ASCENSION OF OUR LORD (May 9 & 12, 2024) Eight-minute homily in one page

Introduction: Today’s readings describe the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into his Heavenly glory after promising his disciples the Holy Spirit as their source of Heavenly power and commanding them to bear witness to him throughout the world by their lives and preaching. But the ascended Jesus is still with us through his indwelling Holy Spirit as he has promised, “I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.” Today’s feast is a celebration of Jesus’ final glorification after his suffering, death, and Resurrection – a glory in which we, too, hope to share.

The Scripture lessons:The first reading gives an account of the event of the Ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructedhis apostlesto remain in Jerusalem and wait for the baptism by the Holy Spiritso that they might become his “witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then a cloud took Jesus from the sight of the disciples and two Heavenly messengers in white garments gave them the assurance of Jesus’ “second coming” or return in glory. The Refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 47) suggests that by his Ascension, the risen Lord “mounts his throne” in glory. In the second reading, Paul explains the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation, giving us the assurance that one day, we, too, will be ascending to Heavenly Glory, provided we fulfill the mission entrusted to us by the ascending Lord.

Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus ascended to Heaven after giving his final blessing and missionary command to his disciples. The command was to “proclaim the Good News to the whole creation,” “to be his witnesses,” and “to make disciples of all nations.” (Mt 28:16-20, Mk 16:15-20, Lk 24:46-53, Acts 1:1-11).

Life messages: 1) We need to be proclaimers and evangelizers: To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming. We preach with words, but we proclaim with our lives. Let us ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit, as we bear witness to Jesus by our transparent Christian lives.

2) We have a teaching mission: Jesus taught us lessons of Faith, Hope, Love, forgiveness, mercy, and salvation by his life and preaching and gave as we have experienced our Lord and Savior. 3) The ascended Jesus is our source of strength and encouragement: We will be able to overcome doubts about our Faith, as well as baseless fears, anxieties and worries, by meditating on Jesus’ Ascension and the lesson it teaches — that we, too, are called to share his glory in Heaven.

THE FEAST OF ASCENSION OF OUR LORD [B] – (May 9 or 12, 2024) (Acts 1:1-11; Eph 1:17-23 or 4:1-13; Mk 16:15-20)

Homily starter anecdotes # 1: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera Turandot.  The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca.  It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends’ advice to rest, and to save his energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, “If I don’t finish Turandot, I want you to finish it.” He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written by Turandot, studied it in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and Maestro Arturo Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, “Thus far the master wrote, but he died.” There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, “But his disciples finished his work.” The opera closed to thunderous applause and found a permanent place in the annals of great works. — Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving mankind by proclaiming His Good News by words and deeds. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: “Is this thing working?” There is the funny story of the raw army recruit standing at attention on the drill field. The drill instructor yells, “Forward, march!” And the entire ranks begin to move, all except this one raw recruit. He’s still standing there at attention. So, the drill instructor strolls over to him and yells in his right ear, “Is this thing working?” “Sir, yes, sir!” the recruit yells. Then the drill instructor walks around to the other ear and yells, “Is this thing working?” “Sir, yes, sir!” The soldier says. “Then why didn’t you march when I gave the order?” “Sir, I didn’t hear you call my name.” — Some of us are like that soldier standing around waiting for God to call our names. But the great commission given by Jesus on the day of his Ascension is a blanket order. It has everyone’s name on it. And you can be sure that the Man in charge says, “Go! Make disciples! Teach!” It is your mission and my mission. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: “I have no other plan — it must work.” A beautiful old story tells of how Jesus, after his Ascension into Heaven, was surrounded by the holy angels who began to enquire about his work on earth.  Jesus told them about his birth, life, preaching, death and Resurrection, and how he had accomplished the salvation of the world.  The angel Gabriel asked, “Well, now that you are back in Heaven, who will continue your work on earth?”  Jesus said, “While I was on earth, I gathered a group of people around me who believed in me and loved me.   They will continue to spread the Gospel and carry on the work of the Church.” Gabriel was perplexed.  “You mean Peter, who denied you thrice and all the rest who ran away when you were crucified?  You mean to tell us that you left them to carry on your work? And what will you do if this plan doesn’t work?”  Jesus said, “I have no other plan — it must work.” — Truly, Jesus has no other plan than to depend on the grace-assisted efforts of his followers!  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction:  Today’s readings describe the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into his Heavenly glory after promising the Holy Spirit as the source of Heavenly power for his disciples and commanding them to bear witness to him by their lives and preaching throughout the world.  What is celebrated is Jesus’ exaltation and the end of his earthly existence as a prelude to the gift of the Spirit.  The ascended Jesus is still with us because of his promise, “I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.”  He is with us at all times and in all places, releasing a new energy upon the earth, the energy of the Holy Spirit to preach his Good News of salvation by bearing witness to him.  Hence, today’s feast is the celebration of Jesus’ glory after his suffering and death – the glory in which we also hope to share.  The Ascension and Pentecost, together, mark the beginning of the Church.  The feast of the Ascension tells us that the Church must be a community in mission, guided by God’s Spirit and confident of God’s protection even amid suffering and death.

Scripture readings summarized: The first reading (Acts 1:1-11)  gives an account of the event of Ascension as recorded in the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles. First, Jesus instructed his apostles to wait in Jerusalem for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 1:4-5), so that they might become his “witnesses to the ends of the earth” by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then “a cloud took him from their sight” (Acts 1:9), and two Heavenly messengers in white garments gave them the assurance of Jesus’ return in glory.

Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 47) sings, “For the LORD, the Most High, the Awesome, is the Great King over all the earth…” (Ps 47:3), celebrating God’s universal Kingship. The Psalm was originally sung in connection with a cultic procession honoring the Ark of the Covenant. By his Ascension, Jesus, the risen Lord, enters into the Glory of God.  As the Responsorial Psalm refrains has us sing,  “God mounts his throne to shouts of joy, a blare of trumpets for the Lord!”

 In the second reading (Eph 1:17-23  or 4:1-13): Paul explains the theological meaning of Jesus’ exaltation by saying,   “May God enlighten the eyes of our hearts so that we may know the great hope to which we have been called” (Eph 1:18).  Our great hope is that one day we too will be ascending to Heavenly glory, provided we complete our part of the mission entrusted to us by our ascending Lord. Our mission is to preach the Good News of salvation to the whole world by word and deed. We will continue to receive the Divine assistance and spiritual gifts necessary for our Christian witness-bearing through the Gift of Jesus and the Father to us of the Holy Spirit living within us.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives his final message, final instructions, final promise, and final blessing to his apostles and us. Our mission, as recorded in Mark, Acts and Mathew, is to 1) proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15). 2) “Preach the good news and be my witnesses:” (Acts 1:8). 3) “Make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19).   Completing Jesus’ mission should be our goal in life, and the prospect of sharing the ascended Jesus’ Heavenly glory should be the driving force of our lives.  Our message will only be validated as coming from God if it can be seen in our living with one another in peace and harmony.

Exegetical notes: A) The Ascension: Each Sunday we profess through the Creed, “He ascended into Heaven.”  Christ’s Ascension was the culmination of God’s Divine plan for Christ Jesus, his return to his Father with “Mission Accomplished.”  Jesus’ Ascension is the grand finale of all his words and works done for us and for our salvation.  It is a culmination, but not the conclusion.  One wonder is that, though Jesus is now with God in glory, he continues to remain with us, dwelling within us together with the Father and the Holy Spirit: “Lo, I am with you always.” The Feast of the Ascension celebrates one aspect of the Resurrection, namely Jesus’ exaltation.  He did not wait 40 days to be glorified at God’s right hand. That had already happened at his Resurrection. Like the 40 days after Easter during which He appeared to many in Israel, this public Ascension into Heaven was given to us for our sakes. The 40 days allowed many to experience personally Jesus’ Resurrection and his being alive in a glorified body as fact to be counted upon — reality, and the fulfillment of prophecy. The focus of this Feast is the Heavenly reign of Christ, and the Lord’s being “seated at God’s right hand,” meaning that He alone will be in control of the continuing plan of salvation through the Holy Spirit, unrestricted by time, space, or culture. It is there, at the “right hand of God,” that Jesus continues to make intercession for all of us with the Father.  Thus, the Paschal Mystery — Jesus’ passion, death, Resurrection, Ascension, and the sending of the Holy Spirit – is a single, unbroken Reality, which is to be understood by Faith. By His Ascension, Jesus, the risen Christ, True God and True Man, is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit in glory forever.

1. B) A belief based on Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture: There is no written evidence of celebrations of this event until the fourth century, when one of the early Church Fathers, Augustine of Hippo, preached about it in a sermon. It is widely believed that the feast has been observed since the time of the Apostles, dating back to 68 AD. There are many references both in the Old and New Testament of the Bible, concerning Ascension. Some of these references refer to events that occured before the event. For example, in Psalms, David foretold the Ascension of the Lord when he spoke of the enthronement of the Lord at the right hand of the Father, Psalms (110:1). The Lord Jesus Himself had spoken to His disciples about His Ascension. For example, while they struggled to understand Jesus’ suffering and death, He told them that He was “going to the Father,” Jn (14:12). While on trial, Jesus had told the High Priest, “From now on, you will see the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of God most powerful, and coming on the clouds of heaven,” Mt (26:64). While Mary Magdalene was at the tomb weeping, Jesus referred to His coming Ascension and return to the Father, Jn (20:17). The apostle Peter, in his sermon at Pentecost and in his first letter to Christian communities, cited David’s prediction and asserted the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His Ascension to the throne at right hand of God (Acts 2:34-36; 1 Pt 3:22). However, only the Gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles have descriptions of the event itself (Lk 24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11). Although there is considerable overlap between these two texts, Luke, probably the author of both books, gives us an inside glimpse into how the events, as reported by his sources, occurred. In the Gospel, Luke recounts that Jesus had led his disciples out of the city of Jerusalem to a place near Bethany, and “he raised his hands and blessed them. As he blessed them, he parted from them and was taken up to Heaven,” Lk 24:50-51). So, as Jesus was blessing his disciples, much as a priest would bless the people, two things occurred. Jesus “parted from them” and “was taken up to Heaven.”
2. C) The Ascension account: The Biblical accounts of the Ascension focus not so much on the details of the event as on the mission Jesus gave to his disciples.  For example, in the accounts narrated in Luke and Acts, the Ascension took place in Jerusalem.  In Matthew and Mark, on the other hand, the event occurred in Galilee. All accounts, however, agree that the Ascension, a real event, happening in real time, and observed by real people, took place on a mountain.  In Luke and Acts, the Ascension happened forty days after the Resurrection, a period during which Jesus appeared repeatedly to his followers.  In Matthew and Mark there is no indication of the time period between the Resurrection and the Ascension.  The Gospel writers apparently were not aiming at accuracy of historical detail, for their concern was with transmitting Our Lord’s message to all the world.
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   D) The Ascension message: “Preach the Good News and be my witnesses:” Matthew, Mark and Acts record Jesus’ last words differently: 1) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  2) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:19-21).  3) “Go into all the world and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation” (Mk 16:15).  All are in agreement that (a) Jesus gave his disciples a mission of bearing witness to him by preaching and living the Good News.  They are to tell and re-tell the story of Jesus’ life, suffering, death and Resurrection, Ascension, and sending of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and Mary.  (b) He assured them of the Divine assistance of the Holy Spirit in the carrying out of this mission. There is a question you may have heard, which goes, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would they find enough evidence to convict you?” Today’s Gospel challenges us to provide enough evidence!  Augustine proclaimed these words on the Feast: “Today our Lord Jesus Christ ascended into heaven; let our hearts ascend with him. Listen to the words of the Apostle: ‘If you have risen with Christ, set your hearts on the things that are above where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God; seek the things that are above, not the things that are on earth.’ For just as he remained with us even after his Ascension, so we too are already in Heaven with him, even though what is promised us has not yet been fulfilled in our bodies.”
4. E) Christmas and Ascension: The Ascension is most closely related in meaning to Christmas. In Jesus, the human and the Divine became united in the person and life of one man. That’s Christmas.  At the Ascension, this human being – the Person with the risen, glorified body of Jesus – became for all eternity a part of who God IS.  It was not the spirit of Jesus or the Divine nature of Jesus alone that ascended to the Father.  It was the risen Jesus, whole, alive, and entire, in his glorified Body that ascended. This is the Body which the disciples had touched, the Body in which Jesus had eaten and drunk with them both before and after His Resurrection, a real, physical body, but now, risen from the dead, a gloriously restored body, bearing the marks of nails and a spear.  This is what/Who ascended.  This is what/Who, now and forever, is a living, participating part of God. The Ascension, along with the Incarnation, is here to tell us that it is a good thing to be a human being; indeed, it is a wonderful and an important and a holy thing to be a human being.  It is such an important thing that God did it.  Even more, the fullness of God now includes what it means to be a human being.

[Biblical basis for the defense of a literal Ascension: Two of the Evangelists, Mark (16:19-20), and Luke twice (Lk 24:50-53; Acts 1: 6-12), recount a literal Ascension.  1) Mark says, “He was taken up into Heaven, and took His seat at the right hand of God” (Mk 16:19). Like all the evangelists, Mark was concerned with an accurate report of the events and teachings of Jesus’ life on earth as the Messiah of God, Savior of humankind and the universe. Further, Mark is seen traditionally to be associated with Peter and to be the recorder of Peter’s account of his experiences with Jesus during the three or so years of Jesus’ life in flesh and time. Mark’s purpose was to save the materials of the eyewitnesses (as these people were beginning to be eliminated by martyrdom), and to spread the Good News to other local Church communities as well as to his own. If the Ascension had not happened visibly, he would certainly not have said it did.

2) Luke, who declares specifically at the head of his Gospel the pains he has taken to verify the accuracy of the details of every event he narrates (Lk 1:1-4), declares his reason for this labor: “I, too, have decided, after investigating accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received” (Lk 1:3-4).  In his Gospel account of the Ascension, Luke says, “Then He led them [out] as far as Bethany, raised His hands and blessed them. As He blessed them, He parted from them and was taken up to Heaven. They did Him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the Temple, praising God” (Lk 24: 50-53).

 3) Luke wrote Acts, as he explains, as a continuation of his verified, accurate “narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us” (Lk 1:1), which had already been written down by “eyewitnesses.” His verifications of the events in the later history of the Apostles, would certainly have been given the same painstaking attention, and labor he had employed in composing the Gospel and for the same reason – to provide certainty in the teachings Theophilus had received. Luke picks up the account with the 40-day period after the Resurrection, material he had not unfolded in the Gospel.

4) When he comes to the Ascension, Luke reports the initial question of the Apostles about the restoration of the Kingdom to Israel, meaning the Kingdom of God, and Jesus’ response: “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that The Father has established by His own authority” (Acts 1:6-7). Luke also includes Jesus’ promise that the Holy Spirit will come to them — “you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Thus, Theophilus (and so all of us), are assured that the teachings we have from the successors of the Apostles come to us from the Holy Spirit Who, Jesus had told them, (and us), before His death and Rising,  “will not come unless I go.”

5) Immediately thereafter, Luke reports, “When He had said this, as they were looking on, He was lifted up, and a cloud took Him from their sight” (Acts 1:9). Not only does this “lifting up” complete the meaning and purpose of the “lifting up” of the crucifixion, it also states that the Ascension was aliteral reality, just as His Resurrection was literally real and just as His sufferings and His death on the cross were literally real.  From that it follows that all that flows from this Paschal Mystery’s reality is also real, from God, and essential for belief.

6) That Luke meant the details he had so carefully gathered and checked to be taken literally is demonstrated by his inclusion of what happened next. He reports,

“While they [the Apostles and disciples] were still looking intently up at the sky as He was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, ‘Men of Galilee, why are you standing there, looking at the sky? This Jesus Who has been taken up from you into Heaven will return in the same way as you have seen Him going into Heaven’” (Acts 1:10-11). 

7) And now we see why it is so important for Theophilus (and for us, today), to understand that the Ascension was a literal reality: it is the promise of Jesus’ own return to us in glory, to judge the living and the dead and to take us home with Him.   As for the mountain, Matthew (Mt 28:16-20) mentions the mountain and ends with the declaration of the Lord, “And behold, I will be with you always, until the end of the age” Luke also reports the mountain, but not until he has dealt with the really important truths we have just examined. He ends his account with the report, “Then they returned to Jerusalem from the Mount called Olivet, which is a Sabbath day’s journey away” (Acts 1:12)]. 

Life messages: 1) We need to be proclaimers and evangelizers: In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives his mission to all believers: “Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” This mission is not given to a select few but to all believers. To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming. “We preach with words but we proclaim with our lives.” As we celebrate the Lord’s return to His Father in Heaven – His Ascension — we are being commissioned to go forth and proclaim the Gospel of life, love, hope, and peace, by the witness of our lives. On this day of hope, encouragement and commissioning, let us renew our commitment to be true disciples everywhere we go, beginning with our family and our parish, “living in a manner worthy of the call [we] have received.” Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, says: “All the baptized, whatever their position in the Church or their level of instruction in the Faith, are agents of evangelization, and it would be insufficient to envisage a plan of evangelization to be carried out by professionals while the rest of the faithful would simply be passive recipients. … Indeed, anyone who has truly experienced God’s saving love does not need much time or lengthy training to go out and proclaim that love.”

2) We need to live a life of Christian Joy in the presence of the ascended Lord. According to Luke, the disciples “returned to Jerusalem with great joy.” Apparently, Jesus’ exaltation and final blessing gave them, as it gives us, the assurance that, though absent, Jesus is still present, even in the pain and sorrow we undergo. That is why St. Augustine assures us, “Christ is now exalted above the Heavens, but he still suffers on earth all the pain that we, the members of his Body, have to bear. He showed this when He cried out from above: ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’ and when He said: ‘I was hungry and you gave me food.’ While in Heaven He is also with us; and while on earth we are with Him. He is here with us by His Divinity, His power and His love. We cannot be in Heaven, as He is on earth, by Divinity, but in Him, we can be there by love.” (Sermon on the Ascension of the Lord, Mai” 98,1-7: PLS 2, 429-495) “With a spirit of wisdom and insight to know him clearly,” (Eph 1:17), we can discover Christ’s presence at every turn of our life’s journeys to his final return at the end of time.

3) We have a teaching mission:  Jesus gave us lessons in Faith, Hope, Love, forgiveness, mercy, and Redemption.  We cannot put these lessons on a shelf and ignore them.  They stand before us in the person of Jesus.  Although no longer visibly present in the world, He is present in his words. We must make his words real in our lives and in the lives of others. Christianity was meant to be a Faith in which Jesus’ followers would help and care for others, just as Jesus had done, and in so doing, care for Jesus in them.   But the spreading of the Good News to all nations is not a goal that can be attained by human might and craft.  This is why Jesus promises to empower his messengers with His abiding presence and that of the Holy Spirit.   The challenge of sharing the Good News with all mankind should, therefore, begin with our admission that we have often been arrogant and overbearing.  We must learn to be humble and let the Holy Spirit lead the way.

4) The ascended Jesus is our source of strength and encouragement: Perhaps some of the nagging doubts, which inevitably accompany the journey of Faith, could be lessened by our meditating on the Ascension and its implications. When we are too far from Faith to pray on our own, let us remember that we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ, the Righteous, praying for us. When the trials of life feel too heavy to bear, we must remember that Christ will come again in glory, the same glory in which He arose from the tomb, the same glory in which He ascended, and the same glory in which He currently abides. Though our limited perception might find Jesus absent, our Lord is fully present, participating in every moment of our lives. By His Ascension, Christ has not deserted us but has made it possible for the Holy Spirit to enter all times and places. In this way it is possible for each of us to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit into agents or instruments of Christ. We are enlivened, and our actions become animated in a new way by Holy Spirit as we serve the God we love. Each of us, particularly, each ministerial priest, has become “another Christ” (alter Christus) in the world.

JOKES OF THE WEEK

# 1: The Ascension mission to preach the Gospel: After attending a convention led by Billy Graham a woman wrote to him. “Dear Sir, I feel that God is calling me to preach the Gospel. But the trouble is that I have twelve children. What shall I do?” The televangelist replied: “Dear Madam, I am delighted to hear that God has called you to preach the Gospel. I am even more delighted to hear that He has already provided you with a congregation in your own home!”

# 2: “We’re in heaven already!” The story is told about a priest who, talking about heaven in his homily, said: “We bring nothing with us when we die. There is no money in heaven! People in heaven have no money!” The whole congregation was quiet, till a little girl whispered to her mother loud enough for all to hear: “Mama, mama, we’re in Heaven already!”

#3: And after death ascend or descend? At the end of school what do you want to do?  I want to do my Senior Certificate. After your Senior Certificate what do you want to do? – I want to go to college. After college what do you want to do?
– I want to get a job. Then what do you want to do? – I want to make big money. What do you want to do after making money? – I want to build a big house. After that what do you intend to do? – I want to get married. What will you do after getting married? – I will have a family. What will you do after having a family? – I will retire. What do you want to do after you retire? – I want to take a rest. What will you do after taking a rest? – I don’t know. Will you die? – Oh yes, I will die too. What will happen after death? – I am not sure!

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

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

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

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)

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

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

 6) Fr. James Farfaglia website: http://fatherjames.org/about/

7) Catholic Online Directory: http://www.catholic.org/

8) Bishop Robert Barron’s video on the Ascension of the Lord: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=PxDTY_9w6ws

9)Breviary (Liturgy of the Hours) for the whole year on your desktop:

http://www.liturgies.net/Liturgies/Catholic/loh/loh.htm

10) Love God’s creation: Frazil ice in streams: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9V9p4mFEYXc&feature=player_embedded   

33 Additional anecdotes:

1) The Unfinished Painting: Leonardo da Vinci had started to work on a large canvas in his studio.  For a while he worked at it – choosing the subject, planning the perspective, sketching the outline, applying the colors, with his own inimitable genius.  Then suddenly he stopped working on it.  Summoning one of his talented students, the master invited him to complete the work.  The horrified student protested that he was both unworthy and unable to complete the great painting, which his master had begun.  But da Vinci silenced him.  “Will not what I have done inspire you to do your best?”  — Jesus our Master began to spread the Good News two thousand years ago by what he said and did and, supremely, by what he suffered.  He illustrated his message and he has left us to finish the picture.  Will his life not inspire us to finish the picture? This is the message of the Ascension (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) Solar Power: One of the national coordinators of Sun Day held early in May every year is Denis Hayes. He worked as researcher at a Washington D.C. “think-tank” and has written a book on solar energy entitled Rays of Hope: The Transition to a Post-Petroleum World. Hayes claims that we are at the crossroads of making a critical choice for mankind – the choice between going solar or going nuclear for a power source. Hayes opts for the sun because it is “the world’s only inexhaustible, predictable, egalitarian, non-polluting, safe, terrorist-resistant and free energy source.” We’ve already learned to use the power of the sun to grow food, make wine and operate greenhouses. All we need to do is develop better technology to harness solar energy to heat houses, drive our cars and run our industry. People like Hayes are looking at the sky with its sun as the main source of our future energy supply. —  Today we turn our attention to the sky for another reason: to commemorate our Lord’s Ascension into Heaven. In the first reading, from Acts, Jesus makes a promise: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes down on you.” That Spirit is the power source that can give all the energy we need to live our lives to the full. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Passing the Baton: The critical moment in a relay race is the passing of the baton from one runner to another. More relays are won or lost at that moment than at any other.  — The feast of the Ascension might be compared to the passing of the baton in a relay race. On this day over 2,000 years ago, Jesus passed the baton of responsibility for the Kingdom of God to his followers. Jesus commissioned them to complete the work he had begun. Practically, what does this mean? How do you and I, in the 21^st century, carry out Jesus’ commission to be his witnesses to the world and his teachers to the nations? There are as many ways to do this as there are Christians. We can do what two 25-year-old university graduates did recently. After completing their degrees, one from Georgetown and the other from Marquette, they entered the Seminary. We can do what Albert Schweitzer did. At the age of 30 he abandoned his music career in Europe to study medicine and became a missionary doctor in Africa. We can do what the baseball coach of Spring Hill College, Alabama, did a few years back. At the age of 35 he resigned his position and began his studies for the priesthood. We can do what a Poor Clare (Franciscan) nun, Mother Angelica, did. In her 50’s, she began a Catholic religious television channel, EWTN. We can do what St. Teresa of Calcutta  (Mother Teresa) did. [Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted in Net for Life.) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 4) Great commissions: Actually, there have been many persons given exciting commissions in their lifetimes. There was Michelangelo’s commission to paint the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, Sir Christopher Wren’s commission to re-build St. Paul’s Cathedral in London following the Great Fire (September 2-6, 1666), Walter Reed’s assignment to stop yellow fever at the “Big Ditch” in Panama (the Panama Canal), Chamberlain’s orders to stop the Confederates at Little Roundtop in Gettysburg and, more recently, the mission of the U.S. Navy Seals to get the terrorist master-mind, Bin Laden, dead or alive. — But I tell you, in my life and yours, there is an even greater commission. It is found here in Mt 28:18-20 where Jesus Christ turns to his disciples and says, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 5) “Torpedo evangelism.” Rebecca Pippert, the author of Out of the Salt Shaker: Into the World, tells of a time she was sitting in her car at a traffic light with her window rolled down. As the light turned green a car drove by and its occupant threw something into her car hitting her on the cheek. It didn’t hurt but she was so startled that she pulled over immediately. When she unrolled the paper, she discovered it was a Gospel tract. She says she was the apparent victim of what she refers to as “torpedo evangelism.” — I’m sure the torpedoer meant well. At least I hope so, but he or she did the wrong thing for the right reason in the wrong way. We can engage people in conversation about their Faith and their relationship with God in a non-judgmental manner. We can encourage. We can invite. We can offer counsel. But we leave the hard work, the heart work, up to Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You see, we are not on some sort of spiritual mugging mission! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Reaching Peak Performance: One of the superstars in that professional speakers’ circuit is a man named Charles Garfield. He is a psychologist from San Francisco. He makes up to 150 speeches a year, he says. Truth be told, he makes one speech 150 times. He began his career as a mathematician for NASA. He was part of the Apollo Project that put a man on the moon. He left NASA to study psychology. He became interested in what motivates people to reach their highest possible achievement in this life. He went to Berkeley and got a PhD in psychology. Then he interviewed 1,500 people on how they achieved what he called “peak performance.” He published that result in a book, and then he started on the lecture circuit. He said the one thing that all peak performers have in common is a sense of mission. “What you need in this life if you want to have fulfillment is a sense of mission.”—”To “have a mission” means to be commissioned to give oneself fully and freely, to something that is greater than oneself. If accepted, fulfilling that mission becomes one’s reason for doing and suffering everything entailed, gladly. The most important   mission of all is offered to each of us by Jesus Who at the conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel, commissions His Apostles and us, saying:  “All power in Heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age” (Mt 28:18-20). Not only does the Church have a mission to perform in this world, but everybody in the Church is has a part in performing that mission, if one chooses to accept it and live it out. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “They don’t drink no water.” The chief warrant officer was brought before the provost marshal and asked if he had received the general’s order. “Yes, Sir.”
“Then why didn’t you comply?” roared the provost.
“Well, Sir, I didn’t think it applied to us.”
“And why not?”
“Because, Sir, when my men go to town, they don’t drink no water.”[Robert L. Jamison, “Humor in Uniform,” Laughter, the Best Medicine, (New York: Berkley Books, 1981), p. 29.] –Fortunately, those men who first heard the ascending Lord’s orders did not look for ways to get around them but did what they were told to do. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Nietchze and Hitler: Nietchze, the German philosopher, said, “God is dead and the stench of his corpse is all across Europe.” He advocated humanism and proposed the development of a “superman” of Aryan heritage, protected by selective breeding and superior education. The Nazi Party picked up his idea, and men like Hitler, Goering, Goebbels, Mengele, Himmler, and Rommel set about building such a society in Germany’s Third Reich. But it all ended with bullets, bombs, chaos, and suffering such as the world has seldom seen. — The Christian Faith has no less a plan. But it involves a higher order. Hitler would have renewed man by his own efforts. We seek to renew the human race by the work of God. Our mission as given by the ascending Jesus is not to make converts or Church members, but baptized, obedient, evangelizing disciples! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Three-step Baptism:  In one of the great cathedrals of Europe there is a baptistery that tells the story. The water flows through it reminding us that Jesus says he is the living water. To be baptized, a person walks down three steps, each one marked by a word: the world, the flesh, and the devil. Descending the steps the convert is plunged beneath the water to die to sin and then raised from the depths to newness of life in Christ. To leave the baptistery now he must climb three steps, each one marked by a word: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. —  So it is that a new creature is born, a new breed of man, a citizen of a new kingdom, a breed apart. Dead to sin, he is alive to God and sent forth to grow and love and give light to a lost and dying world. He doesn’t do it alone. He does it in the Church, in little communities. In these, people demonstrate, in their way of being together, God’s eternal kingdom come upon them. It took Michelangelo over ten years to paint the Sistine Chapel. Our missionary commission lasts until the job gets done, until life is over, “until the close of the age.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “Alter your course 10 degrees north.” Have you heard the story of a sea captain who was guiding his ship on a very dark night? He saw faint lights in the distance and told his signalman to send a message, “Alter your course 10 degrees south.” A prompt message returned, “Alter your course 10 degrees north.” The captain became angry because his command had been ignored, so he sent a second message, “I command you to alter your course 10 degrees south!” Again, a message promptly returned, “Alter your course 10 degrees north.” Infuriated, the captain sent off a third message: “I am the captain and this is a battleship. Alter your course 10 degrees south!” Once again, a prompt reply came, “Alter your course 10 degrees north – I am a lighthouse.” — These last words of Jesus are the signal we are to obey. No wonder we label the call “the Great Commission.” The tragedy of the Church – our great sin – is that the Great Commission of Jesus is our “great             omission.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) Plus Ultra = “More beyond!” “In Fourteen Hundred Ninety-two/Columbus sailed the ocean blue!” In 1992 the world marked the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ adventure in the Santa Maria. As we all now know, Columbus did not end up where he was headed, which is why some native Americans are now called Indians. This man from Genoa believed, “God granted me the gift of knowledge … (and) revealed to me that it was feasible to sail … to the Indies, and placed in me a burning desire to carry out this plan.” Columbus set out with a belief that he had tested with his mind, and with a Faith to which he was willing to give his life! How many of us can walk in Columbus’ shoes? When, on Friday, August 3, 1492, the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria, eased away from their moorings at Palos, in southern Spain, Columbus was putting his beliefs and his Faith into the realities of life. Before the reports of his trans-Atlantic travel penetrated the Old World, Spanish coins had stamped upon them an outline of the Straits of Gibraltar. Underneath the outline of the Straits was the Latin inscription Ne Plus Ultra. It translates, “No more beyond,” meaning that the world ended in the great expansive voids of water beyond the Straits. There was nothing more. But once Columbus returned home and told of what he had seen, of what he had discovered, and once that report was widely shared, new coins were minted. The inscription was changed to Plus Ultra. It translates, “More beyond!” — That is the mountaintop affirmation which came to the disciples in Galilee and the word that ends Matthew’s Gospel. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Wellington defeated: It was June, 18. 1815. Wellington and Napoleon were fighting the battle of Waterloo. This was a decisive battle. Life for many, many persons hinged on its outcome. At last, word was transmitted to London by means of semaphores – a visual code with reflected sunlight spelling out the message letter by letter. A sentry picked up the message from his post atop a great cathedral. Letter by letter he passed on the message to London. The first word was “Wellington.” The second word was “defeated.” Suddenly a very dense fog settled in upon the cathedral, making it impossible for the light to penetrate the mists and allow the message to be forwarded any further. The fog grew thicker, and its darkness was mirrored in the hearts of the Londoners who had received the word, “Wellington defeated.” It meant that Napoleon had won. The English of London were a conquered people. Hope was gone. Liberty was no more. England was ruled by another. But as suddenly as it had come, the fog lifted. The sentry returned to his tower, and went back to his duties, feverishly attempting to transmit the whole message. And London saw it – the good news breaking upon the city and telling the full story: “Wellington defeated the enemy!” —  Whether the semaphores message to London is history or fiction, it does convey the truth of Christian Faith! That truth became visible in Joseph’s garden as the earliest followers of Christ made the discovery that His Body was not in the tomb, and the angel told the women that He had risen. And they He met them on the road!  The victory message of Jesus’ word to the women, and later to the Apostles themselves is still being heard through the centuries whenever and wherever the Gospel is proclaimed and lived — that human life is both able and meant to become Life lived in two worlds – one temporal, the other eternal.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “I am the smartest man in the world”. A ridiculous story with religious significance has been making the rounds lately. It is about a pilot and three passengers a Boy Scout, a priest, and an atomic scientist in a plane that develops engine trouble in mid-flight. The pilot rushes back to the passenger compartment and exclaims, “The plane is going down! We only have three parachutes, and there are four of us! I have a family waiting for me at home. I must survive!” With that, he grabs one of the parachutes and jumps out of the plane. The atomic scientist jumps to his feet at this point and declares, “I am the smartest man in the world. It would be a great tragedy if my life were snuffed out!” With that, he also grabs a parachute and exits the plane. With an alarmed look on his face, the priest says to the Boy Scout, “My son, I have no family. I am ready to meet my Maker. You are still young with much ahead of you. You take the last parachute.” At this point, the Boy Scout interrupts the priest, “Hold on, Father. Don’t say any more. We’re all right. The world’s smartest man just jumped out of the plane wearing my backpack!” — For such “smart” people who do not believe in an afterlife, today’s feast of the Ascension seems a myth. But for Christians, it is the guarantee of their Resurrection and Ascension to Heaven. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Are we going to them? 95% of North American Christians will not lead a single person to Christ in their lifetime and I cry, “Lord, help us!” Some of you know the story: 36 million Americans (14% of the population) live in poverty. Of those, the portion living in our urban centers has increased from 30% in 1968 to about 47% today. Are we going to them? And are we going to the 57% of the 36 million poor who remain in rural America? Seventy million individuals in the United States are under the age of 18—are we going to them? Nearly one million foreign-born people immigrate to this country every year. Are we going to them? Thirty-two million people in America speak some language other than English as their primary language. Are we going to them? We have more unsaved and unchurched people in our nation than ever before in our history—172 million. Are we going to them? Ninety percent of the population of the United States now lives in urban settings. Are we going to them? Over 150 million people in America claim to be “born-again Christians.” We have to question what that means. And we wonder if people are not interpreting the Christian Faith as mere mental assent to correct doctrine, accepting forgiveness and professing Christ as an insurance policy – a way to get into Heaven when we die and leave this earth – missing the whole notion of discipleship, growing into the likeness of Christ. If all born-again Christians were disciples, would there not be greater signs of the transforming power of Christ at work in the world? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “The City of the World increasingly oozes its decay.” Peter Kreeft, a professor at Boston College, has perceptively noted, “…the City of the World increasingly oozes its decay.” We saw signs of it in the half-time show of the 38^th Super Bowl. One hundred million people – how many children were among them? – saw Justin Timberlake rip off a portion of Janet Jackson’s upper clothing, exposing a private part of her body. We cringed at that and the media talked about it for days. But not much was said about the “dirty” dancing and lewd lyrics, including words about getting a woman naked before the song was done. Other singers through lyrics and dance displayed sexual lust as they gyrated with female dancing partners. The truth, friends, is that that particular  halftime show is not the exception in television fare. In fact, it was rather tame compared to what constantly flows from television and the Internet. “The City of the World increasingly oozes its decay.” — But what about disciples of Jesus? What about the Church? What about the City set on a hill? What are we doing about “the fact that all the septic tanks on the hill are backing up”? We need disciples with a passion for shedding the light of Christ into every dark corner of the world. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) Gaze Heavenward but go worldwide! Nicky often boasted about his deep faith. Once, a storm arose and the rains threatened to flood Nicky’s house. A fireman rushed in and said, “Come, I’ll carry you away!” Pointing upward, Nicky exclaimed, “Jesus is the way!” The downpour continued and the waters reached Nicky’s waist. A fisherman rowed by and screamed, “Jump in, I’ll steer you to safety!” gazing heavenward, Nicky retorted, “Only Jesus saves!” Later, rising rainwater forced Nicky to climb onto the roof. The pilot of a helicopter hovering overhead shouted, “I’ll help you!” Nicky replied: “I trust in God alone!” Nicky drowned in the raging waters. In Heaven, he complained: “Lord, I trusted You, but You abandoned me!” God replied, “No, I didn’t! I tried to save you as fireman, fisherman and pilot! Why didn’t you do anything besides gaze Heavenward?” [Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 17) He is the same yet different…Lech Walesa worked for years as an electrician in the Gdansk shipyards. During those years, he and his fellow workers founded the movement which came to be known as “Solidarity.” Walesa became its leader. This brought them into open conflict with the Communist leaders. Eventually the workers won out. The Communist regime collapsed and democracy returned to Poland. Then on December 9, 1990 something happened which a few years prior would have been unthinkable. Walesa the shipyard worker was elected first president of a free and democratic Poland. It was a great honor for Walesa. His fellow workers were delighted. They too felt honored because of their association with him. However, there was sadness too. They knew that it would change forever the way they related to him. They knew they were losing him, but they were hoping that he would not forget them and that he would help them from his new and more influential position. — The illustration may go some way in helping us to understand what we are celebrating on this great feast of Ascension. [Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) The power within: A priest, Walter Ciszek, SJ, (November 4, 1904-December 8, 1984) spent  twenty-three years in Russia, fifteen in in the harsh Siberian slave labour camp, following his five years in the dreaded Lubyanka prison in Moscow. He was finally released from Russia and returned to the United States in 1963, part of an exchange for two Soviet spies held in USA. He died in 1984 at the age of 80. After his release, Father Ciszek wrote With God in Russia (1964), and then, in 1974, He Leadeth Me. In the second book he tries to answer the question: “How did you manage to survive in Russia?” He says: “I was able to endure the inhuman conditions in which I found myself because I experienced somehow the presence of God. I never lost my Faith that God was with me, even in the worst of circumstances.” —  What was true of Fr. Walter Ciszek is true of each of us. Jesus is with us; God is with us in the power of his Holy Spirit. [Vima Dasan in  His Word Lives; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) Footprints: In the familiar story entitled “Footprints,” a man at the end of his life wanted to know why in tough times there was only one set of footprints in the sand. After all, the Lord had promised to walk with him all the way. The Lord replied by telling the man that He had never left him in times of trial. When the man saw only one set of footprints, it was then that the Lord had been carrying him. — The Lord was with Fr. Ciszek for twenty-three years of hardship in Russia, and did not leave him when he was released! The Lord was with the man walking in the sand. May the risen Lord be with us all the days of our life. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Run the race well: Many years ago, a great Arctic explorer started on an expedition to the North Pole. After having spent two years in the freezing and lonely place, he wrote a message, tied it to the leg of a carrier pigeon, and let it loose to make the two thousand miles journey to Norway. The bird circled thrice, and then started its southward flight in the freezing cold for hundreds of miles; it travelled and crossed the icy frozen oceans and wastelands until it reached and dropped into the lap of the explorer’s wife. The arrival of the bird proved that everything was well with her husband in that deserted, lonely and frozen arctic North. – Similarly, the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of the Pentecost proved to the disciples that Jesus had entered the Heavenly sanctuary after His Ascension as He had promised. Now, He was seated at the right hand of God the Father, for His redemption work was over. The coming of the Holy Spirit was the fulfillment of the promise of Christ. [John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 21) Witnessing to Christ: Ruddell Norris was a conscientious young man. But he was also a shy young man. He found it hard just to talk to people, much less to discuss religion with them. Then one day he got an idea. Ruddell did a lot of reading, and he was aware of the many pamphlets about the Catholic faith. So, he decided to set aside a part of his weekly allowance to buy pamphlets. Ruddell placed his pamphlets in places where he thought people would pick them up and read them. For example, he placed them in waiting rooms and in reception areas. One day a young woman who was a friend of his family told his parents how she became a convert and how her husband returned to the Church. “It all started with a pamphlet,” she said. “I found it in the hospital waiting room.” — You can imagine the boy’s excitement when he learned of the impact just one of his pamphlets had. He was just trying to obey the missionary command of Christ.
(Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 22) Jonathan Livingston Seagull: At the conclusion of Part One of Richard Bach’s book, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull, two radiant birds come as Jonathan’s brothers to take him higher, to take him home. Jonathan balks, but the birds insist: “But you can Jonathan, for you have learned. One school is finished, the time has come for another to begin.” It was a moment of enlightenment for Jonathan. He realized that he “could fly higher, and it was time to go home.” Taking one last long glance across the sky and land where he had learned so much, Jonathan Livingstone Seagull “rose with the two star-bright gulls to disappear into a perfect sky.” — There are striking similarities between this episode in Bach’s book and Luke’s account of our Lord’s Ascension in today’s readings. First, the “school” and the “learning” mentioned in Jonathan recall how Jesus “taught” his disciples until the day he was taken up into heaven. Second, the “time for another school to begin” for Jonathan, reflects Christ’s promise to send the Holy Spirit upon his apostles so that they could be his “witnesses to the ends of the earth.”  Third, the two “star-bright gulls” suggest the presence of the “two men dressed in white” who spoke to the apostles after Jesus ascended. Fourth, when Jonathan “rose to disappear in the sky,” it was reminiscent of Jesus being “lifted up in a cloud which took him from their sight.” Jonathan Livingstone Seagull can be taken, then, as a modern myth to help understand the significance of Christ’s Ascension. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 23) Broken but Renewed: In 1981 Peter Cropper, the British violinist, was invited to Finland to play a special concert. As a personal favour to Peter, the Royal Academy of Music lent him their priceless 285-year-old Stradivarius for use in the concert. This rare instrument takes its name from the Italian violin-maker, Antonio Stradivari. It is made of 80 pieces of special wood and covered with 30 coats of special varnish. Its beautiful sound has never been duplicated. When Peter Cropper got to Finland, an incredible nightmare took place. Going on stage, Peter tripped and fell. The violin broke into several pieces. Peter flew back to London in a state of shock. A master craftsman named Charles Beare agreed to try to repair the violin. He worked endless hours on it. Finally, he got it back together again. Then came the dreaded moment of truth. What would the violin sound like? Beare handed the violin to Peter Cropper. Peter’s heart was pounding inside him as he picked up the bow and began to play. Those present could hardly believe their ears. Not only was the violin’s sound excellent, but it actually seemed better than before. In the months ahead Cropper took the violin on the worldwide tour. Night after night the violin, everyone thought was ruined forever, drew standing ovations from concert audiences. — The violin story is a beautiful illustration of what happens when God comes into our broken lives and makes us whole again. We need His touch, His Spirit!
(Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) The ascended King of the universe: Monarchy has been the most common form of government in human history. There is a good reason for this. When the reins of power are in one set of hands, a government can act quickly and efficiently. But there is also a perennial problem with monarchy. What happens when a good king dies? How can you ensure that the next king will be just as good?  The times of greatest prosperity and peace in every civilization have come under the rule of wise kings. But most kings are not wise. Most kings, like most human beings, tend to be selfish, weak, and shortsighted. And so history shows the same tragic pattern happening again and again: a great king brings peace and prosperity to a wide realm, only to have it shattered after his death. Charlemagne united and Christianized most of Europe, but when he died his empire was divided among three selfish and petty sons, who tore it asunder. King Louis IX of France, St Louis, reigned for almost 70 years. His vast kingdom spread justice and mercy as the sun spreads light, but his sons and grandsons ended up sowing the seeds of division that would soon tear apart the rich fabric of Christendom. — What the peasants of France sang upon St Louis’s death, “To whom will poor folk cry out, now that the good king is gone, who loved them so?” reverberates throughout history: But there is one King, wiser and better than any other, who has come back from the dead. His name is Jesus Christ, and his Kingdom will last forever, because he has ascended to the everlasting throne, where he sat at the beginning, sits now, and will sit without end. (The E-Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 25) St Paschal Baylon Visits the King:  We don’t think much about this, but it is the truth behind everything we believe: if Christ had not ascended into Heaven, we would not be able to pray to him at any time and in any place, and we would not be able to have him close by in the Eucharist, because he would still be limited by time and space. One of the saints whom the Church commemorates on May 17, thought about this truth a lot, and learned to take advantage of it. St Paschal Baylon was a Spanish peasant, a shepherd for the first 24 years of his life.  He could barely read, but he loved Christ, and he had a special understanding of Christ’s Real Presence in the Eucharist.  He had to stay with his sheep from dawn to dark, which made it impossible for him to go to Mass every day.  So, he did the next best thing.  At the hour Mass was being celebrated, he would kneel on the hillsides, gazing at the Church in the valley, and pray, uniting himself to Christ Who was renewing his sacrifice and presence through the priest’s ministry.  Eventually, St Paschal found his vocation to become a religious brother.  He joined the local Franciscan community and encouraged everyone by his virtue, joy, and good humor.

