June 30-July 5: June 30 Monday: First Martyrs of the Church of Rome: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/first-martyrs-of-the-church-of-rome/Mt 8:18-22: 18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

The context: Today’s Gospel passage explains the cost of Christian discipleship and the total commitment, wholehearted constancy, and sacrificial ministry that the Christian mission requires.

It was quite unexpected for a learned scribe to volunteer to become Jesus’ disciple. But Jesus offered him no false promises, telling him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has not whereon to lay his head.” Jesus was simply being honest about the demands and the cost of a commitment the scribe might make too lightly and an arduous journey he might be undertaking too easily. Being a Christian is not an easy or comfortable affair. It calls for a lot of self-control and self-denial, putting God before everything else. Jesus’ response to another would-be disciple who asked for more time before becoming a disciple sounds harsh: “Let the dead bury their dead.” But this man’s father was not dead or sick. The man had simply asked to stay with his father until the father’s death. Jesus knew that later he would find another reason to delay answering the call.

Life messages: 1) We need to honor our commitments: Today, more than ever, people make marriage commitments too easily and then break them. The problem today is that the couples do not have the courage to make the commitment of marriage. We all know there is a tremendous shortage of priests and religious. Our young people are unwilling to make commitments to God by committing themselves to life-long celibacy, obedience to a Bishop or religious superior or to the vowed life of a religious community.

2) We need to pray for strength to honor our commitments. We are here this morning because, in one way or another, we have said to Jesus, “I will follow You.” Sometimes we have been faithful to Jesus, and other times we have not. Hence, we need to pray for strength to honor our commitments, we need to ask for forgiveness when we fail, and we need to renew our determination to walk with Jesus by being loyal to our spouse and family, earning our living honestly, and living not only peacefully, but lovingly, with our neighbors. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

July 1 Tuesday:Saint Junipero Serra, priest:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-junipero-serra/

Mt 8:23-27: 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

The context: Matthew’s emphasis on Jesus’ wondrous works helps him to reveal Jesus’ true Messianic identity. The role of God in calming the storms of life is the central theme of today’s Gospel. By describing the miracle, Matthew also assures his first-century believers that nothing can harm the Church as long as the risen Lord is with them. The incident reminds us today to keep Jesus in our life’s boat and to seek his help in the storms of life.

The storm: The Sea of Galilee is a lake thirteen miles long from north to south and eight miles broad from east to west at its widest. It is notorious for its sudden storms. When a cold wind blows from the west, the valleys, gullies, and hills act like gigantic funnels compressing the storms and letting them rush down to the lake to create violent waves. Unable to control their boat or their fears, the disciples wake Jesus up, accusing him of disregarding their safety. Jesus’ response is immediate. At once he rises and rebukes the winds and the sea, and instantly there is total calm. Only then does Jesus gently chide his terrified and now astonished disciples for the smallness of their Faith.

Life message: 1) We need to welcome Jesus into the boat of our life to calm the storms we face. All of us are making a journey across the sea of time to the shore of eternity, and it is natural that we all will experience, occasionally in our lives, different types of violent storms: physical storms, emotional storms, and spiritual storms. We face storms of sorrow, doubts, anxiety, worries, temptations, and passion. Only Jesus can give us real peace in the storm of sorrow or console us for the loss of our dear ones. When the storms of doubt seek to uproot the very foundations of the Faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us his Divinity and the Authority behind the words of Holy Scripture. He gives us peace in the storms of anxiety and worries about ourselves, about the unknown future, and about those we love. Jesus also calms the storms of passion in people who have hot hearts and blazing tempers. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

July 2 Wednesday: Mt 8:23-27: 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”

The context: Matthew’s emphasis on Jesus’ wondrous works helps him to reveal Jesus’ true Messianic identity. The role of God in calming the storms of life is the central theme of today’s Gospel. By describing the miracle, Matthew also assures his first-century believers that nothing can harm the Church as long as the risen Lord is with them. The incident reminds us today to keep Jesus in our life’s boat and to seek his help in the storms of life.

The storm: The Sea of Galilee is a lake thirteen miles long from north to south and eight miles broad from east to west at its widest. It is notorious for its sudden storms. When a cold wind blows from the west, the valleys, gullies, and hills act like gigantic funnels compressing the storms and letting them rush down to the lake to create violent waves. Unable to control their boat or their fears, the disciples wake Jesus up, accusing him of disregarding their safety. Jesus’ response is immediate. At once he rises and rebukes the winds and the sea, and instantly there is total calm. Only then does Jesus gently chide his terrified and now astonished disciples for the smallness of their Faith.

Life message: 1) We need to welcome Jesus into the boat of our life to calm the storms we face. All of us are making a journey across the sea of time to the shore of eternity, and it is natural that we all will experience, occasionally in our lives, different types of violent storms: physical storms, emotional storms, and spiritual storms. We face storms of sorrow, doubts, anxiety, worries, temptations, and passion. Only Jesus can give us real peace in the storm of sorrow or console us for the loss of our dear ones. When the storms of doubt seek to uproot the very foundations of the Faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us his Divinity and the Authority behind the words of Holy Scripture. He gives us peace in the storms of anxiety and worries about ourselves, about the unknown future, and about those we love. Jesus also calms the storms of passion in people who have hot hearts and blazing tempers. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

July 3 Thursday: St. Thomas, Apostle): For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-thomas-the-apostle/ Jn 20:24-29: 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21

The context: Today we celebrate the feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle. Today’s Gospel passage (Jn 20:24-29) presents the fearless apostle St. Thomas, in his uncompromising honesty, demanding a personal vision of, and physical contact with, the risen Jesus as a condition for his belief. Thomas had not been with the disciples when Jesus first appeared to them in the Upper Room. As a result, he refused to believe. The following week, Jesus appeared to the apostles and Thomas in the still-locked Upper Room and said: “Blessed are those who have not seen but have believed.” Thomas was able to overcome his doubts by seeing and touching the risen Jesus.

The unique profession of Faith: Thomas, the “doubting apostle,” made the great profession of Faith, “My Lord and My God.” This declaration by the “doubting apostle” in today’s Gospel is highly significant for two reasons. 1) It is the foundation of our Christian Faith. Our Faith is based on the Divinity of Jesus as demonstrated by Divine miracles, especially by the supreme miracle of the Resurrection from the dead. Thomas’ profession of Faith is the strongest evidence we have for the Resurrection of Jesus. 2) Thomas’ Faith culminated in his self-surrender to Jesus, his heroic missionary expedition to India in A.D. 52, his fearless preaching, and the powerful testimony given by his martyrdom in A.D. 72.

Life messages: 1) Faith culminating in self-surrender to God leads us to the service of our fellow-human beings. Living Faith enables us to see the risen Lord in everyone and gives us the willingness to render each one loving service: “Faith without good works is dead” (Jas 2:17). Mother Teresa presents it this way: “If we pray, we will believe; if we believe, we will love; if we love, we will serve. Only then we put our love of God into action.” It was his Faith in the Lord and obedience to Jesus’ missionary command that prompted St. Thomas to travel to India to preach the Gospel among the Hindus, to establish seven Christian communities (known later as “St. Thomas Christians”), and eventually to endure martyrdom. 2) We need to grow in the living and dynamic Faith of St. Thomas using the following means prescribed by the Spiritual Fathers: a) We come to know and experience Jesus personally and intimately by the daily and meditative reading of the Bible. b) We strengthen our Faith by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal and community prayer. c) We share in the Divine Life of Jesus by frequenting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. d) We are reconciled with God on a daily basis by repenting of our sins and asking God’s forgiveness and by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation whenever we fall into a grave sin. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

July 4 Friday: Mt 9:9-13:: (9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting Saint Elizabeth of Portugal:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-elizabeth-of-portugal/at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

The context: Today’s Gospel episode of Matthew’s call as Jesus’ apostle reminds us of God’s love and mercy for sinners and challenges us to practice this same love and mercy in our relations with others. The call and the response: Jesus went to the tax-collector’s station to invite Matthew to become a disciple. Since tax-collectors worked for a foreign power and extorted more tax money from the people than they owed, the Jewish people, especially the Pharisees, hated and despised the tax collectors as traitors, considered them public sinners, and ostracized them. But Jesus could see in Matthew a person who needed Divine love and grace. That is why, while everyone hated Matthew, Jesus was ready to offer him undeserved love, mercy, and forgiveness. Hence, Matthew abandoned his lucrative job, because, for him, Christ’s invitation to become Jesus’ follower, was a promise of salvation, fellowship, guidance, and protection. Scandalous partying with sinners. It was altogether natural for Matthew to rejoice in his new calling by celebrating with his friends who were also outcasts. Jesus’ dining with all these outcasts in the house of a “traitor” scandalized the Pharisees, for whom ritual purity and table fellowship were important religious practices. Cleverly, they asked, not Jesus, but the young disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus, coming to the rescue of the disciples, cut in and answered the question in terms of healing: “Those who are well do not need a physician; the sick do.” Then Jesus challenged the Pharisees, quoting Hosea, “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’” (Hos 6:6). Finally, Jesus clarified, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” [After the Ascension,
Saint Matthew remained for over ten years in Judea, writing his Gospel there in
about the year 44. Then he went to preach the Faith in Egypt and especially in
Ethiopia, where he remained for twenty-three years. The relics of Saint Matthew
were for many years in the city of Naddaver in Ethiopia, where he suffered his
martyrdom, but were transferred to Salerno in the year 954].

Life messages: 1) Jesus calls you and me for a purpose: Jesus has called us through our Baptism, forgiven us our sins, and welcomed us as members of the Kingdom. In fact, Jesus calls us daily, through the Word and through the Church, to be disciples and, so, to turn away from all the things that distract us and draw us away from God. 2) Just as Matthew did, we, too, are expected to proclaim Christ through our lives by reaching out to the unwanted and the marginalized in society with Christ’s love, mercy, and compassion. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

July 4: Independence Day (USA): Synopsis of Independence Day Homily-2025

1) This is a day to thank God for the political and religious freedom we enjoy and to pray for God’s special blessings on the rulers and the people of our country.

2) It is a day to remember with gratitude the founding fathers of our democratic republic, especially Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, and James Madison, the architect of the Constitution, who believed that all power, including political power, came from God and was given to the people who entrusted this power to their elected leaders.

3) It is a day toremember and pray for all our brave soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice of their lives to keep this country a safe and a free country, and for those who are now engaged in the fight against terrorism in other countries.

4) It is day to remember the basic principle underlined in the constitution, that“all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

5) It is day to remind ourselves thatwe have a duty to protect these God-given rights by voting into power leaders who believe in God and who have character, integrity, experience, and strong belief in inalienable human rights.

6) It is day tofight forthe fundamental rightto life denied to pre-born children to grow and develop in their mothers’ wombs and to the sick and the elderly to die gracefully without fearing euthanasia.

7) It is day to pray for and work forliberation for all those who are still slaves in our free country – slaves to evil habits and addictions to nicotine, alcohol, drugs, pornography, promiscuity and sexual aberrations.

8) It is a day to take a pledge to become recommitted to doing something about our own growth in Christ, and to living as Americans who contribute something to our religion, Church, country, and the lives of others.

9) It is a day to remember where we came from, what we stand for, and the sacrifices that thousands of our countrymen have made on our behalf.

10) It is a day to raise our voice of protest against liberal, agnostic, and atheistic political leaders, media bosses, and activist, liberal judges who deny religious moral education to our young citizens.

11) It is a day to offer our country and all its citizens on the altar of God, asking His special providential care, protection, and blessings.

Intercessory prayers for Independence Day (USCCB)

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/liturgy-and-prayer-suggestions.cfm

§ For the people of the United States, that we may be united in building a society in which everyone can have the opportunity to live with dignity and hope, we pray to the Lord. . . .

§ For the Church, that we may be a witness to Christ’s love by practicing charity and promoting justice and peace throughout the world, we pray to the Lord. . . .

§

§ For Catholics throughout our nation, that the values of our faith may guide us as we exercise our responsibility as voters, we pray to the Lord. . . .

§ For the members of this community, that we may find ways to help build a world of greater respect for human life and human dignity, we pray to the Lord. . . .

§ For those who serve in elected office, that they may lead with courage and wisdom, reflecting the Church’s teaching that the moral test of our society is how the weak, the poor, and the vulnerable are faring, we pray to the Lord. . . .

§ For all citizens of the United States, that our participation in the upcoming election may lead to a world of greater respect for life and commitment to justice and peace, we pray to the Lord. . . .

§ For those who are suffering from poverty and injustice, that our decisions this election year may lead to policies and programs that help them live in dignity, we pray to the Lord. .

§ For parishioners who have been elected to public office, that they might use their offices to protect the unborn and promote the dignity of the poor and vulnerable, we pray to the Lord. . .

§ For the earth, that our nation’s leaders will be inspired by God’s Spirit to protect all of His creation, we pray to the Lord. .

§ For workers around the world, especially children who work long hours for little pay, that we might all seek ways to promote fairness, justice, and dignity in their lives, we pray to the Lord. . . .

For leaders around world, that they may find ways to bring an end to war and violence, and promote peace and development for all nations, we pray to the Lord. . .

July 5 Saturday:Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria, priest:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-anthony-zaccaria/ Matthew 9:14-17: 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ reply to the question asked by a few disciples of John the Baptist about fasting and feasting. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were three cardinal works of Jewish religious life. Hence, John’s disciples wanted to know why they and the Pharisees fasted while Jesus’ disciples were seen feasting with him but never fasting.

Jesus’ reply: Jesus responded to their sincere question using three metaphors: the metaphor of the “children of the bridal chamber,” the metaphor of patching torn cloth and the metaphor of wineskins. First, Jesus compared his disciples with the children of the bridal chamber, the selected friends of the bride and groom who feasted in their company during a week of honeymoon. Nobody expected them to fast. Jesus explained that his disciples would fast when he, the bridegroom, was taken away from them. In the same way, we are to welcome both the joys of Christian life and the crosses it offers us. Using comparisons of the danger of using new, unshrunken cloth to make a patch for an old garment and the danger of using old wineskins to store new fermenting wine, Jesus told the questioners that they must have more elastic and open minds and larger hearts to understand and follow his new ideas which were in many cases different from the traditional Jewish teachings.

Life message: 1) We need to be adjustable Christians with open and elastic minds and hearts: The Holy Spirit, working actively in the Church and guiding the teaching authority in the Church, enables the Church to have new visions, new ideas, new adaptations and new ways of worship in the place of old ones. So, we should have the generosity and good will to follow the teachings of the Church. At the same time, we need the Old Testament revelations, the New Testament teachings and the Sacred Tradition of the Church as main sources of our Christian Faith. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

OT XIV [C] Sunday (July 6, 2025) Homily (one-page summary) L/25

Introduction: Today’s Scriptures are about announcing the Good News. They remind us that announcing the Good News of the Kingdom by words, deeds and life is not the task of only a few. Rather, it is a task for all baptized Christians.

Scripture lessons: In the first reading, Isaiah announces the good news to the returned Babylonian exiles that the ruined and desolate Jerusalem will take care of them “as a mother comforts her baby son.” Isiah assures the returned Jews that they will live in the certainty of Yahweh’s promises of love, protection, prosperity, and salvation. In today’s second reading, Paul removes the confusion created by the Judaizers in the minds of the new Gentile Christians of Galatia. He clearly conveys the good news that it is Jesus’ death on the cross which brings one’s salvation and not Jewish heritage or practice of Torah laws. Paul reminds us that the mission of each member of the Church is to bear witness to the saving power of the cross of Christ through a life of sacrificial, self-giving service. In today’ Gospel, Luke describes the fulfillment of the prophetic promise made by Isaiah in Jesus’ commissioning of 72 disciples to preach the Gospel or the good news of God’s love and salvation in towns and villages in preparation for his own visit. Jesus gives the paired disciples “travel tips” for their missionary journey. They must be walking witnesses of God’s providence, relying on the hospitality of others, living very simple lives, preaching the Good News and healing the sick. Today’s Gospel reminds us that we, the 1.5 billion Christians in the world today, have the mission of the 72, to preach the Gospel of Christ to the rest of world’s 4.5 billion non-Christians.

Life Messages: 1) We need to continue the proclamation of the Gospel: Just as Jesus, in today’s Gospel, gave instructions to the seventy-two missionaries, he also gives each one of us a mission to carry out. As faithful Christians, we should attract others to the Faith by leading exemplary lives, just as a rose silently attracts people by its beauty and fragrance. This is our job and our responsibility. We must not miss the current opportunities to be apostles through our words and deeds in everyday life.

2) We need to avoid giving the counter-witness of practicing the “supermarket Catholicism” of our politicians who publicly proclaim their “Catholicism” and yet support abortion, gay marriage, human cloning, and experimentation with human embryos. Nor should we be “armchair Catholics,” “cafeteria Catholics” or “Sunday Catholics” who bear counter-witness to Christ through our lives.

3) Let us start proclaiming the Gospel in our families by leading exemplary Christian lives, in which spouses love and respect each other, raise their children in the spirit of obedience and service, discipline them with forgiving love and teach them through persistent example to pray, love and help others by sharing their blessings.

OT XIV [C] (July 6):  Is 66:10-14c; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10: 1-12, 17-20

Homily starter anecdotes # 1: Jesus needs leaders: One leader in the Old Testament who possessed both expressive and instrumental leadership abilities was Josiah (2 Kings 22-23). King Josiah was a great leader. When he came to the throne of Judah at age eight, the nation was essentially pagan. Heathen altars stood on the high hills, and the people offered incense to false gods. The Lord God was forgotten. The Law was lost. The Temple was closed, and the Passover was only a distant memory. When King Josiah died 31 years later, the nation had been completely changed! The pagan altars were only piles of rubble. The Covenant with God had been renewed. The Law once again was read and revered. The Temple doors were opened, and the priests fulfilled their duties faithfully. The Passover was celebrated and the Lord God, Yahweh, was worshiped. Josiah was a leader who knew how to lead God’s people Israel. Today’s Gospel outlines Jesus’ action plan for future leaders in his Church, including parents. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Anecdote # 2: One-man army for Christ: The story of St. Philip Neri, who earned the title “Apostle of Rome” in the 16th century, is an example of the missionary zeal demanded by today’s Gospel. Philip came down to Rome in the early 1500s as an immigrant from Florence and a layman. When he arrived, he was horrified by the physical and moral devastation of the city. Rome had been sacked in 1527 by the Germans who had left much of the city in ruins. The Gospel wasn’t being preached, and many priests and cardinals were living in open defiance of Christ’s moral teachings. Philip prayed to God to learn what he might do. He read the letters that St. Francis Xavier had sent back to Europe from
India, where he had been converting tens of thousands. Philip thought that God was calling him to follow the great Basque missionary to India, to give his life in proclaiming the Gospel. When he went to his spiritual director and told him what he thought God was asking of him, the wise old priest affirmed his desire to serve and bear witness to Christ. However, he told Philip to focus his attention on re-evangelizing those around him, declaring, “Rome is to be your India!” This was quite a task for one man. But Philip, relying on God’s help, started — first as a layman, then as a priest — to convert Rome, one person at a time. He would cheerfully go to street corners and say, “Friends, when are we going to start to do good?” He developed various entertaining social and religious activities to give the people, especially the young people, better alternatives for their hearts and time than those offered by the debauched culture around them. His impact was enormous, and when he died in 1595, much of Rome had been reconverted. The same God who spoke to Philip almost five hundred years ago challenges each one of us this morning through the Scriptures, “Your home and your family, your workplace and your parish are your mission field!” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Introduction: Today’s Scriptures are about announcing the Good News. They remind us that announcing the Good News of the Kingdom by words, deeds, and life is not the task of only a few. Rather, it is a task for all baptized Christians.
Scripture lessons summarized: In the first reading, Isaiah announces the good news to the returned Babylonian exiles that the ruined and desolate Jerusalem will take care of them “as a mother comforts her baby son.” Isiah assures the returned Jews that they will live in the certainty of Yahweh’s promises of love, protection, prosperity and salvation. In today’s Responsorial Psalm, Ps 66, the Psalmist urges, “sing praise to the glory of God all the earth,” because of the wonders He has done. In today’s second reading , Paul removes the confusion created by the Judaizers, in the minds of the new Gentile Christians of Galatia. He clearly conveys the good news that  it is Jesus’ death on the cross which brings one’s salvation and not Jewish heritage  or practice of Torah laws. Paul reminds us that the mission of each member of the Church is to bear witness to the saving power of the cross of Christ through a life of sacrificial, self-giving service. In today’ Gospel, Luke describes the fulfillment of the prophetic promise made by Isaiah, in Jesus’ commissioning of 72 disciples to preach the Gospel or the Good News of God’s love and salvation in towns and villages in preparation for his own visit. Jesus gives the paired disciples “travel tips” for their missionary journey. They must be walking witnesses of God’s providence by relying on the hospitality of others, living very simple lives, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.  Today’s Gospel reminds us that the 1.5 billion Christians in the world today have the mission of the 72, to proclaim the Gospel of Christ to the other 4.5 billion non-Christians.

First reading: Isaiah 66:10-14 explained: The prophet Isaiah is encouraging the Jews, who are returning to Israel from Babylonian exile, to see their beloved city of God, Jerusalem, alive under its ruins.  In poetic and symbolic language, he describes the prosperity and peace which the New Jerusalem will give them. Both the Holy City of Jerusalem and God are presented under the image of a mother. The prophet offers a maternal image of God. The returned exiles will have the experience of a child being fondled by its loving mother. They will be like suckling infants enjoying the comfort and nurture of a mother because the city will give them the experience of Yahweh’s love and care, the Temple of Jerusalem will represent and house God’s presence in their midst, and “the Lord’s power shall be known to his servants.” The prophet calls on his fellow-Jews to rejoice and be glad because Jerusalem will be greater, more peaceful and more prosperous than she ever was before. In today’ Gospel, Luke describes the fulfillment of the prophetic promise made by Isaiah in Jesus’ commissioning of 72 disciples to preach the Gospel in towns and villages in preparation for his visit.

The Second Reading, Galatians 6:14-18 explained. Today we hear the concluding words of Paul’s letter to the Galatians. Shortly after Paul left Galatia, some ultra-conservative Judeo-Christians (“Judaizers”) arrived there from Jerusalem. They taught that, since the historical Jesus was Jewish, circumcised and observant of the Torah, his disciples had to be circumcised as Jews and had to observe the Torah. Responding, Paul wrote a letter to those in Galatia who were disturbed and confused by these new teachings. Paul was angry with the Galatians for their stupidly in accepting the false arguments of the Judaizers.  In the letter, Paul argues forcefully that God requires no such thing, and that keeping such a false obligation is nothing to boast about.  Astonishingly, Paul boasts about what would otherwise be shameful, the execution of Jesus on the cross. “Crucified to the world” is another strong image, meaning that Paul’s relationship with the world is no longer governed by the old Mosaic Law or anything else from the past, but by his relationship with Christ crucified.

Gospel exegesis: Travel tips for the seventy-two walking witnesses on their first mission trip: While all the synoptic Gospels mention a mission of the Twelve, only Luke adds a second mission of the 72.  Moses selected the seventy-two elders to guide and govern his people. (The number of 70/72 disciples sent to prepare the way for Christ and His Kingdom are possibly linked to the 70 kingdoms/nations listed as the descendants of Noah in Genesis Chapter 10. Agape Bible Study.).Here, Luke shows us Jesus doing something similar, sending out in pairs, seventy-two other disciples to towns and villages to announce his visit.  In this way, Jesus connects his Messianic mission with the whole of Israel’s history in which 72 had become a symbolic number. In the Book of Genesis, seventy descendants of Jacob moved with him from Israel to Egypt to begin a new life.  In the Book of Exodus, seventy elders go up the Mountain of God along with Moses to learn about the new Covenant with YHWH. The Jews also believed that there were seventy-two nations in the whole world, and they had seventy-two members in the Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews. Each of us, by the very fact that we have heard the Lord’s call, is likewise sent on a mission. Hence, announcing the Good News of the kingdom is not something optional for a Christian. The disciples received instructions as to how they were to carry out their mission. For example, they were to “carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals.” There is also an ominous warning that they are sent as “lambs among wolves.” Their guidelines were simple: go where they were received (verses 5-6); remain in one place (verse 7) and eat what was set before them (verse 8). This would help them avoid the appearance of being mercenary.  The basic idea behind Jesus’ instruction is that his disciples were sent as walking witnesses, and, hence, they were not to
depend on anything or anybody except on the Holy Spirit of God and on Divine providence.

1) “Ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers to the harvest.” The mission of the seventy-two disciples was not a human project, and, hence, they needed strength from God to do the work.   In proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, we, too, participate in God’s work. It is the Lord Who is working in and through us. He gives us the power to announce His presence with our lives. Therefore, constant contact with the Lord of the harvest is necessary.   This means that we must be men and women of prayer — not only for an hour a week at Mass but on a daily basis.

2) “Do not carry a walking staff or traveling bag; wear no sandals.” In Jesus’ day, travelers carried a stick as a defense against snakes and wild animals, and used sandals as an aid in traveling along dusty roads and rocky byways.  Likewise, a change of clothing as well as food and drink were thought necessary—but Jesus forbade all these. His command was that the disciples should give up even these
necessities so as to be both a living act of Faith in God and “walking signs” to those who saw them.  The disciples were only armed with their Faith and the name of Jesus. They needed nothing more. Their detachment from material goods would enable them to uphold the absolute priority of preaching the Good News. They did not need a staff or provisions because God would take care of them through the people to whom they were to preach. The spirit of detachment would also help them to trust more deeply in Divine Providence and would oblige them to rely humbly on the hospitality of those who were receptive to the Gospel. Their life-style should help proclaim their message: “The reign of God is at hand.” In other words, “God is among you as Jesus of Nazareth, working with power.”

3) “Greet no one along the way.” (See also 2 Kings 4:29). This instruction implies that the mission was so urgent that nothing should divert the disciples from it.  Likewise, the disciples were told to travel in pairs (perhaps for mutual support), suggesting that the work of evangelization should be a collective one.

4) Acceptance and rejection: One of the reasons we prefer to delegate our Lord’s evangelistic work to priests, religious and missionaries is that we fear rejection. When by our words and lifestyles we tell others about Jesus, we sometimes find ourselves labeled as “religious fanatics,” “Bible-thumpers,” or perhaps, simply as “old-fashioned.” Many times, we take the rejection personally.  So Jesus consoles us: “Let your peace come back to you.”  This means, “Don’t take it personally.  You have done your part, so don’t worry about the outcome.” He goes on, telling them, “Rejoice because your names are written in Heaven” in the Book of Life!  It is not up to us to force anyone to accept Jesus. Our mission is to prepare the way. If a person’s heart is open, the Lord will enter in.

5) Preach that the Kingdom of God is at hand. The Kingdom of God comes into being wherever God reigns, and wherever His will is done. The Kingdom of God is present in the people through whom God acts. “Hence the early Church equated Christ with the Kingdom of God because God reigns in Christ, God’s will is done in Christ, and God acts through Christ” (Lumen Gentium, #5). Thus, to proclaim the Kingdom of God is the same as to proclaim Christ. In fact, the Church from its beginning, by proclaiming the Good News of Christ, was being faithful to his mandate to proclaim the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God has come upon us if God reigns in our hearts, if we do God’s will and if God acts through us.

Life Messages: 1) We need to continue Christ’s  mission by proclaiming the Good News: Just as Jesus in today’s Gospel gives instructions to the seventy-two missionaries, he also gives each one of us a mission to carry out. There were just a handful of followers in Jesus’ day to preach the Good News, but today there are over one billion Roman Catholics and about a half billion other Christians (in 30,000 denominations!) who accept Jesus as “Lord” and “Savior.” So there are 1.5 billion missionaries in a world of six billion people.  A recent survey asked the question, “Why do adults join the Catholic Church in spite of the scandals publicized in the media?”  Seventy-five percent of the new adult converts to the Catholic Church reported that they were attracted by a personal invitation from a Catholic who had a lively relationship with Christ and his Church.  As faithful Catholics, we will attract others to the Catholic Church—just as a rose attracts people by its beauty and fragrance. It’s our job.  It’s our responsibility. We must not miss the current opportunities to be apostles in everyday life by our words and deeds.

2) We need to foster a vibrant, supportive, welcoming parish life.  Our parish is our immediate spiritual family in this extended worldwide fold. We are not meant to live as isolated individuals within the parish any more than we are meant to live in isolation within our families. We are meant to be a community. That is why it is so important for us to foster a vibrant, supportive, welcoming parish life. This is why we emphasize hospitality as one of the pillars of stewardship. It is not enough just to point others to Christ; we must invite them to join us in community with Him; we must offer a place and mission for them in the Church and within our parish family. (Stewarship Reflections by Catholic Stewardship Consultants).

3) We need to avoid giving counter-witness:  The Church is founded on the rock of Peter, a humble, uneducated fisherman who died for the Lord he loved. Compare his Faith and heroic witnessing with the “supermarket Catholicism” of our politicians who publicly proclaim their “Catholicism,” yet support abortion, gay marriage, human cloning and experimentation with human embryos. We should not be “Catholics for a Free Choice” who oppose anything proposed by the Church, including the most basic right to life. Nor should we be armchair Catholics, spiritual weekend-warriors, “cafeteria Catholics,” or “barely-make-it-to-Mass” members of the Church, who bear counter-witness to Christ. Instead of giving counter-witness, let us become heralds of the Kingdom in our own homes by treating each other with profound respect. When spouses respect each other and, thus, teach their children to do the same, our neighbors will experience the Kingdom in our families, because the Kingdom of God is God’s rule in our hearts enabling us to do His will.

4) The modern world needs the heroic witnessing of martyrs. The early writers of the Church never called the first Christians “martyrs,” in the modern sense of the word, but rather gave that name to those who died “giving witness” (martyrein) to Christ. The most important element wasn’t their deaths; it was their fidelity to their Faith until the last moment of their lives. Martyrs are not people to be relegated to the distant past. Recent history abounds with examples of martyrdom: civil war in Spain, religious persecution in Poland, Mexico, Vietnam, Russia, China, and Africa. The names of Edith Stein (Germany), Maximilian
Kolbe (Poland), Miguel Pro (Mexico), and Pedro Poveda (Spain) are only the beginning of a long list of innocent victims, witnesses for their Faith. Even today, religious freedom is still denied in various countries and, in fact, several Muslim nations forbid the celebration of the Sacraments. In our day, there are also “moral martyrs” who, although they are never physically killed, die an ignominious death, persecuted in the press, defamed in the media and falsely accused of faults they never committed. As successors of the seventy-two disciples, we are called upon to do Christ’s work with the courage of these martyrs’ convictions.

JOKES OF THE WEEK (on the preaching mission).

# 1 The definition of a good sermon: It should have a good beginning and a good ending and they should be as close together as possible. (George Burns).  A rule of thumb for preachers: If after ten minutes you haven’t struck oil, stop boring! A pastor was greeting folks at the door after the service. A woman said, “Father, that was a very good sermon.” The pastor says, “Oh, I have to give the credit to the Holy Spirit.” “Then it wasn’t THAT good!” she says. A priest, whose sermons were very long and boring, announced in the Church on a Sunday that he had been transferred to another Church and that it was Jesus’ wish that he leave that week. The congregation in the Church got up and sang: “What a Friend we have in Jesus!”

# 2: Boring preacher:  A man was walking a pit bull down the road. The dog got away, ran up to a preacher and bit him on the knee. Then the dog went across
the street and bit a beautiful young woman. The owner was brought before a judge who asked, “Why did your dog bite the preacher?” The man answered, “I don’t know! He’s never done anything like that before.” Then the judge asked, “Well why did he bite the young woman?” The owner replied, “Oh that’s easy to answer! Probably he wanted to get the taste of that boring preacher out of his mouth!”

# 3: Place of amusement:  A pastor who was well known for the jokes he told during his sermons asked Park Benjamin, a famous humorist, why he never came to hear him preach. Benjamin replied, “Why, Sir, the fact is, I have conscientious scruples against going to places of amusement on
Sunday.”

# 4: Abraham Lincoln put it rather strongly but effectively, when he said: “I do not care for cut-and-dried sermons. When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting a bumblebee.

