said these things, that probably they were a later addition by the Church because 1) there was no organized Church at that time, 2) Jesus never considered a sinner as a hopeless case, and 3) Jesus loved Gentiles and tax collectors.
The real meaning: What Jesus actually meant was, “Do whatever you can to make the guilty person realize and confess his fault, thus helping him to repair the damage he or she has done to his or her personal and communal relationships.” Jesus seems to suggest the following steps to repair a broken personal relationship: 1) One-on-one encounter: First ask God for forgiveness for your part in the misunderstanding, then, go to him, apologize for your part in the incident, and, only then, tell him calmly, gently, and politely that he has hurt you. 2) The group encounter: If the first step does not work, meet him again in the company of two or three wise and honorable persons and try to help the culprit realize what he has done wrong. 3) Parish encounter: If steps one and two do not work, bring his case to the pastor or to the parish council or the Christian fellowship. 4) Leave him to Lord’s mercy: If the culprit remains stubborn, like a Gentile or proud tax collector, ask God to help you to desire to forgive him, then forgiving him in your heart, continue to pray for him and leave him to God’s mercy.
Life messages: 1) Let us have the good will and generosity to accept our mistakes and ask pardon and forgiveness from the offended victim. 2) Let us also learn to forgive and forget the offenses done against us (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Aug 13 Thursday:Saints Pontian, Pope and Hippolytus, Priest, Martyrs: https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/saint/st-pontian-and-st-hippolytus-559: Mt 18:21–19:121Then 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 But this same, as he went out, came upon one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred denarii; and seizing him by the throat, he said, ‘Pay what you owe!’ 29 So his fellow servant fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ 30 He refused, and went and put him in prison until he should pay the debt. 31 When his fellow servants saw what had taken place, they went and reported to their Lord all that had taken place. 32 Then his Lord summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me; and should you not have had mercy on your fellow servant as I had mercy on you.’ And in anger his Lord delivered him to the jailers till he should pay all his debt. 35 So also my Heavenly Father will do to every one of you, if you do not forgive your brother from your heart.” 19:1 Now when Jesus had finished these sayings he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Juda beyond the Jordan.
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, Incarnate in human flesh. 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 at 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 to forgive. 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 and pray for God’s blessings on him or her. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
Aug 14 Friday:St. Maximilian Kolbe, Priest, Martyr: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-maximilian : Mt 19:3-12: 3 And Pharisees came up to him and tested him by asking, “Is it lawful to divorce one’s wife for any cause?” 4 He answered, “Have you not read that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, `For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man put asunder.” 7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command one to give a certificate of divorce, and to put her away?” 8 He said to them, “For your hardness of heart Moses allowed you to divorce your wives, but from the beginning it was not so. 9.” 10 The Disciples said to him, ‘If such is the case of a man with his wife, it is not expedient to marry.’ 11 But he said to them, “Not all men can receive this precept, but only those to whom it is given. 12 For there are eunuchs who have been so from birth, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by men, and there are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the Kingdom. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it.”
Jesus’ explanation of a Mosaic sanction: Jesus explains that Moses’ permission for divorce was only a temporary concession which was meant to control the growing rate of divorce in Moses’ own time by introducing a law governing divorce. Jesus adds that it was because of the hard-heartedness of the Jewish men that Moses allowed such a concession. By denying the man’s right to divorce, Jesus places the husband and wife on an equal footing in marriage and teaches that no Mosaic regulation dealing with a temporary situation can alter the permanence and unity of marriage.
Jesus’ clear teaching on divorce: Jesus reminds us that His doctrine goes back to the original intention of God. Citing the book of Genesis, Jesus says that God made us male and female and commanded that “the two shall become one flesh.” He then draws the conclusion that “they are no longer two, but one body” – partners with equal rights – and he declares that no man is allowed to separate what God has joined together (Mt 19:6).
Catholic teaching: 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, 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).
Life messages:1) Let us keep all the families of our parish in our daily prayers, that the spouses may have a mutual understanding and appreciation of each other, the willingness to ask pardon and give pardon, the generosity to forgive and forget, and the good will to serve each other, because all these virtues help to make a marriage permanent. 2) Let us also pray for all the divorced in the parish and welcome them as active members of the parish, both those who have remained single and those who have remarried without annulment. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26.
Q 2: Why do Catholics venerate Mary? Mary herself gives the reason in her “Magnificat” recorded in Luke (1:48-49): 48: “For he has looked upon his handmaid’s lowliness; behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. 49: The Mighty One has done great things for me, and Holy is his Name.”
1) God has honored Mary in four ways, and we honor her because God honored her:
a) He chose her as the mother of His Son, Jesus Christ the Messiah.
b) In preparation for this role, God made her “Full of grace” by her Immaculate Conception.
c) He anointed her twice with His Holy Spirit: at the Annunciation and at Pentecost, making her the most Spirit-filled of all women.
d) God allowed her to participate actively in Christ’s suffering and death, suffering in soul all Jesus suffered in body.
2) Mary is our Heavenly Mother, given to us by Jesus from the cross.
3) Mary is our role model for all virtues, particularly, love, fidelity, humility, obedience, surrender to the will of God, and patience.
Q 3: Why do we believe that Mary was taken to Heaven after her death and burial? (“Assumption” means that after her death, Mary was taken into Heaven, both body and soul. The word Assumption comes from the Latin verb “assumere,” meaning “to take to oneself.” Our Lord, Jesus Christ took Mary home to himself where he is. It was on November 1, 1950, that, through the Apostolic Constitution Munificentimus Deus, Pope Pius XII officially declared the Assumption as a Dogma of Catholic Faith, giving the following reasons:
1) Uninterrupted tradition in the Catholic Church starting from the first century AD. (The first trace of belief in the Virgin’s Assumption can be found in the apocryphal second-to-third century AD accounts entitled Transitus Mariae [Latin:
for “The Crossing Over of Mary”].
2) The feast is found in all the ancient liturgies
3) The belief in the assumption of Mary is taught by all early Fathers of the Church, e.g., Origen (died AD 253), St. Jerome (died AD 419) and St. Augustine (died AD 430).
4) Negative evidence: Mary’s tomb was never reported or venerated.
5) Old Testament evidence of corporal assumption of Enoch (Gn 5: 24) and Elijah (2 Kgs 2:1).
6) Theological reasons: her Immaculate Conception and sinless life.
Life messages: 1) We are challenged to keep ourselves pure and holy children of a Holy Mother. 2) We are challenged to accept total liberation from all our bondages. 3) We are assured of our resurrection and given the inspiration to face pain, suffering, despair, disappointment and temptations as Mary did.
O. T. XX [A] (Aug 16)Eight-minute homily in one-page (L-26)
Introduction: All three readings today speak of the expansive and universal nature of the “Kingdom of God,” in contrast with the theory that salvation was to be offered first to the Jews and then, through them alone, to the rest of the world. Although God set the Hebrew people apart as His chosen race, He included all nations in His plan for salvation and blessed all the families of the earth in Abraham (Gn 12:1-3).
Scripture readings summarized:By declaring through the prophet Isaiah (first reading), “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,” God reveals the truth that in His eyes all human beings, regardless of race, caste, color, intelligence, wealth, or charm are His dear children by Creation and adoption. The long-expected Messianic kingdom was intended, not only for the Jews, but for all peoples as well. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 67) rejects all types of religious exclusivity: “Let all the peoples praise You, O God; …For You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth, so that Your saving power may be known among all the nations.” In the second reading, Paul explains that, although the Jews were the chosen people, many of them rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah, and, consequently, God turned to the Gentiles who received mercy through their Faith in Jesus. In the Gospel story, Jesus demonstrates that salvation was meant for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews by healing the daughter of a Gentile woman as a reward for her strong Faith. Thus, Jesus shows us that God’s mercy and love are available to all who call out to Him in Faith.
Life messages:1) We need to persist in prayer with trustful confidence. Although the essential parts of prayer are adoration and thanksgiving, the prayer of petition, like the prayer of contrition, plays a big part in our daily lives. Christ himself has told us to ask him for these needs: “Ask and you shall receive.” Asking with fervor and perseverance proves that we have the “great Faith” we need to receive what Christ wants to grant us in response to our requests. We must realize, and remember, that we do not always get exactly what we ask for. Rather, God gives us what He knows we really need, what He wants us to have, that is, what is really best for us. As Christians, we also know that our particular request may not always be for our good, or for the final good of the person for whom we are praying. But if the prayer is sincere and persevering, we will always get an answer — one which is better than what we asked for.
2) We need to pull down our walls of separation and share in the universality of God’s love: Very often we set up walls which separate us from God and from one another. 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. In other words, God’s care extends beyond the bounds of race and nation to the hearts of all who live, and God’s House should become a House of Prayer for all peoples. It is therefore fitting that we should pray and work sincerely so that the walls which our pride, intolerance, fear, and prejudice have raised in us may crumble.
OT XX [A] (Aug 16)Is 56:1, 6-7; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28
Homily starter anecdotes (Biblical reason why preachers may use anecdotes in their homilies: Mt 13: 34: “All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable).”
# 1) “Never give up!”:Many years ago in Illinois, a young man with six months formal schooling to his credit ran for an office in the legislature. As might have been expected, he was beaten. Next, he entered business but failed in that too, and spent the next seventeen years paying the debts of his worthless partner. He fell in love with a charming lady, they became engaged – and she got sick and died, causing her lover a mini-nervous breakdown. He ran for Congress and was defeated. He then tried to obtain an appointment to the U.S. Land Office but didn’t succeed. He became a candidate for the Vice-Presidency and lost. Two years later he was defeated in a race for the Senate. He ran for President and finally was elected. That man was Abraham Lincoln. —Today’s Gospel presents a Canaanite woman who persisted in her prayer and obtained from the Lord what she prayed for. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
# 2) “If Christians have caste differences…” M. K. Gandhi in his autobiography tells how, during his days in South Africa as a young Indian lawyer, he read the Gospels and saw in the teachings of Jesus the answer to the major problem facing the people of India, the caste system. Seriously considering embracing the Christian faith, Gandhi went to a white-only church one Sunday morning, intending to talk to the pastor about the idea. When he entered the Church, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and told him to go and worship in another church with his own colored people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. “If Christians have caste differences also,” he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” (Fr. Munacci) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
# 3: Religious fanaticism: A Jewish professor of psychology said of his tradition, “If there are ten Jewish males in a city, we create a synagogue. If there are eleven Jewish males, we start thinking about creating a competing synagogue.” A Baptist police officer had a similar tale. He said, “One Baptist family in a neighborhood witnesses until they bring another family to Christ. Then they form a Church, and start witnessing to the rest of the community. When another family joins, they have a schism and form a rival Church.” According to a Presbyterian homemaker, her communion was a little like vegetable soup. “We have,” she said, “the OPs, RPs, BPs, and Split Peas!” And a Methodist businessman complemented these tales with an apocryphal tale of a man from his Faith community who had been shipwrecked for years on a small island. When found by a passing ship, rescuers asked him why he had constructed three huts, since he was there by himself. “Well,” he replied, “that one is my home, that one is my Church, and that one is my former Church.” — Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus extended his healing mission to the Gentiles, too. (Rev. Wayne Brouwer ) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
Introduction:All three readings today speak of the expansive and universal nature of the “Kingdom of God,” in contrast with the protocol of the day which demanded that salvation should come first to the Jews and through them alone to all the people of the earth. Although God set the Hebrew people apart as His chosen race, He included all nations in His plan for salvation and blessed all families of the earth in Abraham (Gn 12:1-3). By declaring through the prophet Isaiah (first reading), “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,” God reveals the truth that in His eyes all human beings, regardless of race, caste, color, intelligence, wealth or charm are His dear children by Creation and adoption. The long-expected Messianic kingdom was intended, not only for the Jews, but for all nations as well. In other words, we all belong to one another; hence, there is no place for discrimination among God’s children. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 67) rejects all types of religious exclusivity: “Let all the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. For You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth, so that Your saving power may be known among all the nations.” In the second reading, Paul explains that, although the Jews were the chosen people, many of them rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah. Consequently, God turned to the Gentiles who received His mercy through their Faith in Jesus. In the Gospel story, 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 her strong Faith. Thus, He shows that God’s mercy and love are available to all who call out to Him in Faith.
The First Reading, (Isaiah 56:1, 6-7) explained: The third part of the book of the prophet Isaiah (chapters 56-66), was written mainly for the Jews who were returning from the Babylonian exile to join their relatives who had been left behind in Judea. But today’s lesson is primarily addressed to those Jews who, after the Exile had officially ended, still chose to remain in Babylon as Jews among the Gentiles. In this passage, the Lord God not only pleaded with these people (who preferred exile to the labor of returning to the Promised Land), to come home to Jerusalem and help to rebuild the City and the Temple, but also tried to make them understand the role the Gentiles would have in the coming Messianic Kingdom. Though in the past all who came to the God of Israel were required to accept the Law and the Covenant, God’s concern for those outside that Covenant led Him to a new and radical solution. “The foreigners,” the Lord God declares to us today throughIsaiah, “who join themselves to Yahweh, ministering to Him, loving the Name of Yahweh and becoming His servants . . . them I will bring to My holy mountain and make joyful in My house of prayer . . . for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Thus,Isaiah’s prophecy, which applied directly to the coming Messianic Kingdom, assured them that their God was equally interested in the people of other nations as well as in the descendants of Abraham. Hence, the exclusivist claims of the Jews as God’s chosen people would have to yield, as God made room for others. For in addition to the exiles of Israel, Yahweh would receive the non-Israelites who had joined themselves to the Lord. In short, the prophet reports, everyone has a part to play in God’s plan — even those who don’t belong to the “true religion.”
In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 67) the Psalm Refrain has us sing, “O God, let all the nations praise You!” and the verses continue “2May God have pity on us and bless us; may He let His Face shine upon us. 3So may Your way be known on earth; among all nations, Your salvation,” thus responding to Yahweh’s declaration in the first reading that the Gentiles will be accepted at the altar of Yahweh.
The Second Reading (Rom 11:13-15, 29-32) explained: Here, Paul asks how God could apparently go back on His promise to Abraham that Abraham’s descendants would always be God’s chosen people, now that those descendants had rejected Jesus. Paul answers his own question by explaining that God’s plan all along had allowed for the Jews’ rejection of Jesus, so that the few Jews who accepted Jesus and went out to preach the Good News, like Paul himself, would be forced to turn to the Gentiles and bring them into the New Covenant. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, God permits evil only if He can draw a greater good out of it. Thus, God permitted both Jews and Gentiles to disobey Him so that He could show His mercy by offering eternal life to everyone who wished to have it. Frustrated by the slow pace of Jewish conversions and prevented from continuing to work directly among the Jews by the overt, physical hostility Jewish synagogues showed him and his companions, Paul directed his preaching missions to the Gentiles, so that the Jews would become jealous and accept Jesus. Thus, God’s secret plan to invite all people into the Covenant would be revealed and completed. By the statement, “Their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,” Paul meant that the Jews’ rejection of Jesus allowed the world (the pagans, the Gentiles), to be reconciled to God. By asking the question, “What will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Paul meant that the Jews who at last accept Christ will receive new life through the once spiritually dead pagans. Paul was convinced that the Jewish nation would eventually accept Christ because God’s ”irrevocable” call, given to them through Abraham, was a call to eternal salvation. Paul’s failure to convert his fellow-Jews serves as a model for us who must accept failure in our own lives, especially when it concerns our loved ones who refuse what we judge to be to their advantage. Paul’s message is also a challenge to us to pray fervently and often for the conversion of the Jews.
Gospel exegesis:The significance of the miracle: The Gospels describe only two miraculous healings Jesus performed for Gentiles: the healing of the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:10-12) in Capernaum, and the healing of the daughter of the Canaanite woman which we hear today. The encounter with the Canaanite woman took place outside Jewish territory in Tyre and Sidon, two coastal cities, twenty-five and fifty miles north of Galilee in present-day Lebanon. The story of this miracle is told twice, (Mt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30), foreshadowing the extension of the Gospel (the Good News), to the whole world. The woman in today’s miracle belonged to the old Canaanite stock of the Syro-Phoenician race. The Canaanites were the ancestral enemies of the Jews and were regarded as pagans and idolaters and, hence, as ritually unclean. But this woman showed “a gallant and audacious love which grew until it worshipped at the feet of the Divine, an indomitable persistence springing from an unconquerable hope, a cheerfulness which would not be dismayed” (Fr. James Rowland). By granting the persistent request of the pagan woman, Jesus demonstrates that his mission is to break down the barriers and remove the long-standing walls of division and mutual prejudice between Jews and Gentiles. God loves all His children by Creation and adoption, welcoming everyone who believes in Him, asks for His mercy and tries to do His will.