During free moments between duties, he could almost always be found in the chapel, speaking with Christ in the Eucharist.  To casual onlookers he was kneeling on a hard stone floor here on earth, but in truth he was enjoying the presence of our King who sits forever on his throne in Heaven.  He died when he was only fifty-two, at the very moment that the bell rang to signify the consecration at Mass. (E-Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 26) The Holy of Holies Open to All: But what exactly are we to be witnesses of?  Jesus tells us right before he ascends into Heaven that repentance for the forgiveness of sins would be preached in his name. If Christ had not ascended, we would not be able to preach that.  His Ascension finishes the job of reconciling fallen humanity to God, because it brings our human nature back into a right relationship with God.  It guarantees that Christ’s sacrifice on the cross was completely accepted by the Father. Reconciling fallen humanity with God has always been the main problem that religion tries to solve.  In the Old Testament, the Israelites achieved this right relationship through what was called the sacrifice of atonement (at-one-ment: the sacrifice that made sinners, once again, one with God). This sacrifice took place in the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of Moses’ tent of worship and, later, of the Temple in Jerusalem.  The Holy of Holies was separated from the inner altar of incense by a huge, thick, ancient curtain.  Only the High Priest was allowed to pass through the curtain, and even he could only enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement.  That ancient ritual foreshadowed Christ’s Ascension.  In his Ascension, Christ was taken up into the real, eternal Holy of Holies, the inner chamber of the universe, Heaven itself.  But instead of coming back out, he stayed there, in his human nature, as our representative, as the everlasting bridge of reconciliation between mankind and God.  Through Faith in Christ, we have no more doubts that our sins can be forgiven; we don’t have to wait for the Day of Atonement; we can live constantly in a right relationship with God. This is what we are witnesses of. This is the message we have received: every human heart’s deepest longing can finally be fulfilled, because Christ’s sacrifice has been accepted by the Father. (E-Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 27) Blessed Antonia Mesina’s Wordless Witness: The most important way that the Church bears witness to Christ’s unconquerable goodness is through the example of Christians – not our words, but our example. When you and I live as Christ lived, following him, we reveal his salvation to the world. Our English word “martyr” comes from the Greek word for “witness”. The Church’s martyrs are her greatest witnesses. By refusing to do evil, even at the cost of their own lives, they make the power of Christ’s goodness shine out. One of the saints that the Church commemorates on May 17 is a recent and eloquent example of this. Blessed Antonia Mesina (meh-SEE-nah) was the second of ten children born to a peasant family on the Island of Sardinia, off the west coast of Italy. She grew up between World Wars I and II.

After just four years of school, she was forced to leave her studies behind and take over the housekeeping for her mother, who had fallen ill and was confined to bed. Antonia didn’t let either her lack of education or her poverty keep her from loving Christ. When she was ten, she joined Catholic Action, Italy’s national apostolic movement for lay people. She was a model member, energetically fulfilled her commitments and recruited other young people to join the group. Honoring Christ and living in friendship with him became her first care and highest priority. On one afternoon when she was 16, she went out to gather wood for the stove at home. Alone, she was accosted by another, older teenager, a young man who tried to rape her. She resisted, and he became violent. She continued resisting, and he continued beating her, trying to force her. But she knew that her body was a Temple of the Holy Spirit, and she would not submit. The young man became furious, and he beat her to death. –Antonia refused to do evil. In that way, she was a witness to Christ’s unconquerable goodness, a martyr. This is what the whole Church has done in a thousand ways throughout the ages, and what each one of us is called to do in our own circle of friends and acquaintances. (E-Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 28) “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.”  Many years ago, there lived a very poor family in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina by the name of Carpenter. The oldest boy loved the outdoors and knew them well, but he didn’t know much else. He was a teenager before his father took him on his first trip to the city, where he saw paved streets, skyscrapers, and electricity for the first time. The boy wanted to stay there and get an education. His father arranged for him to board with some family friends, who generously financed his studies when he decided to become a doctor. He graduated with honors, but declined all job offers to practice medicine in the city. He said he was going back to the mountains, where there were many sick people and few doctors.

For many years he ministered to the sick. Some paid; most couldn’t. He gave his very best and helped everyone he could. In his old age he was in broken health himself and almost penniless. Two small rooms above the town grocery store were his home and office. At the foot of the creaky stairs leading up to his office was a sign with these words: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.” One morning someone climbed those stairs to find the devoted doctor dead. The entire community was plunged in grief. They wanted to erect some kind of monument to him. But they decided to simply write these words on a large tombstone: “Dr. Carpenter is upstairs.” — Jesus is the Divine Doctor of our souls. He is “upstairs” in Heaven, where he ascended after his Resurrection. But he is still alive and eager to help us through the Sacraments, the Bible, and the Church. Every time we turn to him in prayer, we climb the stairs to his office. Because he is upstairs, Dr. Jesus is always in. [This illustration adapted from Stories for Sermons, Vol. 2, by Fr. Arthur Tonne, p. 12.] (E- Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 29) Forrest Gump Gets Something Right: In 1994 Hollywood released a popular film called Forrest Gump, starring Tom Hanks in an Oscar-winning title role. The film can be base at times but has some interesting insights. At one point in the story, when Forrest is feeling rejected by the people he loves, he gets an urge to just start running. So, he walks out the door, jogs across the yard, and doesn’t stop. In fact, when he gets to the ocean and runs out of road, he just turns around and runs the other way. Throughout his run, he is videotaped on national news. When asked why he’s running – “World peace? Women’s rights?” – he answers, “I’m just running.” Unintentionally, he sparks a huge national following. The humorous and meaningful event that ends his journey takes place in the middle of a desert. Forrest stops, longhaired and long bearded, and turns around. The handful of sweaty joggers who have followed him shush each other: “Quiet, he’s goanna say somethin’.” “I’m kinda’ tired,” he says, “I think I’ll go home now.” Forrest walks through the small and silent crowd, and one of them yells after him, “Well, what are we supposed to do?!” — All people are looking for the answers to life’s deepest questions. But since our thirst for truth and happiness is infinite (because that’s how God made us), no finite worldly thing can satisfy us. The characters in the film, mindlessly following Tom Hanks’ Gump, personified that thirst for meaning. The fact that their hero abandons them without any explanation illustrates the inability of the things of this world (money, fame, politics, pleasure) to provide that meaning; eventually, we get tired of them; they let us down. Only Christ is infinite goodness, power, and wisdom; only he is “the Way, Truth, and the Life” that we are searching for. (E- Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) Aesop enlightens the judge: The amazing fact of the Ascension lifts our gaze to Heaven. Because Jesus is now in Heaven, body and soul, we are assured that Heaven is not just a nice idea, a myth, or wishful thinking. It is a real place where Jesus has gone ahead to prepare the way for us. One of Aesop’s Fables shows just how new this Christian revelation really was. Aesop was a Greek slave who lived before the time of Christ. He was renowned for his natural wisdom, which was recorded in his famous fables, or short stories with deep lessons. One day he was ordered by his master to go to the public baths (in ancient times public baths were like country clubs) and get things ready. On his way, he was stopped by one of the official judges of the city. The judge asked him where he was going. Aesop, thinking that it was none of the judge’s business, answered, “I don’t know.” The judge was offended by this reply, which he considered disrespectful, and marched him off to prison for punishment (disrespectful slaves could be punished without a trial). When they arrived at the prison, Aesop turned to his captor and said, “Judge, when I told you, ‘I don’t know where I am going,’ I was speaking the truth. Little did I think that I was on my way to prison! You see, it is true indeed that we never really know just where we are going.” Faced with this explanation, the judge had no choice but to let Aesop go free. — This ironic story illustrates the absolute uncertainty of pre-Christian humanity about what happens after death – they just didn’t know. (E- Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

31) “But what am I going to do without you?”  Caroline had tears in her eyes. “Are you sure you want to move so far away?” Her beloved great Aunt Ingrid smiled.  “Oh, Florida is not that far away.  Besides, you’ll be starting high school in a few weeks.  You’re going to make so many new friends you wouldn’t have time for me anyway.” Caroline couldn’t remember when her aunt had moved in with her family those many years ago; but under Aunt Ingrid’s tutelage, Caroline had matured from a sullen only child to a vibrant young woman with many interests. “But what am I going to do without you?” Caroline cried. “You’ll be fine.  But just in case you get bored, I left something behind for you,” Ingrid said as she gave her niece a last long hug goodbye before stepping into the cab. When she returned to her room, Caroline found Ingrid’s package on her desk.  Inside the box was a pair of knitting needles used by five generations of women in the family; a fountain pen that had belonged to Ingrid’s late husband, a writer; a coveted family cake recipe; a beautiful journal that reminded Caroline of the summer afternoon her aunt made paper in the kitchen; and a framed photograph of Ingrid and Caroline sitting at the piano after Caroline’s first lesson.  An inscription engraved on the frame read Precious moments last forever. Caroline began to understand that, even though she felt left “out on a lonely limb of the family tree” without Ingrid, the memories of family lived on in her heart and spirit and attitude, connecting her to generations long past and still to come. Caroline placed the picture on her nightstand.  Then, picking up the fountain pen and journal, she started to write a poem for Ingrid. — The Ascension of the Lord is not the marking of a departure but the celebration of a Presence.  The risen and ascended Jesus is a living and life-giving Presence with us. [Bits & Pieces, April, 2004 quoted by Connections). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

32) Marine Commissioning ceremony: I’ve had the privilege of being present when two of my nephews were commissioned as Marine officers. They had been through months of rigorous academic, physical, and leadership training, and it was a proud moment for their parents when the new officers, resplendent in their “dress blues,” received their second lieutenant pins. The most moving part of the commissioning ceremony was the officers’ oath, ending with the solemn words, “I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservations or purpose of evasion. … I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, so help me God.” My nephews’ commissioning marked the beginning of a commitment of service to their country and their fellow Marines. Although the details of their future deployments were as then unknown, they had been well prepared, authorized, and empowered for the work that would be asked of them. — Today’s readings are about a different kind of commissioning, often referred to as “the great commission” given by the ascending Jesus to his disciples. (Sharon K. Perkins Catholic News Service) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

33) Demonstrations after the death of George Floyd. There were many demonstrations after the May 20, 2020 death of George Floyd. In the midst of the uproar, the police chief of a southern city challenged the public. He asked: “When will they show concern about the homicides that occur in their own neighborhoods?”  The chief, an African American, had in mind the hundreds of families in the city that each year lose a member to violence. — Unfortunately, we often get excited about political issues, and demonstrations while ignoring the everyday problems. The disciples of Jesus make this kind of mistake in the first reading. Jesus is leaving his disciples to join God, his Father. From Heaven he will send the Holy Spirit to enable them to relate his message to the world. However, instead of focusing on this challenging task, the disciples ask about politics. They say, “Lord, are you now going to reestablish the sovereignty of Israel?” They have in mind the kingdom of David which included the land of Israel and the surrounding territories. Their concern pales, at least in the long run, in comparison to what Jesus proposes to them. (Fr. Carmen Mele O. P. ) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/24

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 32) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

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 at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

Easter VII [B] (May 12) Eight-minute homily in one page (L-24)

Introduction: Christian love resulting in the unity of all Christian denominations is the main theme of today’s Scripture lessons.

Scripture lessons: The first reading, taken from Acts, tells us how the eleven apostles as one unit, relying on the power of God, elected Matthias to replace Judas. This incorporation was an action done by the whole community under the chairmanship of Peter. They chose Matthias by lot, and the outcome was taken to be the will of the Holy Spirit. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 103) thanks God forgiving our r transgressions as far [from us] as the east is from the west.”

The second reading, taken from John’s first epistle to the Church, emphasizes the centrality of love in our Christian living. The apostle deals with disunity in the Church by teaching the members the basis of true Christian love and unity. For John, love and unity among Christians is the first and most important witness for believers to bear. In today’s Gospel passage, taken from Jesus’ high-priestly prayer, Jesus prays in particular, for those disciples who are sharing the meal with him. The core of Jesus’ message is love, a love that is to be manifested not only in nice-sounding words but, more convincingly, in the genuine acts of love that will bind his disciples together into one community. The world cannot be evangelized by competing Churches, and that is why Jesus prayed that his disciples might be as fully one as he and the Father are one.

Life messages: #1: We need to understand, appreciate, cooperate and pray: The denominations are a reality. There is no use in our blaming each other for the historical events which caused these divisions in Christ’s Body. What we can do is to learn sympathetically about the doctrinal similarities and differences to our own beliefs among Christian believers, to shed prejudices and suspicion about each other, and to learn to love each person we encounter and to cooperate with the members of all denominations in all possible ways.

# 2: We need to go beyond friendship and cooperation: The unity for which we pray is not merely a “comfortable” notion of friendliness and cooperation. It requires also our willingness to dispense with competition between us. We need to open ourselves to each other, to offer gifts to and receive gifts from one another, so that we may truly enter into our shared new life in Christ, which is the only true victory.

# 3: We need to pray fervently in our own denominations and in interdenominational prayer gatherings that God may show us the right way to proceed in achieving true and lasting Christian unity without sacrificing the basic Christian principles and teachings. We should offer also our personal prayers that the unity for which Our Lord prayed may be brought nearer.

EASTER VII: Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26; 1Jn 4:11-16; Jn 17:11b-19 

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: “Then I’d Be a Baptist” (By Tony Campolo, the Baptist preacher and writer): A preacher pounding away at the pulpit, yelled at the congregation, “Is everybody here a Baptist?” A man several rows back answered, “No I am a Methodist!”  “Why are you a Methodist?” asked the preacher.  “Well, my mother was a Methodist,” said the man.  “And my father was a Methodist.  So, they raised me as a Methodist.”  “That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard,” said the preacher.  “If your mother was an ignoramus and your father was an ignoramus, would you be an ignoramus?”  “No,” said the man.  “If my father was an ignoramus and my mother was an ignoramus, I suppose I’d be a Baptist.” Denominationalism is the curse of Christianity and the greatest stumbling block to evangelization.  In today’s Gospel, we hear how Jesus prayed for unity among his   future followers; ignoring Jesus’ wish and prayer has resulted in more than 30,000 Christian denominations giving counter-witness to the true Christian message of forgiveness, unconditional love, unity, and universality. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: Origin of Christian denominations: Here is a funny story about the origin of Christian denominations. Jesus came to a village and found a man there who was blind. He laid hands on Him and prayed over the man, and he was healed completely. The townspeople were so appreciative that they built a Church, and they called it The First Church of the Laying on of Hands and Healing. So, Jesus went to the next village, and there He found another blind man. Jesus spit on the ground and made some mud, and applied it to the man’s eyes. He then told the man to go wash in the pool, and the man received his sight. The townspeople were so overjoyed that they decided to start a Church in Jesus’ honor, and they called it The First Church of Here’s Mud in Your Eye and be Healed. Jesus went on to yet a third village, and found a third blind man there. So, Jesus told the man, “If you go and wash in this pool seven times, you will receive your sight back.” So the man did as Jesus said. The townspeople were so appreciative of God’s work that they built a Church in Jesus’ honor too. They named it The First Church of Washing Seven Times and Healing. One day, the Lord called all these groups together for fellowship. But, over the course of time they began to break down over doctrinal discussion as to how healing takes place. One group said, “You can’t heal unless you lay hands on those who are sick.” A second group said, “That’s fine, but if you forget the mud in their eye it doesn’t work.” The third group said, “You guys only have part of the truth; washing seven times is the real key.” The contention became so great among them that they broke the fellowship between them, none of them wanting to associate with heretics any longer. The reality is that their judgments were based on a sliver of insight that God had given them each individually. – Gayle Erwin  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: “There are only Christians here.” Being much concerned about the rise of denominations in the reformed church, John Wesley tells of a dream he had. In the dream, he was ushered to the gates of Hell. There he asked, “Are there any Presbyterians here?” “Yes!” came the answer. Then he asked, “Are there any Baptists? Any Episcopalians? Any Methodists?” Any Catholics? The answer was “Yes!” each time. Much distressed, Wesley was then ushered to the gates of Heaven. There he asked the same question, and the answer was “No!” “No?” To this, Wesley asked, “Who then is inside?” The answer came back, “There are only Christians here.” (Source unknown) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 Introduction: Christian love resulting in Christian unity is the main theme of today’s Scripture lessons.  The first reading, taken from Acts, tells us how the eleven apostles as one unit, relying on the power of God, elected Matthias to replace Judas.  This incorporation was done by the whole community under the chairmanship of Peter, choosing Matthias by lot.  The outcome was taken to be the will of the Holy Spirit.  The second reading, taken from John’s first Letter to the Church, emphasizes the centrality of love in our Christian living.  It shows us how the apostle dealt with disunity in the Church by teaching the members the basis of true Christian love and unity.  For John, love and unity among Christians is the first and most important witness for believers to bear. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus prays in particular for those disciples who are sharing the meal with him.  The core of Jesus’ message is love, a love that is to be manifested not only in nice-sounding words but, more convincingly, in the genuine acts of love that bind his disciples together into one community.

First reading, Acts 1:15-17, 20a, 20c-26 explained: The paragraphs in Acts 1 immediately preceding today’s reading tell the story of the disciples’ witnessing Jesus’ Ascension into Heaven and then returning to Jerusalem to spend their time in prayer, preparing to receive the promised “Power from above.”  Then comes this passage.  The apostles’ eagerness to fill their vacant twelfth position might make us ask what’s so special about twelve.  Well, twelve is the number of the tribes of ancient Israel, each historically led by a patriarch, then by a judge.  These Jewish followers of Jesus are still thinking in fairly strict Jewish terms.  They have heard Jesus speak about their taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.  But the import of that has not sunk in.  They have yet to experience Pentecost, when people from all the ends of the earth are to hear these men preach in the people’s own languages.  So they’re still thinking in terms of the fulfillment of ancient promises, not in terms of entirely new promises and prospects.

Second Reading, 1 John 4:11-16 explained: The New American Bible states that the first letter of John was addressed to the early Christian community beset with many problems.  Some members were advocating false doctrines.  Some of them refused to accept the full Divinity and full humanity of Jesus.  Others disregarded the commandment of love of neighbor.  Still others   denied the redemptive value of Jesus’ death and refused to accept Faith in Christ as the source of sanctification. These errors are here recognized and rejected.  Here is the Baltimore-style catechism contained in this part of John’s letter.  God loves us and it is God who first loved us.  God doesn’t love us because we are good.  God loves us because He is good.  So what should we do?  Love one another. How are we to love each other? We show our love for God by loving one another in action.  What happens when we love one another?  God remains in us.  How do we know God remains in us?  He has given us the Spirit so we can experience His presence within us.  What happens to those who acknowledge Jesus as Son of God?  They remain in God and God remains in them.  Who is God?  God is Love.  What happens to those who remain in Love?  God remains in them and they remain in God.

Exegesis: The number of Christian denominations: According to World Chris­t­ian Ency­clo­pe­dia (Bar­rett, Kurian, and John­son; Oxford Uni­ver­sity Press) World Chris­tian­ity con­sists of over 33,000 dis­tinct denom­i­na­tions (Vol. I, p. 16).

  Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer.  “Jesus’ last testament represents the longest prayer in the Christian Scriptures and revolves around the shared union between the Father and the Son, between the Son and his disciples and among future generations of believers.” (Sanchez Files). The Holy Spirit, through John, wants us to know that Jesus prayed for his disciples that they would carry on his distinctive witness in the world.

The context: Following the Passover washing of the Apostles’ feet, Jesus begins to prepare the disciples for his departure.  He foretells his betrayal, gives them the great commandment of love and foretells Peter’s denial.  He then tells them that he is going to the Father’s house where he will prepare a place for them and that he will come again to take them with him.  He promises them the gift of the Holy Spirit and assures them that the Holy Spirit will teach them everything.  He warns of the world’s hatred and explains that the Spirit cannot come unless Jesus goes.  Finally, he promises them joy and peace.  Jesus then prays his “High Priestly Prayer,” of which our Gospel lesson is part.

The content of the prayer: The New Interpreter’s Bible distinguishes three parts in Jesus’ prayer.  1) Jesus Prays for His Glorification (17:1-8).  2) Jesus Prays for the Faith Community (17:9-23).  3) Jesus Prays for the Eschatological Union of Father, Son, and Believers (17:24-26).  The main elements of the prayer are a) the founding of the community (17:6-8), b) the petition for the preservation and sanctification of the community (17:9-19), c) the petition for the oneness of the community (17:20-23), and d) the petition for the perfecting of the believers (17:24-26).

Analysis of Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer. (A) Jesus’ relationship:  This prayer tells us something about Jesus’ relationship with his disciples.  (i) The disciples are given to Jesus by God.  It is the Holy Spirit, God, Who prompts us to become Jesus’ disciples.   (ii) Through the disciples, glory has come to Jesus because the men whom Jesus has redeemed bring honor to him.  (iii) A disciple is a man who is commissioned to a task.  As the Father has sent Jesus to redeem the world, Jesus sends out his disciples into the world, in order to lead it back to God and to make it aware of God.  He prays for his men in order that they may be such as to win the world for him.

(B) Jesus’ warning and promise: Further, this passage tells us that Jesus offered his men two things.  (i) He offered them a warning.  He told them that they were different from the world, and that they could not expect anything but hatred from it because their values and standards were different from those of the world.  ii) He offered them his joy.  All Jesus was saying to them was designed to bring them joy.  It is by facing the hostility of the world that they will enter into the Christian joy.

(C) Jesus’ unique claim:  In this prayer Jesus makes the greatest claim he ever made: “All that I have is Yours, and all that You have is mine”(John 17:10).  Never did Jesus so vividly set forth his oneness with God, He is so much one with God his Father that Jesus exercises the Father’s very power and prerogatives.

The content of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples: Jesus prayed for the victory, unity, protection and consecration of his disciples.  (i) Jesus prayed that they might find victory by living out their Christianity in the rough-and-tumble of life, instead of spending full time in prayer and meditation in convents and monasteries or in a life withdrawn from the world.  Of course, there is a need for prayer, meditation and quiet times for this equipping process.  The disciples must win the world for Christ by living out their Christianity within the world. They must bear witness to Christ through their transparent Christian lives, reflecting Christ’s love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of humble service.  (ii) Jesus prayed for the unity of his disciples.  The world cannot be evangelized by competing Churches, and that is why Jesus prayed that his disciples might be as fully one as he and the Father are one. But Christian unity is not determined by whether we agree with each other about every interpretation of Scripture or doctrine or form of Church government. Rather, Christian unity is determined by whether and how well we love one another, and whether we reflect the love of God in Christ for the world. (Eph­esians 4:4–6: one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call; ^d5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; ^e6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all). (iii) Jesus prayed for His Father’s protection for his disciples from the attacks of the Evil One.  If the disciples of Christ fall, it is because they try to meet life on their own strength and do not remember the presence of their protecting God and seek His help.  (iv) Jesus prayed that his disciples might be consecrated by the truth.  (a) ‘Consecrate’ means to set apart for a special task (Jer 1:5; Ex 28:41).  (b) It also means to equip a man with the qualities of mind, heart and character which are necessary for that task.  God has chosen us and dedicated us for His special service of loving and obeying Him and bringing others to do the same.  He has not left us to carry out that great task with only our own strength, but by his grace He fits us for our task, if we place our lives in His hands.

 Life messages: #1: We need to understand, appreciate, cooperate with and pray with and for each other: The denominations are a reality.  There is no use in our blaming each other for the historical events which caused these divisions in Christ’s Body.  What we can do is to learn sympathetically about the doctrinal similarities and differences of the members of our Christian community and learn to love each one and cooperate with the members of all denominations in all possible ways. 2)  Let us pray fervently that God may show us how to proceed in building true and lasting Christian unity without sacrificing the basic Christian principles and teachings.

 JOKE OF THE WEEK

# 1: “What’s the difference between a Baptist and a terrorist?”  The answer is, “You can negotiate with a terrorist!” (Rev. Tony Campolo, the Baptist preacher)

# 2: A sense of humor in church leaders is essential for Christian unity.  Pope John XXIII had it.  When asked by a reporter how many people worked in the Vatican, pope answered, “About half of them!”  On another occasion, when he was being interviewed by the media, the Pope was asked what he would tell the Church to do today if he knew that Christ’s return was to occur tomorrow.  He smiled and answered, “Look busy.”

# 3: At times we probably feel it would be so much easier if we could be like Lucy in the old Peanuts cartoon: Lucy says to Charlie Brown, “I would have made a great evangelist.” Charlie Brown answers, “Is that so?” She says, “Yes, I convinced that boy in front of me in school that my religion is better than his religion.” Charlie Brown asked, “Well, how did you do that?” And Lucy answers, “I hit him over the head with my lunch box.”

# 4: Q: How do you know that Lutherans (or your favorite denomination) will be the first ones to rise on the day of resurrection? A: Because Scripture says that the “dead in Christ will rise first.”