Useful Websites of the Week

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

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

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

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

4)  The seventy disciples: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seventy_disciples

2) http://www.sermonsfromseattle.com/series_c_commissioning_of_the_seventy_GA.htm

5)Daily Catholic: http://www.dailycatholic.org/issue/04Jan/index.htm

6) EWTN Library: http://www.ewtn.com/ewtn/library/search.asp

Videos on the commissioning of disciples

 https://youtu.be/zPrNre3ENqs

• https://youtu.be/e-3TEnEzXHk

  24- Additional anecdotes:

# 1: Doctors needed in Africa: Albert Schweitzer, the missionary doctor and Nobel Laureate, was born in 1875 in the region of Alsace, an area claimed vigorously both by France and Germany.  Schweitzer was always attracted to scholarship and to his father’s ministry in the Church as pastor.   He earned degrees in Theology and Philosophy while at the same time serving as a curate for a small congregation. And he kept that small ministry even when he was teaching at a prestigious university and writing a foundational work of theology, Quest of the Historical Jesus, in 1905. Schweitzer also achieved renown as an authority on the music of J.S. Bach.  An organist of international repute, he produced a great edition of Bach’s works and wrote a six-hundred-page study of the composer. One day he chanced upon a notice in a magazine describing the need for doctors in Africa. And so he decided to leave behind all his accomplishments and answer the call. His friends and colleagues thought he was mad.  But his mind was made up.  He earned a medical degree with a specialty in tropical diseases and presented himself to the Paris Missionary Society, which sent him with his wife to the area of Africa now called Gabon.  Within months he had designed and built an African-village-style hospital. He tried by his work as a missionary doctor to relate Christianity to the sacredness of life in all its forms. He followed strictly the guidelines for the preaching and healing mission Jesus gave to the seventy-two disciples, as described in today’s Gospel, and he became one of the great Christian missionaries of the twentieth century (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 2) 007- James Bond and Jesus’ disciples. James Bond, according to MI5, is simply unacceptable as a spy. At least that is what MI5 said. In March 2003, MI5–Great Britain’s domestic intelligence agency–reported that characters like James Bond are too tall to serve as spies in Her Majesty’s Service because good spies should blend in with those around them.  Since the average man is 6′ tall or less, then the upper acceptable height limit for Great Britain’s male spies is 5′ 11″ and for female spies, the upper limit is 5′ 8″. All the actors who have played James Bond in the movies have been 6′ or taller. By MI5’s current standards, none of them would have been qualified to serve as real domestic spies. A secret agent can’t exactly keep his secret status if he stands out too much [CNN.com – James Bond “too tall” to be a spy – Mar 6, 2004, International Edition London, England (Reuters).] I don’t think that Jesus chose his disciples on the basis of their height, do you? As he sent them out into the world, he certainly didn’t seem concerned that they would stand out too much. In fact, he warned them that they would stand out as walking witnesses of Jesus’ Good News -and that their mission could be dangerous (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “He did.” When Disney World opened in 1971, Walt Disney was not present to witness the grand opening of his greatest dream come true – he had died five years earlier. During the spectacular opening ceremonies, the host of the festivities introduced Walt’s widow, Lillian Disney, who would say a few words on stage for the occasion. “Mrs. Disney,” the host beamed with reverence, “I wish Walt could have seen this.” Lillian stood up, walked over to the podium, adjusted the microphone, and said, “He did.” And then she sat down. That simple statement said it all. [Pat Croce, Lead or Get Off the Pot! (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2004), p. 9.]  Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus planned the future of his church by selecting and training his disciples(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “I am Spartacus.” Spartacus was a slave who led an uprising against the Roman government … but the slaves were all captured by the Romans. The Roman general told them if they revealed Spartacus to him, he would spare their lives. At that moment, Spartacus stands and says, “I am Spartacus.” Unexpectedly, the slave next to him stands and says, “I am Spartacus.” And the next and the next until the entire group is standing. This inspiring scene illustrates the role of a leader in the Church to create levels of engagement such that when we, as leaders, stand on an issue, our people will stand with us. [Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller, The Secret (San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2004), p. 53.] Today’s Gospel outlines the action plan for future leaders in the Church(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) Serving leaders: Serving leaders make a powerful difference in society and in the Church. Like leaven, light, and salt, great serving leaders are examples like Josiah, and also like Nelson Mandela, who after 28 years in jail came out and was not angry. In fact, he invited his jailers to his inauguration. Jimmy Carter is perhaps the greatest ex-president, winning the Nobel Peace Prize, championing Habitat for Humanity, and various peace initiatives. There’s Martin Luther King Jr. and, of course, our Lord Jesus of Nazareth who served with a servant heart all the way to the cross. Today’s Gospel describes what servant leadership means(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Captain James T. Kirk, Commander of the starship Enterprise. Kirk was not the smartest guy on the ship … so why did he get to climb on board the Enterprise and run it? The answer: There is this skill set called leadership. Kirk was the distilled essence of the dynamic manager, a guy who knew how to delegate, had the passion to inspire, and looked good in what he wore to work. He never professed to have skills greater than his subordinates … he established the vision, the tone. He was in charge of morale. [Randy Pausch, The Last Lecture (New York: Hyperion, 2008), pp. 43-44.] The Church needs morale-boosting servant leaders as outlined in today’s Gospel(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “Americans are willing to lie at the drop of a hat.” That is the conclusion of a recently published book entitled The Day America Told the Truth. The book is based on a survey which supports the fact that an alarming number of the citizens of our country have chosen the way of falsity–rather than the virtue of truth. Of those polled, ninety-one percent said they routinely lie. Assured of anonymity, the cross-section of Americans responding to some eighteen hundred questions, made the following admissions: 86% said that they lie regularly to parents; 75% lie to friends; 73% lie to siblings; 69% lie to spouses. One of the authors says that “lying is a part of Americans’ lives.” Does anything strike at the heart of virtue and morality more than the erosion of truth? To the folks who founded our country, it was inconceivable that the daring experiment of freedom would prosper without the blessing and the guidance of God, or that it would continue without the moral commitment of the people tempered by God’s judgment. Because of those beliefs, they drafted laws, and set in place the structures of a government which would encourage people to seek and uphold the truth, to choose what is right and to do it, and to live out what God required through the high moral demands of Scripture and the ethical teachings of Jesus. Thomas Jefferson, who, by his belief and commitment, helped shape the foundations of America perhaps more than any other person, revealed how intensely he believed in this moral accountability before God when he said, “I tremble for my country when I remember that God is just!” Today’s Gospel tells us how Christians should bear witness to Christ by the truth by their lives of integrity and holiness(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 8) Where are the Church leaders? Barbara Tuchman, the acclaimed historian and Pulitzer Prize winner died in 1988. Just before her death, one of her essays appeared in the New York Times Sunday Magazine. Here is portion: “Decline of a nation or a society” (she wrote), “is a provocative historical problem. In Rome, it is associated with external pressure coupled with internal weakness. In the ancient Greek cities of Asia Minor (like Ephesus), it can be traced to the silting of harbors through environmental neglect, closing them to access by sea. In the Aztec Empire of Mexico, it was the invasion of ruthless Europeans. … In the United States, who knows? Will it be moral collapse from within? One certainly experiences a deteriorating ethic at every level of society, and with it, incompetence from the people who no longer function at their utmost, who grow lax and accept the mediocre. Violence is also symptomatic of a nation’s decline, and today’s deepening climate of bloody violence is not reassuring. More disturbing, however, is what is missing in American attitudes and public opinion: Where is the outrage? Why aren’t people angry about violence, injustice and immorality? Why aren’t we angry over misconduct and incompetence in Government by public officials of the highest rank? Where is the outrage over racism, over fraud in business, over deceit and betrayal of trust, over the trivialization of morality, where it is ‘moral’ if it works or makes us feel good? Anger when anger is due is necessary for self-respect and for the respect of this nation by other nations.… What has become of national self-respect, not to mention common decency? Why do we keep turning back to Sodom and Gomorrah?” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Kim the missionary: A true story told by Father Ray.  A couple of months ago, a man from our parish, Kim by name, came up to me and said, “Fr. Ray, please say an extra prayer for me. I’m giving a talk this afternoon to some high school teenagers at a public school, which my nephew attends.   This year his class has been having ‘motivational speakers’ talk about how they have overcome the obstacles and difficulties they’ve faced in their lives. My nephew asked me to come and share my story.” Fr. Ray said to him, “That’s a public school, you know. Do you plan to tell them everything?” He asked that question because he knew Kim’s story. Kim’s step-son had been murdered, his step-daughter had died of cancer a week after she graduated from high school and his wife had been killed in a car accident. Prior to these tragedies Kim had lived the life of a pagan and hadn’t even been baptized.   In the midst of the terrible sadness caused by these tragic events, however, he had opened his heart to God and embraced the Catholic faith. So Father Ray knew that if Kim were going to tell them everything—including the part about the Church and Sacraments—the officials at the school might not like it. So Fr. Ray repeated the question, “Do you plan to tell them everything?” Without hesitation, Kim answered, “Absolutely!”  Fr. Ray then told him, “Then I’ll definitely pray for you – and if you get arrested for mentioning God, Jesus and the Catholic Church in a public school, I promise to come and visit you in prison!” Kim gave the talk. And what happened? The young people loved it! They thought it was so great that they voted him “the best speaker of the year,” and asked him to return in the fall to tell his story to the whole school!   This current incident illustrates the deep hunger for God still present in this materialistic world, and it shows that young people like to hear authentic, sincere, witnessing to Jesus Christ. In today’s Gospel text (Luke 10), we are told that Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples into the towns he was planning to visit, to prepare people for his arrival. The disciples were to do this by proclaiming the Good News of God’s love and salvation and by healing the sick.  This is what Kim did for those high school students! He healed the sick of heart by his words of witness, and he helped prepare some of them to receive Jesus Christ more fully into their lives! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Travel guides: Savvy travelers about to embark on a trip often prepare themselves by consulting the appropriate experts. A wealth of helpful information can be found in the form of travel guides, which are readily available at any local library or bookstore. Therein travelers, amateur tourists and veteran globe-trotters alike, can become familiar with what there is to see and to do in their chosen destination. Maps of the region aid in planning travel routes. Charts of average temperatures and rainfalls, addresses and telephone numbers of tour operators, timetables for buses and trains, calendars of special events, tables of the monetary exchange rate and listings of local museums, galleries, post offices, markets, banks, etc., all prove helpful to those who wish their travels to be uneventful and worry-free. Many guide books also include a region by region description of the most important and interesting sites to visit as well as a brief survey of the history of the area and a profile of the personality of the local residents. Budget-minded or financially-strapped travelers usually appreciate the travel guides’ recommendations as to the price ranges of various restaurants, hotels and motels. Some guides contain descriptions and recommendations as to the local cuisine and certain gourmet specialties. Many also provide a brief dictionary of important words and useful phrases to facilitate the travelers’ efforts at communication. A few of the more detailed travel books even offer tips concerning certain mores and cultural sensitivities of which the average tourist may be unaware. More often than not, those who avail themselves of such information enjoy more pleasant and memorable travel experiences. In today’s Gospel, Luke has featured Jesus detailing a list of travel tips and information of a very different sort; while this advice may not compare to that which is included in a Fodor’s or a Michelin or any other such guide, it is nevertheless valuable and necessary for every would-be disciple. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “Ma’am, before you do that again:” There is a funny story about two young Mormon missionaries who were going door to door. They knocked on the door of one woman who was not at all happy to see them. The woman told them in no uncertain terms that she did not want to hear their message and slammed the door in their faces. To her surprise, however, the door did not close and, in fact, almost magically bounced back open. She tried again, really putting her back into it and slammed the door again with the same amazing result–the door bounced back open. Convinced that one of the young religious zealots was sticking their foot in the door, she reared back to give it a third slam. She felt this would really teach them a lesson. But before she could act, one of them stopped her and politely said, “Ma’am, before you do that again, you really should move your spare shoe blocking the door.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Need of door-to-door preaching: There was an interesting story in Readers Digest sometime back by Elise Miller Davis titled, “When Someone Is Drowning, It’s No Time To Teach Him How to Swim.” Ms. Davis tells of sitting near a swimming pool one day and hearing a commotion. A head was bobbing in and out of the deepest water. Ms. Davis saw a man rush to the edge of the pool and heard him yell, “Hold your breath! Hold your breath!” Then a young lady joined him, screaming, “Turn on your back and float!” Their voices caught the attention of the lifeguard. Like a flash, he ran the length of the pool, jumped in, and pulled the man in trouble to safety. Later, the lifeguard said to Ms. Davis, “Why in the name of Heaven didn’t somebody holler that one word—’Help’? When someone’s drowning, it’s no time to teach him how to swim.” Do you understand that there are people in our community who are barely staying afloat? Families are disintegrating, young people are becoming chemically addicted, middle-aged people are facing life-crises that would blow your minds. Just because the strategy of going out two-by-two door-to-door is outmoded doesn’t mean the need has disappeared (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). .

 

13) Practical leadership: Ray Sexton, a psychiatrist tells about a troubled man who went to see a psychiatrist. After customary introductions, the psychiatrist asked him to tell him his problem. Embarrassedly, the patient reported that he had difficulty when he arrived in his home. He would walk into his bedroom thinking that something was under his bed. Consequently, he would crawl under his bed, look thoroughly and seeing nothing, he would then be hit with the idea that something was on top of his bed. Quickly, he would look to the top of his bed closely and see nothing. Again, the idea would hit him that something was under his bed. He would then drop down under his bed looking thoroughly and see nothing. He would feel that something was on top of his bed again. This would go on over and over. Top, underneath, top, underneath, top, underneath. The gentleman told the psychiatrist that this was driving him crazy. He needed some relief in order to carry on his other business. The psychiatrist reassured him that he had a correctable problem but that it would require weekly visits to dig out the deeper-rooted conflicts. The cost would be $100 per visit, per week over a period of about two years. Somewhat dazed, the patient left the office without making his appointments. He was not seen or heard from by the psychiatrist for about six months. The psychiatrist accidentally ran into him at a neighborhood restaurant. The psychiatrist asked him, “Joe I haven’t heard from you! Whatever happened?” The patient said, “Well when you told me how long it would take and the expense, I was devastated. I immediately went to the bar to drink away my despair but the bartender cured me in one session for ten dollars. I haven’t had a problem since.” The psychiatrist asked him, “What in the world did the bartender do?” Joe happily responded, “The bartender told me to go home and saw the legs off of my bed.”  Leadership in the Church means the ability to solve the people’s problems in the Gospel way(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) The story “Picture of Peace” by Catherine Marshall.  There once was a king  who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture on peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.    One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.  The other picture too had mountains. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all. But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In the bush a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the
rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest – in perfect peace. Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture. Do you know why?  “Because,” explained the king, “peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be in calm in your heart. This is the real meaning of
peace.” This Sunday’s Gospel reading (Lk 10:1-12, 17-20), tells us about the mission of the seventy-two disciples who are called to be peace-bearers and peace givers. (Stories for the Heart, compiled by Alice Gray) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) Leader in Christ’s Church should sharpen his axe by prayer:   A young man approached the foreman of a logging crew and asked for a job. “That depends,” replied the foreman. “Let’s see you fell this tree.” The young man stepped forward, and skillfully felled a great tree. Impressed, the foreman exclaimed, “You can start Monday.” Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday rolled by – and Thursday afternoon the foreman approached the young man and said, “You can pick up your paycheck on the way out today.” Startled, the young man replied, “I thought you paid on Friday.” “Normally we do,” said the foreman. “But we’re letting you go today because you’ve fallen behind. Our daily felling charts show that you’ve dropped from first place on Monday to last place today.” “But I’m a hard worker,” the young man objected. “I arrive first, leave last, and even have worked through my coffee breaks!” The foreman, sensing the young man’s integrity, thought for a minute and then asked, ‘”Have you been sharpening your axe?” The young man replied, “No, sir. I’ve been working too hard to take time for that!“ [Wayne Rice, More Hot Illustrations for Youth Talks (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1995), p. 155.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “Here comes my friend Douglass.” Frederick Douglass approached the front door of the White House, seeking admission into Abraham Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Ball. Just as Douglass was about to knock on the door, two policemen seized him, barring the black man’s entrance. Douglass, a large, powerful man, brushed the officers aside and stepped into the foyer. Once inside, two more officers grabbed the uninvited guest, all the while uttering racial slurs. As Douglass was being dragged from the hall, he cried to a nearby patron, “Just say to Mr. Lincoln that Fred Douglass is at the door!” Confusion ensued. Then suddenly the officers received orders to usher Douglass into the East Room. In that beautiful room, the great abolitionist stood in the presence of the esteemed President. The place quieted as Lincoln approached his newly arrived guest, hand outstretched in greeting, and speaking in a voice loud enough so none could mistake his intent, the President announced, “Here comes my friend Douglass.” The President had called Frederick Douglass friend. Who dared demean Douglass if he was a friend of the President? Jesus Christ, the Lord of the universe, has called us his brothers and his sisters. God has called us His own children, but not only us — also the person who lies stripped and beaten by the side of the road. He or she is our friend, our neighbor(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) St. Teresa of Avila wrote:

Christ has no body but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks
Compassion on this world,
Yours are the feet with which he walks to do good,
Yours are the hands, with which he blesses all the world.
Yours are the hands, yours are the feet,
Yours are the eyes, you are his body.
Christ has no body now but yours,
No hands, no feet on earth but yours,
Yours are the eyes with which he looks with compassion on this world.
Christ has no body now on earth but yours (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Starving in a food store: Maria Janczuk was born in Poland and during World War II suffered privation, torture and hunger in a Nazi concentration camp. After the war, she lived in Leeds, England. On January 22, 1971 she was found dead of starvation in her house. She weighed only 41 pounds, and it was evident that she had been wasting her health. But her cupboards were full of eggs, butter, cheese and milk, which she hoarded. The policeman who investigated said, “It was like a food store.” The horrors of life and hunger in the concentration camp had probably created a fear in her mind which probably remained with her through the rest of her life. She died of starvation, even though her kitchen shelves were stocked. There is an abundance of blessings, promises, assurances of peace, joy, strength, love, hope, salvation, eternal life and all that one needs in this life, in the Word of God. Do we believe and let God work through us and for us? (Daniel Sunderaj in Manna for the Soul; quoted by Fr. Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) The living Gospel: There is a story of a chaplain who was serving on the battlefield. He came across a young man who was lying in a shell hole, seriously wounded. “Would you like me to read something from this book, the Bible?” he asked. “I’m so thirsty, I’d rather have a drink of water.” The soldier said. Hurrying away, the chaplain soon brought the water. Then the wounded man said, “Could you put something under my head?” The chaplain took off his overcoat, rolled it up and gently placed it under the man’s head for a pillow. “Now,” said the suffering man, “if I just had something over me -I’m cold.” The chaplain immediately removed his jacket and put it over the wounded man to keep him warm. Then the soldier looked the chaplain straight in the eye and said, “If there is anything in that book that makes a man do for another all that you have done for me, then please read it, because I’d love to hear it.” If my actions do not speak of Gospel values, be sure my words never will. What affects most people is often caught rather than taught. Indeed, we are the only book on Jesus Christ that others may ever read! (James Valladares in Your Words O Lord, Are Spirit and They Are    Life; quoted by Fr.      Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) The Holy Name of Jesus: St. Gregory of Tours relates that when he was a boy his father fell gravely ill and lay dying. Gregory prayed fervently for his recovery. When Gregory was asleep at night, his Guardian Angel appeared to him and told him to write the Name of Jesus on a card and place it under the sick man’s pillow. In the morning Gregory acquainted his mother with the Angle’s message, which she advised him to obey. He did so, and placed the card under his father’s head, when, to the delight of the whole family, the patient grew rapidly better. In today’s Gospel, we heard the seventy-two other disciples, when they returned from their mission of preaching, joyfully exclaimed to Jesus, “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through your name.” The disciples experienced power in the name of Jesus. We too can experience the same. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Let your greeting be Peace!: Jesus sent the seventy-two disciples to proclaim peace. They were called to be peace-makers and peace-givers. Heroic peace-makers, like Francis of Assisi, Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, were inspired and sustained by their belief in the power of goodness to triumph over all the machinations of evil. Francis utterly disregarded all dangers as he crossed the lines between the Crusaders and the army of the Sultan. He believed that the way to justice was not through the use of superior power but through the proclamation of goodness and brotherhood. Later in his life, when Assisi was rent asunder by the dispute between the mayor and the bishop, Francis did not dally with the rights and wrongs of the case but from his sick-bed he sent his brothers to sing of the blessedness of those who overcome wrongdoing by granting pardon. Gandhi drew strength and vision from the Sermon on the Mount and especially from the Beatitudes. He maintained this Gospel Faith unshaken even when evil continued to rear its violent head. Anybody who attempts to take seriously the path of Gospel goodness can expect to be tested by the backlash of evil. Martin Luther King likewise was constantly faced with every ugliness of discrimination, exploitation, and bitter memory that his opponents could come up with. Towards the end of his life he seemed to be walking more in his visionary land of peace than in the ugly society around him. Peace can be built only on the foundation of justice. (Sylvester O’Flynn in The Good News of Luke’s Gospel; quoted by Fr. Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) We are instruments of His peace: The world-famous Paganini was scheduled to begin his violin recital, one evening, when he found that his Stradivarius violin had been stolen from its case and had been replaced with an old, ordinary violin. The audience was already seated and there was no time to go elsewhere and bring in another violin worthy of the maestro. Undaunted, Paganini took the old instrument, tuned it to concert pitch and began to perform as it nothing untoward has happened. When he finished the recital, the audience gave him a standing ovation. Paganini then announced, “Friends, today I’ve performed on an old, ordinary violin; and, I’ve proved to you that the music is not in the instrument but in the maestro!” In today’s Gospel, the maestro of mission, Jesus, sends out seventy-two disciples on mission as instruments of his peace. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 23) Shalom!!! Elie Wiesel tells a very disturbing story in one of his books. Once after delivering a lecture in New York he met a man who looked vaguely familiar. He began to wonder who he was and where they had met before. Then he remembered. He had known him in Auschwitz. Suddenly an incident involving this man came back to him. As soon as children arrived by train at Auschwitz, together with the elderly and the sick, they were immediately selected for the gas chamber. On one occasion a group of children were left to wait by themselves for the next day. This man asked the guards if he could stay with the children during their last night on earth. Surprisingly his request was granted. How did they spend that last night? He started off by telling the children stories in an effort to cheer them up. However, instead of cheering them up, he succeeded only in making them cry. So what did they do? They cried together until daybreak. Then he accompanied the little ones to the gas chamber. Afterwards he returned to the prison to report for work.
Flor McCarthy quoted by Fr. Botelho(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 24) Superstars: What is it that makes an athlete a superstar? Perhaps what makes a superstar shine more brightly than others is his or her confidence and capacity to perform consistently with excellence, especially in pressure situations. One thinks, for example, of the great quarterbacks in pro football, of men like Joe Montana, who with two minutes left in a game can lead his team downfield to snatch a victory out of the clutches of defeat. When the going gets tough you want superstars like Wade Boggs in the batter’s box, or Larry Bird with the basketball in the final seconds of overtime. When the pressure is the greatest, you can almost sense that a superstar like Jack Nicklaus will sink that long putt on the 18th green, or that Wayne Gretzky will put the puck in the net in the last minute of play. -Now what is true of superstars in sports is also true of saints in the Christian life. They have the capacity to come through when the pressure is the greatest. Today’s readings show why. In the first reading from Isaiah, the chosen People are in exile and yet the prophet tells them to exult: “Rejoice, Jerusalem, be glad for her, all you who mourned her … Now towards her I send flowing peace, to his servants Yahweh will reveal his hand…” (Albert Cylwicki in His World Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho )(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 25) The Lord appointed a further seventy-two. Some of the best foreign-born missionaries to the U.S.A. in the last century were inspired to come here by published narratives of missionaries already in the field. Especially influential were the magazines of three great missionary organizations: the Society for the Propagation of the Faith (France), the Ludwig Mission Society (Bavaria) and the Leopoldine Society (Austria-Hungary). Father Frederick Baraga, Slovenian apostle to the Chippewa Indians, was fired with zeal for the U.S. missions by what he read in the Leopoldine magazine. So was the Bohemian, St. John Neumann. So, too, was the Croation, Father Joseph Kundek who pioneered the church in Indiana. When Kundek read the reports of American Missionaries, he declared “I can do the same as these missionaries!” And he did. It was not at all the prospects of an easy life that attracted these apostolic men. It was the challenge of a hard life. One appeal for missionaries addressed to French candidates even said: “We offer you: no salary, no holidays, no pension, but much hard work, frequent sickness, an unknown grave.” Yet, it was precisely this challenge by something bigger than themselves that attracted our top missionaries. Today, vocations to the priesthood have dropped off alarmingly. Why? Maybe we haven’t been praying enough to the “Lord of the Harvest”. Maybe also we have tried to “sell” the priestly vocation too much as a “crown”, too little as a “cross”. Young people will still respond to challenges. As John Paul II said to the youth of Costa Rica, “I know you want noble ideals, even if the cost is large, and you do not want to lead grey lives.”   (Father Robert F. McNamara). L/25

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C (No. 41) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

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

June 23-28: June 23 Monday: Mt 7:1-5: “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

The context:In today’s passage, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus condemns our careless, malicious, and rash judgments about others’ feelings, motives, behavior or actions.

Reasons why we should not judge others: 1) No one, except God, is good enough, and only He has the right and authority, to judge us, because only He sees the whole truth, and only He can read the human heart. 2) We do not see all the facts or circumstances, nor the power of the temptation, behind a person’s evil deed. 3) We have no right to judge others because we have the same faults as the ones we are judging and often to a higher degree (remember Jesus’ funny example of a man with a wooden beam in his eye trying to remove the dust particle from another’s eye?) St. Philip Neri commented, watching the misbehavior of a drunkard, “There goes Philip but for the grace of God.” 4) We are often prejudiced in our judgment of others, and total fairness cannot be expected from us.

Life message1) Let us leave the judgment to God and refrain from being critical and judgmental. Let us remember the advice of saints: “When you point one finger of accusation at another, three of your fingers point at you.” Let us also heed the Jewish rabbi’s reminder, “He who judges others favorably will be judged favorably by God.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 24 Tuesday: Birth of Saint John the Baptist:Luke 1:57-66: For a brief account, click on: (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/nativity-of-saint-john-the-baptist) Luke 57 57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechariah after his father, 60 but his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your kindred is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all marveled. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

The context:Today’s Gospel describes the birth and naming of St. John the Baptist, the last Old Testament prophet. He was given the mission of heralding the promised Messiah and of preparing the Chosen People to welcome that Messiah by preaching to them repentance and the renewal of life. John was born to the priest, Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth in their old age. Today’s Gospel passage describes John’s birth, Circumcision, and Naming ceremony.

A miraculous birth and an event of double joy: His elderly parents rejoiced in John’s birth, as he was a gift from God in their old age. Since the child was a boy, all their neighbors rejoiced with them, and the village musicians celebrated the birth by playing their joyful music. The Naming followed the baby’s Circumcision, and Elizabeth insisted that the child should be named John (which means “the Lord is gracious”), the name given him by the Archangel Gabriel when he spoke to Zechariah. Appealed to by the gathered people, the mute Zechariah approved that name by writing, “His name is John.” At that action of obedient surrender to the Lord God, the priest’s speech was restored, and he loudly proclaimed the praises of God for blessing him with a son and Israel with her Deliverer, Whose herald his son would be.

Life messages: 1) We need to pray for our parents and be thankful to them for the gift of life, the training, and the discipline they have given us, and the love and affection they have lavished on us. Let us ask God’s pardon if we are, or were, ungrateful to them, do/did not take proper care of them in their illness or old age or ever inflicted pain on them. 2) We need to remember and pray for our godparents who sponsored us in Baptism, which made us children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, heirs of Heaven, and members of Jesus’ Mystical Body, the Church.

3) We should have the courage of our Christian convictions as John the Baptist did, and we should become heralds of Christ as the Baptist was, by our transparent Christian lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 25 Wednesday;Mt 7:15-20:“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit. 18 A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will know them by their fruits..

The context: In today’s Gospel passage, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives his Church a warning against false prophets and their false doctrines. Jesus compares them to wolves in sheep’s clothing and tells us we can recognize them by observing the lives they lead and the doctrines they teach.

False and true prophets: The Old Testament speaks of false prophets and how they mislead God’s people. Jer 23:9-40 is a classic example. The prophet condemns the false prophets of Baal. The Old Testament gives three signs of true prophets: a) they honor God and promote the worship of the one true God; b) they care for the poor; c) they fight for justice. Modern false prophets in the Church try to remove the cross from Christianity, dilute sin, and avoid teaching about God’s judgment while claiming that morality is relative a position which God abhors: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who change darkness into light and light into darkness” (Is 5:20). They try to separate the people of God from the Magisterium of the Church. But modern true prophets lead exemplary and righteous lives, obey God’s laws and the Church laws, and demonstrate the virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance. In addition, they produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gal 5:22-23). St. Jerome, in his Latin Translation of the whole Bible (the Vulgate) expanded this passage from Galatians to Twelve Fruits: “Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity [Kindness], Goodness, Long-suffering [Patience under stress] Mildness [Gentleness], Modesty, Continency, Chastity. Since the Church uses the Vulgate as the foundation of Scripture, the Church teaches that there are 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit. [Scott P Richert What
Are the 12 Fruits of the Holy Spirit? What They Really Mean June 22. 2025

Life
message: 1) As Christians, we participate in the
prophetic role of Christ. Hence, we have the duty of leading others to Christ
by our exemplary Christian lives. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/25

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

June 26 Thursday: Mt 7:21-29: 21 “Not everyone who says to me, `Lord,
Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father
who is in heaven.  22 On that day many will say to me, `Lord, Lord, did we
not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty
works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, `I never knew
you; depart from me, you evildoers.’  24 “Everyone then who hears
these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house
upon the rock; 25 ….29

 The context:
Today’s Gospel is the concluding part of the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus
gives us two warnings: 1) that we must match our profession of Faith with
actual obedience to the will of God, and 2) that we must build our life on the
firm foundation of his teachings.  Jesus warns us against hypocrisy and
challenges us to make a radical commitment to his word by putting it into
action.

Criterion for
entrance to Heaven: In the first part of the Gospel for today,
Jesus asserts that fidelity, both in Faith and in its practice, is what gives
one admission into the Kingdom of Heaven.  Jesus is speaking about the
future leaders in his Church who will prophesy, cast out demons, and accomplish
deeds of power in the cause of Christ without stopping to reflect on whether
they are obeying Jesus and living according to his ideals.  Fine words can
never be a substitute for fine deeds.  We may deceive men with our words,
but we cannot deceive God who reads our hearts.  That is why the Apostle
James advises us in his epistle, “Be doers of the word, and not hearers
only, deceiving yourselves (Jas 1: 22).

The obedient wise man
and the non-obedient fool: Jesus contrasts a wise man who practices
what he believes with a fool who does not practice his religious beliefs, using
the images of one man who built his house on firm rock and another who built
his house on loose sand in summer, right in the rainy season flood-plain of a
river.

Life messages: 1) We
need to build our family on a strong foundation: There can be no
great marriage and no great family without a solid foundation,
and that foundation begins with the husband and wife doing and being the
love of Christ for each other and for their children.  The members of the
family must love one another the way Jesus wants us to love, to forgive each
other as he teaches, and to become servants of one another the way Jesus was to
everyone.

2) We need to synchronize our living with
our profession of Faith: The test of our Sunday worship is the effect it
has on us during the rest of the week in our homes and workplaces and the way
it influences our relationships with friends and neighbors.  The great
test is the care, consideration, and sensitivity we show to our neighbors, many
of whom would otherwise lack affection, words of encouragement, and
forgiveness. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 27 Friday: (Most Sacred Heart of Jesus): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/the-sacred-heart-of-jesus  Lk 15: 3-7:

Devotion
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the second most-popular Catholic devotion among
Catholics, the first being the Rosary.The infinite love and mercy of God is shown in many different metaphors
and symbols like the Baby in the manger, the Good Shepherd, the Crucifix, the
Sacred Heart, and the Divine Mercy Picture.The devotion to the
Sacred Heart is based on the apparitions of Our Lord from 1673 to 1675 to  St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial in France. The Gospel passage, “They shall look on him whom they have
pierced” (Jn
19:35-37) lies at the foundation of the whole tradition of devotion
to the Divine Heart. The practices of the “Enthronement
of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” in the home and the “Consecration and dedication of the family to the Sacred Heart” were
begun by Fr. Mateo Crawley-Boevey of the Congregation
of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary and were later approved by the popes.
Official and social recognition of the rule of Jesus over the Christian family
is the purpose of the consecration of the family to the Sacred Heart of
Jesus.  The “Holy Hour,” the “Litany
of the Sacred Heart,”  “The Act of Consecration of the Family and
the Human Race to the Sacred Heart,” the “First Friday Devotion” and the “Novena
to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” are different forms of this devotion.

Life Messages:
1) An invitation for
heart transplant. Our hearts become stony and insensitive through our daily
exposure to acts of cruelty, terrorism, injustice,
and impurity. Hence, God prescribes a change of heart through His prophet
Ezekiel (Ez 11:19-20) to make our hearts soft,
elastic, large and sensitive: ”I will give them a new heart and put a new
spirit within them; I will remove the stony heart from their bodies and replace
it with a natural heart.” The Sacred Heart of
Jesus should be the ideal heart for this medical procedure because Jesus said, “Learn of me I am meek and humble of heart.”
Let us ask to have the heart of Jesus.

2)  An invitation to love.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus challenges us to love others as Jesus loved,
selflessly, unconditionally and sacrificially, and to express this love in
humble and loving service done to others.

c)     An
invitation to pray: First, let us continue to pray for the grace of
healing for those who have been the victims of sexual abuse by the clergy
as the Church expresses its sorrow and seeks forgiveness from these victims.
Let us also pray that these victims may, in turn, accept the grace to forgive
those who have harmed and betrayed them. Second, let us pray for the grace
of courage for our bishops to be true shepherds in caring for their flocks;
in restoring discipline in clerical and religious life and in ending the
dissent that has undermined the Magisterium. Third, let us pray for the grace of
perseverance, that clergy and laity alike will keep the Faith and not lose
hope in difficult time of purification. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

Saturday June 28, Mt 8:5-17: “When Jesus entered Capernaum, a
centurion approached him saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed,
suffering dreadfully.’ He said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’The centurion
said in reply, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter
under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I too am a
man subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,‘
and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave,
‘Do this,’ and he does it.’ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and
said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have
I found such faith. I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and
will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of
heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be driven out into the outer
darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” And Jesus
said to the centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for
you.”

 — And at that very hour his servant was
healed.

The
Context:
Having chosen the twelve disciples who would live with him, take care of his
needs and be taught by him, this unconventional Rabbi first gave the the Sermon
on the Mount (radically clarifying the Law and its practices with God’s view of
how these should be observed.” Jesus offered God’s miracles to validate his
power to teach with Divine Authority. He cleansed a leper in person, and responded
to the Faith of the humble Roman Centurion
by during his dying servant by a simple long-distance command. Then, at
the request of his new disciples, Jesus “rebuked” the high fever incapacitating
Peter’s Mother-in-Law, curing her instantly and restoring her strength.  After sunset and the end of the Sabbath, the
whole town turned out, bringing  “…many
who were possessed by demons, and he drove the spirits by a word and
cured all the sick.”

 

Life Messages  1) Jesus still responds to pleas
for healing and mercy from those who believe in  Him as One Who is One with the Father and the
Holy Spirit, and keep His word in their love service of those around them.  2) The pagan Centurion believed in Jesus  and his Divine Authority, enough to tell this
Rabbi that he no need to defile himself by visiting the Centurion’s pagan home.
Rather, Jesus should simply use his Divine Authority and command the healing , just
as the Centurion himself gets the work of the Legion done by commanding his men
to obey his orders.  3) Jesus not only
has Authority from God to act among us – in his own Incarnate life, Jesus obeys
the Father in all the things he does, living as man among us, as the Messiah of
God, teaching God’s insistence  that each
of us, His children by adoption, living in
willing, sacrificial, obedience to His Will.   

 

Optional Memorial Mass: The Immaculate heart of Blessed Virgin
Mary: For a short account, click ohttps://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/seasons-and-feast-days/immaculate-heart-of-mary-14358  

Lk 2:41-51: 41 Each year his parents went to Jerusalem for the feast
of Passover, and when he was twelve years old, they went up according to
festival custom. After they had completed its days, as they were returning, the
boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it.
Thinking that he was in the caravan, they journeyed for a day and looked for
him among their relatives and acquaintances, but not finding him, they returned
to Jerusalem to look for him. ……51

 

This feast  commemorates the joys and
sorrows of the Mother of God, her virtues and perfections, her
love for God and her Divine Son and her compassionate love for mankind. … In
1969, Pope St. Paul VI moved the celebration of the Immaculate Heart of Mary to
the Saturday, immediately after the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. Devotion to the Immaculate
Heart of Mary is a special form of devotion to the venerable person of Mary,
similar to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Mary’s Immaculate Heart represents her interior life and the beauty of her soul.  Devotion to the Heart of Jesus is especially directed to the Divine
Heart as overflowing with love for men. This devotion is an attempt
to respond to Jesus’ love and to make reparation for the lack of love on the
part of mankind.  In the devotion to the Heart of Mary, on the other hand,
what seems to attract us above all else is the love of Mary’s Immaculate Heart for Jesus and for God.  The objective is to love Godand Jesus better, by uniting ourselves to Mary
for this purpose and by imitating her virtues. In this devotion, we think of
the love, virtues, and sentiments of
Mary’s interior life and try to put them into practice. 

Scriptural basis of
this devotion: It was
mostly the love, humility, faith, and other virtues of the Heart of Mary that
attracted early Christians to Mary, the mother of Jesus. They saw Mary’s heart
in its true color at the foot of the Cross.  Simeon’s prophecy furnished
this devotion with its most popular representation: the heart pierced with a
sword.  St. Augustine remarks: “At the foot of the cross, Mary cooperated
with Jesus in the work of our redemption through charity.”  One Scriptural
passage in support of this devotion is the twice repeated (Lk 2:19; 2:51)
saying of St. Luke given in today’s Gospel that “Mary kept all the things [the saying and doings of Jesus] in her heart,” that she might ponder on them and live by them. A few of the sayings of Mary recorded in the Gospel, particularly the Magnificat, disclose new features in Marian psychology. Elizabeth proclaims Mary blessed because she has believed the words of the angel. The Magnificat (Lk 1:46-56) is also an expression of her humility. The last words of Mary recorded in Scripture were spoken at the wedding feast in Cana when the wine ran out, and Mary approached Jesus, as usual, to tell them of this calamity. He had answered her that this was not His responsibility any longer, nor was it hers, for His Hour had not yet come. Mary understood that being the Messiah of God had changed Jesus’ position radically, and she humbly accepted this necessary change in their relationship as Mother and Son as God’s will for both of them, turning to the serving boys telling them, “Do whatever He tells you!” (Jn 2:5), the same instruction she gives all of us on every occasion! Finally, answering the woman in the crowd who praised Jesus’ mother as blessed, Jesus commented “Blessed rather are they that hear the word of God and keep it”(Lk 11:28). It was Mary’s readiness to hear and do the will of God that endeared her to God and caused her to be selected as the Mother of Jesus.