Trustful persistence rewarded. Jesus first ignores both the persistent cry of the woman and the impatience of his disciples to send the woman away. He then tries to awaken true Faith in the heart of this woman by an indirect refusal, telling her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman is persistent in her request. She kneels before him and begs,“Lord, help me.” Now Jesus makes a seemingly harsh statement, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” The term “dogs” was a derogatory Jewish word for the Gentiles. Dogs were regarded by the Jews as unclean, because they would eat anything given to them, including pork. The woman noticed, however, that Jesus had used the word kunariois, (the word for household pets), rather than kuon. (the ordinary Greek word for dogs). She also observed that Jesus hadused the word for dogs in a challenging way, urging her to answer in kind — a sort of test of the woman’s Faith. So, she immediately matched wits with Jesus. Her argument runs like this: Pets are not outsiders but insiders. They not only belong to the family but are part of the family. While they do not have a seat at the table, they enjoy intimacy at the family’s feet. Hence, the woman replied: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table!” (v. 27), expressing her Faith that Jesus could and would heal her daughter. Jesus was completely won over by the depth of her Faith, her confidence and her wit and responded with delight, “Woman, great is your Faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” We notice that the woman was refused three times by Jesus before he finally granted her request; it was only at her the fourth attempt that Jesus rewarded her persistence, curing her daughter in answer to her pleas. This silently underlines Jesus’ teaching (Lk 18:1-8) amplified by Paul in Eph 6:18) that we must persist in prayer. This Gospel episode is also an account of a woman who got more from the Kingdom of God than she had hoped for. She had come to Jesus asking for one miracle, and she got two: her daughter was exorcised of her demonic possession and received a new life, and the mother herself, through her experience with Christ, found a new life as well. The greatness of this woman’s Faith consists in: a) her willingness to cross the barrier of racism; b) her refusal to be put off or ignored because of her position in life and c) her humility in admitting that she did not deserve the Master’s attention and time. The Catechism reminds us that the woman in today’s Gospel recognized in Jesus the messianic power attributed to the awaited “Son of David” (CCC #439). For, if one truly believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, one trusts him and fashions one’s prayer requests accordingly (CCC #2610).
Life messages:#1) We need to persist in prayer with trustful confidence. Although the essential parts of prayer are adoration and thanksgiving, the prayer of petition, like that of contrition, plays a big part in most people’s daily life. We cannot provide, by our unaided selves, for our spiritual and temporal needs. Christ himself has told us to ask him for these needs: “Ask and you shall receive.” Asking with fervor and perseverance proves that we have the “great Faith” we need to be able to receive all that Christ wants to grant us in response to our requests. We must realize and remember that we do not always get exactly what we ask for, but rather what God knows we need, what He wants for us – that is, what is really best for us. What we need most is to receive the peace and security that come from being in harmony with God’s will for us. As Christians, we also know that our particular requests may not always be for our good, or for the final good of the person for whom we are praying. In that case, the good God will not grant what would be to our, or their, eternal harm. But if the prayer is sincere and persevering, we will always get an answer – one which is better than what we asked for. Hence, let us trust that every time we pray for something, the answer is already on its way, even before we have asked God for it. We just need to trust God, that, according to His perfect timetable and in His Infinite Wisdom, Love and Goodness, He will give us what He knows is best for us, and that it will be better than what we were requesting.
#2) We need to pull down our walls:Sometimes unaware, we set up walls which separate us from God and from one another. 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. In other words, God’s care extends beyond the boundaries of race and nation to the hearts of all who live, and God’s House is intended to become a House of prayer for all peoples. It is therefore fitting that we should pray that the walls which our pride, intolerance, fear, and prejudice may have raised, may crumble. Next, we have to be grateful to God for all the blessings we enjoy. As baptized members of the Christian community, we have been given special privileges and easy access to God’s love. But we also have serious responsibilities arising from these gifts. One of these responsibilities is to make clear to others, with true humility and compassion, that God’s love, mercy, and healing are for them also because they too are the children of God.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Faith in theory and action: A man who was walking close to a steep cliff lost his footing and plunged over the side. As he was falling, he grabbed the branch of a tree that was sticking out about half-way down the cliff. He managed to hang onto a weak limb with both hands. He looked up and he saw that the cliff was almost perfectly straight and that he was a long way from the top. He looked down and it was a long, long way down to the rocky bottom. At this point the man decided that it was time to pray. He didn’t pray a long, wordy prayer. He simply yelled out, “God, if you’re there, help me!” About that time, he heard a deep voice coming from high up above that said, “I’m here My son, have no fear.” The man was a little startled at first by God’s voice, but he pleaded, “Can You help me? Can You help me?” God replied, “Yes, I can My son, but you have to have Faith. Do you trust Me?” The man answered, “Yes Lord, I trust You.” God said, “Do you really trust Me?” The man, straining to hold on replied, “Yes Lord, I really trust You.” Then God said, “This is what I want you to do: let go of the limb, trust Me, and everything will be all right.” The man looked down at the rocks below, then he looked up at the steep cliff above him and yelled, “Is there anybody else up there who can help me?”
1) Rootedness of Christianity in Judaism:Jean Marie Cardinal Lustiger, a twentieth century French Catholic prelate once explained, “I was born Jewish and so I remain, even if that’s unacceptable for many. For me, the vocation of Israel is bringing light to the goyim. That’s my hope and I believe that Christianity is the means for achieving it.” In this same regard, Karl Barth noted, “Jews have God’s promise, and if we Christians have it too, then it is only as those chosen with them, as guests in their house, that we are new wood grafted on to their tree.” Speaking to an audience of Jewish men and women, Pope John Paul II declared, “You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.” Each of these three statements underscores the rootedness of Christianity in Judaism and recalls the experience of Saul, a Jew who accepted Jesus of Nazareth, as the Christ of God, His Messiah; Paul longed for the day his fellow Jews would do likewise, as recalled in the second reading today. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
2) “Are you waiting to speak to one of us?” Here are a couple of stories about Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, demonstrating how she valued each human being as a child of God and hence, as important. A reporter came to interview her at her office on 4th Street in Manhattan. He could see her talking to a man who was either drunk or mentally ill. Time passed and the reporter grew impatient. Dorothy finally appeared and said, “Are you waiting to speak to one of us?” — Obviously, Dorothy did not think that she was more important than the person she was talking with. On another occasion, a woman came in and donated a diamond ring to the Catholic Worker. Her co-workers wondered what Dorothy would do with it. If she asked one of them to take it to a diamond merchant and sell it, it would buy a month’s worth of rice and other food items for a poor family. That afternoon, however, Dorothy gave the diamond ring to an old woman who lived alone and often came to Dorothy for meals. “That ring would have paid her rent for the better part of a year,” someone protested. Dorothy replied that the woman had her dignity. So she could sell it if she liked and spend the money for rent, a trip to the Bahamas, or keep the ring to admire. “Do you suppose,” Dorothy asked, “God created diamonds only for the rich?”—– Dorothy Day was one of the prophets of her day. Her vision allowed her to see all human beings as equal , all equally precious to God each in his or her own uniqueness. . She recognized, as Mother Teresa did, the mark of the children of God in everyone, in the same way Jesus recognized God’s child in the Canaanite woman who belonged to a race inimical to the Jews. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
3) “Love it?” she said, “I hate it!”The wife of our 32nd President, knew how to assert herself. She once left the White House to visit a prison in Baltimore. Her departure was so early in the morning that she decided not to disturb her husband. Shortly after he got up, he contacted her secretary to ask where his wife was. She replied, “She’s in prison, Mr. President.” “I’m not surprised,” replied FDR, “but what for?” [Bob Dole, Great Political Wit: Laughing (Almost) All the Way to the White House (New York: Doubleday, 1998), p. 79.] — Eleanor Roosevelt was a woman of quiet strength. She was not deliberately controversial, but she was not reluctant to speak her mind about things she considered important. Jesus tells a parable about another such woman in today’s Gospel.
Eleanor Roosevelt, late in her retirement, spent part of her day diving from the board into a pool. People by the score filled the pool, and children, too, noticed her diving, swimming, climbing out, and diving again. Someone walked up to her and said, “Mrs. Roosevelt, you surely must love to dive.” “Love it?” she said, “I hate it!” “Well, why do you bother to do it then?” “Someone must set an example for the children,” she replied. — In her own gentle but determined way, every dive she made was an encouragement, a push, for those children who, bug-eyed and open-mouthed, watched this old woman and began to think, “Well, if she can do it, I guess I can, too!” — Hers was a life-giving push, which nudged these children toward their potential. God’s pushes are always life-giving. Oh, they deal death to the old ways, yes, but only to clear the deck for the new ways, which make life better. The Gospel story of Jesus’ encounter with a Canaanite woman is one of those surprising and uncomfortable pushes. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
4) Universal fraternity: There is a story about a man named Jeremy Cohen, a Texan who, with his family, served as host to a rabbi from Moscow one Christmas. To treat the rabbi to a culinary experience unavailable to him in his own country, Cohen took him to his favorite Chinese restaurant. After an enjoyable meal and pleasant conversation, the waiter brought the check and presented each person at the table with a small brass Christmas ornament as a complimentary gift. Everyone laughed when Cohen’s guest turned the ornament over and read the label “Made in India.” The laughter quickly subsided, however, when everyone saw tears running down the rabbi’s cheeks. Cohen asked the rabbi if he were offended at having been given a gift on a Christian holiday. Smiling, the rabbi shook his head and answered, “No, I was shedding tears of joy to be in such a wonderful country in which a Chinese Buddhist restaurant owner gives a Russian Jew a Christmas gift made by a Hindu in India.” — Today’s Gospel episode describes how Jesus extended his healing mission to the Gentiles. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“Lord, I believe:”If you want to get into Olympic competition, you’d better be a pretty good athlete. If you want to get into the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, you need excellent musical ability and training. If you want to get into the Miss America Pageant, you’ll be greatly helped if you are good-looking and somewhat talented. — But to get into the Kingdom of God, all you need is Faith – to say, “Lord, I believe,” and to say this, not in words alone, but also in action, expressing Faith through life. The Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel story believed. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“But not with that bunch.”Billy Graham once told of an incident that happened a long time ago when teachers could talk about religion in the classroom. A teacher was talking to her class of young boys, and she asked, “How many of you would like to go to Heaven?” And all the hands instantly shot into the air at once, except one. She was astounded. She asked, “Charlie, you mean you don’t want to go to Heaven?” He said, “Sure, I want to go to Heaven, but not with that bunch.” — Unfortunately, that is how many religious groups feel about one another. Consider the Middle East where, in parts of Lebanon, Christian militias are fighting each other and in Syria and Iraq extremist Muslims are driving all Christians from their territories on pain of death, unless they convert. All three great Faiths in that part of the world trace their origins through the patriarch Abraham. All three of them honor the Mosaic Law. All three are monotheistic. And yet as the political walls of this world come tumbling down, the religious walls seem to grow higher and higher. How tragic. Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus healed the daughter of a Gentile woman in spite of the religious prejudice of his fellow Jews for the Gentiles.(Rev. King Duncan)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“Nag, nag, nag!.”A cartoon in a magazine showed a woman preacher speaking from the pulpit. Two middle-aged portly men were seated near the front. Looking up at the preacher, one of them said, “Nag, nag, nag.” — It is a truism that men do not like nagging women. In his Journal, John Wesley tells of some Methodists who were arrested for disturbing the peace with their prayers. They were brought to court, and the judge asked what the charges against them were. One reported, “Your honor, they pretend to be better than other people; and besides, they pray from morning to night. And what’s more, they have even converted my wife. Until she started going among Methodists, she had such a tongue! And now she is quiet as a lamb.” The judge shouted, “Let them go! Let them all go and convert all the nagging wives in town!”— In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus and the disciples were confronted with a nagging woman. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“Our Lord Jesus was just a bit of a liberal.”There is a wonderful story about a church in Holland, which felt strictly bound to obey the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. On a certain Sunday, however, the area was threatened by a terrible storm. There was concern that if the dikes were not strengthened, the people would not survive. The police notified the pastor of the danger. He was faced with the decision of whether to call off the services and urge his people to work on the dikes. Unable to make the decision, he called a meeting of his council to decide. The council concluded they would go on with their services. After all, God is omnipotent. He could always perform a miracle with the wind and waves. Their duty was to obey His commands. The pastor tried one last argument. Did not Jesus himself break the commandment and declare that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath? Then an old man stood up and said, “I have always been troubled, Pastor, by something I have never ventured to say publicly. Now I must say it. I have always had the feeling that our Lord Jesus was just a bit of a liberal.” — (Kasemannin, Jesus Means Freedom). Today’s Gospel presents such a “liberal” Jesus extending his healing touch to a Gentile woman. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
9) It says, “Kills fleas for six months.“ Jesus never met a person he didn’t love. People from all kinds of situations found themselves comfortable in his presence. He didn’t come across as stuffy or pretentious. It reminds me of the story of a priest in the mountains of Kentucky who had gone home with a family of new converts for dinner. He was received cordially by all but the small daughter in the family, who stared at him unblinkingly throughout the meal. The priest, somewhat uncomfortable, tried to put the little girl at ease. “Is it my collar you are staring at?” he asked, taking it off and holding it up. When he did so he saw the cleaning instructions on the inside of the collar, and to make conversation, he asked, “Do you know what it says here?” “Yes,” responded the little girl. “My cat has a small collar like it. It says, Kills fleas for six months.” [Buddy Westbrook, London, Kentucky, Loyal Jones, The Preacher’s Joke Book (Little Rock: August House, 1989), p. 26.] — I can hear Jesus telling such a joke on himself, can’t you? People who are secure in themselves don’t have to “put on airs.” He was open and caring. People of all sorts were drawn to him, including the Gentile woman in today’s Gospel story. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
10) “The Lady in whom Jesus Christ has come to live.” Catherine Lowe was a young wife and mother. Her husband was the warden at Sing Sing. In the early years of this century, women were not allowed inside the prison “not even the warden’s wife.” Catherine was filled with love, though, and wanted to share her gift of love with other people. She inquired and was told she was absolutely, totally, forbidden to enter the prison. But Catherine was a strong-willed woman. When the first inmate basketball game was announced, she risked harsh disciplinary action by taking her two little girls and sitting in the bleachers to watch. Much to her amazement she was not chastised for her action. That one step led to bolder steps. She wanted to help the prisoners. She knew love could make a difference in anyone is life. One day she met a murderer named Jack. He was one of the toughest of the tough. He was big and black and blind, a victim of harsh and cruel racial injustices. Catherine felt drawn to this hardened criminal. “Hi, Jack,” she introduced herself one day. There was no response. The scarred, battered face stared back with icy, unseeing eyes. “What books do you read?” she asked him. The silence was broken. He spit out the words, “I am blind, lady! I can’t read!” This was her opportunity. “Oh, what about Braille?” she asked. No one had even told Jack about Braille let alone taken the time to teach him. “You can read with your fingers!” Catherine explained as she stroked his rough hands. “Please,” she said, “let me see your fingers.” She touched his fingertips, and said, “You can read with your fingertips. I’ll teach you.” And she did. Then she found another inmate and discovered that he was deaf. He could not hear or talk. Catherine learned sign language so she could communicate with this man. She opened doors to worlds of love for one convict after another. And that love redeemed and restored some of the toughest of the tough, the meanest of the mean. In Sing Sing, they called her, “The Lady in whom Jesus Christ has come to live.” — Catherine gave her best, a miracle happened inside the walls of a prison and lives were forever changed. A blind man learned to read. A deaf man learned to communicate. A Canaanite woman received healing for her daughter. People are people whatever label they may wear. Faith is Faith wherever we may encounter it. Love will find a way. [Robert H. Schuller, Life is Not Fair but God is Good (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), pp. 103-104.] (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
11) “Baby Snow.” The love and concern for her child shown by the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel is quite a contrast with what is happening today. One sub-freezing morning at 3:30 AM in Atlanta during the bitter winter of 1977, a baby was found wrapped in an Indian blanket on the bottom of an apartment complex garbage dumpster. The newborn child was taken to a hospital where nurses named him “Baby Snow.” In the same year a thirty-one-year-old woman discovered a new-born baby in a shopping bag lying against a hedge in Brooklyn. — Are these rare instances? According to three leading sociologists, the American home is the most violent place in the country. They claim that one million kids are growing up with parents who use guns and knives on them. If we have the compassion of the Canaanite woman, we would have reason to nag Jesus for help. (Rev. John R. Brokhoff) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
12) A tit-for-tat, reminding us of the Canaanite woman:A government clerk was hiking when he came upon a shepherd with a large flock. The clerk looked at the flock and then said to the shepherd, “I’ll bet you I can tell you exactly how many sheep you have here.” The shepherd said, “I doubt you could do that the way they are all bunched together.” The hiker said, “Well, let’s make a wager. If I’m wrong, I’ll give you $100. If I’m right, you have to give me a sheep.” “OK, you’re on.” the shepherd said. “There are 287 sheep here.” said the hiker. “That’s right,” said the shepherd. “You win. Go ahead and pick out a sheep.” The hiker picked up an animal and put it over his shoulders. “Wait a minute,” said the shepherd, “I bet you I can tell you what you do for a living. If I’m wrong, I’ll give you $100. If I’m right, you have to give the animal back.” “OK” said the hiker. “You are a government bureaucrat,” said the shepherd. “How did you know that?” The hiker asked. “Put down my dog and I’ll tell you,” replied the shepherd. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
13)All are welcome! :One day, it seems, a certain curious person in heaven asked St. Peter “How many Hindus are in heaven?” Peter replied: “No Hindus”. Then he asked: “How many Muslims?” “Not even one,” replied Peter. The man was surprised. He said: “Oh, then, there are only Christians in heaven?” “No, there are no Christians in heaven either,” replied Peter. “How Many Catholics?” “No, Catholics either.” Then St. Peter said, “Heaven is not meant for any particular group of people. Here, there is no distinction between Hindus, Muslims or Christians for all are welcome in Heaven.” — What else could St. Peter have said? Did not God tell his chosen people, referring to the Temple in Jerusalem which was a symbol of Heaven for them; “My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples” (Vima Dasan in His Word Lives; quoted by Fr. Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
14)The stronger you grow in Love of God in your neighbor, the weaker your doubts about the Faith become: In his novel, The Brothers Karamazov ,Dostoevsky refers to an old woman whose spiritual health begins to deteriorate as rapidly as her physical health. One day she discusses her problem with an old priest, named Fr. Zossima. She tells him about her weak Faith and the doubts she is beginning to have: Is there a God Who cares? Is there life after death? Fr Zossima listens compassionately and says: “There’s no way to prove these things, but you can become surer of them.” “How?” cries the old woman. “By love,” says the old priest. “Try to love your neighbor from the heart. The more you love, the surer you will become about God’s existence and life after death. The more you love, the stronger your Faith will grow and the weaker your doubts will become. This is sure. This has been tried. This works.” Albert Schweitzer, the great missionary doctor, makes the same point in his book Reverence for Life. He says something to this effect: “Do you want to believe in Jesus? Do you really want to believe in him? Then you must do something for him. In this age of doubt there is no other way. If for his sake you give someone something to eat, or drink, or wear – which Jesus promised to bless as though it were done to him- then you will see that you really did it for him. Jesus will reveal himself to you, as one who is alive.” (Mark Link inSunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
15)Can we go beyond the obvious?A Franciscan Sister of Mercy, herself a Croat who grew up in Serbia, has been working with rape victims of Bosnia as well as trying to find housing for the many refugees. Dressed in her nun’s habit, she goes to a door and pleads with those who answer, “I have no place to stay. I’m hungry. Can you take me in?” Croatia is deeply Catholic country, so the answer to the nun’s plea is almost always, “Of course, Sister.” Then the nun steps back to let the real refugees with her be seen. They are usually taken in by the family. — Application: Can we go beyond our prejudices?