# 5: You know the joke about the woman crossing a high bridge? There on the parapet is a man preparing to jump off and she rushes to save him. “Don’t jump” she cries, “you are young and have so much to live for.” And before long she is comforting him and asking him about his background. “Are you a Christian?” she asks, and he says yes. “Are you a Baptist by any chance?” and again he says yes. “Are you Strict or Particular?” “Particular” he says and she is radiant. “So am I!” “Are you Particular and vegetarian or Particular and vegan?” “Particular and vegan” he says and she is ecstatic; “so am I! And are you Particular and Vegan of the 2001 Confession or the 2006 confession?” “2001” he says wearily but she is back on her feet. “Then jump, you vile heretic” and she pushes him off…

# 6: “To dwell above with saints we love,

That will be grace and glory.

To live below with saints, we know;

Well, that’s another story!”

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

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

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

 3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)

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

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

6)      Catholic Resources: http://www.catholicusa.com/

7)      Catholic Digest: http://www.catholicdigest.com

8)      Patron Saints Index: http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/patron02.htm

19- Additional anecdotes:

1) “If you want to complain about the rabbi, press 4, 5, or 6”: Rabbi Robert Alpers says he once phoned a synagogue and was greeted with this message. “Welcome to Temple Beth Shalom. If you want information about our programs and events, please press 1. For information on our service hours, please press 2. If you would like to complain to the rabbi, please press 3. If you want to complain about the rabbi, press 4, 5, or 6.” It seems that, apparently, more than a few people were upset with the rabbi. Too many things can disrupt the unity of a Church. People get upset with the decisions of a board. Or people get upset with the pastor. Jesus knew that it would not be not easy to maintain unity among a talented, yet sometimes cantankerous group of people. He also knew, however, that we can never accomplish the things that he has called us to accomplish if we do not ask His help to pull together. That is why we have this prayer for unity in today’s Gospel. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 2) “Hmm, he is an atheist.”  Jesus Christ said he had never been to a football match. So we took him to one, my friends and I. It was a ferocious battle between the Protestant Punchers and the Catholic Crusaders. The Crusaders scored first. Jesus cheered wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. Then the Punchers scored. And Jesus cheered again wildly and threw his hat high up in the air. This seemed to puzzle the man behind us. He tapped Jesus on the shoulder and asked, “Which side are you rooting for, my good man?” “Me?” replied Jesus, visibly excited by the game. “Oh, I’m not rooting for either side. I’m just enjoying the game.” The questioner turned to his neighbor and sneered, “Hmm, an atheist.”  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3)  People get upset at some of the silliest things in Church, causing division. There is an old story about two men who were talking, and one of them said, “Did you hear that lightning struck the community Church?” “No,” the other man answered. “I haven’t been to that Church since they installed that fancy new pulpit. I guess this shows that the Lord was unhappy about such an extravagant waste of money, too.” The first man said incredulously, “But the pulpit was at the opposite end of the Church from the place the lightning struck.” “Well,” said the second man, “I guess God hadn’t been in that Church for so long, that He didn’t know where the pulpit was.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “This is All Y’all’s Christian Church.” That’s why I think we should all subscribe to the Southerner’s version of the Gospel. You see, there’s no such thing as a singular pronoun in the South. They don’t say you. They say y’all. Even if they’re talking to one person. “Y’all think Wal-Mart’s still open?” “Y’all going to the pig roast tonight?” “Hey Bubba, y’all want some sweet tea?” So in Southern theology, there’s no such thing as an individual. Everyone is a stone built into a spiritual house; everyone is an individual in the midst of a community. But they don’t use the word community in the south; they just use the plural of “y’all,” which is “all y’all.” So what Peter is really saying is “Come to Jesus Christ, the living stone, and because y’all are living stones, too, all y’all will be built into a spiritual house.” This is All Y’all’s Christian Church. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 5) Then he put in a Baptist, Presbyterian, and Catholic: A book that has changed my life is What’s So Amazing About Grace? In it the author, Philip Yancey quotes Mark Twain. Apparently Twain used to say he put a dog and a cat in a cage together as an experiment, to see if they could get along. They did, so he put in a bird, pig and goat. They, too, got along fine after a few adjustments. Then he put in a Baptist, Presbyterian, and Catholic; soon there was not a living thing left.

In this area it might be Baptist, Pentecostal and Catholic. But you know, it’s hard enough sometimes for a Wesleyan, a Wesleyan and a Wesleyan to get along. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6)  Finding a solution to Christian disunity is more difficult! A man’s car was held up by a broken down car in front of him. He just sat there and sounded the horn while the woman driver in front was desperately trying to start her car. He sounded the horn even more impatiently and the lady walked round to his car and said sweetly, “Why don’t we change places? I’ll sound the horn and you can start the car!” It’s easy to grumble – finding a solution is more difficult! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 7) “What is required that the world may believe?” One of the most memorable sections in Gabriel Garcia Marquez’ prize-winning novel, One Hundred Years of Solitude concerns a strange disease that invaded the old village of Macondo from somewhere in the surrounding swamp. It was a lethal form of insomnia that attacked the whole town. The initial effect was the inability of people to sleep, although the villagers did not feel any bodily fatigue at all. A more critical effect than that slowly manifested itself: loss of memory. Gradually the victims realized they could no longer remember or recall the past. Soon they found that they could not remember the name or the meaning of the simplest things used everyday. You’ve heard of the fellow who said two things happen to you when you grow old — “one is the loss of memory, and I can’t remember the other.” Christians are to be reminders, living reminders of Christ’s presence in the world. The world’s lethal disease is amnesia, the loss of memory. The Christian is God’s secret potion that cures this malady. The original source for, “The Church is never more than one generation away from oblivion” seems to have been Ronald Regan’s identical comment about Freedom. But the real question is, “What is required that the world may believe?” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Real” Lord’s Prayer : Here’s a good story for football fans. Many of you may know the name Reggie White. Reggie is a defensive end for the Green Bay Packers. But he is also an ordained minister. Before signing a 17 million dollar deal with the Packers, White had said that he would look to God to tell him where to play. Later, Green Bay Coach Mike Holmgren confessed that he had left a message on White’s answering machine that said, “Reggie, this is God. Go to Green Bay.” (1) Today we want to focus for a few moments on prayer. But not just any prayer — we are focusing on a prayer from the lips of Jesus. Our lesson from John’s Gospel is often referred to as the “real” Lord’s Prayer for Christian unity. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9)”Lunatics never unite.” A man went to an asylum for the criminally insane. He was a bit surprised to find that there were only three guards to take care of a hundred inmates. He said to one of the guards, “Aren’t you afraid that the inmates will unite, overcome you, and escape?” The guard said, “Lunatics never unite.” Locusts do. Christians should. If we don’t, we don’t know where our power is. [Haddon Robinson, “The Wisdom of Small Creatures”] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Peg Baptist church and Anti-Peg Baptist church: Church conflicts happen for pretty unusual reasons. In the 1890s there was a small Baptist church in Mayfield County, Kentucky. The church had just two deacons, and those two men seemed to be constantly arguing and bickering with each other. On a particular Sunday, one deacon put up a small wooden peg in the back wall so the pastor could hang up his hat. When the other deacon discovered the peg, he was outraged. “How dare someone put a peg in the wall without first consulting me!” The people in the church took sides and the congregation eventually split. Over a hundred years later, residents of Mayfield County still refer to the two churches as Peg Baptist and Anti-Peg Baptist. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 11) General church memberships: In 1989, the director of Ecumenical Affairs for the National Council of Churches wrote that the Roman Catholic Church and the major Protestant Churches—as a start—should recognize the existence of “general church memberships.” This would hasten the unification of all churches into one super body. He said: “This means that, if you become a Christian, other Christians will acknowledge that you are fully a Christian… anyone who belongs to one church belongs to all! Thus if you should become a member of the Methodist Church, you would become simultaneously a full member of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the United Church of Christ and the Episcopal Church.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 12) We forget that we have a common enemy outside the walls of the Church. We can see in our national headlines the power of unity to fulfill a common goal. None of us will forget what happened September 11, 2001. Out of that terrible day we saw our nation join together in unity. President George W. Bush had the support of the nation as he led the nation into the war against the terrorist who murdered so many innocent Americans. Let’s go get ’em! But nearly 9 months later we started pointing fingers. What did our president know before the attacks? What could the government have done to prevent the terrorist attacks? The unity that was born through terror   unraveled. We forgot who our enemy is. The same happens within the Church. We can so easily begin to point fingers at other “sheep;” we become critical of the “shepherd.” All the while we forget that we have a common enemy outside the walls of the Church. Satan seeks to “steal kill and destroy”. Let’s not forget who the enemy is.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) Primary condition for world’s belief in the Divinity of Christ: A couple of years ago there was a national spelling contest in Washington, D. C. In the fourth round of the contest, Rosalie Elliott, then an eleven-year-old from South Carolina, drew the word “avowal.” In her soft, Southern accent, she spelled it. But did the seventh grader use an “a” or an “e” as the next to the last letter? The judges couldn’t decide. For several minutes they listened to tape recording playbacks, but the critical letter was accent—blurred. Chief Judge John Lloyd finally put the question to the only person who knew the answer. “Was the letter an “a” or was it an “e”?” he asked Rosalie. Surrounded by whispering young spellers, she knew by now the correct spelling of the word. But without hesitating, she replied that she had misspelled it. She walked from the stage. The entire audience stood and applauded, including fifty newspaper reporters, one of whom was heard to remark that Judge Lloyd had put quite a burden on an eleven-year-old. Rosalie rated a hand, and it must have been a heart-warming and proud moment for her parents. [quoted by Don Shelby, “Who’s in Charge Here?” September 16, 1984).] But there were in that incident feelings that raised a big question, “the apparent feeling on the part of so many that the issue might have been in doubt and that honesty might have bowed to temptation!” since even children will be dishonest if it serves their purpose. Have we in our age stopped taking honesty for granted even from our children, and especially from ourselves? It was a spelling bee, and eleven and twelve year olds were the actors, but it’s a forceful parable. The world will believe when our performance is in harmony with our profession. Integrity is the word —- performance and profession in harmony that the world may believe. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) “United they pulled the plough”:  Back in 1957 the First Brethren Church of Sarasota, Florida, had a ground-breaking service. But instead of bringing a few shovels for a few special people to use in the ceremony, they brought an old one-horse plow. Recalling the words of Jesus, “Take my yoke upon you,” they borrowed an old yoke and two stalwart laymen were hitched up. But the two were unable to pull the plow. Then the members of the Building Committee were put on the rope, but even they could not move the plow. Other church officers were added, including the Sunday school officers and teachers, but still the plow did not move. Finally, every member of the congregation present took hold of the rope, and with every member pulling together, the plow moved, the ground was broken (Sermons Illustrated). I don’t think that I need to elaborate too much on how this represents our need to work together for Christ’s Church. Jesus is praying for us. He is asking God two things on our behalf. First of all He is asking that we may be strong.  And you know what? In the same way that Jesus prayed for the apostles, he prays for us. In times of confusion, when we are unsure of what to do next, it is a great comfort to know that Jesus is praying for us. Jesus prayed for the apostles. And Jesus prays for us. But how did he pray? What did he ask for? JESUS PRAYED THAT GOD WOULD HELP HIS FRIENDS REMAIN STRONG! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) “If you mention God or Jesus, it’s taboo.” The great soul singer, Smokey Robinson, was a scheduled speaker for a two-day Youth Anti-Drug rally for the public schools of Sarasota, Florida. On the first day, he testified how God had rescued him from drug abuse. As a result, his speech for the second day was canceled. Smokey Robinson said, “The awful thing is that you can go into many public schools and talk about the Charles Manson murders, describe sexual promiscuity, and even pass out condoms, but if you mention God or Jesus, it’s taboo.” Something is out of kilter. Smokey discovered that we Christians are always caught in tension between the prevailing standards of our culture and the standards of Jesus Christ. We are called to live in that tension. We must neither cave in nor bailout. The more we are molded by Christ, the more tension we will have with the culture. The sparks ought to fly. Through that friction and tension, Jesus Christ can change our culture. Note our two Scriptural passages for today. The passage from John 17 is part of Jesus’ high priestly prayer. Jesus is on the eve of his crucifixion. He has nurtured this little band of disciples for about three years. Now he is going to leave them. He prays to God for them. “They’re going to be hated by the world,” says Jesus, “just as I was hated.” Jesus asks two specific requests for the infant Church. “Protect them from the evil one” and “sanctify and consecrate them in the truth.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) We are united by the One we serve as our Lord and Savior: : Somewhere I read about a magazine advertisement for a humane society in which there is a photograph of a dog and a cat sitting side by side in uncustomary harmony. The caption over their heads is, “A Couple of VIP’s – Very Important Pets.” And in the fine print underneath, the next line adds, “What makes them important is who owns them.” If you and I are VIP’s, it’s only for one reason – the One Who  owns us. We are His. It is in His steps that we walk. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 14) A Church where someone is running in the wrong direction: You may notice during the autumn of the year that many of our men around the country are glued to the football games on television. College football is a great part of American tradition. It all builds up to the bowl games at the end. That is what people are waiting for, to win the big bowl game. There may not be another bowl game more prestigious than the Rose Bowl. College players will dream of making it to the Rose Bowl to play under this great college football tradition. One man who actually lived out that college dream was named Roy Regal. He made it to the Rose Bowl and was able to play in this great game. He did more than just play. He got his hands on the football and he ran. He ran all the way down the field almost the full one hundred yards, making it almost all the way across the goal line before he was finally tackled. He lived out the dream. Yet this dream was not the dream he thought it was. There were two problems with the run that Roy Regal made. One is he was going the wrong direction, and secondly he was tackled by his own teammate. This is a picture of disunity. The team normally goes one way together across the goal line. Can you imagine if in a Church there is this kind of disunity? A Church where someone is running in the wrong direction and being tackled by his own teammate? Church unity is so important. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) We are united by what we believe: On Lakemba, one of the Fiji Islands, if you visit the Centenary Church, you will find a white chapel with a thatched roof, built in the shape of a cross. Several hundred people worship there at all services. All the furniture is white wood, except for the baptismal font. It is a light gray coral stone about three feet high, with a place hollowed out for the water. When the first missionary arrived in 1835, the islanders worshipped a god of harvest, to whom an annual sacrifice had to be offered to insure good crops. Usually a small young boy was chosen. On a killing stone, the little head was crushed with a rock, so that the victim’s blood would flow down and cover the whole stone. Then the god would give a good and plentiful harvest. The old killing stone where life was taken has now become the baptismal font, where new life begins for those who are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. [Peter Drucker, The Effective Executive (New York: Harper and Row, (1967), p.57]. How absurd to say that it doesn’t matter what you believe! Of course it matters. Sometimes it matters so much that Churches divide. That’s sad. But when the dust settles, no matter how uncomfortable it makes us, there is a common bond that unites everyone who takes upon himself or herself the name Christian. That bond is this: We believe that God so loved the world that He gave His own Son so that whoever believes in him shall have life everlasting. We believe that, and that unites us with millions of believers around this planet. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “The silver trailer down the road a mile.”: Tony Campolo tells an intriguing story about being in a worship service where a man prayed a very pointed prayer for a friend. “Dear Lord,” the man prayed, “you know Charlie Stoltzfus. He lives in that silver trailer down the road a mile. He’s leaving his wife and kids. Please do something to bring the family together.” Amazingly, as the man prayed, he repeated the location “the silver trailer down the road a mile.” Tony wanted to say, “KNOCK IT OFF, FELLA. Do you think God’s asking, ‘What’s that address again?'” After the prayer, Tony preached, and then left to drive home. On the turnpike he noticed a hitchhiker and decided to give him a lift. “My name’s Tony,” Campolo said, “What’s your name?” “Charlie Stoltzfus,” the hitchhiker said. Campolo was dumbfounded. It was the young man for whom the prayer had been offered. Campolo got off at the next exit. “Hey, where are you taking me?” asked the hitchhiker. “Home,” Campolo said. The hitchhiker stared in amazement as Tony drove right to the young fellow’s silver trailer. That afternoon that young man and his wife surrendered their lives to Christ. And today that hitchhiker is a preacher of the gospel. [“You Can Make a Difference,” Today’s Christian Woman (Nov/Dec. 1988).] We sometimes forget how powerful a simple prayer can be. Do you pray for your friends? Jesus did. Jesus’ High Priestly prayer in today’s Gospel is about our Christian unity, remembering each future denomination by name. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17)  Prayer for unity of the rich and the poor  in the slum: I was reading recently about a lawyer named Ned from Australia. He had once visited Kenya, and while there he walked through one of the worst slums in the world, to a hut where three brothers lived. When he entered the hut he immediately found himself in the center of a dozen or so children leaping into the air with joy at his presence. There was a contagious spirit in that rundown little hut, and soon Ned was jumping up and down with them. Then the kids started a sing-along, and they had a wonderful time together. When it came time for Ned to leave, something happened that he says he will always remember. From the far side of the room he heard a quiet but clear voice. And what Ned heard was something like this: “We pray for the people of Australia, for Ned and his family.” The group of children suddenly became very quiet. Then they responded: “Jesus, remember them when You come into Your Kingdom.” Ned couldn’t believe it. In the middle of Africa, in the middle of the worst slum in the world, a group of slum kids, with reverence and earnestness, were holding up before God the people of Australia. The prayer hit him hard, and he thought to himself, “God, if Australia has any hope at all, it will be because of kids like this.” [Bruce Larsen. My Creator, My Friend (Dallas: Word Books 1986), pp. 142-143).] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) The Wheel of Fortune: Any casual breakdown of television programs anywhere in the world would reveal a sizeable proportion of them devoted to games of chance. One of the more popular ones in France and in the United States and perhaps elsewhere, is a word game called The Wheel of Fortune. There is almost no country now without its national lottery with its regular draws on television nationwide. Their astronomical prizes are only dwarfed by their astronomical returns. This enormous expenditure on lottery tickets, particularly in times of recession, would be obscene, were it not in most cases a disguised form of taxation. Faith in God the Father may well be on the wane in the first decade of the twenty-first century but belief in Mother Luck was never more widespread. The wife of President Reagan of the United States revealed that her husband never made any important decision without consulting his stars. The star-gazing public was not greatly perturbed by that revelation. From the account given in today’s reading of the election of a replacement for Judas, it might seem that there is a certain Scriptural precedence for such behavior. (Biblical IE). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) “I am drawing a picture of God. “Chicken Soup for the Soul [Jack Cornfield and Mark V. Hansen, (Deerfield Beach FL: Health Communications Inc., 1993).] is a delightful anthology of stories poems and anecdotes about the extraordinary moments of our ordinary lives. Included among its varied collection is a story about a little girl. She and her mother had just returned home from Church and the child went immediately to her desk and began to draw. After watching her work intently for a while, the mother asked, “What are you drawing, dear?” “A picture of God,” came the reply. “But,” said the mother, “no one has ever seen God. No one knows what God really looks like.” Undeterred and still at work, the girl answered, “They will when I’m finished!” The charming naiveté of this little girl provides believers with a key for understanding one of the most profound aspects of Johannine theology. Like the mother in this story, the Johannine author told his readers, “No one has ever seen God. . . yet if we love one another as God has loved us, then God’s love is brought to perfection in us” (v. 12). In all we say and in all we do in the course of our life, we are, as it were, a living, breathing, drawing or illustration of who God is. Inasmuch as our life and love are an authentic facsimile of the life and love of God, then when our life’s portrait is given its final stroke, people will know what God looks like. (Sanchez Files)  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) “Spread love wherever you go.” Adding some strokes and finishing touches to the picture of God which was her life, St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) reminded us, “Spread love wherever you go: first of all, in your own house. Give love to your children, to your wife or husband, to a next-door neighbor. . . Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s love, love in your face, love in your eyes, love in your smile, love in your warm greeting.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Do you have any idea when your religion or denomination was founded and by whom?

If you are a Hindu, your religion developed in India around 6000 B.C.

If you are a member of the Jewish faith, your religion began with God’s choice of Abraham about 4,000 years ago.

If you are a Buddhist, your religion split from Hinduism, and was founded by Buddha, Prince Siddhartha Gautama of India, about 500 B.C.

If you are Roman Catholic, Jesus Christ began your religion in the year 33 A.D.

If you are Islamic, Mohammed started your religion in what is now Saudi Arabia around 600 A.D.

If you are Eastern Orthodox, your sect separated from Catholicism around the year 1,000.

If you are Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in 1517.

If you belong to the Church of England (Anglican), your church split off from the Roman Catholic Church in the rebellion of  King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to remarry.

If you are a Calvinist, your religion was founded when former-Catholic-turned- reformer John Calvin published his Institutes of the Christian Religion in 1536.

If you are Presbyterian, your religion was founded when John Knox brought the teachings of John Calvin to Scotland in the year 1560.

If you are Unitarian, your religious group developed in Europe in the 1500’s.

If you are a Congregationalist, your religion branched off from Puritanism in the early 1600’s in England.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1607.

If you are a Methodist, your religion was founded by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1744.

If you are an Episcopalian, your religion was brought over from England to the American Colonies and formed a separate religion founded by Samuel Seabury in 1789.

If you are a Mormon (Latter-day Saints), Joseph Smith started your church in Palmyra, N.Y. The year was 1830.

If you worship with the Salvation Army (it is a religious group), your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.

If you are a Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year your religion was founded by Mary Baker Eddy.

If you are a Jehovah’s Witness, your religion was founded by Charles Taze Russell in Pennsylvania in 1870’s .

If you are Pentecostal, your religion was started in the U.S. in 1901.

If you are agnostic, you profess an uncertainty about the existence of God.

If you are an atheist, you do not believe God exists. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/24

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 30) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

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 at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

Homily on First Holy Communion- 2024 (L) (Summary)

Dear boys and girls,

I would like to congratulate you today because you look like princes and princesses in your shining, beautiful pants and shirts, dresses and crowns. You are happy and all smiles today and your parents, teachers and relatives are proud of you. They want to keep the sweet memory of this day by taking your pictures. They also want you to remember this day throughout your life by giving you beautiful gifts like small Bibles, beautiful Rosaries, shining prayer books and other precious gifts. My question is why are we all happy today and why do we celebrate this day as the most important day of your life? You might have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor, who conquered most countries of Europe and wished to conquer the whole world. Somebody asked him the question, “What was the most important day in your life?” They expected answers like the day of his coronation as Emperor, the day of his royal wedding, the day of his famous victories. But he said, “The most important and the most memorable day of my life was my First Communion Day.” For each one of you this day should remain as the happiest and most memorable day of your life.

Astronauts who received Holy Communion in the Moon & space station:

a) Apollo 11 landed on the moon on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Buzz Aldrin, the NASA astronaut had taken aboard the spacecraft a tiny pyx provided by his Catholic pastor

b) Astronaut Mike Hopkins is one of those selected few. He spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. I was able to take the Eucharist up — and I was able to have Communion, basically, every week. There were a couple of times when I received Communion on, I’ll say, special occasions: I did two spacewalks; so on the morning of both of those days, when I went out for the spacewalk, I had Communion.

c) Cardinal Newman: “What are four thousand pounds when compared with one Holy Communion?” d) St Thomas More: Each Holy Communion gives me strength.

1) Why is this the happiest day of your life? It is because you are receiving the biggest celebrity, Jesus our God and Savior, as the Guest of Honor into your hearts and lives, for the first time, in Holy Communion. Somebody very, very big (VIP)is coming to stay with you, bless you, protect you and guide you. That is why we have all these celebrations. Long ago Martha and Mary received Jesus into their house as a guest. Today Jesus is coming into the house of your soul.

2) The next question is, how does Jesus come to our hearts? Jesus comes to our hearts in the form of consecrated Bread and Wine. Do we see Jesus in the bread and wine? No. Can we taste Jesus or touch Jesus or smell Jesus in the Holy Eucharist we receive today? No. Then why do we believe that we are receiving Jesus in Holy Communion? It is because Jesus said that he would be there in the consecrated Bread and Wine. Nothing is impossible for God. So, Jesus is really present in the consecrated Host and Wine. Ever since his Resurrection on Easter Sunday Jesus has had a glorified body. In Holy Communion, we are receiving that glorified Body of Jesus. That is why we cannot see or touch or taste Jesus’ human body and blood when we receive Holy Communion.

3) The next question is why does Jesus come to us as Bread and Wine, as food and drink? You know the reason. We cannot live many days without eating or drinking. Food and drink are essential for the life of our bodies. In the same way spiritual food is essential for the life of our souls. And the Food for our souls is the Body and Blood of Jesus. That is why Jesus said that we will be spiritually dead if we don’t eat his Body and drink his Blood. Hence, we have to receive Jesus in Holy Communion. We have that opportunity every time we participate in a Holy Mass. Then, before we receive Jesus, we ask his pardon and forgiveness for our sins and with great reverence and respect.

4) A final question: What will we do after receiving Jesus in Holy Communion? First, we will invite Jesus into our heart. Next, we will thank Jesus with joy for coming to our heart. Then we will want to tell him all our needs and the needs of our parents, relatives, teachers and friends. Finally, we will be very happy when we remember that we are carrying Jesus to our homes and schools as Jesus’ mother Mary carried Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth. Because that is true, we will want to behave well because we know we are carrying God Himself in our heart and soul. When we are alone, we can tell Jesus living in our soul about our joys and worries, and about our parents, relatives, teachers, pastors, friends and their needs. We also need to ask Jesus to make us good boys and girls, sons and daughters who honor and obey our parents as their loving, well-behaved children and who behave well in school. Then we need to ask him to help us to succeed in our work at school and at home.

Big thanks to everyone: I would like to thank everyone who prepared these boys and girls to receive their first Holy Communion and to remind the parents grandparents and relatives of these children that it is how all of us in the family and all of us who are in the parish family practice our Faith every day – at home, with the neighbors and in our work – that is going to influence our children. Hence, we all need to continue to train them in Christian faith and its practice, not only by advice but more by exemplary Christian lives. God bless you.

Homily on First Holy Communion- 2024 (L) Full text

Dear boys and girls,

I would like to congratulate you today because you look like princes and princesses in your shining, beautiful pants and shirts, dresses and crowns. You are happy and all smiles today and your parents, teachers and relatives are proud of you. They want to keep the sweet memory of this day by taking your pictures. They also want you to remember this day throughout your life by giving you beautiful gifts like small Bibles, beautiful Rosaries, shining prayer books and other precious gifts. My question is why are we all happy today and why do we celebrate this day as the most important day of your life? You might have heard of Napoleon Bonaparte, the French emperor, who conquered most countries of Europe and wished to conquer the whole world. Somebody asked him the question, “What was the most important day in your life?” They expected answers like the day of his coronation as Emperor, the day of his royal wedding, the day of his famous victories. But he said, “The most important and the most memorable day of my life was my First Communion Day.” For each one of you this day should remain as the happiest and most memorable day of your life.

Why this is the happiest day of your life? It is because you are receiving the biggest celebrity, Jesus our God and Savior, as the Guest of Honor into your hearts and lives, for the first time, in Holy Communion. Somebody very, very big is coming to stay with you, bless you, protect you and guide you. That is why we have all these celebrations. The next question is, how does Jesus come to our hearts? Jesus comes to our hearts in the form of consecrated Bread and Wine. Do we see Jesus in the bread and wine? No. Can we taste Jesus or touch Jesus or smell Jesus in the Holy Eucharist we receive today? No. Then why do we believe that we are receiving Jesus in Holy Communion? It is because Jesus promised that he would be there in the consecrated Bread and Wine. Nothing is impossible for God. So, Jesus is really present in the consecrated Host and Wine. Ever since his Resurrection on Easter Sunday Jesus has had a glorified body. In Holy Communion we are receiving that glorified Body of Jesus. That is why we cannot see or touch or taste Jesus’ human body and blood when we receive Holy Communion.

The next question is why does Jesus come to us as Bread and Wine, as food and drink? You know the reason. We cannot live many days without eating or drinking. Food and drink are essential for the life of our bodies. In the same way spiritual food is essential for the life of our souls. And the Food for our souls is the Body and Blood of Jesus. That is why Jesus said that we will be spiritually dead if we don’t eat his Body and drink his Blood. Hence, we have to receive Jesus in the Holy Communion. We have that opportunity every time we participate in a Holy Mass. Then, before we receive Jesus, we ask his pardon and forgiveness for our sins and with great reverence and respect receive him in Holy Communion.

A final question: What will we do after receiving Jesus in Holy Communion? First, we will invite Jesus into our heart. Next, we will thank Jesus with joy for coming to our hearts. Then we tell him all our needs and the needs of our parents, relatives, teachers and friends. Finally, we will live with Jesus in our hearts, remembering that we are carrying Jesus to our homes and schools as Jesus’ mother Mary carried Jesus to her cousin Elizabeth. We would behave well by doing good and avoiding evil because we know we are carrying God Himself in our heart and soul. When we are alone, we can tell Jesus living in our soul about our dreams, joys and worries, and about our parents, relatives, teachers, pastors, friends and their needs. We also need to ask Jesus to make us good boys and girls, sons and daughters who honor and obey our parents as their loving, well-behaved children and who behave well in school. Then we need to ask him to help us to succeed in our work at school and at home.

As your pastor, I would like to thank everyone who prepared these boys and girls to receive their first Holy Communion and remind the parents grandparents and relatives of these children that it is how all of us in the family and all of us who are in the parish family practice our faith every day – at home, with the neighbors and in our work that is going to influence our children. Hence, we all need to continue to train them in Christian faith and its practice, not by advice but by exemplary Christian lives. God bless you.

Blessed Imelda, the Patron saint of First Communicants: Blessed Imelda Lambertini had a remarkable experience of this love. She lived in Bologna, Italy, in the 1300s. She wanted to be a nun from the time she was a little girl, and she joined that Dominican convent at the age of nine, to better prepare herself for the day when she would take the habit. Her greatest desire was to receive Holy Communion, but in those days you had to be at least twelve-years-old to do so. Imelda begged for an exception to the rule, but the chaplain refused. She kept praying for special permission. Her prayers were miraculously answered on the Feast of the Ascension in 1333. After Mass, she stayed in her place in the chapel, where one of the nuns was putting away the sacred vessels. Suddenly, the nun heard a noise and turned towards Imelda. Hovering in mid air in front of Imelda as she knelt in prayer was a sacred host, the Blessed Eucharist, shining with a bright and forceful light. The frightened nun ran to find the chaplain. By the time the chaplain arrived, the rest of the nuns and other onlookers had crowded, awe-struck, into the chapel. When the priest saw the shining, hovering host, he put on his vestments, went over to the girl, took the miraculous host in his hands, and gave her Holy Communion. Some minutes later, after the crowd had dispersed, the Mother Superior came over to Imelda to call her for breakfast. She found the girl still kneeling, with a smile on her face. But Imelda was dead. She had died of love, in ecstasy after receiving Christ in the Eucharist. He had longed to be with her even more than she had longed to be with him. Blessed Imelda’s body is incorrupt, and you can still see it today in the Church where she is interred, in Bologna. She is the patron saint of First Holy Communicants. (E- Priest). Fr. Tony (L/24)

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 58 b) by Fr. Tony: akadavil

St. Maximilian Kolbe says, ‘ If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason: Holy Communion.”

Additional anecdotes:

1) Lucia Santos’ first communion. Sister Lucia, the last to die of the three little visionaries of Fatima, recalls the joy of her first Holy Communion in her memoirs. Aided by her older sisters, she dressed in her long white First Communion dress, put on her wreath of flowers, and according to Portuguese custom, knelt and asked her parents’ blessing. Her mother told her to resolve to become a saint. Then Lucy’s bigger brother took up the first communicant in his arms and carried her all the way to church. Why? Not because she was disabled, but because they didn’t want even a speck of dust to soil her when she received Jesus.

2) Holy Communion in the outer space: Astronaut Mike Hopkins is one of those selected few. He spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. And though he was thrilled when he was chosen for a space mission, there was one Person he didn’t want to leave behind: Jesus in the Eucharist. Hopkins had been received into the Church less than a year before his launch. After a long wait, he was finally able to receive Our Lord at each Mass. Facing the prospect of being off the planet for half a year, he decided he had to find out if Jesus could travel with him. It turns out he could — and he did. In 2011, I got assigned to a mission to the International Space Station. I was going to go up and spend six months in space, starting in 2013. So I started asking the question, “Is there any chance I can take the Eucharist up with me into space?” The weekend before I left for Russia — we launch on a Russian rocket from Kazakhstan — I went to Mass one last time, and [the priest with permission from his bishop] consecrated the wafers into the Body of Christ, and I was able to take the pyx with me. NASA has been great. … They didn’t have any reservations about me taking the Eucharist up or to practicing my faith on orbit. The Russians were amazing. I went in with all my personal items, and I explained what the pyx was and the meaning of it to me — because for them, they, of course, saw it just as bread, if you will, the wafers — and yet for me [I knew] it was the Body of Christ. And they completely understood and said, “Okay, we’ll estimate it weighs this much, and no problem. You can keep it with you.” All these doors opened up, and I was able to take the Eucharist up — and I was able to have Communion, basically, every week. There were a couple of times when I received Communion on, I’ll say, special occasions: I did two spacewalks; so on the morning of both of those days, when I went out for the spacewalk, I had Communion. It was really helpful for me to know that Jesus was with me when I went out the hatch into the vacuum of space. And then I received my last Communion on my last day on orbit in the “Cupola,” which is this large window that looks down at the Earth, and that was a very special moment before I came home. (http://www.ncregister.com/daily-news/what-is-it-like-to-receive-the-eucharist-in-space

3) Communion on the moon: Holy Communion reminds us that we can remember Jesus from any place. Apollo 11 landed on the moon on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Most remember astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first words as he stepped onto the moon’s surface: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But few know about the first meal eaten on the moon. Dennis Fisher reports that Buzz Aldrin, the NASA astronaut had taken aboard the spacecraft a tiny pyx provided by his Catholic pastor. (Aldrin was Catholic until his second marriage, when he became a Presbyterian. (See the Snopes citation given below). Aldrin sent a radio broadcast to Earth asking listeners to contemplate the events of the day and give thanks. Then, blacking out the broadcast for privacy, Aldrin read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” Then, silently, he gave thanks for their successful journey to the moon and received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, surrendering the moon to Jesus. Next, he descended on the moon and walked on it with Neil Armstrong [Dan
Gulley, “Communion on the Moon,” Our Daily Bread (June/July/August,
2007)]. His actions remind us that in the Lord’s Supper, God’s children can share the life of Jesus from any place on Earth — and even from the moon. God is everywhere, and our worship should reflect this reality. In Psalm 139 we are told that wherever we go, God is intimately present with us. Buzz Aldrin celebrated that experience on the surface of the moon. Thousands of miles from earth, he took time to commune with the One who created, redeemed, and established fellowship with him. (Dennis Fisher) http://www.smithvillechurch.org/html/body_remembering_jesus_on_the_moon.html https://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2007/07/20/devotion.aspx, http://www.snopes.com/glurge/communion.asp

4) The value of Holy Communion for Cardinal Newman & St. Thomas More: One of the greatest gifts we have received is the Eucharist, Christ’s true presence, body, blood, soul, and divinity, given to us as spiritual food under the appearance of bread and wine. When the famous Cardinal Newman was about to convert to the Catholic faith, his friends and colleagues at Oxford University tried desperately to dissuade him. • One of them, exasperated, finally said, “Think of what you are doing. If you become a Catholic you will lose your job and forfeit your annual income of four thousand pounds [about $120,000 in today’s terms].” • The future Cardinal responded, “What are four thousand pounds when compared with one Holy Communion?” Another English saint, St Thomas More, Chancellor of England, had a similar conversation with a colleague who criticized him for taking time away from his important work to go to daily Mass. More replied: • Your reasons for wanting me to stay away are exactly the ones which cause me to go so often. • My stress is great, but it is by Holy Communion that I calm myself. • Many times a day I am tempted to sin – it is through my Communion that I overcome. • I have many weighty affairs to manage – and I have need of light and strength to do so well. • It is in my Communion that I find all this. These men valued the supernatural gifts of God just as we should all value them. (E-Priest)

5) Blessed Imelda, the Patron saint of First Communicants: Blessed Imelda Lambertini had a remarkable experience of this love. She lived in Bologna, Italy, in the 1300s. She wanted to be a nun from the time she was a little girl, and she joined that Dominican convent at the age of nine, to better prepare herself for the day when she would take the habit. Her greatest desire was to receive Holy Communion, but in those days you had to be at least twelve-years-old to do so. Imelda begged for an exception to the rule, but the chaplain refused. She kept praying for special permission. Her prayers were miraculously answered on the Feast of the Ascension in 1333. After Mass, she stayed in her place in the chapel, where one of the nuns was putting away the sacred vessels. Suddenly, the nun heard a noise and turned towards Imelda. Hovering in mid air in front of Imelda as she knelt in prayer was a sacred host, the Blessed Eucharist, shining with a bright and forceful light. The frightened nun ran to find the chaplain. By the time the chaplain arrived, the rest of the nuns and other onlookers had crowded, awe-struck, into the chapel. When the priest saw the shining, hovering host, he put on his vestments, went over to the girl, took the miraculous host in his hands, and gave her Holy Communion. Some minutes later, after the crowd had dispersed, the Mother Superior came over to Imelda to call her for breakfast. She found the girl still kneeling, with a smile on her face. But Imelda was dead. She had died of love, in ecstasy after receiving Christ in the Eucharist. He had longed to be with her even more than she had longed to be with him. Blessed Imelda’s body is incorrupt, and you can still see it today in the Church where she is interred, in Bologna. She is the patron saint of First Holy Communicants. (E- Priest). Fr. Tony (L/16)

Videos to watch:

How to receive Holy Communion? Watch this YouTube presentation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=qdGkTdv4Dt4#!