Life message: Let us take Mary as our role model and practice her virtues of trusting Faith, serving humility and readiness to do God’s will in our daily lives, thus becoming immaculate children of an Immaculate Heavenly Mother. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

One page synopsis of Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (June 29, 2025)

St. Peter and St. Paul are the principal pillars of the Church. That is why this Sunday (June 29th), we celebrate the feast of their martyrdom, replacing the normal readings for the Thirteenth Sunday [C] in Ordinary Time

Peter was son of Jona and brother of Andrew. He was a professional fisherman from Bethsaida, a fishing town on the Lake of Galilee (Gennesaret). He might have been a follower of John the Baptist. It was his brother Andrew who introduced him to Jesus, and Jesus who changed his name from Simon to Cephas or Peter. Jesus made him the leader of his apostles. At Caesarea Philippi Jesus promised to make him the head of his Church, and the risen Jesus confirmed Peter’s precedence. It was the Ho ly Sprit Who inspired Peter’s Proclamation of the Good News to all in Jerusalem on the day of the Pentecost bringing the Church into living action. Peter made missionary journeys to Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea and convened the first Council in Jerusalem. Peter wrote two epistles addressed to the whole Church. He was martyred by crucifixion under the emperor Nero.

Paul the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and the greatest missionary was a Roman citizen by birth as he was born in Tarsus of Cilicia, a Province of Rome. His original name was Saul. He was trained as a tent-maker and practiced that trade. As a Pharisee he was sent to Jerusalem by his parents to study the Mosaic Law under the great Rabbi Gamaliel. Well-versed in the Scriptures, he became a religious fanatic and was ready to destroy the Christian faith. When Stephen was stoned to death by Jewish fanatics, Saul was there to support them. But he was miraculously converted on his way to Damascus to arrest the Christians. He made several missionary journeys, converted hundreds of Jews and Gentiles and established Church communities. He wrote 14 epistles. He was arrested and kept in prison for two years in Caesarea and two more years in Rome. Finally, he was martyred by beheading at Tre Fontane in Rome. Let us pray for the apostolic zeal and missionary spirit of Saints Peter & Paul.

Solemnity of Ss Peter and Paul, Apostles (June 29, 2025) Vigil: Acts 3:1-10; Gal 1:11-20; Jn:21:15-19; Sunday: Acts 12:1-11; 1Tm 4:6-8; Mt 16:13-19

Homily starter anecdotes: 1) “Quo Vadis, Domine?” There is a legend about Saint Peter’s encounter with Jesus Christ during the persecution of Christians in Rome by Emperor Nero. Fleeing Rome on the advice of many Church memberswho saw him as indespensible to the continuance of the Church, Peter headed out the Via Appia for the countryside. There  Peter he encountered Jesus, who who was heading toward the city of Rome to face the persecution. “Quo vadis, Domine?” Peter asks – “Lord, where are you going?” “I am going to Rome to be crucified,” Jesus answers – and disappears. A very ashamed Peter stopped and returned to Rome to face his martyrdom bravely, knowing the Churh would continue.. Tradition teaches us he was crucified at the foot of Vatican Hill and was buiried there.  St. Peter’s Basilica was constructed over that site, and Peter’s remains are buried directly under the High Altar.    The event is recorded in the apocryphal Acts of Peter and depicted in Annibale Carracci’s 1602 painting “Peter’s Meeting with Christ. The Latin phrase Quo Vadis denotes an episode from the life of Saint Peter, as told in the New Testament Apocrypha and the ‘Golden Legend’. The Church of Domine Quo Vadis (“Lord, where are you going?”) is located on the spot where tradition says St. Peter, had a vision of the risen Christ. Many people derive their understanding of the above events from the 1951 MGM film Quo Vadis, based on Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero, which has been translated into more than 50 languages. This novel contributed to Sienkiewicz winning the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1905.

2) The conversion of St. Paul: Born in the Roman Province of Tarsus in Cilicia, which is now known as Turkey, Saul had the opportunity to study under the great Rabbi Gamaliel in Jerusalem. Well-versed in the Scriptures and the kind of debating practices among scholars of the Law, he became a zealous, active defender of the Law, and was ready to destroy the Christian faith as blasphemy and idolatry.  Too young to take part in the stoning of Stephen, the Church’s first martyr, he assisted by holding the cloaks of the formal stoners.  Immediately after the martyrdom of Stephen, Paul got actively involved in persecuting the Christians. However, while he was on his way to Damascus to find all the Christians (whom he saw as renegade Jews) and put in chains to be brought to Jerusalem for trial, he saw a light from Heaven so brilliant that he fell to the ground, blinded.  As Saul fell to the ground, he heard the voice of Jesus asking him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Immediately Saul, shaken, asked, “Who are you, Lord?” Jesus said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. But get up and enter the city, and you will be told what you are to do” (Acts 9:5-6). Paul was without sight for three days, and he remained neither eating nor drinking, struggling with the knowledge that his zeal had led him to attack the Lord God, and finally surrendering into Faith that Jesus was GOD Himself and that he, Saul, had been spiritually blind all this while.  At that point, Ananias, a disciple in Damascus, was sent by the Lord Jesus to Paul with instructions to heal and baptize Paul. Ananias objected, “Lord, I have heard from many sources about this man, whot evil things he has done to Your Holy Oned in Jerusalem. And her he has autohority from the chief priests to imprisonall who call upon Your Name!” Jesus responded, “Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry My Name before Gentiles, Kings and Israelitess, and I will show him what he will have to suffer for My Name”  (Acts 9:15-16). As directed by Jesus, Ananias went to Paul, helped him recover his sight and baptized him. Thus, Paul was totally converted to the Lord Jesus. Paul continued his ministry even in the face of opposition and persecution. Opposition and Intense suffering did not stop Paul from preaching. He only asked the believers to pray for him to be given greater power to carry out his mission faithfully. He writes to the Ephesians, “Pray also for me so that when I speak, a message may be given to me to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it boldly, as I must speak” (Eph 6:19-20). Paul had a great passion for spreading the message of Jesus because he loved Jesus with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all his strength. In fact, he truly believed of himself that  “it is no longer I that live but Christ lives in me” (Gal 2:20). The fourteen epistles Paul wrote also testify to the passion with which he proclaimed the message of salvation in Jesus Christ. As we celebrate the feast of his Conversion, let us remember to join him in spreading the message of Jesus with great passion and commitment as he did. (Fr. Jose P CMI, Florida.)

Today’s Gospel: Apostles: Ss. Peter & Paul: Mt 16:13-19:  13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth  shall be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ. 21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, “God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men.”

 The context: Today’s gospel passage is the first of the three times when Jesus foretold his passion, death and resurrection. It consists of two sections, the messianic confession of Peter and the prediction of his Passion by Jesus

Jesus as Christ our Lord and Savior: Today’s Gospel explains the basis of our faith as the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior. It also tells us that Christ Jesus became our Savior by his suffering and death and resurrection. This famous profession of Faith by Peter took place at Caesarea Philippi, at present called Banias, twenty-five miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus realized that if his disciples did not know who he really was, then his entire ministry, suffering and death would be useless. Hence, he decided to ask a question in two parts. 1) “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” 2) “But who do you say that I am?” Their answer to the first question was: “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” Peter volunteered to answer the second question saying: “You are the Christ (Messiah) the Son of the living God.” Jesus confirmed Peter’s insight as a special revelation from God. “No mere man has revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.”

Life messages: 1) Let us experience Jesus as our Lord and Savior and surrender our life to him. We experience Jesus as personal savior by listening to him through the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, by talking to him through daily, personal and family prayers, by offering him our lives on the altar in frequenting Holy Mass, by being reconciled to Him every night when we ask his pardon and forgiveness for our sins and by receiving the sacrament of reconciliation whenever we are in mortal sin. 2) The next step is the surrender of our lives to Jesus by rendering humble and loving service to others with the strong conviction that Jesus is present in every person. 3) Let us grow in the faith and loyalty of Peter and acquire the missionary zeal of St. Paul (Fr. Tony)

Jokes of the week: 1) A cab driver arrives in heaven. St. Peter gives him a gold staff and a silk white robe, and sent him on to his reward. Waiting next in line was a Preacher. St. Peter looks at the record, furrows his brow, and says, “We will let you in, but take this wood staff and this cloth robe.” The preacher was shocked. “I was a man of the cloth. I faithfully preached every week. Why does a cabbie get rewarded higher than a preacher?” “Up here we reward results,” St Peter replied. “Whenever you preached, people prayed!”

2. “Jesus certainly wasn’t from Alabama!” A little girl from Alabama went to church for the first time ever when she was visiting her non-Catholic grandparents in Michigan. When the pastor announced it was time for the Lord’s Supper, she was excited – and hungry. The congregation filed up to the altar rail, and the child watched in confusion as her grandparents received a wafer and small plastic cup of wine. She could hardly wait to get back to the pew to tell her grandma, “Jesus certainly wasn’t from Alabama!” “How do you know that, dear?” asked her grandma. “Because that was the poorest meal I’ve ever seen,” she said. “Mama would’ve at least given everybody some corn bread and sweet tea.”

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) Father’s advice to his son in law before giving his daughter in marriage; (Hilarious videoillustrating the role of the Trinitarian God in marriage)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eqEkPjUbmIA

7)Catholic doctrines in short videos; http://thatcatholicshow.sqpn.com/

8) Catholic pages Directory: http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/default.asp

9) The Catholic Liturgical Calendar page: http://www.easterbrooks.com/personal/calendar/index.php

10) Fr. Don’s video homily collections: https://sundayprep.org/prep-videos/   

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

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C (No 37) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visithttps://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under CBCI or  Fr. Tony for my website version. (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

June 16-21: June 16 Monday: Mt 5:38-42: You have heard that it was said, `An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 39 But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; 40 and if anyone would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; 41 and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. 42 Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.

The context: During their captivity in Egypt, the Jews became familiar with the crude tribal law of retaliation called Lex Talionis (=Tit-for-Tat) given by the ancient lawmaker Hammurabi during the period 2285-2242 BC. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus rejects even the concession of milder retaliation allowed by Moses. In its place, Jesus gives a new law of love and grace — and no retaliation.

“An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” Moses instructed the Israelites to follow tit-for-tat retaliation, rather than to wreak total destruction upon their enemies. That is, instead of mutilating or murdering all the members of the offender’s family or tribe, they should discover, then punish by an equal mutilation or harm, only the offender. Later, a milder version of this law was substituted. It demanded monetary compensation, as decided by a judge, in place of physical punishment. Moses also gave the Israelites several laws commanding merciful treatment for the enemy if he also was a Jew (e.g., Lv 19:18).

The true Christian reaction: For Jesus, retaliation, or even limited vengeance, has no place in the Christian life. Jesus illustrates the Christian approach by giving three examples:

• “Turn to him the other cheek”:  Striking someone on the right cheek (with the right hand), requires striking with the back of one’s hand, and, according to Jewish concepts, the blow inflicts more insult than pain. Jesus instructs his followers to forgive the insult gracefully and convert the offender.  2) “Let him have your cloak as well.” Jesus instructs his followers that they should show more responsibility and a greater sense of duty than to fight over possessions.  3) “Go with him two miles.” A Christian has the duty of responding, even to seemingly unjust demands by helping or serving gracefully not grudgingly. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 17 Tuesday: Mt 5:43-48: “You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect

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

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

Life Messages: We are to try to be perfect, to be like God:  1) We become perfect when we fulfill God’s purpose in creating us: with His help, to become God-like. 2) We become perfect when, with His ongoing help, we try to love as God loves, to forgive as God forgives, and to show unconditional good will and universal benevolence as God does. Perfection means we are striving to live each and every moment doing God’s will, using or cooperating with the grace of God.   Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 18 Wednesday: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18: “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, 18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

The context: In today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus takes three cardinal works of religious life in Judaism, namely, almsgiving, fasting, and prayer, and instructs the   apostles, the crowd of disciples, and us, on the             principles underlying these acts of personal piety.

Life Messages: 1) Almsgiving becomes a noble and meritorious religious act when we give alms to others in order to bring glory to God. a) We are to help the poor as an expression of our sharing love, in thanksgiving for the blessings we have received from God. b) But Almsgiving becomes solely an act of self-glorification when we do it as the Pharisees did, to demonstrate our generosity in public and to get popular acclaim.

2) Fasting becomes a noble act pleasing to God when we do it: a) to experience what the real hunger of the poor is, b) to help the poor better by giving the price of what we do not eat to feed them, c) to discipline ourselves in eating and drinking and d) to appreciate better God’s blessings of good health, good appetite, and generous provisions. e) But fasting solely for show, as the Pharisees did, is wrong and sinful.

3) Prayer: Prayer is opening our connection to God by talking to Him and listening to Him, convinced of His all-pervading holy presence within us and all around us. a) By prayer we acknowledge our total dependence on God, draw from Him our daily spiritual strength, and recharge our spiritual batteries from God’s infinite power. b) But long, noisy, repetitious prayer performed in public solely for show as the Pharisees did is no prayer at all. It is hypocrisy. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 19 Thursday: (USA) [Saint Romuald, Abbot]: For a brief biography click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-romuald/

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

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

“For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, now and forever. Amen.” The manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this phrase, nor do any of the Catholic translations. Martin Luther added this doxology to the Our Father in his translation of Matthew’s Gospel, and the King James editions of the Bible keep it.  The doxology is actually taken from the Divine Liturgy or Catholic Mass.  Known as the final doxology, it takes up the first three petitions to our Father. By the final “Amen,” which means, “So be it”, we ratify what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24  For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

 June 19, 2025 Thursday (in countries other than USA):  The Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) Kindly visit Sunday homily for detailed text.  https://www.franciscanmedia.org/faith-and-family/faith-and-family-for-june-19-solemnity-of-the-most-holy-body-and-blood-of-christ/

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

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

“For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, now and forever. Amen.” The manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this phrase, nor do any of the Catholic translations. Martin Luther added this doxology to the Our Father in his translation of Matthew’s Gospel, and the King James editions of the Bible keep it.  The doxology is actually taken from the Divine Liturgy or Catholic Mass.  Known as the final doxology, it takes up the first three petitions to our Father. By the final “Amen,” which means, “So be it”, we ratify what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24  For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

June 20 Friday: Mt 6:19-23: 19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; 23 but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

The context: Today’s Gospel passage from the Sermon on the Mount instructs us to amass secure and lasting treasures in Heaven by a life of righteousness on earth, doing the will of God and sharing our blessings with the needy. Jesus uses two metaphors, one explaining the folly of keeping perishable treasures on earth and the other of loving the darkness caused by pride and prejudice.

The image of earthly & heavenly treasures: Man’s heart yearns for a treasure which will give him security and lasting happiness. But treasure in the form of riches very often gives him constant worry because riches can be lost, destroyed, or stolen, and his life may be terminated abruptly.   The only treasure which will last beyond this life is treasure stored in Heaven. Obtaining and keeping such a treasure is possible only by lovingly and sacrificially sharing God’s blessings with others and leading an upright life doing the will of God with His grace.

The image of a sound eye and clear vision:  Jesus compares the human eye to a lamp which provides the body with light. St. Thomas Aquinas in his commentary on Matthew gives the following explanation: “The eye refers to motive.  When a person wants to do something, he first forms an intention: thus, if your intention is sound – simple and clear—that is to say, if it is directed towards God, your whole body (that is, all your actions), will be sound, sincerely directed towards good.” Bad eyesight is also a Biblical metaphor for stupidity and spiritual blindness. Such blindness is caused by pride, prejudice, jealousy, hatred, etc., which would destroy our correct judgment.

Life message: 1) Let us spend our lives here on earth doing good for others without being blinded by pride and prejudice. Thus, we will store up everlasting treasures in Heaven. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 21 Saturday: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-aloysius-gonzaga/  Mt 6:24-34: the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon. 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more  value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin; 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O  men of little  faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, `What shall we eat?’ or `What shall we drink?’ or `What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Let the day’s own trouble be sufficient for the day

The context: Today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount instructs us to serve God alone as our Master and to avoid worries and anxiety both by placing our trusting Faith in the providence and care of a loving God and by living one day at a time in God’s presence, doing His will and praying for and deriving strength from Him.

Impossibility of serving two opposed masters:  Man’s ultimate goal and Master is God and not material possessions. We cannot serve both at the same time. Material possessions should not replace God and become gods.  They are given to us to be used as means to reach our ultimate goal, especially by sharing them with the needy.

Jesus’ arguments against unnecessary worries: 1) Unnecessary worries and anxiety cause spiritual, physical, and mental damages. a) Worries and anxiety cause the spiritual disease of sin when, like pagans and atheists, we do not trust in the goodness and providential care of a loving heavenly Father. b) Worries and anxieties cause physical diseases like hypertension, heart problems, respiratory diseases, insomnia, and rheumatic diseases. c) They also cause mental diseases like depression, phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorders and many other ills.  2) In nature, other creatures (like birds), work hard for their daily food, but they do not worry about tomorrow’s food. 3) Worry is useless because we cannot increase even an inch of our height or a day of our lives by hours of worrying.

Life Messages: How to avoid worry: 1) Trust in the providence of a loving God. 2) Acquire the art of living one day at a time without worrying over the dead past, the living present, or the unknown future. 3) Seek God’s kingdom by doing His will every day and live a righteous life obeying God’s law. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

 

 

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ [C] (June 22) in the U. S. 1 page summary (In other parts of the Church O. T. XII [C].(L-25)

Importance: 1) The last two precious gifts given to us by Jesus are the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food on Holy Thursday and Jesus’ mother Mary as our spiritual mother on Good Friday 2) Corpus Christi is the celebration of the abiding presence of a loving God as Emmanuel– God with us – in order to give collective thanks to our Lord for his living with us in the Eucharist. 3) The feast also gives us an occasion to learn more about the importance and value of the “Real Presence” on Jesus — body and blood, soul and Divinity under the appearances of bread and wine — so that we may appreciate the Sacrament better and receive maximum benefit from the Eucharist

We believe in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist because1) Jesus promised it after miraculously feeding the 5000. 2) Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist during his Last Supper. 3) Jesus commanded his disciples to repeat it in his memory. 4) “Nothing is impossible for God.”

We explain the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by: “Transubstantiation” which means that the substance of the consecrated bread and wine is changed to the substance of the risen Jesus’ glorified Body and Blood by the action of the Holy Spirit, and its accidents (like color, shape, taste etc.), remain the same.

Scripture lessons: This year’s readings for the Feast emphasize the theme of Covenant blood because the ancient peoples sealed Covenants with the blood of ritually sacrificed animals, and Jesus sealed his New Covenant with his own Blood shed on Calvary. Today’s first reading describes how Moses, by sprinkling the blood of a sacrificed animal on the altar and on the people, accepted the Covenant Yahweh proposed and made with His People. In the second reading, St. Paul affirms that Jesus sealed the New Covenant with his own Blood, thereby putting an end to animal sacrifices. Today’s Gospel details how Jesus converted this ancient ritual into a Sacrament and sacrifice. Instead of the lamb’s blood, Jesus offered his own Divine/human Body and Blood, and instead of sprinkling us with blood, Jesus put it into our hands as food and drink: “Take … eat … this IS my Body which will be given up for you” (He did not say “This represents my body”), and “Take … drink …This is … my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many, for the forgiveness of sins” (nor did He say, “This represents my blood…”).

A Sacrament and a sacrifice: Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist both as a sacramental banquet and a sacrificial offering.As a Sacrament, a) the Eucharist is a visible sign that gives us God’s grace and God’s life and, b) as a Meal, The Eucharist nourishes our souls. As a sacrifice a) the Eucharistic celebration is a re-presentation or re-enactment of Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary, completed in His Resurrection. b) We offer Jesus’ sacrifice to God the Father for the remission of our sins, using signs and symbols.

Life messages: 1) Let us appreciate the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, by receiving him with true repentance for our sins, due preparation and reverence.

2) Let us be Christ-bearers and conveyers: By receiving Holy Communion, we become Christ-bearers as Mary was, with the duty of conveying Christ to others at home and in the workplace, through love, mercy, forgiveness and humble and sacrificial service.

3) Let us offer our lives on the altar along with Jesus’ sacrifice, asking pardon for our sins, expressing gratitude for the blessings we have received and presenting our needs and petitions on the altar.

THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST [C]  (June 22  2025  (U. S. readings) (Gen 14: 18-20, ICor 11: 23-26, Lk 9: 11-17)

Homily starter anecdotes # 1: “I would like to say Mass.” Dominic Tang, the courageous Chinese archbishop, was imprisoned for twenty-one years for nothing more than his loyalty to Christ and Christ’s one, true Church. After five years of solitary confinement in a windowless, damp cell, the Archbishop was told by his jailers that he could leave it for a few hours to do whatever he wanted. Five years of solitary confinement and he had a couple of hours to do what he wanted! What would it be? A hot shower? A change of clothes? Certainly, a long walk outside? A chance to call or write to family? What would it be, the jailer asked him.  “I would like to say Mass,” replied Archbishop Tang. [Msgr. Timothy M. Dolan, Priests of the Third Millennium (2000), p. 216]. The Vietnamese Jesuit, Joseph Nguyen-Cong Doan, who spent nine years in labor camps in Vietnam, relates how he was finally able to say Mass when a fellow priest-prisoner shared some of his own smuggled supplies. “That night, when the other prisoners were asleep, lying on the floor of my cell, I celebrated Mass with tears of joy. My altar was my blanket, my prison clothes my vestments. But I felt myself at the heart of humanity and of the whole of creation.” (Ibid., p. 224). Today’s feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus constantly calls us beyond ourselves to sacrificial love for others. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

# 2: The greatest work of art in St. Peter’s Basilica: One of the seminarians who gives tours of St. Peter’s told me of an interesting incident. He was leading a group of Japanese tourists who knew absolutely nothing of our Faith. With particular care he explained the great masterpieces of art, sculpture and architecture. He finally concluded at the Blessed Sacrament Chapel trying his best to explain quickly what it was. As the group dispersed, an elderly man, who had been particularly attentive stayed behind, and said, “Pardon me. Would you explain again this ‘Blessed Sacrament?’” Our student did, after which the man exclaimed, “Ah, if this is so, what is in this chapel is a greater work of art than anything else in this basilica.”’  [Msgr. Timothy M Dolan in Priests of the Third Millennium, (2000), p. 226.] Today’s feast of Corpus Christi is intended to make us value and appreciate the worth of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.  Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

# 3: Communion on the moon: The Lord’s Supper ensures 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 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 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). –- Aldrin’s 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) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 [Email dated June 9th, 2012: Dear Fr. Tony,

 I read your anecdote ‘communion on the Moon’ with some amusement. Buzz Aldrin was Roman Catholic. He was an altar server to an uncle of mine Fr. Dennis Barry in St. Martin’s Church, La Mesa, California. My uncle said Mass in his hotel room with Buzz as the altar server the day before his trip to the Moon, and I have photographs of that Mass with Buzz holding the wine and water at the Offertory. My uncle gave Buzz the Body of Christ to take to the Moon with him and that was his first ‘meal on the moon’. I later met Buzz Aldrin at my uncle’s funeral in La Mesa in 1986. So, Buzz was not a Presbyterian. Thank you for your splendid service and keep up the good work.  God Bless. Fr. Eddie Collins. The Presbytery, O’Rahilly Street, Clonakilty, Co Cork, eddiecollins@eircom.net)) Comment:  Probably Aldrin joined the Presbyterian Church after his divorce and remarriage without annulment. Please check http://www.snopes.com/glurge/communion.asp. Fr. Tony

Introduction: The feast and its objectives:    Today, we celebrate the solemn feast of Corpus Christi. It is three feasts in one: the feast of the Eucharistic sacrifice, feast of the Sacrament of the Eucharist and the feast of the Real Presence of Jesus.  It is a doctrinal feast established for three purposes:  1) to give God collective thanks for Christ’s abiding presence with us in the Eucharist and to honor him there; 2) to instruct the people in the Mystery, Faith and devotion surrounding the Eucharist, and 3) to teach us to appreciate and make use of the great gift of the Holy Eucharist, both as a Sacrament and as a sacrifice. In the three-year cycle of the Sunday liturgy, there is a different theme each year for this Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ.  In Cycle A the theme is the Eucharist as our food and drink; in Cycle B the emphasis is on the Eucharist as the sign of the covenant; and in Cycle C the focus is on the priesthood of Jesus. Although we celebrate the institution of the Holy Eucharist on Holy Thursday, the Church wants to emphasize its importance by a special feast, formerly called “Corpus Christi.” It was Pope Urban IV who first extended the feast to the universal Church. This is one of the few feasts left in which we observe a procession and a sung “Sequence.”

The historical development: Today’s celebration of the Body and Blood of the Lord originated in the Diocese of Liege in 1246 as the feast of Corpus Christi.  In the reforms of Vatican II, Corpus Christi was joined with the feast of the Precious Blood (July 1) to become the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord. We celebrate today Christ’s gift of the Eucharist, the source and summit of our life together as the Church.  The Council of Trent (1545 to 1563) declared that we must honor Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist publicly so that those who observed the Faith of Catholics in the Most Holy Eucharist might be attracted to the Eucharistic Lord and believe in the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in this great Sacrament. “The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the God-man are really, truly, substantially, and abidingly present together with his soul and divinity by reason of the Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.  This takes place in the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass” (Council of Trent, 1551; CCC # 1374, note 200)

The Biblical foundation: Our belief in this Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist derives from the literal interpretation of the promise of Christ to give us his Body and Blood for our spiritual food and drink, as found in St. John’s Gospel, Chapter 6, and also in the four independent accounts of the fulfillment of this promise at the Last Supper (Mt 26:26-29; Mk 14: 22-25; Lk 22: 14-20; 1 Cor 11:23-25).  Eucharistic theologians explain the Real Presence by a process called transubstantiation: the entire substance of bread and wine is changed into the entire substance of the risen and glorified Body and Blood of Christ, retaining only the “accidents” (taste, color, shape) of bread and wine. Can there be a religion in which God is closer   to man than our Catholic Christianity?  Jesus does not believe that he is humiliating himself in coming to us and giving himself to us in his Flesh and Blood; rather, he is expressing his everlasting love for us.

Today’s Scripture lessons: Today’s Scripture readings contain three themes: the Eucharist as blessing or praise of God (action of Melchizedek in Gn 14:18-20), the Eucharist as memorial of what Jesus did at the Last Supper (1 Cor 11:23-26) and the Eucharist as food for the multitudes (Lk 9:11b-17). The never-ending supply of bread with which Jesus fed the multitude prefigured his own Body, the consecrated Bread that sustains us until he comes again.  The Eucharist is also a re-enactment of Christ’s sacrificial Self-giving.  The Jews offered animal sacrifices to God, believing that life was in the blood, and the animal blood was a substitute for human lifeblood. Following this Jewish tradition, Jesus offered his own lifeblood as a substitute for the lifeblood of all human beings and, so, sealed the New Covenant made between God and humankind (1 Cor 11:25), bringing new life to the world. The Corpus Christi readings remind us of Jesus’ offering of his Body and Blood which serves in the Church as a lasting memorial of His saving death for us. We renew Jesus’ Covenant by participating in the banquet of his Body and Blood, a banquet that, through his death, gives us life.

First reading: Genesis 14:18-20, explained: Abram was the earlier name of the patriarch Abraham, founder of the Chosen People who became our ancestors in the Faith. This story tells us how Melchizedek, the neighboring Canaanite king and “priest of God Most High,” welcomed Abram as he returned after defeating some local “kings” who had kidnapped his brother Lot, and recovering from them the property they had previously captured from the King of Sodom. Both Melchizedek himself and the character of his offering prefigure Jesus. In an act of thanksgiving, this mysterious King of Salem and “priest of God Most High,” blessed Abram, offered bread and wine to God and shared these with Abram. Abram affirms his Faith in the true God (“the Lord, God Most High, Creator of Heaven and earth”) to Whom he has sworn an oath (v 22). Jesus became known as “a priest according to the order of Melchizedek”(Psalm 110:4).  Jesus, priest and king, is the Eternal Priest and King of Kings who offered a sacrifice of Bread and Wine during his Last Supper. Jesus is infinitely greater than Melchizedek, in that He is the sacrifice and the offering, the Bread and Wine. Melchizedek offered a gift of gratitude to God. Jesus’ gift is also called the Eucharist, meaning thanksgiving. Like Melchizedek’s offering of gratitude to God, the Eucharist is our sacrifice of thanksgiving to God for all that He has accomplished in and through Jesus. Although the bread and wine mentioned in Genesis 14 are highly suggestive of the Eucharist for us, the sacrificial meal originally probably had no Eucharistic significance beyond reminding us of the hospitality which should be part of every celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

Second Reading, I Cor 11:23-26, explained: Today, on the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, we listen to Paul’s account of the Last Supper. This is one of the few places in his writings where Paul solemnly states that he is handing on a tradition possibly originating in the mid-30s. Paul supports the authenticity of his interpretation of the Last Supper of Jesus, describing it as a direct revelation received from the risen Jesus. Then he gives the earliest account of what Jesus said and did during the last meal he celebrated with his followers. The words Paul quotes are very similar to those ascribed to Jesus in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke.  This earliest written account of the institution of the Lord’s Supper in the New Testament emphasizes Jesus’ action of self-giving as expressed in the words over the bread and the cup and his double command to repeat his own action. Paul has to be very clear about his authority here, because he’s correcting the Corinthians severely. Misconduct at the Eucharist is one of several abuses for which the Apostle takes them to task. To proclaim the death of the Lord is to confess one’s Faith in the whole mystery of Christ and all that he means for us. The refusal of some of the Corinthian converts to imitate Jesus’ death by dying to their own vested interests had been creating chaos in Church gatherings. Paul believes that since Jesus gave us the Eucharist in the context of his dying for our sake, we should experience it only in the context of our dying to ourselves for his sake. Thus, all Christ’s disciples are challenged to promote community, to be united and to hold possessions in common.

Today’s Gospel (Lk 9:11-17):  Theologically, the miraculous feeding of the crowd of five thousand men could be understood as a type or prefiguring of Jesus’ gift of the Eucharistic Bread that would spiritually nourish those who believed in him. Christologically, the taking, breaking and giving of the loaves anticipated the “taking” of Jesus in the garden, the “breaking” of his body during his passion and Jesus’ “giving” of himself as a sacrifice for the sins of humankind. The description of the miracle also points out the disciples’ role in the miraculous feeding of the multitude. Only after they give him what little they have does Jesus bless, break and give it back to them to distribute to the hungry crowd.  Luke tells us that Jesus demands all his followers to “share what little they have” when they gather for the Lord’s Supper. No matter how insignificant or small our gift, it could be the very thing Jesus blesses to satisfy the hunger of those around us. To die by becoming one with each other and to die by sharing ourselves are at the heart of the Eucharist. If those elements are missing, our rubrics and actions are meaningless. In Greek the word koinonia is used by the Christian writers to describe both the Eucharistic communion and the communion of wealth.  For the first Christian communities the two things were the same (cfr. Acts 2:42-45).

Exegesis: Theological significance: Vatican II states that as a sacrifice “the Holy Eucharist is the center and culmination of Christian life” (Lumen Gentium, 11).  Why?  1) Because it enables us to participate in Christ’s sacrifice as a present reality and to benefit from its fruits in our own lives.  2) Because it helps us to worship the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the most perfect way.  3) Because it strengthens our charity and unity with Jesus and each other in a joint offering of his Body and Blood to the Father.  4) Because it gives us a lasting memorial of Christ’s suffering, death, and Resurrection, reminding us of our obligation to make loving sacrifices for others.  The Eucharist is the Mystery of our Faith, the mystery of our Hope, the mystery of our Charity.  Why do we celebrate the Eucharist some 2,000 years later?  We do this because Jesus told us to do so: “Do this in memory of me.”   St. Augustine in the 5^th century said it best when he said: “It is your Mystery, the Mystery of Your Life that has been placed on the altar.”  This Holy Memorial is known by various names: 1) “The Eucharist” because Jesus offered himself to God the Father as an act of thanksgiving; 2) “The Lord’s Supper“–or “Breaking of the Bread”– because we celebrate it as a meal;  3) “Holy Communion” because, we become one with Christ by receiving him; and  4) “Holy Mass” (holy sending), because it gives us a mission: “Go in peace glorifying God by your life.”

Jesus replaces the Old Covenant with the New Covenant: Jesus instituted the Eucharist in deliberate allusion to, and fulfillment of, what happened on Mount Sinai.  He replaced Moses as the God-chosen mediator, establishing the New Covenant promised through the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34), by using his own Blood rather than that of sacrificial animals.  By sacramentally consuming the Body and Blood of the God-Man, we, the final-age people of God, are interiorly transformed through the most perfect possible union with God.  Jesus creates a faithful people intimately united with God by means of his sacramental Blood.

The Jewish Passover is transformed into the Eucharistic celebration: Jesus instituted the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist while eating the Passover meal, the feast on which the Jews gathered annually to commemorate their ancestors’ deliverance from Egyptian slavery.  This foundational event began the night God “passed over” the Israelites to punish their oppressors who resisted His will.  Israel was “saved through blood” of sacrificial lambs sprinkled on doorways.  [There are some modern Bible scholars who doubt whether Jesus’ Last Supper was strictly a Passover meal because many items of the Passover meal are not mentioned.]  In the second half of today’s Gospel, Jesus’ words and gestures are understood as mediating the fullness of salvation through Blood that would be his own.  That night he offered “the Blood of the New and Eternal Covenant,“ as Blood to be drunk rather than sprinkled.  Moreover, since it was his own, this Blood needed no further identification with God by splashing against an altar.  Finally, the Blood was “to be poured out for you and for many” (a Semitism for ‘all’), “for the forgiveness of sins.” Thus, the new and perfect Paschal Lamb accomplished for people of every nation what Mosaic sacrifices only imperfectly achieved for the Jews.  Giving of both “Body” and “Blood” establishes the context of Jesus’ sacrificial death, a New Covenant sealed with his Blood.

The Sacrament and the sacrifice: Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist during the Last Supper as a Sacramental banquet and a sacrificial offering.  As a Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist is an outward sign in and through which we meet Jesus who shares his life of grace with us. “In the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist the Body and Blood, together with the soul and Divinity, of our Lord Jesus Christ and, therefore, the whole Christ is truly, really, and substantially contained” (CCC#1374). In this Sacrament of the Eucharist, we do meet Jesus, the Risen Lord who comes to us under signs of Bread and Wine to nourish and strengthen us for our journey through life.  The Eucharistic Meal is a great mystery because during the Eucharistic celebration the substance of bread and wine are converted into the substance of the risen Jesus’ Body and Blood, while their appearances (or “accidents”) remain.  We believe in this transformation of bread and wine (called Transubstantiation), because Jesus unequivocally taught it and authorized his apostles to repeat it.  As a Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist imparts to us Jesus’ abiding presence in our souls.  In addition, we share in his Divine life, which is an assurance of eternal life and the basis for the conviction that we are children of God the Father.  God shares His life with Jesus and with all other people.  The Eucharist is the Sacrament of our union with Jesus.  In this Sacrament, Jesus gives us his own Body, broken for us on the cross and his precious Blood poured out for us, in order that our sins may be forgiven.  The Eucharistic celebration is also a sacrifice because it is the re-presentation or re-living in an unbloody manner of Christ’s Death on Good Friday and of his Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  By means of signs, symbols and prayers, we share in Christ’s passion, death and Resurrection made really present for us in an unbloody manner.  This re-presenting, this re-living of the One Sacrifice of Christ, which is the heart and point of every Mass, assures us of Jesus’ love for us and of his forgiveness of our sins.  Through this sacrifice, the risen Jesus becomes present on the altar, offering himself to the Father through the ministry of the priest.