16)“A child! There is a child!’ There is an incident reported as having happened during the China earthquake. After the earthquake had subsided, when the rescuers reached the ruins of a young woman’s house, they saw her body through the cracks. But her pose was somehow strange that she knelt on her knees; her body was leaning forward, and her two hands were supporting an object. The house had collapsed on her. With so many difficulties, the leader of the rescuer team put his hand through a narrow gap on the wall to reach the woman’s body. He hoped that this woman could be still alive. However, the cold and stiff body told him that she had passed away for sure. But he was curious to know what she was protecting from earthquake using her body as a cover. So, he knelt down again and used his hand through the narrow cracks to search the little space under the dead body. Suddenly, he shouted with excitement, “A child! There is a child!“ The whole team worked together; carefully they removed the piles of ruined objects around the dead woman. There was a three-month-old little boy wrapped in a flowery blanket under his mother’s dead body. Obviously, the woman had made an ultimate sacrifice for saving her son. When her house was falling, she used her body to make a cover to protect her son. The little boy was still sleeping peacefully when the team leader picked him up. — Today’s Gospel describes the depth of the love of a Canaanite woman for her sick daughter, which prompted her to use all her wits and insistence to get Jesus’ healing attention. (Fr. Bobby Jose quoted by Eddie Cutinha). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
17)The one the Father loves most: A professor of mine once told me the following story: “I’m one of thirteen children. One day when I was playing in the street of our hometown, I got thirsty and came into the house for a glass of water. My father had just come home from work for lunch. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a neighbor. A door separated the kitchen from the pantry and my father did not know I was there. The neighbor said to my father, ‘Joe, there’s something I wanted to ask you for a long time. You have thirteen children. Out of all of them, is there one that is your favorite, one that you love more than all the others?’ I had pressed my ear against the door hoping against hope it would be me. ‘That’s easy,’ my father said. ‘That’s Mary the twelve-year-old. She has got braces on her teeth and feels so awkward and embarrassed that she won’t go out of the house anymore. Oh, but you asked about my favorite. That’s my twenty-three-year-old Peter. His fiancée just broke their engagement and he is desolate. But the one I really love most is little Michael. He’s totally uncoordinated and terrible in any sport he tries to play. But of course, the apple of my eye is Susan. Only twenty-four, living in her own apartment, and developing a drinking problem, I cry for Susan. But I guess of all the kids…. and my father went on mentioning each of us thirteen children by name.” The professor ended his story saying: “What I learned was that the one my father loved most was the one who needed him most at that time. — And that’s the way the Father of Jesus is: He loves those most who need Him most, who rely on Him, depend on Him, and trust Him in everything. All that matters is trust. God doesn’t wait until we have our moral life straightened out before He starts loving us.” (Brennen Manning, taken from Lion and Lamb). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
18)Poem-‘The Cold Within’ – Subtitle: ‘200 years of Prejudice’: Six humans trapped by happenstance/ in bleak and bitter cold,/ each possessed a stick of wood,/ or so the story is told. //Their dying fire in need of logs,/ the first man held his back, /for of the faces round the fire,/ he noticed one was black.// The next man looking across the way/ saw one not of his Church/ and couldn’t bring himself to give/ the fire his stick of birch.// The third sat in tattered clothes; /he gave his coat a hitch./Why should his log be put to use/ to warm the idle rich?// The rich man just sat back and thought/ of the wealth he had in store/ and how to keep what he had earned/ from the lazy, shiftless poor.// The black man’s face bespoke revenge/ as the fire passed from his sight;/ for all he saw in his stick of wood/ was a chance to spite the white// The last man of this forlorn group/ did naught, except for gain./ Giving only to those who gave/was how he played the game.// Their logs held tight in death’s still hand,/ were proof of human sin./ They did not die from the cold without./ They died from the cold within.// — Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus went far beyond the prejudice of his people about the pagan Canaanites, bringing healing and salvation to everyone. (James Patrick Kenny;quoted by Fr. Botelho).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
19)Gentlemen and Gentile Woman: A gentleman was boasting about the superiority of Catholicism and the holiness of his priests to a Hindu and Muslim friend. Debating at the crossroads they spied a sadhu going into a brothel. “Saw that?” sneered the Catholic. “Our priests won’t be seen there!” Minutes later, a Mullah covered his face with his shawl and entered the brothel too. The Catholic remarked, “Ah, ha, Mullahs are no better than sadhus!” Just then the parish priest also slyly entered the brothel. The Catholic sighed sanctimoniously, “I wonder which of those girls is sick and in need of Sacraments!” — Strangely, “we” are always holier than “they” just as Pharisees in Jesus’ time claimed superiority over Gentiles. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
20)Let go and…As he lay on his hospital bed in Melbourne, an Australian Marist Brother told his gathered friends the story of his spirituality. It came from watching trapeze artists performing in a circus a few years ago. Trapeze artists are those who perform in a circus with swings. It is an air-borne performance. One of the artists had explained to him, “As a flyer I must have complete trust in my catcher, He has to be there for me with split–second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.” The artist explained that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When the artist flies, he has simply to stretch out his arms and hands and wait for him to catch him and pull him safely over the apron behind the catcher. The flyer should actually do nothing. The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. The flyer is not supposed to catch the catcher. If the flyer grabbed the catcher’s wrists, he might break them, or the catcher might break the flyer’s wrists, and that would be the end of them both. A flyer has to fly and the catcher has to catch, and the flyer has to trust with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him. — This is the trust we should have in Jesus, and the woman in today’s story demonstrated such a faith. L/26
You may visit my websiteby clicking on http://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.” Kindly visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies under CBCI or Fr. Tony for my website version. (Special thanks to Vatican official website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020) My post-retirement contact postal address in the U. S. is Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. M. C. Joseph, Pastor St. Agatha Catholic Parish 1001 Hand Ave, Bay Minette, AL 36507 36507. Contact me by email only atakadavil@gmail.com. I am back at my home in my home country since June 2023. I live in my home in my home country since my final retirement in June 2023. Hence please contact me only by email (akadavil@gmail.com).
OT XX [A] (Aug 16)Is 56:1, 6-7; Rom 11:13-15, 29-32; Mt 15:21-28
Homily starter anecdotes (Biblical reason why preachers may use anecdotes in their homilies: Mt 13: 34: “All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable).”
# 1) “Never give up!”:Many years ago in Illinois, a young man with six months formal schooling to his credit ran for an office in the legislature. As might have been expected, he was beaten. Next, he entered business but failed in that too, and spent the next seventeen years paying the debts of his worthless partner. He fell in love with a charming lady, they became engaged – and she got sick and died, causing her lover a mini-nervous breakdown. He ran for Congress and was defeated. He then tried to obtain an appointment to the U.S. Land Office but didn’t succeed. He became a candidate for the Vice-Presidency and lost. Two years later he was defeated in a race for the Senate. He ran for President and finally was elected. That man was Abraham Lincoln. –Today’s Gospel presents a Canaanite woman who persisted in her prayer and obtained from the Lord what she prayed for. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
# 2) “If Christians have caste differences…” M. K. Gandhi in his autobiography tells how, during his days in South Africa as a young Indian lawyer, he read the Gospels and saw in the teachings of Jesus the answer to the major problem facing the people of India, the caste system. Seriously considering embracing the Christian faith, Gandhi went to a white-only church one Sunday morning, intending to talk to the pastor about the idea. When he entered the Church, however, the usher refused to give him a seat and told him to go and worship in another church with his own colored people. Gandhi left the church and never returned. “If Christians have caste differences also,” he said, “I might as well remain a Hindu.” (Fr. Munacci) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
# 3: Religious fanaticism: A Jewish professor of psychology said of his tradition, “If there are ten Jewish males in a city, we create a synagogue. If there are eleven Jewish males, we start thinking about creating a competing synagogue.” A Baptist police officer had a similar tale. He said, “One Baptist family in a neighborhood witnesses until they bring another family to Christ. Then they form a Church, and start witnessing to the rest of the community. When another family joins, they have a schism and form a rival Church.” According to a Presbyterian homemaker, her communion was a little like vegetable soup. “We have,” she said, “the OPs, RPs, BPs, and Split Peas!” And a Methodist businessman complemented these tales with an apocryphal tale of a man from his Faith community who had been shipwrecked for years on a small island. When found by a passing ship, rescuers asked him why he had constructed three huts, since he was there by himself. “Well,” he replied, “that one is my home, that one is my Church, and that one is my former Church.” — Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus extended his healing mission to the Gentiles, too. (Rev. Wayne Brouwer ) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
Introduction: All three readings today speak of the expansive and universal nature of the “Kingdom of God,” in contrast with the protocol of the day which demanded that salvation should come first to the Jews and through them alone to all the people of the earth. Although God set the Hebrew people apart as His chosen race, He included all nations in His plan for salvation and blessed all families of the earth in Abraham (Gn 12:1-3). By declaring through the prophet Isaiah (first reading), “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples,” God reveals the truth that in His eyes all human beings, regardless of race, caste, color, intelligence, wealth or charm are His dear children by Creation and adoption. The long-expected Messianic kingdom was intended, not only for the Jews, but for all nations as well. In other words, we all belong to one another; hence, there is no place for discrimination among God’s children. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 67) rejects all types of religious exclusivity: “Let all the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You. For You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth, so that Your saving power may be known among all the nations.” In the second reading, Paul explains that, although the Jews were the chosen people, many of them rejected Jesus as the promised Messiah. Consequently, God turned to the Gentiles who received His mercy through their Faith in Jesus. In the Gospel story, 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 her strong Faith. Thus, He shows that God’s mercy and love are available to all who call out to Him in Faith.
The First Reading, (Isaiah 56:1, 6-7) explained: The third part of the book of the prophet Isaiah (chapters 56-66), was written mainly for the Jews who were returning from the Babylonian exile to join their relatives who had been left behind in Judea. But today’s lesson is primarily addressed to those Jews who, after the Exile had officially ended, still chose to remain in Babylon as Jews among the Gentiles. In this passage, the Lord God not only pleaded with these people (who preferred exile to the labor of returning to the Promised Land), to come home to Jerusalem and help to rebuild the City and the Temple, but also tried to make them understand the role the Gentiles would have in the coming Messianic Kingdom. Though in the past all who came to the God of Israel were required to accept the Law and the Covenant, God’s concern for those outside that Covenant led Him to a new and radical solution. “The foreigners,” the Lord God declares to us today throughIsaiah, “who join themselves to Yahweh, ministering to Him, loving the Name of Yahweh and becoming His servants . . . them I will bring to My holy mountain and make joyful in My house of prayer . . . for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples.” Thus,Isaiah’s prophecy, which applied directly to the coming Messianic Kingdom, assured them that their God was equally interested in the people of other nations as well as in the descendants of Abraham. Hence, the exclusivist claims of the Jews as God’s chosen people would have to yield, as God made room for others. For in addition to the exiles of Israel, Yahweh would receive the non-Israelites who had joined themselves to the Lord. In short, the prophet reports, everyone has a part to play in God’s plan — even those who don’t belong to the “true religion.”
In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 67) the Psalm Refrain has us sing, “O God, let all the nations praise You!” and the verses continue “2May God have pity on us and bless us; may He let His Face shine upon us. 3So may Your way be known on earth; among all nations, Your salvation,” thus responding to Yahweh’s declaration in the first reading that the Gentiles will be accepted at the altar of Yahweh.
The Second Reading (Rom 11:13-15, 29-32) explained: Here, Paul asks how God could apparently go back on His promise to Abraham that Abraham’s descendants would always be God’s chosen people, now that those descendants had rejected Jesus. Paul answers his own question by explaining that God’s plan all along had allowed for the Jews’ rejection of Jesus, so that the few Jews who accepted Jesus and went out to preach the Good News, like Paul himself, would be forced to turn to the Gentiles and bring them into the New Covenant. According to St. Thomas Aquinas, God permits evil only if He can draw a greater good out of it. Thus, God permitted both Jews and Gentiles to disobey Him so that He could show His mercy by offering eternal life to everyone who wished to have it. Frustrated by the slow pace of Jewish conversions and prevented from continuing to work directly among the Jews by the overt, physical hostility Jewish synagogues showed him and his companions, Paul directed his preaching missions to the Gentiles, so that the Jews would become jealous and accept Jesus. Thus, God’s secret plan to invite all people into the Covenant would be revealed and completed. By the statement, “Their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,” Paul meant that the Jews’ rejection of Jesus allowed the world (the pagans, the Gentiles), to be reconciled to God. By asking the question, “What will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” Paul meant that the Jews who at last accept Christ will receive new life through the once spiritually dead pagans. Paul was convinced that the Jewish nation would eventually accept Christ because God’s ”irrevocable” call, given to them through Abraham, was a call to eternal salvation. Paul’s failure to convert his fellow-Jews serves as a model for us who must accept failure in our own lives, especially when it concerns our loved ones who refuse what we judge to be to their advantage. Paul’s message is also a challenge to us to pray fervently and often for the conversion of the Jews.
Gospel exegesis:The significance of the miracle: The Gospels describe only two miraculous healings Jesus performed for Gentiles: the healing of the centurion’s servant (Mt 8:10-12) in Capernaum, and the healing of the daughter of the Canaanite woman which we hear today. The encounter with the Canaanite woman took place outside Jewish territory in Tyre and Sidon, two coastal cities, twenty-five and fifty miles north of Galilee in present-day Lebanon. The story of this miracle is told twice, (Mt 15:21-28; Mk 7:24-30), foreshadowing the extension of the Gospel (the Good News), to the whole world. The woman in today’s miracle belonged to the old Canaanite stock of the Syro-Phoenician race. The Canaanites were the ancestral enemies of the Jews and were regarded as pagans and idolaters and, hence, as ritually unclean. But this woman showed “a gallant and audacious love which grew until it worshipped at the feet of the Divine, an indomitable persistence springing from an unconquerable hope, a cheerfulness which would not be dismayed” (Fr. James Rowland). By granting the persistent request of the pagan woman, Jesus demonstrates that his mission is to break down the barriers and remove the long-standing walls of division and mutual prejudice between Jews and Gentiles. God loves all His children by Creation and adoption, welcoming everyone who believes in Him, asks for His mercy and tries to do His will.
Trustful persistence rewarded. Jesus first ignores both the persistent cry of the woman and the impatience of his disciples to send the woman away. He then tries to awaken true Faith in the heart of this woman by an indirect refusal, telling her, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But the woman is persistent in her request. She kneels before him and begs, “Lord, help me.” Now Jesus makes a seemingly harsh statement, “It is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the dogs.” The term “dogs” was a derogatory Jewish word for the Gentiles. Dogs were regarded by the Jews as unclean, because they would eat anything given to them, including pork. The woman noticed, however, that Jesus had used the word kunariois, (the word for household pets), rather than kuon. (the ordinary Greek word for dogs). She also observed that Jesus hadused the word for dogs in a challenging way, urging her to answer in kind — a sort of test of the woman’s Faith. So, she immediately matched wits with Jesus. Her argument runs like this: Pets are not outsiders but insiders. They not only belong to the family but are part of the family. While they do not have a seat at the table, they enjoy intimacy at the family’s feet. Hence, the woman replied: “Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table!” (v. 27), expressing her Faith that Jesus could and would heal her daughter. Jesus was completely won over by the depth of her Faith, her confidence and her wit and responded with delight, “Woman, great is your Faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” We notice that the woman was refused three times by Jesus before he finally granted her request; it was only at her the fourth attempt that Jesus rewarded her persistence, curing her daughter in answer to her pleas. This silently underlines Jesus’ teaching (Lk 18:1-8) amplified by Paul in Eph 6:18) that we must persist in prayer. This Gospel episode is also an account of a woman who got more from the Kingdom of God than she had hoped for. She had come to Jesus asking for one miracle, and she got two: her daughter was exorcised of her demonic possession and received a new life, and the mother herself, through her experience with Christ, found a new life as well. The greatness of this woman’s Faith consists in: a) her willingness to cross the barrier of racism; b) her refusal to be put off or ignored because of her position in life and c) her humility in admitting that she did not deserve the Master’s attention and time. The Catechism reminds us that the woman in today’s Gospel recognized in Jesus the messianic power attributed to the awaited “Son of David” (CCC #439). For, if one truly believes that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, one trusts him and fashions one’s prayer requests accordingly (CCC #2610).