Holy Eucharist explained: https://youtu.be/TMSiHGTBdGk

Addressing First Communicants: https://youtu.be/FxRucGlAdn8

Video: First Communion: A tour of the Sacristy and Sanctuary |https://youtu.be/bZ9qFHg4AoY

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 30 b) by Fr. Tony: akadavil

Welcoming Children to the Lord’s Table: Suggestions for Parents: Keep the first in First Communion. Talk about the many future occasions when your child will take Communion with you.

Stress the baptismal connection. Get out the scrapbook and recall your child’s Baptism. Unpack the christening garment and tell its history: when and where you bought it, who else wore it. Attend the Easter Vigil with your child.

Involve your child in the sacrifices you make. Let the youngster help you fix a meal for a neighbor in need, sort through toys and clothing for gifts to the poor, visit a nursing home, add pennies to a charitable donation.

Explore the family of faith. Visit the parishes where grandparents and friends worship, the oldest chuch in town (learn its history), an ethnic parish, the diocesan cathedral.

Put a little extra effort into family meals. Let your child decorate the table for an evening meal. Talk about special meals your family has shared.

For the Rest of the Parish Family

Be attentive to the “high chair set.” Get to know the children who set near you in church. show them that church is a place where people sing and are happy, where a little one is greeted with smiles.

Watch for signs that a child is approaching First Communion, such as greater attentiveness at Mass. In your own way, welcome him, or her to the larger table.

Notice when a child is wearing First Communion finery, using a new prayer book or joining the line for Communion. Express congratulations, your pleasure that the youngster is joining you for Communion.

A family celebration: http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0495.asp

1) http://www.americancatholic.org/Newsletters/CU/ac0495.asp

2) http://stlouiscatholic.blogspot.com/2011/05/sermon-on-good-shepherd-sunday.html

EASTER VI [B] SUNDAY (May 5 ) (8-minute homily in 1 page) L/24

Introduction: Today’s Scripture passages declare the profound truth that those who believe in Christ are to obey his commandment of love – “Love one another as I have loved you.” When we celebrate Mother’s Day, let us remember with gratitude that it is generally our mothers who practice the agápe love of Jesus.

Scripture Lessons summarized: In the first reading, Peter teaches us that God shows no partiality in His love and that there are no boundaries to abiding in love. God loves everyone, both the Jews and the Gentiles, and He wants everyone to be saved through His son, Jesus. That is why God welcomed the Roman centurion Cornelius as the first non-Jew to become a Christian. The reading tells us how God also allowed the Gentiles who heard Peter’s speech to receive the same Holy Spirit and His gifts that Peter’s Jewish audience had received on the day of Pentecost. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 98) also directs our attention toward God’s marvelous love and kindness in offering salvation to the whole world. In the second reading, John defines God as love and explains that He expressed His love for mankind by sending His son to die for us humans “as expiation for our sins.” This Divine love gives us the command, and so the duty, to love one another as we have been loved by God. Since God has loved us first, we can and should love God in return, love ourselves properly, and love one another. After telling the parable of the vine and branches, Jesus, in today’s Gospel, teaches the disciples that are to obey his commandment of love just as Jesus has obeyed his Heavenly Father’s will by fulfilling His commandments and remaining inseparably bonded with his Father. Jesus’ unconditional, forgiving, selfless, sacrificial love for us must be the criterion of our love for others. The highest expression of this love is our willingness to lay down our lives as Jesus did, for people who don’t deserve it. The goal and result of our abiding in love, in God, will be perfect joy. Jesus no longer calls us slaves but now calls us “friends.” He tells us that he has chosen us, and that, if we use Jesus’ name, we can ask the Father for anything.

Life messages: # 1: We need to cultivate an abiding and loving friendship with Jesus. We need to express this love in our relationships with others by loving them and offering them trust, faithfulness, equality, forgiveness, joy, and sacrifice. #2: We need to be persons for others: Jesus demonstrated the love of God, his Father, for us by living for us and dying for us. Hence, as Jesus’ disciples, we are to be persons for others, sacrificing our time, talents, and lives for others. This is what parents spontaneously do, sacrificing themselves, their time, talents, health, and wealth for their children, or in other words, by spending themselves for their children. The most effective way of communicating God’s love to others is by treating everyone as a friend, giving everyone the respect he or she deserves. Let us remember that Christ’s own love was not limited to the people he liked and, hence, that we should close our minds to thoughts of revenge.

EASTER VI [B]: Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; I Jn 4:7-10; Jn 15: 9-17

Homily starter anecdotes: 1)  God’s love in action:  When Fr. Damien arrived in Molokai to assemble a prefabricated Church for the lepers, he spent the first few weeks sleeping out under the trees, because he was unable to cope with the stench in the hovels of the lepers. He certainly wouldn’t dare preach to them about God’s love for them, because, as they saw it, that would be offensive. But slowly he opened his heart to the grace of God which enabled him to see the suffering Jesus in them. In no time, he was washing them, bandaging them, and burying them. He came to love them, and, through him, they came to believe that God loved them. He smoked a pipe to counteract the stench, but he soon was passing the pipe around for others to have a smoke. He ate food with them from a common bowl, out of which they scooped the food with hands that had no fingers. He caught the disease himself, and he was happy to be able to live and to die for them. — Thus, St. Damien followed Jesus’ commandment of love given in today’s Gospel: “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends.”  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 2) “She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.” It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when a gentleman in his 80’s arrived to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. The medico took his vital signs and had him take a sea. Knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him, and since he, himself, was not busy, the medico took time to evaluate the man’s wound. The wound was well healed, so he talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, the medico asked his patient if he had another doctor’s appointment as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman said that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. In answer to the medico’s question about her health, the old man responded that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s disease. When the medico asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late, he replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. The medico was surprised, and asked him why, if his wife didn’t know who he was, he went every morning faithfully for the breakfast. The old man smiled and said, “She doesn’t know me, but I still know who she is.” The medico with tears in the eyes said to himself, “That is the kind of love I want in my life.” —  True love is neither physical, nor romantic. True love is an acceptance of all that is, has been, will be, and will not be. In today’s Gospel, Jesus commands, us to practice this type of sacrificial and selfless   agápe love as he practiced it. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3)  Carrying a burden alone: Dr. Albert Schweitzer, the great humanitarian, theologian, musician, and physician was eighty-five years old when I visited his jungle hospital at Lambarene, on the banks of the Ogowe River. One event stands out in a special way. It was eleven in the morning. The equatorial sun was beating down mercilessly, and we were walking up a hill with Dr. Schweitzer. Suddenly he left us and strode across the slope of the hill to a place where an African woman was struggling upward with a huge armload of wood for the cook fires. I watched with both admiration and concern as the eighty-five-year-old man took the entire load of wood and carried it on up the hill for the relieved woman. When we all reached the top of the hill, one of the members of our group asked Dr. Schweitzer why he did things like that, implying that in that heat and at his age he should not. Albert Schweitzer, looking right at all of us and, pointing to the woman, said simply, “No one should ever have to carry a burden like that alone.” — Dr. Albert Schweitzer not only believed but practiced Jesus’ great commandment of love given in today’s Gospel: “Love others as I have loved you.”  [Andrew Davidson, quoted by Fr. Botelho)]. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4)  Laying down one’s life for one’s friends:  In 1941, the German Army began to round up Jewish people in Lithuania. Thousands of Jews were murdered. But one German soldier objected to their murder. He was Sergeant Anton Schmid. Through his assistance, the lives of at least 250 Jews were spared. He managed to hide them, find food, and supply them with forged papers. Schmid himself was arrested in early 1942 for saving these lives. was tried and was executed in 1942. It took Germany almost sixty years to honor the memory of this man, Schmid. Said Germany’s Defense Minister in 2000, saluting him, “Too many bowed to the threats and temptations of the dictator Hitler, and too few found the strength to resist. But Sergeant Anton Schmid did resist.” — This is the central of theme of today’s Gospel.  “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” The hero Schmid went beyond what even Jesus encouraged. He laid down his life for strangers. (Fr. James Gilhooley). Fr. Bobby Jose. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction:  Today’s Scripture passages declare the profound truth that those who believe in Christ and obey his commandment of love “remain in, abide, dwell in” God and God in them.

Scripture readings summarized:  In the first reading, Peter teaches us that God shows no partiality in His love and that there are no boundaries to abiding in love. God loves everyone, both Jews and Gentiles, and wants everyone to be saved through His son Jesus. That is why God welcomed the Roman centurion Cornelius as the first non-Jew to become a Christian.  The reading tells us how God also allowed the Gentiles who heard Peter’s speech to receive the same Holy Spirit and His gifts that Peter’s Jewish audience had received on the day of Pentecost. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 98) also directs our attention toward God’s marvelous love and kindness in offering salvation to the whole world. In the second reading, John defines God as love and explains that He expressed His love for mankind by sending His son to die for us humans “as expiation for our sins.”  This Divine love gives us the command, and so the duty, to love one another as we have been loved by God. Since God has loved us first, we can and should love God in return, love ourselves properly, and love one another. After telling the parable of the vine and branches in today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the disciples that they are to remain in a living bond with him as branches grow from and so are bound to a vine.  They are to obey his commandment of love just as he has obeyed his Heavenly Father’s will, by fulfilling His commandments and remaining inseparably One with his Father.  Jesus’ unconditional, forgiving, selfless, sacrificial love for us must be the criterion of our love for others.  The highest expression of this love is our willingness to lay down our lives as Jesus did, for people who don’t deserve it. The goal and result of our abiding in love, in God, will be perfect joy. Jesus calls us friends; he tells us that he has chosen us, and that, if we use his Name, we can ask the Father for anything

First reading, Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48 explained: One of the early Church’s first struggles was to decide whether God was calling the early Christians to be a sect entirely within Judaism, or one that extended outward and welcomed others who believed in Jesus.  The decision to yoke the Jews and the Gentiles together was a tough one for the Judeo-Christians and a welcome sign for the converts from pagan religions.  In today’s first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, we see the start of the process.  The episode begins earlier in Acts, in Chapter 10, where Peter and the Roman centurion Cornelius (a good pagan), are given interlocking visions.  Acts describes how the Heavenly messenger instructed Cornelius to send to Joppa for Peter.  In a trance, Peter heard a Voice bidding him to eat non-kosher foods. Peter called this unthinkable, but the Voice insisted that what God had purified no one might call unclean. This formerly pagan centurion and his family were to be the first fruits from which the   worldwide Gentile mission was later to begin. The Holy Spirit, guiding the Church, would use the example of Cornelius to prompt Paul in transforming the early Church from an exclusively Jewish establishment to a dominantly Gentile and western European reality.

During his meeting with Cornelius, Peter made a speech giving Cornelius and his pagan household and friends the assurance that everyone “who fears Him is acceptable to God” and “God shows no partiality.”  As they all received the anointing of the Holy Spirit while listening to Peter’s preaching, Peter ordered them to be baptized then and there.  This story teaches three lessons: 1) Authentic changes must be expected as part of the Church’s ongoing mission under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  2) New directions result ultimately from the Holy Spirit’s guidance rather than from merely human decisions.  3) The ecclesiastical leadership has the right and obligation to teach and carry out Divinely willed new instructions.

Second Reading, 1 John 4:7-10 explained: This passage contains the greatest single statement about God in the whole Bible, namely, God is Love.  This statement means that (a) Love has its origin in God (1 Jn 4:7).  According to Clement of Alexandria, the real Christian “practices being God.”  God IS love and, therefore, to be like God and be what he was meant to be, man must also love.  (b) Love has a double relationship to God.  It is only by knowing God  (and in this “knowing,” He always takes the initiative, loving us first), that we learn to love Him, and it is only by loving God that we learn to know Him (1 Jn 4:7-8).  In other words, love comes from God first, and His love, received,  leads us back to God.  (c) It is by love that God is known, and the best demonstration of God comes, not from argument, but from a life of love.  God’s love is demonstrated in Jesus Christ (1 Jn 4:9).  When we look at Jesus we see two things about the love of God:.  (a) It is a love which holds nothing back (even giving His Son in sacrifice).  (b) It is a totally undeserved love, because God loves poor and disobedient creatures like us. God’s love also explains many things: (a) It explains creation: God wants to love someone who can love Him back.  (b) It explains the necessary role of free-will.  Unless love is a free response it is not love.  (c) It explains Providence.  Since God is love, His creating act is followed by His constant care.  (d) It explains redemption.  The very fact that God IS love meant that He had to seek and save that which was lost.  He had to find a remedy for sin.  (e) It explains the life beyond.  The fact that God IS love makes it certain that the chances and changes of life do not have the last word and that His love will readjust the balance of this life. This passage also teaches us that Jesus is: (a) the bringer of life, (b) the restorer of the lost relationship with God, (c) the Savior of the world (1 Jn 4:14), and (d) the Son of God (1 Jn 4:15).

GOSPEL EXEGESIS: We need to choose loving obedience in order to experience the abiding love of God: “There can be no doubt that love is the overarching thread which ties together this Sunday’s Gospel— in various forms, the word is used eleven times in this passage, both as the verb agapaô (“to love”) and as the noun agápê (love). Jesus reminds the apostles that the ultimate expression of love (and especially Christian love, agápê) lies in self-sacrifice for others” (Dr. Watson).   Today’s Gospel reading comes from the middle of Jesus’ so-called “Farewell Discourse,” a lengthy section (Jn 14—17). It is the heart-to-heart, after-dinner “table-talk” of Jesus with his disciples.  Fundamentally, the first half of chapter 15 is about love: the love of God for Jesus, the love of Jesus for his disciples and the love of the disciples for Jesus.  Verse 9 declares that there is no distinguishing difference between the love of the Father for the Son and that which the Son has for his chosen disciples.  But, even though this love is steadfast and sure, it is also a love that may be lost.  Thus, Jesus urges his disciples to “abide” or “remain” in his love.  The “condition” for receiving and keeping this unconditional love is spelled out in verse 10 – “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.” The disciples must receive and respond to Jesus’ love by keeping his commandments, if they are to be able to continue receiving Jesus’ love.  There is both respect and freedom for the disciples’ chosen actions implicit in this design.  But Jesus next reminds his followers that he, too, has been free to act in obedience or disobedience to his Father’s commandments, and he has offered himself as a model of obedience and abiding love.  Indeed, the “joy” Jesus goes on to speak of (in verse 11) is the joy that he knows as a result of his absolute obedience to the Father, and the perfect unity they share. Thus, Jesus urges his disciples to choose obedience and to experience his abiding love so that they may also experience this kind of total joy.

 The new commandment: Jesus clarifies the second of His two-commandment summary of the Torah’s Ten Commandments, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” as one short sentence “Love one another,” with an added, specific and intimidating parameter, “as I have loved you.” “Love one another” is in the present imperative state, grammatically testifying to Jesus’ moral intent – that this be a continuous, ever-present love.  “As I have loved you,” means a selfless, sacrificial, forgiving, and serving love. It is not the feel-good self-indulgent love that TV commercials push, but a selfless, self-giving love — the kind of love that God has shown for us, the kind of love that led Jesus to the cross for us. According to Dr. Murray Watson, “Love one another as I have loved you”: the Greek adverb “as” can be understood here in two distinct but related ways. It can mean “Love one another in the same way as I have loved you”; it could also mean “Love one another since I have loved you, because I have loved you.” We can understand Jesus’ love both as our model and as our motivation. If we are conscious of just how much love Jesus has showered upon us, the only appropriate response is to love in return, and to love by following His example. He is both our inspiration and our role-model.

The joy: The theme of “joy” is introduced here in verse 11.  Jesus’ “joy” comes from a relationship of perfect obedience to the Father and the unity that the Father and Son therefore share.  But even this joy can be expanded.  It can be made more “complete.” “Completed” or “fulfilled” joy (also used in 3:29) is accomplished when Jesus’ disciples enter into the obedient, loving relationship between the Father and the Son by their own loving obedience.

 “Bearing fruit that will remain” (John 15:9-17). “Bearing fruit” is an easy image. A healthy branch of a fruit tree will do what it is intended to do: i.e., produce good fruit by being attached to a healthy tree. Using this metaphor, Jesus is saying that a “healthy disciple” must DO what Jesus intends ALL good disciples to do – manifest good “fruit,” the results intended by Jesus that come from being “attached to” Jesus. The example is modeled by Jesus himself: he shared everything with his followers, and even willingly gave up his life for them – the deepest expression of love available to a human. One of the fruits of the Spirit is Love (Gal 5:22-23). The “fruit” that Jesus wants to be seen in the life of every one of his disciples is Love. In fact, Jesus commands his followers to manifest this love at all times, and that love is expressed in the way they care for one another within the community. That is how we “remain on the tree” of life forever! (Bishop Clarke).

Not slaves but friends: Jesus tells his followers that he does not call them slaves anymore but calls them friends.  In the Bible, doulos, the slave, the servant of God was no title of shame; it was a title of the highest honor.  Moses was the doulos of God (Dt 34:5); so was Joshua (Jos 24:29); so was David (Ps  89:20).  It is a title which Paul counted it an honor to use (Ti 1:1); and so did James (James 1:1).  The greatest men in the past had been proud to be called the douli, the slaves of God.  But Jesus says: “I have something greater for you yet. You are no longer slaves; you are friends.”  Christ offers an intimacy with God which not even the greatest of men knew before Jesus came into the world. The idea of being the friend of God also has a Biblical background.  Abraham was the friend of God (Is 4 1:8).  In Wis 7:27, Wisdom is said to make us the friends of God.  In Rome in the first century, the Friends of the king, or the emperor, were those who had the closest and the most intimate connection with him.  Jesus has called us to be his friends and the friends of God.  Jesus has given us this intimacy with God, so that He is no longer a distant stranger, but our close friend.

Discipleship by Divine selection: The unmerited quality of this Divine friendship is further emphasized by Jesus’ declaration in verse 16, “You did not choose me but I chose you.”  Discipleship comes about by Divine choice, not by human merits and actions.  The prescribed outcome of this choice is the disciples’ ability now to go out and “bear fruit,” bear abiding fruit.  The love, the friendship that comes from Christ is tangibly manifested in the disciples’ lives.  Verse 16 concludes that, as friends of Jesus, the disciples have access to virtually unlimited power.  They have only to invoke Jesus’ name, and God will respond.  The phrase “in my Name” denotes a prayer context, as well as suggesting that invoking Jesus’ Name makes manifest the very presence of Jesus himself. Today’s text concludes by setting the stage for the reason that the “world” hates Jesus’ disciples.  Disciples of Jesus do, in fact, love one another.  The power of Christ’s love and friendship in no way negates the reality of this world’s ability to hate.  That is why Jesus closes with a clear command that we must love one another, and even love those who hate us. “UBI caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor. Exultemus, et in ipso iucundemur. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum. Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero “(“WHERE charity and love are, God is there. Christ’s love has gathered us into one. Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him. Let us fear and let us love the living God. And may we love each other with a sincere heart”). (From the traditional chant for the Washing of the Feet, Mass of the Lord’s Supper).

 “All you ask the Father in my Name He will give you” (Jn 15:16). This is not “prosperity gospel” (!) because the sentence immediately preceding the one quoted above, Jesus told his disciples that he chose them to “go forth and bear fruit.” So, in this context we are talking about mission work, about continuing the mission of Jesus. By virtue of (and empowered by), our Baptism and Confirmation, we are called to spread the Good News – to participate in the mission of Jesus Christ our Savior. Jesus is promising that every gift we need for this mission will indeed be given to us. In fact, attempts at fulfilling our mission will fail if we do not first seek the help of the Lord. We are talking about spiritual gifts, gifts from the Holy Spirit, the gifts needed to build up the Body of Christ. So, a request for a Cadillac or a Hummer would not fall under the umbrella of that mission-oriented promise of Jesus! Normally our mission is not to leave for some far-off continent to evangelize. Instead, our mission area is our neighborhood, workplace, and home. This is where we spread the Good News of the love and mercy of Christ, which he manifested fully by laying down his own life for our redemption! (Bishop Clarke).

From the traditional chant for the Washing of the Feet, Mass of the Lord’s Supper:  UBI caritas et amor, Deus ibi est. Congregavit nos in unum Christi amor. Exultemus, et in ipso iucundemur. Timeamus, et amemus Deum vivum. Et ex corde diligamus nos sincero. — WHERE charity and love are, God is there. Christ’s love has gathered us into one. Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him. Let us fear, and let us love the living God. And may we love each other with a sincere heart.

Life messages: 1) Let us cultivate an abiding and loving friendship with Jesus: a) The qualities we normally expect from our friends are trust, mutuality, faithfulness, equality, forgiveness, joy, and sacrifice.  Jesus offers us all these qualities in our friendship with him. b) As a friend, Jesus has trusted us by sharing with us everything that he has heard from his Father.  Hence, we have to trust him as a friend by listening to him through the Bible and talking to him by prayer.  c) As our friend, Jesus will be always faithful to us. Let us return this fidelity by being faithful to him in doing His will. d) By calling us his friends, Jesus makes us equal to him. Let us be proud of this and lead lives worthy of our unique status.  e) As an understanding friend, Jesus is ready to forgive us time and time again.  Let us also forgive those who offend us. f) As a friend, Christ has told us everything so that our joy might be complete in him. Let us enjoy Jesus’ Divine friendship. g) Jesus declared that there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for a friend.  He has done it for us. Hence, let us also love others sacrificially.

#2: Let us be persons for others: Jesus demonstrated the love God, his Father, has for us by living for us and dying for us. Hence, as his disciples, we are to be persons for others, sacrificing our time, talents, and lives for others. This is what parents spontaneously do for their children by sacrificing themselves, their time, talents, health, and wealth for them. That is, they “spend” themselves for their children. The most effective way of communicating God’s love to others is by treating everyone as a friend, giving each the respect he or she deserves as a human being, God’s creation. In moments of trial and stress, when people are hostile or ungrateful and we feel the pull of bitter resentment in our hearts, it is important for us to remember that Christ’s own love was not limited to the people he liked. Hence, we should close our minds to thoughts of revenge.

JOKES OF THE WEEK

# 1: After all these years of love: An old couple was sitting by the fireside.  He looked over at her, had a romantic thought, and said, “After fifty years, I’ve found you tried and true.”
The wife’s hearing wasn’t very good, so she said, “What?”
He repeated, “After fifty years, I’ve found you tried and true.”
“After fifty years, I’m tired of you too,” she replied.

# 2: Everlasting love: “Dearest Jimmy, no words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement.  Please say you’ll take me back.  No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me.  I love you, I love you, I love you!  Yours forever, Marie…  P.S. And congratulations on winning the $20 million state lottery

# 3: If it doesn’t rain: A young man wrote this to his girlfriend. “Sweetheart, if this world was as hot as the Sahara Desert, I would crawl on my knees through the burning sand to come to you.  If the world would be like the Atlantic Ocean, I would swim through shark-infested waters to come to you.  I would fight the fiercest dragon to be by your side! —  I’ll see you on Thursday, if it doesn’t rain.”

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

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

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

3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)

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

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

9) Why choose chastity instead of premarital sex? Beautiful articles:

http://catholicbridge.com/catholic/chastity.php

10) Great You Tube Videos on Catholic FAQ no 1-10 by Msgr Barr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=GIiYh9noJJk

11) Preparing for & caring your marriage:

 http://www.foryourmarriage.org/interior_template.asp?id=20398736# 

12) Little Rock Scripture Study: http://www.littlerockscripture.org/en/Default.aspx

13) Online retreat for busy people: http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/cmo-retreat.html

14) Pool party of Humming birds: https://youtu.be/YAer4rDnA6I

  25 – Additional anecdotes:

1) “Terminal hospital” in London: There is a special hospital in London for those whom other hospitals consider a lost cause. It is a hospital for those who are diagnosed as “terminal.” Most people would consider such a hospital to be a very sad place, but it is not. Actually, it is a hospital filled with hope and a lot of life. The emphasis in this London hospital is on life and not on death. The truth is that several of the patients have seen remissions in the disease process instead of death. A great deal of the credit is given to the way the facility is run. The basic philosophy is different from most other hospitals. In this program the patients are expected to give themselves away in service to the other patients. Each patient is given another patient for whom to care. So, for example, a person who is unable to walk might be given the task of reading to another who is blind. The blind person would then push the wheelchair of the one who could not walk but who gives directions on where to push the chair. — Is this not the new commandment to which Jesus referred? He calls us to be disciples who love one another. We are the ones who are healed and strengthened when we learn how to give and how to love. [Bruce Larson, Passionate People (Dallas: Word Publishers), p. 203.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “No one has greater love than this…” In 1941, the German Army began to round up Jewish people in Lithuania. Thousands of Jews were murdered. But one German soldier objected to their murder. He was Sergeant Anton Schmid. Through his assistance, the lives of at least 250 Jews were spared. He managed to hide them, find food, and supply them with forged papers. Schmid himself was arrested in early 1942 for saving these lives. He was tried and executed in 1942. It took Germany almost sixty years to honor the memory of this man, Schmid. Said Germany’s Defense Minister in 2000, saluting him, “Too many bowed to the threats and temptations of the dictator Hitler, and too few found the strength to resist. But Sergeant Anton Schmid did resist.” — Name a person who better obeyed the admonition of the Christ in today’s Gospel, “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends”! The hero Schmid went beyond what even Jesus encouraged. He laid down his life for strangers. (Fr. James Gilhooley). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “Mom, you’ll never have to take in washing again.” Marian Anderson, perhaps the greatest Contralto who ever lived had a wonderful relationship with her mother. It was said of Ms. Anderson’s life: her music could bring one to tears; her life could bring one to his knees. She was once being interviewed, and she was asked the most wonderful moment in her most impressive career. She could have mentioned that time when the great Arturo Toscanini told her that hers was the greatest voice of the century. She could have mentioned that time when she sang before the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. She could have said it was winning a coveted award for the person who had done the most for her hometown of Philadelphia. There was also the time when she sang before a crowd of 75,000 on Easter Sunday beneath the Lincoln statue. Which of these high moments would she chose? None of them. “My greatest moment,” she said, “is when I went home to my mother and said: ‘Mom, you’ll never have to take in washing again.’” —  If this relationship can exist between a mother and a daughter, then how much more can our relationship with Jesus Christ be? “I am the true vine, you are the branches” he said. “As the Father has loved me, so I love you.” And what happens when we abide in him and he abides in us? Our joy will be made full. Amen. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4)  Great lesson of the story of “Beauty and the Beast. “ G. K. Chesterton once said that the really great lesson of the story of “Beauty and the Beast” is that a thing must be loved before it is loveable.  — A person must be loved before that person can be lovable. Some of the most unlovely people I have known got that way because they thought that nobody loved them. The fact of the matter is that unless, and until, we feel ourselves loved, we cannot love. That’s not only a principle of theology but of psychology and sociology as well. Just as abused children grow up to abuse their children, loved children grow up to love their children. Loved persons are able to love. Unloved persons are not. Christianity says something startling:  God loves and accepts us “just as we are.” Therefore, we can love and accept ourselves and, in so doing, love and accept others. That is what Jesus commands us to do in today’s Gospel by challenging us to love others as he has loved us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) The Centurion Card:  A few years ago, American Express quietly introduced its most exclusive new card. The Centurion Card is absolutely black, and is actually made out of titanium – the hardest known naturally occurring metal. In fact, when one of these titanium Centurion Cards expires, the member has to send it back to American Express for recycling. The titanium can’t be cut up or shredded. Besides, titanium is too valuable to be thrown away. — Jesus introduces and invokes a whole new mindset, heartset, and soulset, into the universe. Jesus established The Titanium Rule. Anyone figure out what it is? Here’s a hint: you find it in his understatement in this morning’s text, “It is enough for the disciple to be like the teacher.” The Titanium Rule does not focus on “doing;” it focuses on “being” and on “loving.” Jesus commands his followers, “Love one another as I have loved you.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Transformation of a surgeon with Tourette’s Syndrome: Some years back, neurologist Oliver Sacks wrote a fascinating vignette of an intriguing neurological difficulty. As some of you know, Tourette’s Syndrome is a bizarre physiological disorder that causes victims to have any number of physical and verbal tics. Some Tourettic people have constant facial twitches, others find themselves uncontrollably uttering verbal whoops, beeps, and sometimes also raunchy swear words. One man with Tourette’s whom Dr. Sacks knew was given to deep, lunging bows toward the ground, a few verbal shouts, and also an obsessive-compulsive type adjusting and readjusting of his glasses. The kicker is that the man is a skilled surgeon! Somehow and for some unknown reason, when he dons mask and gown and enters the operating room, all of his tics disappear for the duration of the surgery. He loses himself in that role and he does so totally. When the surgery is finished, he returns to his odd quirks of glasses adjustment, shouts, and bows. — Sacks did not make any spiritual comments on this, of course, yet I find this doctor a very intriguing example of what it can mean to “lose yourself” in a role. There really can be a great transformation of your life when you are focused on just one thing focused to the point that bad traits disappear even as the performing of normal tasks becomes all the more meaningful and remarkable. Something like that is our Christian goal as we travel with Jesus. Our desire is to love one another – to love the whole world finally, I suppose – as Jesus loved us. To do that, we need an infusion of a kind of love that does not arise naturally from the context of the world as we know it. So, as we lose ourselves in Jesus and in being his disciples, we find even our ordinary day-to-day activities infused with deep meaning as a love from another place fills our hearts. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “Yes, daddy, but I can’t sit on its lap!” Some time ago, there was an article in the Los Angeles Times about Howard Maxwell and his four-year-old daughter, Melinda. As children often do, Melinda developed a fixation on the story of “The Three Little Pigs.” Every time her father came around, Melinda wanted him to read it to her. Well, for adults, a little “Three Little Pigs” goes a long way. The father, being both modern and inventive, got a tape recorder, recorded the story, and taught Melinda how to turn it on. He thought that had solved his problem. But it lasted less than a day. Soon Melinda came to her father, holding out “The Three Little Pigs” and asking him to read. Somewhat impatiently, the father said, “Melinda, you have the tape recorder, and you know how to turn it on!” The little girl looked up at her father with her big eyes and said, plaintively, “Yes, daddy, but I can’t sit on its lap!” — Of course, what she really wanted was love. That is what we all want, and we never outgrow our need for it. To be valued, to be cared about, to be loved with a love without strings, a love that will always be there for us; I tell you, that is a foundation for our families that is strong enough to build upon! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Hand me your papers that I may carry all your crimes away with me in death.” French writer Henri Barbusse (1874-1935), tells of a conversation overheard in a trench full of wounded men during the First World War. One of the men, who knew he only had minutes to live says to one of the other men, “Listen, Dominic, you’ve led a very bad life. Everywhere you are wanted by the police. But there are no convictions against me. My name is clear, so, here, take my wallet, take my papers, my identity, take my good name, my life, and quickly, hand me your papers that I may carry all your crimes away with me in death.” — The Good News is that through Jesus, God makes a similar offer. Something wonderful happens to us when we are baptized. When we are baptized, we identify ourselves with Jesus. We publicly declare our intention to strive to be like Jesus and follow God’s will for our lives. When we are baptized, our lives are changed. We see things differently now. We see other people differently. Baptism enables and empowers us to do the things that Jesus wants us to do here and now. We are able to identify with Jesus because we have been baptized into His death and live with His Life. And we are able to love as he loved. Such identification is life-changing. That kind of identification shapes what we believe and claims us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9)  “This is the happiest day of my life.” You have heard a bride say it. You have heard a new mother in the maternity ward say it. You have heard a graduating senior say it: “This is the happiest day of my life!” Some days are like that; they’re special. There are great days in all of our lives. — I wonder what was your most wondrous moment? For me such days are filled with extraordinary hope and joy. For me it was the birth of my daughter because it was shared with my wife and family. [state yours]. Life involves many happy affairs – the birth of a child, the gatherings of Christmas, a summer vacation. It is often said that to love and be loved is the greatest happiness in the world. For most of us, then, the most significant movement of hope and joy is our wedding day. It’s the day we celebrate before God and all our friends the love in our life. Marriage vows are the most profound vows one can make. No other vows are more tender; no other vows are more sacred. No other pledge will so radically shape and claim an individual. The two become one. A home is born. A haven for family is founded. Your place to be is created. But, alas, in too many marriages and in so many lives the wine fails. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “God, I ain’t got nothin’ against nobody.” Anthony Campolo tells about a mountaineer from West Virginia who fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the town preacher. The gruff, tough man one evening looked deeply into the eyes of the preacher’s daughter and said, “I love you.” It took more courage for him to say those simple words than he had ever had to muster for anything else he had ever done. Minutes passed in silence and then the preacher’s daughter said, “I love you, too.” The tough mountaineer said nothing except, “Good night.” Then he went home, got ready for bed and prayed, “God, I ain’t got nothin’ against nobody.” — Many of us know that feeling. To love and to be loved, what joy that simple emotion brings into our lives! Then to realize that the very nature of God is Love is almost more than you or I can comprehend. No wonder, Jesus’ greatest commandment for his followers is “Love one another as I have loved you.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) The greatest commandment revolutionizing prison: During the Second World War Dr. Ernest Gordon, later Chaplain of Princeton University, was a prisoner of war in Thailand. In his book, Through the Valley of the Kwai, he reflects on the difference between two Christmas seasons he spent in prison. He says that during the Christmas season of 1942 there were thousands of American soldiers in that prison who robbed the sick among them, mistreated one another, and did not care whether the other prisoners lived or died. During the following year, a healthy American soldier began giving his food to a sick buddy to help him get well. In time the sick prisoner recovered, but the buddy who had given him food died of malnutrition. — The story of the man who sacrificed his life to save a buddy made the rounds of the camp. Some of the prisoners remarked that he was a lot like Christ. Some of the soldiers began to recall passages from the Bible they had learned years earlier under far different circumstances. One of the passages stated, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Some who were Christians took heart and began to witness to other men. The prisoners began to ask about Christ and to meet for Bible study. When they began to know Christ as Lord the entire atmosphere in the camp changed from despair and desperation to hope and compassion. When Christmas of 1943 arrived, Dr. Gordon said, 2000 prisoners assembled for worship. They sang carols and someone read the story of the birth of Jesus from a Gospel account. Much more was different. In spite of their hunger, prisoners who were well shared food with the sick to help them gain strength faster. They cared for one another. They agreed that the difference came about because of faith in Christ and people who lived his love in the midst of unloving circumstances. The choices they made were for righteousness and not evil. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) “Dad couldn’t remember which one of us was adopted.” One time a Sunday school superintendent was registering two new sisters in Sunday School. When she asked them how old they were one replied, “We’re both seven. My birthday is April 8th and my sister’s is April 20th.” That superintendent replied, “That’s impossible girls.” The other sister then spoke up and said, “No it’s true. One of us is adopted.” “Oh,” the superintendent said. “Which one?” The two sisters looked at each other, and one said, “We asked Dad that question a while ago, but he just looked at us and said that he loved us both equally, so much so that he couldn’t remember which one of us was adopted.” (from God’s Little Lessons on Life for Women, Honor Books). — That is a wonderful analogy for the love of God. God loves us all, equally. We are loved, not because we have earned God’s love or deserve it, but because of God’s grace. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) There is a beautiful old story about Zacchaeus, the tax collector. It tells how, in later years, he rose early every morning and left his house. His wife, curious, followed him one morning. At the town well he filled a bucket, and he walked until he came to a sycamore tree. There, setting down the bucket, he began to clean away the stones, the branches, and the rubbish from around the base of the tree. Having done that, he poured water on the roots and stood there in silence, gently caressing the trunk with both of his hands. When his amazed wife came out of hiding and asked what he was doing, Zacchaeus replied simply, “This is where I found Christ.” — I can just imagine that for the rest of their lives, that woman who touched the hem of Jesus’ robe that day on the street and the daughter of Jairus who was raised up in that room in her home, continually brought people back to those sacred spots and said, “This is where I found Christ! This is where Christ loved me into life!” Do you have a sacred spot like that? This is the Good News of our Christian Faith, isn’t it? Love has the power to heal, to reconcile, and to redeem. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) “He is very fond of me.”  Brennan Manning tells the story of an Irish priest, who, on a walking tour of a rural parish, saw an old peasant kneeling by the side of the road, praying.  Impressed, the priest said to the man, “You must be very close to God.”  The peasant looked up from his prayers, thought a moment, and then stated with a broad smile, “Yes, He’s very fond of me.”  Manning has a slogan to introduce himself to others: “I am the one Jesus loves.”  He has borrowed this meaningful phrase from the Gospel where Jesus’ closest friend on earth, the disciple named John, is self-identified as “the one Jesus loved.”  Manning says, “If John were to be asked, ‘What is your primary identity in life?’ he would not reply, ‘I am a disciple, an apostle, an evangelist, an author of one of the four Gospels,’ but rather, ‘I am the one Jesus loves.'”   — Today’s Gospel and the second reading remind us that our primary identity in life as Christians should be “the one Jesus loves,” precisely because we keep his commandment, “Love one another as I love you.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15)  The Whisper Test: Mary Ann Bird wrote a short story entitled “The Whisper Test.”  It is a true story from her own life.  “I grew up knowing I was different, and I hated it.  I was born with a cleft palate, and when I started school, my classmates made it clear to me how I must look to others: a little girl with a misshapen lip, crooked nose, lopsided teeth and garbled speech.  “When schoolmates would ask, ‘What happened to your lip?’  I’d tell them I’d fallen and cut it on a piece of glass.  Somehow it seemed more acceptable to have suffered an accident than to have been born different.  I was convinced that no one outside my family could love me. There was, however, a teacher in the second grade that we all adored — Mrs. Leonard by name.  She was short, round, happy — a sparkling lady.  Annually, we would have a hearing test.  I was virtually deaf in one of my ears.  But when I had taken the test in past years, I discovered that if I did not press my hand as tightly upon my ears as I was instructed to do, I could pass the test.  Mrs. Leonard gave the test to everyone in the class, and finally it was my turn.  I knew from past years that as we stood against the door and covered one ear, the teacher sitting at her desk would whisper something and we would have to repeat it back … things like, ‘The sky is blue’ or ‘Do you have new shoes?’ I waited there for those words.  But God put into her mouth seven words which changed my life.  Mrs. Leonard said, in her whisper, ‘I wish you were my little girl.'” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16)  …….  I love you:  An adult education teacher once gave his students an assignment to go to someone they loved before the following week’s class and tell that person that they loved him or her.  They would then give their report at the next class.  It had to be someone to whom they had never said those words before, or at least not for a very long time.  At the next class, one man stood up and recounted his story to the class. “I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment.  I could not understand how you dared to tell us to do something so personal.  But as I was driving home, my conscience started talking to me.  It was telling me that I knew exactly whom I needed to say ‘I love you’ to.  Five years ago, my father and I had a terrible argument which we had never resolved.  We had avoided seeing each other since, unless it was absolutely necessary, and even then we hardly spoke to each other.  So last week by the time I had returned home after class, I had convinced myself to tell my father that I loved him.  It was strange, but just making the decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest.  When I told my wife, she jumped out of bed, gave me a big hug and for the first time in our married life, she saw me cry.  We sat up half of the night talking and drinking coffee. The next day I was up bright and early as if I had slept soundly all night.  I got to the office and accomplished more in a couple of hours than I had the whole day before.  At 9AM, I called my father to tell him I wanted to come over after work and talk to him.  He reluctantly agreed.  By 5:30, I was at the house.  When my father answered the door, I didn’t waste any time.  I took one step inside and blurted out ‘Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.’  Well, it was as if a transformation had come over him.  Before my eyes, his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear and he too began to cry.  He reached out and hugged me, saying ‘I love you too, son, but I’ve never been able to say it.‘  My mother walked by just then with tears of joy in her eyes.  I didn’t stay long, but I hadn’t felt that great in a long time.  Two days after my visit, my dad, who had had heart problems but hadn’t told us, had an attack and ended up unconscious in the hospital.  I still don’t know if he’ll make it. —  So my message to all of you in this class is: don’t wait to do the things you know need to be done.  If I had waited, I might never have had another chance to do what I did.” (Do It Now. Copyright 1995 by Dennis E. Mannering).  Today’s Scripture teaches how we should love others. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) “Because you are precious in my sight, I love you.” Harold Hughes was a United States Senator and a former Governor of Iowa. God drastically changed his life. He was a hopeless alcoholic, wallowing in his own vomit, and so despairing that he was ready to take his own life away. He was uncontrollably addicted to alcohol. He reached a point where his wife and children left him and he lost his job. One day he ended up drunk, sitting in his bathtub with the barrel of a gun in his mouth and his finger on the trigger. Then he fortunately cried out to God. Immediately, he felt a spreading sense of peace within that delivered him from the crises of the moment. Through much struggle and pain, God led him along until he was at last free from the grip of alcohol. He eventually became the governor of his state and a United States senator. — We may be unwanted by people; we may be rejected and shunned by people but: we are wanted by God; we are worthy, we are precious in the eyes of the Lord. Through the prophet Isaiah, the Lord said, “Because you are precious in my sight, I love you (43:4)” After Mother Theresa received the Noble Prize, someone asked her, “How can we solve the world’s problems.” She replied, “Go home and love one another.” —  The things that are destroying the world today are hatred and intolerance. It is only love, which can save the world from destruction. And love shall be the only thing that is eternal. [John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) “Don’t bug me! Hug me!” says a bumper sticker. One man who believes this strongly went around giving hugs to all sorts of people. Challenged to come to a home for the disabled, he hugged people, who were terminally ill, severely retarded or quadriplegic. Finally, he came to the last person, Leonard, who was wearing a big white bib, on which he was drooling. Overcoming his initial reluctance, the man took a deep breath, leaned down and gave Leonard a hug. All of a sudden Leonard began to squeal, “Eeehh! Eeeehh!” Some of the other patients in the room began to clang things together. The man turned to the staff- physicians, nurses and orderlies for some sort of explanation, only to find every one of them was crying. To his enquiry, “What’s going on?” the head nurse said, “This is the first time in twenty-three years we have ever seen Leonard smile.” — In the Gospel we are once again reminded of the outgoing nature of God, because of which He continues to love us and share His spirit with all peoples. (Harold Buetow, God Still Speaks: Listen!  Quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 

19) True love in dangerous: Rita was dying of a disease from which her nine-year old brother, Richard, had just recovered. The surgeon said to Richard. “Only a transfusion of your blood will save your sister. Are you ready to give her your blood?” Richard was terrified but finally said, “OK, Doctor!” After the transfusion, Richard asked quietly, “Doctor, when will I die?” It was only then that the doctor understood Richard’s fear: he thought that by giving his blood he would die for Rita. Is our love a ready-to-die love?” — Little Richard was ready to die for Rita. And many mothers daily sacrifice so much so that their children might live fully.   But what about our larger family, the world? We have a glowing example of a ready-to-die love in Indian social activist Medha Patkar, who sacrificed a flourishing legal career in Mumbai to work for the rights of tribals. She was accused of ‘Attempted suicide’ since her fast against the height of the Narmada Dam was seen as potentially dangerous to the powers that be. True love is dangerous! [Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 

20) “I loved those boys!” A college professor had his sociology class go into the Baltimore slums to get case histories of 200 young boys. They were asked to write an evaluation of each boy’s future. In every case the students wrote “He does not have a chance.” Twenty-five years later another sociology professor came across the earlier study. He had his students follow up on the project to see what had happened to these boys. With the exception of twenty boys who had moved away or died, the students learned that 176 of the remaining 180 had achieved more than ordinary success as lawyers, doctors and businessmen. The astounded professor decided to pursue the matter further. Fortunately, all the men were in the area, and he was able to ask each, “How do you account for your success?” In each case the reply came with feeling, “There was a teacher.” The teacher was still alive, so he sought her out and asked the old but still alert lady what magic formula she had used. Her eyes sparkled and her lips broke into a gentle smile. “It is really simple,” she said. “I loved those boys.”  — In today’s Gospel we read Jesus’ great commandment: I command you, love one another. (Harold Buetow in God Still Speaks: Listen! Quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 

21) United in the moon in His name: The lunar module Eagle carrying astronauts Aldrin and Armstrong, landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. While Armstrong prepared for his moon-walk, Aldrin unpacked bread and wine and put them on the abort system computer. He described what he did next. “I poured the wine into a chalice…In the one-sixth gravity of the moon the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup. It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon and the very first food eaten, were consecrated Bread and Wine.” Just before receiving the Holy Communion, Aldrin read the passage from the Gospel according to John: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit, for you can do nothing without me.” Commenting on his Communion experience on the moon, Aldrin says, “I sense especially strongly my unity with our Church back home, and everywhere.” (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by  Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 

22) Where love is, God is: In a certain village in the Swiss Alps there is a small Church which has been used by generations of worshippers. What makes it so beautiful is the story of how it came to be built on that particular spot. The story goes like this. Two brothers worked a family farm, sharing the produce and profit. One was married, the other wasn’t. The climate was harsh with the result that grain was sometimes scarce. One day the single brother said to himself, “It’s not fair that we should share the produce equally. I’m alone, but my brother has a family to support.” So every now and then he would go out at night, take a sack of grain from his own barn, quietly cross the field between their houses, and place it in his brother’s bin. Meanwhile, his brother had a similar idea, and said, “It’s not right that we should share the produce equally. I have a family to support me but my brother is all alone.” So every now and then he would go at night, take a sack of grain from his barn, and quietly place it in his brother’s bin. This went on for a number of years. Each brother was puzzled how his supply of grain never dwindled. Then one night they bumped into each other in the dark. When they realized what had been happening, they dropped their sacks, and embraced each other. — Suddenly a voice from Heaven said: “Here I will build my Church. For where people meet in love, there My presence shall dwell.” (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by  Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) The great commandment of Christian symbiosis: The Oxford Encyclopedia English Dictionary defines symbiosis as “a mutually interactive relationship between two living things, usually to the advantage of both.” The created universe is rife with fascinating examples of symbiotic relationships. For instance, the rhinoceros has very poor eyesight. But its tough hide is infested with ticks which are a delicacy to a certain small bird which rides on its back, feasting on the insects and alerting the rhino to danger. Similarly, both the ratel, or honey badger, and the honey-guide bird are fond of honey, which they hunt together. With its keen eyes, the little bird easily finds the beehive and the ratel’s powerful claws tear it open, making the honey available to both. Among sea creatures, the pinna, a blind slug or snail is threatened by many predators, the worst of which is the cuttle-fish. No sooner does the pinna dare to open its bivalve shell than the cuttle-fish rushes in and devours it. Happily, the keen-eyed crab-fish is a constant companion of the pinna. Both live together in the pinna’s shell. When the pinna is hungry, it opens its valves and sends out its roommate to secure food. If an enemy is near, the crab-fish dashes back to its blind protector who quickly closes the valves once its symbiont is inside. If food can be secured without danger, the crab-fish returns to the shell, makes a gentle noise at its opening, is admitted by the pinna and the two share the feast together. — God has created human beings to be symbionts for one another. The relationship to which God calls us in Christ is to be characterized by a mutuality in which each and all of us can grow and thrive. When he lived in human flesh and walked among us, Jesus explained that such a relationship is possible for those who love God and keep the commandments. As today’s second reading and Gospel are read, believers are once again reminded of Jesus’ teaching, that we, who are beloved of God, are to love one another, freely, fully. Jesus proved the depths of his love and that of God for humanity by laying down his life so that we might live. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24)  The praying hands: Who is a friend? For Aristotle, a friend was a “single soul, dwelling in two bodies.” Ralph Waldo Emerson believed that “a friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.” In describing the mutuality enjoyed by friends, Antoine de Saint-Exupery wrote, “Experience teaches us that love does not consist of two people looking at each other, but of looking together in the same direction.” Some anonymous writers have defined a friend as “one who multiplies joys and divides grief.” Within our own Judeo-Christian tradition, Jesus ben Sirach offered the following: “A faithful friend is a sure shelter; whoever finds one has found a rare treasure. A faithful friend is the elixir of life and those who fear the Lord will find one” (Sirach 6:14, 15) (J.B. trans). Two of Albrecht Durer the Elder’s children had a dream. They both wanted to pursue their talent for art, but they knew full well that their father would never be financially able to send either of them to Nuremberg to study at the Academy. This is the story of how one of them made it. As it happened, the older brother suggested that Albert Durer his younger brother should study while he worked to support them both. Reluctantly, Albert agreed and when at long last his paintings began to sell, his brother was able to return to his art. Sadly, the hard work had stiffened and gnarled his fingers and he could no longer paint with skill. Some say it was these aged and worn hands of his brother that inspired one of Albert Durer’s best-known paintings, “The Praying Hands.” — This being so, then those hands revealed the quality of friendship to which Jesus calls his disciples. Like the brother who sacrificed himself so that Albert Durer could develop and thrive, Jesus showed the depths of his love by laying down his life so that we, his friends, might live. There is no greater love than this (John 15:13). (Adapted from Sanchez files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) 101 Ways to Say I Love You. Here are some of them: Watch the sunset together; Cook for each other; Hold hands; Buy gifts for each other; Hugs are the universal medicine; say ‘I love you’ and mean it; Give random gifts of flowers/roses/candy, etc; Tell her that she’s the only woman you ever want; don’t lie; spend every second possible together; look into each other’s eyes; Put love notes in their pockets when they are not looking; Buy her a ring; sing to each other; Read to each other; PDA (Public Display of Affection); Take her to a dinner and do the dinner for two deal; Dance together; Tell each other your most sacred secrets or fears; Go to Church/worship together; Learn from each other and don’t make the same mistake twice;  Everyone deserves a second chance; Describe the joy you feel just to be with her; make sacrifices for each other; Dedicate songs to them on the radio; always remember to say, ‘sweet dreams.’ (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/24

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 30) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

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 at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

April 29- May 4:(Please visit my website https://frtonyshomilies.com/for missed Sunday & weekday homilies.) April 29 Monday (Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church): For a brief biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-catherine-of-siena : Jn 14:21-26: 21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

The context: Today’s Gospel passage is taken from Jesus’ Last Supper discourse. It was commonly held by the Jews that when the Messiah came, he would be revealed to the whole world as King and Savior. Hence, Judas Thaddeus asks why Jesus is revealing himself only to his disciples. Jesus does not answer that question directly. Instead, He continues his work of preparing his disciples for his imminent departure from them by assuring them that he is not leaving them alone. Instead, Jesus is going to live in them along with God his Father and God the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Father can be experienced through the experience of love. It means that the criterion of the Father is always the same: love. “If anyone loves Me, he will observe My word, and My Father will love him and We shall come to him and make a home in him.”

Jesus promises the abiding presence of the Holy Trinity in his disciples who express their responsive love for him by keeping his commandments, especially his commandment of love, because only this type of loving will open them and make them receptive to the Divine Indwelling of the Trinitarian God. Jesus is referring to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the soul renewed by grace. God repeatedly revealed Himself in the Old Testament and promised to dwell in the midst of His people (cf. Ex 29:45; Ez 37:26-27; etc.). But here Jesus speaks of the presence of God in each person. We are each a part of the Divine chain of love. God loves man. He sent His Son to prove it. After Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension, God the Father continues to live in us with His Son and the Holy Spirit. This abiding God gives us the Father’s protection and providence, the Son’s redemption and forgiveness of sins, and the Holy Spirit’s sanctification and guidance.

Life messages: 1) Let us live in constant awareness of the abiding presence of the Trinitarian God within us and behave well in His presence. 2) During moments of doubts and temptations, let us seek the active guidance and strengthening of our indwelling God. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

April 30 Tuesday: [Saint Pius V, Pope]: For a brief biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-pius-v/ ; Jn 14:27-31: Jn 14:27-31a: 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, `I go away, and I will come to you.’ If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you before it takes place, so that when it does take place, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming. He has no power over me; 31 but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go hence.

The context: In his Last Supper discourse, Jesus gives two gifts to his disciples, namely, the gift of peace and the gift of the cross leading to glory. Today’s passage refers to the gift of peace. Wishing a person peace (Shalom), was, and still is, the usual form of greeting among the Jews and the Arabs. Shalom is a right relationship with God and with others. Arabs wish each other saying “Islam Alikum” in Arabic, meaning peace be with you. And the response is “alikum Islam” (and also with you). Moses instructed the Aaron and his descendants, the priests, to bless the Israelites with God’s peace: “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you, and give you peace” (Nm 6:22-26).“Peace be with you!” is the greeting which Jesus used, and which the Apostles continued to use. Hence, the Church uses it several times in the liturgy. Peace is one of the great Messianic gifts. St. Paul tells us that it is one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Jesus repeats his promise saying, “My peace I give to you, my peace I leave with you.” Pope St. Paul VI (canonized October 14, 2018), said: “True peace must be founded upon justice, upon a sense of the untouchable dignity of man, upon the recognition of an indelible and happy equality between men, upon the basic principle of human brotherhood.”

Life message: 1) We are invited to live in the peace wished by Jesus. This requires that we be reconciled every day with ourselves, with our neighbors, and with our God. Reconciliation with God demands that we obey His commandments, repent every day of our sins, and ask God’s forgiveness. Reconciliation with others demands that we forgive others for their offenses against us, and that we ask for their forgiveness for our offenses against them in words, attitudes, and deeds. Reconciliation with ourselves comes from our grace-given humble recognition of our weaknesses and failures and our grateful acceptance and use of the Holy Spirit’s loving gifts to us of deepened love and trust that God loves us in spite of these weaknesses, forgives us our sins when we repent, helps us to do better, and uses our weaknesses to bring us closer to Him, in order to demonstrate His own Love and Power working through us for His glory. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24 For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

May 1 Wednesday: [Saint Joseph the Worker]:For an account/biography, of St. Joseph-the-Worker click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-joseph-the-worker/ Feast of St. Joseph the Worker: Mt 13: 54-58: (alt=Jn 15: 1-8): Mt 13:54-58 54 He came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished* and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?” 55 Is he not the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother named Mary and his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?56 Are not his sisters all with us? Where did this man get all this?” 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and in his own house.” 5 8And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.

Introduction: Today we celebrate the liturgical feast of St. Joseph the Worker to honor St. Joseph, to highlight the dignity and importance of labor and to honor the workers who are dignified by their labor and who bring Christ to their workplace. This is the second feast of St. Joseph; the first was the feast of St. Joseph, husband of Mary and the patron of the universal Church which we celebrated on the 19th of March.

History: In response to the May Day Celebrations of workers in the Communist countries where workers were considered mere “cogs in the machine,” Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker to Christianize the concept of labor, to acknowledge the dignity of labor and to give all workers a role model and heavenly patron.

Theology of work: The Bible presents God as a worker (Gen 1:1: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.”) Who is engaged in the work of creation and providing for His creatures. God the Father assigns His Son Jesus the work of human redemption and gives the Holy Spirit the work of our sanctification. That is why Jesus said: “My Father is at work until now, so I am at work (John 5: 17). Further, it was God’s command that man should work: “You have to earn your bread by the sweat of your brow” (Genesis 3: 19). Jesus showed us the necessity and nobility of work by working in Joseph’s carpentry shop until he started his public life of a preaching and healing ministry. The workers are important and their work noble, not only because they obey God’s command to work, but also because they sustain and promote social welfare and the progress of societies.

Joseph as an exemplary worker: Joseph worked to support his family by helping his neighbors, using his skill in carpentry. He was a just worker, honest in his trade of buying wood, selling his finished products and charging for his services. He was a working parent laboring hard to support his family. He was a praying worker who prayed in all his needs and got answers from God in dreams on important occasions and who kept God’s presence in his workshop. He was an obedient worker who obeyed the Mosaic Law of Sabbath rest and spent the day of rest to take Jesus to the local synagogue and to teach Jesus God’s Law given through Moses.

Life messages: 1) Let us appreciate the dignity of all forms of work and all types of laborers as they glorify God and promote the welfare of society. 2) Let us be sincere and committed to our work as St. Joseph was, working in the constant awareness of the presence of God. 3) Let us love our work and convert it into prayer by offering it for God’s glory. (Fr. Tony) L/24

Jn 15:1-8: 1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 You are already made clean by the word which I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples:

The context: During his Last Supper discourse, Jesus uses one of God’s Old Testament images, the vine and the branches, to help his disciples understand the closeness of their relationship with him and the necessity of their maintaining it. Jesus assures them, using the parable of the vine and branches, that the Life-giving Spirit, Whom Jesus will send them, will be present and active among his disciples and their successors. This Gospel passage also emphasizes the need for Christians to abide in Christ as an essential condition for producing fruits of kindness, mercy, justice, charity, and holiness. Paul further clarifies this idea in Colossians 1:18 using another metaphor, that Christ is the Head and Christians are the different members of His Mystical Body. Pruning is an essential part of growing fruit-producing branches. In the vineyards in Palestine, dead branches were pruned to save the vine. Fruitless, leafy branches draining life sap from the main trunk were also pruned away leaving only fruit-bearing branches. Jesus tells his apostles that they have already been pruned by the words he has spoken to them. Eventually, they will be pruned of all attachment to the things of this world so that they may be ready to attach themselves to the things of Heaven.

Life messages 1) We need pruning in our Christian life. Pruning, which cuts out of our lives everything that is contrary to the spirit of Jesus and renews our commitment to Christian ideals in our lives every day, is the first type of self-imposed pruning expected of us. A second kind of pruning is accomplished by practicing self-control over our evil inclinations, sinful addictions, and aberrations. A third type of pruning is done by our permitting Jesus to prune, purify, and strengthen us as God allows us to face pain, suffering, contradictions, and difficulties with His grace and the courage of our Christian convictions. 2) Let us abide in Christ and let Christ abide in us: Personal and liturgical prayers, frequenting of the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation, daily, meditative reading of the Bible, and selfless, loving acts of kindness, mercy, and forgiveness, all made possible by God’s grace, enable us to abide in Jesus, the true vine, as fruit-bearing branches. For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

May 2 Thursday: (Saint Athanasius, Bishop and Doctor of the Church): For a brief biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-athanasius/Jn 15:9-11: 9 As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide; so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 This I command you, to love one another.

The context: During the Last Supper discourse, Jesus teaches his disciples that love is the hallmark and the criterion of Christians. Jesus reminds his disciples that he has chosen them as his friends with a triple mission. First, they are to love others as he has loved them. Second, they are to bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Third, they are to ask God the Father for whatever they need in Jesus’ name.

The criteria of Christian love: First, Jesus modifies the Old Testament command from “love your neighbor as you love yourself” (Lv 19:18) to “love others as I have loved you.” This means that our love for others must be unconditional, forgiving, and sacrificial. Jesus invites each Christian to be in the inner circle of his friends by obeying his commandments including the new commandment of love. Such friends abide in Jesus as Jesus abides in them, and their prayers in Jesus’ name will be answered promptly by God the Father. We express our love for Christ by obeying his new commandment of love. Jesus further explains that the real source of Christian joy is the certainty that God loves us. We, too, must be ready to express our love for others by our readiness to die for them as Jesus died for us.

Life message: 1) Let us remember that true Christian love is costly and painful because it involves sacrifice on our part when we start loving unlovable, ungrateful, and hostile people with Christ’s unconditional, forgiving, sacrificial love. But our Christian call is to love others as Jesus has loved us, and as Jesus loves them. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

May 3 Friday: (Saints Philip and James, Apostles): For a brief biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-philip-and-james/ (St. Philip and St. James, Apostles)For a short biography, click on:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-philip-and-james/Jn 14: 6-14:7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. 14

Philip: John describes Philip as a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galilee, the same town as Andrew and Peter. It is possible that Philip was originally a follower or disciple of John the Baptist because John depicts Jesus calling Philip out of a crowd attending John’s baptisms. Immediately after his call as an apostle by Jesus, Philip introduced Jesus to his friend Nathaniel/Bartholomew as the “one about whom Moses wrote” (Jn 1:45). On one occasion, when Jesus saw the great multitude following him and wanted to give them food, he asked Philip where they should buy bread for the people to eat. Philip expressed his surprise declaring “two hundred days’ wages worth of food would not be enough for each of them to have a little bit” (Jn 6:7). It was in answer to Philip’s question, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us” (Jn 14:8) that Jesus answered, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn 14:9). Since Philip had a Greek name, some Greek Gentile proselytes once approached him with a request to introduce them to Jesus. Eusebius records that Polycrates, 2nd century Bishop of Ephesus, wrote that Philip was crucified in Phrygia and later buried in Hierapolis, in Turkey. Tradition has it that Philip’s death was around AD 54. We celebrate his feast day on May 3rd.

James, son of Alphaeus, called James the Lesser, wrote the epistle that bears his name and became the bishop of Jerusalem. He is the brother of Jude, and they are cousins of Jesus because their mother Mary (who was married to Alphaeus or Clophas/Cleopas), is the sister or cousin of Jesus’ mother. [This James is different from James the Greater, the son of Zebedee
who was married to another sister or cousin of Mary; hence, James and his
brother John were  also cousins of
Jesus.] James the Lesser is also known by the title of James the Just on account of his eminent sanctity. James and his brother Jude were called to the apostleship in the second year of Christ’s preaching, soon after the Pasch, probably in the year 31. James, son of Alphaeus, only appears four times in the New Testament, each time in a list of the twelve apostles as number 9. In Christian art he is depicted holding a fuller’s club because he was believed to have been martyred, beaten to death with a fuller’s club, at Ostrakine in Lower Egypt, where he was preaching the Gospel.

Life message: Let us ask the intercession of Sts. Philip and James so that we, too, may bear witness of Jesus by our lives to those around us. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

May 4 Saturday: Jn 15:18-21: 18 “If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. 19 If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. 20 Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. 21 But all this they will do to you on my account, because they do not know him who sent me.

The context: In today’s Gospel passage, taken from the Last Supper discourse, Jesus warns his apostles of what they can expect from a world which ignores God and His teaching. They will be hated and persecuted as Jesus was. But there can be no compromise between Christ’s disciples and the followers of the powers of darkness. The term “world” in today’s Gospel passage means people who are hostile towards God and opposed to His will. They represent an evil society which “calls evil good and good evil” (Is 5:20). Such a society will hate Christ and his teachings because Christian teaching exposes the evil of society and its false and dangerous doctrines. Since the Church Jesus established stands for truth, morality, and justice, it does not support the modern “dictatorship of relativism.” The modern world hates and ridicules everything Christian through its liberal, agnostic and atheistic media.

Life message: Let us ask the Holy Spirit for the courage of our Christian convictions to believe and practice what Jesus taught and what Jesus continues to teach through the Church. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Easter V [B] (April 28) Eight-minute homily in one page (L-24)

Introduction: Today’s Scripture selections emphasize the need for Christians to abide in Christ as a condition for producing fruits of kindness, mercy, charity, and holiness.

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, testifies to the abundance of spiritual fruits yielded by the apostles because of their close bond with the risen Lord. The reading tells us how the Lord pruned the former Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, a fanatic who had persecuted the Church, to produce a fruit-bearing branch called Paul, the zealous Apostle to the Gentiles, entirely dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel. Even Paul’s forced return to Tarsus for a brief period is an example of God’s pruning of the vine to bring forth a greater harvest, namely, the mission to the Gentiles. In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 22), we sing the triumphant end of the Psalm which begins, ”My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

EASTER V [B] (April 28):  Acts 9:26-31; 1Jn 3:18-24; Jn 15:1-8

Homily starter anecdotes: #1: “Jesus nut” The “Jesus nut,” also called the “Jesus pin,” is the nut that holds the main rotor to the mast of some helicopters, such as the UH-1 Iroquois. The long, strong metallic fans of the helicopter are fitted to the main rotor of the mast by a single nut or pin.  This single connector got the name, “Jesus nut” from American soldiers in Vietnam; the technical term is MRRN or main rotor retaining nut. The origin of the term comes from the idea that, if the “Jesus nut” were to fail in flight, the helicopter would detach from the rotors and the only thing left for the crew to do would be to pray to Jesus before the helicopter crashed! — Today’s Gospel explains why Jesus must be the pivotal point in our lives, through the little parable of the vine and the branches. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 # 2: Hampton Court vine: Donald Grey Barnhouse tells about a grapevine in Hampton Court near London that is about 1,000 years old. It has but one root which is at least two feet thick. Some of the branches are 200 feet long. Because of skillful cutting and pruning, the vine produces several tons of grapes each year. Even though some of the smaller branches are 200 feet from the main stem, they bear much fruit because they are joined to the vine and allow the life of the vine to flow through them (Sermons Illustrated). — If we, the branches, are not bearing much fruit, it may be that we are not feeding as we ought upon the life-giving flow from the vine. “Abide in me as I abide in you,” Jesus said, The great truth that Jesus is trying to tell us is that if we want life in all its fullness, then we must be consciously, intentionally connected to Jesus, the “true vine,” and the only source of the God-Life/Sanctifying Grace, which begins in us our eternal life here on earth.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3:  No water: In the late 1980s, a fire destroyed a building on the lower East side of Manhattan. An alarm was sounded, and the trucks and personnel arrived in plenty of time to fight the fire. The exit doors worked properly. The steps were clear. The people got out of the building quickly and in order. However, the fire burned out of control and the building had to be demolished. When the firemen arrived, the hoses on the wall were installed properly. There were hoses hundreds of feet in length–clearly sufficient to put the fire out. It was discovered too late, however, that the city water line had never been connected to this part of the system, a deadly oversight. — To live a human life disconnected from the living God is tragic as well. Jesus did more than come to live among us. He is the life-giving vine and we are the branches.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 4: “I can’t take another step”: There is a scene in the movie, Shadow of the Hawk where a young couple is climbing a mountain with the help of their Indian guide in a desperate attempt to flee from evil people.  At one point the young woman slumps to the ground and says, “I can’t take another step.”  The young man lifts her to her feet and says, “But darling, we must go on.  We have no other choice!” She shakes her head and says, “I can’t go on! I can’t go on!”  Then the Indian guide advises the young man, “Hold her close to your heart.  Let your strength and your courage flow out of your body into hers. The young man does this and in a few minutes the woman smiles and says, “Now I can go on!  Now I can do it!” — By telling us the parable of the vine and branches in today’s Gospel, Jesus shows us how He shares his Divine strength with us.  The parable reminds us that, united with Jesus, we can do anything, but separated from Jesus, we are good for nothing. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: Today’s Scripture selections emphasize the need for Christians to abide in Christ as a condition for producing the Spirit’s fruits of kindness, mercy, charity, and holiness.