Life Messages: 1) We need to receive this message of unity and sacrificial love: The Eucharist, (the Body and Blood of Christ), teaches us the importance of community, the bond that results from this sacrifice. John Chrysostom says: “What is the Bread actually? The Body of Christ. What do communicants become? The Body of Christ. Just as the bread comes from many grains, which remain themselves and are not distinguished from one another because they are united, so we are united with Christ.”  Just as numerous grains of wheat are pounded together to make the host, and many grapes are crushed together to make the wine, so we become unified in this sacrifice.  Our Lord chose these elements in order to show us that we ought to seek union with one another, to allow the Holy Spirit to transform us into Our Lord Jesus Christ and to work with Him in the process.  Christ is the Head and we are the Body.  Together we are one.  That which unites us is our willingness to sacrifice our time and talents to God in our fellow members in Christ’s Mystical Body.  This is symbolized by our sharing in the same Bread and the same Cup.  Hence, Holy Communion should strengthen our sense of unity and love.

2) We need to prepare properly to receive Holy Communion: We have tarnished God’s image within us through acts of impurity, injustice, disobedience and the like.  Hence, there is always need for repentance, and a need for the Sacramental confession of grave sins, before we receive Holy Communion.  We should remember the warning given by St. Paul: “Whoever, therefore, eats the Bread or drinks the Cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be answerable for the Body and Blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the Bread and drink of the Cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the Body, eat and drink judgment against themselves.” (1 Cor. 11:27-9).  Hence, let us receive Holy Communion with fervent love and respect — not merely as a matter of routine.   St.  Paul is speaking also of the Mystical Body of Christ, i.e., the people of God gathered at the altar. Such a union, plainly, means that our outward piety towards the consecrated Bread and Wine cannot coexist with rudeness, unkindness, slander, cruelty, gossiping or any other breach of charity toward our brothers and sisters.

3) We need to become Christ-bearers and -conveyers: By receiving Holy Communion we become Christ-bearers as Mary was, with the duty of conveying Christ to others at home and in the workplace, as love, mercy, forgiveness, and humble sacrificial service.

As we celebrate this great feast of Faith, let us worship what St. Thomas Aquinas did not hesitate to call, “the greatest miracle that Christ ever worked on earth .”….. My Body …….. My Blood“. Before the greatness of this mystery, let us exclaim with St. Augustine, “O Sacrament of devotion! O Sign of unity! O Bond of charity!”   Let us also repeat St. Thomas Aquinas’ prayer of devotion in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament:  “O Sacrament most holy! O Sacrament Divine! All praise and all thanksgiving be every moment Thine!”

 JOKE OF THE WEEK: “Do you think two cases of whiskey are enough?” There was to be a Baptismal party for the new baby of a soldier and his wife at their home on an Army base. Before the ceremony the chaplain took the new father aside. “Are you prepared for this solemn event?” he asked. “I guess so,” replied the soldier. “I’ve got two hams, pickles, bread, cake, cookies……” “No, no!” interrupted the chaplain. “I mean spiritually prepared!” “Well, I don’t know,” said the soldier thoughtfully. “Do you think two cases of whiskey are enough?” — Beyond all that we hunger for is the hunger for spiritual nourishment. Sometimes people aren’t even aware that this exists. But Jesus realized this hunger and instituted the Holy Eucharist to feed our starving souls.
(Harold Buetow in “God Still Speaks: Listen!”)

 USEFUL WEBSITES ON THE HOLY EUCHARIST

      1) http://www.usccb.org/dpp/realpresence.htm

2) http://www.therealpresence.org/eucharst/a.html,

3) http://www.catholic.com/library/Real_Presence.asp

4) USCCB – (Liturgy) – Resources for the Year of the Eucharist
http://www.usccb.org/liturgy/eucharistyear.shtml

5) Eucharistic miracle: https://www.youtube.com/embed/3gPAbD43fTI?

6) The Real Presence: Eucharistic Miracles

http://www.therealpresence.org : Official Website of the CARLO ACUTIS Association and the Cause of Beatification of Blessed Carlo Acutis (15-year old computer wizard)

30 -Additional anecdotes:

1) “All we really need in our convent is the Tabernacle.” The former archbishop of San Francisco, John Quinn, loves to tell the story of the arrival of Mother Teresa and her Missionaries of Charity to open their house in the city. Poor Archbishop Quinn had gone to great efforts to make sure that their convent was, while hardly opulent, quite comfortable. He recalls how Mother Teresa arrived and immediately ordered the carpets removed, the telephones, except for one, pulled out of the wall, the beds, except for the mattresses taken away, and on and on. Explained Mother Teresa to the baffled archbishop, “All we really need in our convent is the tabernacle.” [Msgr. Timothy M. Dolan in Priests of the Third Millennium (2000), p. 218.]. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 2) The Eucharistic piety that converted St. Elizabeth Ann Seton: Two hundred years ago, a beautiful, young, Episcopalian woman accompanied her husband, a merchant, to Italy, leaving four of their five children at home with family members. They had sailed for Italy, hoping that the change in climate might help her husband, whose failing business had eventually affected his health adversely. Tragically, he died in Liverno. The grieving young widow was warmly received by an Italian family, business acquaintances of her deceased husband. She stayed with them for three months before she could arrange to return to America.  The young widow was very impressed by the Catholic faith of her host family, especially their devotion to the Holy Eucharist: their frequent attendance at Mass, the reverence with which they received Holy Communion, the awe they showed toward the Blessed Sacrament on feast days when the Eucharist was carried in procession. She found her broken heart healed by a hunger for this mysterious presence of the Lord, and, upon returning home, requested instruction in Catholic Faith. Soon after being received into the Church, she described her first reception of the Lord in the Eucharist as the happiest moment of her life. — It was in St. Peter’s Square on September 14, 1975, that Pope Paul VI canonized this woman, Elizabeth Ann Seton, as the first native-born saint of the Unites States. The Eucharist for her was a sign and cause of union with God and the Church. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

3) “I will not permit Christ to return to Albania as long as I am in charge.” Mother Teresa was given a reception by the cruel Communist dictator Enver Hoxha who ruled Albania for 40 years from 1945 to 1985.  He imposed atheism as the official religion in 1967.  The possession of a Bible or cross often meant a ten-year prison term.  Welcoming Mother Teresa in 1985, he stated that he appreciated her world-wide works of charity, and then added, “But I will not permit Christ to return to Albania as long as I am in charge.”  In her reply after thanking the president for the reception Mother said, “Mr. President, you are wrong.  I have brought not only the love of Christ into my native land but also the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist right into your presidential palace.  I am allowed to carry Jesus in a pyx during my visit of  this Communist country where public worship is a crime.  I keep Jesus in the consecrated host in my pocket.  Jesus will surely return to this country very soon.”  — Communist rule collapsed in Albania in 1992, and Christians and Muslims reopened their churches and mosques for worship.  The non-Communist president of Albania, Mr. Ramiz Alia, awarded Albanian citizenship to Mother Teresa during her visit to her liberated home country in 1992.  Mr. Alia also created a “Mother Teresa Prize” to be awarded to those who distinguished themselves in the field of humanitarian and charitable work. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

4)  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 had 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 (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

5) “Jesus Christ gave a lasting memorial”: One of his Catholic disciples asked the controversial god-man Osho Rajneesh about the difference between Buddha the founder of Buddhism and Jesus Christ.  Rajneesh told a story to distinguish between Buddha and Christ. When Buddha was on his deathbed, his disciple Anand asked him for a memorial and Buddha gave him a Jasmine flower. But as the flower dried up, the memory of Buddha also dwindled. — Jesus Christ, however, instituted a lasting memorial without anybody’s asking for it, by offering to God his Body and Blood under the appearances of bread and wine and commanding his disciples to share his Divinity by repeating the offering. So Jesus continues to live in his followers while Buddha lives only in history books. On this feast, as on Holy Thursday, we reflect on the importance of the institution of the Holy Eucharist and priesthood. [Osho Rajneesh claimed that he was another incarnation of God who attained “enlightenment” at 29 when he was a professor of Hindu philosophy in Jabalpur University in India. He had thousands of followers for his controversial “liberation through sex theology,” based on Hindu, Buddhist and Christian theology]. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

6) Precious gift: We are all familiar with the situation of the little boy who wants to give his father a birthday present but does not have any money to buy one. His father, realizing his son is too young to make any money, slips him five bucks so that he can do some shopping the next time they are in town. The big day comes, and the little boy proudly presents his father with a beautifully wrapped, birthday gift. He is so very happy and proud of himself. So is his father – proud and happy to have such a loving son. — God gave us his Son so that we could give him back as a gift and become once again his sons and daughters. Jesus Christ was placed in our hands so that we could have a gift, the best of gifts. During each Eucharistic celebration, we give this precious gift back to God the Father. (Fr. Jack Dorsel). Today we celebrate the feast of the Eucharist.

7) The Eucharistic miracle at the tomb of St. Christina, in Bolsena, Italy: Today we are reminded of a miracle that took place in 1263. A German priest, Peter of Prague, stopped at Bolsena while on a pilgrimage to Rome. He is described as being a pious priest, but one who found it difficult to believe in Transubstantiation. While celebrating Mass at the tomb of St. Christina, located in Bolsena, Italy, he had barely spoken the words of Consecration when blood started to seep from the consecrated Host and trickle over his hands onto the altar and the corporal. The priest was immediately confused. At first, he attempted to hide the blood, but then he interrupted the Mass and asked to be taken to the neighboring city of Orvieto, the city where Pope Urban IV was then residing. The Pope listened to the priest’s story and gave him absolution for his lack of faith. He then sent emissaries for an immediate investigation. When all the facts were ascertained, he ordered the Bishop of the diocese to bring to Orvieto the Host and the linen cloth bearing the stains of blood. With archbishops, cardinals and other Church dignitaries in attendance, the Pope met the procession and, amid great pomp, had the relics placed in the cathedral. — The linen corporal bearing the spots of blood is still reverently enshrined and exhibited in the Cathedral of Orvieto, Italy. Pope Urban IV was prompted by this miracle to commission St. Thomas Aquinas to compose the liturgical prayers in honor of the Eucharist. One year after the miracle, in August of 1264, Pope Urban IV introduced the saint’s compositions, and by means of a papal bull instituted the feast of Corpus Christi. (Fr. Eugene Lobo S.J. Rome). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

8) Another Eucharistic miracle: A famous Eucharistic miracle is that of Lanciano, also in Italy, which took place in the year 700. A monk who feared he was losing his vocation was celebrating Mass, and during the consecration the host  turned into flesh and the wine turned into blood Despite the fact that the miracle took place almost 1300 years ago, you may still see the flesh in a monstrance which is exposed every day and the blood in a glass chalice. (The glass chalice is beneath the monstrance on the right.) I also had the privilege of seeing that Eucharistic miracle during my time in Italy. The blood has congealed and is now in five clots in the glass chalice. In 1971 and 1981 a hospital laboratory tested the flesh and blood and discovered that the flesh is myocardium, which is heart muscular tissue, so we could say it is the heart of Jesus, the Sacred Heart, and the blood is of the blood group AB. In 1978 NASA scientists tested the blood on the Turin Shroud and interestingly also discovered that it is of the blood group AB.

The Sudarium, (Face Cloth of Christ), in John 20:6 is also of the blood group AB.) Despite the fact that human flesh and blood should not have remained preserved for 1300 years, the hospital lab tests found no trace of any preservatives. One final interesting point about the five blood clots in the chalice is that when you weigh one of them, it is the same weight as all five together, two of them together weigh the same as all five. In fact no matter what way you combine the blood clots individually or in a group to weigh them, they always weigh the same.  (This shows that the full Jesus is present in a particle of the Eucharist no matter how small.) These are two Eucharistic miracles I have seen and which have been authenticated by the Church after investigation. (Fr. Tommy Lane). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

9) Blood Brothers: Jesuit Ignacio Ellacuria of El Salvador, Franciscan Maximilian Kolbe of Poland, Sr. Rani Maria, an Australian missionary, and Graham Staines murdered in north India, appear very diverse in their lifestyles, yet little divided them in death. All these are martyrs who shed their blood that others might live. They represent modern ‘bodies of Christ.’ Today, celebrating the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, we could reflect on the sacramental symbols of Blood and Body and our Christian calling.  — Some years ago, Jesuit philosophers of Satya Nilayam in South India, formed a group called ‘Blood Brothers’ comprised of students who were willing to donate blood regularly. Indeed, we are all truly ‘Blood brothers and sisters,’ saved by the supreme sacrifice of our elder Blood Brother, Jesus. Moreover, Martyrs like Ellacuria, Kolbe, Staines and Rani Maria are but representatives of a long list of ‘Blood brothers and sisters’ whose life was truly Eucharistic. May the Corpus Christi called “Church” be ever willing to break itself and bleed in selfless service of society at large. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

10) The Blessing Cup: Leonardo da Vinci was 43 years old when the Duke of Milan asked him to paint the Last Supper. He worked on it slowly and with meticulous attention to detail. He spent much time making the cup that Jesus held as beautiful as possible. After three years he was ready to show it, and he called a friend to come and see it. He said, “Look at it and give me your opinion.” The friend said, “It is wonderful. The cup is so real I cannot take my eyes of it!” Immediately, Leonardo took a brush and drew it across the sparkling cup. He exclaimed as he did so: “Nothing shall detract from the figure of Christ!” — Christ must be the primary focus of a Christian’s life. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

11) “Are you guys Dominicans?”  Fr. Denis likes to tell a story about an American paratrooper in World War II who got entangled in a tree and couldn’t get down.  He was terribly afraid that he had come down behind enemy lines and would be killed.  Then two men dressed in civilian clothes came by so the GI quickly called out, “Can you tell me where I am?”  “Indeed we can,” said one – “You are up in a tree.”  There was a long pause, and then the paratrooper asked suspiciously, “Are you guys Dominicans?”  “Yes, but how could you tell?”  The GI replied, “I knew because what you say is perfectly true – but it doesn’t help me to get out of this tree!”  –Likewise, to describe Catholic belief about the Holy Eucharist by saying that it is the Body and Blood of Christ is true, but not very helpful unless we are convinced of this truth, appreciate this great gift and experience it in our lives. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

12)  St. Padre Pio’s prayer of thanksgiving after Mass.

“Stay with me, Lord, for it is necessary to have You present so that       I do not forget You.  You know how easily I abandon You.

Stay with me, Lord, because I am weak and I need Your strength, that I may not fall so often.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my life, and without You, I am without fervor.

Stay with me, Lord, for You are my light, and without You, I am in darkness.

Stay with me, Lord, to show me Your will.

Stay with me, Lord, so that I hear Your voice and follow You.

Stay with me, Lord, for I desire to love You very much, and always be in Your company.

Stay with me, Lord, if You wish me to be faithful to You.

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for  You, a nest of love.Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late and the day is  coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approach. It is necessary to renew my strength.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

13) The Mass is Heaven on earth! Scott Hahn was a Protestant minister, who had for twenty years studied the Book of Revelation. He admits that, in trying to study Revelation, he felt like a person standing before a locked door, searching for the right key on a keychain. There was no key that fitted, until he linked the Book of Revelation to the Mass. And that, in his opinion, is the right key. His experience thereafter was so inspiring that a year later, he asked to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church. This in a nutshell, is his thesis: The key to understanding the Book of Revelation is the Mass. Stated differently; the Mass is the only way a Christian can truly make sense of the Book of Revelation. Today, Dr. Scott Hahn, a happily married man and father of six children, is a Professor of Theology and Scripture in a University and the Director of the Institute of Applied Biblical Studies.  — Scott Hahn is candid and realistic when he observes that, for most Catholics, the Sunday Mass is anything but Heavenly. In fact, he frankly adds, it’s often an uncomfortable hour, punctuated by babies screaming, bland hymns sung off-key, meandering and pointless homilies, and people dressed as if they were going to a party, picnic or football game. Yet, this is his conviction: “When we go to Mass every Sunday, we go to Heaven. And this is true of every Mass we attend, regardless of the quality of the music or the fervour of the preacher. The Mass -and I mean every single Mass -is Heaven on earth.”
[James Valladares in Your Words are Spirit, and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

14) Body of Christ? Sometime ago I was in Washington, D.C. in the National Shrine. A dozen or so pilgrims came out of the grandiose basilica. They had participated in a Mass, they had received Holy Communion, forming with Him, his Body and Blood. I saw them, and I even saw a blind man who had received Communion with them. They came out of the Church together with him. He walked among them tapping the pavement in front of himself with his stick. He did not see them since he was blind but he must have been aware of them all talking excitedly, feeling a bit lost in a strange place. They did not see him, either, though they were not blind. He ended up in the midst of them. Someone stepped on his cane, bending it, while he was pushed on. They left him alone trying to straighten his cane. They had all been to Holy Communion together in Jesus, who said of all of them: “This is my Body, this is my Blood!”  Yet, when it came to everyday life, that reality got lost, the Body did not seem to have been formed. They were not really in communion. They did not really form His Body, our Body. Did they? Do we? [Joseph G. Donders in Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

15) What are they hungry for? An American priest was invited to take part in a youth rally in Canada. About 700 young people were camping out in a large park for the weekend. Their program included workshops on such topics as dating, sexual morality, drugs, peer pressure, and meditation. The organizers felt that the least popular workshop would be the one on meditation. They were in for a big surprise. It was the best-attended workshop of the weekend. At one point in that workshop, the priest giving it sensed a profound presence of the Holy Spirit and invited the 200 participants to pray together. The response was amazing. Afterwards the priest said, “It was one of the most moving experiences in all my years of priestly ministry.” Then alluding to the image in today’s Gospel he said: “There’s a whole mountain-side full of young people out there who want to eat, but there’s no one to feed them. There’s a whole mountain-side full of young people out there who want to pray but there’s no one to teach them.” The priest’s remark merely paraphrases what Jesus said in Matthew’s Gospel. (Quoted by Fr. Botelho) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 16) Source of Christian heroism: I’d like to begin this Corpus Christi homily with a quote from Mahatma Gandhi. He asked a question regarding the Fr. Damien: “The political and journalistic world can boast of very few heroes who compare with Father Damien of Molokai. The Catholic Church, on the contrary, counts by the thousands those who after the example of Fr. Damien have devoted themselves to the victims of leprosy. It is worthwhile to look for the sources of such heroism.” — That’s a great question: What is the source of the heroism of people like St. Damien of Molokai and his successor, St. Marianne Cope?  We get the answer this Sunday. In today’s readings, St. Paul tells how Jesus took bread and said, “This is my Body,” and with the chalice of wine, “This is the covenant of my Blood.” Then St. Paul concludes, “As often as you eat this Bread and drink this Cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.”
When we receive Communion (he Body and Blood of Jesus), we mystically enter his death and Resurrection. That should give us strength, the strength to spend our lives in service. Now, you and I are not St. Damien or St. Marianne, but the Eucharist calls us – like them – to give our lives for others. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

17) “What kind of joke is this?” A priest I heard of, if he sees people leave early, stops them and reminds them that only one person left the Last Supper early! Well, I am not going to do that, but I am tempted to do what St. Philip Neri did: He saw someone leaving church right after Communion and he sent servers with candles and bells to accompany the man. The guy stormed back into the Church and confronted the priest. “What kind of joke is this?” he demanded. St. Philip Neri said, “It’s no joke. The rules of the liturgy say the Blessed Sacrament should be treated with reverence. You left the Church immediately with no prayer of thanksgiving. You were carrying the Blessed Sacrament within you. So I asked the boys to accompany you to honor Him.” — After Communion you and I are tabernacles – the physical presence of Jesus continues in us for about 15 minutes. That’s why we have the Communion hymn, a time of silence, the Communion Prayer, and even the announcements: to build up the Body of Christ in practical ways.  I encourage you to use well the time after Communion to say thanks, to express your gratitude. (Fr. Phil Bloom) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

18) “Body of Christ” A modern tourist in cities like Paris and Rome, particularly the latter, cannot but be struck by the extraordinary number of Churches and their close proximity to each other. They all derive from the devotion to Corpus Christi which originated in the twelfth century and whose feast we celebrate today. It began in the city of Liege in northern France, under Bishop Robert Thourotte of Liege, persuaded by St. Juliana of Cornillion. Urban IV in 1264 extended the feast to the Universal Church. After Urban’s death, October 2, 1264, the feast was restricted to certain areas of France, Germany Hungary and northern Italy, but in 1317 Pope John XXII (served August 7, 1316 through December 4, 1334), reintroduced the Feast to the Universal Church (Instruction by Pope Benedict XVI at the General audience celebrated in St. Peter’s Square, November 17, 2010).

By the fifteenth century Corpus Christi had become the principal feast of the Church almost everywhere. Every city, town and village held its Corpus Christi procession. In some places it became the social event on the calendar. Months were spent preparing for it. Guilds competed with each other to provide the most colourful contribution. Cities like Paris had their timber-built houses arranged in narrow streets, where humans and animals lived closely together in squalor. In such a world, it was little wonder that the Corpus Christi devotion had such enormous appeal. What greater protection could they ask for than the Body of Christ, carried in procession through their streets to inoculate them against all such infections?

After well over a thousand years of Christianity, the Real Presence, Christ’s continuing presence in the consecrated Bread, came to dominate the devotional life of the people. New devotions were developed such as visits to and Exposition and Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament. The idea that no place was too good to house the body of Christ, led to the building of larger and more ornate churches. It became the age of the great Cathedrals, like Notre Dame and Chartres. Changes were introduced into the Mass itself to reflect this new devotion; in particular, the elevation was introduced after the consecration. For medieval Christians, there were real and down-to-earth reasons why the Body and Blood of Christ should be raised. Blindness was a common affliction then, and people believed that looking at the Body of Christ was the best protection against it. Bowing to popular pressure, the Church permitted it. The elevation of the chalice was an after-thought because the church feared that the people might believe in only one species. This background helps to explain the close proximity of Churches in cities like Paris and Rome. Elevations were much in demand and people rushed from one church to another just to watch the elevation. Such Eucharistic devotions dominated religious practice right down to the Second Vatican Council. There the Church wisely decided that the Mass needed to be restored as the centre of Eucharistic devotion and, perhaps unwittingly, the other forms were down-graded. Within a generation, visits, Benedictions, expositions and Corpus Christi processions had virtually disappeared. The Bread remained, the circuses had gone. And we are the poorer for it. (Rev. Liam Swords) Biblical IE. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

19) History of the feast: In 1246, Bishop Robert Thourotte of the Belgian diocese of Liège, at the suggestion of St. Juliana of Mont Cornillion (also in Belgium), convened a synod and instituted the celebration of the feast. From Liège, the celebration began to spread, and, on September 8, 1264, Pope Urban IV issued the papal bull “Transiturus,” which established the Feast of Corpus Christi as a universal feast of the Church, to be celebrated on the Thursday following Trinity Sunday. At the request of Pope Urban IV, St. Thomas Aquinas composed the office (the official prayers of the Church) for the feast. This office is widely considered one of the most beautiful in the traditional Roman Breviary (the official prayer book of the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours), and it is the source of the famous Eucharistic hymns “Pange Lingua Gloriosi” and “Tantum Ergo Sacramentum.” For centuries after the celebration was extended to the universal Church, the feast was also celebrated with a Eucharistic procession, in which the Sacred Host was carried throughout the town, accompanied by hymns and litanies. The faithful would venerate the Body of Christ as the procession passed by. In recent years, this practice has almost disappeared, though some parishes still hold a brief procession around the outside of the parish church. While the Feast of Corpus Christi is one of the ten Holy Days of Obligation in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, in some countries, including the United States, the feast has been transferred to the following Sunday. (Fr. Hoisington). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

20) Pope Benedict’s preference for receiving Holy Communion on tongue: “I am not opposed in principle to Communion in the hand; I have both administered and received Communion in this way myself. The idea behind my current practice of having people kneel to receive Communion on the tongue was to send a signal and to underscore the Real Presence with an exclamation point. One important reason is that there is a great danger of superficiality precisely in the kinds of Mass events we hold at Saint Peter’s, both in the Basilica and in the Square. I have heard of people who, after receiving Communion, stick the Host in their wallet to take home as a kind of souvenir. In this context, where people think that everyone is just automatically supposed to receive Communion — everyone else is going up, so I will, too—I wanted to send a clear signal. I wanted it to be clear: Something quite special is going on here! He is here, the One before whom we fall on our knees! Pay attention! This is not just some social ritual in which we can take part if we want to.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

21) Visiting the Tabernacle (with a quotation from St Peter Julian Eymard): This is why Catholics still practice the ancient tradition of making frequent visits to the Eucharist throughout the day.  Even in big cities today, when you go into a Catholic Church, you can almost always find someone kneeling before the altar where the Tabernacle is kept.  The red candle burning near the tabernacle, the sanctuary, or the Presence, lamp, is a constant reminder that Christ is truly present there, and his love is burning for us. This is also why Catholics still have the tradition of making the sign of the cross when they drive by a Catholic Church.  Even if we don’t have time to stop and make a visit to our Lord, to thank him for his blessings and tell him all our needs and sorrows, by making the sign of the cross we show our Faith in and appreciation for his constant, miraculous presence. St Peter Julian Eymard [AYE-mard], who lived in France in the 1800s, beautifully explained how Christ’s constant presence in the Eucharist shows, without a doubt, that Jesus’ love for us, even for the most hardened sinner, has no limits.  Speaking of Jesus in the Eucharist, St Peter says:  “He loves, He hopes, He waits. If He came down on our altars on certain days only, some sinner, on being moved to repentance, might have to look for Him, and not finding Him, might have to wait.  Our Lord prefers to wait Himself for the sinner for years rather than keep him waiting one instant.” (E-Priest). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

22) Saints’ favorite food: Throughout the history of the Church, God has made the power of the Eucharist clear in many ways. • For example, some of the saints have gone for long periods of their lives in which their only food was the Eucharist. • I know it sounds hard to believe. • If there were only one or two cases, it would be reasonable to be skeptical. • But it actually happens every couple generations, as if God wants to make sure we don’t forget what’s really going on in the Eucharist. In the 1300’s, St Catherine of Siena often went for months at a time living solely on the Holy Eucharist. In the 1400s, St Nicholas of Flue, Switzerland’s great native saint, spent the last 19 years of his life as a hermit. • He would give spiritual advice all day and pray all night. • For those 19 years, he was unable to eat any food. • The Holy Eucharist was his only nourishment. In April, 2004, Pope John Paul II beatified Blessed Alejandrina Maria da Costa, a Portuguese peasant girl. •Paralyzed at age 14, she spent her life offering her sufferings and prayers to God for the conversion of sinners. • She died in 1955, at age 51. • For the last 13 years of her life, Alejandrina ate and drank nothing except her daily Holy Communion. • Since she lived in the age of modern science, she given countless medical studies, none of which found a natural explanation. (E-Priest). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

23) St Juliana Falconieri’s Miraculous Final Communion: All the saints realize how much we need this Divine nourishment. St Juliana Falconieri [fahl-cone-YAIR-ee] had a particularly passionate devotion to this truth of our Faith. • Juliana lived in Florence, Italy, in the early Renaissance. • When she was 14, her mother began arranging a marriage for her. • As soon as she found out, she objected, explaining that she wanted to consecrate her life to Christ. • At first her mother resisted, but Juliana’s vocation was undeniable, and eventually she took the habit as a Third Order Servite. • Later, she helped start a new Order of Servite nuns, dedicated to prayer and serving the sick. • Throughout the long, hard years of foundation, she received Holy Communion three times a week – much more often than was normal for those times. • But in her later years, chronic sickness made her unable to consume anything solid. • Even while on her deathbed, frequent fits of vomiting made it impossible for her to receive Communion. • But when she knew her last hour had come, she was inflamed with a desire to receive Holy Communion one last time. • So she asked the priest to lay a corporal (the white cloth put on top of the altar for the liturgy of the Eucharist) on her chest and place the consecrated host on top of it. • No sooner had the Eucharist been laid over her heart than it disappeared, being miraculously consumed directly into her body. • She died soon after, and as they were preparing the body for burial, they found the sign of the cross that had been on the host emblazoned on her skin. • Ever since, the Servites have kept an image of a shining host on the left front side of their habits. The Eucharist is food from heaven, given to us by Christ to bring us to heaven. (E-Priest). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

24) Two fundamental needs: Ethiopia suffered a terrible famine during the years 1984 to 1986. Cardinal Hume of Westminster tells us about an incident that happened when he visited Ethiopia in the middle of the famine. One of the places he visited was a settlement in the hills where the people were waiting for food which was likely to arrive. He was taken there by helicopter. As he got out of the helicopter a small boy, aged about ten, came up to him and took his hand. He was wearing nothing but a loincloth around his waist. The whole time that the cardinal was there the little child would not let go of his hand. As they went around he made two gestures: with one hand he pointed to his mouth, and with the other he took the cardinal’s hand and rubbed it on his cheek. Later, the cardinal said, “Here was an orphan boy who was lost and starving. Yet by two simple gestures he indicated two fundamental needs or hungers. With one gesture he showed me his hunger for food, and with the other his hunger for love. I have never forgotten that incident, and to this day I wonder whether that child is alive.” [Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

25) How can God be present in a tiny host? Some time ago, a street-corner preacher who knew how to make religious truths come to life was faced by a hostile crowd. “How,” one of them demanded, “is it possible for bread and wine to become the Body and Blood of Christ?” The preacher looked calmly at the stout questioner for a moment and answered, “You have grown somewhat since you were a child and have more flesh and blood than you had then. Surely, if a human body can change food and drink into flesh and blood, God can do it too.” “But how,” countered the heckler, “is it possible for Christ to be present in his entirety in a small host?” The preacher glanced up at the sky and down at the street before them and answered, “This city scene and the sky above it is something immense, while your eye is very small. Yet your eye in itself contains the whole picture. When you consider this, it won’t seem impossible for Christ to be present in his entirety in a little piece of bread.” Once more the heckler attacked. “How, then, is it possible for the same Body of Christ to be present in all your churches at the same time?” The preacher’s answer: “In a large mirror you see your image reflected but once. When you break the mirror into a thousand pieces, you see the same image of yourself in each of the hundred fragments. If such things occur in everyday life, why should it be impossible for the body of Christ to be present in many places at once? Just tell me, what isn’t possible for God? [Harold Buetow in God Still Speaks: Listen! quoted by Fr. Botelho.] Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

26) 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.”     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]. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

27) Retelling the Story: On a hill near Cape Town, South Africa, just below the famed Table Mountain, a gun is fired every day at noon. The hill is known as Signal Hill. The firing of the gun once served a beautiful purpose. It signaled that a ship, on its way to or from India, had arrived in the harbour with a cargo of goods, and was in need of supplies of food and fresh water. A beautiful exchange resulted. There was receiving and giving. But that was a long time ago. The purpose no longer exists. Yet the gun is still fired dutifully every day. However, the firing is now little more than an empty ritual. Once it had a beautiful meaning. Now the meaning has gone out of it. Most of the local people ignore it. Visitors are told, ‘If you hear a loud bang at mid-day, don’t worry. It’s only the gun going off.’ However the ritual still has one thing going for it. Most people know the story behind it. If that story were to be lost, then the ritual would become poorer still. — The Eucharist celebrates a wonderful event, the gift which Jesus made of his life on our behalf. Every time we celebrate the Eucharist, we tell that story again. But like anything that is repeated over and over again, there is a danger that it may become just a ritual. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Kayala). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

28) God Always Comes…Once upon a time there was a Rabbi. Whenever he wanted God’s presence, he went to a special place in the woods, lit a fire, said some prayers, and did a dance. Then God would appear to him. When he died, his disciple did the same. If he wanted God’s presence, he went to the same spot in the woods, lit the fire, and said the same prayers, but nobody had taught him the dance. It still worked. God appeared. When he died, his disciple carried on the tradition. If he wanted God’s presence, he went to the same spot in the woods and lit the fire, but he didn’t know the prayers, nor the dance, but it still worked. God came. Then he died. He also had a disciple. Whenever he wanted God’s presence, he too went to the same place in the woods, but nobody had taught him how to light the fire or say the prayers or do the dance, but it still worked, God appeared. In the end, he died, but he too had a pupil. One day this pupil wanted God’s presence. So he searched for the place in the woods, but couldn’t find it. And he didn’t know how to light the fire or say the prayers or do the dance. All he knew was how to tell the story. But it worked. He discovered that whenever he told the story of how the others had found God, God would appear. In essence, this story explains how the sacred ritual, liturgy, works. (Ronald Rolheiser in In Exile; quoted by (Fr. Kayala). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

29) Jesus, Bread of Life: Brennan Manning, an American Franciscan priest, tells this story of his mother, a lady in her mid-seventies in Brooklyn. Mrs. Manning’s day centred on her daily Eucharist. Because she began her voluntary stint at a drug detoxification centre each morning at 7:30 AM., the only Mass she could reach was at 5:30 AM. Across the road from her lived a very successful lawyer, mid-thirties, married with two children. The man had no religion and was particularly critical of daily Church-goers. Driving home from a late party at 5 am one January morning, the roads glassy with ice, he said to his wife: “I bet that old hag won’t be out this morning”, referring to Mrs. Manning. But to his shock, there she was on hands and knees negotiating the hill up to the Church. He went home, tried to sleep, but could not. Around 9 am he rose, went to the local presbytery and asked to see a priest. “Padre,” he said, “I am not one of yours. I have no religion. But could you tell me what you have there that can make an old woman crawl on hands and knees on an icy morning?” –Thus, began his conversion along with his wife and family. Mrs. Manning was one of those people who never studied deep religious books, never knew the big theological words, but she knew what it is to meet Jesus in Holy Communion. Jesus Christ is the bread of life. What more could we want? (Sylvester O’Flynn in The Good News of Mark’s Year; quoted by Fr. Kayala). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

30) The source of her strength: It was the time of the inauguration of their house for the poor in New Delhi, India. Mother Teresa and her sisters of the Missionaries of Charity were waiting at the door for Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to arrive. As soon as he came, Mother Teresa took him to the chapel and spent some time there before the Eucharist. Then she explained to Nehru about the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and told him that Eucharist was the source of her strength. Nehru did not say anything. He could only marvel at what he heard and saw. Though he was not a believer, Nehru truly admired the services of Mother Teresa and her sisters for the poorest of the poor in India; he knew that they drew their strength for their work from the Eucharist. For Mother Teresa, Eucharist was always the source of her energy and strength. She always began her day attending Mass and receiving the Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. — Like Mother Teresa, we also believe that the Lord Jesus is present in the Eucharist. Like her, we also believe that Jesus gives us new life by sharing his body and blood through the Eucharist. Yes, the Lord is with us, and he is truly present in the Eucharist. As we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus, let us reaffirm our faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and receive his body and blood with love every time we celebrate the Mass. (Fr. Jose P CMI/ 2021) L/25

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 36) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under CBCI or  Fr. Tony for my website version. (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, Chaplain, Sacred Heart Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor, 1655 McGill Ave, Mobile, AL 36604

  Real Presence and Eucharistic Miracles  (Fr. Jose P CMI)

The following is the text of my homily for the feast of Corpus Christi, June 6, 2021) In January 2017, at the Polish Church of St. Stanislaus in Rome, the Polish Embassy organized an exhibition of the Eucharistic miracles worldwide. This exhibition presented an overview of all the Eucharistic miracles recorded throughout the history of the Church. Scientific findings also complemented the displays of these miracles.