Life messages:#1) We need to persist in prayer with trustful confidence. Although the essential parts of prayer are adoration and thanksgiving, the prayer of petition, like that of contrition, plays a big part in most people’s daily life. We cannot provide, by our unaided selves, for our spiritual and temporal needs. Christ himself has told us to ask him for these needs: “Ask and you shall receive.” Asking with fervor and perseverance proves that we have the “great Faith” we need to be able to receive all that Christ wants to grant us in response to our requests. We must realize and remember that we do not always get exactly what we ask for, but rather what God knows we need, what He wants for us – that is, what is really best for us. What we need most is to receive the peace and security that come from being in harmony with God’s will for us. As Christians, we also know that our particular requests may not always be for our good, or for the final good of the person for whom we are praying. In that case, the good God will not grant what would be to our, or their, eternal harm. But if the prayer is sincere and persevering, we will always get an answer – one which is better than what we asked for. Hence, let us trust that every time we pray for something, the answer is already on its way, even before we have asked God for it. We just need to trust God, that, according to His perfect timetable and in His Infinite Wisdom, Love and Goodness, He will give us what He knows is best for us, and that it will be better than what we were requesting.
#2) We need to pull down our walls: Sometimes unaware,we set up walls which separate us from God and from one another. 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. In other words, God’s care extends beyond the boundaries of race and nation to the hearts of all who live, and God’s House is intended to become a House of prayer for all peoples. It is therefore fitting that we should pray that the walls which our pride, intolerance, fear, and prejudice may have raised, may crumble. Next, we have to be grateful to God for all the blessings we enjoy. As baptized members of the Christian community, we have been given special privileges and easy access to God’s love. But we also have serious responsibilities arising from these gifts. One of these responsibilities is to make clear to others, with true humility and compassion, that God’s love, mercy, and healing are for them also because they too are the children of God.
JOKE OF THE WEEK
Faith in theory and action: A man who was walking close to a steep cliff lost his footing and plunged over the side. As he was falling, he grabbed the branch of a tree that was sticking out about half-way down the cliff. He managed to hang onto a weak limb with both hands. He looked up and he saw that the cliff was almost perfectly straight and that he was a long way from the top. He looked down and it was a long, long way down to the rocky bottom. At this point the man decided that it was time to pray. He didn’t pray a long, wordy prayer. He simply yelled out, “God, if you’re there, help me!” About that time, he heard a deep voice coming from high up above that said, “I’m here My son, have no fear.” The man was a little startled at first by God’s voice, but he pleaded, “Can You help me? Can You help me?” God replied, “Yes, I can My son, but you have to have Faith. Do you trust Me?” The man answered, “Yes Lord, I trust You.” God said, “Do you really trust Me?” The man, straining to hold on replied, “Yes Lord, I really trust You.” Then God said, “This is what I want you to do: let go of the limb, trust Me, and everything will be all right.” The man looked down at the rocks below, then he looked up at the steep cliff above him and yelled, “Is there anybody else up there who can help me?”
1) Rootedness of Christianity in Judaism: Jean Marie Cardinal Lustiger, a twentieth century French Catholic prelate once explained, “I was born Jewish and so I remain, even if that’s unacceptable for many. For me, the vocation of Israel is bringing light to the goyim. That’s my hope and I believe that Christianity is the means for achieving it.” In this same regard, Karl Barth noted, “Jews have God’s promise, and if we Christians have it too, then it is only as those chosen with them, as guests in their house, that we are new wood grafted on to their tree.” Speaking to an audience of Jewish men and women, Pope John Paul II declared, “You are our dearly beloved brothers, and in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers.” Each of these three statements underscores the rootedness of Christianity in Judaism and recalls the experience of Saul, a Jew who accepted Jesus of Nazareth, as the Christ of God, His Messiah; Paul longed for the day his fellow Jews would do likewise, as recalled in the second reading today. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
2) “Are you waiting to speak to one of us?” Here are a couple of stories about Dorothy Day, the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement, demonstrating how she valued each human being as a child of God and hence, as important. A reporter came to interview her at her office on 4th Street in Manhattan. He could see her talking to a man who was either drunk or mentally ill. Time passed and the reporter grew impatient. Dorothy finally appeared and said, “Are you waiting to speak to one of us?” — Obviously, Dorothy did not think that she was more important than the person she was talking with. On another occasion, a woman came in and donated a diamond ring to the Catholic Worker. Her co-workers wondered what Dorothy would do with it. If she asked one of them to take it to a diamond merchant and sell it, it would buy a month’s worth of rice and other food items for a poor family. That afternoon, however, Dorothy gave the diamond ring to an old woman who lived alone and often came to Dorothy for meals. “That ring would have paid her rent for the better part of a year,” someone protested. Dorothy replied that the woman had her dignity. So she could sell it if she liked and spend the money for rent, a trip to the Bahamas, or keep the ring to admire. “Do you suppose,” Dorothy asked, “God created diamonds only for the rich?”—– Dorothy Day was one of the prophets of her day. Her vision allowed her to see all human beings as equal , all equally precious to God each in his or her own uniqueness. . She recognized, as Mother Teresa did, the mark of the children of God in everyone, in the same way Jesus recognized God’s child in the Canaanite woman who belonged to a race inimical to the Jews. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
3) “Love it?”she said,“I hate it!”The wife of our 32nd President, knew how to assert herself. She once left the White House to visit a prison in Baltimore. Her departure was so early in the morning that she decided not to disturb her husband. Shortly after he got up, he contacted her secretary to ask where his wife was. She replied, “She’s in prison, Mr. President.” “I’m not surprised,” replied FDR, “but what for?” [Bob Dole, Great Political Wit: Laughing (Almost) All the Way to the White House (New York: Doubleday, 1998), p. 79.] — Eleanor Roosevelt was a woman of quiet strength. She was not deliberately controversial, but she was not reluctant to speak her mind about things she considered important. Jesus tells a parable about another such woman in today’s Gospel.
Eleanor Roosevelt, late in her retirement, spent part of her day diving from the board into a pool. People by the score filled the pool, and children, too, noticed her diving, swimming, climbing out, and diving again. Someone walked up to her and said, “Mrs. Roosevelt, you surely must love to dive.” “Love it?” she said, “I hate it!” “Well, why do you bother to do it then?” “Someone must set an example for the children,” she replied. — In her own gentle but determined way, every dive she made was an encouragement, a push, for those children who, bug-eyed and open-mouthed, watched this old woman and began to think, “Well, if she can do it, I guess I can, too!” — Hers was a life-giving push, which nudged these children toward their potential. God’s pushes are always life-giving. Oh, they deal death to the old ways, yes, but only to clear the deck for the new ways, which make life better. The Gospel story of Jesus’ encounter with a Canaanite woman is one of those surprising and uncomfortable pushes. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
4) Universal fraternity: There is a story about a man named Jeremy Cohen, a Texan who, with his family, served as host to a rabbi from Moscow one Christmas. To treat the rabbi to a culinary experience unavailable to him in his own country, Cohen took him to his favorite Chinese restaurant. After an enjoyable meal and pleasant conversation, the waiter brought the check and presented each person at the table with a small brass Christmas ornament as a complimentary gift. Everyone laughed when Cohen’s guest turned the ornament over and read the label “Made in India.” The laughter quickly subsided, however, when everyone saw tears running down the rabbi’s cheeks. Cohen asked the rabbi if he were offended at having been given a gift on a Christian holiday. Smiling, the rabbi shook his head and answered, “No, I was shedding tears of joy to be in such a wonderful country in which a Chinese Buddhist restaurant owner gives a Russian Jew a Christmas gift made by a Hindu in India.” — Today’s Gospel episode describes how Jesus extended his healing mission to the Gentiles. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“Lord, I believe:” If you want to get into Olympic competition, you’d better be a pretty good athlete. If you want to get into the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, you need excellent musical ability and training. If you want to get into the Miss America Pageant, you’ll be greatly helped if you are good-looking and somewhat talented. — But to get into the Kingdom of God, all you need is Faith – to say, “Lord, I believe,” and to say this, not in words alone, but also in action, expressing Faith through life. The Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel story believed. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“But not with that bunch.”Billy Graham once told of an incident that happened a long time ago when teachers could talk about religion in the classroom. A teacher was talking to her class of young boys, and she asked, “How many of you would like to go to Heaven?” And all the hands instantly shot into the air at once, except one. She was astounded. She asked, “Charlie, you mean you don’t want to go to Heaven?” He said, “Sure, I want to go to Heaven, but not with that bunch.” — Unfortunately, that is how many religious groups feel about one another. Consider the Middle East where, in parts of Lebanon, Christian militias are fighting each other and in Syria and Iraq extremist Muslims are driving all Christians from their territories on pain of death, unless they convert. All three great Faiths in that part of the world trace their origins through the patriarch Abraham. All three of them honor the Mosaic Law. All three are monotheistic. And yet as the political walls of this world come tumbling down, the religious walls seem to grow higher and higher. How tragic. Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus healed the daughter of a Gentile woman in spite of the religious prejudice of his fellow Jews for the Gentiles.(Rev. King Duncan)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“Nag, nag, nag!.” A cartoon in a magazine showed a woman preacher speaking from the pulpit. Two middle-aged portly men were seated near the front. Looking up at the preacher, one of them said, “Nag, nag, nag.” — It is a truism that men do not like nagging women. In his Journal, John Wesley tells of some Methodists who were arrested for disturbing the peace with their prayers. They were brought to court, and the judge asked what the charges against them were. One reported, “Your honor, they pretend to be better than other people; and besides, they pray from morning to night. And what’s more, they have even converted my wife. Until she started going among Methodists, she had such a tongue! And now she is quiet as a lamb.” The judge shouted, “Let them go! Let them all go and convert all the nagging wives in town!”— In today’s Gospel lesson, Jesus and the disciples were confronted with a nagging woman. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
“Our Lord Jesus was just a bit of a liberal.” There is a wonderful story about a church in Holland, which felt strictly bound to obey the commandment to keep the Sabbath holy. On a certain Sunday, however, the area was threatened by a terrible storm. There was concern that if the dikes were not strengthened, the people would not survive. The police notified the pastor of the danger. He was faced with the decision of whether to call off the services and urge his people to work on the dikes. Unable to make the decision, he called a meeting of his council to decide. The council concluded they would go on with their services. After all, God is omnipotent. He could always perform a miracle with the wind and waves. Their duty was to obey His commands. The pastor tried one last argument. Did not Jesus himself break the commandment and declare that the Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath? Then an old man stood up and said, “I have always been troubled, Pastor, by something I have never ventured to say publicly. Now I must say it. I have always had the feeling that our Lord Jesus was just a bit of a liberal.” — (Kasemannin, Jesus Means Freedom). Today’s Gospel presents such a “liberal” Jesus extending his healing touch to a Gentile woman. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
9) It says, “Kills fleas for six months.“ Jesus never met a person he didn’t love. People from all kinds of situations found themselves comfortable in his presence. He didn’t come across as stuffy or pretentious. It reminds me of the story of a priest in the mountains of Kentucky who had gone home with a family of new converts for dinner. He was received cordially by all but the small daughter in the family, who stared at him unblinkingly throughout the meal. The priest, somewhat uncomfortable, tried to put the little girl at ease. “Is it my collar you are staring at?” he asked, taking it off and holding it up. When he did so he saw the cleaning instructions on the inside of the collar, and to make conversation, he asked, “Do you know what it says here?” “Yes,” responded the little girl. “My cat has a small collar like it. It says, Kills fleas for six months.” [Buddy Westbrook, London, Kentucky, Loyal Jones, The Preacher’s Joke Book (Little Rock: August House, 1989), p. 26.] — I can hear Jesus telling such a joke on himself, can’t you? People who are secure in themselves don’t have to “put on airs.” He was open and caring. People of all sorts were drawn to him, including the Gentile woman in today’s Gospel story. (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
10) “The Lady in whom Jesus Christ has come to live.” Catherine Lowe was a young wife and mother. Her husband was the warden at Sing Sing. In the early years of this century, women were not allowed inside the prison “not even the warden’s wife.” Catherine was filled with love, though, and wanted to share her gift of love with other people. She inquired and was told she was absolutely, totally, forbidden to enter the prison. But Catherine was a strong-willed woman. When the first inmate basketball game was announced, she risked harsh disciplinary action by taking her two little girls and sitting in the bleachers to watch. Much to her amazement she was not chastised for her action. That one step led to bolder steps. She wanted to help the prisoners. She knew love could make a difference in anyone is life. One day she met a murderer named Jack. He was one of the toughest of the tough. He was big and black and blind, a victim of harsh and cruel racial injustices. Catherine felt drawn to this hardened criminal. “Hi, Jack,” she introduced herself one day. There was no response. The scarred, battered face stared back with icy, unseeing eyes. “What books do you read?” she asked him. The silence was broken. He spit out the words, “I am blind, lady! I can’t read!” This was her opportunity. “Oh, what about Braille?” she asked. No one had even told Jack about Braille let alone taken the time to teach him. “You can read with your fingers!” Catherine explained as she stroked his rough hands. “Please,” she said, “let me see your fingers.” She touched his fingertips, and said, “You can read with your fingertips. I’ll teach you.” And she did. Then she found another inmate and discovered that he was deaf. He could not hear or talk. Catherine learned sign language so she could communicate with this man. She opened doors to worlds of love for one convict after another. And that love redeemed and restored some of the toughest of the tough, the meanest of the mean. In Sing Sing, they called her, “The Lady in whom Jesus Christ has come to live.” — Catherine gave her best, a miracle happened inside the walls of a prison and lives were forever changed. A blind man learned to read. A deaf man learned to communicate. A Canaanite woman received healing for her daughter. People are people whatever label they may wear. Faith is Faith wherever we may encounter it. Love will find a way. [Robert H. Schuller, Life is Not Fair but God is Good (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), pp. 103-104.] (Rev. King Duncan) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
11) “Baby Snow.” The love and concern for her child shown by the Canaanite woman in today’s Gospel is quite a contrast with what is happening today. One sub-freezing morning at 3:30 AM in Atlanta during the bitter winter of 1977, a baby was found wrapped in an Indian blanket on the bottom of an apartment complex garbage dumpster. The newborn child was taken to a hospital where nurses named him “Baby Snow.” In the same year a thirty-one-year-old woman discovered a new-born baby in a shopping bag lying against a hedge in Brooklyn. — Are these rare instances? According to three leading sociologists, the American home is the most violent place in the country. They claim that one million kids are growing up with parents who use guns and knives on them. If we have the compassion of the Canaanite woman, we would have reason to nag Jesus for help. (Rev. John R. Brokhoff) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
12) A tit-for-tat, reminding us of the Canaanite woman: A government clerk was hiking when he came upon a shepherd with a large flock. The clerk looked at the flock and then said to the shepherd, “I’ll bet you I can tell you exactly how many sheep you have here.” The shepherd said, “I doubt you could do that the way they are all bunched together.” The hiker said, “Well, let’s make a wager. If I’m wrong, I’ll give you $100. If I’m right, you have to give me a sheep.” “OK, you’re on.” the shepherd said. “There are 287 sheep here.” said the hiker. “That’s right,” said the shepherd. “You win. Go ahead and pick out a sheep.” The hiker picked up an animal and put it over his shoulders. “Wait a minute,” said the shepherd, “I bet you I can tell you what you do for a living. If I’m wrong, I’ll give you $100. If I’m right, you have to give the animal back.” “OK” said the hiker. “You are a government bureaucrat,” said the shepherd. “How did you know that?” The hiker asked. “Put down my dog and I’ll tell you,” replied the shepherd. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
13)All are welcome! :One day, it seems, a certain curious person in heaven asked St. Peter “How many Hindus are in heaven?” Peter replied: “No Hindus”. Then he asked: “How many Muslims?” “Not even one,” replied Peter. The man was surprised. He said: “Oh, then, there are only Christians in heaven?” “No, there are no Christians in heaven either,” replied Peter. “How Many Catholics?” “No, Catholics either.” Then St. Peter said, “Heaven is not meant for any particular group of people. Here, there is no distinction between Hindus, Muslims or Christians for all are welcome in Heaven.” — What else could St. Peter have said? Did not God tell his chosen people, referring to the Temple in Jerusalem which was a symbol of Heaven for them; “My House shall be called a House of Prayer for all peoples” (Vima Dasan in His Word Lives; quoted by Fr. Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
14)The stronger you grow in Love of God in your neighbor, the weaker your doubts about the Faith become: In his novel, The Brothers Karamazov ,Dostoevsky refers to an old woman whose spiritual health begins to deteriorate as rapidly as her physical health. One day she discusses her problem with an old priest, named Fr. Zossima. She tells him about her weak Faith and the doubts she is beginning to have: Is there a God Who cares? Is there life after death? Fr Zossima listens compassionately and says: “There’s no way to prove these things, but you can become surer of them.” “How?” cries the old woman. “By love,” says the old priest. “Try to love your neighbor from the heart. The more you love, the surer you will become about God’s existence and life after death. The more you love, the stronger your Faith will grow and the weaker your doubts will become. This is sure. This has been tried. This works.” Albert Schweitzer, the great missionary doctor, makes the same point in his book Reverence for Life. He says something to this effect: “Do you want to believe in Jesus? Do you really want to believe in him? Then you must do something for him. In this age of doubt there is no other way. If for his sake you give someone something to eat, or drink, or wear – which Jesus promised to bless as though it were done to him- then you will see that you really did it for him. Jesus will reveal himself to you, as one who is alive.” (Mark Link inSunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
15)Can we go beyond the obvious?A Franciscan Sister of Mercy, herself a Croat who grew up in Serbia, has been working with rape victims of Bosnia as well as trying to find housing for the many refugees. Dressed in her nun’s habit, she goes to a door and pleads with those who answer, “I have no place to stay. I’m hungry. Can you take me in?” Croatia is deeply Catholic country, so the answer to the nun’s plea is almost always, “Of course, Sister.” Then the nun steps back to let the real refugees with her be seen. They are usually taken in by the family. — Application: Can we go beyond our prejudices?
16)“A child! There is a child!’ There is an incident reported as having happened during the China earthquake. After the earthquake had subsided, when the rescuers reached the ruins of a young woman’s house, they saw her body through the cracks. But her pose was somehow strange that she knelt on her knees; her body was leaning forward, and her two hands were supporting an object. The house had collapsed on her. With so many difficulties, the leader of the rescuer team put his hand through a narrow gap on the wall to reach the woman’s body. He hoped that this woman could be still alive. However, the cold and stiff body told him that she had passed away for sure. But he was curious to know what she was protecting from earthquake using her body as a cover. So, he knelt down again and used his hand through the narrow cracks to search the little space under the dead body. Suddenly, he shouted with excitement, “A child! There is a child!“ The whole team worked together; carefully they removed the piles of ruined objects around the dead woman. There was a three-month-old little boy wrapped in a flowery blanket under his mother’s dead body. Obviously, the woman had made an ultimate sacrifice for saving her son. When her house was falling, she used her body to make a cover to protect her son. The little boy was still sleeping peacefully when the team leader picked him up. — Today’s Gospel describes the depth of the love of a Canaanite woman for her sick daughter, which prompted her to use all her wits and insistence to get Jesus’ healing attention. (Fr. Bobby Jose quoted by Eddie Cutinha). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
17)The one the Father loves most: A professor of mine once told me the following story: “I’m one of thirteen children. One day when I was playing in the street of our hometown, I got thirsty and came into the house for a glass of water. My father had just come home from work for lunch. He was sitting at the kitchen table with a neighbor. A door separated the kitchen from the pantry and my father did not know I was there. The neighbor said to my father, ‘Joe, there’s something I wanted to ask you for a long time. You have thirteen children. Out of all of them, is there one that is your favorite, one that you love more than all the others?’ I had pressed my ear against the door hoping against hope it would be me. ‘That’s easy,’ my father said. ‘That’s Mary the twelve-year-old. She has got braces on her teeth and feels so awkward and embarrassed that she won’t go out of the house anymore. Oh, but you asked about my favorite. That’s my twenty-three-year-old Peter. His fiancée just broke their engagement and he is desolate. But the one I really love most is little Michael. He’s totally uncoordinated and terrible in any sport he tries to play. But of course, the apple of my eye is Susan. Only twenty-four, living in her own apartment, and developing a drinking problem, I cry for Susan. But I guess of all the kids…. and my father went on mentioning each of us thirteen children by name.” The professor ended his story saying: “What I learned was that the one my father loved most was the one who needed him most at that time. — And that’s the way the Father of Jesus is: He loves those most who need Him most, who rely on Him, depend on Him, and trust Him in everything. All that matters is trust. God doesn’t wait until we have our moral life straightened out before He starts loving us.” (Brennen Manning, taken from Lion and Lamb). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
18)Poem-‘The Cold Within’ – Subtitle: ‘200 years of Prejudice’: Six humans trapped by happenstance/ in bleak and bitter cold,/ each possessed a stick of wood,/ or so the story is told. //Their dying fire in need of logs,/ the first man held his back, /for of the faces round the fire,/ he noticed one was black.// The next man looking across the way/ saw one not of his Church/ and couldn’t bring himself to give/ the fire his stick of birch.// The third sat in tattered clothes; /he gave his coat a hitch./Why should his log be put to use/ to warm the idle rich?// The rich man just sat back and thought/ of the wealth he had in store/ and how to keep what he had earned/ from the lazy, shiftless poor.// The black man’s face bespoke revenge/ as the fire passed from his sight;/ for all he saw in his stick of wood/ was a chance to spite the white// The last man of this forlorn group/ did naught, except for gain./ Giving only to those who gave/was how he played the game.// Their logs held tight in death’s still hand,/ were proof of human sin./ They did not die from the cold without./ They died from the cold within.// — Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus went far beyond the prejudice of his people about the pagan Canaanites, bringing healing and salvation to everyone. (James Patrick Kenny;quoted by Fr. Botelho).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
19)Gentlemen and Gentile Woman: A gentleman was boasting about the superiority of Catholicism and the holiness of his priests to a Hindu and Muslim friend. Debating at the crossroads they spied a sadhu going into a brothel. “Saw that?” sneered the Catholic. “Our priests won’t be seen there!” Minutes later, a Mullah covered his face with his shawl and entered the brothel too. The Catholic remarked, “Ah, ha, Mullahs are no better than sadhus!” Just then the parish priest also slyly entered the brothel. The Catholic sighed sanctimoniously, “I wonder which of those girls is sick and in need of Sacraments!” — Strangely, “we” are always holier than “they” just as Pharisees in Jesus’ time claimed superiority over Gentiles. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
20)Let go and…As he lay on his hospital bed in Melbourne, an Australian Marist Brother told his gathered friends the story of his spirituality. It came from watching trapeze artists performing in a circus a few years ago. Trapeze artists are those who perform in a circus with swings. It is an air-borne performance. One of the artists had explained to him, “As a flyer I must have complete trust in my catcher, He has to be there for me with split–second precision and grab me out of the air as I come to him in the long jump.” The artist explained that the flyer does nothing and the catcher does everything. When the artist flies, he has simply to stretch out his arms and hands and wait for him to catch him and pull him safely over the apron behind the catcher. The flyer should actually do nothing. The worst thing the flyer can do is to try to catch the catcher. The flyer is not supposed to catch the catcher. If the flyer grabbed the catcher’s wrists, he might break them, or the catcher might break the flyer’s wrists, and that would be the end of them both. A flyer has to fly and the catcher has to catch, and the flyer has to trust with outstretched arms, that his catcher will be there for him. — This is the trust we should have in Jesus, and the woman in today’s story demonstrated such a faith. L/26
You may visit my website by clicking on http://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.” Kindly visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies under CBCI or Fr. Tony for my website version. (Special thanks to Vatican official website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020) My post-retirement contact postal address in the U. S. is Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. M. C. Joseph, Pastor St. Agatha Catholic Parish 1001 Hand Ave, Bay Minette, AL 36507 36507. Contact me by email only atakadavil@gmail.com.I am back at my home in my home country since June 2023.I live in my home in my home country since my final retirement in June 2023. Hence please contact me only by email (akadavil@gmail.com).
Aug 3-8: Aug 3 Monday: Matthew 14:22-36: 22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; 30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshipped him, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” 34 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 35 And when the men of that place recognized him, they sent round to all that region and brought to him all that were sick, 36 and begged him that they might only touch the fring of his garment; and as many as touhed it were made well.
Historical note: Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral Church of Rome by Pope Sylvester I (AD 314-335), in AD 324. This Church serves as the Episcopal seat of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome and, hence, is called “the Mother and Head of all Churches of Rome and the world.”
The basilica and baptistery were built originally by the Emperor Constantine and called Basilica Constantinia. Later it was named the Arch-Basilica of the Most Holy Savior. However, it is now called St. Johns Lateran Basilica because it was built on property donated to the Church by the Laterani family, and because the monks from the monastery of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Divine served it. The name St. Johns comes, first, from the Baptistery, rebuilt after its hard treatment by the Visigoths (AD 410), by Pope St. Sixtus II (AD 432-440), and dedicated by him to St. John the Baptist. Later, Pope St. Hilary (AD 461-468), dedicated it to St. John the Evangelist, in thanksgiving to that apostle for saving his life. [Richard P. McBrien, Lives
of the Popes (San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp.
58-58, 71-72, 77-78.]. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm
The context: The event presented by today’s Gospel is the scene immediately following Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Sensing the danger of having the people make him leader of a revolt, Jesus had promptly instructed his apostles to leave the place by boat and, after dispersing the crowd, went alone to the mountain to pray.
A double miracle on the sea: When the apostles in the boat were several furlongs away from the shore, they faced an unexpected storm on the sea caused by the hot wind of the desert rushing into the Sea of Galilee through the gaps in the Golan Heights. Recognizing the danger, Jesus walked on the stormy waters toward the boat. Jesus calmed the frightened disciples as He approached the boat, allowed Peter to do a trial walk on water, then saved the apostle from drowning when he panicked and called to Jesus for help. As soon as Jesus brought Peter into the boat the storm ceased miraculously. The apostles recognized the presence of God in their midst, and they all worshipped Jesus.
Life messages: 1) Let us approach Jesus with strong Faith in his ability and willing availability to calm the storms in our lives and in the life of the Church. Church History shows us how Jesus saved his Church from storms of persecution in the first three centuries, storms of heresies in the fifth and sixth centuries, storms of moral degradation and the Protestant reformation movement in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and storms of sex abuse scandals of the clergy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. 2) Let us ask Jesus to protect us when we face storms of strong temptations, storms of doubts about our religious beliefs, and storms of fear, anxiety, and worries about the future, as in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, in our personal lives. 3) Experiencing Jesus’ presence in our lives, let us confess our Faith in him and call out for his help and protection. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/26
1 Some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, 2“Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They do not wash their hands when they eat a meal.” 10He summoned the crowd and said to them, “Hear and understand. 11It is not what enters one’s mouth that defiles the man;but what comes out of the mouth is what defiles one.” 12 Then his disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense when they heard what you said?” 13He said in reply, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. 14Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. If a blind man leads a blind man,both will fall into a pit.”
Catholic Bible Commentary & Context
· The Tradition of the Elders (vv. 1-2): Scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem challenge Jesus because His disciples eat without performing the ritual washing of hands. In Catholic tradition, this criticism highlights a fundamental conflict: the Pharisees elevated their man-made customs and oral traditions to the level of divine law, while Jesus championed the actual commandments of God. [
· True
Defilement (vv. 10-11):Jesus
explains to the crowd that “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a
person, but it is what comes out of the mouth”. According to theIgnatius
Catholic Study Bible, this signifies an essential turning point in
salvation history. Jesus is beginning to abrogate the dietary laws of the Old
Testament (Leviticus 11), shifting the focus from external ritual purity to
internal moral purity
· Blind
Guides (vv. 12-14):When
the disciples point out that the Pharisees are offended, Jesus dismisses their
opposition. Catholic commentary notes that this recalls the warning in the
Prophets (e.g., Isaiah 9:16) regarding leaders whose false teachings lead
others to spiritual ruin. The “blind leading the blind” refers to legalistic religious leaders who have lost
sight of God’s mercy and justice, leading both themselves and their followers
to destruction (the “pit”).
Mt 15:21-28: 21And Jesus went away from there and withdrew to the district of Tyre and Sidon. 22And behold, a Canaanite woman from that region came out and cried, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely possessed by a demon." 23But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples cameHim, saying, "Send her away, for she is crying after us." 24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel 25 But she came and knelt before Him, saying, "Lord, help me." 26 And He answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." [28] 28Then Jesus answered her, "O woman, great is your faith! Be it done for you as you desire." And her daughter was healed instantly.
The Context: Jesus withdrew to Tyre and Sidon both to escape persecution by Herod and by the Jewish authorities and to concentrate on training His Apostles. Tyre and Sidon were Mediterranean coastal cities in Lebanon, outside the territory of Herod Antipas. Jesus and His disciples traveled about 40 miles on foot to this district. The people there were said to have been descendants of Cain, the son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother, Abel, and was banished. He and his descendants settled in the area of Tyre and Sidon and were not heirs to the Faith given through Abraham, Moses and the prophets, making them Gentiles. The Event: Today’s Gospel episode speaks of the expansive and universal nature of the “Kingdom of God,” in contrast with the theory that salvation was offered first to the Jews and through them alone to the rest of the world. In fact, God included all nations in His plan for salvation and blessed all the families of the earth in Abraham (Gn 17:1-5). In today’s Gospel episode, Jesus demonstrates that salvation was meant for the Gentiles as well as for the Jews by healing the daughter of a Gentile woman as a reward for her strong, trusting Faith, unwavering trust, perseverance, wit, and humility. Thus, Jesus shows that God’s mercy and love are available to all who call out to Him in Faith.
Life messages:1) We need to persist in prayer with trustful confidence. Although the essential parts of prayer are adoration, praise, thanksgiving, and contrition, the prayer of petition plays a big part in our daily lives. Christ Himself has told us to ask him for these needs: “Ask and you shall receive.” Asking with fervor and perseverance proves that we have the “great Faith” we need to receive what Christ wants to grant us in response to our requests. We must realize and remember that we do not always get exactly what we ask for. Rather, God gives us what He knows we really need, what He wants for us, and what is really best for us. If our prayer is sincere and persevering, we will always get an answer — one which is better than what we asked for.
2) We need to pull down our walls of separation and share in the universality of God’s love: Very often we set up walls which separate us from God and from one another. 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 and work sincerely so that the walls which our pride, intolerance, fear, and prejudice have raised may crumble. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26
Mt 17:1-9:1After six days, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. 2And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. 3 3And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. 7But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the Mountain, Jesus commanded them, “tell no one the vision, until theSon of man is raised from the dead.” USCCB video reflections:https://youtu.be/BwQJBFi_mTw
The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ Transfiguration during prayer on a mountain. It invites us to welcome the transformation of our lives caused by the Holy Spirit and to radiate the grace of the transfigured Lord around us by our Spirit-filled lives. The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to consult his Heavenly Father and to ascertain His plan for Our Lord’s suffering, death and Resurrection. The secondary aim was to make his chosen disciples aware of his Divine glory so that they might discard the worldly ambitions underlying their notions of a conquering political Messiahand remain faithful to him during his trial and the execution which would follow. The location of the Transfiguration was probably Mount Hermon in North Galilee, near Caesarea Philippi.
The event: While praying, Jesus was transformed into a shining figure clothed with heavenly glory. Representing the Lawand the Prophets, Moses, the great Lawgiver, and Elijah, the great prophet, appeared, speaking with Jesus in His glory. These representatives of the Law and the Prophets, in their lives on earth, foreshadowed Jesus who is the culmination of the Law and the Prophets. Then “a bright Cloud overshadowed them, and a Voice from the Cloud said, ‘This is My beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.’”God revealed Jesus as His Son — His beloved — the one in whom He is well pleased and to whom we must listen.
Life messages: (1) The transfiguration by transubstantiation in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength. In the Holy Mass, the bread and wine become the body and blood of Jesus. Hence, just as the Transfiguration of Jesus was meant to strengthen the apostles in their time of trial, each Holy Mass should be our source of Heavenly strength against our own temptations, and a source of renewal for our lives. In addition, each Holy Communion should transform us both internally and externally. 2) God gives us a message of Hope in Jesus’ Transfiguration. In moments of doubt, despair, and helplessness, Jesus’ Transfiguration reminds us of our own coming transfiguration in Heaven, and helps us to reach out to God to hear again His consoling words, “This is my beloved son/daughter in whom I am well pleased.” (Fr. Tony) 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
Aug 7 Friday: St, Sixtus II, Pope and Companion Martyrs;https://www.loyolapress.com/catholic-resources/saints/saints-stories-for-all-ages/saint-sixtus-ii-and-companions/ St. Cajetan, Priest:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-cajetan/Mt 16:24-28: 24Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? Or what shall a man give in return for his life? 27For the Son of man is to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay every man for what he has done. 28Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.”
The context: After Peter made his famous declaration of Faith in Jesus as God and Messiah, Jesus plainly warned his disciples about his approaching suffering, death and Resurrection. But the apostles were unwilling to accept such a fate for their Master. Peter even took Jesus aside and prayed, “God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to you!” It was after Peter’s protest (and Jesus abrupt response), that Jesus declared the three conditions of the discipleship which he expects from his followers. We hear them in today’s Gospel.