The scripture lessons summarized:  The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, testifies to the abundance of spiritual fruits yielded by the apostles because of their close bond with the risen Lord.  The reading tells us how the Lord pruned the former fanatical Pharisee, Saul of Tarsus, who had persecuted the Church, to produce a fruit-bearing branch called Paul, the zealous Apostle to the Gentiles, a man now entirely dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel.  Even Paul’s forced return to Tarsus for a brief period is an example of God’s pruning of the vine to bring forth a greater harvest, namely, the mission to the Gentiles. In today’s Responsorial Psalm we sing the end of Ps 22, “ … to Him My soul shall live … let the coming generation be told of the Lord that they may proclaim to a people yet to be born the Justice Hs has shown,”  drawing our strength  from Jesus’ courage and trust in His Father. In today’s second reading, John, in his first letter to the Church, explains that only if we remain united with Christ by putting our Faith in him and drawing our spiritual strength from him, will we be able to obey God’s commandments, especially the commandment of love. In the Gospel, taken from the Last Supper discourse, Jesus uses God’s Old Testament image of the vine and branches to help his disciples to understand the closeness of their relationship with him and the necessity of their maintaining it.  They are not simply rabbi and disciples.  Their lives are mutually dependent – as close as a vine and its branches.  In fact, in using this image, Jesus is explaining to them and to us what our relationship with him should become.

First reading, Acts 9:26-31 explained: Today’s first reading, taken from Acts, concentrates on one apostle in particular, namely Paul, who was pruned like a vine to be an apostle “by the will of God” (1 Cor 1:1).  The story of Paul’s conversion and call to become the Apostle to the Gentiles is narrated three times in Acts, in Chapters 9, 22 and 26. Today’s reading, taken from Acts 9, describes the aftermath of his transformation from enemy of the early Christian movement to God’s chosen instrument for bringing the Gospel to non-Jews. Jesus himself pruned away the former Saul — the Saul who had persecuted the Church — to make Paul, a man whose life was entirely dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel.  But when Paul, after preaching in Damascus for “a long time” (v 23), came to Jerusalem, the disciples in Jerusalem were afraid of him. Finally, they recognized the transforming power of the Spirit of God operating in Paul and gave their full support to him. Because Paul had become a vigorous witness for Christ, the Hellenists (Greek-speaking Jews), tried to kill him.  When Paul’s life was threatened, the other apostles helped him to leave Jerusalem and return to Tarsus.  But even this setback in Paul’s missionary work turned out to be just one more example of God’s pruning of Paul – the vine-branch – to bring forth a greater harvest: the mission to the Gentiles.

Second Reading, 1 John 3:18-24 explained: The New American Bible states that some members of John’s early Christian community were advocating false doctrines, by refusing to accept the full Divinity and full humanity of Jesus; by disregarding the commandment of love of neighbor; by refusing to accept Faith in Christ as the source of sanctification; and by denying the redemptive value of Jesus’ death.  Hence, John says in the opening sentence in today’s reading, “Little children, let us love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it.”  John is criticizing pious Christians who are comfortable with their petty hatreds and uncaring indifference, as though such attitudes were acceptable behavior for those saved by Christ.  The next sentence, “His commandment is this: We are to believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and are to love one another as He commanded us,” summarizes best the essence of Christianity and disapproves extreme ideological positions like those threatening the Church today, namely, (1) dogmatic conservatism, which makes creedal orthodoxy the only criterion, (2) fideism in which all that matters is “accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior,” and (3) liberalism, which reduces Christianity to living peacefully with others by whatever means.  The concluding advice, “keep (God’s) commandments,” invites us to a transformed life, flowing from a mutual, intimate relationship between God and each of us individual believers, and all of us as Church, His Mystical Body — our union with Him in His love.  It follows that we must love each other with the same selfless, sacrificial, forgiving love with which Jesus Christ loved, and loves, us; indeed, that is His command to us.  John also teaches us that personal assurance of salvation doesn’t depend on intense religious experience (being “born again”), or dramatic charismatic expressions among believers (like speaking in tongues, healing, or handling poisonous snakes). Rather, we are saved because we are members of Christ – of His Church, the community gifted with God’s Holy Spirit Whose presence is demonstrated by the members’ genuine, active, loving concern for each other.

Gospel exegesis: The context: Today’s Gospel text is part of Jesus’ “farewell discourse” during his Last Supper with his disciples, as found in John 13–17. Jesus explains to his apostles how they and their disciples can carry on when he is no longer bodily or physically present.  Jesus assures them, using the parable of the vine and branches, that the life-giving Spirit Whom Jesus will send to them, will be present and active within and among his disciples and their successors.

 Israel as God’s vine and vineyard: There are numerous Old Testament passages which refer to Israel as a vine: Ps 80:8-16, Is 5:1-7, Jer 2:21, Ez 15:1-8, 17:5-10, 19:10-14, and Hos 10:1.  “The vineyard of the Lord is the house of Israel,” sings the prophet Isaiah in his song of the Vineyard (Is 5:1-7). “Yet I planted you a choice vine” is God’s message to Israel through Jeremiah (Jer 2:21).  “Israel is a luxuriant vine,” says Hosea (Hos 10:1).  The vine is part and parcel of Jewish imagery and the very symbol of Israel, serving as an emblem on the coins of the Maccabees.  One of the glories of the Temple was the great golden vine upon the front of the Holy Place.  But the symbol of the vine is never used in the Old Testament apart from the idea of degeneration and infidelity deserving of Yahweh’s severe punishment.  That is why Ezekiel says that it should be burned in the fire (Ez 15).

Jesus claims that he is the true vine: Since Israel has become a degenerate vine producing bitter wild grapes, Jesus makes the unique claim that he is the true and ideal Vine and his disciples are the living and fruit-producing branches.  He clarifies his statement, explaining that his Heavenly Father is the Vine-grower (v. 1), he (Christ) is the Vine (v. 5), his disciples are branches (v. 5) and those who do not abide in him are useless branches, suitable only to be cut away and thrown into the fire (v. 6). Jesus is the true Vine, because the old vine, the original chosen people, was succeeded by the new Vine, the Church, the Mystical Body whose Head is Christ (cf. 1 Cor 3:9).  To be fruitful, one must be joined to the new, true Vine, Christ.  It is living the life of Christ, the life of grace, which gives the believer the nourishment which enables him or her to yield the fruits of eternal life.  This image of the Vine also helps us to understand the unity of the Church. St. Paul explains that we are Christ’s Mystical Body in which all the members are intimately united with the Head and united to one another (1 Cor 12:12-26; Rom 12:4-5; Eph 4: 15-16).

Pruning an essential part of growing fruit-producing branches: In the vineyards in Palestine, pruning was done in late fall or early winter because pruning in spring or summer caused excessive bleeding that weakened the vine.  Dead branches were cut away to save the vine.  Other branches were pruned so that they would bear more grapes than leaves in the next growing season.  John describes God as the Vine-grower who has planted a Vine, Jesus.  The Father removes every branch that bears no fruit and prunes the other branches, so they may bear more fruit.  Jesus tells his apostles that they have already been pruned by the words he has spoken to them.  He refers to the announcement that he will soon be leaving them by his death on the cross.  The apostles will not feel the full impact of this “pruning” until Jesus is actually taken away from them in death.  Eventually, they will be pruned of all attachment to the things of this world in order to prepare them to attach themselves to the things of Heaven.  It is a sorry sight to see that some of us just come to Church Sunday after Sunday in search of spiritual “handouts” or just to “fulfill our Sunday obligation,” but give little or nothing back to our generous God in loving service to Him in their brothers and sisters in the Church and in the local community.  When we fail  ourselves and God that way, we are like fruitless, leafy branches, draining life from the trunk without giving anything in return.

Abiding in Jesus as condition for fertility: Even a well-pruned branch cannot bear grapes unless it abides in the vine, drawing water and minerals from the main trunk and transporting food prepared in the leaves to the main trunk and to the roots.  Jesus reminds us that we cannot bear fruit either, unless we abide in him just as he abides in us.   Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.”  What Jesus means is that by abiding in him we will bear much fruit, and that apart from him we can do nothing.  “Abiding in Christ” means that God has to be inside us and we have to be inside God.  We abide in Christ by drawing near to God and by experiencing His being near to us, that is, by living every moment as He has commanded us to do, with the radiant presence of Christ all around us. This life of intimate union with Christ in the Church is maintained by the spiritual helps common to all the faithful, chiefly by active participation in the Liturgy.  Those of us who do not abide in Jesus will wither and be thrown away, just as withered branches are thrown into the fire to be burned. “Many scholars see the references to being ‘apart from the Vine’ as references to the beginnings of splinter groups within the Johannine community, and possibly to the beginnings of heretical groups which were leading people astray.” (Dr. Watson).  Fruit-bearing in Christian life is not of our own independent and unaided making. The Holy Spirit who dwells within us trims and prunes us, teaching us Himself and reminding us of what Jesus taught. It is He who enables us to love Him and to keep His words (John 14:24, 26).

Remaining attached (or united) to Jesus:  This connection results not only in being with Jesus but being Jesus as a friend to others and becoming Jesus in the process. As St. Paul said, “It is no longer I who live but Christ lives within me,” (Gal 2:20). Being attached to Jesus is not necessarily memorizing the Bible, saying the right prayers and using the right words, the right gestures and the right theology, though, of course, these are also necessary for our spiritual growth. Being attached to Jesus is being detached from the compulsive desire for everything that is not God: property, pleasure, prestige, power and, let us add, Pera (money), and pride. Being attached to Jesus is not doing something by ourselves, but being with Jesus and becoming Jesus in the way we think, feel, act, and react. Being united with Jesus happens when we serve Him hidden in the people we encounter. So, when we help curtail drug addiction; when we inspire a love of learning in our students; when we diminish dissension and instill cooperation in our parish’s societies; when we curb quarrels and fill our homes with loving concern; when we go out of our way to help the hungry, those in need, the oppressed, and those who suffer injustice — then we are being with Jesus and becoming Jesus for our brothers and sisters.  It is by prayer that we are united with Jesus and keep that union alive and active. Prayer is not a luxury but a necessity. To keep in touch with others we need devices like telephone, mails, and others. To keep in touch with Jesus, the source of our spiritual strength, there is no substitute for prayer.

Life messages: 1) We need pruning in our Christian life. Cutting out of our lives everything that is contrary to the spirit of Jesus and renewing our commitment to Christian ideals in our lives every day is the first type of self-imposed pruning expected of us. A second means of pruning is practicing self-control over our evil inclinations, sinful addictions and aberrations. Cordial mingling in our neighborhood and society with people of different cultures, races, religions and orientations enables us, with God’s grace, to prune away our selfish, judgmental, prejudicial tendencies so that we can treat others in our society with Christian charity and openness. Jesus prunes, purifies and strengthens us by enabling us to face with the courage of our  Christian convictions, the pain and sufferings, contradictions and difficulties which He permits to enter our lives.

2) Let us abide in Christ and let Christ abide in us: The four Gospels teach us how to become true disciples of Jesus and how to abide in him as branches abide in the main trunk of the vine and how to draw their life from the vine.  Personal and liturgical prayers, frequenting of the Sacraments of the Holy Eucharist and Reconciliation, daily and meditative reading of the Bible, and selfless, loving acts of kindness, mercy and mutual loving forgiveness, all the fruits  of God’s Grace acting within us,  assist us in abiding in Jesus, the true Vine, as fruit-bearing branches.

JOKES OF THE WEEK: # 1: The Usher: An elderly woman walked into the local country church. The friendly usher greeted her at the door and helped her up the flight of steps. “Where would you like to sit?” he asked politely. “The front row please,” she answered. “You really don’t want to do that,” the usher said. “The pastor is really boring.” “Do you happen to know who I am? I’m the pastor’s mother,” she declared indignantly. “Do you know who I am?” the usher asked. “No.” she said. “Good,” he answered.

# 2: The final word on nutrition and health. 1. The Japanese eat very little fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 2. The Mexicans eat a lot of fat and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 3. The Chinese drink very little red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. 4. The Italians drink a lot of red wine and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English.  5. The Germans drink a lot of beer and eat lots of sausages and fats and suffer fewer heart attacks than the English. CONCLUSION: Eat and drink what you like. Being English and remaining non-attached to Jesus the vine are apparently what kill you.

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

• Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies
• Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button) & https://lectiotube.com/
• Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:  https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)
• Brant Pitre’scommentary on Cycle  B  Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/
• Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/
• Brant Pitre’s blogs with video talks: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/blog
• Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle B Sunday Scripture: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-b

8) A wonderful web site from Saint Anthony Messenger Press: http://www.americancatholic.org/

9) The code of cannon law: http://www.ourladyswarriors.org/canon/

10) Listen and watch Fr. Tom: http://www.inseason.net/index.htm

11) Teach children how to pray: http://www.cptryon.org/prayer/child/index.html

12) Video Sunday-Scripture study by Fr. Geoffrey Plant:

https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant2066

  20 Additional anecdotes: 1) United in the moon in His name: The lunar module “Eagle,” carrying astronauts Aldrin and Armstrong, landed on the moon on July 20, 1969. While Armstrong prepared for his moonwalk, Aldrin unpacked bread and wine and put them on the abort system computer. He described what he did next. “I poured the wine into a chalice…In the one-sixth gravity of the moon the wine curled slowly and gracefully up the side of the cup. It was interesting to think that the very first liquid ever poured on the moon and the very first food eaten, were consecrated Bread and Wine.” Just before receiving Holy Communion, Aldrin read the passage from the Gospel according to John: “I am the vine, and you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in him will bear much fruit, for you can do nothing without me.” Commenting on his Communion experience on the moon, Aldrin says, “I sense especially strongly my unity with our Church back home, and everywhere.” (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) Gerald Coffee, a retired Navy captain, was a prisoner of war for seven years. His home was a cell that allowed him to take only three steps in any direction. Still, during these years of unbelievable hardship, he was able to pray, “God, help me use this time to get better.” He took a dismal situation and used it for a time of mental, emotional and spiritual growth. In spite of being able to communicate with his fellow POWs only by tapping on the cell walls, he along with other prisoners managed to learn French. He learned to recite Kipling and Shakespeare. Most amazing of all, Coffee and his fellow prisoners were able to keep their sense of humor. Often, he composed poems to keep himself amused. One that he particularly liked went, “Little weevil in my bread, I think I’ve just bit off your head.” Today Captain Coffee addresses major corporations on the subject of keeping your Faith (and sense of humor) during difficult times. He shares his harrowing experience in order to inspire others. [Allen Klein, The Healing Power of Humor (Los Angeles, California: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1989).] — Gerald Coffee’s captors could not know he had “connections in high places”! Gerald Coffee was, and is, connected to the Vine which is Christ. And that makes a real the difference in life. Christ is the Vine. We draw our Life from him. He is the Vine. We are the branches. It is He who links us to one another. We not only have connections in high places. We also have connections in low places and places in between. We are connected to one another as branches linked to the vine of Christ. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) United with God we stand: J.C. Penny Stores is the largest chain of dry goods stores in the world. There are more than sixteen hundred of them, and they appear in every state of the United States. Mr. J.C. Penny, the owner of these stores had a very serious mid-life crisis. He was beset with fatal worries. He was so harassed with worries that he couldn’t sleep, and he developed “shingles” — an extremely painful nerve infection causing a red rash and following nerve pathways. His doctor put him to bed and warned him that he was a very sick man. A rigid treatment was prescribed. But nothing helped. He grew weaker day by day. He was physically and nervously broken, filled with despair. One night the doctor gave him a sedative, but its effects wore off soon, and he awoke with an overwhelming sense of his death. Getting out of his bed, he began to write farewell letters to his wife and to his son saying that he did not expect to see the dawn. When he awoke the next morning, he was surprised to find himself alive. Going downstairs, he heard singing in a little chapel where devotional exercises were held each morning. He heard them singing the beautiful hymn: God Will Take Care of You. He went to the chapel and listened with a weary heart to the singing, the reading of the Scripture lesson and prayer. Suddenly, something happened which were beyond any explanation. He called it a miracle. In his own words, he said, “I felt as if I was instantly lifted out of the darkness of a dungeon into warm, brilliant sunlight. I felt as it I was transported from hell to paradise. I felt the power of God as I had never felt before. I realized then that I alone was responsible for all my troubles. I knew that God with His love was there to help me. From that day to this, my life has been free from worry. I am seventy-one years old, and the most dramatic and glorious twenty minutes of my life were those I spent in that chapel that morning: God will take care of you.” [John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) Power of a squash: You may remember that fascinating experiment that took place at Amherst College some years ago in which a squash seed was planted in good soil. When it had produced a squash about the size of a man’s head, the researchers put a band of steel about it with a harness attachment by which they sought to determine the lifting power of the squash as it tried to grow. They estimated that it might have the power of 500 pounds; which in itself would have been amazing. In a month it was pressing the 500 pounds; in two months 1,500 pounds, then it went to 2,000 and they had to strengthen the bands. It finally reached a pressure of 5,000 pounds when it broke the bands. They opened the squash and found it full of course fibers that had grown to fight away the obstacle that was hindering its growth. Roots extended out about 80,000 feet in all directions, as the squash was reaching out for help to strengthen the fiber. [Eric Butterworth, Unity of all Life (New York: Harper & Row).] — I would hate to think that you and I have less determination than a squash. We have been given minds and bodies and dreams that we might struggle against life and produce fruit worthy of branches connected to the living Vine of Jesus. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5)  “Presbyterian but disconnected.”  Some years ago, in the city of Belfast in Northern Ireland, the members of one of the large Presbyterian churches decided to undertake a religious census among some 2000 homes in their district. When the results were in, the pastor of the Church found himself seated at his desk, confronted with a huge heap of reports, and he began to note the visitors’ findings and especially any comments made by the visitors at the bottom of the page. One remark that occurred again and again was, “Used to be a Presbyterian; now belong nowhere.” Or, “The children go to Sunday School, but the parents aren’t interested.” And then his eyes fell on one unusual comment at the foot of one of the pages which startled him. It read simply, “Presbyterian, but disconnected.” — “Disconnected.” That’s a fascinating word. It sounds as though somebody had pulled the plug on the poor chap. Or perhaps he had pulled the plug on himself, thereby committing spiritual suicide. No longer was he connected up with the Church in which he was raised, or any other Church, for that matter. This is sad, because God created us to be connected with one another. God intended us to be in communion with God and with one another. The New Testament knows of no such thing as solitary Christianity. To be a Christian at all is to be in relationship with other Christians. Anyone and everyone who belongs to Jesus Christ automatically belongs to anyone and everyone else who belongs to Jesus Christ. “I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6)  Affirm and cultivate awareness of the indwelling Christ. There is an old story about Albert Einstein. He was going around the country from university to university on the lecture circuit, giving lectures on his theory of relativity. He traveled by chauffeur-driven limousine. One day, after they had been on the road for awhile, Einstein’s chauffeur said to him, “Dr. Einstein, I’ve heard you deliver that lecture on relativity so many times, I’ll bet I could deliver it myself.” “Very well,” the good doctor responded. “I’ll give you that opportunity tonight. The people at the university where I am to lecture have never seen me. Before we get there, I’ll put on your cap and uniform and you will introduce me as your chauffeur and yourself as me. Then you can give the lecture.” For awhile that evening, everything went according to plan. The chauffeur delivered the lecture flawlessly. But as the lecture concluded, a professor in the audience rose and asked a complex question involving mathematical equations and formulas. The quick-thinking chauffeur replied, “Sir, the solution to that problem is so simple I’m really surprised you’ve asked me to give it to you. Indeed, to prove to you just how simple it is, I’m going to ask my chauffeur to step forward and answer your question.” –What I’m asking you to consider is not about anything as complex as the theory of relativity. It is about our close relationship with Christ the Vine, deriving the sap of spiritual life from him, as branches do from the main stem of the vine. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) Fish on the beach sand:, “Take a fish and place him on a beach. Watch his gills gasp and scales dry. Is he happy? No! How do you make him happy? Do you cover him with a mountain of cash? Do you get him a beach chair and sunglasses? Do you bring him a Playfish magazine and a martini? Do you wardrobe him in double-breasted fins and people-skinned shoes? Of course not! So, how do you make him happy? You put him back in his element. That’s what you do. You put him back in the water. He will never be happy on the beach because he was not made for the beach. — Indeed so, and the same is true for you and me. We will never be happy living apart from the One who made us and saved us. Just as a fish was made to live in water… we were made to live in close fellowship with our Lord… and nothing can take the place of that.” (Max Lucado, in his book, When God Whispers Your Name). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Stay connected to Christ the Vine with servant mentality: In his book, Living on Tiptoe, Cecil Myers reminds us of a time when a group of educators in our country wanted to honor Albert Schweitzer… and they brought him to America. The University of Chicago planned to give him an honorary degree. When Albert Schweitzer’s train arrived, the university leaders ran to greet him warmly and they told him of their joy in having him here in America. But then as they turned to leave the train station, suddenly Albert Schweitzer was gone. He had just disappeared, vanished, slipped away. They looked everywhere for him. Finally, they found him. He was carrying a suitcase for an elderly woman. He saw that she was having trouble and rushed over to help her. — You see, it was so much a part of his life to be a servant for others that it was as natural as breathing for him (when he got off the train), to begin immediately to look for somebody to help. That was his approach to life… and he had learned that from the Bible… he had learned that in Church… he had learned that from Jesus. Albert Schweitzer loved to help other people because he was strongly connected to Christ and His servant mentality. The university officials said later that when they saw Dr. Schweitzer helping that woman with her suitcase… they were wishing like everything that they could find somebody they could help… somebody whose suitcase they could carry. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Mother Teresa’s servant mentality: Some years ago, Mother Teresa was asked by a reporter one day, “What is your biggest problem?” Without a moment of hesitation, Mother Teresa answered with one word: “Professionalism.” She said: “Here are these servants of Jesus who care for the poorest of the poor. I have one who just went off and came back with her medical degree. Others have come back with registered nurse degrees. Another with a master’s in social work… and when they came back with their degrees… their first question always is, ‘Where is my office?’ Then she said, ‘But you know what I do? I send them over to the House of the Dying where they simply hold the hands of dying people for six months, and after that, they’re ready to be servants again.’” [Victor D. Pentz, “Take This Job and Love It” Protestant Hour Sermon, (3/14/2005), p. 3.] — This was the greatness of Mother Teresa… her unflinching commitment to stay connected to Christ’s Servant Mentality. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) The novel: Brazil: John Updike once more revealed his remarkably brilliant powers of description in the novel Brazil. Updike shares his uncanny ability to portray the setting and landscape that surround his characters in order to highlight their nature and their roles. However, Updike’s greatest gift is the manner in which he is able to crawl inside the characters to reveal their restless and frantic struggles to discover themselves. The principal characters in Brazil are Tristao and Isabel. Their love for each other survives a tormented parade of trials forced on them by family, nature, society, and the economy. Yet, the end for them is as tragic as for Tristan and Isolde, whose names and whose roles are so similar. Purposely, the reader is left to wonder a great deal about the significance of such relationships and, above all, about the meaning of such lives. —
The Holy Spirit suggests to us in Today’s Gospel that life lived apart from our Lord Jesus Christ is meaningless and without purpose. Jesus himself talks about the need to be attached to him. We can readily appreciate the importance of relationship in a day when human relations are extremely difficult. What Jesus suggests, however, is that all human relations are dependent upon him. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King: In his book, The Kennedy Imprisonment: A Meditation on Power, Gary Wills contrasts the contributions of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr., through their conception of power. The Camelot that JFK created at the White House vanished. On the other hand, King, the pacifist who believed in non-violence and achievements through suffering and patience, made lasting impressions on our society. — In like manner, the contrast in styles and understanding of power in ordinary people makes for differences in their lives. People who in their quiet ways draw life from the One who is the Vine discover that they not only live in Him by love and grace, and He in them, but they are also able to live in one another through love and grace. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) “Mom, you’ll never have to take in washing again.” : Marian Anderson, perhaps the greatest contralto who ever lived, had a wonderful relationship with her mother. It was said of Mrs. Anderson’s life: her music could bring one to tears; her life could bring one to one’s knees. She was once being interviewed, and she was asked the most wonderful moment in her most impressive career. She could have mentioned that time when the great Arturo Toscanini told her that hers was the greatest voice of the century. She could have mentioned that time when she sang before the Roosevelts and the King and Queen of England. She could have said that it was winning a coveted award for the person who had done the most for her hometown of Philadelphia. There was also the time when she sang before a crowd of 75,000 on Easter Sunday beneath the Lincoln statue. Which of these high moments would she chose? None of them. “My greatest moment,” she said, “is when I went home to my mother and said: ‘Mom, you’ll never have to take in washing again.’” — If this relationship can exist between a mother and a daughter, then how much more can our relationship with Jesus Christ be? “I am the true vine,” Jesus said. “As the Father has loved me, so I love you.” And what happens, when we abide in Jesus and Jesus abides in us? Our joy will be made full. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) He was buying a get-well card for the bus driver.  She had been brutally murdered on a neighborhood bus. A young, teenaged girl. Cut down in the prime of life by a man suddenly gone berserk. The bus driver, struggling with her assailant, was himself injured. The morning after the tragedy, I was in a drugstore when this young lady’s father entered. I did not know him, but was told by the druggist, “That’s the girl’s father.” I immediately assumed he was in the store having a prescription filled for a sedative of some sort. I could well imagine the effects of this sudden and shocking tragedy on the family. The next day I found out how wrong had been my assumption. Do you know what that father was doing in the drugstore the morning after his daughter’s tragic death? He was buying a get-well card for the bus driver. — Such concern is not born in the orchard of a life barren of fruit. The father’s action was most Christ-like. Even in personal sorrow, he was concerned for the well-being of another. Where does such gallantry of soul come from? It comes when one looks into the heart of God through a living relationship with his Son, Jesus Christ. In today’s Gospel, Our Lord, using vivid symbolism, spells out clearly his relationship with us, and our relationship with him. “I am the Vine; you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me, you can do nothing.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) “Lady Diana came to the church as a commoner; she departed as royalty.”. Back in 1981, the attention of the world was focused on the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana. The reporter of a newspaper was describing the arrival of the entourage to the Cathedral where the wedding was to take place. He described how all the royal family were carried in special royal coaches to the Cathedral while Lady Diana arrived in the coach of a commoner. Then there was this rather telling sentence in the newspaper account. “Lady Diana came to the Church as a commoner; she departed as royalty.” — This is a vivid description of what grace is all about. We come as sinners, but grace turns us into heirs, and joint heirs with Christ, of all that God wants to give us. It also is a vivid description of the possibility that comes to each one of us – the possibility of a deeper walk with Christ. Jesus said to his disciples, “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you.” Ponder that awesome truth. We have not chosen God; God has chosen us. In His extravagant grace, He has given us His love, and confronted us with His call. We arrive in His presence as commoners; we leave as royalty. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) Story of a branch separated from the vine in the film La Dolce Vita: The film follows the exploits of a young scandal-sheet writer named Marcello as he flits from mistress to mistress and from orgy to orgy. Marcello embodies the loneliness, emptiness, and boredom of the jet-set crowd with whom he keeps company. Their decay is symbolized in the last scene in which Marcello and his friends find on a beach a strange fish rotting in the sun. Across the inlet, an innocent girl calls to Marcello. Although she reminds him of the good and simple life he once enjoyed and could recover, he cannot find the courage to react to her invitation. — La Dolce Vita illustrates what our Lord meant when he said in today’s Gospel: “A man who does not live in me is like a withered branch, picked up to be thrown in the fire and burnt.” When Marcello was growing up with his family in a small town he led a simple but happy life. But now that he had forsaken their religion and lifestyle for the decadence of the big cities, he found himself not only unhappy, but also dying intellectually, morally, and spiritually. Indeed, Fellini’s image of the rotting fish and Christ’s metaphor of the withered branch are strong symbols of what happens to us when we separate ourselves from our Lord, his Church and our family [Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds]. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) One-hundred percent American? Often we do not like to admit our dependence, but the fact remains that we are constantly dependent on others for living our daily lives.  “The average person might awaken in a bed built on a pattern which originated in the Near East, to a clock, a medieval European invention. He slips into soft moccasins invented by American Indians. He showers with soap invented by the ancient Gauls, and dries himself with a Turkish towel. Returning to the bedroom he dons garments derived from the clothing of nomads of the Asiatic steppes and in ancient Egypt. At his breakfast table, he has pottery invented in China, his knife is made of an alloy first produced in southern India; his fork is a medieval Italian invention, his spoon a derivative of a Roman original. His food originated in discoveries from all over the world. He reads the news of the day imprinted in characters invented by the ancient Semites, by a process invented in Germany upon a material invented in China. Sometime during the day he may thank a Hebrew God in an Indo-European language that he is one-hundred per cent American.” – (Harold Buetow) — Today’s Gospel speaks of our radical dependence on God for everything. To be fruitful, the branch has to be cut and pruned, but must remain always attached to the vine or else it dies. “As a branch cannot bear fruit by itself, but must remain part of the vine, neither can you unless you remain in Me.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) We are the terminals: A poor German schoolmaster, who lived in a humble house in a small village, carved over his doorway this proud inscription: “Dante, Moliere, and Goethe live here!” That schoolmaster had learned that the secret of a rich life lies in one’s spiritual companionship. — Jesus wants his followers to be united with him as the branches are related to their Vine, and to enjoy continually his spiritual company. “I am the Vine, you are the branches”, he says. Insofar as we abide in Jesus and he in us, we will bear much fruit, because Jesus is the source of life and insofar as we do not, we will be absolutely ineffective, because without God we can do nothing. If a schoolmaster can say that Dante and Moliere and Goethe live with him, why can’t Christians say that Christ lives in us and we in Christ? — Probably, most of us have at one time or other walked into a bank or an airline office to be told by the staff: “Sorry, you will have to wait; the computer system is down.” We can see that the computer terminals are there, some switched on. The screens are lit up; they may even perform some limited functions. However, we know they are quite helpless, because they are not connected to the “mainframe.” Like the computer terminals, we have to be plugged into Jesus, the mainframe, if we want to be of any use.
[Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 

18) Not connected! A missionary in Africa lived in his central mission, which had a small electric plant to supply current for his Church and small rectory. Some natives from the outlying mission came to visit the padre. They noticed the electric light hanging from the ceiling of his living room. They watched wide-eyed as he turned on the little switch and the light came on. One of the visitors asked if he could have one of those bulbs. The priest thinking, he wanted it as a sort of trinket gave him a burned-out bulb. On his next visit to the outlying mission, the priest stopped at the hut of the man who had asked for the bulb. Imagine the priest’s surprise when he saw the bulb hanging from an ordinary string! He had to explain that one had to have electricity power and a wire to bring the current to the bulb. Without a connection there is no power! — In the Gospel of John, we hear Jesus speaking of this same unity and intimacy, which should be part of our relationship with Jesus and with his Church. He illustrates this with a very earthy metaphor. “I am the true Vine and my Father is the Vine-grower.” (Msgr. Arthur Tonne, quoted by Fr. Botelho.) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 19) The vineyard and the gardener: In First Things First, Roger Merrill relates the story of a busy man who decided to landscape his grounds. He contacted a talented woman with a doctorate in horticulture and experience in landscaping and expressed his desire to hire her to set a garden. But he emphasized to her the need to create a maintenance-free garden with automatic sprinklers and other labor-saving devices because he was too busy to spend much time on upkeep.  But she said, “There’s one thing you need to deal with before we go any further.  If there’s no gardener, there’s no garden!” —  In today’s Gospel Jesus asserts that he is the vine, we are the branches and his Heavenly Father is the gardener. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) “Believe because of the works I do.” When James W. Loucks, a bachelor and a veteran of the Civil War, died in 1934 at the Soldiers’ Home in Bath, New York, he bequeathed $200 to St. John’s Orphanage in Utica, New York, and $100 to the Sisters of St. Joseph at Little Falls, N.Y. His will also instructed the administrators of his estate, the Herkimer Co. Trust Co., to use the residue “for Masses for the repose of myself and my brother, Daniel.” Since the thrifty veteran had saved $10,000 from his humble employment as a farmer’s helper, road worker, and shoemaker, that meant that some $7,000 was to go for Mass offerings. Now, the president of the Herkimer Co. Trust Co. was puzzled about this last matter. He decided that the residue should be invested, and only the interest used for Masses. When this decision came to the attention of the bishop of Rochester, in whose diocese Mr. Loucks died, the bishop replied that Church law required that the whole sum should go for Masses. In fact, he felt obliged to take the case to court. Finally, three years later, the judge surrogate of Steuben County ruled that in this instance Church law took precedence over Civil law. As soon as the total residue was consigned to the bishop, he saw to it that, after this three-year wait, Masses finally began to be offered according to the old artilleryman’s intentions. — Who was James Loucks, whose dying wish was the celebration of several thousands of Masses? His religious history was most interesting, according to newsman James B. Hutchinson. Born to Protestant parents in 1844 at Manheim, Herkimer County N.Y., Jim enlisted in 1863 in Co. H. of the 2nd New York Heavy Artillery. He saw action in the Pennsylvania campaigns of the Civil War from Cold Harbor on. Up to that time, he had had little or no contact with Catholics. But one thing that impressed him deeply as the war continued was the great work the Sisters of Charity were doing with the victims of the battlefield. If they are so caring, he thought, then the Church they represent must be a loving church. Then came the battle of Gettysburg – vast, bloody, frightening. In the midst of it, Jim vowed “If the Almighty God spares me in this war, I will become a Catholic! ” God did spare him, and he kept his pledge. When mustered out of service, he went to work on a farm near Little Falls, N.Y., where he approached Father James Ludden of St. Mary’s Church, Little Falls. Eventually received into the Church, he became an active Catholic; deeply religious and much given to reading and study of the faith. Between 1877 and 1885 he served as sexton of St. Mary’s. At the age of 69, he retired to the Soldiers’ Home at Bath. –- Our words of praise for the Catholic Faith can often win others to join the Church. Even more persuasive than Catholic words, however, are Catholic deeds. It was the good deeds of the Sisters of Charity that moved Jim Loucks to become a Catholic. In today’s Gospel, Our Lord makes much the same point: “Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works I do.” Does our daily Christian life impress others to think well of our Church? (Father Robert F. McNamara). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/24

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 29) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

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 at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

April 22-27: April 22 Monday: Jn 10:1-10: 1Jesus said: “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. 2But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice, as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. 5But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.” 6Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them. 7So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. 9I am the door. Whoever enters through me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture.10A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”

Theme:Through today’s Gospel, the Church reminds us of our call to become good shepherds of God’s flock and good sheep of His parishes and invites us to pray fo the acceptance of vocations to the priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life.

Explanation: In today’s Gospel, the two brief parables show us Jesus, first, as a selfless, caring “shepherd” who provides for his sheep protection and life itself, and second, as our unique gateway ("sheep gate") to eternal salvation. Besides guiding his flock to Eternal Life as does the Good Shepherd, Jesus is himself the gateway to Eternal Life. The first parable of today’s Gospel contrasts Jesus, the true Shepherd, with fake shepherds, thieves and robbers. Jesus gives us warning against false shepherds and false teachers in his Church. Jesus’ love and concern for each of us must be accepted with trust and serenity because he alone is our God and our Shepherd, and no one else deserves our undivided commitment. As a true Shepherd, Jesus both leads his sheep, giving them the food and living water only he, the Good Shepherd, can provide, and protects us, bringing us safely to true happiness. In the second parable, Jesus compares himself to the Shepherd and to the Gate. As Shepherd, Jesus establishes his True Ownership of the sheep. By naming himself “Gate,” Jesus demonstrates that He is the One Mediator between God and mankind, and so is the only Way in or out of His Flock. All must go in through Him, through His Church, in order to arrive in Heaven.By identifying Himself with the sheep-gate, Jesus gives the assurance that whoever enters the pen through Him will be safe and well cared-for. Jesus is the living Door to His Father’s house and Father’s family, the Door into the Father’s safety and into the fullness of life. It is through Jesus, the Door, that we come into God’s sheepfold where we are protected from the wolves of life. We find actual spiritual, emotional and psychological security and safety when we live within Jesus and his Church, within the protectiveness of Christ, Christian friends and a Christian family.

Life Messages: 1) We need to become good shepherds and good leaders: Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd. Hence, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials, and caregivers, among others, are all shepherds. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time, talents and blessings for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers. Parents must be especially careful of their duties toward their children, giving them good example and instruction and training them in Christian principles. 2) We need to become good sheep in the fold of Jesus, the Good Shepherd: Our local parish is our sheepfold, and our pastors are our shepherds. Jesus is the High Priest, the Bishops are the successors of the Apostles, the Pastors and their Deacons are their helpers, and the parishioners are the sheep. Hence, as the good sheep of the parish, parishioners are expected to a) hear and follow the voice of our shepherds through their homilies, Bible classes, counseling, and advice: b) receive the spiritual food given by our Pastors through our regular participation in the Holy Mass, our frequenting of the Sacraments, and our participation in the prayer services, renewal programs, and missions they offer; c) cooperate with our Pastors by giving them positive suggestions for the welfare of the parish, by encouraging them in their duties, by offering them occasional loving, constructive correction when they are found misbehaving or failing in their duties, and always by praying for them;andd) actively participate in the activities of various councils, ministries, and parish associations. 3) We need to pray for vocations, and for those to whom they are offered, that they may accept the call, surrender all to Jesus forever, and follow him faithfully! Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

April 23 Tuesday: [Saint
George, Martyr; Saint Adalbert, Bishop and Martyr] ): For a brief biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-george/Jn 10:22-30: Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered round him and said to him, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." 25 Jesus answered them, "I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s name, they bear witness to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one."

The context: It was December during the week of the Jewish Feast of the Dedication of the Temple or Hanukkah, a week with the year’s shortest days and longest nights. The feast was also known as the Festival of Lights because during this feast the Jews lighted lamps representing the Mosaic Law and put them in the windows of their homes. Hanukkahserved as a remembrance ofthe cleansing and rededicating of the Temple and its altar by the Jewish military commander Judas Maccabaeus in the year 165 BC, after he had liberated Jerusalem from the control of the Seleucid Kings of Syria. The Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanes had profaned the Temple and its altar. It was during Hanukkah, when he was teaching in Solomon’s portico, that the Jews plotted to trap Jesus by asking him to declare whether or not he was the promised Messiah.

Jesus’ reply: 1) Jesus accuses the Jews of unbelief and challenges them to believe in his Messianic and Divine claims by truthfully assessing his miracles instead of holding to their own personal ideas about the promised Messiah as a political liberator. 2) Then Jesus gives the reason why the Jews cannot believe in him. They are not among his sheep. Faith and eternal life cannot be merited by man’s own efforts: they are a gift of God, and the Jews are refusing to accept this gift from God. 3) Jesus gives the assurance that his sheep – his followers – will have eternal life and will not perish because they are protected by God his Father Who is stronger than the Evil One. 4) Finally, Jesus declares that he and God the Father are one. In other words, Jesus reveals that He is one in substance with the Father as far as Divine Essence or Nature is concerned, but He also reveals that the Father and the Son are distinct Persons.

Life messages: 1) When doubts about our Faith haunt us, let us try to read more about our Faith, to consult Catholic experts in our locality or reliable Catholic sources on the Internet, and to pray for the light of the Holy Spirit. 2) Let us find protection from the temptations of the Evil One in the sheepfold of the Church by frequenting the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist, by meditative reading of the Bible, by personal prayers, and by works of charity. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

April 24 Wednesday: [Saint
Fidelis of Sigmaringen, Priest and Martyr] For a brief biography, click here: : For a brief biography, click here: (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-fidelis-of-sigmaringen/): Jn 12:44-50: 44 Jesus cried out and said, “whoever believes in me believes not only in mebut in Him who sent me. 45 And he who sees me sees Him Who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If any one hears my sayings and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. 48 He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. 49 For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given me commandment what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has bidden me."

The context: Today’s Gospel text, taken from John’s Gospel, is a passage from the last public discourse of Jesus before his arrest and crucifixion. The main ideas in the passage are 1) Jesus’ relationship with the Father; Jesus’ role as the Light and Life of the world; and the criteria for His final judgment of us – Heaven or Hell 1) Jesus teaches us that he is one with the Father and he is the image of his invisible Father. Because He is one with the Father, the Father speaks through him and operates through him. Hence, those who accept Jesus and his message accept God the Father’s message. 2) Jesus claims that he is the Light and Life of the world. Psalm 27 exclaims, “The Lord is my Light and my salvation!” As Light, Jesus removes the darkness of evil from the world and from our souls, shows us the correct way to go in life, and gives us the warmth of his sharing, sacrificial love. As Light, God’s word enables those with eyes of Faith to perceive the hidden truths of God’s Kingdom. As the Life of the world, Jesus, by his words, produces the very Life of God within those who receive these words with Faith. 3) We are rewarded or punished eternally based on whether or not we accept Jesus and his teachings and, if we have chosen Jesus, whether or not we live our lives accordingly.

Life messages: 1) As Christians, our duty is to reflect and radiate the light of Jesus in the darkness of evil around us by acts of sharing love, kindness, forgiveness, and humble service. 2) Let us ask for the strength of the Holy Spirit to choose Christ and his ideals every day and to reject everything contrary to Christ’s teachings. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

April 25 Thursday: (Saint Mark, Evangelist) ): For a brief biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-markMk 16:15-20: 15 And he said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." 19 So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. 20 And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by the signs that attended it. Amen.

Biography of St. Mark: Most of what we know about Mark comes directly from the New Testament. He is usually identified with the Mark of Acts 12:12. (When Peter escaped from prison, he went to the home of Mark’s mother). Paul and Barnabas took him along on the first missionary journey, but for some reason Mark returned alone to Jerusalem. It is evident from Paul’s refusal to let Mark accompany him on the second journey, despite Barnabas’s insistence, that Mark had displeased Paul. Later, Paul asks Mark to visit him in prison, so we may assume the trouble did not last long.

The oldest and the shortest of the four Gospels, the Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus’ rejection by humanity though he is God’s

Son and triumphant envoy. Probably written for Gentile converts in Rome—after the deaths of Peter and Paul sometime between A.D. 60 and 70—Mark’s Gospel is the gradual manifestation of a "scandal": a crucified Messiah. Evidently a friend of Mark (Peter called him "my son"), Peter is only one of the Gospel sources, others being the Church in Jerusalem (Jewish roots) and the Church at Antioch (largely Gentile).

Life messages: 1) We need to be proclaimers and evangelizers: In today’s Gospel Jesus gives his mission to all believers: "Go out to the whole world and proclaim the Gospel to every creature.” This mission is not given to a select few but to all believers. To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer. There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming. “We preach with words, but we proclaim with our lives.” No one is excluded, and all are welcome. 2) We are also reminded that while the Lord gives the mission to all, Jesus does not expect us to rely only on our own resources to fulfill that mission. The mission is accompanied by the Divine power that is given to all those called upon to fulfill that mission, whatever form it may take in our lives. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/ )L/24

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

April 26 Friday: Jn 14:1-6: 1 "Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going." 5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.

The context: Jesus consoles his apostles who are sad and disheartened at the prospect of his arrest and crucifixion by assuring them that he is going to prepare an everlasting accommodation for them in his Father’s house in Heaven. He gives them the assurance that he will come back to take them to their Heavenly abodes. It is then that Thomas says to Jesus, "Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?" Jesus answers Thomas’ question with, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but by me.”

Jesus the Way, the Truth, and the Life: The basic doctrine of Judaism is that Yahweh is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Hence, Jesus is making the revolutionary claim that he is equivalent to Yahweh. Jesus declares that he himself IS the safest and surest way to God, thus discrediting the notions that all religions are equally sure ways to reach God, and that no organized religion, but only living a good life of sharing love, is necessary to reach God. Jesus IS the Way which he calls narrow, for it is the way of loving, sacrificial service. Jesus IS the Truth who revealed truths about God and God’s relationship with man in his teaching. Jesus also taught moral truths by demonstrating them in his life. Jesus IS the Life because he himself shares the Eternal Life of God, and because He shares his Divine Life with his disciples through the Word of God and the Sacraments.

Life messages: We should share the Divine Life of God by making use of the means Jesus established in his Church: a) by actively participating in the Eucharistic celebration and properly receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy Communion; b) by the worthy reception of the other Sacraments; c) by the meditative daily reading of the Word of God; d) by following the guidance of the life-giving Spirit of God, living in the Church and within us; e) by communicating with God the Source of Life, in personal and family prayers; f) by going to God to be reconciled with Him daily, repenting of our sins; g) by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation (yearly, at a minimum), whenever we are in mortal sin (so that we can receive Him in the Eucharist); h) by forgiving others who offend us; and i) by asking God’s forgiveness of our own sins. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

April 27 Saturday: Jn 14:7-14: 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also; henceforth you know him and have seen him." 8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 14 if you ask anything in my name, I will do it.

Scripture lesson: In today’s Gospel selection, Jesus, answering Philip’s request at the Last Supper, explains the unity and oneness of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus clarifies the abiding presence of each Person of the Holy Trinity — the Father and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Hence, Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. Jesus identified Himself totally with the Father. At every moment, he did what the Father asked him to do (Jn 5:30; 8:28-29.38). So, in order to see what God looks like, we have only to look at Jesus, and in order to hear how God speaks, we have only to listen to Jesus. In Jesus we see the perfect love of God – a God Who cares intensely, and Who yearns for all men and women, loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus makes visible a God Who loves us unconditionally, unselfishly, and perfectly. If we put our trust in Jesus and believe in him, Jesus promises that God the Father will hear our prayers when we pray in Jesus’ Name. That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray with confidence, Our Father who art in heaven ..give us this day our daily bread … (Mt 6:9,11; Luke 11:2-3).

Life messages: 1) We believe that God dwells within our souls in the form of His Holy Spirit, making us the temple of God, for we have the indwelling presence of the Triune God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, living within us. 2) Hence, it is our duty to live always aware of the real presence of God within us and to adjust our life, accordingly, doing good to others and avoiding evil. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) 24

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

THE 61st WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS

[21 April 2024] Message by Pope Francis

Called to sow seeds of hope and to build peace

Dear brothers and sisters!

Each year, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations invites us to reflect on the precious gift of the Lord’s call to each of us, as members of his faithful pilgrim people, to participate in his loving plan and to embody the beauty of the Gospel in different states of life. Hearing that divine call, which is far from being an imposed duty – even in the name of a religious ideal – is the surest way for us to fulfil our deepest desire for happiness. Our life finds fulfilment when we discover who we are, what our gifts are, where we can make them bear fruit, and what path we can follow in order to become signs and instruments of love, generous acceptance, beauty and peace, wherever we find ourselves.

This Day, then, is always a good occasion to recall with gratitude to the Lord the faithful, persevering and frequently hidden efforts of all those who have responded to a call that embraces their entire existence. I think of mothers and fathers who do not think first of themselves or follow fleeting fads of the moment, but shape their lives through relationships marked by love and graciousness, openness to the gift of life and commitment to their children and their growth in maturity. I think of all those who carry out their work in a spirit of cooperation with others, and those who strive in various ways to build a more just world, a more solidary economy, a more equitable social policy and a more humane society. In a word, of all those men and women of good will who devote their lives to working for the common good. I think too of all those consecrated men and women who offer their lives to the Lord in the silence of prayer and in apostolic activity, sometimes on the fringes of society, tirelessly and creatively exercising their charism by serving those around them. And I think of all those who have accepted God’s call to the ordained priesthood, devoting themselves to the preaching of the Gospel, breaking open their own lives, together with the bread of the Eucharist, for their brothers and sisters, sowing seeds of hope and revealing to all the beauty of God’s kingdom.

To young people, and especially those who feel distant or uncertain about the Church, I want to say this: Let Jesus draw you to himself; bring him your important questions by reading the Gospels; let him challenge you by his presence, which always provokes in us a healthy crisis. More than anyone else, Jesus respects our freedom. He does not impose, but proposes. Make room for him and you will find the way to happiness by following him. And, should he ask it of you, by giving yourself completely to him.

A people on the move

The polyphony of diverse charisms and vocations that the Christian community recognizes and accompanies helps us to appreciate more fully what it means to be Christians. As God’s people in this world, guided by his Holy Spirit, and as living stones in the Body of Christ, we come to realize that we are members of a great family, children of the Father and brothers and sisters of one another. We are not self-enclosed islands but parts of a greater whole.  In this sense, the World Day of Prayer for Vocations has a synodal character: amid the variety of our charisms, we are called to listen to one another and to journey together in order to acknowledge them and to discern where the Spirit is leading us for the benefit of all.

At this point in time, then, our common journey is bringing us to the Jubilee Year of 2025. Let us travel as pilgrims of hope towards the Holy Year, for by discovering our own vocation and its place amid the different gifts bestowed by the Spirit, we can become for our world messengers and witnesses of Jesus’ dream of a single human family, united in God’s love and in the bond of charity, cooperation and fraternity.

This Day is dedicated in a particular way to imploring from the Father the gift of holy vocations for the building up of his Kingdom: “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Lk 10:2). Prayer – as we all know – is more about listening to God than about talking to him. The Lord speaks to our heart, and he wants to find it open, sincere and generous.  His Word became flesh in Jesus Christ, who reveals to us the entire will of the Father. In this present year, devoted to prayer and preparation for the Jubilee, all of us are called to rediscover the inestimable blessing of our ability to enter into heartfelt dialogue with the Lord and thus become pilgrims of hope. For “prayer is the first strength of hope. You pray and hope grows, it moves forward. I would say that prayer opens the door to hope. Hope is there, but by my prayer I open the door” (Catechesis, 20 May 2020).

Pilgrims of hope and builders of peace

Yet what does it mean to be pilgrims? Those who go on pilgrimage seek above all to keep their eyes fixed on the goal, to keep it always in their mind and heart. To achieve that goal, however, they need to concentrate on every step, which means travelling light, getting rid of what weighs them down, carrying only the essentials and striving daily to set aside all weariness, fear, uncertainty and hesitation. Being a pilgrim means setting out each day, beginning ever anew, rediscovering the enthusiasm and strength needed to pursue the various stages of a journey that, however tiring and difficult, always opens before our eyes new horizons and previously unknown vistas.

This is the ultimate meaning of our Christian pilgrimage: we set out on a journey to discover the love of God and at the same time to discover ourselves, thanks to an interior journey nourished by our relationships with others. We are pilgrims because we have been called: called to love God and to love one another. Our pilgrimage on this earth is far from a pointless journey or aimless wandering; on the contrary, each day, by responding to God’s call, we try to take every step needed to advance towards a new world where people can live in peace, justice and love. We are pilgrims of hope because we are pressing forward towards a better future, committed at every step to bringing it about.

This is, in the end, the goal of every vocation: to become men and women of hope. As individuals and as communities, amid the variety of charisms and ministries, all of us are called to embody and communicate the Gospel message of hope in a world marked by epochal challenges. These include the baneful spectre of a third world war fought piecemeal; the flood of migrants fleeing their homelands in search of a better future; the burgeoning numbers of the poor; the threat of irreversibly compromising the health of our planet. To say nothing of all the difficulties we encounter each day, which at times risk plunging us into resignation or defeatism.

In our day, then, it is decisive that we Christians cultivate a gaze full of hope and work fruitfully in response to the vocation we have received, in service to God’s kingdom of love, justice and peace. This hope – Saint Paul tells us – “does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5), since it is born of the Lord’s promise that he will remain always with us and include us in the work of redemption that he wants to accomplish in the heart of each individual and in the “heart” of all creation. This hope finds its propulsive force in Christ’s resurrection, which “contains a vital power which has permeated this world.  Where all seems to be dead, signs of the resurrection suddenly spring up. It is an irresistible force. Often it seems that God does not exist: all around us, we see persistent injustice, evil, indifference and cruelty. But it is also true that in the midst of darkness something new always springs to life and sooner or later produces fruit” (Evangelii Gaudium, 276). Again, the Apostle Paul tells us that, “in hope we were saved” (Rom 8:24). The redemption accomplished in the paschal mystery is a source of hope, a sure and trustworthy hope, thanks to which we can face the challenges of the present.

To be pilgrims of hope and builders of peace, then, means to base our lives on the rock of Christ’s resurrection, knowing that every effort made in the vocation that we have embraced and seek to live out, will never be in vain.  Failures and obstacles may arise along the way, but the seeds of goodness we sow are quietly growing and nothing can separate us from the final goal: our encounter with Christ and the joy of living for eternity in fraternal love. This ultimate calling is one that we must anticipate daily: even now our loving relationship with God and our brothers and sisters is beginning to bring about God’s dream of unity, peace and fraternity. May no one feel excluded from this calling! Each of us in our own small way, in our particular state of life, can, with the help of the Spirit, be a sower of seeds of hope and peace.

The courage to commit

In this light, I would say once more, as I did at World Youth Day in Lisbon: “Rise up!” Let us awaken from sleep, let us leave indifference behind, let us open the doors of the prison in which we so often enclose ourselves, so that each of us can discover his or her proper vocation in the Church and in the world, and become a pilgrim of hope and a builder of peace! Let us be passionate about life, and commit ourselves to caring lovingly for those around us, in every place where we live. Let me say it again: “Have the courage to commit!” Father Oreste Benzi, a tireless apostle of charity, ever on the side of the poor and the defenseless, used to say that no one is so poor as to have nothing to give, and no one is so rich as not to need something to receive.

Let us rise up, then, and set out as pilgrims of hope, so that, as Mary was for Elizabeth, we too can be messengers of joy, sources of new life and artisans of fraternity and peace.

Rome, Saint John Lateran, 21 April 2024, Fourth Sunday of Easter. POPE FRANCIS

Additional resources

• https://worlddayofprayerforvocations.com/
• https://nrvc.net/292/publication/11357/article/15674-world-day-of-prayer-for-vocations
• https://vocations.archchicago.org/resources/world-day-of-prayer-for-vocations
• https://nrvc.net/274/publication/4171/article/18685-national-vocation-awareness-week-nov-5-11-2023
• Pope Benedict’s prayer: https://youtu.be/FZvjLAlL0xs
• Prayer for vocations: https://youtu.be/VBt2dEToq2Y
• “You are called” by Fr. Augustine Vallooran: https://youtu.be/yrvWf8Mg6Bg

 

Summary of Pope Francis’ Message for World Day of Prayer for Vocations by National Catholic Register

This year the Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 21.

Pope Francis addresses the faithful at his Wednesday general audience on Feb. 28, 2024. (photo: Vatican Media)

Matthew Santucci/CNAVaticanMarch 19, 2024

Pope Francis on Tuesday released his message for the 61st World Day of Prayer for Vocations, reflecting on the Christian pilgrimage as a synodal journey that is rooted in hope and aimed toward discovering God’s love.

The theme for the this year’s World Day of Prayer for Vocations, “Called to Sow Seeds of Hope and to Build Peace,” reflects the universal Christian call to “base our lives on the rock of Christ’s resurrection, knowing that every effort made in the vocation that we have embraced and seek to live out will never be in vain,” the Pope said.

This year the Church celebrates the World Day of Prayer for Vocations on April 21.

“This ultimate calling is one that we must anticipate daily,” the Pope observed. “Even now our loving relationship with God and our brothers and sisters is beginning to bring about God’s dream of unity, peace, and fraternity.”

The Pope noted that this process of discernment assumes a “synodal character,” as the Church has a “polyphony of diverse charisms and vocations.”

“Amid the variety of our charisms, we are called to listen to one another and to journey together in order to acknowledge them and to discern where the Spirit is leading us for the benefit of all,” the Pope observed.

Francis reinforced this observation by pointing to the theme of the 2025 Jubilee Year, “Pilgrims of Hope.”

“We can become for our world messengers and witnesses of Jesus’ dream of a single human family, united in God’s love and in the bond of charity, cooperation, and fraternity,” the Holy Father said.

For the Pope, the pilgrimage is a journey that has a regenerative effect as man carries “only the essentials” while “striving daily to set aside all weariness, fear, uncertainty, and hesitation” in order to “discover the love of God.”

“Being a pilgrim,” Francis continued, “means setting out each day, beginning ever anew, rediscovering the enthusiasm and strength needed to pursue the various stages of a journey that, however tiring and difficult, always opens before our eyes new horizons and previously unknown vistas.”

But the Pope also noted that this journey is a process of self-discovery, which is “nourished by our relationships with others.”

“We are pilgrims because we have been called, called to love God and to love one another,” he said.

The Holy Father emphasized that this pilgrimage, or process, is “far from a pointless journey or aimless wandering” but is instead a process by which humans can work “toward a new world where people can live in peace, justice, and love.”

Francis also directed this call to today’s youth — especially those who feel estranged or suspicious of the Church — with the Pope encouraging them to bring Christ the “important questions.”

“Let him challenge you by his presence, which always provokes in us a healthy crisis. More than anyone else, Jesus respects our freedom. He does not impose but proposes. Make room for him and you will find the way to happiness by following him. And, should he ask it of you, by giving yourself completely to him.”

EASTER IV [B] SUNDAY (April 21) 8-minute homily in one page

Introduction: On the Fourth Sunday of Easter, called Good Shepherd Sunday,we continue to reflect on the meaning of the Resurrection.This is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Today, we celebrate the risen Lord as the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep. The priest in charge of a parish is called pastor because “pastor” means shepherd. As shepherd, he leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects Christ’s sheep, the people of the parish. The earliest Christians saw Jesus as the fulfillment of the ancient Jewish dream of a Good Shepherd. They also wished to include the Gentiles as part of God’s flock. Scripture lessons: In today’s first reading, Peter asserts unequivocally before the Jewish assembly that there is no salvation except through Christ, the Good Shepherd — the one whom the Jewish leaders have rejected and crucified and in whose name the apostles preach and heal. In the second reading, St. John tells us how Yahweh, the Good Shepherd of the Old Testament, expressed His love for us through His Son Jesus, the Good Shepherd, by making us His children. In today’s Gospel Jesus introduces himself as the “Good Shepherd.” Jesus claims that as Good Shepherd he knows his sheep and loves them so much he is ready to die for them. The Gospel text offers us both comfort — the Good Shepherd knows us, provides for us, and loves us – and a double challenge: to become good shepherds to those entrusted to our care and good sheep in our parish, the sheepfold of Jesus the Good Shepherd. Life messages: 1) Let us become good shepherds: Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd. Hence Bishops, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, government officials, bosses, and politicians are all shepherds. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time, talents, health, and wealth for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers. Parents must be especially careful of their duties as shepherds, becoming role models for their children by leading exemplary lives. 2) Let us be good sheep in the fold of Jesus, our Good Shepherd: a) by hearing and following the voice of our shepherds through their homilies, Bible classes, counseling and advice; b) by taking the spiritual food given by our pastors through regular and active participation in the Holy Mass and by frequenting the sacraments, prayer services, renewal programs, and missions; c) by cooperating with our pastors, giving them positive suggestions for the welfare of the parish, encouraging them in their ministry by prayer and presence, by offering them praise and thanks for all they are doing for us, and occasionally by making constructive suggestions for changes; d) by cooperating as good stewards in the activities of various councils, ministries, and parish associations. 3) Let us pray that we may all both receive and accept God’s offered vocations to the Priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life as well as to Marriage and the single state, so that we may have more holy and Spirit-filled shepherds to lead, feed, and protect a receptive Catholic community. Christ Jesus is the Priest in the full sense because He is the one mediator between God and humanity who offered Himself, a unique sacrifice, on the cross. The universal priesthood of all believers, the sharing of all the baptized in the priesthood of Christ, has received special emphasis since Vatican II. Those who are called to make a lifelong commitment to serve as ordained ministers share the ministerial priesthood of Jesus. On this World Day of Prayer for Vocations we are asked to encourage and pray for our young men to respond to God’s call to serve His Church in the ministerial priesthood and for all of us that we may live out our vocations as He wills.

EASTER IV [B] SUNDAY (April 21): Acts 4:8-12; I Jn 3:1-2; Jn 10:11-18 

Homily starter anecdotes  

#1:  Pope St. John Paul II, the good shepherd. The most beautiful and meaningful comment on the life and the legacy of Pope John Paul II was made by the famous televangelist the late Billy Graham.  In a TV Interview he said: “He lived like his Master the Good Shepherd, and he died like his Master the Good Shepherd.”  In today’s Gospel, Jesus claims that he is the Good Shepherd and explains what he does for his sheep. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2: A good shepherd and the Ku Klux Klan: On June 22, 1996 at Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Ku Klux Klan held a rally at the City Hall. They had a permit for the event, it was advertised in advance, and more than 300 demonstrators appeared to protest the rally. One Klansman, who was wearing clothes displaying the Confederate flag, was attacked by a swarm of demonstrators and pushed to the ground. Appalled, an 18-year-old African-American girl named Keisha Thomas threw herself over the fallen man, shielding him with her own body from the kicks and punches. — Keisha, when asked why she, a black teenager, would risk injury to protect a man who was a white supremacist, said, “He’s still somebody’s child. I don’t want people to remember my name, but I’d like them to remember I did the right thing.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: “I know them only by name.” Rev. Tony Campolo loves to tell the story of a particular census taker who went to the home of a rather poor family in the mountains of West Virginia to gather information. He asked the mother how many dependents she had. She began, “Well, there is Rosie, and Billy, and Lewella, Susie, Harry, and Jeffrey. There’s Johnny, and Harvey, and our dog, Willie.” It was then that the census taker interrupted her aid said: “No, ma’am, that’s not necessary. I only need the humans.”         “Ah,” she said. “Well, there is Rosie, and Billy, and Lewella, Susie, Harry, and Jeffrey, Johnny, and Harvey, and….” But there once again, the census taker interrupted her. Slightly exasperated, he said, “No, ma’am, you don’t seem to understand. I don’t need their names, I just need the numbers.” To which the old woman replied, “But I don’t know them by numbers. I only know them by name.” — In today’s Gospel Jesus, the Good Shepherd, says that he knows his sheep by name. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: The fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The scripture lessons are about shepherds. Each year on this Sunday we reflect on the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, devotedly taking care of his flock.   The title of the parish priest, “pastor,” means shepherd.  A shepherd leads, feeds, nurtures, comforts, corrects, and protects his flock—responsibilities that belong to every Church leader.  The earliest Christians had seen Jesus as the fulfillment of the ancient Jewish dream of a good shepherd.   They also wished to include the Gentiles as part of God’s flock.  In today’s first reading, Peter asserts unequivocally before the Jewish assembly that there is no salvation except through Christ the Good Shepherd whom the Jewish leaders have rejected and crucified, and in whose name the apostles preach and heal. In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 118), we give God our heartfelt thanks for His goodness, His mercy and His becoming our Savior, our refuge and the “cornerstone” of the Kingdom of God. In the second reading, St. John tells us how Yahweh, the Good Shepherd of the Old Testament, expressed His love for us through His Son Jesus, the Good Shepherd, by making us His children. The Gospel text offers us both comfort and challenge.  The comforting good news is that Jesus the Good Shepherd knows us, provides for us and loves us.  The challenge is that we should be good shepherds to those entrusted to our care.  The Pharisees didn’t get the message – but, thanks to the grace  God gives us and the Holy Spirit’ indwelling guidance and protection in the Church, we do.

First reading, Acts 4:8-12 explained: After describing the Ascension of Jesus in the first chapter and the Descent of the Holy Spirit in the second chapter, the Acts of the Apostles describes in its third chapter Peter’s healing and preaching ministry. The healing of the cripple and the resulting evangelization by Peter resulted in his arrest by the Temple guards. They hauled Peter, with John, his companion, to the assembly of the leaders, elders and the scribes. Today’s reading tells us that in the trial before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:5-22), Peter was empowered by the Holy Spirit to bear a renewed Easter witness to the Son of God, Jesus Christ the Nazarene, who had been unjustly crucified, but whom God had raised from the dead. Peter explained that he had healed the cripple in the name of Jesus, whom the Jews had despised and rejected but whom God had made into the cornerstone (kephale gonias in Greek), of the Kingdom of God. What moved Peter to act on behalf of the cripple was his Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ who, as the Good Shepherd, cares for such people. In imitation of the Lord who had always cared for the sick and the lowly, Peter was also moved by the same risen Lord to command the healing, then reach out to assist the cripple to stand, — which he did — and then, “walking, leaping and praising God,” the formerly-crippled may, fully healed, entered the Temple with Peter and John. The people, recognizing the formerly crippled beggar, flocked to the pair in great excitement. It was then that Peter made the startling statement about salvation coming only through Christ Jesus: “Salvation is to be found through Him alone. In all the world there is no one else whom God has given who can save us.”

Second Reading, 1 John 3:1-2 explained: The New American Bible in its introduction to John’s letters states that John wrote these letters to the Judeo-Christian community some of whose members were advocating false doctrines (2:18-26; 3:7). They refused to accept the full Divinity and full humanity of Jesus, disregarded the commandment of love of neighbor, refused to accept Faith in Christ as the source of sanctification, and denied the redemptive value of Jesus’ death.  After recognizing and correcting these errors, John, in today’s second reading, reminds his people that they should remember their privileges. First, it is their privilege to be called the children of God. John clarifies that we are not merely called the children of God; we are God’s children in actuality. It is by grace, through Baptism, that we become God’s children. The more we know and love the God we believe in, the more we will strive to act and live as God’s children, and so, gradually become more and more like the God we believe in. The culmination of all our privileges as children of God will occur when Christ appears, for only then will we see him “as He really is,” and then we shall be like Him!

Gospel exegesis: The context: It was in the wintertime, probably the time of the Jewish Hanukkah feast (the Feast of Dedication), which commemorated the triumph of the Jewish commander Judas Maccabaeus over the Syrian leader Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 165 B.C.  Jesus was walking on the east side of the Temple, which offered protection against the cold winds from the desert.  The Jews had gathered round him.  They were not sure whether or not Jesus was the promised Messiah.  They tried to assess the situation by asking Jesus whether he was the Christ or simply a wandering preacher, one of the many wandering preachers and healers.   Instead of giving them a straight answer, Jesus tells them that he is the Good Shepherd and explains to them his role as such.

Shepherds in the Old Testament:  In the Old Testament, the image of the Shepherd is often applied to God as well as to the leaders of the people.  The book of Exodus several times calls Yahweh a Shepherd.  Likewise, the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel compare Yahweh’s care and protection of His people to that of a shepherd.   “He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms, holding them against His breast and leading the mother ewes to their rest.” (Is 40:11).  Ezekiel represents God as a loving Shepherd Who searches diligently for his lost sheep.  Psalm 23 is David’s famous picture of God as The Good Shepherd: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want; He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul.”(Ps 23:1-2). The prophets often use harsh words to scold the selfish and insincere shepherds (or leaders of the people),  of their day. For example, the Lord God, through Jeremiah, decrees: “Doom for the shepherds who allow the flock of my pasture to be destroyed and scattered”(Jer 23:1). Through Ezekiel, the Lord God scolds the religious leaders promising them, “Trouble for the shepherds of Israel who feed themselves! Shepherds ought to feed their flock” (Ez 34:2).

The Good Shepherd in the New Testament: Introducing himself as the Good Shepherd of his flock, Jesus makes five claims in today’s Gospel:

1) He knows his sheep and his sheep hear his voice: Just as the Palestinian shepherds knew each sheep of their flock by name, and each sheep knew its shepherd and his voice, so Jesus knows each one of us, our needs, our merits, and our faults.  Of course, the knowledge talked of here is not mere intellectual knowing but the knowledge that comes from love and experience, and leads  one to express care and concern for all others. Jesus loves us as we are, with all our limitations, and he expects us to receive and return his love by keeping his word.  He speaks to us at every Mass, through the Bible, through our pastors, through our parents, family, and friends, and through the events of our lives.  “God whispers to us in our pleasures, He speaks to us in our consciences, and He SHOUTS in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world!” (C.S. Lewis, The Problem of Pain, Ch. 6 “Human Pain”).

2) He gives eternal life to his sheep by receiving us into his sheepfold through Baptism. Jesus also strengthens our Faith by giving us the Holy Spirit in Confirmation,  supplies food for our souls in the Holy Eucharist and the Divine words of the Holy Bible, and he makes our society holy by the Sacraments of Matrimony and the Priesthood.

3) He protects his sheep by placing them in the loving hands of his Almighty Father.  Without Him to guide us and protect us, we are easy prey for the spiritual wolves of this world: that includes Satan, as well as the seven deadly sins of   pride, avarice, envy, gluttony, anger, lust and sloth.

4) .  He goes in search of his stray lambs and heals his sick ones. In the first part of chapter ten of John’s Gospel, Jesus adds two more roles to the work of the good shepherd.  Jesus heals the wounds of our souls by the Sacrament of Reconciliation and strengthens us in illness and old age by the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

5) Jesus dies for his sheep:  Just as the shepherds of ancient days protected their sheep from wild animals and thieves by risking their own lives and even dying, so Jesus suffered and died in expiation for the sins of all people.

In the final part of today’s Gospel, Jesus invites those who are touched and saved by the love of the Shepherd, to shepherd and care for others. “There are other sheep that are not of this fold and these I have to lead as well.” Though Jesus cares for his own, he loves all of us and takes responsibility for all of us without exception, for God has created all of us and loves us all. Jesus ultimately dies because he cares for all peoples.

“The other sheep.” Jesus’ reference to other sheep and to one flock (v. 16) points to the universality and unity of the community of believers.  By “the other sheep” Jesus probably meant the poor, the tax collectors and sinners who were generally ostracized by society. Like the Jews, the earliest Church considered the Gentiles and unbelievers as the “other sheep”; that error ended while Peter was still living, and Paul combatted it throughout his ministry to the Gentiles.  We are now being challenged to recognize our own list of those whom we fear or scorn because their attitudes or behaviors differ from ours. Let us pray for the day when there will be “one flock, one Shepherd,” both in this world and in our own hearts.

Bishop Clarke provides us with  an excellent commentary on the “other sheep” and the responsibilities the Church recognizes  and teaches that we all have to them: “The document you refer to is called Lumen Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, which was issued in 1964 by the Ecumenical Council of Vatican II. In Chapter 2 it focuses on “The People of God.” The bishops insist that all people are called to belong to the new People of God, to a catholic unity (#13). The bishops recognized that there are non-Catholic Christians (#15), Jews, Moslems and even “heathens” who have never heard of Christ or God (#16). Yet, they are “related to the People of God in various ways,” and “those too may achieve eternal salvation” (#16) if they try to do His will as they know it through the dictates of their conscience. We are all called to the fullness of Truth and the unity found only in the Roman Catholic Church. It is the sacramental life of the Church, God’s chosen way, that strengthens us on our spiritual journey. Together with the doctrinal safety provided by our Church’s official Magisterium (teaching office), we are enabled or empowered or offered the means to respond properly to our call to holiness. We are called to follow the Good Shepherd, and be united under the leadership of the Pope, who is the successor to St. Peter. So our Catholic task always remains the same: to spread the Good News by word and action, and do everything we can to work towards unity in the People of God under the leadership of our Holy Father, Pope  John Paul II. Until there is unity, our mission work is not complete. We respect other people’s beliefs; but we always lovingly invite them to come into the embrace of “one flock under one shepherd.” (Bishop Clarke).

 Life messages: Let us become good shepherds and good          sheep.

1) Let us become good shepherds:  Everyone who is entrusted with the care of others is a shepherd.  Hence Bishops, pastors, parents, teachers, doctors, nurses, bosses, government officials, and politicians are all shepherds. Since shepherding a diocese, a parish, a civil community, a workplace, or a family is very demanding, the shepherds need dedication, commitment, sacrifice, and vigilance every day. We become good shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time and talents for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual dangers.  Parents must be especially careful of their duties as shepherds, becoming role models for their children by leading exemplary lives and living out what they are trying to teach their children.

2) Let us be good sheep in the fold of Jesus, the Good Shepherd: Our local parish is our sheepfold, and our pastors are our shepherds.   Jesus is the High Priest, the bishops are the successors of the apostles, the Pastors. Associates and Deacons, are their helpers, and the parishioners are the sheep.  Hence, as the good sheep of our parish, a) Let us hear and follow the voice of our shepherds through their homilies, Bible classes, counseling and advice.  b) Let us take the spiritual food given by our pastors through regular and active participation in the Holy Mass and by frequenting the sacraments, prayer services, renewal programs and missions.  c) Let us cooperate with our pastors by praying for them always, by thanking and praising them for all they are doing for all of us, by giving them positive occasional suggestions (rather than negative criticisms), for the welfare of the parish, and generally giving them friendly, supportive encouragement. Let us also cooperate in the activities of various councils, ministries, and parish associations.

3) Let us pray that we may all both  receive and accept God’s offered vocations to the Priesthood, the diaconate and the consecrated life as well as to Marriage  and the single state, so that we may have more holy and Spirit-filled shepherds to lead, feed, and protect a receptive Catholic community. Christian thinking on vocation has been summarized in one profound saying: “All are priests, some are priests, but only one is the Priest.” Christ Jesus is the Priest in the full sense because he is the one mediator between God and humanity who offered Himself as a unique sacrifice on the cross.  The universal priesthood of all believers, the sharing of all the baptized in the priesthood of Christ, has received special emphasis since Vatican II. Those who are called to make a lifelong commitment to serve as ordained ministers share the ministerial priesthood of Jesus. On this World Day of Prayer for Vocations   we are asked to encourage and pray for our young men to respond to God’s call to serve His Church in the ministerial priesthood and for all of us that we may live out our vocations as He wills.

Jokes of the Week

# 1: A man comes upon a shepherd guarding his flock and proposes a wager: “I will bet you $100, against one of your sheep, that I can tell you the exact number in this flock,” the man says. The shepherd accepts. “973,” says the man. The shepherd, astonished at the accuracy, says “I’m a man of my word; take the sheep you have won.” The man picks a sheep and begins to walk away. “Wait,” cries the shepherd, “Let me have a chance to get even.  Double or nothing that I can guess your exact occupation.”  “Sure,” replies the man. “You work for the Tax Bureau,” says the shepherd.  “Amazing!” responds the man, “How did you deduce that?”  “Well,” says the shepherd, “if you will first put down my dog, I will tell you.”

# 2: Q. How do you make God smile? Tell Him your pastoral plans!  (Sent by Fr. Brian)

# 3: It’s been said that every pastor ought to have six weeks of vacation each year, because if he is a really good shepherd, he deserves it; and if he is not a very good shepherd, his congregation deserves it. 

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

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

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

 3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)

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

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

6)      Catholic questions& answers: Once Catholic.org,

7)      Catholic answers for teenagers: EveryStudent.com,

8)      Catholic Internet resources: http://www.catholicusa.com/

9)      Catholic Information Center in the Internet: http://www.catholic.net/

10) https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/

      31-Additional anecdotes

1) “To be a man is, precisely, to be responsible.”  Wind, Sand and Stars is the title of an interesting book by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. One incident is especially inspiring. The author and his comrade Guillaumet were flying mail over the Andes for the government of Chile. One morning his pal took off in the face of a fierce snowstorm. Ice on his wings, the heavy snow and terrific wind kept him from rising over the mountains and forced him to land on a frozen lake. Guillaumet dug a shelter under the cockpit and surrounded himself with mailbags.  There he huddled for two days and two nights.  When the storm subsided, it took him five days and four nights to find his way back to civilization, crawling on hands and knees in temperature twenty degrees below zero. How did he overcome the fatal desire to lie down and rest? He thought of his wife and sons and how they needed him. He thought of his responsibility to get the mail through. He survived although  his hands and feet were so badly frozen that they had to be amputated. — When Saint-Exupery described his comrade’s bitter experience and superhuman struggle to survive, he summed it all in one sentence: “To be a man is, precisely, to be responsible.” This is what Jesus is talking about today: responsibility of the Good Shepherd for his sheep. (Mgr. Arthur Tonne). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “I know the Psalm, but this preacher knows the Shepherd.” In London, a crowd had gathered to hear a famous Shakespearean actor recite some of Shakespeare’s dramas. The crowd was very entranced and entertained by the actor’s abilities, and they gave him frequent standing ovations. An old preacher in the audience encouraged the actor to recite the 23rd Psalm, using his Shakespearean style. The actor agreed on one condition that the preacher also should do so after he finished.  The actor used much expression and voice inflection and all of his acting abilities, and when he was finished, the crowd gave a resounding standing ovation that lasted for several minutes. Then the old preacher started reciting the same Psalm. As he began, his voice was shaky because of his reverence for God’s Word. When the preacher was finished, nobody clapped. They couldn’t. There wasn’t a dry eye anywhere, and all were busy wiping their tears. — The Shakespearean actor slowly stood, and he said, “Ladies and gentlemen, there is obviously a difference between this preacher and me. I know the Psalm of the Good Shepherd, but this preacher knows the Good Shepherd of the Psalm.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) A good shepherd-sergeant’s story:  There was once a sergeant in the Marines who was the senior enlisted man in his platoon. One day his outfit was ambushed and pinned down by enemy fire. The lieutenant in command was badly wounded as were many of the men. The sergeant took over and extricated the men from the trap, though he himself was wounded twice. He carried out the wounded commanding officer by himself. Miraculously every man in the platoon survived, even the wounded lieutenant. Later the men said that if it were not for the incredible bravery of the Sergeant they all would have been killed.  He was recommended for the Medal of Honor but received the DFC. He never wore the medal, however, because he said the lives of his men were more important than any medal. — Later when he had children of his own, he loved them almost like a mother. His wife said that during the war he had learned how to be tender. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 4) Jesus knows his sheep by name: There have always been people with a good memory for names: Napoleon, “who knew thousands of his soldiers by name . . .” or James A. Farley, “who claimed he knew 50,000 people by their first name . . .” or Charles Schwab, “who knew the names of all 8,000 of his employees at Homestead Mill . . .” or Charles W. Eliot, “who, during his forty years as president of Harvard, earned the reputation of knowing all the students by name each year . . .” or Harry Lorayne, “who used to amaze his audiences by being introduced to hundreds of people, one after another, then giving the name of any person who stood up and requested it.” —  But can you imagine Christ knowing all his sheep by name? That’s millions and millions of people over 2,000 years. No wonder we call him Master, Lord, Savior – watching over his flock, calling each by name! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) Good Shepherd and the terrorists: In the film The Delta Force there is the beautiful picture of the Good Shepherd presented by a Catholic priest. A jet plane with American tourists is hijacked by Arab terrorists, and later the tourists are   held hostage in the plane which was landed by force in Beirut.  At the beginning of the tragedy, the two Arab terrorists aboard the jetliner begin to separate the few Jewish tourists from the rest of the hostages.  One of the most moving moments of the film is when Fr. William O’Malley, a priest from Chicago played by George Kennedy, gets up from his seat and walks into the First-Class compartment where the Jews are being held. The priest courageously walks into the compartment where he is disdainfully met by the leading terrorist. The terrorist asks what his name is and the priest responds that his name is William O’Malley.  Perplexed by the situation, the terrorist asks what the priest wants. He responds that since he is a Catholic priest and a follower of Jesus Christ, a Jew, he too is Jewish.  “If you take one, you have to take us all,” answers the priest who willingly accompanies the Jewish hostages. At the end of the story we find Lee Marvin and Chuck Norris lead an elite team of U.S. Special Forces that rescues the endangered travelers.  —  “I am the Good Shepherd.  A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10: 11). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “I’d like to preserve my integrity and credibility.” About 4 years ago, Mark Cuban, owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, offered WGN Chicago Radio sports-talk host David Kaplan $50,000 to change his name legally to “Dallas Maverick.” When Kaplan politely declined, Cuban sweetened the offer. Cuban would pay Kaplan $100,000 and donate $100,000 to Kaplan’s favorite charity if he took the name for one year. After some soul searching and being bombarded by e-mails from listeners who said he was crazy to turn down the money, Kaplan held firm and told Cuban no. Kaplan explained: “I’d be saying I’d do anything for money, and that bothers me. My name is my birthright. I’d like to preserve my integrity and credibility.” [Skip Bayless, Chicago Tribune (1/10/01), Leadership Summer 2001.] — The name “Christian” is our birthright. From the moment of our Baptism and our birth into the Kingdom of God, we are the sheep of the Good Shepherd Who promises to lead us to green pastures and beside the still waters. The Voice of the Shepherd protects us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “May I see your driver’s license?” Everyone, it seems, is interested in my numbers. I go to the grocery store to buy some groceries. After the checkout woman rings up my bill, I pull out my checkbook and write out the check. She takes it from me. She looks at the information. Numbers tell her where I live. Numbers tell her how to reach me on the telephone. “Is this information correct?” she asks.” “Yes, it is,” I reply. “May I see your driver’s license?” she asks. She looks at my driver’s license and writes some more numbers on my check. Finally, I am approved. The numbers are all there. I can eat for another week. One could wish it were a bit more human and personal. So, the IRS knows me by my tax number. My state knows me by my driver’s license number. My bank knows me by my bank account number. My employer knows me by my social security number. On and on it goes for you, for me, for everybody. Everybody knows my numbers. I am not sure that anyone knows me!  — The numbers game that is played in our culture is one symptom of loneliness and alienation that surrounds us today. “All the lonely people, where do they all come from?” That is a refrain from “Eleanor Rigby,” the 1966 Beatles’ song (Google, https://genius.com). — Loneliness. Isolation. Alienation. These are the realities of contemporary civilized life. “I am the Good Shepherd.” These are Jesus’ words in our reading from John’s Gospel text for this sermon. “I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own and my own know Me …” Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus knows us personally and loves us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) His master’s voice: If you have seen the RCA Victor trademark, then you have seen Francis Barraud’s 1898 painting, His Master’s Voice. The painting shows a dog, Nipper, looking with a cocked head, at an old gramophone. (Google, Wikipedia). — The picture can also serve as a symbol of what Jesus is saying to us. “The sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) “Then we FLEECE them!” Two televangelists were talking. One was explaining how he was seeking to be the ideal shepherd to his television flock. “There are three ways I seek to do that,” he said. “What three ways do you mean?” asked the other evangelist. “Well” he explained, “First, we FIND them. Every year we find new stations to carry our ministry. Then we FEED them. I give them the plain unvarnished word of God.” “But what’s the third thing?” asked the second evangelist. “Well,” he answered, “Once we’ve found them and fed them, then we FLEECE them!” — Some TV evangelists have become quite proficient at fleecing their flock. I hope you understand that nothing could be farther from the example of Christ. Jesus said, “I am the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep . . .” Fleecing the flock is a long way from laying down your life for them. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “But I never jumped.” A paratrooper who had recently resigned from the military was asked how many times he had jumped out of an airplane. He said, “None.” A friend of his asked, “What do you mean, ‘none?’ I thought you were a paratrooper!” He said, “I was, but I never jumped. I was pushed several times . . . but I never jumped.” — The hired hand never jumps. He has to be pushed. Churches often have hired hands in them. Not our Church, of course. But other Churches are full of people who have to be pushed to do what they know they ought to do. Jesus did not have to be pushed. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “I give my life for my sheep”: We applaud when a man or woman gives his or her life for another. Such instances do come along from time to time. “Former NFL football player Jerry Anderson,” read the Murfreesboro, Tennessee. May 28, 1989, newspaper account, “died Saturday after pulling two young boys out of a rain-swollen river about 40 miles southeast of Nashville. Witnesses said Anderson saw two boys, thought to be 11 or 12 years old, attempting to cross a dam spanning the river. One or both boys fell into the water. According to Officer Bill Todd, ‘Mr. Anderson jumped in the water and managed to get the little boys out, but witnesses said he went under two or three times and about the fourth time, he didn’t come back up.’”  He gave his life to rescue two small boys.

Of course, you don’t have to be an American or a football player for such heroic actions. In a Middle school in the Ukrainian village of Ivanichi a young teacher died sometime back. He absorbed the blast of a hand grenade to protect his pupils. What was a grenade doing in a middle school? According to the London Times, the teacher, a graduate of the KGB border guard college, had been delivering the military instruction that is a compulsory part of the curriculum for Soviet children. He was teaching them how to handle what should have been an unarmed grenade. When he pulled the pin a wisp of smoke showed that a live grenade had become mixed in with demonstration grenades, and he gave his life.

And you don’t have to be a man to perform such heroics. There’s a legend (untrue according to Snopes, Urban Legends, Glurge Gallery) that, many years ago a woman carrying a baby through the hills of South Wales, England, was overtaken by a blizzard. Searchers found her later frozen to death in the snow. Amazed that she had on no outer garments, they searched further and found her baby. She had wrapped them around the child, who was still alive and well. He grew up to be David Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of Great Britain in World War I. –- True
stories and even legends can point us to Reality. We need to stay near the Good Shepherd throughout our lives, for He has given His Life to bring us safely Home to Him. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Big Brother is watching us: Ever since 1984 hit the bookstores, people concerned about individual privacy and freedom have looked for signs that Big Brother is becoming a reality in our society. And it is true that more and more of our urban landscape is being observed by security cameras. But that is only one way our privacy is being invaded. There was a news report several years ago that Israeli scientists are now marketing a microchip that, implanted under the skin, will protect film stars and millionaires from kidnappers. The chip emits a signal detectable by satellite to help rescuers determine a victim’s approximate location. Originally the chip was developed to track Israeli secret-service agents abroad. The $5,000 chip doesn’t even require batteries. It runs solely on the neurophysiological energy generated within the human body. The firm which developed it, Gen-Etics, won’t reveal where the chip is inserted but said that, at that time, 43 people had had it implanted. Since this report was published there has been an explosion of interest in this technology. Farmers keep tabs on the health and safety of their cows and other livestock with such chips. But the use of such devices to monitor human beings is almost limitless. Already there is a monitoring bracelet for Alzheimer patients, so that families can use GPS systems to help find loved ones who might have wandered off. Would it be inconceivable that loving parents might want to monitor the whereabouts of their children via satellite? Why not have a chip implanted? Pet owners are already using such technology. Some cynics have suggested that some wives might want to monitor their husbands. Soon we will see signs, “Big Brother is watching.” —  Here’s what’s amusing to me. There are people who have no difficulty believing that one day the government will keep track of us all, but who cannot conceive that an all-knowing God can take a personal interest in each of His children, hear each of our prayers, and be responsive to each of our individual needs. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) Images are highly influential. They become emblazoned on the wall of our minds, and they evoke a wide range of responses. Millions of people will remember the fireman carrying the baby out of the ruins of the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City. World War II veterans, particularly the ones who served in the South Pacific, will always remember Mount Surabachi and photo of the Marines who raised an American flag at its summit, as well as the image of General MacArthur returning to the Philippines. Neil Armstrong taking that first step on the moon in the early ’70s is frozen in many memories, too. If you were old enough to watch and understand television in l963, you probably remember young John F. Kennedy, Jr., at the casket of his father Jack. Much closer to our own time, many of us will long retain the image of students running out of Columbine High School with their hands over their heads. —    Some images are immensely powerful and have a tenacity that is tireless and timeless.  If there is one image associated with the Christian Faith which, more than any other, has found an enduring place within the collective life of the Christian Church, it is the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Hannah and Her Sisters. A 1986 Woody Allen film Hannah and Her Sisters, shows how family life gives some sense of stability to life in a fractured world. The part played by Woody Allen in the movie is the part of a man who is constantly afraid that he will get some terrible disease. He is what we call a hypochondriac. As he comes into the movie, we see him on his way to the doctor. The doctor assures him that nothing seems to be terribly wrong, though some additional tests need to be made. Woody cannot calm himself over these additional tests. He is sure they will find something terrible. “What are you afraid of,” one of his friends asks him, “cancer?” “Don’t say that,” Woody responds with a look of terror. More tests are performed. A CAT scan is prescribed for his head. He is sure they will find a brain tumor. But his fears are unfounded. The doctor announces to him that all is well. In the next scene we see Woody coming out of the hospital, kicking up his heels, and running joyfully down the street. He is celebrating. But suddenly he stops. We know instinctively why he stops. He tells us in the next scene. “All this means,” he says, “is that I am all right this time. Next time it will probably be serious.” — Our lives are lived in constant danger. Woody Allen’s character overplays the danger. But the danger is there. There are all kinds of realities that imperil our lives nearly every day. Accidents might befall us. Natural disasters strike. Oppressive structures of life weigh us down. Disease stalks us and death awaits. That is the way life is. We live our lives in constant peril. Woody Allen might have exaggerated a bit, but he is right. Human life is an endangered species. Death calls a halt to every human life. “I am the Good Shepherd,” Jesus says. “The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) The Bismarck:  In the beginning of World War II, the Nazis commissioned a massive battleship named the Bismarck.  It was the biggest fighting vessel the world had seen up to that time.  With the Bismarck the Germans had the opportunity to dominate the seas.  Very soon after it was commissioned, the Bismarck sank tons of Allied shipping and allied aircraft.  Its massive armor plating resulted in the boast that the Bismarck was unsinkable.  But the Bismarck was sunk.  And it was sunk due to one lone torpedo which hit the Bismarck in the rudder.  As a result, the battleship zig-zagged through the sea, unable to reach harbor.  It was only a short while before the British navy was able to overtake and destroy it. — No matter how large the battleship may be, it is doomed without a rudder to direct it. Floundering on the open sea without a rudder, the Bismarck is a modern-day image of a world in stormy times, rudderless without the direction of Jesus the Good Shepherd.  Without the Lord, the world is headed toward chaos.  But with the Lord there is guidance, direction and purpose in life. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) Alexander, the shepherd of soldiers: When the emperor Alexander the Great was crossing the Makran Desert on his way to Persia, his army ran out of water.  The soldiers were dying of thirst as they advanced under the burning sun.  A couple of Alexander’s lieutenants managed to capture some water from a passing caravan. They brought some to him in a helmet.  He asked, “Is there enough for both me and my men?” “Only you, sir,” they replied.  Alexander then lifted up the helmet as the soldiers watched.  Instead of drinking, he tipped it over and poured the water on the ground. The men let up a great shout of admiration.  They knew their general would not allow them to suffer anything he was unwilling to suffer himself. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17)  “It will kill you if you move:” A soldier dying on a Korean battlefield asked for a priest. The Medic could not find one. A wounded man lying nearby heard the request and said, “I am a priest.” The Medic turned to the speaker and saw his condition, which was as bad as that of the other. “It will kill you if you move,” he warned. But the wounded chaplain replied. “The life of a man’s soul is worth more than a few hours of my life.” He then crawled to the dying soldier, heard his confession, gave him absolution and the two  died,  hand in hand. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Four clergymen, taking a short break from their heavy schedules, were on a park bench, chatting and enjoying an early spring day. “You know, since all of us are such good friends,” said one, “this might be a good time to discuss personal problems.” They all agreed. “Well, I would like to share with you the fact that I drink to excess,” said one. There was a gasp from the other three. Then another spoke up. “Since you were so honest, I’d like to say that my big problem is gambling. It’s terrible, I know, but I can’t quit. I’ve even been tempted to take money from the collection plate.” Another gasp was heard, and the third clergyman spoke. “I’m really troubled, brothers, because I’m growing fond of a woman in my church — a married woman.” More gasps. But the fourth remained silent. After a few minutes the others coaxed him to open up. “The fact is,” he said, “I just don’t know how to tell you about my problem.” “It’s all right, brother. Your secret is safe with us,” said the others. “Well, it’s this way,” he said. “You see, I’m an incurable gossip.” — Jokes like this have shaped our views of priests as if there is no difference between the life and work of a priest and that of other Christians. Today’s Gospel tells us that priests are expected to be Good Shepherds as the picture given by Jesus. (Fr. Munacci). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) WHO IS YOUR SHEPHERD?

The TV is my shepherd, I shall not want,
It makes me to lie down on the sofa.
It leads me away from the Faith,
It destroys my soul.
It leads me to the path of sex and violence for the advertiser’s sake.
Even though I walk in the shadow of Christian responsibilities,
there will be no interruption, for the TV is with me.
Its cable and remote control, they comfort me.
It prepares a commercial for me in the midst of my worldliness
And anoints my head with secular humanism and consumerism.
My covetousness runs over;
Surely ignorance and laziness shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house of wretchedness watching TV forever. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

(Broadcast on EWTN on March 18, 2002)

20) “The Unknown Soldier:” “The Unknown Citizen” is a parody of the “The Unknown Soldier,” a term used to recognize people whose bodies are found after a battle but cannot be identified. The U.S. Army uses metal “dog tags” to identify soldiers who are killed in action, but these tags can be lost or melted, and sometimes it’s just impossible to locate or identify a person’s remains. In this case, many countries use the concept of the “Unknown Soldier” to acknowledge the sacrifice of soldiers who die anonymously. France placed a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the famous Arc de Triomphe in Paris; England has one in Westminster Abbey; and the United States has one in Arlington National Cemetery. —  But for Jesus everyone is precious. He knows each of us by name. (Fr. Bobby Jose). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Good shepherd stories: In a Middle school in the Ukrainian village of Ivanichi a young teacher died sometime back. He absorbed the blast of a hand grenade to protect his pupils. Many years ago a woman carrying a baby through the hills of South Wales, England, was overtaken by a blizzard. Searchers found her later frozen to death in the snow. Amazed that she had on no outer garments, they searched further and found her baby. She had wrapped them around the child, who was still alive and well. He grew up to be David Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of Great Britain.– When the Good Shepherd is even ready to give up his life, as good sheep,  we  should stay close to the Shepherd so as to be defended by him.  (Fr. Bobby Jose). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) One flock one shepherd: One of the great expressions of this universality is the Church’s tradition of encouraging the arts. The beauty of great art has a universal appeal, as is evidenced, for example, by the millions of non-Catholic tourists who visit the basilicas of Rome each year. Pope Pius IX once had a chance encounter that wonderfully expresses this unity and universality of Christ’s one flock.     One day he was walking alone through the Vatican galleries.     He came upon a young Englishman who was gazing rapturously at one of Raphael’s paintings.     The Holy Father watched him from a distance, and then went up to him, saying, “I assume you are an artist, my son?”     The young man admitted that he had come to Rome to study painting but didn’t have enough money to pay for instruction at the Academy.     Pope Pius generously offered to give him a scholarship.     “But, your Holiness,” exclaimed the British youth, “I’m not even Catholic!”     “Don’t worry,” the Holy Father answered with a smile, “Admission to the studios will not be denied you on that account.”– Christ’s flock is one, but it is also universal, called to draw all people into the arms of the good shepherd. [Adapted from Msgr. Arthur Tonne’s Stories for Sermons]. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 23) Trust in the Good Shepherd: It’s not always easy to trust in God, but it is always possible. We have been given the gift of Faith; we just have to have the courage to use it. In the 1920s, a Franciscan missionary priest was captured by Chinese bandits and kept as a hostage for 23 days.     Afterwards, he explained how he kept up his courage during his frightening imprisonment.     He said that he kept reminding himself:     “I am in the hands of the bandits, but the bandits are in the hands of God. They will not harm me unless God permits them, and if He does, God’s will be done.”     That’s a good example of the old saying, “Courage is fear that has said its prayers.” After he had been elected Pope, Pius XI made his way to the study of his saintly predecessor, Pope Benedict XV, who had tried so valiantly to put an end to World War I.     As the many events of his predecessor’s pontificate flashed through his mind, Pope Pius began to feel the crushing burden of his office.     He fell to his knees in prayer.     When he looked up, he saw on the desk a framed picture of Our Lord quieting the storm at sea and uttering the encouraging words: “Peace, be still.”     From that time on the new Pope kept that picture on his desk. —  We should do our best to keep it in our hearts. St Paul of the Cross, known in the 1700’s as “God’s Hunter of Souls,” wrote: “Stop listening to your fears. God is your guide and your Father, Teacher, and Spouse. Abandon yourself into the Divine bosom of His most holy good pleasure. Keep up your spiritual exercises and be faithful in prayer.” Christ our Good Shepherd deserves nothing less than that. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) A Missionary Gets Muddy: The Eucharist is one of the great proofs of God’s trustworthiness – Christ, faithfully present through the ups and downs of twenty centuries. A true story about a missionary illustrates this well.     Fr. Meehus was working in a small village in rural China during the Sino-Japanese war.     As Japanese soldiers neared the village, the priest led his congregation of orphans into hiding in the nearby hills.     Safe in a cave, he counted eighty children – everyone was there.     Then one of the boys spoke up, “Father, someone is missing.”     They counted again – still 80. But the boy insisted. The priest asked, “Who is it, who’s missing?”     The boy answered, ” We left Jesus in the tabernacle.”     Father moaned – in his rushed escape, he had forgotten to bring the Blessed Sacrament.     He made a quick decision. He had the children smear him with mud, telling them that he was going to be a commando (which they thought was fun).     Then he went out, slipped through enemy lines, crept to the Church, and tip-toed up to the tabernacle, praying in the silence of his heart:     “Jesus, I’m sorry I have to come for You this way; You might not recognize me with all this mud… I am in disguise now, but this is really and truly the one who has held you in his hands many mornings at Mass.”    And in his heart, the priest heard God answering him:     “Of course I recognize you… I am in disguise too. A lot of people don’t recognize Me either; but in spite of appearances, I am Jesus, your Friend, and I hold you in My hands from morning until night.” The rescue of Jesus was effected and the children rejoiced with Father Meehus.     When the soldiers left, the priest and his congregation carried Jesus in a triumphant procession back to the tabernacle.  — When trusting God is hard, a glance at the Eucharist – the sign of God’s faithfulness – can make all the difference.  [Adapted from Msgr. Arthur Tonne’s Stories for Sermons]. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) Good Shepherds: In San Salvador on March 24, 1980, an assassin killed Archbishop Oscar Romero with a single shot to the heart while he was saying Mass. Only a few minutes before, Archbishop Romero had finished a hope-filled homily in which he urged the people to serve one another. Since Archbishop Romero was demanding human rights for his people under oppression, he knew that his life was in danger. Still, he persisted in speaking out against tyranny and for freedom. He once told newspapermen that even if his enemies killed him, he would rise again among his people. — Today, good shepherds who lay down their lives include husbands and wives who can’t do enough for each other to demonstrate their commitment to each other; parents who make countless sacrifices for the good of their children; teachers who spend untold hours instructing the weak students; doctors and nurses who work untiringly to show they care for their patients; employers who share profits with their workers; politicians who unselfishly promote the common good of their voters, and parishioners who generously support their parish community. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) Being the   Good Shepherd is strenuous work: After a particularly brilliant concert, Beethoven was in the centre of congratulating friends and admirers, who praised his piano magic. One unusually enthusiastic woman exclaimed: “Oh, sir, if God had only given me the gift of genius!” “It is not genius, madam,” replied Beethoven. “Nor magic. All you have to do is practice on your piano eight hours a day for forty years and you’ll be as good as I am.” –- Beethoven was able to perform great things because of his patience and perseverance. Any leadership implies that quality. We Christians have a leading role to play in redeeming the world, being porters of Jesus, the Crucified and Risen Savior, so we need to persevere in doing good for all we encounter. (Anthony Kolencherry in Living the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) True Shepherd or hireling: I remember a story of an atheistic journalist who, on one occasion, was visiting a leprosarium run by a group of religious sisters. When he entered a certain ward, he noticed a sister moving from one patient to another, cheerfully attending to each one with a nurturing love that was absolutely admirable. Unable to restrain his curiosity, he walked up to the religious and said, “Sister, I wouldn’t do this job even if you gave me a million dollars.” The sister smiled and replied, “Neither would I my friend,” and with that she continued tending to her patients. The journalist was absolutely dumbfounded. There and then he rejected his atheism. To quote his very own words, “A God who can inspire a human being to such dedicated and selfless service, in such revolting circumstances and with such good cheer cannot but be true. I believe in God.” — Such is the radical difference between a Good Shepherd and a hireling. One does his work because he wants to, the other does it because he has to; one has his heart in it, the other does not. (James Valladares in Your Words O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) A Good Shepherd lays down his life: Saint Maximilian Kolbe is the patron of families, drug addicts, prisoners, journalists, and the pro-life movement. He is known for founding the Immaculata Movement and producing the Knight of the Immaculata Magazine. During World War II, Saint Maximilian housed over 3000 Polish refugees at his monastery. He was eventually imprisoned and sent to Auschwitz, where he experienced constant beatings and hard labour. St. Maximilian died voluntarily in the place of a man with young children randomly chosen by the guards for starvation.. Kolbe is considered a good shepherd. He laid down his life for his sheep. —  Today is Good Shepherd Sunday, a good time to pray for the good shepherds as well as the bad ones; and a good time to realize that the Good Shepherd still walks with us. (John Payappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

29) Knowing His sheep: One of the memories I have of the home of my birth was a dog we had, called Roxy. We lived on a fairly quiet road, but as the years went by, the number of cars increased. But however many passed by, Roxy was quite indifferent, until,  ears at full stretch, up he sprang, racing at full speed along the road. There was no sign of anything coming, but we all knew that my mother was on her way, driving back from town, and was probably several hundred yards away. With all the cars, this was the sound that Roxy recognized from a distance and to which he instantly responded. By the time he met the car, my mother had rolled down the window on the passenger side, slowed down slightly and with the car still moving, Roxy sprang right into the front seat and accompanied her on the latter part of the journey. – So our souls spring up and run at the sound of Jesus’ call leaping right into the arms of our seeking Good Shepherd. (Jack McArdle in And That’s the Gospel Truth; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) Baghdad Bakery: A news report by Matthew Schofield in The Fresno Bee (Tuesday, April 22, 2003) gives us a tender-hearted picture of postwar Iraq. Here is the account.             Across town, by 10 a.m., the line outside Baghdad Bakery had grown to 1,000 people … People were leaving the bakery with bread, 20 long rolls for 500 dinars, or about 18 cents. Before the war, this couldn’t have happened. Baghdad Bakery made bread only for Saddam Hussein’s Special Republican Guard. Now, the bread was for the city’s poor. Amera Ibraheem counted the baked loaves and placed them in plastic bags. She’s worked for the bakery 30 years. She said people were worried about the bakery’s future. They were down to a three-day supply of flour and had no idea where to find more. But, she added, everyone was committed to keeping the bakery open. As Baghdad fell and the bakery’s Baath Party manager fled with the workers’ salaries, the employees arrived for work. They set up a system in which they would sell the bread inexpensively and share the profits. On Sunday, the manager returned to the factory, escorted by two bodyguards. He demanded all the money the bakery had earned, and the bread. He planned to sell it to the city’s wealthier residents. The workers chased the manager and his guards away, warning them not to come back. — The enterprising employees of Baghdad Bakery, who worked to ensure that the much-needed bread would reach the starving poor of the devastated city, have the heart of the Good Shepherd mentioned in the Gospel of John. Their selfless concern to help their own people contrasts with the selfish and detestable attitude of the manager who was bent on fleecing the helpless poor. This news account from war-torn Baghdad helps us understand the relevance of the Gospel reading of this Sunday, called “the Good Shepherd Sunday.” Indeed, this Iraqi situation gives us a glimpse of the antithetical roles mentioned by John in his account: The Good Shepherd who is willing to lay down his life for the sheep and the hired man who works only for pay and has no concern for the sheep. (Lectio Divina). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

31) The Stone Rejected: Michelangelo was perhaps the greatest sculptor the world has ever known. He had a masterly knowledge of marble, and seemed to possess “X-ray eyes” for discerning in a block of stone the image that he would bring out of it by his chisel. One day a fellow-sculptor started to carve a block of white Carrara marble into a statue. Being a third-rate artist, he bungled the task and finally gave up. Furthermore, the carving that he had done had gouged out a deep hollow of the block of stone and ruined it for further use; or at least it seemed that way. Michelangelo did not agree. His sure eye told him that this mighty slab could be salvaged. Out of it he proceeded to carve one of his masterpieces, the colossal statue of young David, poised with his sling to attack Goliath. Only on the back of the figure are some marks left from the blundering chisel of the first sculptor. — Psalm 118 says prophetically, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus applied this prophecy to Himself. Though rejected by His people, he became the keystone of the Church. There are also many other people who have been at first rejected or ignored, only to achieve triumph later on, often thanks to the loving care of some “sculptor” who brought out their potentialities. The limping Lord Byron became a noted poet; the hunchbacked Charles Steinmetz became a top-flight scientist; Helen Keller, who, made blind and deaf at a very early age, bec ame a great humanitarian leader. The same can be said even of those not gifted with genius. For example, society is inclined to reject retarded children; but how often have we heard a mother say of her “special child,” “I love Johnny best of all.” … The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the Lord has this been done. (Psalm 118, 22, 23. Today’s Mass-psalm). (Father Robert F. McNamara). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). L/24

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 28) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

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 at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

Papal message for the 2024 World day of Prayer for Vocations attached.