According to this exhibition, the first Eucharistic miracle recognized by the Catholic Church occurred in Lanciano, Italy, in about the year 700. This miracle happened when a monk, who had doubts about the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, saw the wine in the chalice turn into blood and the bread turn into flesh. After examining the relics still in existence, researchers concluded that they were indeed made of human tissue. Since this first recognized miracle, 134 other Eucharistic miracles of the same type have been recognized by the Church.

According to the research done by Dr. Pawel Skibinski, director of the John Paul II Museum in Warsaw, the majority of cases of the Eucharistic miracles occurred in a similar context: either the celebrant had doubts about the Real Presence like in the case of Lanciano, or the hosts were mistreated, that is, stolen, thrown away, abandoned or forgotten. This was the case in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1996, when Pope Francis was an auxiliary bishop there. A consecrated host was found on the ground. Since it could not be consumed, it was put in a container with water. Days later, it turned into bloody flesh. Later, in 1999, a sample fragment of this host was sent to New York for scientific analysis.

One of the scientists who did the analysis was Dr. Frederic Zugiba. He was a well-known cardiologist and forensic pathologist. He determined that the analyzed substance was real flesh and blood containing human DNA. Dr. Frederic testified to this miracle in the following words: “The analyzed material is a fragment of the heart muscle found in the wall of the left ventricle close to the valves. This muscle is responsible for the contraction of the heart. It should be borne in mind that the left cardiac ventricle pumps blood to all parts of the body. The heart muscle is in an inflammatory condition and contains a large number of white blood cells. This indicates that the heart was alive at the time the sample was taken. It is my contention that the heart was alive since white blood cells die outside a living organism. They require a living organism to sustain them. Thus, their presence indicates that the heart was alive when the sample was taken. What is more, these white blood cells had penetrated the tissue, which further indicates that the heart had been under severe stress, as if the owner had been beaten severely about the chest.”

Two Australians, TV journalist Mike Willesee and lawyer Ron Tesoriero, were witnesses to the tests conducted by Dr. Frederic. Knowing where the sample had come from, they were dumbfounded by Dr. Frederic’s testimony. Mike Willesee asked the scientist how long the white blood cells would have remained alive if they had come from a piece of human tissue, which had been kept in water. “They would have ceased to exist in a matter of minutes,” Dr. Frederic replied. The journalist then told the doctor that the source of the sample had first been kept in ordinary water for a month and then for another three years in a container of distilled water. Dr. Frederic was at a loss to account for this fact. There was no way of explaining it scientifically, he stated.

Only then did Mike Willesee inform Dr. Frederic that the analyzed sample came from a consecrated Host that had mysteriously turned into bloody human flesh. Amazed by this information, Dr. Frederic replied, “How and why a consecrated Host would change its character and become living human flesh and blood will remain an inexplicable mystery to science—a mystery totally beyond its competence.”

Only faith in the extraordinary action of God provides the reasonable answer— faith in a God who wants to make us aware that He is truly present in the mystery of the Eucharist. The Eucharistic miracle in Buenos Aires is an excellent sign attested by science. Through this miracle, Jesus desires to arouse in us a lively faith in His real presence in the Eucharist. He reminds us that His presence is real and not symbolic, as some people tend to think.

Mike Willesee who was a lapsed Catholic, became a strong believer after he did research on Eucharistic Miracles. In fact, by collaborating with Ron Tesoriero, he wrote a book entitled Reason to Believe. In this book, they present documented facts of Eucharistic miracles and other signs calling people to faith in Christ who abides and teaches in the Catholic Church. They have also made a documentary film on the Eucharist—mainly based on the scientific discoveries associated with the miraculous Host in Buenos Aires. We believe in the Eucharist.

We believe that the Lord Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist. We know this primarily by faith. But the Eucharistic miracles also help. They help us to strengthen our faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Today as we proclaim our faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist by celebrating the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, let us ask the Lord to help us to have strong and deep faith in his real presence in the Eucharist and to receive him always with a true love and devotion. (Contents borrowed from reliable sources) (June 6, 2021)

OT XII (June 22) Sunday Homily on Luke 9: 18-24 (LP-25)-1 page-Synopsis

Introduction: Today’s Gospel explains the basis of our Faith as the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior. It also tells us that Christ Jesus became our Savior by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Finally, it outlines the three requirements of Christian discipleship, namely, denying oneself, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus.

Scripture lessons: Jesus saw aspects of his own life and mission foreshadowed in Zechariah’s prophecy given in the first reading and in Isaiah’s Servant Songs. Zechariah’s pierced one in the first reading, in the light of today’s Gospel, invites us to identify ourselves with our suffering Savior, Jesus during the moments of our pains and suffering. In the second reading, Paul teaches us that through faith in Jesus we become the children of God. Hence, we have to live in accordance with Jesus’ teachings, tearing down barriers of gender, race and class. Paul advises us to “put on Christ,” which means that we should allow Christ to begin to work in us as our Messiah, our personal Lord and Savior, healing us of our hatred, prejudice, selfishness and whatever else blocks “God’s reign” within and among us. Today’s Gospel consists of two sections: 1) the Messianic confession of Peter, acknowledging Jesus as “Christ (Messiah) the Son of the living God,” and 2) Jesus’ prediction of his Passion, death and Resurrection, followed by his clear teaching on the three requirements of Christian discipleship: “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me.”

Life Messages: 1) Jesus must enter in to our living experience, loving us, forgiving us, helping us and transforming our lives and outlook. The knowledge of Jesus as Lord and personal Savior should become a living, personal experience for each Christian. This takes place when we listen to him through the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, talk to him through daily, personal and family prayers, offer him our lives on the altar in the Holy Mass, are reconciled with him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and recognize and respond to Him in our brothers and sisters. In the Eucharistic celebration today, we are celebrating and experiencing in our lives the death and Resurrection of Jesus — the Christ, the Messiah, our Lord and our personal Savior.

2) We need to surrender our life to Jesus whom we experience as our Lord and Savior: Next, we surrender our lives to Jesus by rendering humble and loving service to others, with the strong conviction that Jesus is present in every person. Finally, we begin to praise and thank God in all the events of our lives, both good and bad, realizing that God’s loving hand is behind every event of our lives.

3) We need to deny ourselves, take up our crosses and follow Jesus. Self-denial requires that we evict selfish thoughts and evil desires and tendencies from our hearts, enthrone God in our hearts and share Him with others. We carry our crosses the Christian way when we accept them from God gracefully and share our health, wealth, time and talents with others even when it costs us a struggle.

OT XII [C] Zec 12:10-11, 13: 1; Gal 3:26-29; Lk 9:18-24 (LP-25)

Anecdotes: #1: “Who is Jesus?” In his teens, C.S. Lewis was a professed agnostic. He was influenced in his conversion to Christianity by G.K. Chesterton’s book, The Everlasting Man, and by two of his Christian friends. After his conversion, he wrote a number of books defending Christianity. During the Second World War in his famous BBC radio talk, Mere Christianity, he said, “I am trying to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: ‘I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God.’ That is the one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse.” If we accept Jesus as a moral teacher, then we must necessarily accept Him as God, for great moral teachers do not tell lies. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies)

# 2: “Who do you say that I am?” On Sunday morning a man showed up at Church with both of his ears terribly blistered. So his pastor asked, “What happened to you Jim?” Jim said: “I was lying on the couch watching a ball game on TV while my wife was ironing nearby. I was totally engrossed in the game when she went out, leaving the iron near the phone. The phone rang, and keeping my eyes on the TV, I grabbed the hot iron and put it to my ear.” “How dreadful,” gasped the pastor. “But how did the other ear get burned?” “Well, you see, I’d no sooner hung up, the guy called back!” He just didn’t get it. Lots of folks never get it and never understand how life really works, even at the simplest levels. That’s why Jesus is pressing his followers — and us with a challenging question in today’s Gospel: “Who do you say that I am?” (Msgr. Dennis Clarke)

# 3: “Suppose Jesus were to come here.” Without the 19th century essayist Charles Lamb, William Shakespeare would be “missing in action.” Mr. Lamb’s essays snatched the 17th century playwright from undeserved obscurity after he had been famous for Andy Warhol’s fifteen minutes. One night, Lamb and his guests were chatting about the Bard over Spanish port and Cuban cigars. “Supposing,” one asked Lamb, “Shakespeare were to stroll into our dining room at this moment.” The essayist replied, “We would raise a glass of port to the great man.” “Supposing,” asked another, “Jesus were to come here.” Lamb answered, “We would all get down on our knees.” There is the essential difference between the Man from Nazareth and all other great people you can think of. The Christ is God, and all others, no matter what their deeds, are but fools who strut on the stage for a brief time and then exit. (Fr. Gilhooly).

Introduction: Today’s Gospel explains the basis of our Faith as the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and our Savior. It also tells us that Christ Jesus became our Savior by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Finally, it outlines the three requirements for Christian discipleship, namely, denying oneself, taking up one’s cross and following Jesus.  The first reading gives us Zechariah’s prophecy about the suffering and death of the Messiah:   “They will look on Him whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him, like the bitter weeping over a first-born.” The challenge given by Paul in today’s second reading is to live in accordance with Jesus’ teachings, tearing down unjust barriers of gender, race and class and making social justice a part of the Church’s vision. In defending his teaching that Christ alone is the source of salvation, Paul appeals to several images in this reading. As clothing both envelops the whole body and expresses our identity to others, so Christ embraces our total reality, and renders differences among us insignificant. “Putting on Christ” means allowing him to begin to work in us as our Messiah, our personal Lord and Savior.   This deep and vitalizing work of grace heals us of our hatred, prejudice, selfishness and whatever else blocks “God’s reign” within and among us.

The first reading: Zechariah’s prophecy refers to an obscure historical event which occurred several centuries before Christ.  It was not originally a direct prediction of Jesus’ Passion. But the passage gives insight into the meaning of redemptive suffering and its essential role in God’s salvific plan.  The evangelist John considered the passage, “They will look on Him whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him….”as fulfilled in the suffering and death of the Messiah. However, Zechariah’s description of the pierced one could have been applied to any one of several people who were martyred and mourned. Reginald Fuller in Preaching the New Lectionary suggests that Christians, who associate Zechariah’s figure with Jesus and his redemptive death for sinners, might understand the mourning described here as the remorse which will, at the last judgment, overtake all those who have rejected Christ on earth. Zechariah’s pierced one, in the light of today’s Gospel, invites us to identify ourselves with our suffering Savior, Jesus during the moments of our pain and suffering.

The second reading: Writing to the Galatians, St. Paul teaches them and us that through Faith in Jesus we become the children of God. Hence, we have to live in accord with Jesus’ teachings, tearing down unjust barriers of gender, race and class and making social justice a part of the Church’s vision. As clothing covers parts of the body and expresses our identity to others, so Christ covers us and renders differences among us insignificant. “Putting on Christ” means allowing him to begin to work in us as our Messiah, personal Lord and Savior.   This deep and vitalizing work of grace heals us of our hatred, prejudice, selfishness and whatever else blocks “God’s reign” within and among us.

 Exegesis: Two pertinent questions: In Luke’s Gospel, it was immediately after a prayer session with his disciples that Jesus asked two questions about his perceived identity. But in the accounts of Matthew and Mark the incident occurred at Caesarea Philippi, presently called Banias, twenty-five miles northeast of the Sea of Galilee. This city was founded by King Philip, the son of Herod the Great, to perpetuate his own memory and to honor the Roman emperor Caesar. It was situated on a beautiful terrace about 1150 feet above sea level on the southwest slope of Mount Hermon overlooking the Jordan valley. The city was a great pilgrimage center for pagans because it held temples for the Syrian gods Bal and Pan, one for the Roman God Jupiter and a marble temple for the emperor Caesar. Jesus realized that if his disciples did not know who he really was, then his entire ministry, suffering and death would be useless. Hence, he decided to ask a question in two parts.

The first question: “Who do the crowds say I am?” Their answer was, “Some say that you are John the Baptist, others say that you are Elijah, still others one of the prophets.” John the Baptist was so great a figure that many Jews, and Herod their king, thought that John’s spirit had entered the body of Jesus. Elijah, the greatest of the prophets was believed to be the forerunner of the Messiah.  (“Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes” –Mal 4:5). The phrase “one of the prophets”  suggested that Jesus had a ministry like that of the former prophets. When the people identified Jesus with Elijah and with Jeremiah they were, according to their lights, paying him a great compliment and setting him in a high place because Elijah was none other than the expected forerunner of the Anointed One of God.

The second question: “Who do you say I am? For the first time in their relationship Peter, speaking for the other disciples, declared publicly: “You are God’s Messiah.” Peter was the first apostle to recognize Jesus publicly as the Anointed One (also translated Messiah or Christ).  Christ is the Greek word for the Hebrew word Messiah. To say that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed one of God was to say that Jesus was God who became Man to save sinners!  However, Jesus was quick to explain to the disciples that he was not a political Messiah who would reestablish the Davidic kingdom after ousting the Romans.  Instead, he was the Messiah who would redeem mankind by his suffering, death and Resurrection. Like the “pierced one” in the first reading, Jesus accepted suffering as part of his mission and out of fidelity toward the One Whom he called Father. Jesus’ example provides a challenge for us all to accept the mystery of the cross when our turn comes to follow the Jesus by suffering with him.

The three requirements for Christian discipleship: Jesus promptly emphasized the fact that he was not the political, conquering Messiah of Jewish expectations by declaring three stringent requirements to be met by his disciples: ““If anyone wants to come with me he must deny himself, take up his cross every day and follow me.” Christian discipleship demands honesty of a disciple in order for him to practice self-control (“to offer our bodies as a willing sacrifice to God”), willingness to suffer, and readiness to follow Jesus by obeying his commandment of love. A) Self-denial:  Self-denial requires that we evict selfish thoughts, evil desires and tendencies from our hearts and fill them with God. It also requires that we cleanse ourselves of all evil habits, enthrone God in our hearts and share Him with others. B) Carrying our cross with Jesus: The cross always means pain and suffering. Our sufferings become one with Jesus’ sufferings on the cross with their saving power 1) when we accept them as His gift to us and endure them patiently, cheerfully if possible; 2) when we suffer by serving others selflessly, 3) when we give ourselves – our health, wealth, time and talents — to others even when it costs us a struggle and 4) when we do penance to make reparation for our sins and the sins of the world. C) Following Jesus: As followers of Christ, we should live our lives according to the word of God, by obeying what is commanded by Jesus. Since Mark’s Gospel was written within vivid memory of both the horrors of the Jewish war against Rome and the persecution under Nero, when Christians were used as torches to light Nero’s garden, the readers recognized that Jesus’ predictions about Christian suffering had been tragically fulfilled in their own community.

Losing life, finding life: Christians started experiencing persecution by the Jews and the Romans while Luke wrote his Gospel.  Hence, he emphasizes Jesus’ teaching that a man who is faithful may die for his Faith in Jesus, but in dying he will live. The man who risks everything for Christ finds life.  On the other hand the man who abandons his Faith for safety or security may live, but he is actually dying. History is full of noble souls who risked their lives for the sake of others. If certain scientists had not been prepared to take risks, many a medical cure would not exist.  If mothers were not prepared to take risks, no child would ever be born. If we’re honest with ourselves, we know that there are constant opportunities for us to choose to be true to the Gospel.  But the world is essentially opposed to the Gospel and those who live out its truths.

Life Messages: #1:  What does Jesus mean to us? Founder of a religion like Buddha and Confucius? Revolutionary Jewish reformer? One of the great teachers? Son of God and personal Savior? This can perhaps be broken down into other questions:  “How do I really see Jesus? Is Jesus a living experience for me, walking with me, loving me, forgiving me, helping me and transforming my life and outlook? What difference does Jesus make in my life?  Have I really given my life to him?  Are there areas where I have excluded Him, where my life is not noticeably different from the lives of those who see Jesus as irrelevant? Who do we say that Jesus is through our daily life? Who do we say that He is when we are in the presence of those who don’t know him, those who aren’t interested in him? What does the way we live and behave say about who Jesus is? Is the joy, the love, the peace that we find in Jesus reflected in the way we live our lives? We are gathered here today in the name of Jesus. We have not come together to celebrate a memorial for a merely good man who died long ago. We are here to celebrate the death and resurrection of Christ, the Messiah, our Lord and personal Savior, in this Eucharistic celebration.

2) We need to experience Jesus as our Lord and Savior and surrender our life to him. The knowledge of Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior should become a living, personal experience for each Christian. With God’s ongoing grace, we learn to perceive Jesus this way by listening to him through the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, by talking to him through daily, personal and family prayers, by offering to him our lives on the altar in the Holy Mass and by being reconciled to him in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The next step for us is to surrender our lives to Jesus by rendering humble and loving service to others with the strong conviction that Jesus is present in every person. Our final step is to praise and thank God in all the events of our lives, both good and bad, realizing that God’s loving hand is behind every event of our lives.

# 3:  Are we ready to take up our crosses and follow Jesus? Do we have enough Faith to offer up a genuine sacrifice for Christ’s sake? Can a Church in today’s self-centered culture ask its people to sacrifice something for the sake of the Gospel? Jesus’ challenge to all would-be disciples requires more than a “feel-good” spirituality. A true disciple asks, “Am I willing to sacrifice something for the Kingdom?”  What made it possible for first-century Christians to choose a martyr’s death? What has kept generations of Christians from losing Faith and falling apart when confronted by the violence and hatred of this world? How can we realize even the day-to-day sacrifices asked by our Faith when they demand things we don’t want to do?  Can we sacrifice some of our time in order to visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen? Can we sacrifice our job security and refuse to “go along” with a policy that is unjust? Can we sacrifice our need to be in control and let Christ do with us what he will? Can we refuse to let our children watch television programs filled with sex and violence?

Joke of the week:  1) Indulgent self-denial: An overweight executive went on a strict diet after announcing it to his staff in the office.  Then one morning he showed up at the office with a huge coffee-cake. He was roundly scolded by his staff for breaking his diet. But he said, “Wait a minute. I can explain. On my way to work this morning, I saw this coffee cake in the window of a bakery. And I prayed, ‘Lord, if you want me to have it, provide a parking space right in front of the bakery.’ And sure enough, the eighth time around the block, there it was.”

2) What happens when sermons become sleeping pills:  “I hope you didn’t take it personally, Father,” an embarrassed woman said to her pastor after the Mass, “that my husband walked out during your homily.” “I did find it rather disconcerting,” the preacher replied. “It’s not a reflection on you, Father,” she insisted. “Ralph has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child.”

3) The Catholic’s general knowledge about the Bible and the Messiah: A Sunday school teacher was telling the students of how the walls of Jericho came down amazingly by the blowing of trumpets and shouts of the people. Observing that Johnny was day-dreaming, the teacher asked him: “Johnny who knocked down the walls of Jericho?” Johnny started shouting furiously, “I didn’t do it, I didn’t do it!,” and he ran from the class in protest. That evening the teacher met his parents in the park and spoke to Johnny’s mother. She told her the story of what happened in the class and about Johnny’s unreasonable outburst in the class. His mother said, “If my son said he didn’t do it, then he didn’t do it! I trained him not to tell lies.” The perplexed teacher asked Johnny’s mother if she could speak to the boy’s father. When she explained the incident to him he said: “Let’s not fuss about this. Just tell me how much it will cost to repair the walls and I’ll write a check.”

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK

1) Liberation theology:  http://liberationtheology.org/articles/p,

 2)  Spirituality topics: http://www.shc.edu/theolibrary/spirit.htm

3) Marian materials: C:\WUTemp\Website links\virginmary.htm  

24- Additional anecdotes: 1) “To draw out all his savings?” A teacher was giving her students a lesson in logic. “Here is the situation,” she said. “A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife in her riverside house hears the commotion, knows he can’t swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank instead of calling for help?” A girl raised her hand and asked, “To draw out all his savings?” In today’s Gospel, the disciples are faced with a similar situation – like being in class when the teacher asks a very important question. We want to seem intelligent so we blurt out an answer – not always the right one – but an answer nonetheless.   In today’s Gospel lesson Peter blurts out an answer that is theologically correct, inspired and amazing.

2) Mount Rushmore National Memorial:  When one thinks of South Dakota, one thinks of Mount Rushmore. Carved into the mountainside by Gutzon Borglum are the heads of four of the great leaders of the United States. It’s ironic that this monument is in the heart of an area sacred to the Lakota and Dakota people whose ancestors possessed the land centuries before George Washington’s family came to America. Thousands of Americans visit Mount Rushmore each year. Many come away with flags, patriotic symbols and T- shirts reading, “God Bless America.” Perhaps they feel a rush of pride and make resolutions to be better Americans in the future. Let us remember that Christians are part of the rock. Jesus built his Church on the rock of Peter as a reward for his great confession of Faith in the Divinity of Christ. The members of the Church are given a new face on the same rock, the face of Jesus, as they proclaim his love, mercy, forgiveness in their daily lives.

3)  “Who do you think I am?”  In 1896, after fifteen centuries, Athens renewed the Olympic Games. You can imagine how proud the Greeks were to host the first modern Olympics. The Greeks were by far the most successful nation in terms of total medals (forty-six), 26 more than the U. S.  Nevertheless, their number of first-place finishes (10) was one fewer than the Americans who gained 11. The last competition was the marathon. Greece’s entrant was named Spyridon Louis, a water carrier with a little military training, without much competitive background. He learned endurance by transporting mineral water from his village to the city. When the race started, Louis was far back in the pack of marathoners. But as the miles passed he moved up steadily. One by one the leaders began to falter. The French hero fell in agony. The hero from the United States had to quit the race. Soon, word reached the stadium that a lone runner was approaching the arena, and the emblem of Greece was on his chest! He even slowed down for a glass of wine. As the excitement grew, Prince George of Greece hurried to the stadium entrance where he met Louis and ran with him to the finish line. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greece_at_the_1896_Summer_Olympics). In this sports tale, we have something of the history of the human race. Jesus Christ started from way back in the pack. He was born in relative obscurity, never had many followers, commanded no army, erected no edifices, wrote no books. He died young, was buried in a borrowed grave, and you’d think he’d be quickly forgotten. But, no! His reputation has grown, so that today Jesus is worshiped on every continent, has more followers than ever before and sixteen times has been pictured on the cover of Time magazine, while Jesus’ sayings have been translated into more than 200 languages.  Consider: Socrates taught for forty years, Plato for fifty, and Aristotle, forty. Jesus Christ only taught for three years. Yet which has influenced the world more, one hundred thirty years of classical thought or three years of Christ’s? In the Library of Congress there are 1,172 reference books on William Shakespeare, 1,752 on George Washington, 2,319 on Abe Lincoln, and 5,152 on Jesus Christ. Perhaps H. G. Wells best summed up the runaway difference in interest. “Christ,” he wrote, “is the most unique person of history. No man can write a history of the human race without giving first and foremost place to the penniless teacher of Nazareth.” As Emerson once noted, “The name of Jesus is not so much written as PLOUGHED into the history of the world.” Today’s gospel challenges us to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior as St. Peter did at Caesarea Philippi.

4) Who is this Jesus? Where do we find him? In his book, Pray from Where You Are, James Carroll recalls something many of us remember from our childhood. Every Sunday, the comic page of our newspapers used to carry a series of printed games. One of everybody’s favorites was a picture showing some scene, like a family enjoying a picnic in a park. Printed beneath the picture were the words, “Can you find the man hidden in the picture?” You’d look and look, and at first wouldn’t see anything that looked like a man. Then you’d turn the paper this way and that to get a different view of it. Suddenly, from the edge of a fluffy white cloud you’d see an ear. Then, from the green leaves of a tree you’d see a mouth, and so on, until you’d see an entire man’s face smiling out at you from the picnic scene. Once you saw the man, that picnic scene was never the same again. For you had found the hidden man. You yourself had seen the smiling face. It’s the same way in our own lives. We Christians know by Faith that there is a man hidden away in every scene of daily life. And that man’s name is Jesus. Once we find him, up close and personal, no scene in our lives is ever the same. That is part of the message of today’s Gospel. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies)

5 Confusion most confounded: Just take the world of medicine. Anyone confused like I am? Does it seem to you that one study is always negating the finds of the previous study? Hormone replacement therapy is great. No. Hormone replacement therapy causes cancer. Saccharine causes cancer; NutraSweet is good. No. NutraSweet causes cancer and Saccharine is good. LowCarb/HighFat is the best diet. Whoops, no, we meant to say NoFat/LowCarb is the best diet. Being slightly underweight is best. No. Being slightly overweight is best. Stock market recommendations and economist’s predictions are equally confusing. Watch Fox’s Saturday morning stock market analysis. The experts end up calling each other’s advice ridiculous, completely wrong, amazingly erroneous, downright stupid. Same thing happened at Caesarea Philippi where Peter declared Jesus as the Messiah and the Son of the living God. Jesus congratulated him as the spokesman of God the Father’s revelation. At the same time Jesus warned his disciples not to tell this truth to any one.

6) What is in a name? In Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet says to Romeo, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” The Journal of the American Medical Association did a study on the names of people in the medical profession in the United States. Doctors’ names included: Needle, Probe, Lance, Ligate, Drill, Scope, Bolt, Pin, Croak and Klutz. On the up side, we find physicians named Fix, Cure, Heal, Brilliant, Able and Best. Our vet’s name is Dr. Fish. There is an Episcopal priest in New York City named Donald Goodness. Do names make a difference? Can a person’s name determine his or her destiny? If you had the choice, would you pick Dr. Brilliant or Dr. Klutz? Many actors will take a stage name because their real name is considered unattractive, dull, or amusing for the wrong reason, or because it projects the wrong image, or is considered too “ethnic.” Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus, who gave Simon a new name, Peter, made him the bedrock foundation of his Church.

7)  Film –Shoes of the Fisherman: When the Italian pope dies in the latter part of the twentieth century, the Cardinals debate who will succeed him. Some want a conservative pope, while others feel that modern times call for a different approach so that the Church can speak to the real needs of the people. The conclave elects a Slavic cardinal who was imprisoned for twenty years by the Communists. He becomes Pope Kiril I. He feels constricted by Vatican protocol, so he ventures out one night to meet the real people of Rome. He also relates to theologians in difficulties with pastoral kindness and understanding. At his papal coronation, he gives away his tiara. He tries to negotiate an accord between China and Russia, which are at war, and he says he is ready to sell the treasures of the Vatican to alleviate starvation in China. When Morris West’s novel Shoes of the Fisherman first appeared in 1963, it was regarded as prophetic. When John Paul I died in 1978 after barely a month in office, the Polish Pope, Karol Wojtyla, was elected. St. John Paul II is considered to have been one of the chief influences in the collapse of the Soviet Union. Morris West was even more prophetic than people realized. The Shoes of the Fisherman takes past perceptions of the papacy and papal authority and looks at them in new ways. Like Pope Kiril in the film, Pope St. John Paul traveled outside Rome and tried to enter into dialogue with everyone. He exercised spiritual authority and tried to show that the role of the papacy was for service, especially in the political and economic arenas. The film shows the end of one era and the beginning of a new one. The Shoes of the Fisherman continues to challenge audiences to understand the papacy more deeply. The Shoes of the Fisherman was almost a blueprint for the papacy of John Paul II. The film expresses a different yet converging definition of what ‘Church’ means and what authority and service entails. (Peter Malone in Lights Camera….Faith!)

8) Pray TV and the dog Spuds MacKenzie: The ABC television network carried a program titled Pray TV. Actor John Ritter played the role of an evangelist. Incredibly, some 22,000 people called local television stations wanting to pledge financial contributions to Ritter’s work. These figures were verified by various telephone companies who had monitored and logged the incoming calls. Just after a scene in which the evangelist said, “We need your prayers,” a fictitious toll-free number was flashed on the screen. Many viewers around the country tried to phone the number to offer prayers and money. It pays never to underestimate the gullibility of the American people. Characters in soap operas tell horror stories about viewers who confuse the actors with the roles they are playing. In 1968, when actor Leslie Nielsen played a brutal sheriff in the television film Shadow Over Elviron, he received more than two hundred poison pen letters, mostly from women. Some of these were shockingly vulgar. Even Spuds MacKenzie, the dog on certain beer commercials, receives an average of five thousand letters a month. Not the trainer, not the sponsor, not the agent, not the handlers – the dog herself receives the fan mail! Jesus wasn’t really that concerned about what the masses were thinking about him. Winston Churchill once was congratulated on the size of a crowd that turned out to hear him speak. He said the crowd would be twice as large if he were being hanged. Jesus knew that some in the crowds cheering him would later shout the loudest for his crucifixion. So, he wasn’t really all that concerned when he asked, “Who do men say that I am?” However, he was concerned when he turned to his disciples and asked them, “And who do you say that I am?” Jesus’ plan for the salvation of the world lay with this small group of men and so their knowledge of their leader as God was very important for their mission.

9) “You are the Christ.” Fr. Herbert O’Driscoll uses a wonderful image to explain the structure of the Church. His idea is to look at all of the last 20 centuries as rings of time, or as concentric circles of time.   Today’s Christians, in the 21^st century, are in the outermost circle, farthest away from the center – which is a Cross. We are brought into the circle, into the faith, in large part because somewhere, somehow, someone in the circle just before ours took us by the hand and said, “Come,” and so drew us in. That is one very important reason why we are here. That person was able to do this for us because someone had taken him or her by the hand and had drawn that person in.  And so it went, back through all the centuries until we reach the hands that had actually touched the mark of the nails. In this way, Christ builds his Church. We constantly re-live this Gospel story.   When we say to Jesus, “You are the Christ,” he says to each of us—“You, …..” What happened to Peter continues to happen and actually includes us.

10) Peter Johnson the Rocky: It is said that Winston Churchill never liked talking to subordinates. He always wanted to go to the top because he figured that was the only way he could get any action. So, as the story goes, when Churchill went to Heaven, he met St. Peter at the gate and said, “Who are you?” When Peter said, “I’m St. Peter,” Churchill said, “To hell with you, get God!” How did poor Peter get this job in the first place? It all started with the story recounted in this text when Jesus renamed him “Rocky” and gave him the keys to the kingdom. Actually he called him Cephas which is an Aramaic nickname meaning rock. Its Greek counterpart is Petros which also means rock. Thus, on that day at Caesarea Philippi about 20 miles north of the Sea of Galilee, Simon Johnson, as he was known to his fishing buddies and his family, got a new name — Rocky. Rocky was the big one, bigger than the boxer by that name: Marciano or the character Sylvester Stallone played in the movie called Rocky and all its sequels. I can just hear him calling the other disciples with a tough Brooklyn street kid accent, “Hey you’se guys, let’s go get some fish.”

11) “Catholic Church” or “universal church”: A woman was talking to her Presbyterian minister. She was taking him to task for using, in praying the creed during a worship service, the words, “I believe in the holy, catholic church” instead of saying “universal church” or something similar, because, she said, it was “not Presbyterian.” “Well,” the minister replied, “you don’t mean to say that you believe that the only way you can get to Heaven is by being a Presbyterian, do you!” She thought a minute and said, “No, not really. But no genteel person would think of going any other way.” [B. Clayton Bell, Moorings in a World Adrift: Answers for Christians Who Dare to Ask Why, (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1990) p. 87.]

12) “The powers of death (Gates of hell) shall not prevail against it.” There is a story about a poor guy who died. Much to his surprise he was sentenced not to Heaven, but to Satan’s domain. Before he was admitted, however, he was interviewed by Satan himself. “It’s pretty bad down here, isn’t it?” asked the man. “Not at all!” said Satan. “You’re surrounded by people who know how to enjoy! Each day we have a theme. Monday, for example, is Party Day! We party around the clock. Tuesday is Alcohol Day! An open bar, take all you want! Wednesday is Tobacco Day! The finest Havana cigars, all the best cigarette blends.” The guy begins to brighten up. He says, “I’m sold. Let me in!” They let him in the gate and he promptly falls into a fiery pit where he is prodded by a nasty looking thing with a pitchfork. “Hey,” he cried, “what happened to those Theme Days?” “Today is Thursday,” Satan giggles with glee. “Thursdays we tell lies!” (The Jokesmith)

13) “The powers of death shall not prevail against it.” Elaine Pagels is a distinguished professor at Princeton University who studies and knows a lot about the human phenomenon of religion. She begins her book, Beyond Belief, with an unusual anecdote and a very powerful witness. On a bright, cold Sunday morning in New York, she interrupted her daily run by stopping in the vestibule of a Church to get warm. Two days earlier, her two-and-a-half-year-old son had been diagnosed with an invariably fatal lung disease. Two-and-a-half years old. Barely born and already dying. Imagine the pain in her heart, if you can. But here is how she describes that scene in the Church that day: “Since I had not been in Church for a long time, I was startled by my response to the worship in progress–the soaring harmonies of the choir singing with the congregation; and the priest, a woman in bright gold and white vestments, proclaiming the prayers in a clear resonant voice. As I stood watching, a thought came to me: Here is a family that knows how to face death…Standing in the back of that church, I recognized, uncomfortably, that I needed to be there. Here was a place to weep without imposing tears upon a child; and here was a heterogeneous community that had gathered to sing, to celebrate, to acknowledge common needs, and to deal with what we cannot control or imagine.” (http://www.uccseb.org/Sermons/2004/March%2028,%202004.htm )

14) Wings for the birds: An old legend relates that long ago God had a great many burdens which He wished to have carried from one place to another on earth, so He asked the animals to lend a hand. But all of them began to make excuses for not helping: the elephant was too dignified; the lion, too proud; and so on. Finally the birds came to God and said, “If you will tie the burdens into small bundles, we’ll be glad to carry them for you. We are small but we would like to help.” So God fastened upon the back of each one a small bundle, and they all set out walking across the plain to their destination. They sang as they went, and did not seem to feel the weight of their burdens at all. Every day the burdens seemed lighter and lighter, until the loads seems to be lifting the birds, instead of the birds carrying the burdens. When they arrived at their destination, they discovered that when they removed their loads, there were wings in their place, wings which enabled them to fly to the sky and the tree tops. They had learned how to carry their burdens, and their loads had become wings to carry them nearer to God.  Burdens we carry for others may become wings of the spirit, to lift us into happiness such as we have never known. (Fr. Eugene Lobo S. J.).

15) “Golden-haired floating Madonna: ” In July of 1981, six girls in the mountain village of Citluk, Yugoslavia, reported that they had seen a “golden-haired Madonna” who seemed to be “floating over a remote mountain meadow.” The government’s official press paid little attention to the first reports but “as reports spread, as many as 30,000 Yugoslav Christians flocked to the area” in the hope of seeing the Madonna. Then the government became alarmed, called the vision “a publicity trick” by the Church, expelled eleven people from the party, jailed at least five people, including two Serbian Orthodox priests and a Catholic priest whose parish included Citluk, “for spreading hostile propaganda.” But the girls insisted that they had seen the Madonna, and it was their reports of what they had seen – a revelation as far as they were concerned – that stirred up the religious fervor and the gathering of the crowds at Citluk. They simply knew and told what they had seen. The government wanted them to be quiet. The strange thing about this story in Luke is that it was Jesus who reacted immediately to the “You are the Christ of God” answer and silenced Peter and the disciples until after his death and Resurrection.

16) “They” say: “They” say that the next President of the United States is going to be a woman. “They” say that the next winter will be one of the coldest on record. “They” say that two heads are better than one. “They” say that if a rooster crows late in the day, rain is on the way. Surely you have heard of “They.” It is almost certain that at one time or another you have referred to “They” when relating some bit of information in the course of a conversation. “They” say! “They” are always saying something. And it is not enough that they are always saying something, “They” are always doing something. “They are wearing a lot of browns and blues together this year.” “They are wearing such-and-such jogging shoes now.” Who composes this faceless, all-knowing, oft-quoted body of experts on virtually every subject? It is not really necessary to reach for their names or strain to see their faces. Regardless of who they are or what they look like, we know that “They” exert a tremendous influence upon what we say and do. “They” have a great deal to do with the shaping of public opinion. As a matter of fact, “They” may sometimes be public opinion. When Jesus and his disciples had come to Bethsaida, they sought out a place to pray privately. At some point during their prayers, Jesus abruptly asked, “Who do they say that I am?”