Conditions of Christian discipleship one’s heart of all bad habits and evil tendencies and evicting the self, with its selfish thoughts and desires from the center of one’s heart. It also means enthroning God in one’s cleansed heart and surrendering one’s life to God’s service by serving others.
Carrying the cross means willingly accepting the pain involved in serving others sacrificially. It also means spending our time, talents, wealth, and health for others until it hurts us. Cross-bearing is also our sacrificial sharing of God’s blessings with others. Further, it includes our doing penance to make reparation for our sins and to grow in self-control. Carrying one’s cross becomes easier and more meritorious when we accept life’s crosses as loving, healing gifts given by a loving Father. The comparison of our light crosses with the heavy crosses given to others should make us grateful. Finally, we should carry our crosses, praying for Heavenly strength, rather than trusting only in our own strength
“Follow Me” means the disciple should be ever ready to obey as Jesus directs him or her through his words in the Bible and through the teaching authority he instituted in the Church.
Life message: We need to love the cross, wear the cross, and transform the God-given crosses of our life into the instruments of our salvation by working with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26
Mt 17: 14-20:14 And when they came to the crowd, a man Mt 14: Nt came up to him and kneeling before him said, 15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly; for often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him.” 17 And Jesus answered, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me.” 18 And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?” 20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, `Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”
The context: When Jesus came down from the mountain of the Transfiguration along with Peter, John, and James, the father of an epileptic son knelt before Jesus and asked Jesus to heal his son. The father’s complaint was that the other nine disciples of Jesus waiting for their master to come down from the mountain could not heal the boy.
The healing: After expressing impatience with the crowd for their lack of Faith, Jesus rebuked the demon and cast him out of the boy. Later when the apostles asked Jesus why they had been unable to do the same, although they had been given the power of exorcism, Jesus pointed out their lack of Faith. Jesus said further that even a small amount of Faith would enable them to do great things. “Moving mountains”was a Jewish phrase meaning that God can remove all difficulties for one who places trusting Faith in Him.
Life message: We will be able to solve our problems and many of the problems of our fellow-human beings if we place our trusting Faith in God’s power and goodness and ask for His strengthening in prayer. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/26
OT XIX [A] (Aug 9th)Sunday Homily (8-minute homily in one page)
Introduction: The readings for this week speak of God’s saving presence among His people, our need for trusting Faith in our loving and providing God Who always keeps us company, and our need for prayer in storms of life. (You may add an Anecdote).
Scripture lessons: The first reading shows us how Elijah the prophet who had defeated the 450 false priests of Baal with the help of just such a trusting Faith in the power of Yahweh, fled to the Lord God for help and strength on Mt Horeb, and encountered Him there in His mercy. In the second reading, Paul, addressing, the Romans laments and mourns over the Jews who, having lost their Faith in Yahweh and His prophets, had rejected their promised Messiah, Jesus. Paul tells us later (11:7-24), that God’s plan allowed the Jews to reject Jesus so that a few believers, like Paul, would be free to carry the Good News outside Judaism, evangelizing the Gentiles. The Gospel episode occurred during an unexpected storm on the Sea of Galilee in the early morning hours. As Jesus approached the apostles, miraculously walking on water, he allayed their fears by telling them, “It is I.” The Gospel episode also explainshow Peter lost his trusting Faith in Jesus for a few seconds, and failed his attempt to walk on water, but was rescued when he called on Jesus for help.
Life messages: 1) We all need to call Jesus in the storms facing us in the Church and in our lives. Let us approach Jesus with strong Faith in his ability and willing availability to calm the storms in the life of the Church and in our own lives. Church history shows us how Jesus saved his Church from the storms of persecution in the first three centuries, from the storms of heresies in the 5th and 6th centuries, from the storms of moral degradation and the Protestant reformation movement (later resulting in hundreds of denominations), in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and the storms of sex abuse scandals of the clergy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. We need to realize that it is the presence of Jesus which gives us peace even in the wildest storms of life: the storms of anxiety and worries about the future we suffered during the Corona Virus Pandemic (Covid-19), storms of sorrow, storms of doubt, tension and uncertainty, storms of anger and despair, storms of temptations, and storms in family relationships. But this peace flows only from a personal relationship with God, with Jesus, and with the Holy Spirit enhanced through prayer, meditative reading of Scripture, active participation in the Holy Mass and reception of the Sacraments when these are available to us.
2) We need to imitate the short prayer of sinking Peter: We are expected to pray to God every day with trusting Faith for strengthening our personal relationship with Him and for acknowledging our dependence on Him. But when we have no time or mental energy for formal prayers, let us use the short prayers in the Gospels like Peter’s prayer: “Lord, save me!” or the prayer of the mother of the possessed girl: “Lord, help me!” or the blind man’s prayer: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” or the repentant sinner’s prayer: “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!” We get plenty of time during our travels to say the short prayers like the “Our Father”,“Hail Mary” and “Glory be….” We can begin every day by offering all our day’s activities to God and asking for His grace to do His will; then we can conclude every day before we go to sleep, by asking God’s pardon and forgiveness for our sins. Keeping a Bible on our table will encourage us to read at least a few words of the Bible and thus listen to what God is telling us to do.
Homily starter anecdotes 1):An old story about trustful Faith: In the middle of a dark winter’s night in a small Midwest farming community, the two-story home of a young family caught fire. Quickly, parents and children followed their well-practiced emergency plan and made their way through the smoke-filled home out into the front yard. There the father quickly counted heads and realized that their 5-year-old son was not among them. Suddenly he heard a wail and looked up to see the boy at his bedroom window, crying and rubbing his eyes. Knowing the danger of reentering the house to rescue his son, the father called, “Jump, Son! I’ll catch you!” Between sobs, the boy responded to the voice he knew so well. “But I can’t see you, Daddy!” The father answered with great assurance. “No, Son, you can’t see me, but I can see you! Jump!” At that, the boy jumped into the smoky darkness and found himself safely cradled in his father’s arms. Our Scripture readings for today are about trusting – about having Faith – about being able to discern the fact that our God is always with us, even in storms of life. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
2):Elizabeth Blackwell walked on water: (https://youtu.be/dLKDMe52O3c) For Elizabeth Blackwell “walking on water” meant something entirely different. Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821, in Bristol, England. As a girl, she moved with her family to the United States, where she first worked as a teacher. Elizabeth wanted to become a doctor in the 1840s. At the time, medical schools were only for men. Elizabeth Blackwell had to fight just to get in. Finally, at one school, Geneva College of Medicine in New York, the students voted to let her in as a joke. But the head of the school didn’t know it was supposed to be a joke, and he let her in. When she got there, the students made fun of her. They refused to share their notes with her. Some professors tried to keep her out of their classes. She refused to give up. In 1849, she graduated at the head of her class. When no hospital would allow her to practice, she opened her own hospital. Then she opened a medical school to train women. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Blackwell) Elizabeth Blackwell courageously got out of the boat and walked on the roaring waters of opposition and gender discrimination in the medical profession. Today’s Gospel tells us how Peter the apostle tried to walk on water and failed because he turned from looking at Jesus, saw the water and panicked, shouting for help. Jesus grabbed him and they got into the boat together. Only then did Jesus call him, tenderly, ”O you of little faith!” (https://youtu.be/j-Vpxb6A6XI). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
4) Joni survived the storm in her life: (https://youtu.be/4fzY0uj9q6k) Mark Link tells the inspiring story of a 17-year-old girl named Joni Eareckson, who like all teenagers her age was full of vitality, vigor and promise. Her favorite sport was horse-back riding, and in every completion her performance was so very impressive that her prospects for the future kept rising both noticeably and dramatically. One hot afternoon in July, Joni went for a swim in Chesapeake Bay and there tragedy struck. On one particular dive, she sustained such a severe injury to her head that she was instantly knocked unconscious and rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. And there the worst fears of her loved ones were confirmed. Joni would be a quadriplegic for the rest of her life. The months ahead were an absolute nightmare, with just no light at the end of the tunnel. The once graceful rider, who delighted crowds with her performances, would lie strapped to a Stryker frame. And for much of her time she would lie with her face down, looking at nothing but the floor. That is when she had a spiritual experience. As Joni lay strapped in her Stryker frame, she thought of Jesus nailed to the cross. He was God, yet He was totally powerless and helpless. And she adds, “I pictured Jesus standing by my Stryker frame and saying to me, “Don’t lose heart, Joni, for I am with you and will help you to achieve the impossible.” Even as she lay there a curious thought crossed Joni’s mind. She could attempt painting if she could hold a painting brush between her teeth. And that is precisely what she did- so successfully and admirably that she is author of two best-sellers –one being autobiographical and entitled Joni –and has played the lead role in a movie of her own life. This inspiring story aptly demonstrates what God can do in one’s life if one surrenders to Him and allows Him to act. This precisely is what Joni did in her absolute helplessness. But with Faith in the Almighty Power and the never-failing help of the Lord Jesus, she was able to achieve the impossible. [J. Valladares in Your Words O Lord, are Spirit, and They Are Life (https://youtu.be/WiygoMpCNms)] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).
Introduction: The readings for this week speak of God’s saving presence for His people and the need for trusting Faith in our loving and providing God Who always keeps us company. The first reading tells us of how Elijah the prophet who had defeated the 450 false priests of Baal with the help of just such a trusting Faith in the power of Yahweh (then had to flee Queen Jezebel’s henchmen for his life), encountered the Lord God on Mt. Horeb. In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 85), the Psalmist assures us, “Near indeed is His Salvation to those who fear Him, glory dwelling in our land.” In the second reading, Paul laments and mourns over the Jews who, having lost their Faith in Yahweh and His prophets, had rejected their promised Messiah, Jesus. The Gospel episode explains how Peter. for a few seconds, lost his trusting Faith in Jesus and, so, failed his attempt to walk on water, but was rescued when he called on Jesus for help.
The first reading (1 Kg 19:9, 11-13) explained: After Solomon’s death (922 BC), the northern tribes broke away from Judah, from its priests and from the Temple in Jerusalem. They formed an independent country they called Israel, centered in the city of Samaria. As years rolled by, many of these Jews lost their Faith in Yahweh. Their seventh king Ahab (869-850 BC) married Jezebel, the daughter of the pagan king of Tyre. He allowed her to build a temple for her god Baal, then encouraged, and himself took part in, idol-worship and immorality. The prophet Elijah was sent by Yahweh to Israel to bring His people back to true worship. Elijah’s trusting Faith in the power and presence of Yahweh enabled him to defeat and execute the 450 pagan priests of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kgs. 18:16-40). Consequently, Queen Jezebel sent murderous henchmen after the prophet. Elijah, sustained by food provided by God through an angel, fled for forty days and nights. He finally reached Horeb, the mountain where God had earlier established His covenant with Israel under Moses. Elijah might have expected a spectacular miracle from God to protect and vindicate him, or an appearance of God with great power in thunder and lightning to bolster his Faith, like the one Moses had been granted on that very spot (Exodus 19:16-19). However, the presence of God was not in the spectacles of thunder, earthquake or fire but in “a tiny whispering sound.” Elijah acknowledged God’s presence by covering his face and coming out of the cave where he had taken shelter. He was content with God’s quiet sign of His presence, and was consoled, trusting that his God was helping and protecting him. Like Elijah, we can miss God’s presence by limiting our experience of Him to certain places and persons and forgetting that He is everywhere. The first reading reminds us that we have to experience God’s presence in our lives and listen carefully to everything going on around us, because we encounter God in insignificant as well as spectacular events. Both failure and success, however, equally offer us the opportunity for growth in trusting Faith in a loving and providing God.
The second reading (Rom 9:1-5) explained: In the first eight chapters of his letter to the Romans, Paul describes the blessings which Christ, that is, the Messiah, of God, as the fulfillment of “the Law and the prophets,” brought to mankind. Deeply moved, Paul (in today’s second reading), cries out in passionate grief for his countrymen, the Jews, because as a nation they have refused to see Christ as the Messiah promised to them by God through their patriarchs and prophets. Thus, though still His Chosen People, the Israelites have not been the ones to bring the Messiah to the world and the world to the Messiah in the present form of the Kingdom of God on Earth, which is filled with Gentile converts as well as some Jewish converts. Paul tells us later (11: 7-24), that God’s plan allowed for the Jews’ rejection of Jesus; He supplied a few of the Chosen People who became believers in Jesus Christ, the Messiah. (like Saul of Tarsus, the Pharisee who became Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles), to carry the Good News outside Judaism and to evangelize the Gentiles. The result would be the salvation of the whole world and the reconciliation of the Jews and the Gentiles – blessings, an even greater event and process than the election of Israel still in suspension. Thus, the ancient promise of God to Abraham would not go unfulfilled. Our first reaction should be a fervent “Thank You, God!” for the true Faith we have received and embraced. Our second thought should be to ask the good God, with trusting Faith, to send the light of Faith to the descendants of Abraham, and to re-light it among those Gentiles who have extinguished it. It is not enough for a true Christian that he should live his own life according to the laws of Christ. True charity demands that he be seriously interested in the spiritual welfare of his neighbors. Paul knew that Jesus suffered and died for all humanity – past, present and future. Christ’s redemptive mission thus, was redemptive suffering. So, when we offer our own sufferings to Christ then they, too, somehow become redemptive for others. Herein lies the power of our intercessory prayer. Through the Church (the Body of Christ), all who suffer – whether Christian or not – are embraced by Christ who makes their suffering his own. As Pope John Paul II taught, in that unity of suffering with Christ, even the suffering of non-Christians is somehow contributing to the world’s redemption (Salvifici Doloris, 24).
Gospel exegesis:The context: Today’s lesson, the account of Jesus’ walking on the Sea of Galilee, is one of the best-known passages in the New Testament. It forms a narrative bridge between the Jewish and Gentile portions of Jesus’ ministry, as well as giving us a theologically rich story about Jesus in its own right. In Matthew’s Gospel, the story follows the rejection of Jesus in his hometown of Nazareth (13:54-58), the death of John the Baptist (14:1-12), and the feeding of the five thousand (14:13-21). It precedes the account of his healing of the sick at Gennesaret (14:34-36) and his confrontation with the Jewish authorities over the nature of tradition (15:1-9). In addition to being a collection of miracle stories (feeding, walking, healing), the stories also form a complex of narratives which, when taken together, speak about both those who recognized in Jesus the One promised by Israel’s religious tradition and those whose doubts or vested interests had blinded them to the miraculous power in their midst. “In Matthew’s inspired theology, the Divine Presence in human history unfolds in three stages: (1) God forms the people of Israel and remains with them in good times and bad; (2) in fulfillment of the Divine promise transmitted by the prophets, Jesus, the Messiah and Incarnate Son of God, is present among his people as their savior; (3) in these last days, the Risen Lord, through his disciples, is present to extend his saving mission beyond his particular historical time and land to all nations.” The one constant in the drama of the Divine Presence in history is the necessity of human response to the saving presence with total trust. (Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.)
The challenge of trusting Faith: Jesus’ walking on the water follows the miraculous feeding in Matthew, Mark, and John. However, the account of Peter’s walking on the water is found only in Matthew. Thus, Matthew’s retelling of this event also says something about Peter and his Faith. While we might emphasize Peter’s fear, his sinking and his “little” Faith, we need to look also at his leap of Faith. Peter represents all who dare to believe that Jesus is Savior, take their first steps in confidence that Jesus is able to sustain them, and then forget to keep their gaze fixed on him when they face storms of temptations. From the depth of crisis, however, they remember to call on the Savior, and they experience the total sufficiency of his grace to meet their needs. It is this type of the “little Faith” of Peter which Jesus later identifies as the rock on which he will build his Church. The only Faith Jesus expects of his followers is a Faith which concentrates solely on Him. In other words, when we simply heed Our Lord, we can do great things. So, with His grace, we have to raise our awareness of God’s presence in our lives. As we become more aware, we will step out and proclaim that presence, even in surprising places.
Assertion of Christ’s Divinity: Since there are number of passages in the Hebrew Scriptures that speak of God walking on the sea (e.g., Job 9:8; Hb 3:15; Ps 77:19), it has been argued that this is a theophany: Jesus revealing Himself to his disciples as God by proving his mastery over the sea, considered by the ancients to be an unruly chaos inhabited by evil spirits. In Jewish folklore, only God could walk on the water, but human beings cannot see God and live. Therefore, if a person thinks he sees someone walking on the water, it must be a ghost! Besides, there was also a superstition that there were monsters at the bottom of the Sea of Galilee and likely that played into their alarm as well. And the way to get rid of ghosts is to shout and scream. This is exactly what the disciples did until Jesus told them, “Take courage; it is I.” Then those in the boat worshipped Jesus and proclaimed him to be truly the Son of God. There are aspects of this story that suggest a post-Easter event described in John 21:1-14, where the risen Jesus is at first unrecognized. Then, when the disciples know who he is, Peter jumps out of the boat and swims to Jesus. When the disciples get to shore, Jesus takes bread and fish – the same elements that appear in the feeding story before our text (Mt 14:13-21) – and gives them a meal. The only other occurrence of the disciples’ worshiping Jesus takes place on the mountain after the resurrection (Mt 28:17).
Assurance of hope in the midst of persecutions: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Matthew recorded his Gospel after Peter was crucified, when the Christians were being persecuted. The two storm stories address issues of danger, fear, and Faith. In both stories, the boat seems to represent the Church, buffeted by temptations, trials,and persecutions. In both, Jesus appears as the Church’s champion, strong to save those who call on him in Faith. The recounting of this episode probably brought great comfort to the early Christians, especially those of Matthew’s Faith community. For it offered them the assurance that Christ would save them even if they had to die for their Faith in him, and that, even in the midst of persecution, they need not fear because Jesus was present with them. The episode offers the same reassurance to us in times of illness, death, persecution, or other troubles. It teaches us that adversity is not a sign of God’s displeasure, nor prosperity a sign of His pleasure, that illness is not a sign of inadequate Faith, nor health a sign of great Faith. Paradoxically, the storms of life can be a means of blessing. When things are going badly, our hearts are more receptive to Jesus. A broken heart is often a door through which Christ can find entry. He still comes to us in the midst of our troubles, saying, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” If we permit the chaos and evil around us to distract and influence us, then we will sink into the very chaos that we fear! On the other hand, if we keep our focus on the Source of our safety, our salvation, the One to whom we call out to save us, then the winds die down, and we are once again content in the Presence of the Lord. This is the way we increase or sustain our Faith: by never doubting that the Presence of the Lord is with us every single moment of our lives! Our Catechism reminds us that when we cry out “Lord!” we express our recognition of the Divine Mystery of Jesus., and also show our respect and trust in the One we approach for help and healing (CCC #448).
Life messages:1) We need to call Jesus in the storms facing the Church and our lives. Let us approach Jesus with strong Faith in his ability and willing availability to calm the storms in the life of the Church and in our lives. Church history shows us how Jesus saved his Church from the storms of persecution in the first three centuries, from the storms of heresies in the 5th and 6th centuries, from the storms of moral degradation and the Protestant reformation movement in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and from the storms of sex abuse scandals of the clergy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. It is the presence of Jesus which gives us peace even in the wildest storms of life: the storms of anxiety and worriy about the future we suffered during the Corona Virus Pandemic (Covid-19), storms of sorrow, storms of doubt, tension and uncertainty, storms of anxiety and worries, storms of anger and despair, storms of temptations. Storms reveal to us our inability to save ourselves and point us to the Infinite ability and eagerness of God to save us. When Jesus shows up in our life’s storms, we find that we gain strength to do the seemingly impossible. For example, when Jesus shows up, he makes marriages out of mistakes, he invigorates, restores, and empowers us to reach the unreachable, to cross the un-crossable. Storms let us know that without him we can do nothing, without him we are doomed to fail. Yet, when Jesus shows up, we gain the strength to join Paul, saying, “In Christ I can do all things.” But this demands a personal relationship with God, with Jesus, enhanced through prayer, meditative study of Scripture and an active Sacramental life. Experiencing Jesus’ presence in our lives, let us confess our Faith in him and call out for his help and protection always.
2) We need to imitate the short prayer of sinking Peter: We are expected to pray to God every day with trusting Faith for the strengthening of our personal relationship with Him and for the courage and humility to acknowledge our complete dependence on Him for everything. But when we have no time or mental energy for formal prayers, let us use the short prayers in the Gospels, like Peter’s prayer: “Lord, save me!” or the prayer of the mother of the possessed girl: “Lord, help me!” or the blind man’s prayer: “Son of David, have mercy on me!” or the sinner’s prayer: “Lord, have mercy on me a sinner!” We get plenty of time during our travels to say the short prayers like the “Our Father”, “Hail Mary” and “Glory be….” We may begin every day offering all our day’s activities to God and asking for His grace to do His will and we may conclude every day before we go to sleep, by asking God’s pardon and forgiveness for our sins. Keeping a Bible on our table will encourage us to read at least a few words of the Bible and thus listen to what God is saying to us.
3) We should not limit God’s saving presence: There are those who would limit God’s presence for their own comfort or security or to keep themselves in power. In years past there were those who would deny God’s presence in slaves. There have been those who would ignore God’s presence in their enemies. There are those who would refuse to believe that God is present in the murderer sitting on death row, in those who are marginalized by our society: the gay person, the addict, the person living with AIDS, the gambler, the prostitute, the illegal alien, the handicapped, to name but a few. It is in situations like these that we have to get out of the boat, surprise others, and show them the reflection of God in such people. Let us always look for ways to be surprised by our God and opportunities to wake one another up to the beauty, the power and the nearness of our loving, providing and protecting God. Let us also pray for a deepening of God’s gift of Faith within us, that we may be able to recognize Him in the ordinary situations of our lives, and humbly pray to Him saying, “Lord, let us see Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.”
# 1: Familiar story. In one of his books, Mark Twain recalls a visit to the Holy Land and a stay in Capernaum. It was a moonlit night, so he decided to take his wife on a romantic boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Twain asked a man in a rowboat how much he would charge to take them out on the water. The man saw Twain’s white suit, white shoes and white hat and supposed he was a rich Texan. So, he said the cost would be twenty-five dollars. Twain walked away as he said, “Now I know why Jesus walked on water.”
2) Ministers walking on water! There’s an old joke about three pastor friends who are on a beach together. The first, a Catholic priest gets up from his beach towel and walks about a quarter mile out to a raft in the ocean. The second, a Protestant minister, does the same. The third, a rabbi, the newcomer in the group, gets up and walks toward the raft to join his colleagues. Suddenly he finds himself underwater. The priest turns to the minister and says, “Didn’t you show him where the rocks are?”
3) “Have Faith my child”: For the umpteenth time Mrs. Youngston came to her pastor to tell him, “I’m so scared! Joe says he’s going to kill me if I continue to come to your Church.” “Yes, yes, my child,” replied the pastor, more than a little tired of hearing this over and over. “I will continue to pray for you, Mrs. Youngston. Have Faith – the Lord will watch over you.” “Oh yes, He has kept me safe thus far, only…..” “Only what, my child?” “Well, now Joe says if I keep coming to your church, he’s going to kill YOU!” “Well, now,” said the pastor, “Perhaps it’s time for you to check out that little parish on the other side of town.”
4) A priest of little Faith and big ambitions: A Jewish rabbi and his friend a Catholic priest were traveling together in a train and it being a long journey they started to talk.
Rabbi : So what’s your next move, padre?
Priest : Well, if I’m lucky I might get a parish of my own
Rabbi : And then?
Priest : Well perhaps I’ll be made a Monsignor and maybe even a Bishop!
Rabbi : And after that?
Priest : Well I suppose, it’s just possible that I could become a Cardinal
Rabbi : Yes, and what after that?
Priest : Well, it’s ridiculous to think about it. But I suppose I could become Pope!
Rabbi : And then?
Priest : Well that’s it, Pope! There’s only God after that.
Rabbi : Well, you never know. After all one of our Jewish boys from Nazareth, made it! (Source: Jewish Jokes “with no blasphemy intended”)
25- Additional anecdotes:
1) Called or Not, God is Present.Above the office door of the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Jung (1875-1961), hung a stone plaque inscribed with the words: “Called or Not, God is Present.” Jung’s sign encapsulated in a few words what the joint testaments of Judaism and Christianity have put forth in hundreds of thousands of words for centuries, viz., that the Transcendent Almighty God chooses to be with humankind, to commune with us, to love and move among us, to be near, to abide, to be present whether called or not, in peace, as well as in panic. The real question is not, “Is God absent from us?” Rather the real question is: “Are we absent from God?” This Sunday’s first reading relates the experience of the prophet Elijah who sought and realized the presence of God in the peaceful silence of Horeb (Sinai). Peter and the disciples (Gospel) experienced the presence of God in the person of Jesus whose power over the sea calmed their panic and fostered their Faith. Paul, in the second reading, taken from Romans, lamented the fact that not all of his fellow Israelites had come to know the saving presence of God as he had, on the road to Damascus. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez)
2) There seems to be no limit to our fears. In a Peanuts cartoon strip Charlie Brown goes to Lucy for a nickel’s worth of psychiatric help. She proceeds to pinpoint his particular fear. “Perhaps,” she says, “you have hypengyophobia,” (the fear of responsibility). Charlie Brown says, ““No.”“Well, perhaps you have ailurophobia,” (the fear of cats). “No.” “Well, maybe you have climacophobia,” (the fear of staircases). ”No.” Exasperated, Lucy says, “Well, maybe you have pantophobia,” (the fear of everything). “Yes,” says Charlie, “that’s the one!’ –Sometimes we feel we are afraid of everything. We are tossed by storms of fear. We are afraid of ourselves. We are afraid of people. We are afraid of the future. We are afraid of our past. We are afraid of life. We are afraid of death. Peter knew that the Lord could sustain him, even in the midst of the storm, when there was nothing but uncertainty, and He did. He will always take care of us, too, if we will allow Him to do so, and recognize Him when He comes to us in other people! But I want you to know that Faith is a risk-taking enterprise.
3)“I have Faith in the Lord, and He will save me.” (A story about presumptuous Faith). A man named Smith climbed upon the roof of his riverside house during a flood, confident that his God would save him miraculously. When the flood waters had covered his feet a neighbor in his canoe paddled past and shouted, “Can I give you a lift to a higher ground?” “No, thanks,” said Smith. “I have Faith in the Lord and He will save me.” Soon the water had risen to Smith’s waist. At this point a motor-boat pulled up and someone invited him to get into the boat and escape. But Mr. Smith adamantly refused the offer declaring his Faith in the saving power of his God. Later when Smith was standing on the roof with water up to his neck somebody from a helicopter dropped a rope and the pilot yelled at him, “Grab the rope before the water currents push you down.”“No, thanks,” said Smith. “I have Faith in the Lord and He will save me.” But after a while Mr. Smith lost his grip on the roof, fought for his life for a time and finally drowned. As he arrived at the Pearly Gates, he met God and launched a complaint about this turn of events. “Tell me, Lord,” he said, “I had such Faith in You to save me and You let me down. Why? That was not fair!.” The Lord replied, “What did you expect Me to do? I sent a canoe, a motor-boat and a helicopter to save you!”
4)“Stop!”: A woman is walking down the street when she hears a voice shout, “Stop!” And she stops, and a piece of metal falls from space just in front of her–perhaps debris from a satellite. If she had gone one step farther, she would have been killed. She looks around to find the person who saved her life and sees no one. A few days later she is about to cross a street and she hears the same voice boom, “Stop!” And a car, out of control, zooms by in front of her — missing her by inches. She looks around again for the source of the strange but life-saving voice. She sees no one, but this time she hears a voice. “Do you know who I am?” the voice asks. “No, I don’t,” she answers. “I am your guardian angel,” says the voice. “I am here to protect you from harm.” Instead of voicing her gratitude, the woman was indignant. “There’s just one thing I want to know,” she said, “Where were you when I got married?” — All of us take risks. We would never have anything if we did not. No new relationships would be formed. No new businesses would be started. No new homes would be built. Helen Keller got it right when she said, “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky put it this way, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.” Mark Twain waxed poetic when he wrote: “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So, throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Today’s Gospel describes how Peter takes a risk by stepping into the sea to walk upon water.
5) What is one doing but walking on water? I’ll bet every one of us this morning can think of some remarkable water-walkers we have known. We all have watched simple, straight-forward, hard-working men and women, little toddlers and tormented teens, the shut-in elders and the shut-out homeless, perform acts in their lives that defy the limitations of the world in which they live. The chemotherapy patient who gets out of bed, puts on clean clothes and picks up around the house, before going for treatment . . . What is one doing but walking on water? The homeless woman who sleeps in a box, gleans food from dumpsters, but still smiles a greeting and laughs at a joke . . . What is she doing but walking on water? The single parent, overworked, overwhelmed, over-extended in time, money, and energy, who makes it to soccer games and school plays and checks to see that homework is done . . . What is that harried parent doing but walking on water? The octogenarian who lives alone, whose family has forgotten him, who counts the postal carrier and the water-meter reader as “company,” but still is up and dressed by 8am and sits at the table for all his meals . . . What is he doing but walking on water? There are people here this morning who are walking on water. You may not know who they are, and the difficulties they’re facing . . . but I can tell you as their pastor (and I don’t know all the stories represented here this morning, but enough to speak with conviction) . . . I’m looking out now at people who are walking on water.
6) “Staring at that cross, I realized that therein lies freedom.” Alexander Solzhenitsyn was the first author to alert the West to the horrible realities he had experienced in Stalin’s Gulags — labor camps. Solzhenitsyn said that only once during his long imprisonment in a labor camp in the Soviet Union did he become so discouraged that he thought about suicide. He was outdoors, on a work detail, and he had reached a point where he no longer cared whether he lived or died. When he had a break, he sat down, and a stranger sat beside him, someone he had never seen before and would never see again. For no apparent reason, this stranger took a stick and drew a cross on the ground. Solzhenitsyn sat and stared at that cross for a long while. He later wrote, “Staring at that cross, I realized that therein lies freedom.” At that point – in the midst of a storm – he received new courage and the will to live. The storm didn’t end that day, but through Jesus, Solzhenitsyn found the strength to ride it out. — I don’t know what storm of life will come your way this week, or what storm you may be enduring at this very moment. But I know this: even as the storm rages around you, if you will listen very carefully with your heart, you will hear a gentle voice calling to you, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” And in time the storm will pass. And Jesus will still be there.
7) Henri Nouwen’s Little River story: Once upon a time there was a little river that said, “I can become a big river.” It worked hard to get big, but in the process, encountered a huge rock. “I won’t let this rock stop me,” the river said. And the little river pushed and pushed until it finally made its way around the rock. Next the river encountered a mountain.“I won’t let this mountain stop me,” the river said. And the little river pushed and pushed until it finally carved a canyon through the mountain. The river, now large and powerful, finally arrived at the edge of a vast desert.“I won’t let this desert stop me,” the river said. But as the river pushed and pushed its way across the desert, the hot sand began soaking up its water until only a few puddles remained. The river was quiet. Then the river heard a voice from above. “My child, stop pushing. It’s time to surrender. Let me lift you up. Let me take over.” The river said, “Here I am.” The sun then lifted the river up and turned it into a huge cloud. And the wind carried the river across the desert and let it rain down on the hills and valleys of the faraway fields, making them fruitful and rich. — If we stay focused on Christ, having more Faith in Him than in ourselves, obeying His will even when it’s hard, no obstacle will be too much for us, and he will make our lives more fruitful than we could ever imagine. (E-Priest).
8) General George Patton can walk on water: General George Patton’s soldiers were in awe of him. A member of General Marshall’s staff once asked a second lieutenant under Patton’s command if he believed that General Patton could walk on water. The lieutenant replied, “Colonel, I know General Patton! If he had to walk on water, he would figure out a way and within twenty-four hours he would have me doing it as well!” — Such stories are part of our national folklore. But they’re all in fun. Nobody takes them seriously. Because, let’s face it, people can’t walk on water, at least, ordinary people can’t.. And that is exactly the point of this story from Matthew’s Gospel: JESUS IS NO ORDINARY MAN, AND THE EFFECT HE CAN HAVE ON THE LIVES OF THOSE WHO TRUST HIM IS DRAMATIC.
9) Sarah was focused on what to do, Michelle on what to avoid: Author Zig Ziglar in his book,Better Than Good, tells about the 2002 Winter Olympic Games when sixteen‑year‑old Sarah Hughes skated her way to a gold medal. Sarah stepped on the ice, says Zig, not believing she had a chance of winning any medal, so she just skated with reckless abandon, unconcerned about the live audience, the television audience, or for that matter, the judges. She just gave it all she had. That sheer abandon she exhibited expressed the total joy she was feeling at the time and she turned in a spectacular performance, winning the gold. Michelle Kwan, on the other hand, skated after Sarah and was expected to win the gold. She was a true champion, beloved by skating fans the world over, and the recipient of many medals in her career. But after Sarah Hughes’s flawless performance, Michelle went out determined not to make any mistakes. Consequently, she fell, and took the bronze. Zig Ziglar contends that while Sarah was focused on what to do, Michelle was focused on what to avoid doing, and that made the difference. –That is what fear continually does to us. We fear failure, and the very act of fearing causes us to fail. We fear the future, and because of that fear, we sabotage opportunities that come to us. We fear sickness and pain and death and the weight of that worry increases the chances that illness will overtake us. That is why Jesus’ words are so important to us, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.”
10) Focus your thoughts on God: There is a story about the famous statesman Bismarck who came into a friend’s house and saw a portrait of himself on display in the friend’s parlor. The picture portrayed Bismarck as a strong and forceful man. Bismarck shook his head and asked, “Is that supposed to be me? It can’t be.” Then he turned around to a picture his friend had of the fearful Simon Peter sinking beneath the waves and said, “That is I!” — That is how we feel when we take our eyes off of Christ. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale tells how he once developed laryngitis because he worried about a speaking engagement at which he would be speaking to over a thousand people. When he sought medical help, his doctor said, “I didn’t think I would ever have to give this kind of advice to Norman Vincent Peale: Focus your thoughts on God and don’t focus them on your problems. When you focus on your problems, your nervous system tightens up so your blood doesn’t flow harmoniously. As a result, you experience sickness. Focus your thoughts on God instead of on your problems…”
11) The Denial of Death In his Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker says that so many of the fears that we grapple with – the fear of rejection, abandonment, failure, separation, loss – are but manifestations of the one ultimate fear, and that is the fear of death. — Perhaps he is right. How do we overcome that ultimate fear? Faith. Only through Faith will the demons of fear that can haunt us be exorcized. I think the Gospel is telling us that when Peter stepped out onto the lake, walked on the water, it was only when he looked at the wind and waves that he became terrified and stopped looking at Jesus, and that is when he started to sink, Jesus later asked him why he doubted. Why didn’t his Faith carry him across the water to Jesus’ side? It was fear. Fear crept in and doubt began to rise and Peter began to sink.
12) Not a single person bullied her or taunted her. In the book, A Second Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Bill Sanders writes of a young neighbor named Nikki who learned to walk on the water. When Nikki was in seventh grade, she was diagnosed with leukemia. Nikki went through the necessary chemotherapy and the resulting loss of hair. To be different as a seventh grader is a kind of death. Without hair, Nikki was very different from her peers. She was a generally popular girl, but still she faced hurdles. Kids would sneak up behind her and snatch her wig off. People would stare and laugh. No one would sit with her in the cafeteria or in math class, and the lockers on either side of hers had been vacated. Nikki told her neighbor, Bill, that she could handle losing her hair. And with her faith in God, she could handle losing her life. But the hardest part of her illness was losing her friends. Nikki’s parents had given her permission to stay out of school, but then Nikki changed her mind. She heard a story about a seventh-grader in Arkansas who was bullied for bringing his Bible to school. The boy handed his Bible to his biggest tormentor and said, “Here, see if you’ve got enough courage to carry this around school just one day.” Those three bullies became his three friends. Another story that affected Nikki was of a boy from Ohio named Jimmy Masterdiro. Ohio didn’t have a state motto, so Jimmy wrote a proposed state motto, then set up a petition to get the motto legitimated by the state. Jimmy got enough signatures to take his petition before the State legislature. Because of Jimmy Masterdiro, Ohio’s official state motto is, “All things are possible with God.” Nikki set out for the school the next Monday as usual. Her parents drove her. When she got to school, Nikki hugged and kissed both her parents. Then she said, “Mom and Dad, guess what I’m going to do today?” Her eyes began to tear up. “Today I’m going to find out who my best friend is. Today I’m going to find out who my real friends are.” Then Nikki took off her wig and set it on the car seat. “They take me for who I am, Daddy, or they don’t take me at all. I don’t have much time left. I’ve got to find out who they are today.” Then Nikki asked for her parents’ prayers, and she walked into the school. Not a single person bullied her or taunted her. [Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, [(Deerfield Beach, FL: Health Communications, Inc., 1995), pp. 24-27.] — I don’t know what walking on the water would be for you. Going back to school? Asking for that promotion? Inviting your next-door neighbor to come to a Bible study with you? All I’m saying is, don’t let fear defeat you. You have a Friend who comes to you in your hour of greatest need and says, “Don’t be afraid; you can do it. Step out of the boat and walk on the water with Me.”
13) Do you recognize the name Anna Taylor? No? It’s just as well. On October 24, 1901, Anna was the first person to go over Niagara Falls in a barrel and live. That’s too much risk-taking for most of us. Do you know what the last words of a redneck are? “Hey, guys, watch this.” Some risk-taking is just plain dumb. And yet some people, by their very nature, are risk-takers. Christopher Columbus was a risk-taker. So are racecar drivers and many celebrities. These people have a personality trait which researchers call “novelty-seeking.” Researchers say novelty-seekers are usually outgoing, excitable, short-tempered and eager for new experiences. They’re also likelier to have a gene that fosters this thrill-seeking temperament. Studies by Israeli and U.S. researchers, published in Nature Genetics, have linked novelty-seeking behavior with a gene that affects the body’s response to the brain chemical dopamine. Dopamine helps stimulate the feeling of euphoria. It affects how we perceive pain, and it plays a role in the sensations produced by some addictive drugs. The researchers found that people with the gene for the D4 dopamine receptor were likelier to seek new experiences than people without this receptor. How they pursue their novelty-seeking, however, will be determined by their experiences. A novelty-seeker encouraged to be athletic, for instance, might try bungee jumping, while someone from a cerebral environment might become an inventor.
14) Reach out to Jesus: Dale Carnegie relates in his famous book, How to Stop Worrying and Start Living, the resilience of a discouraged and disheartened book salesman, John R. Antony. Antony knew his job thoroughly, but, somehow, he never made many sales. Day by day, he was discouraged. He became afraid to call on people. Even when he went in, often, he would wish that his client wouldn’t be in the seat. The sales manager threatened to stop his advances if he didn’t send in more orders. With decreasing sales, Antony grew depressed. The only reason he did not commit suicide was because he did not have the courage to do so. Since he had no one else to turn towards, he turned towards God. He asked God to help him to give him money to feed his wife and his three children. After the prayer he opened his eyes and saw the Bible on the dresser in the hotel room. He opened the Bible read the words of Jesus: “Take no thought for your life, what you shall eat, or what you shall drink; But seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mt: 6: 25-33).” As he read and prayed over those words of Jesus, a miracle happened. His anxieties, worries and fears were transformed into heart-warming courage and hope and triumphant Faith. The next morning, he got up and dressed well and headed towards his clients with a bold and positive stride. He held his chin high and introduced himself confidently and began his selling of the books. From then on, he never turned back. Twenty-two years later he confessed this truth: “That night I had become suddenly aware of my relationship with God. A mere man alone can easily be defeated, but a man alive with the power of God within him is invincible. I know. I saw it work in my own life.” Anthony from his sinking state reached out to Christ and Christ lifted him up. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
15) A dog walking on water: An avid duck hunter was in the market for a new bird dog. His search ended when he found a dog that could actually walk on water to retrieve a duck. Shocked by his find, he was sure none of his friends would ever believe him. He decided to try to break the news to a friend of his, a pessimist by nature, and invited him to hunt with him and his new dog. As they waited by the shore, a flock of ducks flew by. they fired, and a duck fell. The dog responded and jumped into the water. The dog, however, did not sink but instead walked across the water to retrieve the bird, never getting more than his paws wet. The friend saw everything but did not say a single word. On the drive home the hunter asked his friend, “Did you notice anything unusual about my new dog?” “I sure did,” responded his friend. “He can’t swim.”
16) “It was then that I carried you.” One night a man had a dream. He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from his life. For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand; one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD. When the last scene of his life flashed before him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times in his life. This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it. “LORD, you said that once I decided to follow You, You’d walk with me all the way. But I noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life, there is only one set of footprints. I don’t understand why, when I needed You most, You would leave me.” The LORD replied, “My precious, precious child, I love you and I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.” (Fr. Tommy Lane).
17) St. Tharsilla’s Secret: Have Faith and live it: St. Tharsilla [thar-SIHL-uh] lived in Rome in the 500s. She and her sister St. Emiliana [ehm-eel-ee-YAHN-uh] were living on their father’s estate just outside the city walls. They dedicated themselves almost entirely to prayer and to serving the poor. Their brother was Pope St. Gregory the Great. Quite a family – three siblings, all of them canonized saints! They did more for the Church and society in those violent, cataclysmic years than any number of politicians, businessmen, or generals – and the secret to their fruitfulness was prayer. As St. Tharsilla lay on her deathbed in the year 550, a relative from three generations before, who had also been a saint, Pope St Felix II, appeared to her. He showed her a place in Heaven, saying, “Come; I will receive you into this habitation of light…” After that, her deathbed became a place of intense joy, not of sorrow and anxiety. Just a couple days after that vision, Tharsilla entered into her agony, and her last words before dying were: “Away! Away! My Savior Jesus is coming!” It was Christmas Eve. A few days afterwards, St. Tharsilla appeared to her sister, St. Emiliana, and called her to come and celebrate the Epiphany in Heaven. And indeed, St Emiliana died on the eve of January 6, the feast of the Epiphany. — These two saints lived such an intimate friendship with Jesus that not even life’s greatest suffering – the sickness and death of a loved one, could steal their joy or interior peace. They truly were citizens of Heaven, even while they lived beautiful, inspiring lives here on earth. Of course, holiness like that doesn’t happen randomly. (E-Priest).
18) The Paradox of Infant Baptism: This is one reason why many non-Catholic Christian denominations condemn the ancient, Catholic practice of infant Baptism. For them, Faith is a personal commitment to follow Jesus Christ, and Baptism is the symbol of that commitment. And so, for them, it makes no sense to baptize a baby who is too young to be able to make a personal commitment. Of course, they are forgetting that Faith is much more than just a “personal commitment” – though it is certainly nothing less. Faith is first and foremost a gift of God’s grace. This is the difference between Faith and self-help. Jesus saved us while we were still sinners, and Jesus’ saving love changed our hearts – not the other way around. When we baptize babies that’s what we are focusing on: God’s unconditional generosity in offering us salvation not as a reward for something we did, but purely out of love. The Gospels tell us about many parents who asked Jesus to come and heal their sick or dying So, the non-Catholic Christians who criticize infant Baptism are confused about that point; they are forgetting that friendship with Christ begins with God’s free gift of grace. But they aren’t confused when they criticize Catholics for being so caught up in external rituals that we sometimes neglect our personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Parents who have their children baptized, for example, but then never teach their children how to pray, are only doing half their job. And our non-Catholic brothers and sisters are right to call us to task for it. (E-Priest).
19) Walking on Water:A Man Called Peter was a best-selling biography that was later made into a movie. It narrates the life of Peter Marshall, a Scotsman from Glasgow whose desire was to be a seaman but whose destiny took him to the U.S. Senate as chaplain. As a lad, Peter enlisted in the British Navy, but his career had lasted only two days when it was discovered that he was only 14 years old. Later, when working as a machinist and teaching Sunday School, Peter felt the call to be a minister. Persuaded by a cousin to come across to America, Peter set out in Faith to cross the cold waters of the North Atlantic. With little money, no friends and only a job reference, Peter likened himself to other men of Faith who ventured into the unknown, men like the patriarch Abraham, the explorer Columbus, and the pioneer Brigham Young. The Lord continued to guide Peter Marshall in surprising ways through the Presbyterian ministry, in marriage to Catherine, in his parish assignments and finally to his fame as chaplain to the U.S. Senate. Peter Marshall died in 1949 when he was only 46, but in that short lifetime he inspired thousands of people by his preaching, his friendliness, and above all by his life of prayer. — Another man called Peter, who ventured over water, is the subject of today’s Gospel. God is calling many of us to walk on the water, to move into the unknown. What kind of Faith do we have? Will we sink with Peter or set sail with Peter Marshall? (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).
20) Hanging by an inch: There is a character in the classic work Don Quixote named Pancho Sanchez. Pancho Sanchez hangs in fear from the ledge of a window all night long, too frightened to let go. When morning dawns he discovers his toes are only an inch off the ground. It’s amusing to think of Simon Peter climbing out of the boat trying to imitate his Lord by walking on the water. Then, like a cartoon character, he makes the mistake of looking around. “What in the world am I doing?” he asks himself and suddenly he begins to sink. — How often that happens in life! People are charting a successful course in their business, in their marriage, in their walk with Christ, and then they begin to listen to their fears. “What if I fail? What if the market fails? What if my Faith is misplaced?” and they begin slowly to sink. (King Duncan, Barking Pigs and Determined Disciples).
21) Storm in a parish- Fr. Andrew Greeley’s story: One upon a time a battered parish priest approached his Bishop. “I want to retire,” he said. “You’re not old enough to retire.”“Yeah, but I’m worn out. My laity are fighting one another, my young people don’t come to Church. My parish Council has no guts. My teenagers drink too much. My staff members are in constant conflict. A couple of women are trying to take over the parish. Men can’t stand the tension. My collections are down. Spies are reporting me to you every week. Grammar school kids are breaking windows and writing graffiti. I receive anonymous hate mail every day.” The Bishop sighed loudly, that West of Ireland sigh which suggests the advent of a serious asthma attack. “Let me tell you about my problems.” The two men sat in silence for a few minutes after they had exchanged woes. “Well,” said the bishop, “congratulations on having a lively parish. It’s still alive and kicking and Jesus is active in your parish boat calming the sea.” So, the pastor went back to his parish resolving to walk on the stormy parish sea with Jesus. He did not resign.
22) A gypsy family who survived the Holocaust by Faith:In war, the saying goes, there is no one who is right. There are only those who are left. From the early 1940’s, there comes the true story of a gypsy family who survived the Holocaust of World War II. The family were members of a traveling circus that toured throughout eastern Europe. In one of the family acts, a teenage daughter would jump from a high wire with no net below, and her father would catch her. The account goes that one day her father left the apartment they were staying early, leaving the daughter alone in the apartment. Later that morning, there was a knock on the door. When she opened it, she found a stranger who said he had a message from her father. The stranger told her the message was as follows: Nazi troops were coming into town and she needed to escape. But it was far too risky for the father to enter the town or the daughter to escape in the daylight hours. Their only hope was to escape at night. So, the stranger told her that at 2 in the morning she was to walk out to the northwest corner of the apartment building. And right at 2AM, she was to jump from the rooftop and her father would be below to catch her. Understandably, the daughter was confused. She didn’t know the messenger. She didn’t know whether the message he gave her was actually from her father. She wasn’t even positive which corner of the apartment building was the northwest corner. Well, as the day went on the Nazis did in fact enter the town and take up positions. That night at 2am the daughter went to the rooftop. She looked down and it was pure blackness. She whispered, “Father, are you there?” No answer. And then she jumped…..and her father caught her! — Leaps of faith are normally less dramatic, but they are no less real. In order to act in good Faith, the young daughter had to trust. First, she had to trust that the stranger was really sent by her father. Second, she had to trust that the message was her father’s message. Finally, she had to trust that she herself would leap from the correct corner of the rooftop, and that her father would be ready below. We find Peter making a leap of Faith. (Rev. Tom Mannebach)
23) Sign and Countersign:In December 1874, the steamship Edwin, enroute to Australia from a Washington State port, sprang a bad leak off Vancouver Island, and had to drop anchor. Some Hesquiat Indians on the nearby shore, seeing that the ship was in distress, jumped into their canoes, and braved high waves to come to the sailors’ aid. However, the crew feared that the natives were hostile, so they gestured them away. Although these Indians were not yet Christian, they had already learned of the Christian respect for the sign of the cross. To prove that they came in peace, they blessed themselves so that the sailors could see them. As a countersign, the crew also made the sign of the cross. Then they let the Hesquiats come aboard the foundering vessel. Shortly after, rescuers and shipwrecked disembarked in the canoes and soon reached the safety of the beach. …Jesus hastened to reassure them: “Get hold of yourselves! It is I. Do not be afraid!” (Matthew, 14:27. Gospel of the day.) -Father Robert F. McNamara.
24) Storms confront us all the time in Ordinary Time.
Sometimes those storms are shared by large numbers of people. That’s the reality of globalization. Today, no one is untouched by global warming. Islands in the South Pacific find themselves underwater. The Polar ice caps recede each year. California experiences drought, beef prices rise and fisher folks on Cape Cod find their industry dying. A small tropical storm off the coast of Africa becomes a Stage 5 Hurricane battering the Gulf Coast of the United States. A tiny virus in China becomes a global pandemic. Terrorism in Latin America floods our borders with young children. Reality confronts us in Ordinary Time. Those storms also take highly individualized form. Last week I lost a close friend from high school, a talented artist with a gallery in Rockport. His wife and daughter and their families are going through a storm today. Later in the service we will pray for others whose personal boats are being crashed by waves. –Maybe it’s illness, maybe it’s a fractured relationship, maybe it’s economic uncertainty. Sometimes, the storms are visible to others and sometimes they are hidden, but the storms are very real. But today’s Gospel passage reminds us that God and Jesus are with us in life’s toughest moments, when waves threaten to drown us.
25) “God sometimes whispers.”There is a story told about a young man and an old preacher. The young man had lost his job and didn’t know which way to turn. So, he went to see the old preacher. Pacing about the preacher’s study, the young man ranted about his problem. Finally, he clenched his fist and shouted, “I’ve begged God to say something to help me. Tell me, Preacher, why doesn’t God answer?”The old preacher, who sat across the room, spoke something in reply – something so hushed, it was indistinguishable. The young man stepped across the room. “What did you say?” he asked. The preacher repeated himself, but again in a tone as soft as a whisper. So, the young man moved closer until he was leaning on the preacher’s chair. “Sorry,” he said. “I still didn’t hear you.” With their heads bent together, the old preacher spoke once more. “God sometimes whispers,” he said, “so that we will move closer to hear Him.” This time the young man heard, and he understood. — We all want God’s voice to thunder through the air with the answer to our problem. But God’s is the still, small voice… the gentle whisper. Perhaps there’s a reason. Nothing draws human focus quite like a whisper. God’s whisper means I must stop my ranting and move close to Him, until my head is bent together with His. Then, as I listen, I will find my answer. Better still, I find myself closer to God.
You may visit my website by clicking on http://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.” Kindly visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies under CBCI or Fr. Tony for my website version. (Special thanks to Vatican official website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020) My post-retirement contact postal address in the U. S. is Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. M. C. Joseph, Pastor St. Agatha Catholic Parish 1001 Hand Ave, Bay Minette, AL 36507 36507. Contact me by email only atakadavil@gmail.com. I am back at my home in my home country since June 2023. I live in my home in my home country since my final retirement in June 2023. Hence please contact me only by email (akadavil@gmail.com).
“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 47) by Fr. Tony: 
Fr Tony's Homilies 
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