17) “Teach him that he must deny himself.” In Douglas Southall Freeman’s classic biography of the famous Southern commander, Robert E. Lee, he tells about a young mother who brought her baby to him to be blessed. General Lee took the infant in his arms, looked at it, and then said to the mother, “Teach him that he must deny himself.” Our Gospel for today agrees wholeheartedly with General Lee. Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

18) Hunger, thirst, hardships, and death : After the siege of Rome in 1849, Garibaldi, the Italian patriot proclaimed: “Soldiers, all our efforts against superior forces have been unavailing. I have nothing to offer but hunger, thirst, hardships, and death.” Those Italian soldiers rose to the occasion, liberated their people, and established a nation. In a similar manner, Christ’s call to sacrificial commitment releases the heroic dimension of Christian discipleship.

19) Wanted: True Followers of Jesus Christ: Sir Ernest Shackleton needed 28 volunteers for a dangerous mission to the South Pole. So he placed the following advertisement in the London Times: “Wanted: Persons for a dangerous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful, honor and recognition if successful.” Many skeptics were doubtful if he would get volunteers. To their stunned disbelief, he was swamped by over 5000 applications from all over England. From these he selected 28 most eligible and in spite of the anticipated hardships, all returned safely to honor and recognition. -Jesus extends the same invitation to all his followers. It is neither a call to take up arms, nor to embark on a hazardous expedition. But it is an invitation to collaborate with him in establishing the Kingdom of God on earth; it is a call to work with him in transforming the world and making it a place God wants it to be. Of course this challenge is complex and demanding: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Countless people have faithfully and generously responded over the past 2000 years, and have striven nobly to make this a better world. Each of us is invited to follow in the footsteps of Jesus for this same mission. What is our answer? (James Valladares in Your Words, O Lord, are Spirit, and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 20) Carrying our own cross: Wilma Rudolf was a disaster from birth. She was a tiny premature baby, who caught pneumonia, then scarlet fever and finally polio. The polio left one leg badly crippled, with her foot twisted inward. Until the age of seven Wilma hobbled around on metal braces. Then she asked her sister to watch while she practiced walking without braces. She kept this up every day, afraid her parents might discover what she was doing, and she would have to stop. Eventually, feeling guilty, she told her doctor, who was flabbergasted. However, he gave her permission to continue as she was, but only for a short period of time. Wilma worked at it until she was able to throw away her crutches for good. She progressed to running and by the time she was sixteen she won a bronze medal in a relay race in the Melbourne Olympics. Four years later in the Rome Olympics, she became the first woman to win three gold medals in track and field. She returned to a ticker-tape parade of welcome in the US, had a private meeting with President Kennedy, and received the Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete. – It is in facing up to the daily carrying of the cross that releases within us our full potential. (Jack McArdle in And that’s the Gospel Truth; quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

21) Film ‘Falling Down’: In L.A., Bill frets in his car. He is in a traffic jam. He is surrounded by noise, heat and squabbling. His license plate indicates his work, D-FENS. Foster abandons his car in frustration. At the same time Detective Martin Prendergast sits in the same traffic jam and notices the billboards around him. He sees the man walk away from his car. He helps to push it off to the side of the road and notices the vanity license plate. It is Prendergast’s last day on the job because he is retiring. As information comes in about what D-FENS is doing, he begins to make connections and takes on the job of solving the problem, even as he is being processed out of the police department. Prendergast and another detective visit the scene of D-FENS first altercation. The detective realizes it is where he saw the man walk away that morning. He goes to the man’s home and meets the man’s mother who says that her son has been acting strangely. They learn that Foster has lost his job in the defense industry a month before and is not economically viable, and his wife has divorced him. Meanwhile Foster confronts violent elements in the city and builds up a store of weapons while continually calling his wife on the phone. He inadvertently takes a family hostage on the grounds of a lavish home and explains his desperation to them. He arrives home and finds his wife and daughter gone. Finally, he sees them on the Venice pier. Prendergast arrives soon after. In the confrontation, he explains that he has been lied to and victimized. Prendergast tells him he will go to jail, and Foster is surprised. He asks, “Am I the bad guy?” He provokes Prendergast into a shootout on the pier so he won’t go to jail. He and Prendergast draw their guns. Foster is wielding only a water pistol. He is shot to death and falls into the sea. –Falling Down is a movie that looks at the situation of middle-aged men in American society who have found that they are redundant and ineffectual in the late twentieth century. Falling Down reminds us that many people have no knowledge of the promise of Jesus and so are caught up in the crosses they have to bear that they lose life instead of gaining it. Bill Foster wants to save his life but instead finally sees no other way of coping with life than to opt out of it. Which path of life are we treading?

(Peter Malone in Lights, camera….FAITH!; quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

 22) No pain no gain: Some time ago several movies reflected the connection that exists between suffering and success. The Rocky series about boxing, Chariots of Fire about track events, Vision Quest about wrestling, illustrate how pain is the price athletes have to pay for victory. We get the same message from television, too. Paper Chase about lawyers, St. Elsewhere about doctors, and Fame about theatre performers emphasize how long hours of study and training are necessary to become a true professional. In other words the common athlete locker room slogan of “No pain no gain” fits especially well in libraries, labs and dressing rooms. The message is the same –without discipline there can be no development; without denial, no dedication; without some suffering, no success. A similar message appears in today’s readings. Albert Cylwicki in ‘His Word Resounds’ (Quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

 23) Paying the price…Mr., an atheist millionaire of Philadelphia, one Saturday ordered all his clerks to come the next day to his wharf and help unload the newly arrived ship. One young man replied quietly: “Mr. Girard, I can’t work on Sundays.” “You know our rules?” “Yes, I know, but I can’t work on Sundays.” “Well, step up to the desk and the cashier will settle with you.” For three weeks the young man could find no work, but one day a banker came to Girard to ask if he could recommend a man for cashier in a new bank. The discharged young man was at once named as a suitable person. Although Girard had dismissed the man, he recognized his sterling character. Anyone who could sacrifice his own interests for what he believed to be right would make a loyal trustworthy cashier. Anthony Castle in ‘More Quotes and Anecdotes’(Quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

 24) What do you know of Jesus? A poor illiterate man wanted to be baptized. The parish priest asked him many questions to see whether he was fit for baptism. “Where was Jesus born? How many apostles did he have? How many years did he live? Where did he die? The poor man knew nothing of all these questions. Irritated, the priest then said, “At least you know prayers like the Our Father and the I Believe”? The man again shook his head. “What do you know then?” asked the priest flabbergasted. The man explained, “Before I met Jesus I was a drunkard who beat up my wife and children; I lost my job and was wasting my life.” Then he continued, “But after encountering Jesus, I’ve quit drinking. I work hard and have begun to love my family. For me Jesus is my personal Saviour!” Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds’(Quoted by Fr. Botelho.)

Watch https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL60396574E0A0B9A2  or visit Bustedhalo.com  for beautiful YouTube lessons for kids & the youth.

 Visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05YB2jdHLsY&list=PL60396574E0A0B9A2&index=1  for beautiful YouTube presentation on seven Sacraments for kids& the youth

For the Youth: http://bustedhalo.com/category/sexandrelationships

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C (No. 36) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under CBCI or  Fr. Tony for my website version. (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, Chaplain, Sacred Heart Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor, 1655 McGill Ave, Mobile, AL 36604

June 9-14: 

June 9 Monday: Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

(Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church): NC Register: https://www.ncregister.com/blog/mfenelon/why-the-new-memorial-of-mary-mother-of-the-church-is-so-remarkable ( Gen 3:9-15, 20; Acts 1:12-14; Jn 19:25-34): https://youtu.be/9ymyPDzzBOQ?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAlWO6X2kAG00Pyg_VQd3RD   One of the most recent architectural additions to Saint Peter’s Square is the mosaic of Mary “Mother of the Church,” with the inscription Totus Tuus, yet another sign of Pope St. John Paul II’s great love for Our Lady. On Saturday, March 3, 2018, Pope Francis declared that, thenceforward, the Monday after Pentecost Sunday would be celebrated as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. The Memorial was to be observed annually. It has been added to the General Roman Calendar, the Roman Missal, and the Liturgy of the Hours with the Holy Father’s wish that this new feast day foster Marian piety and the maternal sense of the Church. Pentecost was the birth of the Church – the Mystical Body of Christ. As Mother of Christ, the Head of the Church, Mary is also the Mother of the Church, for she was with the apostles for that great event. In Catholic Mariology, Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae) is a title officially given to Mary at the closing of the Second Vatican Council, by   Pope St. Paul VI. The title was first used in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose of Milan.  The same title was used by Pope Benedict IV in 1748 and then by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. Pope St. Paul VI made the pronouncement of the title Mother of the Church during his speech upon the closing of the third session of the Second Vatican Council on November 21, 1964: “For the glory of the Virgin and our consolation, we proclaim Mary the Most Holy Mother of the Church, that is, the Mother of the whole People of God, both the faithful and the pastors.” Later, the title was used by Pope St. John Paul II, and is also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states that Mary joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its Head.” (CCC #963). “At once virgin and mother, Mary is the symbol and the most perfect realization of the Church.” (CCC # 507).

Pope St. John Paul II used the encyclical “Redemptoris Mater” (March 25, 1987), to explain how Jesus gave his mother into the care of John the apostle and how she became the Mother of the whole Church. The Pope said, “in her new motherhood in the Spirit, Mary embraces each and every one in the Church, and embraces each and every one through the Church.” Pope Benedict XVI addressed the issue of the relationship between Roman Catholic Mariology and ecclesiology quoting the theologian Hugo Rahner, SJ [elder brother of Karl Rahner SJ]  that Mariology was originally ecclesiology. The Church is like Mary. The Church is virgin and mother, she is immaculate and carries the burdens of history. She suffers, and she is assumed into heaven. She is carrying the mystery of the Church. That is why in 2018 Pope Francis decreed that the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church be inserted into the Roman Calendar on the Monday after Pentecost and that it be celebrated every year. The decree was signed on 11 February 2018, the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes, at the 160th anniversary of the Lourdes apparitions. The decree was issued on 3 March 2018.

As St. Augustine once said: “Mary is more blessed because she embraces Faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ.” As St. Ambrose taught, “The Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of Faith, Charity, and the perfect union with Christ.” She serves as the ultimate role model for all Christians in her willingness to cooperate with God’s will. So, while we rightfully acknowledge her as the Mother of God, the Theotokos, we also acknowledge her sanctity and her willingness to do God’s will. This is why another ancient name attributed to her now appears on the Church’s calendar.  “The Cross, the Eucharist, and the Mother of God   are three mysteries that God gave to the world in order to structure, fructify, and sanctify our interior life and lead us to Jesus.” (Robert, Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; retired February 20, 2021). Let us honor Mary the Mother of the Church by imitating her virtues of faith, humility, and total surrender. Additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

June 9 Monday: Saint Ephrem, deacon and doctor of the Church:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-ephrem/Mt 5:1-12: 1 Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down his disciples came to him. 2 And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: 3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. 5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. 6 “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. 7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. 9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. 10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 11 “Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. 12 Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.

The context: The“Beatitudes” form the introductory section in Mathew’s account of the Sermon on the Mount. They are the heart of the Sermon on the Mount, as the Sermon on the Mount is the heart of the whole Gospel, or the “Compendium of Christian Doctrine.” This sermon contains the most essential aspects of Christian behavior that we need to live out, if we are to reach Christian perfection. In essence, the Beatitudes both fulfill and complete the Ten Commandments.

Bombshells: In both Matthew and Luke the Beatitudes have been called a “series of bombshells” or blinding “flashes of lightning followed by deafening thunder of surprise and shock,” because Jesus reverses our “natural” assumption that happiness lies in riches, power, influence, and pleasure. We believe in personal pride: Jesus blesses poverty of spirit. We seek pleasure: Jesus blesses those who mourn. We see the prosperity of aggressive people: Jesus blesses the meek. We love good food and drink: Jesus blesses those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Thus, Jesus instructs his disciples in the paradoxical blessedness of poverty, hunger, sorrow, and persecution. In poverty, we recognize God’s reign; in hunger, His Providence; in sorrow, true happiness; and in persecution, true joy. In other words, the blessed, the “happy,” on Jesus’ list are the poor in spirit, the compassionate, the meek, the merciful, the clean of heart, the peacemakers, and those who are willing even to be insulted and persecuted for their following of Jesus in action.

Life messages: 1) We need to respond to the challenge of the Beatitudes in daily life. The Beatitudes propose to us a way of life, inviting us to identify with the poor, those who mourn, who are meek, and who hunger and thirst after justice. 2) They challenge us to become compassionate people, to become men and women who are pure in heart, and to become peacemakers in our dealings with one another, in our families and in the society at large, even when this approach to things exposes us to ridicule and persecution. 3) Let us remember that each time we reach out to help the needy, the sick and the oppressed, we share with them a foretaste of the promises of the Beatitudes here and now. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 10 Tuesday:Mt 5:13-16; (“You are the salt of the earth and light of the world”): In the time of Jesus, salt was connected in people’s minds with three special qualities. (i) Salt was connected with purity because it was white and came from the purest of all things, the sun and the sea. Salt was the most primitive of all offerings to the gods. Jewish sacrifices were offered with salt. As the “salt of the earth,” the Christian must be an example of purity, exercising absolute purity in speech, in conduct, and even in thought. God calls His children to preserve and purify. The Church is to preserve modesty (1 Tm 2:9), morality (Eph 5:3-12), and live lives of honesty and integrity (Jn 8:44-47). (ii) Salt was the commonest of all preservatives in the ancient world when people did not have fridges and freezers. It was used to prevent the putrefaction of meat, fish, fruits, and pickles. As the salt of the earth, the Christian must have a certain antiseptic influence on life and society, defeating corruption and making it easier for others to be good. Christians are to be a preserving influence to retard moral and spiritual spoilage in the world. (iii) Salt lends flavor to food items. One of the main functions of salt is to season food, to give it taste and flavor. To be the “salt” of society also means that we are deeply concerned with its well-being. We have to preserve the cultural values and moral principles Jesus has given us, and in this way to make a contribution to the development of a “Culture of Life” to replace the “culture of death” currently darkening our world. Thus, we will be adding flavor to the common life, religious and social. As salt seasoned and preserved food, and as salt keeps a fire burning uniformly in an oven for a longer time, the disciples were to improve the tone of society (“season” it), preserve the Faith, and extend the fire of the Spirit through their evangelization efforts.

The four roles of Christians as Christ’s light of the world. (1) A light is something which is meant to be seen. Christians are a lamp stand. Jesus therefore expects His followers let God’s light be seen by the whole world (Jn 13:35; 17:21). In addition, they must radiate and give light. “Let your light shine before men” (Mt 5:16). By this metaphor Jesus means that our Christianity should be visible in our ordinary activities and interactions in the world, for example, in the way we treat a shop assistant across the counter, in the way we order a meal in a restaurant, in the way we treat our employees or serve our employer, in the way we play a game, or drive or park a motor car, in the daily language we use, and in the daily literature we read. (2) A lamp or light is a guide to make clear the way. So then, a Christian must make the way clear to others. That is to say, a Christian must of necessity be an example, showing the world what Jesus would do in every situation. 3) A light can often be a warning light. A light is often the warning which tells us to halt when there is danger ahead. It is sometimes the Christian’s duty to bring to one’s brother/sister a necessary warning of dangers, present or ahead. If our warnings are given, not in anger, not in irritation, not in criticism, not in condemnation, but in love, they may be effective. 4) Light exposes everything hidden by darkness. (Note Jn 3:19; 1 Cor 4:5; Eph 5:8–11). Let us pause for a moment and ask ourselves how effectively we are carrying the Light Jesus IS as we live our daily lives, allowing that Light to shine on everyone we encounter through our Christian living — the Light Who lovingly warms, warns and guides us all. L/25

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

June 11 Wednesday: Saint Barnabas, apostle:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-barnabas/Mt 10:7-15: 7 And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay. 9 Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it, and stay with him until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, salute it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if any one will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it shall be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town

The context: Today’s Gospel describes the commissioning of the twelve apostles for the apostolic work of preparing the towns and villages for Jesus’ coming visit to them. Sent out in pairs to preach the coming of the Kingdom of God, repentance, the forgiveness of sins, and liberation, they were to follow Jesus’ detailed action-plan and bear witness to Jesus by their simple lifestyle.

Jesus’ instructions and travel tips. By his instructions, it is clear that Jesus meant his disciples to take no supplies for the road. They were simply to trust that God, the Provider, would open the hearts of believers to take care of their needs. Jesus’ instructions also suggest that the apostles should not be like the acquisitive priests of the day, interested only in gaining riches. They should be walking examples of God’s love and providence. The Jews supported their rabbis, and they judged doing so a privilege as well as an obligation, seeing hospitality as an important religious tradition. The apostles are told they should choose temporary accommodation in a reputable household, should bless the residents with God’s peace, and should be satisfied with the food and accommodation they received, not searching for better. They were to preach “’the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand,’ heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons.”

Life messages: 1) We, too, have a witnessing mission:Each Christian is called not only to be a disciple, but also to be an apostle. As apostles, we have to evangelize the world by sharing with others, not just words, or ideas, or doctrines, but our own experience of God and His Son, Jesus. It is through our transparent Christian lives that we must show the love, mercy, and concern of Jesus to the people around us. 2) We also have a liberating mission: There are many demons which can control the lives of people around us, making them helpless slaves — the demon of nicotine & drugs, the demon of alcohol, the demon of gambling, the demon of pornography, the demon of promiscuous sex, the demon of materialism, and the demon of consumerism. We need the help of Jesus to liberate ourselves and others from these things. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 12 Thursday; Mt 5:20-26: 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life messages: 1)Let us try to forgive,forget, and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible. St. Paul advises us “Be angry (righteous anger), but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). 2) When we keep anger in our mind, we are inviting physical illnesses like hypertension, and mental illnesses like depression. 3) Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry, pray for God’s strength for self-control, and ask Him for the grace, first to desire to forgive, and then actually to forgive, those who have injured us Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 13 Friday: Saint Anthony of Padua, priest and doctor of the Church: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-anthony-of-padua/ and Mt 5:27-32: But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell. 31 “It was also said, `whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, makes her and adulteress; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

The context:In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus outlines a new moral code for his followers, which is different from the Mosaic moral code. He insists that adultery, the violation of the Sixth Commandment, is also committed through willfully generated evil and impure looks, and evil thoughts and desires purposely created and held in the mind.

Interpreting Jesus’ words about self-mutilation. Our hands do not themselves sin, but are made the mind’s agents for sin according to what we touch and how we touch, in lust or greed or violence. Our eyes become agents of sins according to what they look at. In recommending mutilation of eyes and hands, Jesus is not speaking literally because we have more sins than we have body-parts. Besides, even if all offending parts were removed, our minds — the source of all sins — would still be intact, causing us to sin by thoughts and desires. So, Jesus teaches us that, just as a doctor might remove a limb or some part of the body like an infected gall bladder, an inflamed appendix, cancerous colon sections, etc., in order to preserve the life of the whole body, so we must be ready to part with anything that causes us to commit grave sin or which leads to spiritual death (the “near occasions of sin.”) Hence, these warnings are actually about our attitudes, dispositions, and inclinations. Jesus recommends that our hands become agents of compassion, healing, and comfort, and that our eyes learn to see the truth, goodness, and beauty that are all around us.

Clear teaching on divorce: According Matthew’s account, adultery is the only ground in the Old Testament for sanctioning divorce. Based on the NT teachings given in Mk 10:1-12, Mt 5:31-32; Mt 19:3-9; Lk 16:18; and 1 Cor 7:10-11, the Catholic Church teaches that Marriage is a Sacrament involving both a sacred and legal contract between a man and a woman and, at the same time, a special Covenant with the Lord. “Divorce is also a grave offense against the natural law. Besides, it claims to break the contract, to which the spouses freely consented, to live with each other till death….” Divorce is immoral also because it introduces disorder into the family and into society” (CCC #2384, 2385).Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

June 14 Saturday: Mt 5:33-37: Mt 5:33-37:: 33 “Again you have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform to the Lord what you have sworn.’ 34 But I say to you, do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God, 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black. 37 Let what you say be simply `Yes’ or `No’; anything more than this comes from evil.

The context: Jesus outlines a new moral code for his followers in his Sermon on the Mount, different from, and superior to, the Mosaic moral code. According to the teachings of Jewish rabbis, the world stands fast on truth, justice, and peace; hence, liars, slanderers, scoffers, and hypocrites will not enter Heaven. The rabbis classified two types of oaths as offensive to God: 1) frivolous oaths using God’s name to support a false statement, because this violates the second commandment. 2) evasive oaths using words like Heaven, Jerusalem, my head, because God is everywhere, and He owns everything.

Jesus’ teaching: Be righteous; be men and women of integrity and character. If one is honest in one’s words and deeds, there is no need for one to support one’s statements and transactions with oaths or swearing. “How forceful are honest words”! (Job 6:25). An oath is a solemn invocation of God (“So help me, God!”) to bear witness to the truth of what one asserts to be the case or to the sincerity of one’s undertakings in regard to future actions. It is necessary and admissible to ask God’s help in the discharge of an important social duty (e.g., President’s oath of office) or while bearing witness in a court of law (“I will tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help me, God”). In other cases, Jesus teaches, “Say ‘Yes,’ when you mean ‘Yes.’ and say ‘No,’ when you mean ‘No,’ (Mt 5:37). That is, He invites us to live in truth in every instance and to conform our thinking, our words and our deeds to the truth.

Life messages: 1) Let us be true to God, to ourselves and to others. 2) Let us allow God’s word of truth to penetrate our minds and heart and to form our conscience. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/25

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

HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY (June 15) 1-page summary (L-25)– 1 page synopsis

Introduction: The mystery of the most Holy Trinity is a basic doctrine of Faith in Christianity, understandable not with our heads but with our hearts. It teaches us that there are three distinct Persons in one God, sharing the same Divine Nature, co-equal and co-eternal. Our mind cannot grasp this doctrine which teaches that 1+1+1 = 1 and not 3. But we believe in this Mystery because Jesus, Who is God, taught it clearly, the Evangelists recorded it, the Fathers of the Church tried to explain it, and the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople defined it as a dogma of Christian Faith. (Add a pertinent anecdote).

Importance in Christian life: 1) All prayers in the Church begin in the Name of the Holy Trinity and end glorifying the Trinity. 2) All Sacraments are administered (we are baptized, confirmed, anointed, our sins are forgiven, our marriages are blessed, and our Bishops, priests and deacons are ordained) in the name of the Holy Trinity. 3) When Church bells ring thrice daily, they remind us to give glory to the Holy Trinity for the Incarnation of Jesus and His Redemption of all of us. 4) We bless ourselves, and the priest blesses us, in the Name of the Holy Trinity.

Biblical basis: There are only vague and hidden references to the Trinity in the Old Testament. But the New Testament gives clear teachings on the Holy Trinity.

1) At the Annunciation, God the Father sent His angel to Mary, God the Holy Spirit came upon her, the Power of the Most High overshadowed her, and God the Son became Incarnate in her womb.

2) At the Baptism of Jesus, when the Son received the baptism of repentance from John the Baptist, the Father’s Voice was heard, and the Holy Spirit appeared as a Dove and descended upon Jesus.

3) At the Ascension, Jesus commissioned his disciples to baptize those who believed, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

4) John’s account: In John’s Gospel, chapters 15–18, we have a detailed account of Jesus’ teaching of the role of each Person of the Holy Trinity: a) God the Father creates and provides for His creatures. b) God the Son redeems us and reconciles us with God. c) God the Holy Spirit sanctifies us, strengthens us, teaches us, and guides us to God.

Life messages: 1) Let us respect ourselves and others because everyone is the temple of the Holy Spirit where all Three Persons of the Holy Trinity abide.

2) Let us have the firm conviction that the Trinitarian God abides in us, that He is the Source of our hope, courage, and strength, and that He is our final destination.

3) Let us practice the Trinitarian relationship of love and unity in the family relationships of father, mother, and children because by Baptism we become children of God and members of God’s Trinitarian family.

4) Let us practice the I–God–my neighbor vertical and horizontal Trinitarian relationships in this life by loving God and our neighbors.

HOLY TRINITY (June 25)_(Prov 8: 22-31 Rom 5: 1-5 Jn 16: 12-15).

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: Simplified explanations by Ss. Patrick, Cyril and John Maria Vianney: Since the Holy Trinity is a mystery, all these examples are only the shadows of the shadows of the Truth. The shamrock, a kind of clover, is a leguminous herb that grows in marshy places. St. Patrick, the missionary patron saint of Ireland, used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.  The story goes that one day his friends asked Patrick to explain the Mystery of the Trinity.  He looked at the ground and saw shamrocks growing amid the grass at his feet.  He picked one up one of its trifoliate leaves and asked if it were one leaf or three.    Patrick’s friends couldn’t answer – the shamrock leaf looked like one but it clearly had three parts.  Patrick explained to them: “The mystery of the Holy Trinity – one God in Three Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – is like this, but more complex and less intelligible.”     St. Cyril, the teacher of the Slavs, tried to explain the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity using sun as an example.    He said, “God the Father is that blazing sun. God the Son is its light and God the Holy Spirit is its heat — but there is only one sun. So, there are three Persons in the Holy Trinity but God is One and indivisible.” St. John Marie Vianney used to explain Holy Trinity using lighted candles, roses on the altar, and water in the cruets. “The flame has color, warmth and shape. But these are expressions of one flame. Similarly, the rose has color, fragrance and shape. But these are expressions of one reality, namely, rose. Water, steam and ice are three distinct expressions of one reality. In the same way one God revealed Himself to us as Father, Son and the Holy Spirit.” Watch:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw&feature=player_detailpage (Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/))

# 2: The mystery of man created by a mysterious Triune God: How complex and mind-boggling is our physical construction! Chemically, the body is unequalled for complexity.  Each one of its 30 trillion cells is a mini chemical factory that performs about 10,000 chemical functions. With its 206 bones, 639 muscles, 4 million pain sensors in the skin, 750 million air sacs in the lungs, 16 million nerve cells and 30 trillion cells in total, the human body is remarkably designed for life. And the brain!  The human brain with the nervous system is the most complex arrangement of matter anywhere in the universe.  One scientist estimated that our brain, on the average, processes over 10,000 thoughts and concepts each day. The three billion DNA pairs in a fertilized egg (a child into whom God has already breathed an immortal, spiritual soul), control all human activities, and the 30,000 genes make 90,000 proteins in the body. Bill Bryson in his book, A Short History of Nearly Everything, says it is a miracle that we even exist.  Trillions of atoms come together for approximately 650,000 hours (74 years calculated as the average span of human life), and then begin to silently disassemble and go off to other things. There never was something like us before and there never will be something like us again. But for 650,000 hours the miracle or mystery that is uniquely us, exists. One could spend years just dealing with the marvelous intricacies and majesty of God’s creation. We are, as the Psalmist states “fearfully and wonderfully made.” — No wonder we cannot understand the mystery of the Triune God Who created us! Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 # 3: The mystery of the magnitude of the universe: The universe has around 100–1000 billion galaxies. Our galaxy is called the Milky Way. The Milky Way contains 100–400 billion stars with their planets (including the sun and its planets), and our earth is one of its tiny planets. This means that our Sun is just one star among the hundreds of billions of stars in our Milky Way Galaxy.  The diameter of the observable universe is about 93 billion light years: a   light-year is a unit of length equal to 6 trillion miles. The number and size of galaxies and stars and planets in the universe remain mind-baffling mysteries. In spite of all our latest astronomical discoveries and studies, we have been able to send astronomers only to our earth’s single moon. — So it’s no wonder that the nature of the Triune God (Who created  everything that has existence by His will and word alone), remains a mystery. That is why we have to accept in Faith the mystery of the Triune God  Who has revealed Himself in the Holy Scripture!
(https://youtu.be/hTuJby2_97E)  (https://youtu.be/9Dsq-FrEJxo). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 # 4: “But that is impossible, my dear child!” There is a very old and much-repeated story about St. Augustine of Hippo, one of the intellectual giants of the Church.  He was walking by the seashore one day, attempting to arrive at an intelligible explanation for the mystery of the Trinity.  As he walked along, he saw a small boy on the beach, pouring seawater from a shell into a small hole in the sand.  “What are you doing, my child?” asked Augustine.  “I am emptying the sea into this hole,” the boy answered with an innocent smile.  “But that is impossible, my dear child!” said Augustine.  The boy stood up, looked straight into the eyes of Augustine and replied, “What you are trying to do – comprehend the immensity of God with your small head – is even more impossible.”  Then he vanished.  The child was an angel sent by God to teach Augustine a lesson.  Later, Augustine wrote: “You see the Trinity, if you see love.”  According to him, the Father is the lover, the Son is the loved one and the Holy Spirit is the personification of the very act of loving. This means that we can understand something of the Mystery of the Holy Trinity more readily with the believing heart than with our feeble mind. Evagrius of Pontus, a Greek monk of the 4th century who came from what is now Turkey in Asia and later lived out his vocation in Egypt, said: “God cannot be grasped by the mind. If God could be grasped, God would not be God.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 Introduction: Today’s feast invites us to live in the awareness of the presence of the Triune God within us: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The mystery of the Holy Trinity, a doctrine enunciated by the ecumenical councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, is one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity and the greatest mystery of our Faith, namely, that there are Three Divine Persons, sharing the same Divine Nature in one God.     “There is one God, who has three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Each Person is God, yet there is still only one God” (CCC #234, #253-256). We have the Father Who is the Creator, the Son Who is the Redeemer and the Holy Spirit Who is the Sanctifier and the Counselor. The doctrine of Three Persons in one God, co-equal and co-eternal in Divinity yet distinct in Person, is not explicitly spelt out in the Bible. Even the very word “Trinity” is not found in the Bible. But the doctrine of the Trinity underlies all major Christian feasts, including Christmas, the Epiphany, Good Friday, Easter, the Ascension and Pentecost. All the official prayers of the Church, including the Holy Mass and the Sacraments, begin with an address to the Holy Trinity: “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” We are baptized, our sins are absolved, and we are anointed in the Name of the Blessed Trinity. Throughout the world, when Church bells ring three times a day, Christians are being invited to pray to God the Father (the Provider); God the Son (the Savior); and God the Holy Spirit (the Sanctifier), giving glory to the Triune God for the Incarnation of the Son and our Redemption through His suffering and death. When these Bells ring, we pray the  Angelus, or (in the Easter Season), the Regina Coeli. We bless ourselves with the Sign of the Cross, invoking the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and we conclude our prayers glorifying the Eternal Holy Trinity, saying “Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning is now and every shall be. Amen.” Today’s readings convey the fundamental mystery that the Triune God reaches out to people with love, seeking the deepest communion with them.

Frank Sheeds and the Holy Trinity: The great apologist Frank Sheed used to propose a very interesting approach to understanding something of the Mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. He started by thinking about our own human nature. Each one of us exists, but since we are spiritual, we also have an idea of ourselves. We can think about ourselves, reflect on ourselves, and know ourselves. This is why human beings are the only animals on earth who write diaries.

That’s similar to what happens in the relationship between God the Father and God the Son. God the Father is spiritual, able to know Himself. He has an Idea of Himself. But, since His knowledge is limitless, unlike ours, that Idea of Himself is perfect and perfectly complete. But to be perfect, the Idea, or the Word, has to share in God’s own existence; the Word actually has to be a Divine Person. And so, God the Father, from all eternity, knowing Himself, engenders the Son, the perfect Image of the Father. And then, of course, since both the Father and the Son are Infinitely Good and Beautiful, as soon as They know Each Other, They also love Each Other. Even we, when we think about ourselves, know something of ourselves, and love ourselves. We want the best for ourselves. We are glad that we exist. But God’s Love, like his Knowledge, is limitless, Infinite, and so this Love, too, has to be Infinite and so intense and so full that It shares fully in the Divine existence; this Love is a Divine Person – the Holy Spirit.

This is the mystery we profess each week when we affirm our belief in the Son of God, who is “consubstantial [one in Being] with the Father, God from God, light from light true God from true God” and in the Holy Spirit, who “with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified.” (E- Priest) — (Holy Trinity: Our God is far beyond the grasp of our intellect. All we can say is: God, the Father, our Father, is Omnipresent and so I live in Him because the universe exists in Him. The Son, Jesus is Emmanuel – God with us — and so He is always with me; I live with Him. The Holy Spirit is the One Who inspires us all from within us, and so The Holy Spirit lives in my heart. There is only one God.  We live in Him; He lives with us and He lives in us. Yahvheh – “I am Who am” — He is all (Joe Vempeny).  (The great 20th-century Catholic Theologian Father Karl Rahner, SJ, was supposedly asked once by a priest-friend how he should explain the Holy Trinity when preaching. Father Rahner’s reply was simple: “Don’t!” The mystery we celebrate in today’s feast defies not only explanation but also comprehension (OSV)

Here are the correct readings for year C (2025): Correct first reading: Prv 8:22-31; The central theme: Catholic commentary on Proverbs 8:22-31 emphasizes the divine origin and creative role of Wisdom, often interpreted as a prefiguration of Christ and the Holy Spirit. This passage describes Wisdom as existing before creation, actively participating with God in the formation of the universe, and delighting in humanity. Catholic tradition sees Wisdom in this passage as a foreshadowing of the eternal Word (Logos) of God, later identified with Jesus Christ. The text explained: The passage highlights that Wisdom was “possessed” or “brought forth” by God before the beginning of creation, emphasizing her eternal nature and divine origin. Wisdom is presented as God’s companion and advisor during the creative process, participating in the shaping of the heavens, earth, and all that exists. Catholic tradition connects Wisdom in Proverbs 8 with the eternal Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, who is identified with Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The description of Wisdom’s role in creation mirrors Christ’s role as the agent of creation in John 1:1-3. The passage is also seen as reflecting the Trinity, with Wisdom representing the eternal Wisdom of God, prefiguring the Son, and suggesting the relational aspect of the Trinity even in creation. The passage emphasizes the joy and delight that Wisdom experiences in the created world, including humanity, which is understood as a reflection of God’s own joy in creation. Catholic tradition encourages believers to imitate Wisdom’s openness, creativity, and delight in the world, recognizing that God is active in new ways in different times and places. The passage also calls for discernment and prudence in navigating the world, recognizing that Wisdom helps us understand and respond to new situations. In essence, Catholic interpretation of Proverbs 8:22-31 sees Wisdom as a divine attribute, a prefiguration of Christ, and a guide for living a life that reflects God’s own joy and creativity in the world. 

Correct second reading: Rom 5:1-5; The central theme: In Romans 5:1-5, the Apostle Paul emphasizes the transformative effects of justification by faith in Jesus Christ, highlighting peace with God, access to grace, and hope in God’s glory. Catholics interpret these verses as demonstrating the foundational role of faith in receiving God’s gift of salvation and the ongoing process of sanctification through the Holy Spirit. The text explained:  Paul states that “since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1). This peace is not merely an absence of conflict, but a reconciled relationship with God, achieved through Christ’s atoning sacrifice. Through Christ, believers gain access to God’s grace, a free gift of His love and favor, which empowers them to live a Christian life. Justification by faith gives believers a confident hope of sharing in God’s glory, an eschatological promise that motivates them to persevere in their faith. Paul notes that believers can even boast in their afflictions, as these trials, with the support of the Holy Spirit, lead to endurance and character development.  This process of endurance and character development is part of the ongoing work of sanctification, the process of becoming more Christ-like. Paul emphasizes that God’s love has been poured into believers’ hearts through the Holy Spirit. This outpouring of love is connected to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, signifying God’s presence and power within the believer. Romans 5:1-5 highlights the interconnectedness of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the work of salvation.  The passage emphasizes that salvation is a gift from God, initiated by God’s love and accomplished through Christ, with the Holy Spirit actively involved in the process. In essence, Romans 5:1-5 is a foundational passage for understanding the Catholic doctrine of salvation, emphasizing the centrality of faith in Jesus Christ, the gift of grace, the role of the Holy Spirit, and the ongoing process of sanctification.

Correct gospel reading: Jn 16: 12-15: The theme: In John 16:12-15, Jesus tells his disciples that he has more to share with them, but they cannot yet bear it. He promises to send the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, who will guide them into all truth. The Spirit will not speak on his own but will declare what he learns from Jesus and the Father, revealing things to come and glorifying Jesus. This passage highlights the role of the Holy Spirit as the divine interpreter of Jesus’s teachings and a guide for the Church in understanding the fullness of God’s revelation.

The text explained: Jesus acknowledges that he has more to tell them, indicating that his earthly ministry, while foundational, does not encompass the entirety of God’s truth. The Holy Spirit, also known as the Advocate or Paraclete, is sent to continue Jesus’s teaching ministry. The Spirit’s role is to guide believers into “all the truth,” meaning that the Spirit will help them understand the full meaning of Jesus’s words and actions and apply them to new situations and challenges. The Spirit will not speak independently but will reveal what he hears from the Father and the Son, ensuring that the revelation is consistent with the divine source. The Spirit’s work is ultimately to glorify Jesus, meaning that the Spirit will reveal the true nature and significance of Jesus and his mission. The promise of the Holy Spirit signifies a continuity of God’s revelation, moving from the earthly ministry of Jesus to the ongoing work of the Spirit in the Church. The Spirit’s role is not to supplant Jesus but to interpret and apply his teachings, ensuring that the Church remains faithful to the original revelation. While the Spirit’s work is described in the future tense, the Church experiences the Spirit’s guidance in the present, continuing to learn and grow in understanding.

Exegetical notes: 1) The development of the Trinitarian doctrine in the Church.  The oldest doctrinal formulation of the Church’s belief in the Trinity is found in the Apostles’ Creed which has served both as the basis of instruction for catechumens and as the Baptismal confession of Faith since the second century.  Later, the Nicene Creed, originating at the Council of Nicaea (AD 325), stated the doctrine more explicitly.  This creed was introduced into our Western liturgy by the regional council of Toledo in AD 589. God has revealed to us three separate functions that are attributed to the Three Persons.  He has told us that it is proper to attribute to God the Father the work of Creation, to God the Son the work of Redemption, and to God the Holy Spirit the work of Sanctification.  Our knowledge of God as Trinity is made possible by God, Who has chosen to reveal Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  As Father, God has brought forth the created universe, including our own being.  As the Father’s Only-begotten Son Incarnate, Jesus, God has made known One Who hears our cries, Who cares, Who counts the hairs on our head, and Who loves us so passionately that He became one of us in order to suffer for our sins, and even to die for us. that we may live forever in Him.  As Spirit, God remains with us and within us, guiding, protecting, comforting, instructing, and defending us throughout our lives here that we may be one with God forever.

2) The Triune God as seen in the Old Testament: Since Yahweh, the God of Israel, was careful to protect His Chosen People from the pagan practice of worshipping several gods, the Old Testament books give only indirect and passing references to the Trinity, and the Jewish rabbis never understood them as references to the Holy Trinity.    Genesis 1:26 presents God speaking to Himself:  “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.”    Genesis 18:2 describes how Yahweh visited Abraham under the appearance of three men, an event that the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates as the “Trinitarian Experience of Abraham.” In Genesis 11:7, before punishing the proud builders of the Tower of Babel, God says, “Come, let Us go down among them and confuse their language.”  These passages imply, rather than state, the doctrine of the Trinity.


3) Clear statement of God as Triune in the New Testament.

1. The Annunciation (Lk 1: 26-38), describes how God the Father sent the Archangel Gabriel to Mary to announce to her that God the Holy Spirit, would “come upon” her, that “the power the Most High” would “overshadow” her, that the Son would be made flesh in her womb: “Therefore, the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
2. b) During the Baptism of Jesus (Mt 3:16-17), the Holy Spirit is shown descending on Jesus in the form of a Dove, while the Voice of God the Father is heard from the clouds, saying, “You are My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (Lk 4:22).
3. c) John (Chapters 15 through 18) presents the detailed teaching of Jesus on the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
4. d) In the preaching mission given by the risen Lord to the disciples, Jesus commands them to baptize people “in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”(Mt 28:18-20; Confer also Jn 10:30).

 Life messages: 1) We need to respect ourselves and respect others.  Our living belief in the presence of the Triune God within us should help us to esteem ourselves as God’s holy dwelling place, to behave well in His holy presence, and to lead purer and holier lives, practicing acts of justice and charity.  This Triune Presence should also encourage us to respect and honor others as “Temples of the Holy Spirit. 

2) We need to be aware of God as the Source of our strength and courage. Our awareness and conviction of the presence of God within us give us the strength to face the manifold problems of life with Christian courage.  It was such a conviction that prompted the early Christian martyrs being taken to their execution to shout the heroic prayer of Faith from the Psalms: “The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge ” (Ps 46:7,11).  

3) We need to see the Trinity as the model for our Christian families: We are created in love to be a community of loving persons, just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are One in Love. From the day of our Baptism, we have belonged to the One God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  How privileged we are to grow up in such a beautiful Family! Hence, let us turn to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in prayer every day.  We belong to the Family of the Triune God.  The love, unity, and joy in the relationship among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit should be the supreme model of our relationships within our Christian families.  Our families become truly Christian when we live in a relationship of love with God and with others.

4) We are called to become more like the Triune God through all our relationships.  We are made in God’s image and likeness.  Just as God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human only as one member of a relationship of three partners.  The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with all other people and in a vertical relationship with God.  In that way our life is Trinitarian like that of God.  Modern society follows the so-called “I-and-I” principle of unbridled individualism and the resulting consumerism.  But the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity challenges us to adopt an “I-and-God-and-neighbor” principle: “I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people.”  Like God the Father, we are called upon to be productive and creative persons by contributing to the building up of the fabric of life and love in our family, our Church, our community, and our nation.  Like God the Son, we are called to a life of sacrificial love and service, so that we may help Him to reconcile people with each other and with God, to become peacemakers, to put back together that which has been broken, and to restore what has been shattered.  Like God the Holy Spirit, we are called, with His help, to uncover and teach Truth and to dispel ignorance. (Trinitarian spirituality:  “The doctrine of the Trinity affirms that it belongs to God’s very Nature to be committed to humanity and its history, that God’s Covenant with us is irrevocable, that God’s Face is immutably turned toward us in love, that God’s Presence to us is utterly reliable and constant…. Trinitarian spirituality is one of solidarity between and among persons. It is a way of living the Gospel attentive to the requirements of justice, understood as rightly ordered relationships between and among persons.” Dictionary of Spirituality)

St. Francis Xavier’s favorite prayer was: “Most Holy Trinity, Who live in me, I praise You, I worship You, I adore You, and I love You.”  May the Son lead us to the Father through the Spirit, to live with the Triune God forever and ever! Amen.

JOKES OF THE WEEK:    

1) Trinitarian Love, the essence of family life: One day, while he was walking with God in the Garden of Eden Adam said, “Excuse me God, can I ask you a few questions?” God replied, “Go on Adam, but be quick.  I have a world to create.”
So, Adam says, “When you created Eve, why did you make her body so curved and tender unlike mine?” “I did that, Adam, so that you could love her.” “Oh, well then, why did you give her long, shiny, beautiful hair?” “I did that Adam so that you could love her.” “Oh, well then, why did you make her so stupid?  Is that too because I should love her?” “Well, Adam, no.  I did that so that she could love you.”

# 2: Wisdom from child’s mouth:  A priest went into a second-grade classroom of the parish school and asked, “Who can tell me what the Blessed Trinity means?” A little girl lisped, “The Blethed Twinity meanth there are thwee perthonth in one God.” The priest, taken aback by the lisp, said, “Would you say that again? I don’t understand what you said.” The little girl answered, “Y’not thuppothed to underthtand; ‘t’th a mythtewy.” (Another version: At Confirmation, the Archbishop asked the children for a definition of the Holy Trinity. A girl answered very softly – “The Holy Trinity is three persons in one God.” The Archbishop, who was rather old and almost deaf, replied, “I didn’t understand what you said.” And the young theologian standing in front of him replied: “Well, Your Excellency, you are not supposed to. The Trinity is a mystery. Nobody understands it.)”

# 4: Trinitarian pastor: One parishioner said, “The Trinitarian God is a lot like our pastor. I don’t see him through the week, and I don’t understand him on Sunday.”

5) God Is Everywhere: A pastor was trying to explain to a little Sunday school child that God is calling people everywhere in the world to believe in him. “God is much bigger than we imagine him to be and God can use all of us in lots of different ways to do his work everywhere,” the pastor said. “God is everywhere!” “Everywhere?” asked the little boy. “Everywhere!” said the pastor. The boy went home and told his mother, “God is everywhere! The pastor said so.” “Yes, I know,” said the mother. “You mean He is even in the cupboard?” “Yes,” said the mother. “In the refrigerator — even when we close the door and the light goes out?” “Yes,” said the mother. “Even in the sugar bowl?” the lad asked as he took the lid off. “Yes,” said the mother, “even in the sugar bowl.” The boy slammed down the lid and said, “Now I’ve got Him!”

8) Lutheran satire about St. Patrick’s bad analogies (Funny You Tube joke): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw&feature=player_detailpage

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  C  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) Father’s advice to his son in law before giving his daughter in marriage; (Hilarious video illustrating the role of the Trinitarian God in marriage)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=eqEkPjUbmIA

7)Catholic doctrines in short videos; http://thatcatholicshow.sqpn.com/

8) Catholic pages Directory: http://www.catholic-pages.com/dir/default.asp

9) The Catholic Liturgical Calendar page: http://www.easterbrooks.com/personal/calendar/index.php

10) Fr. Don’s video homily collections: https://sundayprep.org/prep-videos/  

 11) Video Sunday-Scripture study by Fr. Geoffrey Plant: https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant2066 7)Virtual tour of Sistine chapel, Vatcan: http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html?utm_source=Twitter

12) Free program for men’s renewal in parishes:  https://www.paradisusdei.org/index.php/programs/tmiy

(Video URL)= https://www.paradisusdei.org/index.php/programs/tmiy

29 Additional anecdotes:

1) Trinity prayer of Tolstoy’s hermits: Three Russian monks lived on a faraway Island. Nobody ever went there. However, one day their Bishop decided to make a pastoral visit to learn more about their religious life. But when he arrived, he discovered that they did not know even the Lord’s Prayer. So, he spent all his time and energy teaching them the Our Father and then left them, satisfied with his pastoral visit. But when his small ship had left the island and was back in the open sea, he suddenly noticed the three monks walking on the water – in fact they were running after the ship. When they approached it, they cried out, “Dear Bishop we have forgotten the Lord’s Prayer you taught us!” The Bishop, overwhelmed by what he was seeing and hearing asked them, “But dear brothers, how then do you pray?”  They answered, “We just say, there are three of us and there are three of you, have mercy on us.” The bishop, awestruck by their sanctity and simplicity said, “Go back to your island and be at peace.” [Adapted from Leo Tolstoy- The Three Hermits“ (Russian: Три Старца), a short story by Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy), written in 1885 and first published in 1886 in the weekly periodical Niva (нива).] Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) 

2) The world’s biggest mysteries scientists still can’t solve: Ghost ships, alien contact, and technology, all built thousands of years before their time, still remain mysteries, unexplained by modern science.  Eleven such mysteries are the 1) Baghdad, or Parthian, Battery, date ca. 2000 years ago, capable of generating electric charge. 2) Terrifying SOS message about the death of all crew members from a from a Dutch freighter, the SS Ourang Medan. 3) The Dancing Plague of 1518 which made 400 women hysterically dance themselves to death. 4) Man, with no identity: A man who would soon adopt the name Benjaman Kyle woke up in 2004 outside of a Burger King in Georgia without any clothes, any ID, or any memories. 5)  The WOW! Signal received by Jerry Ehman, a volunteer for SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence from within the Sagittarius constellation near a star called Tau Sagittarii, 120 light years away. 6)  The Voynich Manuscript: The writing is composed of over 170,000 characters written in patterns that resemble natural language. The sections appear to describe different topics of herbal, astronomical, biological, cosmological, and pharmaceutical nature. 7) Oak Island Money Pit: Oak Island is the home of what is informally known as the “Money Pit,” of Nova Scotia in eastern Canada. It is an incredibly deep hole of incredibly elaborate construction discovered in 1795. 8) The Antikythera mechanism is an incredibly intricate analogue computer found in a shipwreck near Greece in the year 1900. The device was used to determine the positions of celestial bodies using a mind-bogglingly complex series of bronze gears. 9) “Sea Peoples” — a technologically inferior, unaffiliated group of seafaring warriors who raided the lands and are often credited with the collapse of once-great civilizations in the Aegean and eastern Mediterranean regions. 10) Turkey’s Göbekli Tepe is composed of more than 200 pillars, up to 20 feet in height and weighing up to 20 tonnes, arranged in roughly 20 circles, built more than 13,000 years ago, predating Stonehenge by more than 8,000 years. 11) The Confederate Treasury. The year was 1865, and the American Civil War was drawing to a close. As the Union army marched the final path to victory, the Confederate Secretary of the Treasury George Trenholm made one last effort to preserve the South’s assets by liquefying all gold and silver and burying them in untraceable places along with jewels. (http://www.news.com.au/technology/science/archaeology/the-worlds-biggest-mysteries-scientists-still-cant-solve/news-story/aac87ed0bc09d5cd4dfba0d49f613334) — But these are no mysteries in comparison with the mystery of the Holy Trinity. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

3) Human mystery confronting divine mystery: The story is told that Franklin D. Roosevelt and one of his close friends, Bernard Baruch, talked late into the night one evening at the White House. At last, President Roosevelt suggested that they go out into the Rose Garden and look at the stars before going to bed. They went out and looked into the sky for several minutes, peering at a nebula with thousands of stars. Then the President said, “All right, I think we feel small enough now to go in and go to sleep.”  — The wonder of the power and wisdom of God puts things in perspective for us humans. Creation was not an accident, but the result of a Divine Plan; planets, stars, plants, birds, fish,  and animals  were all created by God. And the climax of God’s creation was humanity. (Fr. Kayala). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

4) Aggressively selfish baby: A report some years ago, allegedly by the Minnesota Crime Commission, painted a dark picture of human nature indeed, particularly with regard to small children. I quote: “Every baby starts life as a little savage. He is completely selfish and self-centered. He wants what he wants when he wants it – his bottle, his mother’s attention, his playmate’s toy, his uncle’s watch.  Deny him these once, and he seethes with rage and aggressiveness, which would be murderous were he not so helpless. He is, in fact dirty. He has no morals, no knowledge, no skills. This means that all children not just certain children are born delinquent.  If permitted to continue in the self- centered world of his infancy, given free rein to his impulsive actions to satisfy his wants, every child would grow up a criminal a thief, a killer, or a rapist.” [Cited in R. Scott Richards, Myths the World Taught Me (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1991), p.  39.] — It is to transform this self-centered human nature into a selfless, loving, God-centered one that the Second Person of the Holy Trinity took human form as described in today’s Gospel. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

5) “You ask me a riddle?”  Richard, Cardinal Cushing (d. 11/2/1970; Archbishop of Boston, MA), told of an occasion when he was administering last rites to a man who had collapsed in a general store. Following his usual custom, he knelt by the man and asked, “Do you believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit?” The Cardinal said the man roused a little bit, opened an eye, looked at him and said, “Here I am, dying, and you ask me a riddle?” — Call them riddles. Call them Mysteries. There are things about life and Faith we do not understand, but I am not going to suggest that you resign your effort to understand. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

6) “The undertaker!” There is an old story about a henpecked husband who went to a psychologist. He was tired of being dominated by his wife. The psychologist told him, “You do not have to accept your wife’s bullying. You need to go home right now and let her know that you’re your own boss.” The husband decided to take the doctor’s advice. He went home and slammed the door on the way in. He confronted his wife and said, “From now on you’ll do what I say. Get my supper, then go upstairs and lay out my clothes. After I eat, I’m going out with the boys while you stay home. By the way, do you know who is going to tie my tie for me?” “I sure do,” said his wife calmly, “the undertaker!” — Some marriages are filled with conflict. So are some offices. Unfortunately, some Churches are filled with conflict as well. The feast of the Holy Trinity challenges us to cultivate the Trinitarian relationship of love and unity in our families and offices, parishes, and classrooms. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

7) “Bad things always come in threes.” An old adage warns, “Bad things always come in threes.” Have you found this true in your own experience — that bad things like to happen in community, in bunches? You say: we invent this connection by suddenly realizing that we got a flat tire on the same day that a computer glitch devoured our hard drive, shortly after our last contact lens just slid down the drain.  I say: there seems to be something significant about the power of three. –- On this Sunday, “Trinity Sunday,” the Church celebrates the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, affirming the Truth that good things also come in threes. We recognize God as Creator (the Father), God as Redeemer (the Son), and God as Sanctifier (the Holy Spirit). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

8) “But the machine can’t ask me about my arthritis.” This true story is told of a woman named Mamie who made frequent trips to the branch post office. One day she confronted a long line of people who were waiting for service from the postal clerk. Mamie only needed stamps, so a helpful observer asked her, “Why don’t you just use the stamp machine? You can get all the stamps you need and you won’t have to wait in line.” Mamie said, “I know, but the machine can’t ask me about my arthritis.” — That’s part of the wisdom of Christ’s coming to our earth to live among us as described in John’s Gospel (Jn 3: 16-18).  He can relate to us in all of our daily needs. As we try to walk in Jesus’ steps, we might do well to pray the ancient Irish poem set to an Irish ballad tune, which says,

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all. (Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

9) A dumb debate on God: The following imagined debate for mute and deaf scholars is a warning to our pastors who think that they have explained Holy Trinity well to their flock on Trinity Sunday.  The Jews and the Catholics are having a debate about God and decide that they will each send one representative to prove that their side is right. The only rule is that words are not allowed. They decide on their representatives. The Vatican decides to send their best brain – Cardinal Ratzinger, the head of the Congregation on Faith and Morals – while the Jews pick one of their best rabbis to represent them. As a sign of respect, the Jews allow the debate to be held at the local cathedral. The time for the debate comes and the rabbi walks into the cathedral and up to the cardinal. The cardinal waves his hand towards the sky. The rabbi responds by slamming his fist into his palm. The cardinal holds up three fingers. The rabbi responds by holding up his middle finger. The cardinal then pulls out bread and wine. The rabbi then reaches into a bag and pulls out two fish. At this point the cardinal holds up his hands and walks away.

After the debate the cardinal heads back to the Vatican to talk it over with the pope and the other cardinals. “Man, those Jews have it all figured out. First, I said to him, ‘God is everywhere,’ and he responded, ‘God is right here.’ I was taken aback. So, I held up three fingers representing the Holy Trinity, and he held up one meaning, ‘We all worship the same one God.’ I didn’t know what to do so I showed him bread and wine representing the sacrifice of Jesus, and he responded with two fish, representing that Jesus provides.”

The Rabbi headed back to the synagogue to tell the others his version what had happened. “Man, you wouldn’t believe those Catholics. The moment I walked in this guy with a weird hat gestures at me ‘No Jews Allowed.’ I said. ‘I’m staying right here.’ Then he said, ‘You have three minutes.’ I said, ‘Get lost.’ Then he pulled out his lunch, so I showed him mine.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

10) Why Isn’t the Whole West Coast Included?  A woman wrote to Reader’s Digest, about an experience that she had when she took a young girl from India to Church with her. It was the eleven-year-old girl’s first exposure to a Christian worship service. The young lady’s parents were traveling on business and had left her in the care of their American friends. The little Hindu girl decided on her own to go with the family to Church one Sunday. After the service was over, they went out to lunch. The little girl had some questions. She asked, “I don’t understand! Why isn’t the West Coast included, too?” Her Christian friends were puzzled and asked, “What do you mean?” She responded, “You know. I kept hearing the people say, ‘In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the whole East Coast.’” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

11) God Is Everywhere: A pastor was trying to explain to a little Sunday school child that God is calling people everywhere in the world to believe in Him. “God is much bigger than we imagine Him to be, and God can use all of us in lots of different ways to do His work everywhere,” the pastor said. “God is everywhere!” “Everywhere?” asked the little boy. “Everywhere!” said the pastor. The boy went home and told his mother, “God is everywhere! The pastor said so.” “Yes, I know,” said the mother. “You mean He is even in the cupboard?” “Yes,” said the mother. “In the refrigerator — even when we close the door and the light goes out?” “Yes,” said the mother. “Even in the sugar bowl?” the lad asked as he took the lid off. “Yes,” said the mother, “even in the sugar bowl.” The boy slammed down the lid and said, “Now I’ve got Him!” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

12) “What?” Jesus said, “Who do men say that I am?” And his disciples answered and said, “Some say you are John the Baptist returned from the dead; others say Elijah, or other of the old prophets.” And Jesus answered and said, “But who do you say that I am?”  Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Logos of the Father, the Son Whom the Father loved from eternity and Whom the Holy Spirit, the eternal Personification of the love between the Father and the Son, begot on the Virgin Mary.” And Jesus answering, said, “What? Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

13) “I’m surprised at you!” An English teacher of a 21-sophomore high school class put a small chalk dot on the blackboard. He then asked the class what it was. A few seconds passed and then someone said, “That is a chalk dot on the blackboard.” The rest of the class seemed relieved that the obvious had been stated, and no one else had anything to say. “I’m surprised at you,” the teacher told the class. “I did the same exercise yesterday with a group of kindergartners and they thought of 50 different things the chalk mark could be: an owl’s eye, a cigar butt, the top of a telephone pole, a star, a pebble, a squashed bug, a rotten egg, a bird’s eye, and so on.” — The older students had learned how to find a right answer but had lost the ability to look for more than one right answer. The Holy Spirit helps us, in His wonderful Wisdom, to see more than we might have seen by ourselves. The Spirit’s vision allows us wonderful options for expansion and new possibilities. It is the Spirit’s Wisdom that reveals the Word to us. It is the Wisdom of the Spirit that shows us our sins, which guides us, which instructs us, and which leads us in the way to Life Everlasting. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 14) Trinitarian design for medieval cathedrals: When the architect and engineer Aldo Spirito was commissioned to design a cathedral for the Archdiocese of Abidjan, Ivory Coast, West Africa, he used a number of architectural elements, as was the tradition of the builders of the medieval cathedrals, to reinforce the truths of our Faith. Among those elements is the fact that the basic structure is triangular, so as to state dramatically the fundamental truth of Christian Faith: God has revealed Himself as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

15) The Sundial: A missionary from Africa, on his home-leave, came across a beautiful sundial. He thought to himself, “That sundial would be ideal for my villagers in Africa. I could use it to teach them to tell the time of the day.” The missionary bought the sundial, crated it and took it back to Africa. When the village chief saw it, he insisted that it be set up in the centre of the village. The villagers were thrilled with the sundial. They had never seen something so beautiful in their lives. They were even more thrilled when they learned how it worked. The missionary was delighted by everyone’s response to his sundial. He was totally unprepared for what happened a few days later. The people of the village got together and built a roof over the sundial to protect it from the rain and the sun! — Well, I think the sundial is a lot like the Holy Trinity, and we Christians are a lot like the African villagers. The most beautiful revelation of our Faith is the teaching about the Holy Trinity, namely, the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. But instead of putting the teaching to work in our daily lives, we have built a roof over it, just as the villagers did over their sundial. For many of us the Trinity seems of little practical value, when it comes to our daily lives. We treat it more like an ornament of our Faith. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

16) Jesus’ brother, Isukiri, died in Jesus’ place on the cross and Jesus went to Japan : While visiting one of the members of one of the congregations I served some years ago I was offered a cup of coffee, and while I sat in the lounge room waiting, I noticed something unusual.  On a table there was what appeared to be a shrine.  Inside was a Buddha statue with candles and flowers and food and other symbols.  As we sipped coffee, I asked about the display on the table expecting to hear a story about an overseas trip and souvenirs. Instead, I heard a story about this person’s involvement in the cultic Japanese religion Mahikari and how she felt that what she was learning through this religion complimented and supported her Christian Faith.  She told me how it taught her about karma, reincarnation, ancestor worship and making food offerings to the spirits of the departed, and so on.  She told me that Jesus’ brother, Isukiri, died in Jesus’ place on the cross, that Jesus went to Japan when he was 37 and he died there when he 106. The amazing thing about all this, is that this person saw no conflict between what she confessed on Sunday mornings when she said the Nicene Creed with us and what she did the rest of the week as she prayed before the shrine in her lounge room.  This reminds me of the young man who asked if he could go into the Church to pray.  Before the pastor could respond, he quickly added, “By the way, what kind of Church is this?  Not that it makes any difference.  I don’t follow any particular religion.  Whenever I pass a Church or a mosque, I go in say a prayer and plug into the Divine.  Any God will do!” –– “Plug into the Divine,” like it is magic, a kind of pill that will keep us safe and sound!  Today’s feast reminds us that our God is a Triune God, one God in Three Persons. (Rev. Gerhardy). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

17) Exploring the mystery of Holy Trinity: Explorers and the pioneer families did solve the mystery of what was out there beyond the coastal strip. In fact, people have been exploring the mysteries of our world on many fronts – medicine, technology, and what is out there in space. Where there is any kind of a mystery, people will try to solve it. But there are some Mysteries that will always be Mysteries. Today, Trinity Sunday, we come up against one of those Mysteries – God.  Who is God? Where is God? What is God? I can’t touch Him. I can’t say how big He is. I can’t see Him. The early Christians started talking about a Triune God. This wasn’t to make God more logical and understandable and acceptable to human ways of thinking. In fact, the idea of the Trinity intensified the Mystery and awesomeness of God. They observed that Jesus had a unique relationship with the Father and that the Holy Spirit had a unique relationship with the Father and the Son. Against all sorts of odds, against all human logic, and in the face of mounting opposition, the Church maintained that Jesus Christ is true God and True Man,  equal with the Father, and that the Holy Spirit is God, proceeding from and co-equal  with the Father and the Son. Who is God? He is our Heavenly Father Who made us, takes cares of us and calls us His dear children. Who is God? He is Jesus Christ Who gave His life on the cross to re-establish our relationship with God. He reveals the way to God and to eternal life. Who is God? God is the Holy Spirit in each of us giving us Faith in God and guiding us in our daily walk as Christians. — Faith in the Triune God acknowledges the might and majesty of God but, at the same time, trusts in His care and intimate knowledge of our needs and of what is happening in our lives. “O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of Your Name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens.”  Let us make this our prayer: “Lord God, in spite of our unbelief and lack of understanding of Who You are, show us Your new way of living. Amen.”  (Rev. Gerhardy). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

18) Holy Trinity prayer (Fr. De Mello version of Tolstoy’s The Three Hermits):    When the Bishop’s ship stopped at a remote island for a day, he decided to use the time as profitably as possible. He strolled along the seashore and came across three fishermen mending their nets. In Pidgin English they explained to him that, centuries ago, they had been Christianized by missionaries. “We, Christians!” they said, proudly pointing to themselves. The bishop was impressed. Did they know the Lord’s Prayer? They had never heard of it. The bishop was shocked. How could these men claim to be Christians when they did not know something as elementary as the Lord’s Prayer? “What do you say, then, when you pray?” the bishop asked. “We lift eyes in heaven. We pray, ‘We are three, You are three, have mercy on us.’” The bishop was appalled at the primitive, downright heretical nature of their prayer. So he spent the whole day teaching them to say the Lord’s Prayer, and he succeeded although the fishermen were poor learners.

Months later the bishop’s ship happened to pass by those islands, and the bishop, as he paced the deck saying his evening prayers, recalled with pleasure the fact that on that distant island were three fishermen who were now able to pray correctly, thanks to his patient efforts. While he was lost in thought he happened to look up and noticed a spot of light in the east. The light kept approaching the ship and, as the bishop gazed in wonder, he saw three figures walking on the surface of the water towards the boat. The captain stopped the boat and all the sailors leaned over the rails to see this amazing sight. When they were within speaking distance, the bishop recognized his three friends, the fishermen. “Bishop!” they exclaimed, “we are so glad meet you! We heard your boat go past island and came in a hurry, hurry to meet you.” “What do you want?” asked the bishop filled with wonder seeing them walking on water as Jesus did. “Bishop,” they said, “we so sorry. We forgot that lovely prayer you taught us. We remember only this much: ‘Our Father in Heaven, holy be your name, your kingdom come’ . . .the rest  we forgot. Please teach us whole prayer again.” The bishop felt humbled. “Go back to your homes, my good men,” he said, “and each time you pray, say your Holy Trinity prayer, ‘We are three, You are three, have mercy on us!’” (Fr. Anthony de Mello S.J., The Song of the Bird, adapted from Tolstoy’s original story, The Three Hermits). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 19)“Welcome!” There is a beautiful Russian icon of the Blessed Trinity painted by a monk named Rublev. The monk, Andrei Rublev (c. 1360 – 1430), was a medieval Russian who painted Orthodox icons and frescoes. His Trinity icon is considered the greatest of its kind, and one of the finest works of religious art ever created, depicting a wordless conversation among Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is based on an earlier icon known as the “Hospitality of Abraham” illustrating Genesis 18 which depicts the three angels who visited Abraham at the Oak of Mamre (see Genesis 18:1-15) sitting around a table.  But the painting is full of symbolism and is often interpreted as an icon of the Holy Trinity. A dish of food lies on the table. But the thing that immediately strikes you is the fact that at the front of the table there is a vacant place. — The vacant place is meant to convey openness, hospitality and welcome towards the stranger and outsider. That vacant place is meant for each one of us, and for all the human family. It signifies God’s invitation to us to share in the life of the Trinity. God doesn’t exclude us. He invites us to come in and sit at His table. He wants to share His life with us. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 20) We don’t need to understand God to allow Him to take over our lives

Thomas Edison, the inventor, once remarked: “We don’t know what water is. We don’t know what light is. We don’t know what electricity is. We don’t know what heat is. We have a lot of hypotheses about these things, but that is all. But we don’t let our ignorance about these things deprive us of their use.” — The truth of that statement is real. Most of us do not know how an electric light works, how a telephone or a TV works, but this does not prevent us from using them. Let us try to apply the same common sense to our Faith in the doctrine of the Trinity. (John Pichappily in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho).  Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 21) “Holy, Holy, Holy”: Today’s “signature” Hymn is familiar to all of us. It begins,

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

 Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

 Holy, Holy, holy, merciful and mighty,

 God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity.  Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

22) Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity Becomes a House of God: No one understood this better that Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity.     She grew up in France in the late eighteen hundreds, the daughter of a successful military officer who died of a heart attack while she was still only a girl.     She was an extremely strong-willed and temperamental child.     Her frequent fits of rage were almost uncontrollable, and she was known as the “little devil.”     This began to change after her first Communion, when she was eleven.    That afternoon she met for the first time the prioress of the nearby Carmelite convent.     The nun explained that the girl’s name, Elizabeth, meant “house of God,” and wrote her a note that said:     “Your blessed name hides a mystery, accomplished on this great day. Child. Your heart is the House of God on earth, of the God of love.”     From then on, recognizing that God had taken up residence in her soul, she waged a holy war against her violent temper.     She didn’t win overnight, but she did win, eventually, and she also discovered her vocation to become a Carmelite herself.    Her mother didn’t like the idea, however, and made her wait until she was twenty-one.     She won friends of all ages during those years of waiting, singing in the parish choirs, arranging parish day-care service for families who worked in the local tobacco factory, and also winning several prizes for her skill at the piano.     She died only five years after entering the convent, at the age of 26, after having suffered horribly for months from an extremely painful disease of the kidneys.    But her realization that the Blessed Trinity dwelt within her enabled her to suffer with patience and even with joy.  As she wrote to her mother:     “The bride belongs to the Bridegroom, and mine has taken me. [Jesus] wants me to be another humanity for him in which he can still suffer for the glory of his Father, to help the needs of his Church: this thought has done me so much good.” — Blessed Elizabeth of the Trinity had discovered the intimate, loving presence of God that He so eagerly wants to reveal to all of us. (E-Priest). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 23) “As there is fire and water in this brick” According to Tradition, when St. Spyridon of Trimithund was asked at the Council of Nicaea (A.D. 325) how three can simultaneously be one, he responded (with a little Divine help!) by taking up a brick and squeezing it. From the now-soft clay in his hands, a flame flared up, while simultaneously water flowed downward. “As there is fire and water, and clay in this brick,” said St. Spyridon, “in the same way there are three persons in the one Godhead.” (The great 20th-century Catholic theologian Father Karl Rahner, SJ, was supposedly asked once by a priest friend how he should explain the Holy Trinity when preaching. Father Rahner’s reply was simple: “Don’t!”) — The Mystery we celebrate in today’s feast defies not only explanation but also comprehension. The preacher is left to reaffirm our core belief that God, remaining One, is somehow also Three in that Oneness – Triune.  The preacher is further challenged to help his congregants (and himself) understand why that Truth might matter in their daily lives.) https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/DailyTake/Article/TabId/736/ArtMID/13645/ArticleID/22072/June-11-2017-The-Incomprehensible-Mystery-of-the-Trinity.aspx). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

24) The universal testimony: A good illustration of the Trinity comes from world-renowned scientist Dr. Henry Morris. He notes that the entire universe is Trinitarian by design. The universe consists of three things: matter, space, and time. Take away any one of those three and the universe would cease to exist. But each one of those is itself a trinity. Matter = mass + energy + motion. Space = length + height + breadth. Time = past + present + future. Thus, the whole universe witnesses to the character of the God who made it (cf. Psalm 19:1). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

25) Another simple explanation:” St. John of Damascus, a great Eastern theologian of the eighth century, said we should think “of the Father as a root, the Son as a branch, and of the Spirit as a fruit, for the substance of these three is one.”  He also said, “Think of the Father as a Spring of Life, begetting the Son like a River and the Holy Ghost like a sea, for the spring, the river and the sea are all one nature.”(https://anastpaul.com)    Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

26) A Divine Mystery in our world of mysteries: The world we live in  is not as simple as it might seem to be. It is full of unexplained mysteries that raise several questions that remain to be answered even today. There are many such mysterious phenomena, which find no satisfactory explanation in science. Many of the mysteries keep us wondering, asking questions, and striving to learn more about our world; others are simply amusing. They have perplexed individuals all throughout history. The Bermuda Triangle is believed to possess certain supernatural powers due to which aircraft and ships coming in its vicinity disappear. Moreover, researchers have never been able to find the exact cause of the disappearing of vessels and aircraft, neither have they been able to trace the lost objects. The Bermuda Triangle remains an unexplained mystery. Unidentified flying objects, abbreviated as UFOs, are disk-like objects seen in the night sky. Some of them glow and have lights. People claim to have seen them float in sky or fly across speedily. It is said that they could be spaceships or vehicles of the aliens traveling to Earth. Archaeologists have found about thirteen crystal skulls in parts of Mexico as well as Central and South America. They are 5000 to 36000-year-old human-like skulls made out of milky crystal rock. Long years of research might be able to find answers to some of them while many will remain being unresolved for generations to come. — If there are so many things that cannot be explained in this world, how can we expect to explain the mysteries relating to the Creator of this world? Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. This is a mystery that cannot be fully comprehended by human beings. (Fr. Bobby Jose). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

27) The “Dogmatic” Sarcophagus, also known as the “Trinity Sarcophagus” is an early Christian sarcophagus dating to AD 320–350,^[2]  now in the Vatican Museums (Vatican 104). ^[1] The three persons of the Trinity are portrayed as three bearded males, in the act of creating Eve while Adam lies nearby in a deep sleep. It was discovered in the 19th century during rebuilding works at the Basilica  di San Paolo fuori le Mura, (Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Wall), in Rome, Italy. Together with the Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus, it one of the most important examples of Christian-Roman sculpture of the Constantinian era. It draws its name from its clear references to the dogmas of the Council of Nicaea (325), in particular to Christ being consubstantial with God the Father, as shown (for example) by the scene of a figure with the appearance of Jesus between Adam and Eve, though whether the figure is to be understood as Christ or God the Father is less clear – the dogmatic point works either way. (Sanchez Archives & Wikipedia). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

28)  Icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev:  In 1425 AD,  Andrew Rublev, a Russian monk, painted an icon of the Trinity in which three angelic figures are seated around a small table, engaged in intimate conversation. On the table is a chalice, in the background is a tree. The trio of figures and the tree are reminiscent of the visit which angelic messengers paid to Sarah and Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. As they enjoyed the generous welcome of Sarah and Abraham, the messengers announced the unexpected birth of Isaac (Genesis 18) whom Abraham would later be willing to sacrifice if God willed it (Genesis 22). — From his knowledge of iconography, Henri Nouwen has suggested that Rublev intended this angelic appearance to prefigure the Divine visitation by which God sends the unexpected gift of His Son, who sacrifices himself for sin and gives new life through the Spirit. Rublev hoped that his icon would offer his fellow monks a way to keep their hearts centered on God, Father, Son and Spirit, despite the chaotic world of political unrest in which they lived. (Sanchez Archives). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) 

29) The Most Holy Trinity: During his third voyage to the Americas, Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) landed on an island in the South Caribbean Sea on July 31, 1498. He called this island Trinidad to honor the Most Holy Trinity. Later, when Spanish explorer Alonso De Leon (1639-1691) established a Spanish mission in Texas, he gave the name ‘Trinity’ to the 550-mile-long river that flows through Texas from north to south. Like Columbus and De Leon, we continue to honor the Most Holy Trinity by giving the name ‘Trinity’ to some churches and educational institutions. Also, once a year, we celebrate the feast of the Most Holy Trinity to remember and honor the Three Persons in One God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is the story of a wealthy Jewish man who was also a militant atheist. He had a son he sent to ‘Trinity School’ to get a good education. After attending the school for a few days, the son said to his father casually, “Dad, now I know what Trinity means.” “What does it mean?” the father asked him with a suspicious look on his face. “It means there are three persons in God,” the boy replied, “the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” Alarmed at the prospect of his son becoming a believer, he said, “Son, I am going to tell you something now, and I want you to remember it always. Forget the Trinity. There is only one God, and we don’t even believe in Him!” — This militant atheist was not an atheist. However, he had a tough time understanding the mystery of the Holy Trinity. That is why he was so vehement in his denial of the reality of the Holy Trinity. We cannot blame him for his lack of understanding of the Holy Trinity because we ourselves don’t really understand this mystery either. However, we genuinely believe in it because it has been revealed to us through the Holy Scriptures. Moreover, in our personal lives, we continue to experience the love of our heavenly Father, the saving grace of the Son, and the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit. Our Faith, as well as our personal experience, assure us that God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. (Fr. Jose P CMI). L/25

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No. 35) 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

FATHER’S DAY (in the  U. S. A.) Message: (June 15): one-page synopsis

Introduction: Happy Father’s Day to all who have, or are, fathers or grandfathers or stepfathers! Five weeks ago, we observed Mother’s Day and offered Mass for our moms. Today, on this Father’s Day, we are doing the same – offering our dads, living here or hereafter, on the altar of God during this Holy Mass and invoking our Heavenly Father’s blessings on them.

The observance most similar to our Father’s Day was the ancient Roman Parentalia, an annual family reunion to remember and commemorate departed parents and kinsfolk. The originator and promoter of Father’s Day was Mrs. Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Washington. Her father, William Jackson Smart, had accomplished the amazing task of rearing his six children after their young mother’s death. Mrs. Dodd’s suggestions for observing the day included wearing a flower — a red rose to indicate a living father and a white rose for a deceased father. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge made the first Presidential proclamation in support of Father’s Day, and in 1972, President Richard Nixon declared the third Sunday in June a National Day of Observance in honor of fathers.

The Father’s role in society: According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the vital importance of the father’s role comes from the fact that, with his wife, he cooperates with God the Creator in bringing a new human life into the world. Children who are raised with fathers present in the family have much lower rates of delinquency, drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancy, and so on, than those with absent fathers. The father’s presence is also a significant positive factor in the children’s getting a college education, finding a satisfying job, and making a lasting marriage. A girl’s choice of partner and satisfaction in marriage is often directly related to the relationship she has had with her father.

A day to remember our Heavenly Father and our Rev. Fr. Pastors: Father’s Day is a day to remember, acknowledge and appreciate the “World’s Greatest Dad,” OUR HEAVENLY FATHER (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:6) Who isour spiritual Daddy, actively involved in all areas of our lives. It is He on Whom we lean in times of pain and hurt; it is He on Whom we call in times of need; it is He Who provides for us in all ways — practical, emotional, and spiritual. Many of us pray the “Our Father” day after day, without paying attention to, or experiencing, the love and providence of our Heavenly Father. Let us pray the Our Father during this Holy Mass, realizing the meaning of each clause and experiencing the love of our Heavenly Father for us. May all earthly fathers draw strength from their Heavenly Father! On this Father’s Day, please don’t forget to pray for us, your spiritual Fathers, – men who are called to be Fathers of an immensely large parish family through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. (L/25)

FATHER’S DAY MESSAGE, (June 15, 2025)

Anecdote # 1: “Have you ever seen a saint praying?”  St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Teresa of Avila have their own stories about the influence their fathers had on their lives as role models.  The Little Flower used to ask an innocent question to her first grader classmates: “Have you ever seen a saint praying?”  She would add: “If you haven’t, come to my house in the evening.  You will see my dad on his knees in his room with outstretched arms, praying for us, his children, every day.”  She states in one of her letters from the convent: “I have never seen or heard or experienced anything displeasing to Jesus in my family.” In the final year of her high school studies, St. Teresa of Avila was sent by her father (against her will), to a boarding house conducted by nuns. Her father took action at the moment he discovered bad books and yellow magazines hidden in her box. These had been supplied to Teresa by her spoiled friend and classmate, Beatrice.   St. Teresa later wrote as the Mother Superior: “But for that daring and timely action of my father, I would have ended up in the streets, as a notorious woman.”  Father’s Day challenges Christian Fathers to be role models to their children.

# 2: “I never hugged my Dad”! In his book My Father, My Son, Dr Lee Salk describes a moving interview with Mark Chapman, the convicted murderer of Beatle John Lennon. At one point in the interview, Chapman says: “I don’t think I ever hugged my father. [David Curtis Chapman, was a staff sergeant in the U. S. Air Force.]  He never told me he loved me…I needed emotional love and support. I never got that.” Chapman’s description of how he would treat a son if he had one is especially tragic, because he will probably never get out of prison and have a family of his own. He says: “I would hug my son and kiss him…and just let him know…he could trust me and come to me…and (I would) tell him that I loved him.” Dr Salk ends his book with this advice to fathers and sons. It applies equally well to mothers and daughters. “Don’t be afraid of your emotions, of telling your father or your son that you love him and that you care. Don’t be afraid to hug and kiss him. Don’t wait until the death bed to realize what you’ve missed.” (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies

# 3: “Paco, meet me at the Hotel Montana, noon, Tuesday. All is forgiven.”  In Ernest Hemingway’s short story “Capital of the World,” a Spanish newspaper, El Liberal, carried a poignant story about a father and his son.  It went like this.  A teen-aged boy, Paco, and his very wealthy father had a falling out, and the young man ran away from home.  The father was crushed.  After a few days, he realized that the boy was serious, so the father set out to find him.  He searched high and low for five months to no avail.  Finally, in a last, desperate attempt to find his son, the father put an ad in a Madrid newspaper.  The ad read, “Dear Paco, Meet me at the Hotel Montana noon Tuesday.  All is forgiven.  I love you.  Signed, Your Father.”   On Tuesday, in the office of Hotel Montana, over 800 Pacos showed up, looking for love and forgiveness from their fathers. — What a magnet that ad was!  Over 800 Pacos!! We all hunger for pardon.  We are all “Pacos” yearning to run and find a father who will declare, “All is forgiven.” Father’s Day reminds us that we need more loving, forgiving fathers.

#3 “I love you, Dad. Happy Birthday.” A friend tells about how when he was a small boy his father’s birthday rolled around, and he did not realize it until it was too late to get his father a birthday present. So, he went through all his resources and came up with 17 cents. He put the dime, the nickel, and the two pennies in an envelope and gave it to his father with a note: “I love you, Dad. Happy Birthday. Thanks for being the best dad in the whole world. Sorry I did not get you a gift. This is all I’ve got.” Years later, at his father’s death, when he was going through his father’s possessions, he discovered within a special compartment of his father’s wallet, the envelope, the note, the dime, the nickel, and the two pennies that his father had carried all those years. (Donald Shelby, “Love is Gratitude”). — Why? Why of all the things the father and son had experienced together was this token kept as the most precious reminder of their relationship? Why? It was pure love, and pure gratitude. And that’s what we have in our second Scripture lesson today.

4) Don’ go to beer houses: A famous actor narrated that when he was a young boy, his father told him not to go to beer houses because there are naked women dancing there. When he asked, “Why?” his father told him: “You would see things that you should not see.” The moment he got money he went straight to a beer house. He later said: “My father was right. I saw something I should have not seen – I saw my father!”(Fr. Bennet)

Introduction: Happy Father’s Day to all who are, or have, grandfathers, fathers or stepfathers!  These holidays of our culture are not exactly high holy days of the Church, but they do give us reason to pause, to pray for and to reflect on our fathers whom we honor.  Five weeks ago, we offered Mass for our moms. Today, on this Father’s Day, we are doing the same – offering our dads, living here or hereafter, on the altar of God during this Holy Mass and invoking our Heavenly Father’s blessings on them.  Modern America appears to be unique in its honoring of fathers on a special day.  Today we celebrate, congratulate and pray for the men who continue to reflect the Divine qualities of fatherhood as they lovingly establish, nourish and maintain their families. Fathers are a blessing, and we thank them for blessing us with lives of dedication, endurance and love.

Historical note: The observance most similar to our Father’s Day was the ancient Roman Parentalia, which lasted from the thirteenth of February to the twenty-second.  This festival, however, was not for living fathers, but was rather a time of remembrance, commemorating departed parents and kinsfolk.  The ceremonies were held, Ovid says, to “appease the souls of your fathers.”  This annual observance became a family reunion.  Members offered wine, milk, honey, oil and water at the flower-decorated graves.  At the concluding ceremony, known as the Caristia, much celebrating went on as the living relatives feasted together, having been cleansed by the performance of their duties to the dead.  Father’s Day for us, of course, is not intended for honoring the dead.  We may pay a minor symbolic tribute by wearing a white rose in memory of deceased fathers, but far fewer of these are seen than white carnations on Mothers’ Day.

The origin of Father’s Day. The originator and promoter of Father’s Day was Mrs. John Bruce Dodd (Sonora Smart Dodd), of Spokane, Washington.  The idea of a Father’s Day celebration came to her first while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day in 1909.  Her own father, William Jackson Smart, had accomplished the amazing task of rearing six children — Mrs. Dodd and her five brothers — after his young wife had died.  The sacrifices her father made on their eastern Washington farm called to mind the unsung feats of fathers everywhere. Mrs. Dodd’s idea was approved by her church and publicized by the YMCA.  In 1910, the mayor of Spokane issued a Father’s Day Proclamation and Governor M.E. Hay, set the date for an observance throughout the state.  Mrs. Dodd’s suggestions for observing the day included wearing a flower — a red rose to indicate a living father and a white rose for a deceased father.  By 1924, the custom had spread through the country, and Calvin Coolidge made the first Presidential proclamation in support of Father’s Day.  Nearly 50 years later, (1972), President Richard Nixon made the holiday permanent, requesting that Congress pass a joint resolution to establish the third Sunday in June as a National Day of Observance in honor of fathers everywhere.

 The Father’s role in the family and in the society. Some recent studies have demonstrated how important a father is to his child’s development.  Children raised with fathers present have lower rates of delinquency, drug and alcohol use, teen pregnancy, and so on, than those with absent fathers.  The father’s presence is also a significant positive factor in children’s getting a college education, finding a satisfying job, and making a lasting marriage. Psychotherapists today are saying that both parents are vitally important to the stable development of their children; the mother’s input is invaluable in the formative pre-adolescent years, but the father’s most important influence is at adolescence.  Single mothers tell us that it is terribly difficult to teach their children about the meaning of God the Father Who seems so impersonal because their children have been abandoned by their natural fathers.  Adolescent daughters long to hear from their fathers that they are beautiful and loved.  In fact, a girl’s choice of partner and satisfaction in marriage is often directly related to the relationship she has had with her father. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the vital importance of the father’s role comes from the fact that, with his wife, he cooperates with God the Creator in bringing a new human life into the world.  There is no power greater than that (#2367).  (A few Biblical references to fathers: Gn 2:24, Ex 20:12, Ez 19:19-20, Sir 3:1-16, Mt 19:16-22, Jn 1:14, 2 Cor 6:16-18, Eph 6: 1-4, 1 Thes 2:11 – 12).

The ideal and the reality: Many fathers today are role models like St. Thomas More and St. Louis Martin (father of the Little Flower), heroes of our Faith.  Even in these days, fathers are expected to be the providers for, and the protectors of, the family.  They are also supposed to be attuned emotionally and spiritually to their wives and children and to be able to balance careers with family life.  Fathers struggle to overcome temptation and conflict.  They make sacrifices day after day for their families.  They try to give their youngsters the kind of model that, surely, they deserve above all else, a model of goodness, holiness, faith, trust in God and fidelity to the teachings of the Church.  This is what Father’s Day should remind us of.   This is a time for all fathers to reflect upon their duties as responsible and well-integrated men.  True fatherhood demands commitment.  Commitment demands maturity, sacrifice, and love.  Fatherhood also demands responsibility.  Every true father will take responsibility for all of his actions.  Our nation has an urgent need for good fathers.

But while the idea of fatherhood is a good one, the reality we see on earth is sometimes quite different.  Some fathers abandon their children, beat them, ridicule or ignore them, abuse them, and damage them psychologically for life. Even good fathers have their limits.  Unfortunately, we unduly sentimentalize fatherhood, the media often ridicule and make fun of it and we treat it with contempt.  We are reminded time after time of the number of children growing up fatherless because their fathers have abandoned them or their fathers have been unfaithful.

A day to remember our Heavenly Father and our Rev. Fr. Pastor: A favorite gift for Father’s Day is the cap emblazoned with the words “World’s Greatest Dad.”  You may see more of them than ever this year on the heads of proud fathers everywhere.  There is one dad, however, who doesn’t always get a lot of honor on Father’s Day.  That is the “World’s Greatest Dad,” OUR HEAVENLY FATHER (Rom. 8:15, Gal. 4:6).  He is our spiritual Daddy, actively involved in all areas of our lives.  It is He on Whom we lean in times of pain and hurt; it is He on Whom we call in times of need; it is He Who provides for us in all ways — practical, emotional, and spiritual.  He wants us to think of Him as “Dad.”  This being so, let us take this Father’s Day to honor Him, the REAL “World’s Greatest Dad.”  Many of us pray the “Our Father” day after day, without paying attention to, or experiencing, the love and providence of our Heavenly Father.  Let us pray the Our Father during this Holy Mass realizing the meaning of each clause and experiencing the love of our Heavenly Father for us.  May all earthly fathers draw strength from their Heavenly Father!  On this Father’s Day, please don’t forget to pray for us your spiritual Fathers – men who are called to be Fathers of an immensely large parish family through the Sacrament of Holy Orders.

JOKES OF THE DAY

1) What a Card! Father’s Day was near when I brought my three-year-old son, Tyler, to the card store. Inside, I showed him the cards for dads and told him to pick one. When I looked back, Tyler was picking up one card after another, opening them up and quickly shoving them back into slots, every which way. “Tyler, what are you doing?” I asked. “Haven’t you found a nice card for Daddy yet?” “No,” he replied. “I’m looking for one with money in it.” (Submitted to Readers Digest by Terri Cook).

2) Brag about parents: An Army brat was boasting about his father to a Navy brat.
“My dad is an engineer. He can do everything. Do you know the Alps?”
“Yes,” said the Navy brat.
“My dad built them.”
Then the naval kid spoke: “And do you know the Dead Sea?”
“Yes.”
“It’s my dad who’s killed it!”

3) New family driver: Martin had just received his brand new driver’s license. The family trooped out to the driveway, and climbed in the car, for he was going to take them for a ride for the first time. Dad immediately headed for the back seat, directly behind the newly-minted driver. “I’ll bet you’re back there to get a change of scenery after all those months of sitting in the front passenger seat teaching me how to drive,” says the beaming boy to his father. “Nope,” comes dad’s reply, “I’m gonna sit here and kick the back of your seat as you drive, just like you’ve been doing to me all these years.”

4) Transformation: One cynic, speaking from his own experience, noted that children go through four fascinating stages. First, they call you DaDa. Then they call you Daddy. As they mature, they call you Dad. Finally, they call you collect to borrow money.

5) A Father’s Day Card read: “Being a father can be expensive, time-consuming, frustrating, confusing and emotionally draining. Actually, it’s a lot like golf.”

6) Pap and pup: While flying from Denver to Kansas City, Kansas, my mother was sitting across the aisle from a woman and her eight-year-old son. Mom couldn’t help laughing as they neared their destination and she heard the mother say to the boy, “Now remember — run to Dad first, then the dog.”
(Submitted to Readers Digest by Karla J. Kasper)

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)      http://www.homiliesbyemail.com/Special/Fathers/fathersday.html

2)      http://www.fathers.com/

3) http://www.usccb.org/sdwp/projects/socialteaching/ (Catholic Social teaching)

4) Website for Catholic kids: http://www.k4j.org/

5) Father’s Day song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZ6LwbmlZ-E&feature=email

6) http://skitguys.com/videos/item/coffee-for-dad

7) Father’s Day video dancing with kids & moms: https://youtu.be/wlvUMEYlSI0

Intercessory prayers for Father’s Day Mass (By Kirk Loadman)

1- For those fathers who have striven to balance the demands of work, marriage, and children with an honest awareness of both joy and sacrifice. We pray to the Lord.

2- For those fathers who, lacking a good model for a father, have worked to become good fathers. We pray to the Lord.

3- For those fathers who by their own account were not always there for their children, but who continue to offer those children, now grown, their love and support. We pray to the Lord.

4- For those fathers who have been wounded by the neglect and hostility of their children. We pray to the Lord.

5- For those fathers who, despite divorce, have remained in their children’s lives. We pray to the Lord

6- For those fathers whose adopted children have been nurtured and healed by their foster-fathers’ faithful understanding, love, and support. We pray to the Lord.

7- For those fathers who, as stepfathers, freely chose the obligation of fatherhood and earned their step-children’s love and respect. We pray to the Lord.

8- For those fathers who have lost a child to death and continue to hold the child in their hearts. We pray to the Lord.

9- For those men who have no children, but cherish the next generation as if they were their own. We pray to the Lord.

10- For those men who have “fathered” us in their role as mentors and guides. We pray to the Lord.

11- For those men who are about to become fathers: may they openly delight in their children! We pray to the Lord.

12- For those fathers who have died and gone for their eternal reward, but live on in our memory and whose love continues to nurture us. We pray to the Lord.

Concluding prayer by the priest
God our Father,
in Your wisdom and love You made all things.
Bless these men,
that they may be strengthened as Christian fathers.
Let the example of their faith and love shine forth.
Grant that we, their sons and daughters,
may honor them always
with a spirit of profound respect.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen

13 Additional anecdotes

 1) “And if you don’t pass the test you have to be the Daddy?” A mother was out walking with her 4–year-old daughter. The child picked up something off the ground and started to put it into her mouth. The mother took it away and said “Don’t do that!” “Why not?” asked the child. “Because it’s on the ground,” said her mother. “You don’t know where it’s been. It’s dirty, and it’s probably loaded with germs that could make you sick.” The child looked at her mother with total admiration and said, “Mommy, how do you know all this stuff? You’re so smart.” The mother said, “All Moms know this stuff. It’s on the Mom’s Test. You have to know it or they don’t let you be a Mom.” There was silence for a minute or so as the child thought this through. “Oh, I get it,” she said at last. “And if you don’t pass the test you have to be the Daddy?” (The Jokesmith). — Welcome on this Father’s Day! As someone has said, “Father’s Day is like Mother’s Day, except the gift is cheaper.” And that’s true. But there are some fine Dads in our congregation, and we want to honor them. After all, it’s not easy being a Dad.

 2)  “Wait until you see sister!” A bald man and his wife one night decided to go out to dinner and hired a baby sitter to take care of their kids. While they were gone, the baby sitter got interested in TV and wasn’t watching the kids very carefully. The couple’s little boy got into his father’s electric shaver and shaved a big landing strip right down the middle of his head. When Dad, got home, he was furious. He said, “Son! I told you never to play with my shaver. Now you are going to get a spanking that you will never forget!” He was just about to give the spanking when the boy looked up at him and said, “Wait until you see sister!” The Mom and Dad were both horrified. They went into the next room and there was their little four-year-old daughter with the hair shaved off of her head. She looked like a skinned rabbit. By this time Dad was furious. He grabbed his son and said, “Now you’re really going to get it.” Just as Dad was about to begin administering discipline, his son looked up at him with tears in his eyes and said, “But Daddy! WE WERE JUST TRYING TO LOOK LIKE YOU!” [Parables, Etc. (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), October 2001.] — And that’s key to whole parenting thing, isn’t it? Many of our kids just want to look like us.

3) Once upon a time: A few of you remember the days of black-and-white television when television networks carried shows like Father Knows Best and Ozzie and Harriet. The norm for these programs was a family with a working husband and a wife who stayed at home, lovingly devoted to her husband and her children. At least that was the image the media portrayed. Most families even then were not as idyllic as the sitcoms portrayed them.

4) “If Daddy Will Hold Me“: A little girl had somehow received a bad cut in the soft flesh of her eyelid. The doctor knew that some stitches were needed, but he also knew that because of the location of the cut, he should not use an anesthetic. He talked with the little girl and he told her what he must do… and asked her if she thought she could stand the touch of the needle without jumping. She thought for a moment, and then said simply, “I think I can if Daddy will hold me while you do it.” So the father took his little girl in his lap, steadied her head against his shoulder, and held her tightly in his arms. The surgeon then quickly did his work… and sewed up the cut in her eye-lid… and the little girl did not flinch. She just held on tight to her Father. — That’s a parable for us in our spiritual lives and a graphic reminder that whatever we have to face, we can hold on tight to our Father… and He will see us through. There’s a word for that… it’s called TRUST or FAITH. It’s surely what Jesus had in mind when he said, “Unless you become like a little child, you cannot enter the kingdom of God.” (James W. Moore, When Our Children Teach Us)

5) ”I learned it from you, Daddy.” The Talmud tells us, ”A child tells in the street what its father says at home.” Much to the embarrassment of many parents, this adage is true.  One father tells of taking his three-year-old son with him to see Grandma and Papa.  While visiting, Grandma and her grandson baked cookies while dad and Papa watched a football game.  Upon tasting a sample from the first batch, the three-year-old held the cookie out saying, ”Damn, this is good!”  Grandma gasped.  The father jumped from his chair and corrected his son saying, ”That’s not a nice word!  Where did you learn that word?”  The boy instantly replied, ”I learned it from you, Daddy. You say it every time Momma fixes supper.”

6) Notorious outlaws:  Regardless of what you may have heard or read, Frank and Jesse James, two of the most famous outlaws of all time, were cold-blooded murderers. Their father, though, was a Baptist pastor and the founder of William Jewel College in Liberty, Kentucky. Their mother was raised in a Catholic convent. Both parents espoused values very different from those that their sons held. Yet, Robert James, their father, deserted his wife and sons while they were still very small so that he could search for gold in California. [Castel, Albert. “Men Behind the Masks: The James Brothers,” American History Illustrated (June, 1982), pp. 1018.] Another of the men who terrorized the West was named John Wesley Hardin. Guess where he got his name? Hardin was the son of a Methodist circuit rider who also taught school and practiced law. Hardin’s father, a fervent Texan, raised his son to hate the North. When Hardin, at age 14, shot and killed a black man in honest self-defense, his father sent him away, not trusting the justice of the Northern Reconstruction government in Texas. Hardin subsequently killed Federal soldiers on a number of occasions, though the Civil War had ended years earlier. He also spent 17 years in prison for shooting a deputy. — Perhaps John Wesley Hardin would have taken a different path if his father had not hated the Reconstruction government so much, and if his father had not shielded him from facing justice when he shot his first victim. [McGinty, Brian. “John Wesley Hardin,” American History Illustrated (June 1982) pp. 3236.] — Regardless, it is clear that though the fathers of Frank and Jesse James and of John Wesley Hardin were men of the cloth, they were not great role models.

7) “My son is ‘under 12’” Tell me, what will the child in this little scenario remember?  The family goes to Mass every Sunday and on all the Holy Days of Obligation.  They say the Rosary and talk about Christian values at dinnertime.  Then, on Saturday night, when they go out to the movies, the father tells the cashier that his son is “under 12,” when, in fact, he’s already 13. — Now, tell me, what will make the biggest impression on this young man? What he’s heard all week or what he sees on Saturday night?

8) Four Fathers From The Bible: Enoch, a father who walked with God as a great man of Faith.
Noah, who was concerned about saving his children; he taught them about righteousness. He also walked with God, leaving a great example to follow.
Abraham, who was given the title “Father of all of them that believe”.  He trained them as mentioned in Gn 18:19.
Joshua, who trusted God when others would not. Joshua didn’t care what other fathers were doing; he and his family were going to serve the Lord! (Fr. Antony Kayala).

9) “You promised that, Dad. ‘No matter what,’ you said, ‘I’ll always be there for you!'” There’s a fascinating story that comes from the 1989 earthquake which almost flattened Armenia. That earthquake killed over 30,000 people in less than four minutes. In the midst of all the confusion of the earthquake, a father rushed to his son’s school. When he arrived, he discovered the building was flat as a pancake.

Standing there looking at what was left of the school, the father remembered a promise he’d made to his son, “No matter what, I’ll always be there for you!” Tears began to fill his eyes. It looked like a hopeless situation, but he couldn’t take his mind off his promise.

He remembered that his son’s classroom was in the back right corner of the building He rushed over there and started digging through the rubble. As he was digging other grieving parents arrived, clutching their hearts, saying: “My son! My daughter!” They tried to pull him off of what was left of the school saying: “It’s too late!” “They’re dead!” “You can’t help!” “Go home!”

Even a police officer and a fire fighter told him he should go home. To everyone who tried to stop him he said, “Are you going to help me now?” They didn’t answer him but he continued digging for his son stone by stone. He needed to know for himself: “Is my son alive or is he dead?”

This man continued to dig for eight hours and then twelve and then twenty-four and then thirty-six. Finally, during the thirty-eighth hour, as he pulled back a boulder, he heard his son’s voice. He screamed his son’s name, “ARMAND!” and a voice answered him, “Dad? It’s me Dad!”

And then the boy added these priceless words, “I told the other kids not to worry. I told ’em that if you were alive, you’d save me and when you saved me, they’d be saved. You promised that, Dad. ‘No matter what,’ you said, ‘I’ll always be there for you!’ And here you are Dad. You kept your promise!” (Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen, Chicken Soup for the Soul; added in Jan, 2014).

10) “Just the cutest thing!” A woman wrote to a magazine to tell about an event that had occurred in her family when she was about eighteen months old. Her mother was out and her dad was in charge of her and her brother who was four years older. Someone had given her a little ‘tea set’ as a get-well gift and it was one of her favorite toys. Her Dad was in the living room one evening engrossed in the evening news and her brother was playing nearby in the living room when the little girl brought her Dad a little cup of make-believe ‘tea,’ which was just plain water. After several cups of this tea and lots of praise from Dad for making such a yummy concoction, the little girl’s Mom came home. Her Dad made Mom wait in the living room to watch this eighteen-month-old bring him a cup of tea, because it was “just the cutest thing!” Her Mom waited, and sure enough, here the girl came down the hall with a cup of tea for her Daddy. Mom watched Dad drink this special tea, then asked, “Did it ever occur to you that the only place that baby can reach to get water is the toilet?” (MONDAY FODDER, To subscribe http://family-safe-mail.com/magiclist/.)

11) “I wasn’t a good father.” Baseball superstar Mickey Mantle was interviewed shortly before his death. He had been a hero on the ball field, but not such a superstar outside baseball. After his playing days ended, he checked into the Betty Ford Clinic to deal with the consequences of a lifetime of alcohol abuse. Part of his struggle involved the loss of his son, Billy, who had died of a heart attack while suffering from Hodgkin’s disease, a genetic disease which had killed Mantle’s father and grandfather at an early age. In the interview, Mickey Mantle said, “One of the things I learned at the Betty Ford Clinic was why I was depressed. I wasn’t a good father. I always felt like I wasn’t there for my kids like my father was for me.” (Dr. Stanley C Sneeringer, http://www.faithlutheranchurch.org/99sermons/07‑11‑99.htm.)

12) Andy did not get a spanking; instead he got a hug: Brandon has two little kids: Andy, who is five years old, and Charlie, who is four. Brandon  tries to be a good father to his little boys. Brandon goes and shaves himself and goes on to dress up. He comes out a few minutes later and what does he see? Little Andy has gotten hold of his father’s electric shaver and shaved a big expressway right down the middle of his head. Brandon is furious. He says, “Andy! Didn’t I tell you never to play with my shaver. Now you are going to get a spanking you will never forget!” He was just about to administer the spanking when Andy looks up at him and says, “Wait till you see Charlie!” Brandon and his wife are simply horrified when they go into the washroom and see their little four-year-old boy with all of the hair gone, looking like a little skinned rabbit. By this time, Brandon is really furious. He grabs up Andy and says, “Now you are really going to get it.” Just as he lifts his hand and starts to bring it down, Andy looks up at him with tears in his eyes and said, “But Daddy! We were just trying to be like you!” — Well, Andy did not get a spanking; instead he got a hug. Isn’t that true? In so many ways we want to be like our fathers. It shows that they were and are heroes for us and that we are heroes for our children. (Fr. Mateuz) L-15

13) President William J. Clinton’s Father’s Day Proclamation in 1998: “Fathers play a unique and important role in the lives of their children. As mentor, protector, and provider, a father fundamentally influences the shape and direction of his child’s character by giving love, care, discipline, and guidance. As we observe Father’s Day, our nation honors fatherhood and urges fathers to commit themselves selflessly to the success and well-being of their children. And we reaffirm the importance of fathers in the lives of their children. Raising a child requires significant time, effort, and sacrifice; and it is one of the most hopeful and fulfilling experiences a man can ever know. A father can derive great joy from seeing his child grow from infancy to adulthood. As a child matures into independence and self-reliance, the value of a parent’s hard work, love, and commitment comes to fruition. Responsible fatherhood is important to a healthy and civil society. Numerous studies confirm that children whose fathers are present and involved in their lives are more likely to develop into prosperous and healthy adults. Children learn by example; and they need their father’s presence as examples of virtue in their daily lives. A child’s sense of security can be greatly enhanced by seeing his parents in a loving and faithful marriage.”

Father’s Day Irish poems (sent by Deacon Pat Brannigan)

• Ireland is often called the Land of Happy War Songs and Sad Love Songs. One of the most beautiful Irish love songs is not about a man and a woman but about a son who has lost his father. John McDermott, one of the Irish Tenors, captured the deep feelings that fill the hearts of anyone who has ever lost a father when he sang:

The tears have all been shed now.

We’ve said our last goodbye.

His soul’s been blessed, and he’s laid to rest.

And it’s now I feel alone.

He was more than a father – my teacher and best friend.

I thought he’d live forever.

He seemed so big and strong.

But the minutes fly and the years roll by.

And suddenly when it happened.

There was so much left unsaid.

No second chance to tell him thanks.

For something he had done …

I never will forget him for he made me what I am.

Though he may be gone – memory lingers on

And I miss him – my old man.

• Harry Chapin’s song Cats in the Cradle captures the tragic results of not spending time with a child. Harry said he was scared to death about his relationship with his son – whenever he sang the words of this song:

My child arrived just the other day.

But there were planes to catch and bills to pay.

He learned to walk when I was away.

And as he grew – he said – I’m going to be just like you Dad.

When are you coming home Dad?

I don’t know – but we’ll get together then.

After the Dad in the song retired, he called his son and said I’d like to see you son – but his son said – “I’d love to Dad – if I could find the time.

Love between a father and a son or a father and a daughter depend so much on spending time with each other – building a relationship of love by talking to each other and being with each other.

• IF on this coming Father’s day, you and I had an opportunity to speak directly with our Heavenly Father God – what would we say? Would we say as Willie Nelson sang:

Maybe I didn’t love you quite as much as I could have –

But you were always on my mind.

Little things I should have said and done; I just never took the time.

Tell me your love hasn’t died. Just give me one more chance.

My brothers – prayer is thinking about God – who is our Father. Prayer is having God always on our mind. Prayer is just talking with and listening to Jesus – just like we talk with and listen to our friends and family. Sometimes, we just need to listen without saying anything – just like lovers who embrace without a need to say a word.(L/25)

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C (No. 38) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website: By clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/  for missed or previous Cycle C homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html for the Vatican version of this homily and https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under CBCI or in the CBCI website https://cbci.in/SundayReflectionsNew.aspx?&id=cG2JDo4P6qU=&type=text .  (Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507)

Father’s Day Bible Verses (Fr. Kayala)

Psalm 103:13 (NIV)
As a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear him;

Proverbs 3:11-12(NIV)
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Proverbs 23:22 (NIV)
Listen to your father, who gave you life,
and do not despise your mother when she is old.

Proverbs 23:24 (NIV)
The father of a righteous man has great joy;
he who has a wise son delights in him.

Ephesians 6:4 (NIV)
Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord

Colossians 3:21 (NIV)
Fathers, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.

Hebrews 12:7 (NIV)
Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?

Matthew 7:11(NIV)
If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Joshua 24:15 (ESV)
And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (ESV)
And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Psalms 127:3-5 (ESV)
Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate.

Psalm 44:1 (NKJV)
“God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us, what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:”

Proverbs 17:6 (NKJV)
“Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers.”

Proverbs 23:24 (NKJV)
“The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; he who fathers a wise son will be glad in him.”

1 Timothy 3:5 (KJV)
“For if a man know not how to rule his own house,
how shall he take care of the church of God?”

Proverbs 22:6 (ESV)
“Direct your children onto the right path,
and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

Proverbs 20:7 (KJV)
“The just man walketh in his integrity: his children are blessed after him.”

Genesis 18:19 (ESV)
For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.”

1 Timothy 3:12-13 (KJV)
Let the deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well.
For they that have used the office of a deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree, and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus.