Dec 9-14: Dec 9 Monday (Immaculate Conception of BVM) (non-obligatory day in the USA): Mary’s prophecy, given in her Magnificat (“Behold all generations will call me blessed,” was fulfilled when the Catholic Church declared four dogmas of Faith about her: 1-The Immaculate Conception, 2-The Perpetual Virginity, 3-The Divine Maternity, 4-The Assumption. The Immaculate Conception is a dogma based mainly on Christian tradition and theological reasoning. It was defined in 1854 by Pope Pius IX as a dogma of Faith through Ineffabilis Deus. Definition: From the first moment of her conception, Mary was preserved immune from original sin by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race. (CCC #491). This means that original sanctity, innocence and justice were conferred upon her, and that she was exempted from all the evil effects of original sin, excluding sorrow, pain, disease, and death which are temporal penalties given to Adam. (Catholic Encyclopedia).

Basis — Tradition and the Bible and reasoning: (A) From Church tradition: The Immaculate Conception is a dogma originating from sound Christian tradition. Monks in Palestinian monasteries started celebrating the feast of the Conception of Our Lady by the end of the 7th century. The feast spread as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in Italy (9th century), England (11th century), and France (12th century). Pope Leo VI propagated the celebration, and Pope Sixtus IV approved it as a Feast. Finally, in 1854, Pope Pius IX declared the Immaculate Conception to be a dogma of Faith. Mary herself approved this in 1858 by declaring to Bernadette at Lourdes, “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

(B) From Holy Scripture: 1) God purified the prophet Jeremiah in the womb of his mother (Jer 1:5 –“Before I formed you in the womb of your mother I knew you and before you were born, I consecrated you”), and anointed John the Baptist with His Holy Spirit before John’s birth as John’s mother attests. (Lk 1:43-44 – “And how does this happen to me, that the Mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.” Hence, it is reasonable that God kept the mother of His Son free from all sins from the first moment of her origin. 2) The angel saluted Mary as “full of grace.” The greeting means that she was never, even for a moment, a slave of sin and the devil. 3) Gn 3:15 — “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and hers; He will strike at your head while you strike at His heel.” The woman stands for Mary, and the promise would not be true if Mary had original sin.

(C)-From logical  reasoning: 1-If we were allowed to select our mother, we would select the most beautiful, healthy, and saintly lady. So did God. 2-The All-Holy God cannot be born from a woman who was a slave of the devil, even for a moment in her life. “Deus potuit, decuit, fecit.” (Duns Scotus).

Life messages: 1) Every mother wants her children to inherit or acquire all her good qualities. Hence, our Immaculate and holy Heavenly Mother wants us to be holy and pure children. 2) Let us honor her by practicing her virtues of Faith and obedience. 3) Let us respond to God’s grace by using it to do good to others. L/24

 Dec 10 Tuesday: Mt 18: 12-14: (Our Lady of Loretto) https://www.ourladyofloreto.org/history  12 What do you think?  If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go in search of the one that went astray?  13 And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. 14  So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish.

The context: Since the self-righteous Pharisees who accused Jesus of befriending publicans and sinners could not believe that God would be delighted at the conversion of sinners, Jesus told them the parable of the lost sheep and the shepherd’s joy on its discovery, the parable of the lost coin and the woman’s joy when she found it, and the parable of the lost and returned son and his Father’s joy on his return.   These three parables defended Jesus’ alliance with sinners and responded to the criticism that he was welcoming tax collectors and sinners. The central theme of today’s Gospel is that our God is loving, patient, merciful, and forgiving.    This parable reminds us that we have a God who welcomes sinners and forgives their sins when they return to Him with genuine contrition and a firm resolution to amend their lives.

Shepherding in Judaea was a hard, dangerous task.  Pasture was scarce; thorny scrub jungles with wild animals, and vast desert areas were common, posing constant threats to the wandering sheep.  But the shepherds were famous for their dedicated, sacrificial service, perpetual vigilance, and readiness for action.    Two or three shepherds might be personally responsible for the sheep owned by several families in a village.   If any sheep were missing, one of the shepherds would go in search of it, sending the other shepherds home with the flock of sheep. The whole village would be waiting for the return of the shepherd with the lost sheep and would receive him with shouts of joy and of thanksgiving.

Life messages: 1) We need to confess our sins to regain peace and God’s friendship.  We have to be humble enough to recognize that we need God’s forgiveness to be whole. If we have been in sin, our God is ready to receive and welcome us back, just as Jesus welcomed sinners in his time.   Let us pray today that we may allow God’s love and forgiveness into our lives.

2)   We should also ask God for the courage  to  extend  this  forgiveness  to  others  who  have offended us.  As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us pray also for God’s Divine Mercy on those who have fallen away from grace. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

 Dec 11 Wednesday: Mt 11:28-30: 28 “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

The context: In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers rest to those who labor and are burdened, if they are ready to accept his easy yoke and light burden. For the Orthodox Jew, religion was a matter of burdens, namely, 613 Mosaic laws and thousands of oral interpretations, which dictated every aspect of life. Jesus invites the overburdened Israel, and us, to take his yoke upon our shoulders. In Palestine, ox-yokes were made of wood and were carved to fit the ox comfortably. The yoke of Christ can be seen as the sum of our Christian responsibilities and duties. Jesus’ yoke is light because it is given with love. It is the commandment to love others as Jesus did.  Besides, the yoke of Christ is not just a yoke from Christ but also a yoke with him. So, we are not yoked singly to pull the plow by our own unaided power. We are yoked together with Christ to work with him using his strength. Jesus is inviting each one of us to be yoked with him, to unite our life with him, our will with his will, our heart with his heart. By saying that his “yoke is easy,” Jesus means that whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly.

The second part of Jesus’ claim is: “My burden is light.”  Jesus does not mean that his burden is easy to carry, but that it is laid on us in love. This burden is meant to be carried in love, and love makes even the heaviest burden light.  By following Jesus, one will find peace, rest, and real refreshment. We are burdened with many things:  business, concerns about jobs, marriage, money, health, children, security, old age_, and a thousand other things. Jesus is asking us to give him our burdens and take on his yoke. By telling us, “Take my yoke . . . and you will find rest,” Christ is asking us to do things the Christian way. When we are centered in God, when we follow God’s commandments, we have no heavy burdens.

Life messages:  1) We need to be freed from unnecessary burdens: Jesus is interested in lifting from our backs the burdens that drain us and suck the life out of us, so that he can place around our necks his own yoke and his burden which bring to us, and to others through us, new life, new energy, and new joy. 2) We need to unload our burdens before the Lord. One of the functions of worship for many of us is that it gives us a time for rest and refreshment, when we let the overheated radiators of our hectic lives cool down before the Lord. This is especially true when we unload the burdens of our sins and worries and evil addictions on the altar and offer them to God during the Holy Mass. (Fr. Kadavil) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Dec 11 Wednesday: Our Lady of Guadalupe (U.S.A.):  https://blog.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit/our-lady-of-guadalupe Lk 1: 39-47: 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

Most of us know the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On December 9, 1531, an elderly Indian man named Juan Diego had a vision of Mary, the mother of Jesus, at Tepeyac, a poor Mexican-Indian village outside Mexico City. Mary directed Juan Diego to tell his Bishop to build a Church in Tepeyac.  The Spanish   Bishop, however, dismissed   the   Indian’s   tale   as   mere superstition. But to humor Juan Diego, the Bishop demanded that the visionary bring some sort of proof. Three days later, the Virgin Mary appeared again and told Juan Diego to pick the exquisitely beautiful roses that had miraculously bloomed amidst December snows, and take them as a sign to the Bishop. When Juan Diego opened his poncho to present the roses to the Bishop, the flowers poured out from his poncho to reveal an image of the Virgin Mary painted on the inside of the poncho. That image hangs today in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City and is venerated by thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. This apparition occasioned the conversion of nine million Indians to Christianity in twenty years. It is estimated that ten million pilgrims visit the Basilica every year. The original Church was built in 1533, the second in 1556 and the third in 1709. The Virgin of Guadalupe was declared the Patroness of Latin America by Pope St. Pius X (1907), Queen of Mexico and Empress of America by Pope Pius XII (1945), Mother of America by Pope St. John XXXIII (1961) Star of Evangelization by Pope St. John Paul II (1979), Patroness of the Americas  by Pope St. John Paul II, 1999

Life messages:   1) The story of the apparition tells us how Jesus, as Emmanuel, and Mary his mother, want to be among us, especially among the poor, the downtrodden and the marginalized in society who have neither   voice   nor    political or social influence.  That is why Our Lady appeared to a poor Indian in a village, not as a white woman but as a brown-skinned Indian princess, speaking his native Nahuatal language, and why Mary did not appear to any of the Spanish overlords. God wanted the Basilica in honor of Jesus’ mother built in the village, not in the city. 2) The vision challenges us to listen to the ordinary people who do not look or act like important people and to treat them with reverence. While it is true that God loves each and every one of us, there is a special place in God’s heart for the poor and the powerless – God’s preferential option for the poor. So, the feast challenges us to see and serve Jesus in the poor and the broken-hearted in our communities.

Anecdote: About sixteen years ago a priest (Fr. Phil Bloom)  received a very unusual request:  A young woman asked him if he would help her get rid of her unborn child.  The priest was obviously surprised, but he tried not to react negatively. “Why do you want to end your pregnancy?” he asked.  She replied that when she told her boyfriend, he said he was going to leave her.  She loved him and desperately wanted him back. The priest resisted the temptation to say, “Your boyfriend is a rat.”  Instead, he asked her to do three things: First, to allow the priest to pray with her and bless the baby.  Second, to see a medical professional that he knew.  And, third, to watch a short video.  The video showed the development of the human embryo. After she left, the priest thought about the young woman and wondered what she would do.  In his room he had a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  He noticed the black ribbon below her folded hands and he remembered that the ribbon signified pregnancy.  The child within her, of course, is Jesus.  The priest asked Our Lady to help that young woman. A month or so passed.  The priest heard a knock on his office door.  When he opened the door, he saw a shy, smiling face.  It was the young woman. she told the priest she had decided to keep her baby. A year later he saw her again.  She was holding a lovely baby girl.  After some conversation, the priest asked her, “Would you give up your baby for anything?”   “No,” she said, “she is my treasure.”   The girl is now a teenager.  She lives with her mom and grandmother.  In their home they have a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe that the priest gave to mom.* (http://www.homilies.net/e/E-10-12-12.asp) L/24

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

Dec 13  Friday (St. Lucy, Virgin, Martyr) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-lucy  Matt 11: 16-19: 16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates, 17 `We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon’; 19 the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.”  (Cfr. Luke 7: 31-35)

The context: The message of John the Baptist and the message of Jesus fell on deaf ears and met with stiff resistance from the self-righteous Scribes and the Pharisees because of their jealousy, prejudice and spiritual blindness. Hence, they attributed the austerities of John the Baptist to the devil and identified Jesus’ table fellowship with sinners as gluttony, evidence contraindicating any messianic possibility.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus compares these Scribes and Pharisees to irresponsible street-children.

Dog-in-the-manger attitude: Jesus compares the attitude of the Scribes and the Pharisees to that of street-children who want to entertain themselves by playing wedding and funeral songs. They divide themselves into two groups. But when one group proposes to sing wedding songs and asks the other group to dance, the second group will propose funeral songs and ask the first group to carry one of them on their shoulders as they act out a funeral procession. In the end both groups will be frustrated. Jesus states that the Scribes and Pharisees act exactly like these irresponsible, immature children because of their pride and prejudice. Jesus criticizes the unbelieving Jews for not listening either to John the Baptist, who preached a message of austerity and repentance, or to Jesus, who preached the good news of love, mercy and salvation. 

Life messages: 1) Jesus’ parable about disappointed playmates challenges us to examine whether we are buffet Catholics with selective hearing, so that we hear only what we want to hear. Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God is good news and it produces true joy and spiritual freedom for those who will listen, but it is also a warning for those who refuse to listen and close their minds. Hearing the Gospel implies the total acceptance and assimilation of what we hear and the incorporation of it into our daily lives. Like the generation of Jesus’ time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regard to the things of heaven.  Indifference dulls our ears to God’s voice and to the good news of the Gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy and favor in God’s grace. (Fr. Tony) L/24

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

Dec 14 Saturday:  (St. John of the Cross, Priest, Doctor of the Church): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-john-of-the-cross  Matthew 17:9-13:  9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He replied, “Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; 12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

The context: Today’s Gospel describes the warning and instruction given by Jesus to Peter, James, and John as they were coming down the mountain after witnessing Jesus’ Transfiguration. Jesus forbade them to give any publicity to what they had seen, because people were expecting a conquering political Messiah with Elijah as his forerunner, and a powerful reformer who would destroy evil and restore justice in the land for the Messiah to rule.

The Expected Messiah. Then Jesus indicated that He was the expected Messiah, and that John was the “Elijah” they had been waiting for. John’s mission had been to prepare the way for the first coming of the Messiah, as Elijah’s mission would be to prepare the world for the Messiah’s second coming at the end of the world. The scribes misunderstood; they taught that Elijah would come before the first coming of the Messiah. But Jesus told the disciples that (for those who were willing to believe it), John the Baptist had served as Jesus’ Elijah in announcing and preparing the people to receive a Messiah, who would fulfill  the Messianic mission not by political power, but by suffering and death.

Life message: 1) Let us accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, Who became our Messiah by dying for us on the cross. We do so by cooperating with our Savior in our eternal salvation, by obeying Jesus’ commandment of love, by following the instructions given by the Church Jesus founded and by transforming our suffering to redemptive suffering..  (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Dec 2-7: Dec 2 Monday: Matthew 8: 5-11: 5 As he entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, beseeching him 6 and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, in terrible distress.” 7 And he said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8 But the centurion answered him, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only say the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, `Go,’ and he goes, and to another, `Come,’ and he comes, and to my slave, `Do this,’ and he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard him, he marveled, and said to those who followed him, “Truly, I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such faith. 11 I tell you, many will come from east and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

Context: Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s slave, described in today’s Gospel, shows us how God listens to our Faith-filled prayers and meets our needs. Centurions were reliable, commanding, brave captains in charge of 100 soldiers. They were used to giving and receiving commands. They were the backbone of the Roman army. According to Luke’s account (Lk 7:1-10), this centurion loved the Jews and respected their religious customs. He knew that Jews would incur ritual uncleanness on entering the house of a pagan, and, wanting to save Jesus this inconvenience, said he was unworthy to have Jesus come into his pagan house. The Centurion loved his sick servant, trusted in Jesus’ power of healing, and was ready to face the ridicule of his fellow-centurions by pleading before a Jewish rabbi.

The remote healing: The centurion asked Jesus just to shout a command as the Centurion did with his soldiers, so that the illness might leave his servant by the power of that order. Jesus was moved by his Faith and rewarded the trusting Faith of this Gentile officer by telling him: “Go; be it done for you as you have believed.”

Life messages: 1) We need to grow to the level of Faith of the centurion by knowing and personally experiencing Jesus in our lives. We do so by our meditative daily reading of the Bible, by our daily personal and family prayers, by frequenting the Sacraments, especially the Eucharistic celebration, and by surrendering our lives to Jesus in rendering loving service to others in all humility. 2) Like the centurion we are not worthy to receive Jesus into our hearts in Holy Communion, and at the same time, we invite Jesus to come and heal our souls.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Dec 3 Tuesday: Lk 10:21-24: 21 In that same hour he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was thy gracious will. 22 All things have been delivered to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” 23 Then turning to the disciples he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”

The context: When the seventy-two disciples returned after successfully completing their mission, Jesus rejoiced with them and thanked his Father, shouting aloud a spontaneous prayer expressing three great thoughts.

1) The first thought is that God hates intellectual pride and loves childlike simplicity and humility. Jesus says that only humble people with open minds can experience him as Lord and Savior.

2) The second thought is about the unique relationship between Jesus and his Father. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are equal in Being, possessing the same Divine Nature, Life, and Knowledge. Since the Son is no less perfect than the Father, He is uniquely qualified to reveal the inner life of the Trinity to the world. Jesus was sent to show the world what God looks like and how God behaves.

3) The third thought is Jesus’ claim that He is the expected

Messiah Whom the prophets have foretold. Hence, Jesus asserts that his disciples are blessed with the great privilege of seeing, hearing,and experiencing God in human form.

Life Messages : 1) We need to make use of our blessings. We are more blessed than many who lived in Jesus’ time because we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and have him with us in the Eucharist, in the Bible, in the worshipping community, and in each one of us as Emmanuel.

2) Hence, let us participate in Jesus’ Divine life by Holy Communion, hear His words by our meditative reading of the Bible, and worship Him as a community of believers. Fr. Kadavil (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Dec 4 Wednesday: Matthew 15:29-37 : 29 And Jesus went on from there and passed along the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great crowds came to him, bringing with them the lame, the maimed, the blind, the dumb, and many others, and they put them at his feet, and he healed them, 31 so that the throng wondered, when they saw the dumb speaking, the maimed whole, the lame walking, and the blind seeing; and they glorified the God of Israel. 32 Then Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with me now three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” 33 And the disciples said to him, “Where are we to get bread enough in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” 34 And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves have you?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” 35 And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 37 And they all ate and were satisfied; and they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over.

The context: The Decapolis was a loose federation of ten cities with a mixed population of Jews and Gentiles. Jesus took six months to travel to the Decapolis via Tyre and Sidon and to return to Galilee. The healing and feeding described in today’s Gospel took place on a hill near the Sea of Galilee after Jesus’ return from the Decapolis. Jesus healed the lame, the maimed, the blind, and the dumb, then expressed His pity for the hungry multitude to the apostles. When they asked Jesus where they were supposed to get enough bread to feed this enormous crowd, He asked how many loaves they had. They told Him, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Jesus had the crowd sit, then took the loaves and fish, gave thanks to God for them, broke them and gave them to the apostles to give to the people. After the crowd had eaten their fill, the apostles, again at Jesus’ command, collected the broken pieces; they filled seven baskets with the fragments.

Life Messages : 1) We need to help Jesus to heal the blind, the lame, the deaf and the mute today. Jesus desires to open our blind eyes and to loosen our tongues so that He may see and speak to the spiritually hungry through us. Jesus asks us for our hearts in order to touch the lives of people in our day through us, just as Jesus touched the lives of millions through saintly souls like Francis of Assisi, Fr. Damien, Vincent de Paul and Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa.).

2) We need to be fed by Jesus. Jesus continues to feed us in his Church with His own Body and Blood in Holy Communion and with the word of God through the Holy Bible. Fr. Kadavil (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24.

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

Dec 5 Thursday: Matthew 17:22-27: 22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of man is to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were greatly distressed. 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the half-shekel tax went up to Peter and said, “Does not your teacher pay the tax?” 25 He said, “Yes.” And when he came home, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tribute? From their sons or from others?” 26 And when he said, “From others,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel; take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.” (nil in other gospels)

The context: The first part of today’s Gospel gives Jesus’ second prediction of His sufferings, death, and Resurrection. The second part is Jesus’ explanation of why He pays the Temple tax. Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus’ disciples were “distressed” by their master’s repeated reminders of a coming shameful death as a heretic and lawbreaker. They were distressed because the reminders shattered their dream of ruling Israel after Jesus had conquered the Romans and reestablished the Davidic kingdom. They did not understand that their master would be dying to liberate the whole of mankind from the bondage of sin. In the second part of today’s Gospel, Peter assures the Temple tax officials that the Master, Jesus, is a devout Jew and, hence, pays the Temple tax. All Jewish males 20 years old or older had to pay a half-shekel (roughly equivalent to two days’ wages), as Temple tax for the upkeep of the Temple and its sacrifices. When they reached Peter’s home, Jesus instructed Peter to go fishing, open the mouth of the first fish he caught and, with the coin he would find there, pay both Peter’s and his own tax. Jesus’ reason was that they were to give good example to others, even though, as the Son of God, Jesus was legally exempted from paying any type of tax to anyone. The Gospel passage foreshadows a dilemma that would be experienced by the first century Jewish Christians as to whether they should continue to pay the Temple tax meant for the Jews.

Life messages: 1) Let us express our gratitude to Jesus our Savior for the price of suffering and death He paid for our sins. We can do this by avoiding all occasions of sin, by offering our pains and sufferings as atonement for our sins, and by helping others sacrificially.

2) We should obey the laws of the Church and of our country as loyal Christians and loyal citizens and contribute to the needs of the Church and its mission by our tithing, while we help the government by paying our taxes. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Dec 6 Friday: Mt 9:27-31: 27 And as Jesus passed on from there, two blind men followed him, crying aloud, “Have mercy on us, Son of David.” 28 When he entered the house, the blind men came to him; and Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 29 Then he touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith be it done to you.” 30 And their eyes were opened. And Jesus sternly charged them, “See that no one knows it.” 31 But they went away and spread his fame through all that district.

The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’ miraculous healing of two blind men who approached him with trusting Faith. Blindness was common in Palestine because of the intense glare of the eastern sun, clouds of unclean flies and people’s ignorance of cleanliness and hygiene. The two blind men followed Jesus from the street all the way to the house Jesus entered, loudly expressing their confidence in the “Son of David” and requesting mercy. Jesus found in these men what was required for receiving a miracle, namely a strong and expectant Faith, an earnest desire for vision and a sincere prayer for mercy. Although they were instructed not to tell anyone of their healing, as soon as they were healed, they immediately expressed their gratitude by bearing witness to Jesus’ healing power throughout the town.

Life messages : 1) We, too, need light and eyesight because we are often blind to the needs and expectations of those around us and even living with us. We are also often blind to the presence of Jesus living in us and in others, to the blessings God showers on us and to the protection God gives us every day. Hence, let us pray for the spiritual eyesight to realize and experience the presence of Jesus in ourselves and others, and for the good will to do good to and for others. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Dec 7 Saturday: Mt 9: 35-10: 1, 5, 6-8: 35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every infirmity. 10:1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 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. (Cfr. Mt 9: 35- 10: 1)

The context: Today’s Gospel describes the three chief activities of Jesus’ mission — heralding, teaching, and healing — and tells how Jesus selected the twelve apostles as disciples and helpers in his Messianic mission. Jesus was primarily the Herald of God his Father, bringing mankind the Good News that God is a loving, forgiving, merciful, and compassionate Father Who wills that everyone to be saved. Secondly, Jesus was a Teacher and preacher who taught the Gospel, or the Good News of the Kingdom of God, by living an exemplary life, demonstrating God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and compassion. Thirdly, Jesus was a Healer, spending much time healing people of their bodily, mental, and spiritual illnesses. The Gospel for today also mentions that Jesus selected ordinary men of no social status as apostles to continue this preaching and healing mission, and gave them both healing power and preaching authority to do so.

Life messages : 1) As Christians, we share Christ’s mission of preaching and healing. This means that we, too, have to demonstrate by our exemplary, transparent Christian lives the mercy, the forgiveness, and the unconditional love of Jesus. 2) We are also called to act as the agents of healing by praying for the sick, by helping them to get the necessary medical and nursing help, and by encouraging them, supporting them and boosting their morale. Fr. Kadavil (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Advent II [C] (Dec 8) Sunday (Eight-minute homily in 1 page) L/24

Central Theme: The Second Sunday of Advent challenges us to prepare a royal highway in our hearts so that we may receive Jesus as our saving God on Christmas. We should also be prepared for Christ’s daily coming into our lives in the Holy Eucharist, in the Holy Bible, in everyone we encounter, and in the praying community. Finally, we are asked to be ready to meet Jesus as our Judge on His Second Coming, at the end of our lives and at the end of the world.

Scripture lessons summarized: In the first reading, the prophet Baruch introduces Yahweh, the God of Israel, preparing the way for, and leading the Babylonian exiles to, Jerusalem. Hence, the prophet invites the weeping Jerusalem to rejoice and go to high places to watch the return of the exiles. Baruch’s prophecy announces the return of the whole human race to God. During this Advent season, we, too, are asked to return to the Lord from our slavery to sin. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 126) offers us a close-up of the exiles who had wept bitterly on leaving Jerusalem but are now returning home, rejoicing. In the second reading, Paul advises the Philippians to prepare themselves for Christ’s Second Coming by practicing Christian love and by leading pure and blameless lives. John the Baptist, in today’s Gospel, challenges the Jews to prepare their lives for receiving their long-awaited Messiah. They are to prepare a highway in their hearts for their Messiah by levelling the mountains of pride and the valleys of impurity, injustice, and neglect and straightening their crooked ways. They are to get ready by repenting of their sins, changing their lives, and expressing their repentance by receiving the baptism of repentance in River Jordan and living out the reformations they have promised.

Life messages: #1: We need to prepare our hearts and lives for Jesus our Savior to be reborn in us during this Christmas time. We have to fill in the “valleys” of our souls, formed from our shallow prayer life and a minimalist living out of our Faith. We have to straighten whatever crooked paths we’ve been walking, like involvement in some secret or habitual sins or in a sinful relationship. If we have been involved in some dishonest practices at work or at home, we are called to straighten them out and make restitution. If we have been harboring grudges or hatred, or failing to be reconciled with others, now is the time to clear away all the debris. As individuals, we might have to overcome deep-seated resentment, persistent fault-finding, unwillingness to forgive, dishonesty in our dealings with others, or a bullying attitude. And we all have to level the “mountains” of our pride and egocentrism by practicing the true humility of rendering humble service to others.

#2: We need to repent and seek forgiveness from God and those we have injured: John’s message calls us to confront and confess our sins. We need to turn away from them in sincere repentance and receive God’s forgiveness. Next, we need to forgive others who have offended us and ask forgiveness for our offenses. Jesus explicitly declares (Mt 6:14-15): “For if you forgive men their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions

ADVENT II [C] (Dec 8, 2024): Bar 5:1-9; Phil 1:4-6, 8-11; Lk 3:1-6 

Homily starter anecdotes: #1: Preparation for VIPs:  When the King, President or Prime Minister of a country is scheduled to make a public appearance, his staff prepares weeks and even months in advance to make certain that the proper protocol will be observed and the leader’s security will be assured. Similarly, detailed preparations precede the appearance of religious leaders like the Pope. Programs are scheduled, choral presentations are practiced, gifts are bought, and special persons are chosen to present them in the most gracious manner possible, so that the honored one is duly recognized and appreciated. Careful planning also accompanies the appearances of other political figures, celebrity entertainers, and rock stars. When stars like Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, and Bruce Springsteen made a tour, elaborate preparations were made for their coming. If they came to the Silverdome in Pontiac, Michigan, for example, their entourage would arrive ahead of time to get things ready for their concert. Stages would be set; lighting would be adjusted, sound checks made; every care would be taken so that the needs and whims of each guest would be fully accommodated. In fact, one wonders if today’s Gospel about John the Baptist proclaiming the coming of Jesus is practiced more for modern rock stars than it is for the true Messiah, the Son of God Incarnate! Only when we put the same care and commitment into our spiritual Christmas preparations that rock stars put into their musical performances will “all mankind begin to see the salvation of God.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21

 # 2: “Make ready the way of the Lord.” A blizzard hit the Kansas prairie. Two feet of snow drifted to five and six feet in places. The telephone rang in the doctor’s home. The time had come for John Lang’s wife to have her baby. But it was impossible for the doctor to get through those drifts. John Lang called his neighbors: Can you help the doc to get through? In no time, from all directions, came men and boys with plows and shovels. They labored with all their might for almost two hours until finally the old doc was able to make it, just in time to deliver the Lang boy. — Today, to all of us comes a call from another Father, God the Father, through His prophet Isaiah, repeated by Jesus’ own cousin John the Baptist: “Make ready the way of the Lord.” But we are called, not to remove piles of snow, but piles of sin, neglect, thoughtlessness, the things that make it difficult and often impossible for the Divine Child to be reborn to our hearts and lives. (Msgr. Arthur Tonne). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21

# 3: “Dam up the Detroit River and baptize the entire city!” William P. Barker tells about a machinist with the Ford motor company in Detroit who had, over a period of years, “borrowed” various parts and tools from the company which he had not bothered to return. While this practice was not condoned, it was more or less accepted by management, and nothing was done about it. The machinist, however, experienced a Christian conversion. He was baptized and became a devout believer. More important, he took his Baptism seriously. The very next morning, he arrived at work loaded down with tools and all the parts he had “borrowed” from the company during the years. He explained the situation to his foreman, added that he’d never really meant to steal them and hoped he’d be forgiven. The foreman was so astonished and impressed by his action, that he cabled Mr. Ford himself, who was visiting a European plant, and explained the entire event in detail. Immediately Ford cabled back: “Dam up the Detroit River,” he said, “and baptize the entire city!” [Tarbell’s Teacher’s Guide, Vol. 82, (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell, 1986).] — We can only hope and pray that every Christian takes his or her Baptism that seriously. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21

 #4: Difference between Hinduism and Christianity:  Swami Vivekananda, the famous Hindu hermit-philosopher, when he participated in the World Parliament of Religions in the U. S., was asked to explain the difference between Hinduism and Christianity. Here is his classical explanation. “God of Christians came in search of man and we Hindus go in search of God. To have a God-experience.” In the Advent season, we meditate on the past, present, and future coming of our God, Jesus into our hearts and life, and, as John the Baptist challenges us to do, prepare a highway for our God in our hearts by repentance, resulting in renewal of life. (Fr. Tony) https://youtu.be/nbkRGhNbYZE  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21

Introduction: The Advent season challenges us to prepare for the celebration of Jesus’ first coming. We are also to prepare for Christ’s present “coming” to us in God’s Word, in the Eucharist, in our neighbors, in the Christian community, and in the abiding presence of the Holy Trinity in our souls. Finally, we are asked to be ready to meet Christ as our Judge both at the end of our lives, and at the end of the world when Jesus will come with power and great glory on the clouds of Heaven as our Judge, bringing our waiting to its everlasting completion.  The readings today invite us to recall God’s saving deeds in the history of Israel, culminating in the coming of the promised Messiah.

 Scripture readings summarized: Baruch, in the first reading, asks the grieving Jerusalem to stand on the heights in order to see her scattered children coming home, with God in the lead.  This reminds us that all of us, like Israel in her exile, have been led into the captivity of sin.  Hence, we are in need of restoration and conversion by the Word of the Holy One.  Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 126), is the joyous song of ascent, sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem. We see those who had gone into exile weeping now returning “rejoicing, carrying their sheaves.”  In writing to his beloved community at Philippi, Paul, in today’s second reading, prays that they may be filled with joy as they await the day of Christ.  Paul reminds us that our remembrance of God’s saving deeds during the Advent season is meant to stir our Faith and to fill us with confidence that, “the One who began a good work in us will continue to complete it,” until Jesus comes again in glory.  In the Gospel, John the Baptist challenges us to prepare the way for the salvation of “all flesh,” including our own, by a true repentance leading to the renewal of our lives.  Fulfilling the Lord God’s words to Israel through Isaiah, John, by his preaching of repentance and a change of life is “the voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths…’” For us, this command means that we are to prepare a royal road in our hearts for our Savior, a way that will take us away from the wilderness of sin and our alienation from God and back into His loving embrace.

First reading, Baruch 5:1-9, explained: Enemies practically destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BC and deported many Jews to Babylon.  Almost fifty years later (in 538 BC), Cyrus, the Persian emperor, defeated Babylon and decreed that the exiles could return to their homelands.  Many Jews returned to Judah and Jerusalem, though some stayed behind among the pagans; these last  became known as the Diaspora (dispersion) Jews.  Although all the exiles were cut off from the Temple and the sacrifices of the community, most of them remained faithful to their ancestral religion. They nourished their Faith with the teaching of God’s word by prophets, scribes, and priests, primarily in their synagogue gatherings.  They continued to feel their kinship with Judah’s Jews and to express longing for Jerusalem and its Temple in their writings.  The book from which we read today is ascribed to Baruch, the secretary of the prophet Jeremiah who accompanied the Jews to Babylon in their exile. The book voices a hope for release from exile and oppression by portraying “Lady Jerusalem,” who, like a priest, takes off the robes of mourning and puts on the cloak of God’s justice and the miter that displays the glory of God’s name. Baruch’s words remind us that Advent is the suitable time for shedding the robes of selfishness and materialism in order to be clothed with the garments of mercy, kindness, and justice.  Baruch declares that the restored exiles will have a new name: “Peace of Righteousness and Glory of Godliness.”  Then he shares with Isaiah 40:3ff this comforting image: Between the land of the Captivity and Jerusalem, the desert will be leveled, its mountains smoothed down and its valleys filled up, so that the returning exiles can travel with ease.  In Isaiah’s original setting, the people exiled in Babylon were told that their God would lead them home, just as He had led their ancestors through the wilderness to the Promised Land.  They were assured that all obstacles would be removed so that this could be accomplished. Isaiah’s version is familiar to us in the form quoted by John the Baptist in today’s Gospel. [The book could also have been of great comfort to the Jews during the Persian period (500-300 BC), or the Hellenistic period (300-50 BC), or to Jews living in Alexandria around 200 BC, offering them a vision of hope and optimism as they struggled to keep their Faith.] As the Babylonian exiles longed to return to Jerusalem and the presence of God, so the people of God, during Advent especially, await Christ’s parousia so that we may return Home to the Promised Land, the Kingdom of God.

Second Reading, Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11, explained: This is another Pauline passage that warns the early Christians of the second coming of Jesus, referring to it as “the day of Christ” and “the day of Christ Jesus.”  The passage stresses everyone’s need for that perpetual readiness to be found in leading a righteous life.  Paul was very fond of the Philippian Christians and was very pleased with their spiritual progress and maturity.  So, he assured them that their Heavenly Father, who had given them the gift of conversion, would continue to bring that “good work” to fruition.  He would complete His work “at the day of Jesus Christ,” when Jesus would come in glory to judge the whole world. For their part, Paul prays that the Philippians’ “love may increase ever more and more, in knowledge and every kind of perception to discern what is of value so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.” By virtue of our Baptism in the Lord, we are all fully-equipped with every grace we need to cooperate with God’s plan to get us to Heaven.  Moreover, our Lord provides us with the graces of the other Sacraments and other actual graces throughout our lives to better ensure that we have even more assistance in getting to our Heavenly homeland, if only we will recognize and receive them and then make full use of them in changing our lives.    Paul’s advice echoes the words of John the Baptist found in today’s Gospel, inviting the Jews to repent and renew their lives to welcome the Messiah. 

Gospel exegesis: The historical context: Each year, the second and the third Sundays in Advent center on John the Baptist, reminding us that if we want to prepare properly for the coming of Jesus we need to listen to the Baptizer’s message.  The Evangelists realized the importance of John’s message. Hence, all four of them wrote about John’s preaching, while only two of them described the nativity of Christ.  Following the style of ancient historians, Luke dates the appearance of John according to the ruling powers.  He begins by setting the emergence of John against the secular context of the Roman Empire.  After referring to the world situation and the Palestinian political condition, Luke turns to the Jewish religious context and reports John’s emergence as a Herald of the Messiah during the religious leadership of Annas and Caiaphas.  Although Caiaphas was the reigning High-priest, it was Annas, his father-in-law and the retired High Priest, who was the religious power-behind-the-throne for Galilee’s Tetrarch at that time, Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great. “Because of all of the names mentioned here, we know that these events happen somewhere between September of 27 A.D. and October of AD 28.” [1] But aside from using these names to set the date for us, Luke includes them to show how far Israel had fallen. Politically, the Jews were ruled by foreigners, and religiously, Annas and Caiaphas had been illegally put into their positions by the Roman authorities, and constantly used their power to line their own pockets and increase their own authority. Annas was even sometimes called a viper who hissed or whispered in the ears of judges and politicians in order to influence their decisions.” (Alfred Edersheim: The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah: New Updated Edition,1993).   “The ‘coming of the word of God’ to someone is a standard formula for a prophetic call.  In this case, the prophet was John the Baptizer, as he prepared the way for Jesus.  The Baptizer proclaimed the coming of God’s Kingdom and preached a ceremony (a “baptism”), of immersion, as a response that was to symbolize the interior repentance that leads to forgiveness.  The general consensus of Biblical scholars today is that John the Baptist began to preach in AD 28 or 29, and that Christ’s public ministry began that same year.” The passage reminds us that we need not be somebody well known and of great influence to be used by God. God uses you and me, sometimes instead of the most prominent or popular people. Let us just get on our knees, in prayer, with the Word of God before us, and pour out our responsive, loving self-surrender to Him, asking Him to make any use of us and His gifts to us that He wills, that He may be glorified in us, too.

 Theme of John’s preaching:  the baptism of repentance:  John’s baptism was not a proselyte baptism, converting Gentiles into Jews. In proselyte baptism, the Gentile would be immersed in a body of water (called a mikveh), to symbolize death and burial to his Gentile past, and then would be raised up from the water to symbolize being “born again,” raised to a new life as a Jew. This baptism symbolized turning from the past and turning toward a new life with God in the future. And what was repentance? It was a turning from the new Jew’s pattern of sin in the past and turning toward God. John’s baptism offered to Jews, was, thus extraordinary. It was a “baptism of repentance,” a baptism for the forgiveness of sins committed by those who were Jews already, and it required repentance (metanoeo, a change of being), which implied a turning around to proceed in a new direction True repentance is not just a 180 degree turn from the sin, but an all-out, full-bore, frantic sprint back toward God. [“Our basic problem is a heart problem. We need to get the heart changed, the heart transformed” (Rev. Billy Graham).] John, then, was inviting the Chosen people to be purified of the unholy elements in their lives.  Fulfilling the prophetic words of Isaiah, John the Baptist’s preaching assisted in ensuring that in the lives of everyone who was baptized, “Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth” (Lk 3:5). Isiah was referring to mountains of pride and arrogance and valleys of discouragement and despair. As with Baruch, John presents the image of the mountains and valleys being made flat and smooth as a sign of Israel’s repentance and moral transformation. 

Preparing “the way” means to create a favorable environment or to make it easy for Someone to come to one and operate in one’s life. The Biblical text which John’s work fulfills is taken from Isaiah 40:3-5, where the prophet was calling the people to prepare for the Lord’s visitation.  If a king were planning to travel, work-crews would be dispatched to repair the roads.  Ideally, the roads for the king’s journey would be straight, level, and smooth.  John considered himself as the courier of the king.  But the preparation on which John insisted was a preparation of heart and of life.  “The king is coming,” he said in effect.  “Mend, not your roads, but your lives.”  The quotation, “making straight the paths of the Lord,” means clearing the path of sin, which is the major obstacle preventing the Lord from coming into our lives. The valleys and hills here stand for the estrangement of man from God.

John called people to repent as a way of preparing their hearts and lives for the Lord’s visit.  He is calling us, too, to get ready for something so great that it fills our emptiness with expectation.  A smooth road means nothing to God, but a repentant heart means a great deal.  Hence, the truly important goal for us is to prepare our hearts to receive the Lord.  By emphasizing the last line of the quotation “All flesh will see the salvation of God,” Luke stresses the universal aspect of God’s salvation.  Having begun the section with a list of rulers who did not bring wholeness or salvation, Luke ends with the expectation of a true Lord Who can bring these about.  We don’t live in a perfect world, and we don’t look to this world to see God’s salvation.  For salvation, we have to look to Jesus — present in Scripture, present in the Sacraments, present as we come together in Jesus’ Name, present in the lives of his followers.  Perhaps if we began to see Jesus in each other and in ourselves, and started to treat one another (and ourselves), as we would treat Jesus, more of the world might come to see God’s salvation. 

The symbolic significance of John’s preaching at the Jordan: The Jordan River was the place that represented the eastern border of the Promised Land, separating it from the desert — where the Jews had wandered aimlessly for 40 years after centuries of slavery in Egypt.  By preaching his message there, John was inviting the Jews of his day to come out of the bondage of slavery, to leave their faults, their wandering, and their sinful lives behind, and to enter into the Promised Land full of God’s blessings.  The Fathers of the Church have called the Sacrament of Reconciliation our “second baptism,” in which we’re brought back to the Jordan and cleansed interiorly as we were on the day of our Christening.  Advent, like Lent, is a season given to us so that we may repent of our sins and be reconciled with God and His Church by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  It was for this purpose that the Sacrament was instituted by Jesus after His Resurrection: “Receive the Holy Spirit: Those whose sins you forgive are forgiven; those whose sins you retain are retained” (Jn 20:18-22).  It is for this on-going reconciliation, then, that Jesus sent the apostles and their successors out to the ends of the world to “preach repentance and forgiveness of sins … to all nations beginning from Jerusalem” (Lk 24:47).

Life messages: #1: We need to prepare the way for the Messiah in our hearts: We have to fill in the “valleys” of our souls which have resulted from our shallow prayer life and a minimalist way of living out our Faith.  We have to straighten whatever crooked paths we’ve been walking, like involvement in some secret or habitual sins or in a sinful relationship.  If we have been involved in some dishonest practices at work or at home, we are called to straighten them out and make restitution.  If we have been harboring grudges or hatred, or failing to be reconciled with others, now is the time to clear away all the debris.  If we have been pushing God off to the side of our road, if we have been saying to Him that we don’t really have the time for Him, now is the time for us to get our priorities straight.  As individuals, we might have to overcome deep-seated resentment, persistent fault-finding, unwillingness to forgive, dishonesty in our dealings with others, or a bullying attitude.  And we all have to level the “mountains” of our pride and egocentrism.  As a society we might have to dismantle unfair housing policies, employment disparity, economic injustice, or racial and ethnic biases.

#2: We need to repent and seek forgiveness from God and our fellow-human beings: John’s message calls us to confront and confess our sins. We have to turn away from them in sincere repentance in order to receive God’s forgiveness.  There are basically two reasons why people who have recognized their sins fail to receive forgiveness for them.  The first is that they fail to repent — but the second is that they fail to forgive.  Jesus is very explicit about this (Mt 6:14-15). He says, “For if you forgive men their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.”  Is there someone I need to forgive today? Someone’s whose pardon I need to ask?  We must not let what others have done destroy our lives.  We can’t be forgiven unless we forgive.  We must release our bitterness if we are to be able to allow God to do His healing work in our lives.

# 3: We need to accommodate John the Baptizer in our lives: William Bausch offers some suggestions as to how we might accommodate the Baptizer. “Make friends with someone you’re at odds with. Pick up the phone and talk to somebody you haven’t talked to in months or years. Be the first to hold out the hand of reconciliation even though it gets slapped or rejected. Don’t turn your head at shady dealings. Be willing to put some of your possessions on the line. Tithe, not out of your excess, but out of your substance. Add up the amounts you have set aside for your Christmas spending, and then slice off 10 percent and give it to the poor. Give evidence that you mean to repent.” Sally Koch reminds us that great opportunities to help others seldom come but small ones surround us every day. It takes only a minute to be kind, but the prophet reminds us the end result can remain forever and a day. 

 JOKE OF THE WEEK: #1: “Oh, well, soap only works when it is applied.”  A soap manufacturer and a pastor were walking together down a street in a large city.  The soap manufacturer casually said, “The Gospel you preach hasn’t done much good, has it?  Just observe. There is still a lot of wickedness in the world, and a lot of wicked people, too!”  The pastor made no reply until they passed a dirty little child making mud pies in the gutter.  Seizing the opportunity, the pastor said, “I see that soap hasn’t done much good in the world either; for there is much dirt still here, and many dirty people are still around.”  The soap man said, “Oh, well, soap only works when it is applied.”  And the pastor said, “Exactly!   So, it is with the Gospel.”

Websites of the Week: (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) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle B Sunday Scripture: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-b

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

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

3) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org 

4) Catholic liturgical calendar: http://www.easterbrooks.com/cgi-    bin/Cathcal.cgi? 20091118 

5) Catholic goldmine: http://www.smcrome.org/

6) Catholicity: http://www.catholicity.com/

7) Catholic World News: http://www.cwnews.com/index.cfm

8) The Church Fathers: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/

9)The Documents of the Second Vatican Council
https://www.ewtn.com/library/COUNCILS/V2ALL.HTM

10) Current News from the Catholic News Agency
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/

     25- Additional anecdotes:

1)”‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.'” means “Get ready!”: December 7^th, 1941 – Pearl Harbor Day – the “date which will live in infamy,” according to President Roosevelt. (A Date with Destiny). December 7, 1941 was, for what is called “the Greatest Generation,” the day that changed their world, just as September 11th is the day that changed the world for the generation of today.  Larry Krespan was lying on the living room floor reading the Sunday paper. “We interrupt this program to bring you a special news bulletin: “The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, by air, President Roosevelt has just announced. The attack was also was made on all naval and military activities on the principal island of Oahu.”(CBS Radio, http://www.execpc.com/~dschaaf/flash.wav ). Eighty-three years ago, at Pearl Harbor, one pilot dropped a bomb right down the smoke stack of the USS Arizona. It went five decks down into the boiler room and exploded like a volcano. But the most devastating bomb hit the forward magazine area and exploded with the intensity of one million pounds of TNT. Those who witnessed the action said the ship veritably lifted out of the sea and then settled down to the bottom of the harbor. From the first bomb to her demise, a total of nine minutes elapsed. 1,177 sailors are entombed to this day in the Arizona.  The attack on Pearl Harbor lasted for a shade under two hours. 2,403 were killed in action, 1,178 wounded, 640 were never accounted for; in addition, 188 planes were lost, 158 damaged, six major airfields, and every battleship of the Pacific Fleet – eight – was crippled or sunk, in addition to other ships. Why did it happen? Simple answer, really. We were not ready. Despite the fact that there had been diplomatic rumblings for weeks of something brewing, we were caught off guard. — Now, it is 83 years later. The calendar says that Dec 7^th is the anniversary of that fateful day. But it also says we are in the season of Advent, that time during the Church year when we are uniquely called to GET READY. We hear again the call of John the Baptist – “… as is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: ‘A voice of one calling in the desert, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.”‘ GET READY! (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

2) Death door of St. Peter’s Basilica: Two or three years ago, I saw the death door at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Some of you may remember that the great Pope St. John XXIII, blessed be his memory, commissioned the eminent artist, Giacomo Manza, to sculpt a new door for that great basilica, and the artist depicted on that door a series of death scenes. There was death by falling, death in war, the martyred death of Peter upside down on the cross, and others. Death by drowning is there, death by water. — And I reasoned as I looked at that door, that this was behind the sculptor’s theme – we enter the Church by death. Baptism – our acted entrance into the Church — is by water. Death by water, then, is a challenging and authentic understanding of Baptism. The early Church even built its baptismal fonts in the shape of tombs to make that meaning graphic. We cannot underscore the meaning of Baptism too much if we’re going to save ourselves from approaching casually that event in a person’s life which is so crucial: being buried with Christ in Baptism – having the sign and the seal of our salvation placed upon us with water and the laying on of hands. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

3) “Please know that the management forgives you.” J. Edwin Orr, a professor of Church history has described the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the Welsh Revivals of the nineteenth century.  As people sought to be filled with the Spirit, they did all they could to confess their wrongdoings and to make restitution.  But their fervor unexpectedly created serious problems for the shipyards along the coast of Wales.  Over the years, workers had stolen all kinds of things, from wheelbarrows to hammers.  However, as people sought reunion with God, they started to return what they had taken, with the result that soon the shipyards of Wales were overwhelmed with returned property.  There were such huge piles of returned tools that several of the yards put up signs that read, “If you have been led by God to return what you have stolen, please know that the management forgives you and wishes you to keep what you have taken.” — Today’s readings challenge us to prepare a royal highway in our hearts for receiving Jesus during Christmas by repenting of our sins and renewing our lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

4) Sign of the cross on the Christian’s forehead.  In the earliest Baptismal liturgies, after the person had been baptized, he or she appeared before the bishop. The bishop embraced the new Christian then did something of great significance – the bishop dipped his finger into oil and made the sign of the cross on the Christian’s forehead. This was known as the signation, the signature. The sign of the cross upon a person’s forehead was like a brand to show ownership. — As sheep are marked to show ownership, so Christians are marked by Baptism to show Who owns them and to Whose flock they belong. By Baptism, Christians are branded to show Who chose them and Who now owns them. Let us always remember our Baptism! (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

5) Restitution the fruit of repentance. A few years ago, newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who came to faith in Jesus Christ.  What made his story remarkable was not his conversion, but the fact that as a result of his newfound faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when he was nineteen years old.  Because the statute of limitations on the case had run out, Johnson could not be prosecuted for the offense.  Still, he believed his relationship with Christ demanded a confession.  And he even voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money! (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

6) “This is an old sinner”:  The story is told of an old mountain preacher who was baptizing converts at a revival meeting. Up stepped a wiry, sharp-eyed old man who said he wanted to be baptized too. The preacher led the man into the water. He asked the usual question: Was there any reason why the ordinance of Baptism should not be administered. After a pause a tall, powerful-looking man, who was watching quietly, remarked: “Preacher, I don’t want to interfere in your business, but I want to say that this is an old sinner you have got hold of, and that one dip won’t do him any good; you’ll have to anchor him out in deep water overnight.” The objector was right, if the hope for cleansing was based on the efforts of the water: for this sinner there was going to have to be a whole lot more water used! [Leewin Williams, editor, Encyclopedia of Wit, Humor and Wisdom (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1949), p. 248.]  — However, it is not the water but the TriUne God Who saves us. Water is but a symbol. Water itself has no saving power. And to be frank about it, neither does the strength of our belief. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

7) Warning signs: At an intersection, the green light changes to yellow. At the theater, the house lights flash. In the Battalion Tactical Operations Center, a Warning Order comes down from Brigade. At the airport terminal, the boarding call comes over the intercom. At a railroad crossing, the lights begin to flash. In a small Midwestern town, the tornado siren screams. On the football field, the two-minute warning sounds. In the cargo bay of a C-140, a red light comes on. In the Desert of Judea, a voice of one calling in the wilderness is heard declaring, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” — What do all these have in common?  They are signs or warnings that people, including ourselves, need to prepare for what is about to happen.  Today’s readings give the same message of warning. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

8) “I’m a new creature since I asked Jesus into my heart.”  Sue Monk Kidd, in her book, All Things Are Possible (C. R. Gibson Co., 1988), says that so often when she opens a newspaper, she finds herself reading a depressing headline, “words in big letters shouting about a world threat, a crisis, another crime.” There is surely a lot of bad news to read about these days. One day she opened her town’s paper, however, and read a remarkable headline printed in half-inch letters. The headline read like this: “I Asked Jesus into My Heart.” This story followed: “During the night dogs had begun to bark furiously around the home of a local couple. Usually, the dogs’ barking signaled something amiss, that perhaps prowlers lurked nearby. But the next morning, the couple discovered that nothing had been taken. Instead, something had been returned. Outside the front door were two car speakers that had been stolen six weeks earlier. A note attached to them read like this: ‘I’m sorry that I took your speakers, but now I have repented my sins and asked Jesus to forgive me. I hope you will forgive me too. I no longer take other people’s belongings…God has changed me. I’m a new creature since I asked Jesus into my heart.’ It was signed simply, ‘Saved.'”–  It could have been signed, “Baptized.” In fact, I like “baptized” better. “Saved” connotes that we have been delivered from the power of sin, but Baptism is more than that. Baptism means that we have put on new life in Christ. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

9) Our religion is a way of life. The Wall Street Journal carried an article (9-12-94) about the dramatic increase of fundamentalist Islam in Turkey “a country that has been relatively secular.” They quoted a young Muslim Turk:  “Our view of religion is different from yours,” he said to a western visitor. “According to your rules,” he continued, “religion counts only in the place where you pray. Our religion is a way of life. I have no time at all, not one minute, without Islam.”  — Is that how the world views the Christian Faith: its rules apply to its adherents only while they are in Church? Where have we missed it? Why do we not understand that Baptism means the beginning of new life? To paraphrase that young Muslim: “I have no time at all, not one minute, without Christ” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

10) Which is better: agnostic or fanatic? Robert Short, author of The Gospel According to Peanuts and Parables of Peanuts, tells how, as a high school student in Midland, Texas, he became an agnostic, though he had been raised in a Methodist home. He became president of a science club that caused such a controversy that his high school principal complained to his parents. He tells how he sat across from his mother who, with tears running down her face said, “I thought we raised you right. I never thought it would come to this – our son an agnostic.” Later Robert Short found a new relationship to Jesus Christ in college and felt a call to the ministry. At home, he told his mother of his decision. Sitting at that same kitchen table, with tears running down her cheeks, she said, “I never thought it would come to this – my son, a religious fanatic.”– Some of us can identify with that, can’t we? Some parents view Baptism as an inoculation rather than an initiation. Inoculation is where you get a little bit of a disease in a safe form so that you won’t catch the real thing. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

11) “A severe nonlinear waterfowl issue”: There was a meeting of a group of software designers. They were using typical technical jargon to discuss a data exchange interface with a vendor. One engineer said the programming that had been ordered was delayed because the vendor was suffering from a “severe nonlinear waterfowl issue.” Curious, the team leader raised his eyebrows and asked, “What exactly is a ‘severe nonlinear waterfowl issue’?” The engineer replied, “They don’t have all their ducks in a row.”— On this second Sunday of Advent, John the Baptist comes to ask us if we have a “severe nonlinear waterfowl issue.” Do we have all our ducks in a row for the coming of the Messiah? Luke tells us that the coming of John the Baptist is the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah: “The voice of one crying in the wilderness:  ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 5 Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth; 6 and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’” (Lk 3:4-6; Is 40:3-5). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

12) Be prepared: The Amish do not believe in an ordained ministry. All their religious services are held in private homes. Whenever a worship service is held, a big black wagon full of benches is driven to the designated home, and the worshipers gather. No one knows in advance who will preach the morning sermon; the leader for the day is chosen by lot or by last-minute consensus. Carter asked an Amish bishop how people could prepare a sermon if they didn’t know when they would be called on, and he replied, with a genuinely modest attitude, “We always have to be prepared.” [(New York: Random House, Inc., 1996), p. 260.] — Wow! Imagine coming to worship never knowing when you might be called on to give the sermon. It’s hard enough to prepare yourself to listen to a sermon, but what if I unexpectedly called on you to deliver the message for the day? You would probably come to worship better prepared! So, let’s do a check-list and ask once more, are we prepared internally to celebrate Christ’s birth? (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

13) Prepare, prepare, prepare. This is the message of Christmas season — not because Jesus won’t come if we don’t, but because we may miss Jesus if we don’t. Eleanor Roosevelt kept up a backbreaking schedule of public appearances with organizations she believed in, mostly civil rights and humanitarian organizations. She got the reputation in her later years of being a “do-gooder,” which was used pejoratively when they spoke of her. But she kept it up. Even when she became frail in the latter years of her life and didn’t feel like keeping these appointments, she always did it. She came to one meeting. A man greeted her at the curb, opened the door of the car. She said, “You’ll have to help me out, my head is heavy.” He helped her out. Then she said, “You’ll have to keep me steady now as I walk.” He held her arm, and they walked over toward the crowd. A little African-American girl came out of the crowd with an armful of flowers, and presented them to Mrs. Roosevelt.  — She turned to the man who had helped her, and said, “You see I had to come. I was expected.” (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

14) “Neither God nor man’s got nothing on me now.” Some of you may have seen the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou. This is a whimsical retelling of Homer’s Odyssey, set in 1930s Mississippi. Three hapless escaped convicts–Everett, Pete and Delmar — are hiding out in the woods, running from the law. There they encounter a procession of white-robed people going down to the lake to be baptized. As they move toward the water they sing, “Let’s go down to the river and pray.” As the Baptism ceremony begins, Delmar is overwhelmed by the beauty and the mystery of this rite. He runs into the water and is baptized by the minister. As he returns to his companions, he declares that he is now saved and “neither God nor man’s got nothing on me now.” He explains that the minister has told him that all his sins have been washed away.  Even, he says, when he stole the pig for which he’d been convicted. “But you said you were innocent of that,” one of his fellow convicts exclaims. “I lied,” he says, “and that’s been washed away too!”  Later the three convicts steal a hot pie from a window sill.  The one who felt that his sins had been washed away returns and places a dollar bill on the window sill. — Delmar wasn’t made perfect by his Baptism any more than any of the rest of us are made perfect by our Baptism. But he was conscious that it was time for him to make a new beginning. That is why in understanding Baptism we begin with the washing away of our sins. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

15) “Wrong Swing”? It was a hot Sunday in June. Millions of Americans were watching the U. S. Golf Open on TV. At a critical point in the play, the camera focused on Jack Nicklaus. He was in the rough and preparing to shoot out. Slowly and deliberately, he addressed the ball. Then for a full 20 seconds of primetime TV, he stood poised and ready to swing. Suddenly, at the last moment, he backed away from the ball and said loud enough for everybody to hear, “That’s the wrong swing.” The sports announcer covering the match was confused and said, “But he didn’t swing! What’s going on here?” A lot was going on. And Nicklaus explains exactly what it was in his book Golf My Way. There he describes how he prepares for every shot he takes. It’s a process called mental rehearsal. This simply means that he plays every shot in his imagination before he plays it for real. Nicklaus writes: “It’s like a colour movie. First, I ‘see’ the ball where I want it to finish, nice and white… on the bright green grass. Then the scene quickly changes and I ‘see’ the ball going there. …even its behaviour on landing. Then there’s a sort of fade-out, and the next scene shows me making the kind of swing that will turn the previous images into reality.’”– What Jack Nicklaus was doing that hot Sunday afternoon in the U. S. Open is what the Church asks us to do during the season of Advent. The Church asks us to go through a kind of mental rehearsal to prepare for the coming of Christ. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

 16) “May I know your name?” In a certain cathedral in Europe, there was a magnificent pipe organ that only the designated church organist was allowed to play. One day, while the sexton was checking the choir loft before closing the church, he heard the footsteps of a stranger climb into the choir loft. “Please, sir,” begged the stranger, “I have travelled a long way only to be able to sit and play this marvelous organ. May I have your kind permission to do so?” “No,” replied the sexton, “This instrument may be played only by one person. If I allow you, I may lose my job.” The stranger understood, but appeared deeply disappointed. “But,” he persisted, “may I play just a few chords? I promise it won’t be long. A few moments are all I ask.” The sexton was moved to compassion and permitted that stranger to play the pipe organ, on condition that he stopped after a few bars. Moving to the seat before that magnificent organ, the stranger closed his eyes for a few moments, and then began. His touch was so masterful and the music so delightful, that the sexton just stood there as though transfixed. He just couldn’t believe his ears. The stranger was an accomplished musician and brilliant organist. A few minutes later, the stranger stopped and slid off the bench. Gratefully he thanked the sexton for permitting him that rare privilege and began to walk away. “Wait,” pleaded the sexton, “I have never heard such music from this organ before. Please tell me your name?” The stranger replied, “Mendelssohn.” “What!” exclaimed the stupefied sexton, “are you truly the famous composer and musician, Felix Mendelssohn?” “Yes, sir,” replied the stranger, and modestly walked away. — Every good turn done to another in need is actually done to Jesus, who like Felix Mendelssohn, presents himself in a surprising disguise.
(James Valladares in Your Words Are Spirit and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

 17) Spirit quest: Among several of the indigenous cultures of the northern and southern American continents, the rites of passage for young people growing to maturity included a ritual called the spirit quest. Compulsory for boys and recommended for girls, the quest required that the individual journey alone to a secluded place, some distance from the village. After several days of fasting and meditation, it was believed that a guardian-spirit would grant a vision to the young person, a vision that would inspire and direct the course of his/her future. Once restored to his/her tribal community, the vision remained a source of strength and encouragement, particularly in times of difficulty. —  In a sense, the Church’s annual observance of the season of Advent could be likened to a spirit quest. (Sanchez archives).

 18) Who you are makes a difference! A teacher in New York decided to honour each of her seniors in high school by telling them the difference they each made. First, she told each of them how they had made a difference to her and the class. Then she presented each of them with a blue ribbon imprinted with gold letters that read, “Who I Am Makes a Difference.” She also gave each of the students three more ribbons and instructed them to go out and spread this acknowledgment ceremony. Later that day a junior executive went in to see his boss, who had been noted as being kind of a grouchy fellow. He sat his boss down and he told him that he deeply admired him for being a creative genius. The boss seemed very surprised. The junior executive asked him if he would accept the gift of the blue ribbon and took the blue ribbon and placed it right on his boss’s jacket above his heart. As he left, he said, “Would you take this extra ribbon and pass it on by honoring somebody else?” That night the boss came home to his 14-year-old son and sat him down. He said, “The most incredible thing happened to me today. I was in my office and one of the junior executives came in and told me he admired me and gave me a blue ribbon for being a creative genius. He gave me an extra ribbon and asked me to find somebody else to honor. As I was driving home tonight, I started thinking about whom I would honor with this ribbon and I thought about you. I want to honor you. My days are really hectic and when I come home, I don’t pay a lot of attention to you. Tonight, I just wanted to let you know that you do make a difference to me. Besides your mother, you are the most important person in my life. You’re a great kid and I love you!” The startled boy started to sob and sob, and he couldn’t stop crying. He looked up at his father and said through his tears, “I was planning on committing suicide tomorrow, Dad, because I didn’t think you loved me. Now I know you care. This is the happiest day I’ve known.” — The boss went back to work a changed man. He was no longer a grouch but made sure to let all his employees know that they made a difference. And the young boy and his classmates learned a valuable lesson. Who you are does make a difference! (Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

 19) Change your thinking! Change yourself! Once upon a time there was a king, who ruled a prosperous country. One day he went for a trip to some distant areas of his country. When he came back to his palace, he complained that his feet were very sore because it was the first time that he had gone for such a long trip, and the road he had used was very rough and stony. He then ordered his people to cover every road of the country with leather. Definitely this would need skins of thousands of animals, and would cost a huge amount of money. Then one of his wise advisors dared to question the king, “Why do you have to spend that unnecessary amount of money? Why don’t you just cut a little piece of leather to cover your feet?” The king was surprised, but later agreed to his suggestion to make a ‘shoe’ for himself. — We often say, “I wish things would change or people would change.” Instead, wise people say: “Change your thinking and change your world.” (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

 20) Are we repentant? I’m no cricket buff, but I do follow from afar, the wins and woes of cricketing nations. Ironically, though Australia won the ICC Championship Trophy on November 5, 2006, it lost the respect of sports-persons nationwide, for its rowdy, reprehensible behavior at the prize-presentation ceremony. Television replays showed Australian cricketers pushing and shoving Sharad Pawar, President of the BCCI and Central Cabinet Minister. Later, Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, apologized for his teammates’ uncivilized behavior. — Repentance for a group’s misbehavior is perhaps easier than personal repentance. But that is what today’s readings require. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

21) Bat baptism: Three pastors got together for coffee one morning. Much to their surprise they discovered that all their churches had problems with bats infesting their belfries. The bats were making a terrible mess. “I got so mad,” said one pastor, “I took a shotgun and fired at them. It made holes in the ceiling but did nothing to the bats.”  “I tried trapping them alive,” said the second. “Then I drove 50 miles before releasing them, but they beat me back to the Church.”  “I haven’t had any more problems,” said the third.  “What did you do?” asked the others, amazed.  “I simply baptized and confirmed them,” he replied. “I haven’t seen them since.” — If that story doesn’t make you laugh, it will make you cry. It is such a common occurrence. People come to the Church desiring Christian Baptism and Church membership. We welcome them into our fellowship, and then for six weeks or so after we welcome them into our fellowship, we don’t hear anything of them. What does it mean? Or parents stand in the Church to present a child to God. They make promises to bring up that child in the household of Faith, and then they disappear. We rarely see them again. What did those promises mean? On this second Sunday of the New Church Year, our lesson from the Gospels focuses our attention on the place of Baptism in our lives. Jesus came to be baptized by John. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

22) Difference between Heaven and Hell:  A story is told of a soldier who asked a monk, “Teach me the difference between heaven and hell.” The monk said, “You are an obvious coward, not a warrior. Furthermore, I believe you do not know how to use that gun.” The soldier was so enraged that he drew his revolver from his holster to shoot the monk. As he prepared to squeeze the trigger, the monk said calmly, “That’s Hell.” The abashed soldier immediately came to his senses and placed his gun back in its holster. And the monk said quietly, “That’s Heaven.” — In twenty days, we shall salute the feast when Heaven came to earth as a Child. As a fitting preparation for that feast this second week of Advent, why don’t we each attempt to reproduce Heaven on earth in the here and now? Why need we wait for Christmas day itself? (Fr. James Gilhooley). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

23) A stick to the bigger fool: Once a certain village king was called to make a journey to another kingdom. The journey required traveling through a vast forest, so he requested several of his subjects to accompany him. He put one of them in charge preparing everyone for the trip, and soon they were on their way. As the sojourners were making their way through the forest, they suddenly encountered a tiger. The king requested a gun from the subject he put in charge. His subject told him that he hadn’t thought to bring a gun. The king became very enraged and told him – “You are such a fool! How could you have forgotten to prepare for any such possibility on our journey?” Then handing him over a stick he said, “Here – take this stick and lead us on to our destination. And then carry it always with you until you find someone who is a bigger fool than you, and then you can pass it on to him.” The subject went on to keep the stick the king gave him for many years. As the time passed the king became old and ill. The end of his life neared and so he began receiving visits from his subjects at his bedside. One day, the man whom he had rewarded with the stick for being ‘such a fool’ arrived to see the king. He was still carrying the stick. He came to the king and said to him – “Your Majesty, if you allow me, may I ask you a question?” And after permission was granted, he gently asked the king – “My Lord, have you prepared well for this important journey you are about to take?” The king looked at him with surprise and then he said – “Prepared for this journey? I’m ill and near death. How would I have prepared for such a journey?” “Then,” said the subject, gently handing him the stick, “you have this stick and keep it with you.” And then he walked away quietly. (Fr. Albert Lakra). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

24) “Then do not be a pond. Be a bay. “There is a  story is told about a young monk who approached an experienced desert Father. He expressed his frustration, “I feel so restricted. I am stagnating like a pond or a puddle.” The elderly monk responded, “Then do not be a pond. Be a bay.”  A bay, of course, is joined with the immense ocean. Each day it has a fresh exchange of water. It rarely stagnates. — St. John the Baptist was like that. He was in an extremely lonely spot – the Judean desert. But the desert is a place where one encounters God. Also, he did not stagnate, for he always connected himself with the great ocean, viz. God’s mercy. So, during this Holy Period of Advent when we prepare ourselves for the coming of Our Lord, what should our response be? There can be two responses on our part: First, we need once more to hear the challenging call of John the Baptist to baptism of repentance and forgiveness, and connect ourselves to the ocean of God’s mercy, and second, we have to realize that our own role is not unlike that of John the Baptist. Like him, each one of us has a mission to communicate the message of hope, love, freedom and peace to others, so that – “All flesh shall see the salvation of the Lord!”  (Fr. Albert Lakra). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21  

 25) Value the things that really matter: A fairy tale come to life. Such was the story of Princess Grace of Monaco. The daughter of a self-made Philadelphia millionaire, Grace Kelly, moved from finishing school into acting and from Oscar-winning stardom into marriage with the reigning Prince of Monaco. Over the years a fair number of American women have wedded foreign noblemen, and even foreign rulers. More often than not, however, their marriages have floundered. Not so the marriage of Rainier and Grace. Apart from the trials that come to every couple, they really did “live happily ever after.” Probably the main reason why their match was happy was that Grace Kelly never shirked responsibilities. When she was an actress, she took that profession seriously, and by the time she retired from the screen, she had moved far towards mastering the art of acting. When she became a princess, she also took that role seriously. It was her duty to be a leader to her people, and she was a leader. In his telegram of condolence to Prince Rainier on the Princess’s death in 1982, Pope John Paul II praised her for this trait: “She always fulfilled her mission as sovereign and as mother of a family with a great spirit of faith and in a manner which won her the respect and sympathy of all.“ — Glamor she had, and very great beauty. But beneath the outward attractiveness lay a strong Christian conviction of the importance of the family and a deep reverence for wifehood and motherhood. She vigorously opposed pornography, abortion, and whatever else was harmful to human families; and she found in the Mass and in her charitable causes strength and fulfillment. St. Paul prayed that Christians might “learn to value the things that really matter, up to the very day of Christ:” (Philippians, 1, 10). Grace Kelly was one of the beneficiaries of his prayer. (Father Robert F. McNamara). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24  

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C (No 2) 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 also https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under Fr. Tony’s homilies and  under Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Vatican Radio website: http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html uploaded my year A, B and C homilies from 2018-2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

Advent I [C] (Dec 1, 2024) Sunday Homily (8-minute homily in 1 page)

Central theme: Advent is a time of waiting for Christ, allowing Jesus to be reborn in our lives. It is also a time for purifying our hearts by repentance and for renewing our lives by reflecting on and experiencing the several comings (advents) of Christ into our lives. Besides coming into our world through birth, Jesus comes into our lives through His Church and its members, through its Sacraments (especially the Holy Eucharist), the Word of God, the worshipping community, and finally, in His Second Coming

Scripture lessons summarized: In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah waits and hopes for an ideal descendant of King David who, as the Messiah of God, will bring security, peace, and justice to God’s people. Christians believe that Jeremiah’s waiting and hoping were fulfilled in Jesus. Jeremiah’s prophecy assures us that the Lord, our Justice will fulfill His promises, and, hence, that we need not be afraid, despite frightening events and almost universal moral degradation. The Psalmist expresses the central idea of patient, vigilant, prayerful waiting for the Lord in today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 25), singing, “Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths, guide me in your Truth and teach me for You are God, my Savior.” In the second reading, Paul urges the Thessalonians to continue and intensify the life of holiness and mutual love he has taught them as they wait for “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His holy ones.” In today’s Gospel, Jesus prophesies the signs and portents that will accompany his Second Coming and encourages us to be expectant, optimistic, vigilant, and well-prepared: “When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads, because your redemption is at hand” (Lk 21:28). Jesus wants us to face the future with confidence in God’s providence.

Life messages: 1) We need to prepare ourselves for Christ’s second coming by allowing Jesus to be reborn daily in our lives. Advent gives us time to make this preparation — repenting of and confessing our sins, renewing our lives through prayer, penance, and sharing our blessings with others. In Advent, we also ought to check for what needs to be put right in our lives, to see how we have failed, and to assess the ways in which we can do better. Let us accept the challenge of the German mystic Angelus Silesius “Christ could be born a thousand times in Bethlehem – but all in vain until He is born in me.” Quoted in Messenger of The Heart: The Book Of Angelus Silesius, With Observations By Frederick Franck (2005)

2) A message of warning and hope: The Church reminds us that we will each be asked to give an account of our lives before Christ the Judge, both at the moment of our death (“private Judgment”) and at Jesus’ second coming (“The Last Judgment”). Today’s readings invite us to assess our lives every night during Advent and to make the necessary alterations in our thoughts, words, deeds, and omissionns, in the light of the approaching Christmas celebration. Amid the tragedies that sometimes occur in our daily lives and the setbacks in spiritual life, we must raise our heads in hope and anticipation, knowing that the Lord is coming again.

Advent I [C] (Dec 1):  Jer 33:14-16; 1Thes 3:12– 4:2; Lk 21:25-28, 34-36             

Homily starter anecdotes: #1: “Watch the road.” There is a beautiful anecdote given by Msgr. Arthur Tonne clarifying the message of today’s Gospel.  Several years ago, a bus driver in Oklahoma reached an unusual record.  In 23 years, he had driven a bus over 900,000 miles without a single accident.  When asked how he had done it, he gave this simple answer: “Watch the road.”  In today’s Gospel Jesus gives the same advice in several ways: “Be vigilant at all times,” “Stand erect,” “Raise your heads,” “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy.”  This is not only a good spiritual advice for the Advent season but also a safe rule for daily life.  A good football player or basketball player should always concentrate his attention on the ball and the players.  A good student must be alert, awake and attentive, watching the teacher and listening to his or her words.  A good Catholic in the Church must be physically and mentally alert, watching the altar and actively participating in the prayers and songs.  Like the Roman god Janus, who had two faces, one looking at the past year and the other looking into future, Christians during the Advent season are to look at the past event of the first coming of Jesus into the world and expectantly look forward to Jesus’ second coming in glory.

# 2: Missing the signal! In its day, the Titanic was the world’s largest ocean-liner, weighing 46,328 tons, and it was considered unsinkable. Yet, late during the night of April 14-15, 1912, the unthinkable happened to the unsinkable. Near midnight, the great Titanic struck an iceberg, ripping a three-hundred-foot hole through five of its sixteen watertight compartments. It sank in two and a half hours killing 1,513 people. Before the Titanic sank, warning after warning had been sent to tell the crew that they were speeding into an ice field, but the messages were ignored. In fact, when a nearby ship sent an urgent warning, the Titanic was talking to Cape Race about the time the chauffeurs were to meet arriving passengers at the dock in New York, and what dinner menus were to be ready. Preoccupied with the trivia, the Titanic responded to the warning, “Shut up. I am talking to Cape Race. You are jamming my signals!”  Why did so many die that night? Perhaps the crew disregarded the danger of the weather; there were not enough lifeboats on board; and the radio operator of nearby California was off duty; perhaps those responsible did not heed the warnings; they were preoccupied with other things! — Sometimes we believe that our ‘ship’ is unsinkable, our life is completely planned, and the unthinkable can never happen to us. We need to read the signs of the times; we need to pay attention to the warning signals. But if we are preoccupied with the trivial things of life, we will miss the most important things till it is too late. The First Sunday of Advent gives us the warning to be watchful, waiting, and prepared.

# 3: Be patient, be faithful: Be faithful. Remember Albert Einstein’s words after the Second World War: “As a lover of freedom, when the revolution came in Germany, I looked to the universities to defend it, knowing that they had always boasted of their devotion to the cause of truth; but no, the universities were immediately silenced. Then I looked to the great editors of the newspapers, whose flaming editorials in days gone by had proclaimed their love of freedom; but they, like the universities were silenced in a few short weeks. Only the Church stood squarely across the path of Hitler’s campaign for suppressing truth. I never had any special interest in the Church before, but now I feel a great affection and admiration for it, because the Church alone has had the courage to stand for intellectual truth, and moral freedom. I am forced to confess that what I once despised, now I praise unreservedly.” — We are Christ’s Body in the world today. Be patient. Be faithful.

#4: The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: This is a fable about fulfilling one’s dreams and reaching one’s destiny, told by motivational speaker and author Robin Sharma. This inspiring tale provides a step-by-step approach to living with greater courage, balance, abundance and joy as learned by Julian Mantle. A successful, very rich lawyer, Mantle is forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life. The subsequent wisdom that he gains in completing a life-changing odyssey enables him to create a life of passion, purpose and peace. (The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari: Summary – Four Minute Books) — The book is an inspiration for us in the Advent season urging us to evaluate our life and make necessary alterations in our thoughts, words, deeds, habits, and blindnesses, practicing certain virtues which will allow Jesus to be reborn in our lives. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21

Introduction: Advent is a time of waiting and hoping, of renewing our trust in God’s merciful love and care, and of reflecting on the several comings (advents), of Christ into our lives.  Besides Jesus’ first coming at birth, we are asked to reflect on Christ’s coming as the risen Lord at Easter, in the Sacraments (especially the Eucharist), in our everyday lives, at the moment of death, and at the end of human history (the second coming). The word Advent comes from the Latin ‘advenio‘, which literally means “come to.” During this Advent season we ourselves should consider “coming to” Christ, by “abounding in love… for all,” because Christ has already “come to” us in Baptism. Just as we ended the previous liturgical season with an apocalyptic description of the end of the world, we begin the new season of Advent with similar apocalyptic warnings. The Church invites us to join the ongoing pilgrimage of Faith by showing us a prophetic vision of Christ’s first coming (advent), through the prophecy of Jeremiah, and a prophetic vision of Christ’s glorious, final Second Coming (Parousia) through the Gospel selection from Luke, while reminding us, through the second reading, of Christ’s daily coming, here and now, into our lives and those of  our brothers and sisters —  everyone for whom Jesus died.  She also reminds us that these are days of “joyful and prayerful anticipation of Jesus’ coming,” because the Advent season is intended to fill us with great expectations for the coming of the Messiah just as parents expectantly wait for the birth of their child and make preparations for receiving the child into their family.  We know that all valuable things in life – a healthy child, a loving marriage relationship, a work of art, a scientific discovery – need a period of quiet incubation.

Scripture readings summarized:   In the first reading, the prophet Jeremiah was waiting and hoping for an ideal descendant of King David, the Messiah of God, who would bring security and justice to God’s people.  We Christians believe that Jeremiah’s waiting and hoping were fulfilled in Jesus.  Jeremiah assures us that the Lord, our Justice, will fulfill His promises and, hence, that we need not be afraid, in spite of frightening events and almost universal moral degradation.  “For you I wait all day long,” sings the Psalmist in today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 25), expressing the central idea of patient and prayerful waiting for the Lord, and asking the Lord God to make known His ways to us, to guide us, and teach us.  In the second reading, Paul gives us instructions about how Christians should conduct themselves as they wait for “the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His holy ones.”  He urges us to put God’s promise of peace into action by cultivating a spirit of love for others.  We are told to strengthen our hearts in holiness (3:12,) and to abound in love for one another (3:13). In today’s Gospel (Lk 21:25-28, 34-36), Jesus prophesies the signs and portents that will accompany the end of the present world of matter, space, and time with the Second Coming of Jesus in glory as our Judge to give us the rewards our lives on earth have earned. Jesus encourages us to be expectant, optimistic, vigilant, and well-prepared: “When these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand” (Lk 21:28).  Jesus wants us to face the future with confidence in God’s providence.

 First reading: Jer 33:14-16, explained: This year, Jeremiah, the prophet of hope, introduces us to our Advent season.  Jeemiah was from a priestly family and was born in a little village called Anathoth, close to Jerusalem.  Josiah, who was king (640-609 BC), in Judah in those days, was a God-fearing man.  But he was killed in a battle at Megiddo by the invading Egyptians who were attacking the Assyrians (2 Kgs 23:29-30; 2Chr 35:20-24). A later king of Judah, Zedekiah (598-587 BC), swore allegiance in the Name of the Lord God, to King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in return for his life and continued to rule in Jerusalem, then rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar (2Chr 36:13), thus breaking the oath he had made in the Lord God’s Name. Zedekiah faced an attack by the Babylonian (Chaldean) army which surrounded Jerusalem.  The king ignored God’s advice, given through Jeremiah — to surrender and so save the town and its people — and he concealed the Lord God’s message from his generals (Jer 38:17-27).  As a result, the Babylonians took Zedekiah prisoner (blinding him after he had watched the execution of his sons), captured and looted the city, burned the Temple down, and sent the healthy Jews into exile leaving only some poor people (2 Kgs 25:1-21; 36:17-21; Jer 38:28–-39:10). Despite all this, Jeremiah conveyed words of hope from God to the people in exile: “I WILL BE WITH YOU   !“  God says through the prophet that He will fulfill this promise by raising up a “just shoot,” a righteous offspring of David, who will rule Israel in justice (see 2 Sm 7:16; Jer 33:17; Ps 89:4-5; 27-38).  Jeremiah told the people that they would return to see their city and their Temple again, and that their priests would return to their Temple duties (Jer 33:17ff).  Thus, through Jeremiah, the Lord God, speaking His inspiring words at such a tragic moment, kindled hope and optimism in the people.  What does it mean to raise up for David a just shoot?  David was this people’s first great king, and he became the standard by which subsequent kings were measured.  “Shoot” is an image from farming or gardening, meaning a young growth from a mature plant.  These people believed their fortunes were linked to the justice of their king.  So, for them, a “just shoot for David” would have meant a new king, descended from David, whose justice would have positive effects among the people, and who would then get a new name: “The Lord, our Justice.”

Second Reading, 1 Thes 3:12-4:2, explained: Readings in early Advent always carry forward from the last Sundays of the previous liturgical year the theme of Jesus’ coming again. At the time Saint Paul wrote to the Thessalonians (rather early in his apostolic career), he and they believed Jesus was to return soon.  Jesus’ coming would mean the end of history and the judgment of all peoples.   But some Thessalonian Christians began to doubt the promise of Christ’s second Coming because it was indefinitely delayed. Hence, Paul gave them some clarification, emphasizing proper behavior in this part of his letter.  “May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you, so as to strengthen your hearts to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His holy ones.”  Paul tells them that what they do while they’re waiting is just as important as the event for which they’re waiting.  Hence, he prays for their transformation.  He prays that they, and we, will abound in love and that our hearts will be strengthened.

Gospel exegesis: Two versions of the end time events: Today we move from the year of Mark (B) to the year of Luke (C).  In fact, today’s Gospel is Luke’s version of the Gospel we read two weeks ago from Mark.  Luke seems to be the first evangelist who believed that everyone in his community would die a natural death before Jesus triumphantly returned in the Parousia or Second Coming.   Many years after Mark’s Gospel, Luke also wrote about the Parousia.  Comparing Mk 13:24-32 which we read two Sundays ago with Lk 21:25ff, which we read today, we note that Luke has reduced the scope of the spectacular celestial events of the Last Days and has omitted Mark’s description of the Son of Man.  The reason for these changes may lie in the events filling the years between Mark’s Gospel (AD 69), and Luke’s work (AD 80).  Mark wrote his Gospel sometime before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 when the Jewish Christians believed that the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple would coincide with the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus.  But when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed, the world did not end.  Perhaps taking this into account, Luke, completing his Gospel in A.D. 80, dissociated the destruction of the Temple from Jesus’ prediction of the end of the world. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus warns us to keep watch for His return in glory, drawing on Old Testament images of chaos and instability – turmoil in the heavens (see Is 13:11,13;  Ez 32:7-8; Jl 2:10); roaring seas (see Is 5:30; 17:12); distress among the nations (see Is 8:22; 14:25) and terrified people (see Is 13:6-11).

The context: The fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the Temple created a major crisis of Faith for the early Christians.  Since the expected end of the world did not come, many Christians gave up their belief in the Second Coming of Christ, abandoned their Faith and began living lives of moral laxity.  It may have been in order to address these needs that Luke continued with the second half of today’s Gospel, Jesus’ exhortation to all of His disciples, then and now, to be on their guard against “dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life” (21:34).

Jesus’ warning: Neither Paul nor the evangelists prepared their readers for Christmas.  Instead, they were helping these Christians to boost their spirits while they waited for Jesus to accomplish things in their lives that would give them a share in His risen life.  Luke advised his readers on how they were to wait and prepare for the Lord in their present situation of indefinitely waiting for Christ’s second coming. They had to shift their attention and energies from future fulfillment to present service and commitment. They must prepare themselves by watchfulness and prayerfulness. That’s why, after reminding his community about the signs which would precede Jesus’ Second Coming, Luke gives them Jesus’ warning: “Be on guard lest your spirits become bloated with indulgence and drunkenness and worldly cares.  Pray constantly for the strength to escape whatever is in prospect and to stand secure before the Son of Man.”  Since our own transformation is an ongoing process, we move yearly through the liturgical celebration of the mystery of our salvation.  While Advent is set aside to commemorate Jesus’ coming in the flesh as well as Jesus’ final coming in glory, it is also a time for us to open ourselves to the Lord’s coming into our lives and our world today.  In order to do this, we must read the signs of the times and adjust our lives accordingly. Jesus also gives us the assurance that no matter what terrors the future holds, Jesus will be present, caring for His followers. Jesus calls us all to watchfulness, as we Hope in Jesus Second Coming in glory (CCC #2612). Not only does an active Hope give us joy, it also keeps our prayer life alive and ready to resist temptation (CCC #2725). The virtue and gift of Hope keeps our focus on our eternal goal, and humble before the Giver of this gift. For each of us is called to be watchful, to be ready, and to be actively prepared – eagerly anticipating, not just indifferently, passively, waiting,   for the Lord — and this is the Good News of today.

Life messages: 1) We need to prepare ourselves for Christ’s Second Coming by allowing Jesus to be reborn daily in our lives.  Advent gives us time to make this preparation by repenting of our sins, by renewing our lives through prayer and penance, and by sharing our blessings with others.  Advent also provides an opportunity for us to check for what needs to be put right in our lives, to see how we have failed, and to assess the ways in which we can do better.  Let us accept the challenge of the German mystic Angelus Silesius “Christ could be born a thousand times in Bethlehem – but all in vain until He is born in me.”  Jesus must be reborn in our hearts and lives, during this season of Advent and every day of our lives, in our love, kindness, mercy, and forgiveness.  Then only will we be able to give people Jesus’ hope by caring for those in need, give them God’s peace by turning the other cheek when we are provoked, give them Jesus’ love by encouraging those who are feeling sad or tired, and giving them God’s joy by encouraging and helping those who feel at the end of their strength, showing them that we care and that God cares as well.  When, with His grace, we do these kinds of things we receive hope, peace, love, and joy in return.  Then we will know that when the King, returns on the clouds of glory, we will be ready to receive our Lord Jesus fully in eternal bliss.

            2) A message of warning and hope: The Church begins the Advent season of Liturgical Cycle C by presenting the second coming of Christ in glory, in order to give us a vision of our future glory in Heaven and to show us the preparation needed for it.  She reminds us that we are accountable for our lives before Christ the Judge.  Today’s readings invite us to assess our lives during Advent and to make the necessary alterations in light of the approaching Christmas celebration. Advent gives us time for improving o our lives and for deepening the sincerity of our religious commitment.  It is a call to “look up” and see that Christ is still here.  We must raise our heads in hope and anticipation, knowing that the Lord is coming again.  Luke reminds us to trust in Jesus amid the tragedies that sometimes occur in our daily lives.  Our marriage may break up; we may lose our job, discover that we have cancer or some terminal illness or become estranged from our parents or children.  In all such situations, when we feel overwhelmed by disaster and feel that our lives have no meaning, Jesus says: “Stand up, raise your heads, because your salvation is near” (Lk 21:28). Two significant Advent values are Hope and Humility – and it can’t be coincidental that they are listed consecutively in the Glossary to the Catechism (p.882). Hope enables us to desire and expect eternal life with God (CCC #1817), as we humbly and trustingly await the return of the Lord Jesus in glory (CCC #840).

JOKE OF THE WEEK: #1: Who came up with this?  A woman was in the mall doing her Christmas shopping.  She was tired of walking through every aisle of every store to find just the right present.  She was stressed out by the mounting debt on her credit card.  She was tired of fighting the crowds and standing in lines for the registers.  Her hands were full and when the elevator door opened, it was full.  “Great!” she muttered and the occupants of the elevator, feeling her pain, graciously tightened ranks to allow a small space for her and her load. As the doors closed she blurted out, “I think whoever came up with this Christmas junk ought to be found, strung up, and shot!”  A few others shook their heads or grunted in agreement.  Then, from somewhere in the back of the elevator came a single voice that said, “Don’t worry.  They already crucified Him.” 

#2: Sign on a Church bulletin board: “Merry Christmas to our Christian friends. Happy Hanukkah to our Jewish friends.  And to our atheist friends, good luck.”

#3: “We don’t have time for that!”  Typical of last-minute Christmas shoppers, a mother was running furiously from store to store.  Suddenly she became aware that the pudgy little hand of her three-year-old son was no longer clutched in hers.  In panic she retraced her steps and found him standing with his little nose pressed flat against a frosty window.  He was gazing at a manger scene.  Hearing his mother’s near hysterical call, he turned and shouted with innocent glee: “Look Mommy!  It’s Jesus – Baby Jesus in the hay!”  With obvious indifference to his joy and wonder, she impatiently jerked him away saying, “We don’t have time for that!”

WEBSITES OF THE WEEK 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) Your Catholic Voice   www.yourcatholicvoice.org 2) Catholic Goldmine: http://www.catholicgoldmine.com/, 3) KIM AND JASON (Fun for all age groups): http://kimandjason.com/blog/ 4) Text Week homilies on Advent I ©: http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/lk21b.htm 5) Resources for Catholic Educators: http://www.4catholiceducators.com/index.htm

6)Dr. Brant Pitre’s  commentary on Cycle C Sunday Scripture: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-b

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

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

9) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs:

10) Lectio reflections(Bishop David Walker & Co) https://youtu.be/tjeQWiN586A

A BIT OF SERIOUS ADVENT THOUGHT: An Advent Examination (Edward Hays, A Pilgrim’s Almanac, p. 196):    “Advent is the perfect time to clear and prepare the Way.  By reflection and prayer, by reading and meditation, we can make our hearts a place where a blessing of peace would desire to abide and where the birth of the Prince of Peace might take place.  Daily we can make an Advent examination.  Do we have any feelings of discrimination toward [people because of] race, sex, or religion?  Is there a lingering resentment, an unforgiven injury living in our hearts?  Do we look down upon others of lesser social standing or educational achievement?  Are we generous with the gifts that have been given to us, seeing ourselves as their stewards and not their owners?  Are we reverent of others, of their ideas and needs, and of creation?  These and other questions become Advent lights by which we may search the deep, dark corners of our hearts.  May this Advent season be a time for bringing hope, transformation, and fulfillment into the Advent of our lives.”     

25- Additional Anecdotes

1) Waiting is no fun: A man was in a restaurant. A waiter was passing by. “Excuse me,” said the man, “but how long have you been working here?” “About a year,” replied the waiter. The man said wearily, “In that case it couldn’t have been you that took my order.” — Advent season reminds us that we celebrate the first coming of Jesus and we keep waiting for his second coming in glory.

2) Would we keep arranging deckchairs on a sinking ship?  On the night of April 15, 1912, the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic and sank.  Over 1,500 people lost their lives in one of the worst sea disasters in history.  A few years ago, a magazine recalled the great disaster and asked its readers this shocking, almost blasphemous, question: “If we’d been on the Titanic when it sank, would we have arranged the deckchairs?”  At first we say to ourselves, “What a ridiculous question!  No one in his right mind would ignore wailing sirens on a sinking ship and rearrange its deck chairs!  No one with an ounce of sanity would ignore the shouts of drowning people and keep arranging deck chairs!” But as we continue to read the magazine, we see the reason for the strange question.  And suddenly we ask ourselves, “Are we perhaps, rearranging the deckchairs on a sinking ship? —  For example, are we so caught up with material things in life that we are giving a back seat to spiritual things?  Are we so busy making a living that we are forgetting the purpose of life?  Are we so taken up with life that we are forgetting why God gave us life?” (Mark Link in Sunday Liturgies).

3) Waiting for the call of the Prime Minister: “Lord Reith, the founder of the BBC, says that he spent virtually the entire period of World War II by the telephone, waiting for Winston Churchill to call him. He never [called]. And think of all the [ordinary] people waiting today at the airport, at the bus depot, at the doctor’s, at the amusement park, at the bowling alley, at the post office, the ticket office, the unemployment office, the Social Security office. Society has become a vast waiting room.” — As Christians, we give a spiritual dimension to our waiting by waiting for Christ’s, the Messiah’s, second coming because much of the New Testament is devoted to the second coming of Christ. [Sherwood Wirt, in Freshness in the Spirit (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1978).]

4) “No, I am not going to kick him off.” I like John Cooper, football coach for The Ohio State University team, for many reasons, but especially for this one. As he was being interviewed once about a player who was in trouble with the law, a reporter asked if Cooper was going to kick the player off the team. He said, “No, I am not going to kick him off, because if I kick him off, I can’t help him. We are in the business of helping young people grow up, and you can’t do that by turning them away when they make a mistake.”  —That is good news for those growing up, and that attitude is especially good news at Advent.

5) The city had reached 284th Street, far exceeding their expectations! Be prepared for Christ’s coming. Be prepared for Jesus, if he should come today; be prepared if Jesus should tarry another thousand years or more. Be prepared at any cost, for we simply do not know what tomorrow may bring. Nothing is more unpredictable than the future. If there is one lesson from history, it is that. I read recently that when the city fathers of the grand metropolis New York City planned for the future growth of their city, they laid out the streets and numbered them from the center outward. When they began, there were only six or seven streets. In their planning maps, they projected how large they thought the city might grow. Reaching beyond their wildest imagination, they drew streets on the map all the way out to 19th Street. They called it “Boundary Street” because they were sure that’s as large as New York City would become. At last count, the city had reached 284th Street far exceeding their expectations! (Rev. Adrian Dieleman, http://www.trinitycrc.org/sermons/eph3v20-21.html) — Be careful when you try to predict the future! Today’s expert opinions turn out, sometimes, to be tomorrow’s jokes.

6) False messiahs: “The Holy Spirit Association for the Unification of World Christianity” is a religious movement founded in South Korea in 1954 by the late Sun Myung Moon. It is more commonly known as the Unification Church. Since its inception, the Church has expanded to most nations of the world, with an uncertain number of members. But we don’t see many signs nowadays of the “Moonies.” Their founder Rev. Moon and his Unification Church have faded into the background. At one time he boasted considerable political support. He invested heavily in the elections of Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. Rev. Moon built an empire by putting young people out on the streets selling flowers. Moon preached that a new messiah was soon to come. This new messiah was already on earth. He was a man born in Korea in the 20^th century. Wonder who he could be? Surely not Moon himself! —  In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us the warning that false messiahs will be forever with us.

7) Jesus’ admonition is to be faithful. Some of you remember the ancient epic poem by Homer called the Odyssey. It is the story of Odysseus who traveled the world pursuing many adventures. Meanwhile back home, his beautiful wife Penelope was being pursued by various suitors trying to take advantage of Odysseus’ twenty-year absence. In order to keep these suitors at bay, Penelope announced that when she finished weaving a shroud for her father-in-law, she would choose among these persistent suitors. There was something these suitors did not know, however. Each night Penelope undid the stitches that she put in during the daytime, and so she remained faithful to Odysseus until he returned. — That is our call to be faithful. While we wait for Christ’s return, we are his Body in the world, called to do his work. The Church has been serving the world in Christ’s Name for some two thousand years. Now is not the time to let up!

8) The Poseidon Adventure:  One of my favorite movies was The Poseidon Adventure from 1972. You might remember that a cruise ship was turned upside down by a big wave. Everything was turned upside down. Reality was turned “upside down.” The way out was up to the bottom and back to the front. The survivors had to go to the bottom of the ship, which was now the top, to get out. A whole group of people were not willing to follow the lead of the pastor to crawl up a Christmas tree to get out of the ballroom, to safety. He said: “Everybody is dead who was above us when the ship turned over. Now they’re underneath us. It’s up to us to get out of here.” The people who waited for help drowned, but most of those who were willing to risk, to have Faith eventually were saved.. — The pastor was indeed the Christ-figure for those people. They eventually trusted in him and were saved. For us it is no different, “But not a hair of your head will perish.” Jesus says, “By your endurance you will gain your souls.”

9) ”It said, ‘Go drink a beer.’” Humorist Lewis Grizzard writes about a man in his hometown named Luther Gilroy. Luther claimed he was out plowing his field and saw a sign in the sky that said THE END IS NEAR. So, Luther let his mule and his cow out of their pens, gave all his chickens away, and climbed on top of his house to await the end. When it didn’t come, he pouted and refused to come down off the roof. Finally, his wife called the deputy sheriff, who came over and said, “Luther, you idiot, I saw that same sign. It didn’t say, ‘The end is near.’ It said, ‘Go drink a beer.’ Now come down off that roof before you fall off and break your neck.” [Lewis Grizzard, Chili Dawgs Always Bark at Night (New York: Villard Books, 1989), p. 52.] — From Jesus’ day to the present, people have speculated about when the world would end. Over the centuries, people have made calculations and predictions, sold or given away all their belongings, and gathered at appointed places to wait for the end of the world and for Jesus to return. Obviously, the world has not yet come to an end, and Jesus has not returned. Still, we wait. We look around at the world in which we live, a world filled with violence and crime and racial tension. We read about child abuse, spouse abuse, drug and alcohol abuse, and we say, “Things just can’t keep on going the way they’re going.” Times of uncertainty and crisis trigger thoughts about the end of time. And people always want to know when. 

10) “Joy to the World!” Consider the story of one young man. He was often sick as a baby. He was always small, puny some would say. As a youth he was always frail and delicate. He was not able to play sports with the other boys his age. Eventually he entered the ministry. But his health was so fragile, he was unable to serve his growing congregation. Amazingly, he did not dwell on his troubles. In fact, his spirit soared. His only real complaint was the poor quality of the hymns of his day. He felt they did not convey hope and joy. Someone challenged him to write better ones. He did. He wrote over 600 hymns, most of them hymns of praise. When his health collapsed completely in 1748, he left one of the most remarkable collections of hymns the world has ever known. His name was Isaac Watts.– In a few weeks we will be singing one of his most famous hymns, “Joy to the World!” Isaac Watts discovered joy in his life because he knew that God would never desert him. He was able to live his life with all sorts of health problems, feeling close to God and Jesus. He had joy deep in his heart

11) The Light meant Redemption: King Alexander the Great of Macedonia, who in his day conquered land after land, used to observe a certain procedure. Whenever his army was encamped outside a heavily walled city or fortress, he would have a lighted lamp hung up where it was visible by day and night. He would then have the besieged inhabitants know that as long as the lantern kept burning, they had a chance to change their minds. But if the lantern was smashed and its light extinguished, then the city and all it contained would be mercilessly destroyed. And he kept his promise. If the lantern was smashed to pieces, all hope was gone. The Macedonians would storm the city, kill any person who could bear arms, and then ransack and destroy the city. The time of grace was over. – The lamp is still burning for us; this is a time for grace- but it will end! [Willi Hoffsuemmer; quoted by Fr. Botelho.]

12) Are we coming or going? A man was running down the pier, heading for the ferryboat, afraid he was not going to make it. Here was a man of some status, a man who was concerned about his dignity. He wore pin-striped trousers, a black morning coat, carried a black umbrella in one hand and a black bowler hat in the other, with which he was waving at the ferry boat, and yelling at the boat to stop so that he could get on it. He ran all the way to the end of the pier, furiously jumped and landed safely on the deck of the boat. Very proud of himself, he straightened his tie, and recovered his dignity. It was then that he discovered that the boat was not going out; it was coming in! — Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and there is that kind of confusion about Advent and Christmas. Are we coming or going? Christmas is the celebration that Christ has come; Advent is the celebration that Christ is coming. Advent is preparation for Christmas.

13) Smile please: A story is told of the photographer taking a picture. He says to the woman, “Smile pretty for the camera.” A moment later, “OK, madam, you can relax!” — Whether you and I will have a successful Advent these next four weeks will depend on the attitude or “face” we bring to it today. We must stay awake, as Jesus advises us in this Gospel and practice self-control.  The Greek philosopher, Plato, who lived out his life several centuries before Christ, wrote, “The greatest victory in the world is the victory of self-conquest.” (Fr. James Gilhooley).

14) Time expired: A dramatic picture appeared in a newspaper. It was a young man dead from a drug overdose in his cherry-red Corvette. The car was parked beside a parking meter that read “TIME EXPIRED.” — But so, too, is my clock expiring. So is yours. No wonder Jesus says today, “Stay awake.” An auto decal reads: “Jesus is coming back. Look busy.” Today’s Gospel affirms He will return for each of us. Were a scientist to warn us that an earthquake measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale was fast approaching, we would take every precaution imaginable. Yet, unhappily, the Master’s prediction that He shall return does not move us to make even incidental changes in our lives. Given the on-target correctness of the prophecies of His first arrival told in Micah 5:2-6 and Isaiah 9: 6-7, one would think we would be smart enough to act accordingly. Should we decide not to do so, we can hardly fault the Early Warning System God has today put in place in Luke’s Gospel. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy…”

15) Watch and Prepare: In the Royal Air Force Museum in Hendon, England, there is an exhibition of the memorabilia of Lord Dowding.  He was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the RAF in 1936 to take on the challenge of expanding the RAF’s fighting force to meet the Nazi threat. Dowding had less than four years to prepare the RAF for the epic Battle of Britain, while at the same time helping France as much as possible.  Lord Dowding’s accomplishment in getting the RAF ready is summed up on a plaque: “It has been given to few men so to employ so short a time that by their efforts they saved a civilization.”  Lord Dowding’s vigilance and preparation while waiting for the Nazi attempt to invade Great Britain played a key role in England’s victory in the early 1940’s (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds). — Vigilance and preparation while waiting are part of the theme of today’s Advent Gospel.

16)  Promise of Things to Come! It was about mid-November of 1979 in Dublin. One morning we woke to find that overnight a layer of fine dust had fallen.  It was very noticeable.  It covered cars, windows, clotheslines…..  In some areas it was heavier than others.  One man went out to look for his blue car, but so thick was the dust that he had difficulty finding it.  The dust caused quite a sensation. People reacted immediately.  What was it and where did it come from?  Many were worried, fearing that it was caused by a fall-out of dangerous chemicals or radio-active materials.  There was a deluge of phone calls to the police, to weather centers, and motoring organizations.  Finally, the explanation came: it was sand from the Sahara Desert!  This came as a great relief.  It was still a nuisance but was readily accepted because the Southerly winds that had brought it, also heralded the warmest November in fifteen years. — In today’s Gospel, after foretelling the endtime events we get such an assurance of his “second coming” from Jesus (Flor McCarthy, in Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies).

17) The Watchman: There is an old Hasidic tale about Rabbi Naftali. It was the custom of the rich men of his city, whose homes were on the outskirts and sort of isolated, to hire men to watch over their property at night. Late one evening, as was his custom, Rabbi Naftali went out for a walk and met one such watchman walking back and forth. The Rabbi asked, “For whom do you work?” The guard told the rabbi who had hired him, and then the guard inquired, “And for whom do you work Rabbi?” The watchman’s words struck at the heart of the rabbi, who replied, “I am not sure whether I work for anyone or not.” The rabbi walked along with the watchman for some time in silence. Then he asked, “Will you come and work for me?” “Oh Rabbi, I should be honoured to be your servant,” said the watchman, “but what would be my duties?” Rabbi Naftali answered quietly, “To keep reminding me with that question.” —  Like that rabbi, we need help if we are to remember for Whom we work and for what we live our lives. Advent helps us to ask that question of ourselves. “Watch and pray” are the watchwords, they remind us that God is in charge. (Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 18) Advent waiting: A blind man and I were standing in the middle of a throng of travelers at Port Mores by airport. “You just stand here.” I told him. I wanted to spare him the disturbance of being jostled about, so I left him in a protected corner. I then went my way to buy a ticket, post a letter, and check on the plane arrivals and departures. At one stage I turned around and looked back at him. He just stood there. People milled around him. A child stared at him. A porter drove his baggage cart around him. A newspaper boy could not understand why he did not even look at the paper. The blind man just stood there. The shuffling feet around him, the unknown voices and all the various noises of humans going and coming had no meaning for him. He just stood and waited for me to come back. He patiently waited, completely content that I would come back. There was no shadow of doubt on his face. Instead, there was an air of expectation about him: I would return and take him by the hand and we would go on. — That look of the blind man with closed eyelids standing there put me in mind of what ought to be the Advent face of a Christian.
(Willi Hoffsuemmer; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 19) O Henry’s story the “Last Leaf” brings out the significance of Hope. The story begins as Johnsy, near death from pneumonia, lies in bed waiting for the last leaf of an ivy vine on the brick wall she spies through her window to fall. She counted the falling of all leaves. Now only the last one is left. She is sure that she will die as the last leaf falls. The night witnessed torrential rain and powerful storm. In the morning Johnsy looked out of the window before breathing her last. But to her surprise she saw that the last leaf had survived the rain and wind. It stuck to the vine. She began to show signs of improvement, and recovered in a few days. An artist who lived below her apartment understood the thought of Johnsy. That night he had gone out with his set of brush and paint. The last leaf was the creation of Behrman. Outside Johnsy’s window were a ladder, a lantern still lighted “some scattered brushes, and a palette with green and yellow colors mixed on it . . . it was Behrman’s masterpiece–he painted it [a leaf] there the night that the last leaf fell.” The sight of the last leaf rekindled the hope of Johnsy. And she survived. — At the end of every sorrow there is some joy awaiting us. St. Paul assures us: “… suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us” (Rom 3:3-5). (Fr. Bobby).

20) ”But with a good ship, you can always ride it out.” Dr. Norman Vincent Peale once told of encountering a hurricane while on a cruise in the Atlantic. After the captain managed to sail around the danger, he and Dr. Peale were visiting with one another. The captain said he had always lived by a simple philosophy namely that if the sea is smooth, it will get rough; and if it is rough, it will get smooth. He added something worth remembering: “But with a good ship,” the Captain said, “you can always ride it out.” — Our ship is our Faith in Christ. With a good ship, you can always ride it out. Life is unpredictable. God is with us. “But not a hair of your head will perish,” Jesus says, “By your endurance you will gain your souls” (Luke 21:18).

21) “What time is it Mr. Wolf?” We played a game when I was a child.  Perhaps you played it too.  It worked best just at twilight.  We would let the “wolf” hide somewhere, and then we would walk together as a group toward the “wolf”, unable to see him or where he was hidden, but knowing that he was there and that he was near.  “What time is it, Mr. Wolf?”  we would cry, and he would tell us the time, later the closer we got, until he cried out “Twelve o’clock midnight, hope to see a ghost tonight!” And then he would chase us and we would flee toward the goal and safety, trying not to be caught by the “wolf.” — That is also the point of the Gospel Lesson this morning.  There is a day coming which will be unlike any other, for it will not be followed by any other.  We don’t know when, exactly, but we know it grows ever closer.  The end of the world, the final day of reckoning, the day of our salvation or the day of our doom, is coming.  Jesus tells us how we should stand in readiness for that great and terrible day, always being alert to the signs of the times. (Rev. Robin Fish). L/21

22) Making Still Greater Progress: All the saints have been heroic. That is the definition of “Saint”. But God has had a harder time in making heroes out of some than others. They have had more “un-heroism.” Saints like Aloysius Gonzaga, for instance, became heroes so fast – such was that goodwill – that their flight for heaven seems to have been a snap. When Aloysius died aged only 23, his three confessors testified of this radiant young man that they honestly believed he had never committed a serious sin. On the other hand, St. Camillus DeLellis, born in 1500 (just a decade or so before Aloysius) had a far more twisted, rocky road to heaven. A soldier at seventeen, six-foot-two in his stocking feet, he developed a quarrelsome temper and a yen for gambling that was a real addiction. Once, for instance, he literally gambled away all he owned, losing even the shirt off his back. Add to this, he had a running sore that never cleared up and gave him a short fuse. Nevertheless, Camillus for all his violence really wanted to behave better. After trying in vain to enter a religious order or even get employment as a servant in a religious house, he was inspired to found an order of his own. It was an order of nursing brothers – very much needed in those days before there was a real nursing profession. Urged by St. Philip Neri, Camillus studied for the priesthood and was ordained (a belated vocation: he had to attend Latin class with giggling teen-age seminarians). Now this man dedicated his strengths and his weaknesses to serving the ailing and wounded. He taught his “Ministers of the Sick” to see in each patient, no matter how crotchety, Christ Himself. — Today, St. Camillus DeLellis is the Church’s official patron saint of nurses. That is because, as St. Paul puts it today, he had forged ahead despite his flaws, so as “to make still greater progress” (I Thes 4:1. Today’s second reading). -Father Robert F. McNamara.

23) The difference between waiting and watching: Some Navy men were returning from a long voyage on the seas and, as the boat approached shore, the men were all looking for their wives and girlfriends on the shore … eager to see them again! As the men looked over the crowd of women lined up, the air of excitement and expectancy grew. One man however was all alone as all the other men found their wives and girlfriends and they all embraced … his wife wasn’t there! Worried, he hurried home and found a light on in his house. As he entered, he was relieved to see his wife, who quickly turned and said, “HONEY, I’VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!” His response showed his disappointment however: “The other men’s wives and girlfriends were watching for them!” — The difference between waiting and watching was only too clear! (Fr. Lakra).

 24) Serve Christ in many comings: Mother Teresa recognized and welcomed Christ in the needy, the hungry, the homeless, and the forgotten. Jesus’ words about serving His needs in God’s poor ones were seared into her soul. She was one of those rare figures that can shine a new light on Gospel teachings and actually live according to Jesus’ word and example. — We can emulate her example. Mother Teresa was certain that prayer could be the powerhouse of our lives. Through prayer, she said, one could recognise Jesus in and among us.  Of course, we cannot force these moments; all we can do is to be prepared. One saint said that life should be lived in ‘attentive expectancy’, the way one waits for the phone, for one’s child, or spouse or the doctor to call.

25)  “The Hound of Heaven”: One of the best-known religious poems in English literature is “The Hound of Heaven”. It was written by Francis Thompson (1859-1907), who had always tried to run away from God. In his poem, Thompson compares God to a hound, a hunting dog, chasing souls. The poem is lovely. In fact, it is the story of Thompson’s own life. Thompson was a medical student for a few years. While in college, he somehow picked up the habit of using opium, and pretty soon, he became addicted to it. His drug addiction totally destroyed him. He became a beggar, earning a living by shining shoes and selling matches. But Thompson was blessed to meet some good people on the road, and they helped him become a human being again. In this poem, Thompson says that he was always trying to run away from God. He writes, “I fled him, down the nights and down the days; I fled Him, down the arches of the years; I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways of my own mind; and in the midst of tears. I hid from Him and under running laughter.” Thompson had loved darkness instead of light. However, God went after him and hunted him down. Thompson was extremely grateful to God for saving him from his sin.

— God is always like this. He is rich in mercy and compassion. He always goes in search of sinners. In fact, it was because he loved the sinners so much that, two thousand years ago, He sent his only Son to the world to save us. However, unless we are willing to let the Lord touch and heal us, our sins will not be forgiven. And unless we are not forgiven our sins, we will not have joy and peace even when we celebrate Christmas. Like Thompson, we also try to run away from God. But let’s remember, God is always after us, and He comes continuously into our lives in different ways to save us from our sins. One of the ways God comes into our lives and gives forgiveness for our sins is through the sacrament of reconciliation. (L-24)

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle C (No 1) 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 also https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under Fr. Tony’s homilies and  under Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in.  (Vatican Radio website: http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html uploaded my year A, B and C homilies from 2018-2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

November 25-30: 25 Monday [Saint Catherine of
Alexandria, Virgin and Martyr] For a brief account, click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-catherine-of-alexandria/ Lk 21:1-4 : Luke 21:1-4: He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. 3 And he said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had."

The context: There were 13 trumpet-shaped receptacles that stood up against the wall of the Court of Women. They were intended to hold the gifts of the faithful for the Temple treasury. As Jesus and his disciples sat and watched the comings and goings of those offering their gifts of support, they observed many wealthy worshipers placing significant sums into the Temple treasury. But it was not until Jesus observed the tiny gift of two lepta (equivalent to a couple of pennies), given by a poor widow, that he was moved to comment on the proceedings.

Beginning with chapter 11 of Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is seen confronting the Temple authorities and challenging abuses in the "organized religion" of his time. Complimenting the poor widow in today’s Gospel, Jesus contrasted the external signs of honor sought by the scribes with the humble, sacrificial offering of a poor widow and declared that she had found true honor in God’s eyes. The Gospel presents a poor widow who sacrificially gave her whole life and means of livelihood to God. That gift symbolizes the supreme sacrifice Jesus offered by giving His life for others. The episode invites us to a total commitment to God’s service with a humble and generous heart, free from pride and prejudice.

Life messages: # 1: We need to appreciate the widows of our parish: Their loneliness draws them closer to God and to stewardship in the parish. They are often the active participants in all the liturgical celebrations, offering prayers for their families and for their parish family. Frequently, they are active in parish organizations, as well as in visiting and serving the sick and the shut-ins. Hence, let us appreciate them, support them, encourage them, and pray for them.

#2: We need to accept Christ’s criteria for judging people: We often judge people by what they possess. But Jesus measures us on the basis of our inner motives and the intentions hidden behind our actions. He evaluates us on the basis of the sacrifices we make for others and on the degree of our surrender to His holy will. What is hardest to give is ourselves in love and concern, because that gift costs us more than reaching for our purses. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24 Additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

26 Tuesday: Lk 21:5-11:5 And as some spoke of the Temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." 7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?" 8 And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once." 10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

The context: Today’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ reaction to the comments the disciples had been making about the splendor of the Temple in Jerusalem. The forty-foot-tall pillars supporting the beams of the front porch were made of solid marble. Most of the decorations and the large vine on the front porch with six-foot long grape clusters were made of solid gold plates, while the dome was gold-plated. But Jesus prophesied this Temple’s total destruction. In AD 70, the Roman army invaded the city, plundered everything valuable, set fire to the Temple, pulled down the City’s walls, killed one million Jews, and took 97,000 healthy Jews as captives. Jesus also gave the disciples warnings about false military messiahs and their deceptive doctrines about overthrowing the Romans. Then Jesus listed some signs of the end of the world, like wars between nations, earthquakes, famines, plagues, and unnatural movements of the heavenly bodies.

Life message: 1) We need to learn from the signs of the times, like crises in morality, a culture of death, an increase in violence and terrorism, the “normalization” of sexual deviations, the breaking down of families, and the moral degradation of society. We need to prepare ourselves for the end times by living ideal Christian lives, helping others, sharing our blessings with others, getting and staying reconciled with God and our neighbors, and trusting in the living presence of Jesus in the Church. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

27 Wednesday: Luke 21:12-19:12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17 you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish.19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

The context: Today’s Gospel gives Jesus’ prophetic warning to the apostles and disciples about the sufferings they will have to bear for their Faith in Him until Jesus’ Second Coming. Jesus advises them to bear witness to Him in spite of persecutions, for those persecutions would also encourage the disciples to flee to remote places and to preach the Gospel among the Jews and the Gentiles. Believers, Jesus warns, will be locked up in prisons and brought for trial before kings and governors. Jesus assures them that the Holy Spirit will give them words of defense and witness-bearing. (In the Acts of the Apostles, we read how Stephen was given the wisdom to bear splendid witness to Jesus in Jerusalem). Since there will be divisions in families between believers and non-believers, Jesus declares, close relatives will betray their Christian family members to the pagan authorities and cause their martyrdom. But Jesus assures the disciples in today’s Gospel passage that their suffering for Him will be amply rewarded.

Life messages: 1) Although we may not get a chance to die for the Faith, we are invited to face “dry martyrdom,” a “living death” as outcasts in our contemporary materialistic, secular, liberal, agnostic, and atheistic society. 2) We are called to bear witness to Christ by loving those who hate us, by showing mercy and compassion to those who hurt and ill-treat us, by forgiving those who continue to offend us, by accepting our sufferings without complaint, and by continuing to keep Jesus’ word in our lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

28 Thursday [USA: Thanksgiving Day] (Readings: Any readings from the Mass “In Thanksgiving to God”) Introduction: Today is a day of national thanksgiving in the USA 1) for the blessings and protection God has given us; 2) for our democratic government and the prosperity, we enjoy; 3) for our freedom of speech and religion; and 4) for the generosity and good will of our people.

History: The winter of 1610 at Jamestown, Virginia, had reduced a group of 409 settlers to 60. The survivors prayed for help, without knowing when or how it might come. When help arrived in the form of a ship filled with food and supplies from England, a thanksgiving prayer meeting was held to give thanks to God. President George Washington issued the first national Thanksgiving Proclamation in 1789. President Abraham Lincoln, in the midst of the Civil War, established Thanksgiving Day as a formal holiday to express our thanks to God. In 1941 Congress passed the official proclamation declaring that Thanksgiving should be observed as a legal holiday the fourth Thursday of each November.

Biblical examples of thanksgiving: (1) Today’s Gospel describes how one of the ten lepers Jesus healed, a Samaritan, returned to Jesus to express his gratitude while the nine Jewish lepers did not think to thank God and the One He had used to heal. Jesus asks the pained question, “Where are the other nine?” The episode tells us that God, too, expects gratitude, especially from us who believe. from us. (2) In 2 Kgs 5:1-9 Naaman the leper, the chief of the army of the Syrian king, returned to the prophet Elisha to express his thanks for his complete healing from leprosy with a gift of 10 talents of silver, 6000 pieces of gold and six Egyptian raiments, as gifts. When Elisha refused the gifts, Naaman asked for permission take home two sacks of the soil of Israel to remember the Lord Who healed him, and he promised to offer sacrifices only to the God of Israel. (3) Jesus’ example of thanksgiving at the tomb of Lazarus: “Thank you Father for hearing my prayer” (Jn 11:42-42). (4) St. Paul’s advice, “Give thanks to God the Father for everything” (Eph 5:20).

The Eucharistic celebration is the most important form of thanksgiving prayer for Catholics. In fact, Eucharist is the Greek word for thanksgiving. In the Holy Mass we offer the sacrifice of Jesus to our Heavenly Father as an act of thanksgiving, and we surrender our lives on the altar with repentant hearts, presenting our needs and asking for God’s blessings.

Life messages: 1) Let us be thankful and let us learn to express our thanks daily: a) To God for His innumerable blessings, providential care, and protection, and for the unconditional pardon given to us for our daily sins and failures. b) To our parents – living and dead – for the gift of life, Christian training, and the good example they gave us. c) To our relatives and friends for their loving support, timely help, and encouragement. d) To our pastors, teachers, doctors, soldiers, police, and government officers for the sincere service they render us. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Thursday OT 34 Weekday Lk 21:20-28: “When you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, know that its desolation is at hand.o21Then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Let those within the city escape from it, and let those in the countryside not enter the city,p22for these days are the time of punishment when all the scriptures are fulfilled.23Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days, for a terrible calamity will come upon the earth and a wrathful judgment upon this people.q24They will fall by the edge of the sword and be taken as captives to all the Gentiles; and Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles* are fulfilled.rThe Coming of the Son of Man.s25“There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves.t26People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens* will be shaken.u27And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.v28But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.”w

Context: Using biblical and apocalyptic images Jesus foretells the brutal attack of the Roman army on the city of Jerusalem forty years later, killing most of its residents who resisted, and demolishing the Temple. Jesus combines this prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem with events preceding the end of the world because most of the Jews believed that if the Temple were destroyed their world would end. In his prophecy Jesus identifies the faithlessness of the chosen people and their moral corruption as the main causes the destruction is being permitted by God. That is why Jesus calls these days as the “time of punishment” and “days of retribution.” Jewish prophets Isaiah (63:4), Jeremiah (5:29), Hosiah (9:7) and Daniel (9:27) had already given God’s prophetic warnings about the future destruction of Jerusalem and its residents. The Temple was desecrated by the Greek Antiochus IV Epiphanes from 167 to 165 BC. The “horrible abomination” perhaps refers to an inscription placed on the portal of the temple dedicating it to the Roman god Olympian Zeus. Jesus warns that these desecrations will be repeated by the Romans. Many will be murdered, and other, healthy residents will be led away into captivity to Rome and other pagan territories. The holy city itself, its Temple in ruins, will be trampled on by the Gentiles. Then Jesus speaks of various cataclysmic and apocalyptic signs to signal the end of the world using the Hebrew Biblical images. They conclude with Daniel’s vision of the “Son of Man” riding on a cloud coming with great power and glory. But Jesus gives assurance to his loyal followers that it is a time for them to “stand up straight and raise your heads, for your redeeming is near at hand”.

Life messages: 1) Sufferings and tribulations are part and parcel of Christian life. They should help us reflect on the end of our lives and the final end of our world, and so urge us to live by the vision and values of the Gospel, sharing agape love with others by rendering them humble, loving, sacrificial service. L/24

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

29 Friday: Luke 21:29-33:29 And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The context: Foretelling the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, and the end of the world at an unspecified future time, Jesus warns the disciples in today’s Gospel that tribulations are inevitable before the Last Judgment and the coming of Jesus’ Kingdom. Jesus uses the small parable of the fig tree to explain the point that we must be prepared for the time of tribulation, Jesus’ Second Coming, and the Last Judgment. Fig trees in Israel produce fruits twice a year, at Passover time and in autumn. The sign of the ripening of their fruits is the appearance of fresh leaves on the tree. The Jews believed that the Messiah would appear during the Passover period, which coincides with the appearance of fresh leaves on fig trees. The destruction of Jerusalem would be the end of their world for the Jews. So, the generation in AD 70 saw the end of the world symbolically. Jesus wants us to understand that the Kingdom of God will be near when wars, natural calamities, pestilences, and unnatural movements of heavenly bodies occur. Except for the last-named, these seem to occur in every age. Hence, we must be ever vigilant and prepared.

Life messages: 1) We must be able to read the signs of the times and stay in the kingdom of God by faithfully doing God’s will every day of our lives. 2) We need to continue serving others in humility and love and bearing witness to Jesus through the integrity and transparency of our Christian lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

30 Saturday: (Saint Andrew, Apostle): For a brief account, click on Mt 4:18-22: (St. Andrew, the Apostle) For a short biography, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-andrew/ 18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. (Mark 1: 14-20) Two accounts of Andrew’s call: In the Gospels, there are two accounts of Andrew’s call by Jesus to apostleship. According to Matthew and Mark, Jesus selected four fishermen, Andrew and his brother Peter, with James and his brother John, right from their fishing boats. Peter and Andrew "immediately" left their nets and followed Jesus. Similarly, James and John "immediately" left the boats and their father and followed Jesus. According to John’s Gospel, John and Andrew were first the disciples of John the Baptist. It was he who had encouraged them to follow Jesus by pointing him out to them as “the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:38-30), suggesting that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. One apostle leading other to Christ: First, we find Andrew, after spending a night with Jesus, leading his brother Peter to Jesus. Next, Andrew appears in the Gospel scene of the multiplication of the bread and fish with which Jesus miraculously fed a multitude. While Philip gave a bad report of the situation, Andrew went among the multitude and found a boy who offered to give his small food packet to Jesus to feed the multitude. Andrew, who saw Jesus miraculously supplying wine at Cana, knew that Jesus could work another miracle with five barley loaves and two dried fish. We find Andrew a third time in the Gospel, bringing a few Greek pilgrims to Jesus. They had first approached Philip for help and Philip had sought the help of Andrew to bring them to Jesus. Andrew’s preaching and martyrdom: According to Church tradition, Andrew preached the Gospel in Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross to which he was tied. According another tradition, he also preached in Scotland and Russia. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Russia, of Scotland, and of fishermen.

Life messages: 1) In order to be effective instruments in the hands of God and to continue Jesus’ preaching, healing and saving ministry, we, too, need to repent of our sins on a daily basis and to renew our lives by relying on the power of God. 2) As the first four apostles, including Andrew, gave priority to Christ and left behind everything, we, too, are to give priority to Jesus and Jesus’ ideals in living our vocation in life. 3) St. Andrew’s zeal is a real inspiration to us. Hearing “Behold! The Lamb of God!” from St. John the Baptist, John, Zebedee’s son, and Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, immediately ran after Him with their inquiries. After talking with Jesus, Andrew wasted no time in bringing his brother, Simon Peter, to meet Jesus. We can almost picture Andrew, full of excitement, telling everyone he met about our Lord. Through Andrew’s evangelization, St. Peter, our first Pope, was brought to Jesus. https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24 Additional reflections: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

One-page summary OT 34 [B] / Christ the King Sunday (Nov 24, 2024)

Introduction This Sunday, the last in Cycle B of the Church’s liturgical year, the readings describe the enthronement of the victorious Christ as King in Heaven in all His glory. Instituting this Feast of Christ, the King in 1925, Pope Pius XI proclaimed: “Pax Christi in regno Christi” (the peace of Christ in the reign of Christ). This means that we live in the peace of Christ when we surrender our lives to Him every day, accept Him as our God, Savior and King and allow Him to rule our lives. Why Christ is our King: 1) Christ is God, the Creator of the universe and, hence, wields a supreme power over all things; “All things were created through Him“; 2) Christ is our Redeemer, He purchased us by His precious Blood, and made us His property and possession; 3) Christ is the Head of the Church, “holding in all things the primacy”; 4) God bestowed upon Christ the nations of the world as His special possession and dominion.

Biblical basis of the feast: A) Old Testament texts: The title “Christ the King” has its roots both in Scripture and in the whole theology of the Kingdom of God. In most of the Messianic prophecies, given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, Christ the Messiah is represented as a King. B) New Testament texts: a) In the Annunciation, recorded in Lk 1:32-33, we read: “…and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the House of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end.” In fact, the Kingdom of God is the center of Jesus’ teaching, and the phrase “Kingdom of God” occurs in the Gospels 122 times, of which 90 instances are uses by Jesus. b) The Magi from the Far East came to Jerusalem and asked the question: (Mt 2:2) “Where is the Baby born to be the King of the Jews? We saw His star… and we have come to worship Him.” c) During the royal reception given to Jesus on Palm Sunday, the Jews shouted: (Lk 19:38) “God bless the King, Who comes in the name of the Lord.” d) During the trial of Jesus described in today’s Gospel, Pilate asked the question :(“Are you the king of the Jews?” (Jn 18:33), and Jesus replied: “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth” (Jn:18:37) e) The signboard hung over Jesus’ head on the cross read: “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews.” f) Before his Ascension into Heaven, Jesus declared: “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me; go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations … (Mt 28:18ff).” g) Finally, in Matthew 25:31, we read that Christ the King will come in glory to judge us on the day of the Last Judgment.

Life Messages: 1) We need to accept and surrender our lives to Christ the King as our Lord, King, and Savior. We surrender our lives to Jesus every day when we give priority to all that Jesus taught when we are making our daily choices, especially moral choices. We should not exclude Christ our King from any area of our personal or family lives. In other words, Christ must be in full charge of our lives, and we must give Christ sovereign power over our bodies, our thoughts, our heart, and our will. 2) We need to be serving disciples of a serving King. Jesus declared, “…whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:27-28), and later showed us the spirit of service by washing of the feet of the apostles. We become Jesus’ followers when we recognize Jesus present in everyone, especially the poor, the sick, the outcast, and the marginalized in society and render humble and loving service to Jesus in each of them. 3) We need to accept Jesus Christ as the King of love. Jesus, having come to proclaim to all of us the Good News of God’s love and salvation and arrived at the ending of his life, gave us a “new commandment” of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Then he demonstrated that love by dying for us sinners. We accept Jesus as our King of love when we love others as Jesus loves each of us, unconditionally, sacrificially, and with agape love.

OT 34 [B] / CHRIST THE KING (Nov 24) (Dn 7:13-14; Rv 1:5-8; Jn 18:33b-37)

Homily starter anecdotes: #1: “Christ has conquered, Christ now rules, Christ reigns supreme”: In the middle of St. Peter’s Square in Rome, there stands a great obelisk. About four and half thousand years old, it originally stood in the temple of the sun in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis. It was bought to Rome by the dreaded Emperor Caligula and it was set right in the middle of the equally dreaded Circus of Nero, on Vatican hill. It was in that Circus that St. Peter was martyred, and the obelisk may well have been the last thing on this Earth that Peter saw. On top of the obelisk there now stands a cross. In ancient times, there was a gold ball representing, of course, the sun. Now there is a cross —  the cross of Christ, and on the pedestal of the obelisk there are two inscriptions. The first of them is in Latin, “Christus vincit, Christus regnat, Christus imperat”, which translated means, “Christ has conquered, Christ now rules, Christ now reigns supreme.” The other inscription is, “The Lion of Judah has conquered.” Here we have the language of victory! Christianity has triumphed by the power of the cross over the greatest power that the ancient world had known, the Roman Empire, and here, in the middle of St Peter’s square, stands the obelisk bearing those triumphant inscriptions. (Mark Coleridge Archbishop of Brisbane) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#2:  “Long live Christ the King!” In the 1920s, a totalitarian regime gained control of Mexico and tried to suppress the Church. To resist the regime, many Christians took up the cry, “Viva Cristo Rey!” (“Long live Christ the King!”) They called themselves “Cristeros.” The most famous Cristero was a young Jesuit priest named Padre Miguel Pro. Using various disguises, Padre Pro worked against the laws of the Church-hating state, by continuing to minister to the beleaguered people of Mexico City, bringing them the Mass and the Sacraments. Finally, the government found and arrested him and sentenced him to public execution on November 23, 1927. The president of Mexico (Plutarco Calles) thought that Padre Pro would beg for mercy, so he invited the press to the execution. Padre Pro did not plead for his life, but instead knelt holding a crucifix. When he finished his prayer, he kissed the crucifix and stood up. Holding the crucifix in his right hand, and a Rosary in the left, he extended his arms and shouted, “Viva Cristo Rey!” (“Long live Christ the King!”) At that moment the soldiers fired. The journalists took pictures. —  If you look up “Padre Pro” or “Saint Miguel Pro” on the Internet, you can see that picture. (Fr. Phil Bloom). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#3: “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” St. Thomas More, the patron saint of lawyers and politicians, among others, was a brilliant lawyer and diplomat in 16^th century England. His patriotism and loyalty to the throne attracted the attention of King Henry VIII who made him Lord Chancellor of England.  What Henry VIII did not know was that Thomas More’s first loyalty was to Christ, the King of kings. When Henry VIII decided to divorce his wife Catherine of Aragon, marry Anne Boleyn, and then make himself head of the Church of England, More knew this was wrong. Rather than approve what he believed to be against the Divine will, he resigned from his prestigious, wealthy position as Lord Chancellor and lived a life of poverty. Since he would not give his support to the king, Thomas More was arrested, convicted of treason, imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1534 and beheaded in July of the following year. On his way to public execution, More encouraged the people to remain steadfast in the Faith. His last recorded words were: “I die the king’s good servant, but God’s first.” — For More, it was not simply enough to confess Christ privately in the safety of his heart and home; he believed one must also confess Christ in one’s business and professional life as well as in the laws and policies that govern society. (Fr. Munacci). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 4: On His Majesty’s Service: St. Polycarp, the second century bishop of Smyrna, was brought before the Roman authorities and told to curse Christ and he would be released.  He replied, “Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong: how then can I blaspheme my King, Jesus Christ, who saved me?”  The Roman officer replied, “Unless you change your mind, I will have you burnt.”  But Polycarp said, “You threaten a fire that burns for an hour, and after a while is quenched; for you are ignorant of the judgment to come and of everlasting punishment reserved for the ungodly.  Do what you wish.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 5: A king with a big difference: Charles Colson, former legal counsel to Richard Nixon and later founder of the Christian Prison Fellowship, says it like this: “All the kings and queens I have known in history sent their people out to die for them. I only know one King Who decided to die for his people.” (frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: In the Church’s calendar, Christ the King, Who is God and Man has won His Crown by dying on Calvary’s cross, and Rising, alive, three days later,  is Infinitely more important than the secular world’s Super Bowl winning quarterback, or the college basketball’s Finals winner or the winning Pitcher in  the last game of the World Series. For Christ has saved the world by winning His “war” against evil, and has opened Heaven to all of us who choose to follow Him faithfully in everything. The Church concludes each liturgical year with this triumphant feast of Christ the King. The Feast was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 to celebrate the Jubilee Year and the 16th centenary of the Council of Nicaea.  At the Institution, the Pope proclaimed: “Pax Christi in regno Christi” (“The peace of Christ in the reign of Christ”), and in Quas Primas, the Encyclical of Institution, Pius XI prophetically warned the Church and the nations, “as long as individuals and states refuse to submit to the rule of our Savior there will be no really hopeful prospect of a lasting peace among nations.” The triple purpose for which this feast was established and proclaimed by the Pope was: 1) to reassert the sovereignty of Christ and the Church over all forms of government, 2) to remind Christians of the fidelity and loyalty we owe to Christ, who by his Incarnation and sacrificial death on the cross has made us both adopted children of God and future citizens and heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven; and 3)  to remind the then ruling totalitarian governments of Mussolini, Hitler, and Stalin, that Jesus Christ IS  the only truly Sovereign King  ruling the whole of Creation. Christ our spiritual King and Ruler, rules by Truth and Love. In  AD 381, at the First Council of Constantinople, a new version of the Nicene Creed was composed that faithfully and unambiguously expressed the doctrine of the Trinity, and the words were added: “His kingdom will have no end,” thereby affirming the kingly dignity of Christ. This is the version of the creed which we recite every Sunday at Mass. We declare our loyalty to Jesus by the quality of our Christian commitment, expressed in our serving of others with sacrificial and forgiving love, and by our solidarity with the poor. Although few emperors and kings with real ruling power exist today, except in history books, we willingly honor Christ as the King of the Universe and the King of our hearts by allowing Jesus to take control of our lives.  In thousands of human hearts all over the world, Jesus still reigns as King.  The Cross is Jesus’ throne and the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus’ rule of law.   His citizens need obey only one major law: “Love God with all your being, and love others as I have loved you. A King with a saving and liberating mission, Jesus frees us from all types of bondage, enabling us to live peacefully and happily on earth, and promising us an inheritance, in the eternal life of heaven.

This Thirty-Fourth and final Sunday in Ordinary Time ends the Church’s liturgical year and the Cycle B Sundays. For this culminating Feast of Christ the King, the readings describe the enthronement of the victorious Christ as King in Heaven in all His glory. The first reading, taken from the book of Daniel, tells of the mysterious Son of Man (with whom Jesus would later identify Himself), coming on the clouds, glorified by God, and given dominion that will last forever.  The Refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 93), has us proclaim, “The Lord is King; He is robed in majesty,” celebrating the God of Israel as the King over all creation.  In the second reading, taken from the Book of Revelation, the risen Christ comes amid the clouds as the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last of all things.  In today’s Gospel, Jesus asserts before Pilate that He is a king and clarifies that that his kingdom “does not belong to this world.”  He rules as King by serving others rather than by dominating them; His authority is rooted in Truth, not in physical force, and His Kingdom, the reign of God, is based on the Beatitudes.

First reading: Daniel 7:13-14, explained: The apocalyptic Book of Daniel came to prominence during a bitter persecution of the Jews in the second century BC, when it bolstered the Faith of the beleaguered chosen people of God.  The book rises from the sixth century BC, during the Captivity of the Jews in Babylon (the Exile). Today’s selection from Daniel expresses well the Jewish understanding of the Kingship of God and that of the Promised Messiah.  It describes the mysterious “Son of Man” (with whom Jesus would later identify Himself), as coming on the clouds, glorified by God and given the dominion that will last forever.  In his vision, Daniel saw God seated on a Throne, with millions of people serving Him.  Into His presence there came a human figure, “one like a Son of Man,” to whom were given (v.14) “dominion and glory and kingship, that all should serve Him… His kingship is one which shall never be destroyed.”  He would be the King of kings and the Lord of Glory and His Kingdom would last forever.  The New Testament proves that Jesus is this long-awaited King of the Jews.

Second reading: Revelation 1:5-8, explained: The New Testament Book of Revelation has the same apocalyptic character as the Book of Daniel, although that element is not very evident in today’s short selection.  Its readers were being persecuted, and the Lord God Who gave John this vision wanted to bolster their Faith.  To the description of Jesus given here, we can apply what was said above about the Son of Man and His commission from the Ancient One.  Today’s reading from the Book of Revelation also explains how the risen Christ will come amid the clouds as the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last of all things.  In its apocalyptic style, the Book of Revelation describes how Jesus has become our King by freeing us from our sins by His Blood (and so from the ruler of darkness), and by blessing all of us to be priests for His God and Father — all because our King loves us.  Today’s reading concludes by stating that Christ the King is the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, that is, the A and the Z, the beginning and the end [end = both termination of and purpose for] of our lives and of all life.  Alpha and Omega are the first and the last letters of the alphabet in Greek, the original language of this book.  Giving Jesus the Alpha title reminds us of the first theme John’s Gospel that Jesus is the Word of God, pre-existing with the Father before all creation.  To call Jesus the Omega is to say that our King will be in charge at the end of the world.  The four passages refer to the supreme Kingship of Christ who founded a Kingdom for us, where He has made us priests dedicated to the service of God His Father.  He will come a second time to judge all men.

Gospel exegesis: The Biblical basis of the feast: A) Old Testament texts: The title “Christ the King” has its roots both in Scripture and in the whole theology of the Kingdom of God.   In most of the Messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel, Christ the Messiah is represented as a King.  B) New Testament texts: a) In the Annunciation, recorded in Lk 1:32-33, we read: “…and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the House of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end.”    In fact, the Kingdom of God is the center of Jesus’ teaching and the phrase “Kingdom of God” occurs in the Gospels 122 times, of which 90 instances are uses by Jesus.  b) The Magi from the Far East came to Jerusalem and asked the question: (Mt. 2:2) “Where is the Baby born to be the King of the Jews?  We saw His star… and we have come to worship Him.”  c) During the royal reception given to Jesus on Palm Sunday, the Jews shouted: (Lk 19:38) “God bless the King, Who comes in the Name of the Lord.”  d) During the trial of Jesus described in today’s Gospel, Pilate asked the question:  (Jn 18:33):  “Are you the king of the Jews?”  Jesus replied: “You say that I am a king.  For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth” (Jn:18:37) e) The signboard hung over Jesus’ head on the cross read: “Jesus of Nazareth, king of the Jews.”(Jn 19:19) f) Schooling the apostles, Jesus declared: “…whoever  would  be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mt 20:27-28), g) Finally, in Matthew 25:31, we read that Christ the King will come in glory to be our Judge at the Final Judgment.

Jesus’ clarification of His Kingship before Pilate during His trial: The Jews accused Jesus of blasphemy for claiming to be God, and they wanted Him to die by the most shameful and painful death, Roman execution.  Hence, they brought Jesus before Pilate the Roman governor and accused Jesus of causing sedition against the Roman Empire and Caesar.  “We found this man inciting our people to revolt, opposing payment of the tribute to Caesar, and claiming to be Christ, a King” (Lk 23:2).  Today’s Gospel presents the first part of the trial conducted by Pilate who questions Jesus about His Kingship.  In the dialogue with Pilate, Jesus implies that Pilate does not understand the spiritual or transcendent nature of Jesus’ kingship (“My Kingdom does not belong to this world”).  Jesus admits that He is a King but declares that His Kingdom is not of this world.  Neither Jesus’ present nor future reign operates according to the world’s criteria of power and dominance.  Jesus’ Kingdom, the reign of God, is based on the beatitudes, and Jesus rules through loving service rather than through domination.  His authority is rooted in Truth, not in physical force.  Jesus gives His purpose for coming into the world as: to bear witness to the Truth about a larger and eternal Kingdom, about God and His love, about us, and about whom we are called to be.

What is the Kingdom of God? What is the Kingdom of Christ the King? Here is a beautiful explanation given by Gerald Darring (St. Louis University: Center for Liturgy): “The Kingdom of God is a space. It exists in every home where parents and children love each other. It exists in every region and country that cares for its weak and vulnerable. It exists in every parish that reaches out to the needy. The Kingdom of God is a time. It happens whenever someone feeds a hungry person, or shelters a homeless person, or shows care to a neglected person. It happens whenever we overturn an unjust law, or correct an injustice, or avert a war. It happens whenever people join in the struggle to overcome poverty, to erase ignorance, to pass on the Faith. The Kingdom of God is in the past (in the life and work of Jesus of Nazareth); it is in the present (in the work of the Church and in the efforts of many others to create a world of goodness and justice); it is in the future (reaching its completion in the age to come). The Kingdom of God is a condition. Its symptoms are love, justice, and peace. Jesus Christ is king! We pray today that God may free all the world to rejoice in His peace, to glory in His justice, to live in His love.”

Life Messages: 1) We need to assess our commitment to Christ the King today.  As we celebrate the Kingship of Christ today, let us remember the truth that Jesus is not our King if we do not listen to, love, serve, and follow where Jesus  leads.  We belong to Christ’s Kingdom only when we try to walk with Christ, when we try to live our lives fully in the spirit of the Gospel, and when that Gospel spirit penetrates every facet of our living.  If Christ is really King of my life, Jesus must be King of every part of my life, and I must let Christ reign in all parts of my life.  We become Christ the King’s subjects when we sincerely respond to Jesus’ loving invitation: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart“ (Matthew 11:29).  By cultivating in our lives the gentle and humble mind of Christ, we show others that Jesus Christ is in indeed our King, and that He is in charge of our lives.

2) We need to give Jesus control over our lives.  Today’s Feast of Christ the King reminds us of the great truth that Christ must be in charge of our lives, that we must give Jesus sovereign power over our bodies, our thoughts, our heart, and our will.  In every moral decision we face, there’s a choice between Christ the King and Barabbas, and the one who seeks to live in Christ’s Kingdom is the one who says, “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”  Let us ask ourselves the question, “What does Jesus, my King, want me to do or say in this situation?”  Are we praying each day that our King will give us the right words to say to the people we meet that day, words that will make us true ambassadors of Jesus?  Does our home life as well as the way we conduct ourselves with our friends come under the Kingship of Jesus?  Or do we try to please ourselves rather than please Jesus?

3) We need to follow Christ the King’s lesson of humble service to the truth. Christ has come to serve and to be of service to others.  Hence, we are called to Christ’s Own service — service to the Truth.  In today’s Gospel, we hear Jesus saying, “For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the Truth” (Jn 18:33).  The Truth to which Jesus bears witness by His Life and teaches us is that God, His Father, is also our loving and forgiving Father, so we are all His children, forming one Body.  Hence, whatever we do for His children, our sisters and brothers, we do for our King.  For we are called to be a people who reach out to embrace the enemy and the stranger, a people called to glory in diversity, a people called to offer endless forgiveness, a people called to reach out in compassion to the poor and to the marginalized sectors of our society, a people called to support one another in prayer, a people called not to be served, but to serve.  In other words, servant-leadership is the model that Christ the King has given us. “For the Christian, ‘to reign is to serve Him,’ particularly when serving ‘the poor and the suffering, in whom the Church recognizes the image of her poor and suffering founder’” (CCC  #786).

4) We need to obey the law of love of Christ the King.  Citizens of Christ’s kingdom are expected to observe only one major law–the law of love.  “Love God with your whole heart and love your neighbor as yourself.”  “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.”  Jesus expects a higher degree of love from His followers: “Love one another as I have loved you.”  On this great Feast of Christ the King, let us resolve to give Jesus, our King, the central place in our lives, living the obedient loving, generous, serving lives Jesus commands, and sharing what we have with all our needy brothers and sisters. .

JOKES OF THE WEEK

#1: Christ is in charge: Susan C. Kimber, in a book called Christian Woman, shares a funny piece of advice she received from her little son: “Tired of struggling with my strong-willed little son, Thomas, I looked him in the eye and asked a question I felt sure would bring him in line: ‘Thomas, who is in charge here?’  Not missing a beat, he replied, ‘Jesus is — not you, mom.’”

#2: Co-pilot Christ the king: Many people love bumper sticker theology.  Bumper stickers may not always have the soundest theological statements, but they generally at least have the ability to make you think.  One such, “God is my Co-pilot,” has also been found on Church signs, where the theology is just as much fun and sometimes sounder.  In this case, the Church sign says, “If Christ the King is your Co-Pilot, change seats.”

# 3: “Right near the end!” Once a priest was giving a homily and as he went on, he became more animated. He made a sweeping gesture – and accidentally knocked his papers from the pulpit. He scrambled to pick them up, then asked, “Now, where was I?” A voice from the congregation responded, “Right near the end!” Well, we are at the end – not of the homily, but of the liturgical year

# 4: The most famous man who ever lived: One day a kindergarten teacher nun said to the class of 5-year-olds, “I’ll give $2 to the child who can tell me who was the most famous man who ever lived.” An Irish boy put his hand up and said, “It was St. Patrick.” The teacher said, “Sorry Sean, that’s not correct.” Then a Scottish boy put his hand up and said, “It was St. Andrew.” The teacher replied, “I’m sorry, Hamish, that’s not right either.” Finally, a Jewish boy raised his hand and said, “It was Jesus Christ.” The teacher said, “That’s absolutely right, Marvin, come up here and I’ll give you the $2.” As the teacher was giving Marvin his money, she said, “You know Marvin, you being Jewish, I was very surprised you said Jesus Christ.” Marvin replied, “Yeah. In my heart I knew it was Moses, but business is business…”

USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK: (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)

• Brant Pitre’scommentary on Cycle B Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-B
• Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

6) The Catholic Liturgical Library: http://www.catholicliturgy.com/

7) Liturgical Calendar: http://www.themass.org/c-1109.htm

8) Intercession for priests: http://www.intercessionforpriests.org/

9) Preach the word: http://www.preachtheword.com/topical.html

10) Text week homilies: http://textweek.com/yearb/christb.htm

34- Additional anecdotes

1) A Man for All Seasons: There is a great scene in the play, A Man for All Seasons, that fits very well with today’s Feast of Christ the King.  You might remember that the play was about the determination of St. Thomas More to stand for the Faith against the persuasion and eventually the persecution of Henry VIII of England.  In the scene I’m referring to, Henry VIII, in 1527, is trying to coax his second-in-power Thomas More, to agree with him that it is proper for him, the King, to divorce his wife Catherine on the grounds that she is also his sister-in-law (a marriage impediment for which the King, before the marriage, had requested and received , in January 1505), a Papal Dispensation, from  then-reigning  Pope Julius II!) The King’s real reason was that his wife, Catherine of Aragon, had not given birth to a male heir to the Kingdom.  After the King made all his arguments, Thomas More said that he himself was unfit to meddle in this argument and the King should take it to Rome.  Henry VIII retorted that he didn’t need a Pope to tell him what he could or couldn’t do.  Then we come to the center point.  Thomas More asked the King, “Why do you need my support?”  Henry VIII replied with words we would all love to hear said about each of us, “Because, Thomas, you are honest.  And what is more to the point, you are known to be honest.  There are plenty in the Kingdom who support me, but some do so only out of fear and others only out of what they can get for their support.  But you are different.  And people know it.  That is why I need your support.” —       In the presence of integrity, Henry VIII knew who was King and who was subject. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “I am the greatest.” Jesus is not a king like the ancient Egyptian king, Ramses, whose arrogant motto was inscribed on temples still standing, “I am the greatest.” Jesus is not a king like the king of China, a savage tyrant who used millions of slaves to build the Great Wall of China, a wall so huge that it can be seen from the moon. He is not a king like Louis XIV, who lived in excessive luxury in his Versailles palace of 1000 rooms. Jesus is different in that he was not born of a reigning King, though He is of the royal House of David. Rather, as Scripture tells us, Jesus is the One Whom God “will choose as king….” There is no other king like Jesus, for Jesus is a Divine King, none other than the very Son of God, the Messiah. Jeremiah calls Him, “the Lord of our Salvation.” (v. 6) St. Paul sees Jesus as “the image of the invisible God” and in Whom dwells “all the fullness of God.” Jesus Himself knows Who, and Whose, He is, for He says, “The Father and I are one … he who has seen Me has seen the Father.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Desperate deaths of autocratic kings and dictators: The death of the Communist Dictator, Josef Stalin (1879-1953), was described by his daughter as difficult and terrible. Silenced by a stroke shortly before he died, Stalin’s “last words” were more visible than audible. Newsweek magazine quoted Svetlana Stalin who said, “At what seemed the very last moment, he cast a glance over everyone in the room. It was a terrible glance, insane, angry, and full of fear of death. With one final menacing gesture, he lifted his left hand as if he were bringing down a curse on us all.” Philip III of Spain (1578-1621), who proved himself to be an unfit king, indifferent to the plight of his people, breathed his last wishing, “Would to God that I had never reigned. What does all my glory profit but that I have so much the more torment in my death?” Charles IX of France (1550-1574, reigned 1560-1574), who in 1572 had ordered the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre of the Huguenots throughout France, met death with despair, “What blood! What murders! I am lost forever. I know it.” When she lay dying, Queen Elizabeth I of England (1533-1603) was reported to have said she would give, “All my possessions for a moment of time.” — Today’s Gospel challenges us to compare with these royal deaths the death of Christ the King. Dying on a Roman Cross in willing obedience to His Father for love of all of us, Jesus offered  his life to God his Father in all serenity and elegance. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) King in disguise: The story is told of Mother Teresa of Calcutta observing a novice using tweezers to pluck maggots from the leg of a dying leper. The young woman stood at arm’s length to perform the odious task. Gently but firmly, Mother Teresa corrected her charge. Taking the tweezers and putting her face quite near the wound, she said, “You don’t understand, my dear. This is the leg of Christ our Lord. For what you do to this man, you do to Him.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) Francis of Assisi was wealthy, high-born and high-spirited, but he was not happy. He felt that life was incomplete. Then one day he was riding, and he met a leper, loathsome and repulsive in the ugliness of his disease. Something moved Francis to dismount and fling his arms around this wretched sufferer; and, lo, in his arms the face of the leper changed to the face of the Christ. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Leo Tolstoy’s story “Martin the Cobbler“ tells of a lonely shoemaker who is promised a visit by our Lord that very day. Eagerly all day he awaits his arrival. But all that come are a man in need of shoes, a young mother in need of food and shelter, and a child in need of a friend, all of whom he cheerfully assists. Martin the cobbler ends the day thinking “Perhaps tomorrow He will come,” only to hear a voice reply, “I did come to you today, Martin; not once, but three times.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “Long Live Christ the King!  Long Live the Pope.”  Those of us, who pray for the persecuted Church, mourned the loss of Ignatius, Cardinal Kung who died at the age of 98.  He stood by his convictions, and withstood persecution for his Faith.  He was consecrated the bishop of Shanghai in 1949, shortly after the Communists took over China. The Chinese government pressured him to align his loyalties to the Chinese Catholic Patriotic Association.  But he refused, choosing to remain loyal to his Church’s chain of command.  In 1955, the authorities brought him and 200 other priests to a stadium in Shanghai.  The government ordered them to “confess their crimes.”  Instead, Kung shouted “Long Live Christ the King!  Long Live the Pope.”  Shortly thereafter, he received a life sentence, where he spent the next 30 years in prison, most of the time in solitary confinement.  When he was freed in 1987, he came to the United States with his nephew and settled in Stamford, Connecticut.  He went to his eternal reward on March 12, 2000. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!”  Of thirty Roman emperors, governors of provinces, and others in high office, who distinguished themselves by their fanatical zeal and bitterness in persecuting the early Christians, one became mentally deranged; another was slain by his own son.  One of them became blind; another was drowned.  One was strangled; another died in miserable captivity.  One of them died of so loathsome a disease that several of his physicians were put to death because they could not abide the stench that filled his room.  Two committed suicide; another attempted it but had to call for help to finish the work.  Five were assassinated by their own people or servants, five others died the most miserable and excruciating deaths, and eight were killed in battle, or after being taken prisoners.  Among those who died in battle was Julian the Apostate.  In the days of his prosperity, he is said to have pointed his dagger to heaven, defying the Son of God whom he commonly called the Galilean.  But when he was wounded in battle and saw that all was over with him, he gathered up his clotted blood and threw it into the air, exclaiming, “Thou hast conquered, O Galilean!” (Boise) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) “He is something more than a king.” In Lloyd Douglas’ novel, The Robe, the slave, Demetrius, pushed his way through the crowd on Palm Sunday, trying to see who the center of attraction was.  He got close enough to look upon the face of Jesus.  Later another slave asked, “See him – close up?”  Demetrius nodded.  “Crazy?”  Demetrius shook his head emphatically.  “King?”  “No,” muttered Demetrius, “not a king.”  “What is he then?” demanded the other slave.  “I don’t know,” mumbled Demetrius, “but he is something more than a king.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “Honey, take a long, long look”: As the body of Abraham Lincoln’s body lay in state for a few hours in Cleveland, Ohio for mourners to pay their tribute, a black woman in the long queue lifted up her little son and said in a hushed voice: “Honey, take a long, long look. He died for us, to give us freedom from slavery.” — Today’s Gospel gives us the same advice, presenting the trial scene of Christ our King who redeemed us from Satan’s slavery by His death on the cross. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “Little omission of kindness”:  William McKinley, the 25^th U.S. President, once had to choose between two equally qualified men for a key job. He puzzled over the choice until he remembered a long-ago incident. On a rainy night, McKinley had boarded a crowded streetcar. One of his prospective candidates was in the car. When an old woman carrying a basket of laundry struggled into the car looking for a seat, the job candidate pretended not to see her while McKinley obliged. Remembering the episode as a “little omission of kindness,” McKinley decided against the man on the streetcar. — Our decisions – even the small fleeting ones – tell a lot about us, whether we serve ourselves or Christ our King living in others. [Presidential Anecdotes by Paul F. Boller Jr. (Penguin Books).] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12)  The  “Generals of Insignificance” in our lives: In the Berlin Art Gallery there is a painting by the famous artist Adolph von Menzel that is only partially finished.  It is called, “Frederick the Great Addresses His Generals before the Battle of Leuthen in 1757.” Menzel painstakingly painted the generals first, placing them around the outside of the painting as a background and leaving a bare patch in the middle of the painting for the King.  But Menzel died before he could finish the painting.  So, there is a painting full of generals but no king  to give them meaning and purpose. — We often spend much time enthroning the “generals of insignificance” in our lives and postpone inviting Jesus the King of Kings into our hearts till the last moment which is quite uncertain.  As a result, many Christians die without putting Christ into the very center of their lives.  The painting of our lives will never be complete until we place at its center Christ the King whose feast we celebrate today. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “I shall be that soldier.” Sportsman and best-selling author Pat Williams, in his book The Paradox of Power, tells about one man who deserved to bear the name Christian. In fact, that was his name — Christian X – who was King of Denmark during World War II. The people of Denmark remember him the way any of us would want to be remembered, as a person of character, courage, and principle. Every morning, King Christian rode without bodyguards in an open carriage through the streets of Copenhagen. He trusted his people and wanted them to feel free to come up to him, greet him, and shake his hand. In 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Denmark. Like so many other European nations, this small Scandinavian country was quickly conquered. But the spirit of the Danish people and their king proved unquenchable. Even after the Nazis had taken control of the nation, King Christian X continued his morning carriage rides. He boldly led his people in a quiet but courageous resistance movement. On one occasion, the king noticed a Nazi flag flying over a public building in Copenhagen. He went to the German Kommandant and asked that the flag be removed. “The flag flies,” the Kommandant replied, “because I ordered it flown. Request denied.” “I demand that it come down,” said the king. “If you do not have it removed, a Danish soldier will go and remove it.” “Then he will be shot,” said the Kommandant. “I don’t think so,” said King Christian, “for I shall be that soldier.” The flag was removed. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Jesse Owens crushing Hitler’s Aryan Supremacy theory: The black man standing in the arena was an affront to Der Fuehrer’s authority. The scene was the 1936 Olympic Games held in Berlin, Germany. The black man was Jesse Owens of The Ohio State University representing the U.S.A. He was aptly called “the fastest human alive.” Der Fuehrer was Chancellor Adolf Hitler who had recently risen to power championing an arrogant theory that his “Aryan race” of “supermen” would conquer the world. In implementing his theory, he began systematically to stamp out the Jews in a bitter expression of prejudice and discrimination. Hitler also publicly denounced Blacks (Negroes as they were called then), as an inferior race. Jesse Owens, in his estimation, should not even be present at the Games. Jesse Owens was not only present, but he went on to win four gold medals in the 100-meter-dash, the 200-meter-dash, the broad jump and the 400-meter relay race. He demolished Hitler’s claim that the Aryan race was superior to all others. Furthermore, this soft-spoken black athlete embarrassed Hitler and undermined his pompous authority in the heart of the Fatherland. — Today is Christ the King Sunday in the liturgical calendar, an appropriate time for us to grapple with the whole question of authority. We may not be in danger of being seduced by an evil power with a ruler like Hitler, but we may not be clear on the authority to whom we do give allegiance. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) Faith in and fidelity to the King: While battling the Philistines, King David was camped at a place called the Cave of Adullam. He was tired of fighting and was longing for a taste of home. David said, wishing out loud, “O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” Three of his most able and faithful soldiers overheard the king, and took it upon themselves to go and get water from that well for him. It meant risking their necks, for they had to break through the camp of the Philistines to do it. When they brought the water to David, however, he refused to drink it. He recognized how dangerous it had been to get the water, and he realized that this act showed how highly they regarded him. Instead of drinking it, he poured it out on the ground as an offering to the Lord. David had already shown his faith in his men, and these three were responding with faith and love for their king. (1 Chronicles 11:15-19). — What about Christ? Does he inspire Faith in you? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) In the Line of Fire. Dr. Gary Nicolosi compares God’s love to the 1993 hit film, In the Line of Fire, in which Clint Eastwood plays Secret Service agent Frank Horrigan. Horrigan had protected the life of the President for more than three decades, but he was haunted by the memory of what had happened thirty years before. Horrigan was a young agent assigned to President Kennedy on that fateful November day in Dallas in 1963. When the assassin fired, Horrigan froze in shock. For thirty years afterward, he wrestled with the ultimate question for a Secret Service agent: “Can I take a bullet for the President?” In the climax of the movie, Horrigan does what he had been unable to do earlier: he throws himself into the path of an assassin’s bullet to save the President. — Secret Service agents are willing to do such a thing because they believe the President is so valuable to our country that he is worth dying for. At Calvary the situation was reversed, says Dr. Nicolosi. The President of the Universe actually took a bullet for each of us. At the cross we see how valuable we are to God. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) The shivering and hungry King: This is a story about an Irish King.  He had no children to succeed him on the throne, so he decided to choose his successor from among the people.  The only condition set by the King, as announced throughout his kingdom, was that the candidate must have a deep love for God and neighbor.  In a remote village of the kingdom lived a poor but gentle youth who was noted for his kindness and helpfulness to all his neighbors.  The villagers encouraged him to enter the contest for kingship.  They took up a collection for him so that he could make the long journey to the royal palace.  After giving him the necessary food and a good overcoat, they sent him on his way.  As the young man neared the castle, he noticed a beggar sitting on a bench in the royal park, wearing torn clothes.  He was shivering in the cold while begging for food.  Moved with compassion, the young man gave the beggar his new overcoat and the food he had saved for his return journey.  After waiting for a long time in the parlor of the royal palace, the youth was admitted for an interview with the king.  As he raised his eyes after prostrating before the king, he was amazed to find the King wearing the overcoat he had given to the beggar at the park and greeting him as the new King of the country. —  When He comes in glory, Christ the King is going to judge us on the basis of our corporal and spiritual works of mercy. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) “If only I knew it was you!” Nelson Mandela was still a young man when he became leader of the banned African National Congress. At a certain stage of the struggle, he was forced to go underground. He used many disguises and in general remained as unkempt as possible, so that he would not be easily recognized. Once he was to attend a meeting in a distant part of Johannesburg. A priest had arranged with friends of his to put him up for the night. However, when Mandela arrived at the house, the elderly woman who answered the doorbell took one look at him and exclaimed, “We don’t want your kind here!” And she shut the door in his face. Later when she found out who it was she had turned away, she was horrified and stammered to him, “If only I had known it was you, I would have welcomed you in!” —  Jesus appears to us in different guises. If only we knew it was He … [Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) Gluttonous kings versus humble king: Hu Hai was the second emperor of the Qin Dynasty (221 BC-206 BC). Hu Hai indulged in the super luxurious life. He forced a large number of peasants from around the country to build Epang Palace and the mausoleum in Lishan Mountain. He ordered 50,000 soldiers to defend the capital and all parts of the country were forced ceaselessly to send provisions to the capital. Several of the Roman emperors, unmatched in wealth and power, fully demonstrated a capacity for luxury and gluttony. Among these emperors, Claudius (ruled AD 41–54) is famous. The luxury banquet laid out in the famous tomb of King Tutankhamen of Egypt (died 1352 BC.), which was intended for the monarch to enjoy in the afterlife, included a gourmet selection of wines inscribed with names of wine districts— one may call them— the Nile Valley, the Nile Delta, and the Oases. Hundreds of attendants waited on them. — Against this background, there came a King, giving a shocking surprise to his followers. Jesus washed the feet of His followers and waited on them. He performed a gesture that had never been heard of, and commanded His followers to do the same, and to follow it as a new commandment in his Kingdom. (Fr. Bobby Jose). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Large grave in the monastery: St. Theodosius was a monk who lived in Palestine in the 500s. After growing in holiness himself, he decided to start a new monastery, which soon attracted so many vocations that it became more of a monastic city than just a monastery. One of the first things Theodosius  did when he founded his monastery was rather shocking. He dug a large grave, right in the middle of the cloister. When he had finished digging, the little group of curious monks gathered around the rectangular pit to get an explanation. Theodosius said simply: “Here you see a grave. Here we will all one day be buried and our bodies will return to the dust from which they were made. Remember this, my sons, so that you never stray from the Lord’s sure but narrow road of prayer and self-denial. It is better to die to ourselves each day and rise again on the Day of Judgment than indulge ourselves foolishly now and remain in the grave forever.”   — St Theodosius had learned well the lesson of today’s parable: Christ wants us to know what’s going to happen after death, so that we can make the right choices throughout our life. (E-Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 21) The British Navy Welcomes the Devil: The main point of Pope Pius XI’s 1925 encyclical on the Fest of Christ the King was to remind Catholics that Christ matters not only for our private lives, but for our public lives too. That reminder is as valid today as it was in 1925. We are constantly bombarded by media messages that tell us to keep our religion safe at home and keep it out of the public square. But if we don’t defend and spread Christian values in society, what values will thrive there? If we don’t continue to bring Christ into culture, what will culture become? You may remember a story that was in the news a couple of years ago. It told how the British Royal Navy officially recognized and approved of the practice of Satanism. A naval technician named Chris Cramer, who explicitly claimed to be a devil worshipper, was granted permission to perform satanic rituals on his ship. A Royal Navy spokesman explained that the Navy was “an equal opportunity employer and we don’t stop anybody from having their own religious values.” —
If we truly believe that Christ is the Savior, that there really is only one God and that He created us and redeemed us, we should not be afraid to bring that Faith to play in the society around us. If we don’t bring it to play, others will bring into play other values and beliefs, and those may not be as innocent as we would like. All religions are not the same. All values systems are the not the same. Today, the Church is reminding us of this, and encouraging us to be faithful followers of the one, true God, who so loved the world that He sent His Son to be our Savior by winning for us the forgiveness of sins through His death on the cross. [Rev. Francis M. de Rosa, STL; E- Priest.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Hilaire Belloc won the election:  In 1908, the famous Anglo-French historian and writer, Hilaire Belloc [BELL-ock] ran for the British Parliament. His opponents tried to scare off his supporters by claiming that Belloc’s faithfulness to the Catholic Church would inhibit him from being objective. Belloc responded in a speech: “Gentlemen, I am a Catholic. As far as possible, I go to Mass every day. This [taking his beads out of his pocket] is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell its beads every day. If you reject me on account of my religion, I shall thank God for having spared me the indignity of being your representative.” The crowd was shocked for a minute, and then burst out in applause. Belloc went on to win that election, and many more. If Catholics cannot bring Christ’s wisdom, goodness, and grace into our society, what do we have to offer?  Our paltry human wisdom? Our own tendencies to selfishness? Our shortsightedness? Pope Pius XI’s encyclical stresses that Christ truly is the King of the Universe, that He will reign forever, and that the Church on earth is the beginning of His Kingdom. It is not enough, therefore, for Christians to hold onto their Faith just in their private lives. We must bring Christ and Christian values into culture, politics, and every sphere of society. If we truly believe in Christ, why would we be afraid of defending and spreading Christian values? Why would we let ourselves be bullied by secular fundamentalists who try to exclude Christ from culture? (E- Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) The Obelisk in St Peter’s Square: In St. Peter’s Square in Rome, there stands an ancient Egyptian obelisk – a single block of granite in the shape of the Washington monument, almost 100 feet high and weighing 330 tons. It is the oldest obelisk in Rome, dating from about 1850 BC. At that time it had been erected as a monument to the Pharaoh, and it watched over two thousand years of Egyptian history – the longest reigning empire in history. It stood there when Abraham was called, when Joseph was viceroy of Egypt, when Moses led his people out of Egypt. At the time of Christ, soon after the Magi came to worship him, the Roman Emperor Caligula brought it to Rome as a sign of Rome’s superiority as conqueror of Egypt. There it stood for four more centuries, a symbol of the Roman Empire, the largest empire in human history. A golden urn with Julius Caesar’s ashes was placed on it. It stood in the arena where St Peter himself was martyred, along with hundreds of other early Christians. Then the barbarians invaded Rome, and in the Middle Ages it fell. Ivy grew around it. It was half-buried near the old Basilica. —  But the Church converted the barbarians, and when a new Christian culture emerged and flourished, and St. Peter’s Basilica was rebuilt and expanded, Pope Sixtus V had the obelisk re-erected in the center of the plaza. No longer is it a reminder of the long-perished empires of Egypt, Rome and the barbarian hoards. Now it is topped with a bronze cross, and inside that bronze cross is a small fragment of the true cross, the cross on which Christ, conquering his Kingdom, was crucified. Now it serves the universal Kingdom that will have no end, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. (E- Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) Empires Come and Go – The Church Endures: St Maximilian Kolbe: This is one of the reasons why tyrants hate the Catholic Church so much. Tyrants want total control – we call their governments “totalitarian regimes.” And so they can’t stand the Catholic Church, because it is a constant reminder that they don’t have total control –  that they can’t; only God can. And so, just as Herod tried to do with Jesus, the eternal King, they try to stamp out the Church, the eternal Kingdom. The Roman emperors tried. The barbarian tribes of northern Europe tried. The Medieval Islamic Caliphs tried. The French Revolutionaries tried. Napoleon tried – he even kidnapped the Pope, twice! The Nazis tried, and the Communists tried too, giving the twentieth century the bittersweet honor of having more Christian martyrs than any previous century. The tyrants of every generation try to take over the throne that only Christ can occupy, but the Church continues to survive, grow, and spread. A favorite example of this unconquerability of our Faith is found in St. Maximilian Kolbe. He was the Franciscan priest who died famously in a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. A fellow prisoner had been condemned to death. But the condemned man had a family, and St. Maximilian had none, so the saint offered himself as a substitute. It was the crowning action of a string of selfless deeds that he had performed throughout his imprisonment. Even the horrors of that concentration camp couldn’t conquer his Christian spirit. He celebrated secret masses on crowded, plank bunk beds; he secretly heard confessions walking through the mud to work; he even gave hope to his fellow death-row inmates: for fifteen days they prayed and sang hymns in the bunker where they were being starved to death. — This is Christ the King’s everlasting, unconquerable, universal Kingdom. This is our Kingdom. This is our Church. (E- Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) The King of Kings is here! The old Cardinal, Hugh Latimer, often used to preach before King Henry VIII. It was customary for the Court preacher to present the King with something on his birthday, and Cardinal Latimer presented to Henry VIII a pocket handkerchief with this text in the corner –“Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge,” a very suitable text for King Henry. Then he preached very forcefully on the sins of lust, and did not forget the personal application to the King. And the King said that the next time (the next Sunday), when the Cardinal preached, he must apologize. The next Sunday, when the Cardinal stood in the pulpit, he thought to himself, “Latimer, be careful about what you say, the King of England is here.” At the same time a voice in his heart said, “Latimer, Latimer, be careful about what you say, the King of Kings is here.” Strengthened by this, he preached what God wanted him to preach. — Today we celebrate the feast of Christ the King. We must enthrone Jesus as our King in our hearts and in our homes. (John Rose in John’s Sunday       Homilies). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) The real king? This happened a number of years ago when the late King Baudouin was reigning in Belgium. As the Constitutional Monarch, one of his duties was to “rubber stamp” all the bills passed by Parliament with his signature, thereby officially promulgating them as law. In 1990, the Belgian parliament passed a reprehensible bill that basically removed all legal sanctions against abortions. As a practicing and conscientious Catholic, King Baudouin objected to abortion vehemently, and so he could not and would not endorse the measure. But according to the constitution, he did not have a choice – as figurehead monarch, he had to ratify the bill, so by refusing to sign the bill into law, he was, in effect, attempting to veto the Parliament, and putting his throne on the line! The parliament simply dethroned him for one day, promulgated the law on that day when there was no reigning monarch in Belgium, and then re-instated him on the next day. — Granted, earthly monarchs need constitutional limitations to prevent the abuse of power.  But, that’s not true for the Heavenly Monarch, the all-good, all-loving God, for any time we attempt to impede Christ’s reign in our lives, we’re just erecting an obstacle to the good that He could be in our lives.  Clearly then, there’s false comfort and perilous perdition in that illusion of ultimate self-determination: if someone on the street swears at you and says, “Go to Hell!” sure, it’s easy to invoke your autonomy then and shrug it off with the slur, “I’m free – I don’t have to go anywhere I don’t want to go!” Yet the same people who declare self-determination their highest law and have thus attempted to enthrone themselves as their own sovereign moral authority by dethroning in their hearts Christ the King, will discover their grievous error, when HE solemnly speaks to them in Judgment their very own boastful words [“Go to Hell!”] – unless, we pray,  they repent and return to Him before their death.  For the Infinite God alone IS, and  we are finite  His creature whom He loves unconditionally.  So if they choose to receive the Love and grace He offers all of us, and repent of their arrogance and the behaviors and selfish choice they have made against His beneficent will, they can and will be forgiven, for our ONE and ONLY God is Infinite in His Mercy and His love for us.  [John Ruscheinsky in Daily Online       Reflections; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) A king of love, mercy and justice: The contemporaries of Jesus grew up hearing the stories of the cruelty of the ancient kings and rulers. Biblical Accounts give vivid descriptions of the cruelty of the Assyrians. “In 722 BC Assyrian armies swept through the Near East. They became notorious for their cruelty.  There are caves in Palestine to this day where we can find etched into cave-walls depictions of Assyrian cruelty: men beheaded, children disemboweled, pregnant women ripped open. The Assyrians did it. Up until the Assyrian assault there had been twelve tribes in Israel. The Assyrians slew ten. After 722 BC there were only two tribes left, Judah and Benjamin. The other ten will never be seen again. The kings of Assyria tormented the miserable world. They flung away the bodies of soldiers like so much clay; they made pyramids of human heads;  they burned cities;  they filled populous lands with death and devastation;  they reddened broad deserts with carnage of warriors;  they scattered whole countries with the corpses of their defenders as with chaff;  they impaled ‘heaps of men’ on stakes, and strewed the mountains and choked rivers with dead bones;  they cut off the hands of kings and nailed them on the walls, and left their bodies to rot with bears and dogs on the entrance gates of cities;  they employed nations of captives in making brick in fetters;  they cut down warriors like weeds, or smote them like wild beasts in the forests, and covered pillars with the flayed skins of rival monarchs.” — The contemporaries of Jesus also were familiar with the cruelties of the Roman emperors and King Herod. They knew how the kings in the ancient world treated their enemies. Against this background there arose a king with a different code of conduct. Hammurabi, the ancient Babylonian king, created the first written set of laws. Since the laws were clearly written down, everyone was expected to obey them. But Jesus, the king of Kings, summarized all the laws into two and wrote them down in the hearts of men. He taught, “Love God with your whole being and love your neighbors as yourself.” — In the ancient world where enemies were treated with great cruelty, and criminals were murdered mercilessly, this was a shocking message. But from this powerful surrender emerged the uniqueness of the Kingdom of Jesus. On this code of is grounded the power of His kingdom which will last forever. This has made the kingdom of Jesus different from all the kingdoms on the earth. History has seen the rise and fall of many empires. But history has not seen any empire other than the empire of Jesus that grows century after century. When the angel announced to Mary that she had been chosen to be the mother of Jesus, he said, “His kingdom will have no end.”(Lk 1:33) The angel thus conformed the prophecy of Daniel: “His sovereignty is an eternal sovereignty which shall never pass away, nor will his empire ever be destroyed.” (Dan 7:14). Fr. Bobby Jose. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) Jesus is the king of hearts: Bishop Villegas in his book entitled Jesus in My Heart said that Jesus is king of hearts in every Christian. To explain this contention, Villegas used the image of a deck of cards which carries four images of kings. The first image is the king of clubs. A club is an extension of a violent hand. A club is an extension of a hostile man. Christ cannot be king of clubs because Jesus is not here to sow violence. Jesus is not here to sow hostility. Jesus is here as a king of peace. Jesus is here, gentle and humble of heart, not to sow enmity among us. Jesus is here so that all may be brothers and sisters to one another. Bishop Villegas continued that Jesus could not be king of spades. A spade is used to throw dirt. Jesus is not here to make our lives dirty. Jesus is here to cleanse us from everything that defiles us. Jesus is not the king of spades because Jesus is not in the grave. Jesus is risen from the dead. Jesus is not king of spades because the business of Jesus is not to make other people dirty, to make people look at the grave dug by spades. The business of Jesus is to give hope and purity to us. Jesus cannot be king of diamonds for he came to bless our poverty. Jesus came to bless our pains and our aches. Jesus is not here to make our lives easier and more comfortable. Jesus is here to give meaning and purpose to our crosses and pains and trials. But Jesus can only be king of hearts. This is the kind of king that Jesus is. He is the king of the universe because he is the king of hearts. (Fr. T.S. Benitez). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

29) Come unto Me: A wonderful statue of Jesus the Christ exists in the cathedral of Denmark’s fairy-tale city of Copenhagen. The sculptor was the master Albert Bertel Thorvaldsen who died in 1844. He chose to sculpt a monumental Christ, the Christus, that would reveal Him in all His majesty. His hands would be raised as befitted His awesome power. His face would look out regally on everyone and everything. He would indeed be the King of kings, the Man in total control. It was done. “Jesus is the greatest figure in human history,” the sculptor said when the clay model was finished, “and this statue will so represent Him.” But a funny thing happened on the way to the unveiling. The statue was left in a shed near the water. The dampness had its way with the clay Christ-statue. The upraised hands had drooped. They no longer commanded. Rather, they besought. The fiercely upturned face had lowered itself onto the Master’s chest. The person who wore this face had known many problems and was compassion itself. This was no longer a King before whom one would grovel and stutter, “Your Royal Majesty.” Rather, it was a Shepherd solicitous for every one of His sheep. At first, Thorvaldsen was bitterly disappointed by the accident. Then he realized, after reflection, that this was a more accurate Jesus than the one he had originally conceived. Indeed, it might have been providentially planned. So, he left it undisturbed. His original intention had been to inscribe the dictum “FOLLOW MY COMMANDS” on the base of the statue. But now he realized that was no longer appropriate. Instead, he chiseled the softer message “COME UNTO ME.” To this day, this benign Nazarene touches the hearts and spirits of those who enter the Copenhagen cathedral. It is reported that often Thorvaldsen’s masterpiece reduces spectators to tears. In most probability, it has more of a genuine effect on them than his majestic Christ ever would have had. The statue reminds them of His famous words to a puzzled Pontius Pilate in today’s Gospel, “My kingdom is not of this world.” (Father James Gilhooley). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 30) “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.” I am sure that most of you have read the immortal play Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare. After the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus and Cassius, the body of Caesar lies before the people.  It is then that Mark Anthony gives his famous speech reminding the people how much Caesar loved and cared for them.  He said, “Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him; the evil that men do lives after them; the good is often interred with their bones. So be it with Caesar. The noble Brutus has told you that Caesar was ambitious. If it were so, it was a grievous fault and grievously has Caesar answered it. Caesar was my friend, faithful and just to me. He has brought many captives here to Rome, whose ransom did the general coffers fill.” Then he mentioned Caesar’s will in which he made the Roman citizens his heir. — Often, we forget the good and great things people do for us. It took Mark Anthony to remind the Roman citizens of Caesar’s love and care. Then their hearts were set on fire. This morning may we remember the great love, care and power which Christ has bestowed upon us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

31)  King of kings and Lord of lords. Listed in any history book among the greatest leaders that the world has ever known would be the name, Augustus Caesar. It was Augustus Caesar who fixed the limits of the Roman Empire. It was during his reign that the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome that lasted for over 200 years, was initiated. It was Augustus who ordered the building of roads linking the colonies of the great Empire and allowing rapid access to subordinate governments. It was he who gave Rome its constitution, creating the office of Emperor and investing in that office unlimited power, though he never used the title Emperor himself. The age of Augustus was a bright spot in literature and the arts. It was the era that gave the world Virgil, and the great historians. Augustus was truly a great ruler. Is it not ironic, then, that 2000 years after the reign of Augustus Caesar, he is mainly remembered because every year at Christmas time, we read these timeless words: “In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed” (Luke 2:1) Among those to be taxed, of course, were Mary and Joseph from Nazareth. Augustus Caesar would truly be shocked to realize that during his reign was born One who was far greater than he. He was the One Who had been anointed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It was a minor official in the Roman Empire, Pontius Pilate, who  first asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” — Jesus obviously convinced Pilate that he was. For the Chief Priests obejected to the  formal charge, posted in Latin, Hebrew and Greek and attached to the head of Jesus’ cross):“Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews” (INRI — Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum; Latin). They protested that the charge  should have read, “This man said, ‘I am the King of the Jews!”  Pilate,  pushed past his limits of his unwilling compliance with their demands, snapped  at them, “What I have written, I have written!” (“Quod scripsi, scirpsi! – Latin). St. Teresa of Avila, the 16^th century Carmelite reformer, always referred to Jesus as “His Majesty,” and so He is. After 2000 years, His stature has not diminished.” (http://stjohngrandbay.org/wt/client/v2/story/WT_Story.cfm?SecKey=151) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

32)  Jesus wins, Pilate loses: George III of England, America’s enemy in the Revolutionary War, felt terrible about the loss of the colonies. It was said, in fact, that for the rest of his life, he could not say the word “independence” without tripping over it. He was an odd duck in many ways, but he had good insights. When the fighting in America stopped, King George and all his royal cronies in Europe were sure that George Washington would have himself crowned “Emperor of the New World.” That’s what they would have done. When he was told, on the contrary, that Washington planned to surrender his military commission and return to farming at Mt. Vernon, George III said, “Well, if he does that, he will be the greatest man in the world.” —  There is power in giving up power, in emptying oneself. Jesus knew it, Pilate didn’t. (William R. Boyer, A Confusion of the Heart.  Freedom Riders). Quoted by Fr. Kayala. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

33) Freedom Riders in the American South: Recently I heard someone tell a story about the experiences of the Freedom Riders in the American South during the ’50s and ’60s and their struggle for civil rights. The story was a vivid illustration of how life changes when Jesus has the last word, when Jesus is King. When the Freedom Riders traveled through the South staging their sit-ins and marches and protests, they were often arrested and jailed. The guardians of racial segregation and the status quo were not going to let them have the last word. While in jail the Freedom Riders were often treated poorly and brutally in order to break their spirits. They were deprived of food or given lousy food. Noise was blasted, and lights were flashed all day and night to keep them from resting. Sometimes even some of their mattresses were removed in order that all would not have a place to sleep. For a while it seemed to work. Their spirits were drained and discouraged, but never broken. It happened more than once and in more than one jail. Eventually the jail would begin to rock and swing to sounds of Gospel singing. What began as a few weak voices would grow into a thundering and defiant chorus. The Freedom Riders would sing of their Faith and their freedom. Sometimes they would even press their remaining mattresses out of their cells between the bars as they shouted, “You can take our mattresses, but you can’t take our souls!” — The Freedom Riders were behind bars in jail, but they were really free. They were supposed to be guilty, but they were really innocent. They were supposedly suffering, but they were actually having a great time. They were supposedly defeated but they were actually victorious. Why? They may not have said it, but they could have: because Jesus has the last word, because Christ is King! (Steven E. Albertin, Against the Grain — Words for a Politically Incorrect Church, CSS Publishing). Quoted by Fr. Kayala). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

34) Gandhi’s Strength: In the published diaries of Joseph Goebbels, the infamous Nazi Propagandist, there are two or three references to Mahatma Gandhi. Goebbels believed that Gandhi was a fool and a fanatic. If Gandhi had the sense to organize militarily, Goebbels thought, he might hope to win the freedom of India. He was certain that Gandhi couldn’t succeed following a path of non-resistance and peaceful revolution. Yet as history played itself out, India peacefully won her independence while the Nazi military machine was destroyed. — What Goebbels regarded as weakness actually turned out to be strength. What he thought of as strength turned out to be weakness. This what happened to Christ the King. (Kevin M. Pleas, Sufficient Grace) Quoted by Fr. Kayala. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). (L/24)

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 60) 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, Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Joseph  M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

Nov 18-23 (2024) Nov 18 Monday: Dedication of Basilicas of Saints. Peter & Paul: Matthew 14:22-36: 22 Then he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat by this time was many furlongs distant from the land, beaten by the waves; for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately he spoke to them, saying, “Take heart, it is I; have no fear.” 28 And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water.” 29 He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; 30 but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.” 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “O man of little faith, why did you doubt?” 32..36

Historical note: Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral Church of Rome by Pope Sylvester I (AD 314-335), in AD 324. This Church serves as the Episcopal seat of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome and, hence, is called “the Mother and Head of all Churches of Rome and the world.”

The basilica and baptistery were built originally by the Emperor Constantine and called Basilica Constantinia. Later it was named the Arch-Basilica of the Most Holy Savior. However, it is now called St. Johns Lateran Basilica because it was built on property donated to the Church by the Laterani family, and because the monks from the monastery of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Divine served it. The name St. Johns comes, first, from the Baptistery, rebuilt after its hard treatment by the Visigoths (AD 410), by Pope St. Sixtus II (AD 432-440), and dedicated by him to St. John the Baptist. Later, Pope St. Hilary (AD 461-468), dedicated it to St. John the Evangelist, in thanksgiving to that apostle for saving his life. [Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes (San Francisco, CA:
HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp. 58-58, 71-72, 77-78.]. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm

The context: The event presented by today’s Gospel is the scene immediately following Jesus’ miraculous feeding of the five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish. Sensing the danger of having the people make him leader of a revolt, Jesus promptly instructed his apostles to leave the place by boat and, after dispersing the crowd, went alone to the mountain to pray.

A double miracle on the sea: When the apostles in the boat were several furlongs away from the shore, they faced an unexpected storm on the sea caused by the hot wind of the desert rushing into the Sea of Galilee through the gaps in the Golan Heights. Recognizing the danger, Jesus walked on the stormy waters toward the boat. Jesus calmed the frightened disciples as He approached the boat, allowed Peter to do a trial walk on water, then saved the apostle from drowning when he panicked. As soon as Jesus brought Peter into the boat the storm ceased miraculously. The apostles recognized the presence of God in their midst, and they all worshipped Jesus. Life messages: 1) Let us approach Jesus with strong Faith in his ability and willing availability to calm the storms in our lives and in the life of the Church. Church History shows us how Jesus saved his Church from storms of persecution in the first three centuries, storms of heresies in the fifth and sixth centuries, storms of moral degradation and the Protestant reformation movement in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, and storms of sex abuse scandals of the clergy in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. 2) Let us ask Jesus to protect us when we face storms of strong temptations, storms of doubts about our religious beliefs, and storms of fear, anxiety, and worries about the future, as in the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, in our personal lives. 3) Experiencing Jesus’ presence in our lives, let us confess our Faith in him and call out for his help and protection. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

Nov 19 Tuesday: Lk 19:1-10: 1 He entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector, and rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. 4 So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw it, they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.” 8 …9

The context: The theme of today’s Gospel is the benevolent and forgiving mercy of God for sinners and the response of repentance and conversion expected from us. The story is that of the instantaneous conversion of the tax-collector, Zacchaeus. As the chief tax-collector in Jericho, Zacchaeus was probably a man of much wealth and few friends. Since he worked for the Romans and extracted more tax money than required by the law, he was probably hated by the Jews who considered all tax-collectors as public sinners. The account describes how Jesus recognized Zacchaeus for exactly who he was – a lost sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus’ response lets us see how God’s grace worked in Zacchaeus to lead him from idle curiosity to repentance, conversion, and the making of restitution. The episode emphasizes the fact that such a conversion can only result from a person’s fully receiving the love, acceptance, and grace of a merciful Lord. The story of Zacchaeus reinforces the lessons of the fifteenth chapter of Luke in which a lost sheep and a lost coin are found, and a lost son is embraced. It also demonstrates the fact that nobody is beyond the possibility of conversion.

Life messages: 1) We need to accept the Divine invitation to repentance. We are all sinners to a greater or lesser degree. Jesus is inviting each one of us to total conversion today by means of this Gospel lesson. Let us remember that Jesus loves us, in spite of our ugly thoughts, broken promises, and sullied ideals, our lack of prayer, our lack of Faith, our resentments, and our lusts. Hence, let us confess to Him all our weaknesses and sins, repenting, and ask Him trustfully for His Mercy. 2) We need to love others in spite of their sins, as Jesus loves us. Jesus loved Zacchaeus—a great sinner — and by that love, Zacchaeus was transformed. As parents or teachers, can we lovingly accept our children without first setting up for them standards of behavior as conditions for being loved? Just as Jesus loved Zacchaeus, even though he was a public sinner, so we must love others in spite of their sins. Jesus expects this of us. 3) We need to be set free from selfishness and choose generosity: Zacchaeus was changed from being greedy to being generous, from selfishness to selflessness. When we feel the warmth of God’s presence within us, that warmth will, in itself, melt our coldness and selfishness, leading us to repentance and generosity. (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

Nov 20 Wednesday: Lk 19:11-28: 11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.’ 17..28

The context: The central theme of today’s Gospel is an invitation to live in such a way that we make the best use of the talents God has given us, so that at the hour of our death Our Lord will say: “Well done, good servant! Come and share the joy of your Master.” The parable of the talents challenges us to do something positive, constructive, and life-affirming with our talents here and now.

The parable: A very rich Master, about to set off on a journey, entrusted very large sums of money (talents), to three of his servant-slaves (10 according to Luke 19), each according to his personal ability: five, two, and one. He wanted them to do business with the money in his absence. Through skillful trading and investing, the servant-slaves with the five talents and the two talents managed to double their master’s money. But the servant-slave with one talent buried it in the ground for fear of loss in business. On the day of accounting, the Master rewarded the two clever servant-slaves and punished the third servant-slave whom he called “wicked and slothful.” He took the third servant-slave’s talent and gave it to the first servant-slave.

Life messages: 1) We need to trust God enough to make use of the gifts and abilities He has given us. We may be especially talented in teaching children, or cooking meals, or repairing homes, or programming computers. Let us use our particular gifts in the service of our families, our Christian community, and the wider society. 2) We need to make use of our talents in our parish. We should be always willing to share our abilities in creative worship in the Church and in the various ministries in our parish, such as Sunday-school teacher, singer in the choir, volunteer, and/or member of one or more of the various parish organizations and community outreach programs. 3) We need to trade with our talent of Christian Faith: All of us in the Church today have received at least one talent namely, the gift of Faith. Our responsibility is not just to preserve and “keep” the Faith, but to work with it and grow with it. We need to promote and add value to Faith by living it out. (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

Nov 21 Thursday:The Presentation of Blessed Virgin Mary: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/presentation-of-mary/  Mt 12:46-50 This feast commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a young girl in the Temple. (Mary’s house was in Nazareth, 95 miles away from Jerusalem which meant 4-5 days walking distance). Tradition holds that all young Jewish girls were left in the care of the Temple for a period, during which they were educated in reading Scriptures, singing liturgical songs and helping in the Temple. As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the Temple only in apocryphal literature. The Protoevangelium of James (recognized as an unhistorical account), tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was very young. Later versions of the story (such as the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary), tell us that Mary was taken to the Temple at around the age of three in fulfillment of a vow made by her parents. Tradition held that she was to remain there to be educated in preparation for her role as Theotokos — Mother of God. This was to carry out her mother’s promise made to God when Anna was still childless. The feast originated as a celebration of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the New, built in AD 543 by the Byzantines under Emperor Justinian I near the site of the ruined Temple in Jerusalem.  The feast originated in the Orient probably about the 7th century. The Eastern Orthodox church celebrates it on November 21 as one of its twelve “Great Feasts.” The feast continued to be celebrated throughout the East, and by the ninth century had spread to the west,  first in the monasteries of Southern Italy.  It was  formally introduced into the whole Western Church in the 14th century. In the 1974 encyclical Marialis Cultus, Pope St. Paul VI (canonized by Pope Francis, October 14, 2018) wrote, “despite its apocryphal content, it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable traditions having their origins in the Eastern Churches.” Though it cannot be proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.

Life message: 1) Every Holy Mass in which we participate is our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through our Savior Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass. Hence, we need to live our daily lives with the awareness both that we are dedicated people consecrated to God and that we are therefore obliged to lead holy lives. We offer ourselves to God, asking to be made holy under the patronage of Mary and assisted by her powerful intercession and the union of her merits. 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

Nov 22 Friday: St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-cecilia  Lk 19: 45-48: 45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him; 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

Context: Today’s Gospel gives us the dramatic account of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem.  He drove out its merchants and money-changers with moral indignation at the unjust commercialization of God’s House of Prayer and the exploitation of the poor pilgrims in the name of religion.  The merchants charged exorbitant prices for the animals to be sacrificed, and the money-changers charged unjust commissions for the required exchange of pagan coins for Temple coins.  The Temple Jesus cleansed was the Temple in Jerusalem, originally built by Solomon in 966 BC, rebuilt by Zerubbabel in 515 BC after the Babylonians had destroyed it, and in Jesus’ day was still being renovated, a work begun by King Herod the Great in 20 BC.  The abuses which infuriated Jesus were: 1) the conversion of a place of prayer into a noisy marketplace, and 2), the unjust business practices of animal merchants and moneychangers, encouraged by the Temple authorities.  Hence, Jesus made a whip of cords and drove away the animals, the dealers and the money-changers, quoting the prophets, Isaiah and Jeremiah, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace” (Lk 19:46; see also, Is 56:7; Jer 7:11).

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the business mentality of loss and profit in Divine worship.  Our relationship with God must be that of child-to-parent, with no thought of loss or gain, but only of mutual love, respect, and the common good.  2) Secondly, we need to remember that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by acts of impurity, injustice, pride, hatred, or jealousy.   3) We need to love our parish Church and use it.  Our Church is the place where we come together as a community to praise and worship God, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask pardon and forgiveness for our sins, and to receive His offered healing and nourishment.  Let us make our Church an even more holy place by adding our prayers and songs to community worship and by offering our time and talents in the various ministries of our parish. (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

Nov 23 Saturday: St. Clement I, Pope, Martyr: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-clement  St. Columban, Abbot, https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-columban;  St. Migul Austin Pro, Priest, Martyr: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/blessed-miguel-agustin-pro    Lk 20: 27-40: 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; 30 and the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.  32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; 35-40

The context: Jesus reached Jerusalem for His final Passover feast.  As part of a well-planned plot to trap Jesus, the chief priests, the scribes and the Pharisees met Jesus with controversial questions.  The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection of the dead because they claimed that Moses wrote nothing about it.  If Jesus defended the concept of the resurrection, the Sadducees would be angered; if Jesus failed to do so, the Pharisees would be enraged.  In either case, one group would be alienated. Hence, in their hypothetical question, they asked Jesus who, in Heaven, would be the husband of the woman who had been married (levirate marriage) in succession to seven of her brothers–in-law (levires), and had died childless.

Jesus goes on the offensive as defense: Jesus begins the counter- argument by pointing out the ignorance of the Sadducees about the existence and nature of life after death with God.  Then Jesus provides positive Biblical proof for the reality of resurrected existence.  Jesus is presuming that Yahweh’s burning bush statement demonstrates that these three patriarchs were still alive at the time of Moses, 600 years after their deaths.  Since God declared Himself to be God of the patriarchs, He must somehow still be sustaining the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, thus granting them resurrection and eternal life. Thus, Jesus uses the Sadducees’ sacred text of the Torah to refute their anti-resurrection belief.   Second, Jesus explains that the afterlife will not be just an eternal replay of this life.  Things will be different after death.  Normal human relationships, including marriage, will be transformed.  Then Jesus tells the Sadducees that those to whom God has granted resurrection and Heavenly life with Him will be immortal, like the angels, and hence “children of God.”

Life messages: 1) We need to live the lives of Resurrection people: That is, we are not to lie buried in the tomb of our sins and evil habits.  Instead, we are to live joyful and peaceful lives, constantly experiencing the Real Presence of the Risen Lord Who gives us the assurance that our bodies also will be raised. 2) The salutary thought of our own resurrection and eternal glory should also inspire us to honor our bodies, keeping them holy, pure, and free from evil habits, and to respect those with whom we come in contact, rendering them loving and humble service. (Fr. Kadavil) (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

O.T. XXXIII [B] (Nov 17) Sunday (8-minute homily in one page)

Central theme: Today’s readings give us the assurance that our God will be with us all the days of our lives and that we will have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, guiding, protecting, and strengthening us in spite of our necessary uncertainty concerning the end time when “Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” Each year at this time, the Church asks us to consider our “four last things” – Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell , or the end, judgment, reward, punishment.

Scripture lessons summarized: The readings invite us to focus our attention on the threefold coming of Jesus: 1) His first coming according to the flesh, as Redeemer. 2) His second coming, either at our death, or at the end of time and the world, which will bring our salvation to completion. 3) His coming into our lives each time we step forward in genuine Christian living of loving God living in others by sharing our blessings with them and serving them with agape love.

The first reading, taken from the prophet Daniel (167 BC), was originally given to comfort and give hope to the Jewish people persecuted by a cruel pagan Greek king, Antiochus Epiphanes. It also advises us to live wisely and justly in the present time, instead of worrying about the unknown future. Through the Psalm Response for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 16), the Holy Spirit has us sing our Faith affirmation, “You are my inheritance, O Lord!” In today’s second reading, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews challenges us to look to the future with hope and serenity because Jesus, having secured the forgiveness of our sins and our sanctification through the sacrifice on the cross, sits forever at God’s right hand as the one Mediator between man and God.

Today’s Gospel, taken from Mark (AD 69), offered hope to early Christians persecuted by the Roman Emperor Nero, by reminding them of Jesus’ words about His glorious return to earth with great power and glory as Judge to gather and reward the elect. Daniel and Markcontinue toremind us that God will ensure that the righteous will survive the ordeal and will find a place with Him. Through the parable of the fig tree, Jesus warns us all to read the “signs of the time,” reminding us that we must be ever prepared to give an account of our lives to Jesus when He comes in glory as our Judge, because we cannot know “either the day or the hour” of His Second Coming.

Life messages: 1) Let us recognize the “second coming” of Jesus in our daily lives through everyday occurrences, always remembering that Jesus comes without warning. But let us not get frightened at the thought of Christ’s Second Coming, because Jesus is with us every day, abiding with the Father and the Holy Spirit in our hearts, dwelling in our Church in the Holy Eucharist, teaching us in the Holy Bible, and unifying us with Him and each other in our worshipping communities. We will be able to welcome Jesus in His Second Coming as long as we faithfully do the will of God by daily serving our brothers and sisters, recognizing Christ’s presence in them, and by being reconciled with God and with our brothers and sisters every day.

2) We need to “learn the lesson from the fig tree.” This means that we are to watch and wait in a state of readiness. Instead of worrying about the endtime events, we are asked to live every day of our lives loving God living in others, by our committed service to them with sacrificial agape love.

OT XXXIII (Nov 17) SUNDAY: Dn 12:1-3; Heb 10:11-14, 18; Mk 13:24-32

Homily starter anecdotes:  #1: Scientific theories on the end of the world: Scientists have fueled public anxiety by citing a series of possible ways in which the world could come to an end, e.g. (a) Sucked into a black hole. A large dead star which has collapsed and has become so incredibly dense that even light cannot escape it, a “black hole” is thought to be a fatal attraction for any nearby matter; (b) Death of the Sun: “The Sun will run out of fuel and enter its red-giant phase. Its final burst of glory will expand and engulf the closest planets, leaving Earth a charred, lifeless rock. But our planet has around five billion years left.” (Astrophysicist Katie Mack begins her book on the end of the Universe) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02338-w. (c) The Big Crunch: Astrophysicists long considered the most likely reversal of the Big Bang — the Big Crunch. Outside our cosmic neighborhood, every galaxy is zooming away from us; a clear sign of expansion. If the Universe holds enough matter, including dark matter, the combined gravitational attraction of everything will gradually halt this expansion and precipitate the ultimate collapse. Over time, galaxies, then individual stars, will smash into each other more frequently, killing off any life on nearby planets. In the final moments, as densities and temperatures soar in a contracting inferno, all that remains will extinguish in a single point. (https://futurism.com/four-ways-the-universe-could-end) (d)Climate change. Another ice age or glacial period is expected in 2,000–10,000 years; if and when it occurs, over eight billion people will try to survive on 30% less land mass; (e) The Greenhouse Effect. A predicted temperature increase of 6^o F is expected by the year 2030; if this occurs, polar regions will thaw, ocean levels will rise and vast areas of earth will be flooded; (f) Collision. Earth may be hit by a meteorite, asteroid or comet; (f) Cosmic Rays. Earth’s magnetic field is waning at present, making it susceptible to the rays of an exploding supernova and/or solar flares; (g) Nuclear War and its Aftermath. A familiar and frightening scenario: a possible nuclear war could wipe out up to 90% of the U.S. population and 50% of that of Russia. [Adapted from Sanchez Files).] — But today’s readings give us the assurance that our God will be with us all the days of our lives and that we will have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst guiding, protecting and strengthening us in spite of our necessary human uncertainty concerning the end time when “Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” So, the Church advises us to entrust the unknown and unknowable future to God’s caring and capable hands.

# 2: $ 57, 000 for Jesus’ shopping in his second coming: In 1981, a man left $57,000 in his will to Jesus. It was for His own use when He returned at the Second Coming. The money was to be invested at the highest interest in the meantime. —  Does anyone really think that Jesus will be shopping at a posh department store for a new seamless robe and sandals upon His return? Does anyone feel money is what He shall require from us at the Parousia? Is this what the Nazarene is all about? Christ is more interested in the way we conduct our lives this moment rather than tomorrow. He is more eager to see us improve life for others today than He is to remove us from it. Andrew Greeley has some wise thoughts on this point.  ”The Second Coming, the New Age, the New Epoch,” he says, “can and should be happening throughout this day and week.” I saw the Second Coming at a Soup Kitchen where I worked. A white woman volunteer gave a black man soup, pasta, and coffee. As he was leaving, he thanked her. Then she noticed the bad condition of his shoes. She told him to wait. From the clothing closet, she brought several pair. The woman got down on her knees and fitted each pair. Finally, she found his fit. In this forty-minute encounter, Jesus in His Second Coming was present. I was watching Him washing His apostles’ feet all over again. I witnessed the New Age today at a fast-food restaurant. A busload of children treated their waitress with kindness. “Please” and “thank you” were more plentiful than hamburgers and cokes. They cleaned their table. They left a generous tip and a happy waitress. There was no doubt but that the Lord was present. I see the New Epoch every time one of you gives me $100 and asks me to give it to a family having a difficult time. If one looks sharp enough, you can see a smile on Christ’s face. I observed the New Order yesterday. I was lost and could not find the correct road. I asked directions of a young man. Though he was in as much a hurry as I, he U-turned and told me to follow him for several miles. Then he put my car on the correct road. Can you not hear Jesus applaud as I tell you this story? I heard of the Second Coming yesterday. A mother told me of her return from a long journey. On her kitchen table, she found a dozen carnations waiting to greet her. The benefactor was her teen son. That day she saw Christ in her boy. I saw the New Epoch last week. A priest had heard that hostiles in a parish were gleefully giving another priest, whom he hardly knew, a hard time. He phoned. “May I buy you a good lunch?” The trip cost him not only the restaurant bill but also a round trip of 140 miles, and over half a tank of gas. Was not the Nazarene riding with him that day? You, I am sure, can fill in the blanks and tell me of the times when you saw the Second Coming this past week. And hopefully you were the cause of it.  (Fr. James Gilhooley)

Introduction: Today’s readings give us the assurance that our God will be with us all the days of our lives and that we will have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst guiding, protecting, and strengthening us in spite of our necessary human uncertainty concerning the endtime when “Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.”  Next Sunday is the Thirty-fourth and last Sunday in our liturgical year when we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, and the following Sunday marks the beginning of the Advent season with a new Liturgical Cycle – C – for our Sunday Readings for the 2021-2022 Liturgical Year.   Each year at this time, the Church asks us to mediate on the “four last things” – Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell — as they apply to us. The readings invite us to focus our attention on the threefold coming of Jesus: 1) His first coming according to the flesh, as Redeemer.  2) His second coming, either at our death, or at the end of time and the world, which will bring our salvation to completion.  3) His coming into our lives each time we step forward in genuine Christian living which will prepare us for His final coming at the End  of the  world of time and space and the Final Judgment.   The first reading with its vision of the archangel Michael, taken from the prophet Daniel (167 BC), was originally given to comfort and give hope to the Jewish people, persecuted by a cruel pagan king. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 16) reminds each of us that God Himself is “my allotted portion and my cup,” and that “with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.” In the second reading, the author of the letter to the Hebrews consoles believers suffering from “endtime phobia” with the knowledge that Jesus, who sits forever at God’s right hand, is our Mediator. By the willing  sacrifice of His human life, Jesus  has forgiven our sins and sanctified us.  Today’s Gospel, taken from Mark (AD 69), offered hope to early Christians persecuted by the Roman Emperor Nero, and to us as well, reminding us of Jesus’ words about His glorious return to earth with great power and glory as Judge in order to gather and reward God’s  elect.  Though Daniel and Mark describe frightful scenes, their accounts also remind their audiences, and us, that God will ensure that the righteous will survive the ordeal and will find a place with Him. Through the parable of the fig tree, Jesus warns us all to read the “signs of the time,” and reminds us that we must be ever prepared to give an account of our lives to Jesus our Judge, because we cannot know “either the day or the hour” of our own death or of His final coming. When or how this world will end is of no great importance to us; what is important is that we shall leave this world very soon and our eternity will depend on the state of our consciences at the moment of our departure.

The first reading Dn 12:1-3, explained: Today’s first reading, taken from the prophet Daniel (167 BC), originally given to comfort and give hope to the Jewish people being persecuted by a cruel pagan king, advises us to live wisely and justly in the present time instead of worrying about the unknown future.  In the second century BC, the Jews were conquered by the Greeks.  The Greek king, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, tried to Hellenize the Jews by imposing Greek norms on them, by forbidding them to practice circumcision, by stripping the Temple of its valuables, by burning the Torah scrolls, by introducing the worship of Greek gods to the Jews, forcing the Jews to join in the worship of these pagan gods.  In this frightening and dangerous time, the Lord God’s prophetic message to Israel through Daniel addressed the needs of the suffering Jewish people, bolstering their morale and promising them the sure and definite intervention of Yahweh, their God of power and glory, even if they faced persecutions and hardship for a short term.  Hence, they believed that Yahweh was on the verge of stepping into the world and definitively changing everything (Dan 12:1-3).  This short passage also describes the “great tribulation,” the “resurrection of the dead” and the Divine Judgment with its rewards for the wise and righteous and its punishments for the foolish and wicked.  Thus, today’s selection from Daniel introduces the belief in the resurrection of the dead and makes the first mention in the Bible of “everlasting life,” while such a doctrine was almost unprecedented among Jews even in the second century BC. Although this world will have an end marked by great upheavals and disasters, these will be followed immediately by a new and everlasting existence.

Second Reading, Hebrews 10:11-14, 18: St. Paul continues to contrast the priesthood of Christ with the Jewish priesthood. This reading challenges us to look to the future with hope and serenity because Jesus, sitting forever at God’s right hand, is the Mediator Who secured the forgiveness of our sins and our sanctification through His willing, sacrificial death on the cross. The letter to the Hebrews was written for Jewish converts to Christ, in part to help them cope with the loss of the comforts they had enjoyed within the institutions of Judaism and from which they had been excluded by their conversion.  The author’s intent was to show that Jesus Himself had replaced those old institutions and exceeded them.  In today’s passage, the institutions in question are priesthood and sacrifices.  The author asserts that the old, repetitious sacrifices were futile, while the one sacrifice of Jesus makes us perfect forever and wins the forgiveness of sin, rendering further sacrifice unnecessary. Through Jesus’ saving gift of Himself, perfect praise has been offered to God, sin and guilt, have been expiated, and our absolute, intimate union with God has been achieved.  Jesus continues His priestly work in Heaven by interceding  for us in the presence of God, the Father. Furthermore, Jesus, the new and the only High Priest, has a seat at God’s right hand, closer than any other priest has ever come to Him.  For Jesus’ sacrifice made possible the forgiveness of sins and the formation of a new relationship between God and humankind.

Gospel exegesis: The context: Mark’s Gospel, written some 40 years after Jesus’ death, is the simplest, shortest, and oldest of the four Gospels.  This week’s Gospel text is taken from the thirteenth chapter of Mark, which, together with Matthew 24 and Luke 21, is often called the “Little Apocalypse.”  Apocalypse literally means unveiling. The whole of Mark’s thirteenth chapter is full of apocalyptic imagery and predictions borrowed from the Old Testament.  Verses 24-27 are taken from images appearing in the prophecies of Joel (2:10), Isaiah (13:10; 34:4), Daniel (7:13), Deuteronomy (30:3), and Zechariah (2:10).  Jesus skillfully weaves all these various strands into one powerful vision.  The Gospel of Mark was written in the year 69 AD, just one year before the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem, at a time when the Romans were suppressing Jewish protests and persecuting Christians.  Many Christians began wondering why Jesus did not return as He had promised.  Some even wondered whether he had really been the promised Messiah.  Hence, Mark tried to strengthen their Faith by quoting Jesus’ predictions of the coming persecution of the faithful (13:9-13), the destruction of Jerusalem (13:2, 7-9, 14-20), the rise of the Anti-Christ (13:5-6, 21-23), the end of the world, and Christ’s Second Coming (13:24-26).  Mark also offered hope to a persecuted community by reminding the people of Jesus’ promise that wars, natural disasters and betrayal by family members would be overcome when the Son of Man returned to earth to gather in His loved ones.

The glorious coming of the Son of Man: In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks about the displacement of celestial bodies at the end of the world, followed by the appearance of the Son of Man in glory to establish the Reign of God.  The coming of the Son of Man, “in clouds with great power and glory,” echoes a passage in Daniel.  Cosmic disturbances of the sun, moon, and stars are images traditionally associated with the manifestations of God’s judgment on Israel. In the Creed we recite at Mass, we proclaim that Jesus “will come again to judge the living and the dead.” The New Testament writers used the Greek word Parousia which means the arrival and presence of a king, to describe this second coming of Jesus. Although no time-frame is given in the Gospels for the period between the destruction of Jerusalem and the final coming of Jesus as King and Lord of all, the early Christians believed that Jesus would come in their lifetime, based on their understanding of Jesus’ promise in Mark, “this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place.”

Parable of the fig tree and warning for watchfulness: Jesus gives a warning lesson from the fig tree, using stock prophetic expressions well known to his listeners (Ezra 9:3; 13:1; Baruch 27:5-13; Amos 8:9; Joel 2:10, 3:15; Ezekiel 32: 7, 8; Isaiah 27:13, 35; Micah 7:12; Zechariah 10:6-11).  The fig tree sprouts its leaves in late spring heralding the summer season.  The application of this image to the end of the world suggests that the end of the world will mean good times, or summer, for Jesus’ disciples, because their God will be bringing things to a triumphant end, and His Truth, Love, and Justice will prevail forever.  But we must always be well prepared to face our judgment because we do not know the day nor the hour, either of the ending of the world or of our own call from this life.  Hence, true disciples are to watch and wait in a state of readiness.  Instead of worrying about the endtime events, we are asked to live every day of our lives in loving God in Himself and as living in others through our committed service.  Thus, we will enter into a deeper relationship with God, which will continue when we pass through death into a different kind of life.

Life messages: 1) Let us recognize the “second coming” of Jesus in our daily lives. Today’s Gospel reminds us of a “coming” of God which we tend to forget, namely, God’s daily coming to us in the ordinary events of our lives.  We must learn to recognize and welcome Him in these everyday occurrences – happy, encouraging, painful, or disappointing – always remembering that He comes without warning.  Let us remember that the Lord is present wherever people treat each other with gentleness, generosity, and thoughtfulness.  Hence, let us try to bring Jesus to earth, as St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) puts it: “by doing little things to others around us with great love.”

2) Let us take heart and not be frightened: The end of the world should never be thought of as depressing, disheartening, or frightening because we are in the hands of a good and loving God.  Christ’s second coming gives us the message that God is journeying with us in the trials and difficulties of life, and that His word is ever-present as a light of hope.  He speaks to us through the Bible.  We have the Eucharist as a sign that God is with us, in our midst.  Holy Communion is our point of direct, personal contact with God.  That is why the holy Mass is special: the more fully and frequently we participate in the Mass, the more deeply the Lord can come to us, and the more completely He can remain with us. Let no one frighten us with disturbing descriptions of the end of the world because “the end” is all about the birth of everyone and everything into eternity.

3) Are we ready to meet our Lord with a clear conscience?  Suppose we were to learn today that we had just one year to live – that we would die on November 14, 2022.  What changes would we make in our lives?  If, to our dismay, we find there are several things which have to be put right before facing our Judge we will start right away to put them right. We will put our books in order; we will make peace with God and our neighbors. How would we spend our time, talents, wealth?  What changes would we make in our priorities? Would we be concerned about the petty quarrels and bickering of life?  No!  The next twelve months would be the best year of our lives because we would spend our time doing loving, holy and worthwhile things.

4) “Learn the lesson from the fig tree.”  Jesus tells us that our personal “endtime” is a prelude to eternal happiness.  However, we are all so taken in by our secular culture’s fascination and glamour that we are sometimes embarrassed or saddened by the signs of our own approaching end.  We foolishly consider growing old as an evil thing, rather than as a warning from a loving God to prepare to meet Him and to give an account of our lives.  Our aches and pains and frequent “doctor’s appointments” in our senior years should remind us of God’s warning that we are growing unfit to live in this world, and that we have to get ready for another world of eternal happiness.  Hence, let us take the spirit of the 27th Psalm: “Wait for the Lord.  Take courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord” (v. 14).

JOKES OF THE WEEK

#1: “You’ll wish you were Jewish!!”  A Protestant minister and a Catholic priest enjoyed teasing their Jewish rabbi friend, continually asking him when he was going to convert to their Faith.  When the Holidays rolled around, the rabbi sent them a card with the following: “Season’s Greetings!  Roses are reddish, Violets are bluish; When the Messiah comes, you’ll wish you were Jewish!!”

#2: Missed the “rapture” by a minute:  A certain man, Herbert Washington by name, was so taken up by the nearness of Christ’s second coming and “the rapture” that he became a pain in the neck to his coworkers.  So his coworkers hatched a plan to pay him back in his own coin.  One day, when Herbert went to the washroom, they laid their work clothes on their chairs and hid in the supply room.  When Herbert came back from the washroom, he thought the rapture had taken place.  The Muslim janitor, who was part of the joke, pretended to have witnessed everyone disappear and ran around the office feigning panic.  Herbert fell to the ground clutching his heart and screaming, “I knew you’d forget me, Jesus!  What did I do wrong?”  He was rushed to a local hospital with what was diagnosed as a mild heart attack. (Fr. Munachi).

#3: The Second Coming. A Sunday school teacher asked his class, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the Church, would that get me into Heaven?  “NO!” the children all answered.  “If I cleaned the Church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”  Again, the answer was, “NO!”  Again the teacher asked, “Well, then, if I were kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my wife, would that get me into Heaven?”  Again, they all answered, “NO!”  “Well then how can I get into Heaven?”  A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD!”  Good insight for a five-year old!

#4: Somnambulist or Methodist? “Be constantly on the watch!  Stay awake,” Jesus commands.  The signs-of-the-times are such that, clearly, this is no time for somnambulists.  A somnambulist, as you know, is a person who walks in his sleep.  On the eve of his wedding, a young man decided to confess all to his fiancée.  He went to her and said, “My love, there is something I feel I must tell you before we are married; something you must know. It may make a difference in your feeling toward me.  You see, I am a somnambulist.”  The young lady thought for a moment, then replied, “Oh that’s all right.  There’s no problem.  I was raised a Methodist.  We can go to your Church one Sunday and to mine the next.”

 Websites of the week

1) A handy link for all things Catholic:  http://www.catholicusa.com/

2) Questions on Church teaching: www.catholic.com

3) Courses on the Bible: www.salvationhistory.com

4) Information about Catholic and Christian faith: www.americancatholic.org

5) Mark 13: 24-32 commentaries: http://www.4catholiceducators.com/gospel-mark-13-a.htm

6) Dr. Bryant Pitro’s commentary on Cycle B Sunday Scripture: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-b

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

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

8) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: (Type or copy https://sundayprep.org on the topmost URL column in Google search or YouTube Search and press the Enter button of the Keyboard.

9) Exegetical Notre Dame de Lourdes homily: https://youtu.be/e60z8t7mfm8

10) Bishop Barron’s homily: vhttps://www.wordonfire.org/resources/homily/the-end-of-the-world/605/

26 Additional anecdotes

1) The end time phobia: French “prophet” and astrologer Nostradamus (1503-1566), foretold that the world would end when Easter fell on April 25.  This happened in 1666, 1734, 1886 and 1943; it will occur again in 2038.  In 1379, St. Vincent Ferrer (1350-1419), a Spanish Dominican monk, basing his prediction on the number of verses in the Book of Psalms (2,537 verses), predicted the demise of the world in AD 3936.  By the end of 1998, the Mount of Olives Hotel, run by Palestinian Muslims, wrote to 2,000 Protestant Christian groups in the U.S. asking “How would you like to be reserving your rooms at the Mount of Olives Hotel, to wait for  the ‘second coming’ of  Jesus on the first day of the new millennium,  2000 A.D.?”  Some scientists fueled public anxiety by citing a series of possible ways, including nuclear war and collision with a comet, in which the world could come to an end.  A very popular book in 1989 was 89 Reasons Why the World Will End in 1989.  The Jehovah’s Witnesses frightened gullible followers at least 3 times during the last century with their “end of the world” predictions in 1914, 1918 and 1974.  It is this paranoid fear that led people to die in the mass suicides organized by Heaven’s Gate and Jim Jones.  The film Omega Code, released in October 1999, was an independent movie funded by the Trinity Broadcasting Network, the largest Evangelical Christian TV network in the U.S.  It was promoted by a team of 2,400 U.S. Evangelical pastors.  The plot involved a portrayal of the “rapture” at the imminent “Second coming” of Jesus, when “born again” and “saved” Christians, both alive and dead, are supposed to fly upward in the air to meet Jesus.  The film was rated in the top 10 grossing movies for October, 1999.  Over 17 million copies of Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins’ “Second Coming” novel, Left Behind, were sold by July 27, 2000.  This is how modern man reacts to the reality of the coming of the end of the world.  — Hence, today’s readings remind us that we should be well prepared and always ready to meet Jesus at any time, daily in our brothers and sisters, and at His Final coming for us — at the end of our lives or the end of the world, whichever comes first.

2)  Bingo first! Who cares about the Second coming? There is a second group of people who ignore Christ’s Parousia and stick to their addictions. A woman was hurrying home from work. This was her Bingo night. Suddenly she spotted this fellow standing on the edge of the pavement holding aloft a placard which read: The end of the world is near. She went up to him and said, “You say the end of the world is near.” “That’s right, missus,” he replied. “But are you sure?” “Quite sure, missus.” “And you say it’s near.” “Yes, missus.” ”How near?” “Oh, very near.” “Could you be more precise?” “This very night, Missus.” She paused for a moment to reflect on this. Then in a voice full of anxiety, she asked, “Tell me, son. Will it be before or after Bingo?” (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies).

3) The Judgment Day: President John F. Kennedy was very fond of a particular story, which he often used to close his speeches during his 1960 presidential campaign. It is the story of Colonel Davenport, Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives back in the year 1789.  One day, while the House was in session, the sky of Hartford suddenly grew dark and gloomy. Some of the Evangelical House representatives looked out the windows and thought this was a sign that the end of the world had come.  Uproar ensued, with the representatives calling for immediate adjournment.  But Davenport rose and said, “Gentlemen, the Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not.  If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment.  If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty.  Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.”  Candles were brought and the session continued. Today’s readings contain the same message: we need always to be prepared to receive Jesus at his second coming by accepting Jesus now as our personal Savior and doing now what Jesus has commanded us to do.

4) Left Behind: The scene is the interior of a Boeing 747. It is the wee hours of morning and the plane is somewhere over the Atlantic en route to London. The captain leaves his cockpit and strolls down the aisle intending to flirt with the senior flight attendant. She is in shock. People are missing. They have vanished leaving shoes, socks, clothes, jewelry-everything behind. An elderly lady, sitting in first class, cries as she holds her husband’s sweater and pants. She has been left behind. (Matthew 24:40): “Two men will be in the field, one will be taken, the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill, one will be taken and the other left.” So begins Left Behind, the first novel of the immensely popular fiction series by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. Sixteen volumes are now on the market with 62 million copies sold for $650 million, along with a movie, web site, 2002 calendar, and survivor kits for children and youth. Tyndale publishers tripled their company’s profits in two years. — But the truth is that Left Behind is fiction, not fact. It has more to do with finances than faith. Its miracle lies in its marketing, not its theology. The Rapture, on which the whole series is built, is the remote idea that believers will somehow be caught up in the clouds with Jesus to avoid the great persecution spreading over the earth. Matthew knows nothing about “rapture” when he talks about the endtime. Just read the text. In Verse 36 we read, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Who of us is smarter than Jesus? Jesus didn’t even know. Why should we try to second guess the Savior? (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/frank-schaeffer/end-times-election-result_b_777865.html)

5) Additional endtime predictions: People have been predicting the end of the world since the first century. St. Paul thought Christ would return in his lifetime. Hippolytus, one of the early philosophers, predicted Christ would return in AD 500. In 960, German theologian, Bernard of Thuringia, calculated the end of the world would come in 992. Some were so sure the world was going to end in 1000 A.D. that they did not bother to plant crops. Astrologer, Johann Stoeffler, said the world would be flooded on February 20, 1524. Solomon Eccles, in 1665, ran through the streets of London carrying blazing sulfur on his head announcing that the world was going to go up in flames within the year. In 1874, Charles Russell, founder of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, concluded that Christ had already returned, but people would have another forty years of grace. In 1914 the denomination was forced to revise its timetable. Herbert Armstrong, in his publication, Plain Truth, set the date for the end of the world as January 7, 1972. The Year 2000, and more specifically, the projected Y2K computer problem, caused many to think “the end is at hand.” Some people made statements such as “a United Nations world-takeover is imminent” and that “Y2K will be the event that they use.” Some even claimed that Jesus spoke of Y2K in His Olivet Discourse, using Luke 21:25 as justification: “There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves.”

On September 12th of 2001, a false quotation of the 16th century French astrologer, Nostradamus, spread across the Internet, saying, “Metal birds, striking twin brothers, will mark the end of the world.” The Bible says our times are in God’s hands. We think in minutes. God thinks in millennia. Psalm 90:4 states, “For a thousand years in Your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night.” Martin Luther said in the 1500’s, “We have reached the time of the white horse of the apocalypse; this world can’t last any longer.” On April 3, 1843, one-half million Seventh Day Adventists waited for the end of the world. Some even climbed mountains hoping for a head start to heaven. Remember the Y2K scare at the turn of the last millennium? (http://www.tnnonline.net/tribnews/paranoia/milmadness/index.html)

6) More endtime fixations:  Endtime fixations are not exclusive manifestations of ancient communities. On October 23, 1844, thousands of Christians sold their earthly possessions, dressed in white robes, climbed to the tops of the highest mountains they could find, climbed to the tippy-tops of trees to get even higher, and waited for Jesus to return. They had been told this was the date by William Miller, a farmer from western New York who dabbled in apocalypticism which led him to declare this as the date of Jesus’ return based on his exegesis of the Scriptures. When no one went anywhere but down the mountain, he announced a calculation error. The real date was to be six months later, which also came and went as his followers now went . . . away . . . for good. Jim Jones was another apocalyptic leader. In the 1970s he moved his People’s Temple Full Gospel Church from San Francisco to Guyana, where he could wait for the endtime by creating a community that would live as if the endtime had already occurred. On November 18, 1978, Jim Jones and 911 of his followers ended their wait for the endtime by drinking cyanide-laced Kool-Aid. Other apocalyptic communities, from Mother Ann Lee’s Shakers to John Humphrey Noyes’ Oneida Community, sublimated their endtime energies into crafting, the first, Shaker furniture and the second, Oneida silverware. Jesus’ words to his disciples this morning warn us against such idle speculations or apocalypticism.  Apocalypticism can be defined as a set of beliefs and behaviors flowing from the assumption that humans are able to discover the date of the coming consummation of time, the coming Day of the Lord and the return of the Son of Man by using the speculations, learning and lore of sages and scholars, ancient and modern.

7) Still more Doomsday bluffing: Anticipating the end of the world in 1975, twenty-four men, women, and children from Grannis, Arkansas, moved into one tiny house and waited there for ten months. The end did not come as they had expected, and they were evicted for not paying their rent. In 1986 a man named Richard Kieninger of Garland, Texas, organized a group of people to survive the calamities of the end of time. On May 5, 2000, Kieninger’s followers planned to witness the last day from a dirt pile. Similarly in 1525, a German preacher. Johann Stoeffler, predicted the end of the world by flood. All of his parishioners built boats and rafts to survive the end. When the flood did not come, they threw Herr Stoeffler into a deep pond. Such was the case on October 22, 1844. The followers of William Miller, a farmer turned preacher, donned white ascension robes and waited on a hilltop for the Second Coming of Christ. When Christ did not come, they adjusted their beliefs and formed what is now known as the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Jesus said that we should not wait by trying to guess the date. Said Jesus, “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of Heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone” (Mt 24:36). Jesus wanted us to be ready for the day of the coming of the Lord at any time. He said that we must be ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour we least expect. Jesus’ call is clear: we are to expect the end — of our own lives, as of the end of the world – to come at any moment.

8) Christ is coming; be prepared: When the bi-partisan 9/11 commission members made their final report to Congress, they began their report with these words. “September 11, was a day of unprecedented shock and suffering in the history of the United States. The nation was unprepared. …. The 9/11 attacks were a shock, but they should not have come as a surprise.” What follows is a long list of warning signs that had been generally ignored by the Clinton and Bush administrations in their pursuit of other matters. Things have changed since then. Now the unofficial creed of the American Homeland war on terror is, “Be Vigilant, Be Watchful, and Be Prepared.” We must not be caught off-guard again. There are Christians who approach the coming of Christ the way the government deals with the war on terror. They ring out a danger and they announce a warning. With concern, they say, “You’d better get ready!  You’d better watch out — because before you know it, Christ will come.”

9) Jesus is the living Lord who will come again:  To live by Faith also means we will do what we can to offset the threat of the annihilation of life on earth, first of all, by registering our outrage at the atrocities that war, by itself, inflicts upon people. Not many of us can afford to do what Joan Kroc, the widow of the founder of McDonald’s fast-food chain, did just after Memorial Day had been celebrated in 1985. She bought full page advertisements in newspapers and had the following quotation from the late, former-President Dwight D. Eisenhower printed beside his picture in his military uniform: “Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children … This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.” Beyond our voiced or written objections to the arms race or the bomb race, it is for us Christians, as the expression of our Faith in God, to do the good works of love and mercy – feeding the hungry, caring for the poor, telling people the Good News in Jesus Christ – incumbent upon those who believe Jesus is the living Lord who will come again. [George M. Bass, The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown, (CSS Publishing Company, 1986), 0-89536-817-X]

10) “Does anybody really care?” The musical group, Chicago, recorded a song several years ago asking, “Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care?” When it comes to predicting the end of the world, Jesus says, nobody knows what time it is but God, so why should the rest of us try to learn it?

11 “He’ll find me hoeing cotton when he comes.” There is a beautiful Afro-American Spiritual song about waiting for the Lord’s second coming doing one’s duty faithfully:

There’s a king and a captain high, and he’s coming by and by
And he’ll find me hoeing cotton when he comes.
You can hear his legions charging, the regions of the sky
And he’ll find me hoeing cotton when he comes.

12) Saints and endtime: St. Francis of Assisi, Saint of Nature, was hoeing his garden one day. A philosopher friend approached him and asked, “What would you do if you learned you would die before the sun sets?” St. Francis reflected for a moment and replied, “I would finish hoeing my garden. I would be faithful to what I am doing now.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer was asked by critics, “Why do you expose yourself to all this danger? Jesus will return any day and all your work and suffering will be for nothing.” Bonhoeffer said, “If Jesus returns tomorrow, then tomorrow I will rest from my labors, but today I have work to do. I must continue the struggle until I am finished.”

13) Wake up and stay awake: Ever since the attack on the World Trade center in New York on Sept 11, 2001, there have been nonstop warnings to be alert to possible terrorist attacks. In USA airports repeated public announcements from Homeland Security advise whether the level of alert is yellow, orange or red. People are asked to be vigilant. Today’s second and third readings want us to move to red alert. Paul wants the Romans to wake up and Jesus warns us to stay awake. (Sr. Dr. Barbara E. Reid, NT professor at CTU, Chicago)

14) In the end all will be fine…Robert Muller was an undersecretary of the United Nations. He wrote, practically using apocalyptic imagery, “We are witnessing a unique moment of evolution, the birth of collective organs in the human species. For the first time humankind is emerging as a global organism with a common blood stream, a central nervous system, a shared heart, a corporate brain, and a common destiny.” He said it is a secular way. The prophet and today’s Gospel uses more mystical terms. Let us live with this vision: humanity in labour to give birth –through distress and pain –to that human and divine organism of whom Jesus is the head, [Joseph Donders in Praying and Preaching the Sunday Gospel; quoted by Fr. Botelho.]

 15) “Then comes the dawn:” Years ago an old municipal lamplighter, engaged in putting out his lights one by one, was met by a reporter who asked him if he never grew tired of his work in the cold dark night of labour. “Never am I cheerless,” said the old man, for there is always a light ahead of me to lead me on.” “But what would you have to cheer you when you have put out the last one?” asked the writer. “Then comes the dawn.” said the lamplighter. A man of the world might have asked Jesus the same question. One light after another did Jesus put out: the lamp of popular acclaim, the lamp of patriotic approval, the lamp of ecclesiastical conformity –all for the sake of God’s love which burned in Jesus’ heart and showed Jesus a better way. At last even the light of Jesus’ life was to flicker out on the hill called Calvary. What then? We hear Jesus’ voice, “Into Thy hands I commend my spirit,” and then the dawn came. [Carl Knudsen in The Living One; quoted by Fr. Botelho.]

 16) The sound of the Gospel: I read recently of a small foundry town where mills are kept running day and night. The steam hammers, some of them several tons in weight, are constantly kept busy, beating out the huge masses of molten metal. The inhabitants of the town had become accustomed to the constant noise, and could sleep soundly through the night without being disturbed. One night, because of some breakdown in the machinery, these hammers suddenly stopped working, and the consequence was that nearly everyone in the town woke up. What awakened them? Not the oft-repeated stroke of the heavy hammers, but their sudden stopping. This reminds us of the state of millions of people in our day. While the Gospel hammer is kept at work, millions within sound of it are fast asleep. But the time will come when the Lord shall return and take his people away, and then the hammer of God’s word shall suddenly cease. Then there shall be an awakening of many-Gospel hardened sleepers, but it will be too late. [C. Johnson in  Quotes and Anecdotes; quoted by Fr. Botelho.]

 17) The coming of the Lord: A 200-seater amphitheatre, costing 20,000 pounds, was built overlooking the Sydney Harbour, Australia, in 1925, for the second coming of Christ. Members of “The Order of the Star of the East,” led by Hindu mystic Krishnamurti, believed that Christ would soon return to earth in human form and walk across the Pacific Ocean to the amphitheatre, When Jesus did not arrive in 1929, the group dissolved, and a block of flats now occupies the site. May we be aware of the signs of His coming and always be prepared! [Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho.].

18) Cry, the Beloved Country: Alan Paton was a South African writer. Among the books he wrote was the haunting story, Cry, the Beloved Country, which poignantly described the situation in South Africa under apartheid. Paton had a dream. He dreamt of a new day for his beloved South Africa, a day in which there would be justice and equality for all. For this reason, he entered into politics and fought to end the iniquitous system of apartheid. For decades, he followed his dream, and worked generously and courageously to make it a reality. It was a dream that many said would not be realized. Yet it was. Unfortunately, Paton did not live to see it. He died before the dawn. The prophet Isaiah had an even bolder dream, a dream of universal brotherhood and peace. Isaiah’s vision was a splendid one. It would only be realized by the coming of the Lord Jesus. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies).

19) Death comes sometimes in a most unexpected manner. a) Atilla was the fearsome ruler of the Huns from AD 434 to 453. He was a public enemy to the Roman Empire. Twice he attacked the Balkans; he marched his army through France; and his rulership spread from Germany to the Ural River and from the Danube River to the Baltic Sea. Many today regard him as a monster, a cruel dictator who ruled through fear. His death was really mysterious. He died on his wedding night from a simple nosebleed. b) Bruce Lee’s son Brandon was on the set of the film The Crow in which he was playing the lead role. One scene required Lee to be shot by a prop-gun firing blanks. The gun had been used several times before in filming but a cheaply made round of blanks had lodged part of the lead in the barrel of the gun. It caused his death. Jesus said: “But as for that day or hour, nobody knows it.” Hence he asks us to be prepared. None of us is guaranteed the next breath. (Fr. Bobby Jose).

20) “I shall return!” The Japanese bombed Pearl Harbour in Hawaii on December 7th, 1941. Soon after, they invaded and occupied the Philippines. The US General Douglas McArthur was stationed in the Philippines, and on March 11th, 1942, he was forced to leave the islands. Before leaving for Australia, he promised the islanders “I shall return.” On October 20th, 1944, two and a half years later, he kept his promise. He landed on one of the islands and announced, “I have returned.” This heralded freedom for the Philippines. –Jesus assures us: “Heaven and earth shall pass away before My Word passes away.” (Jack McArdle in And That’s the Gospel Truth; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 21) Vision of a better future: The leader of a certain Indian tribe was dying, so he summoned his three sons and said: “I am dying; before my death, I must choose one of you to succeed me as the head of our tribe. I have the same task for each of you. I want you to climb our holy mountain and bring me back something beautiful. The one whose gift is most outstanding will be the one who will succeed me.” The following morning the sons set out on their search, each taking a different path up the mountain. After several days the sons returned. The first brought his father a beautiful and rare flower that grew near the summit of the mountain. The second son brought his father a valuable stone, round and colorful which had been polished by the wind and the rain. The third son, who came empty handed, said to his father: “I have brought back nothing to show you father. As I stood on the top of the holy mountain, I saw that on the other side was a beautiful land filled with green pastures. In the middle of these pastures is a crystal lake. I have a vision of where our tribe could go for a better life. I was so overwhelmed by what I saw and by what I could see that I could not bring anything back.” The father replied: “You shall be our tribe’s new leader, for you have brought back the most precious thing – the gift of a vision for a better future.” — Today’s Gospel on the end time warnings gives us a better vision of how to lead our lives. (Dennis McBride; quoted by Fr.            Botelho). 

 22) Making Adjustments: An old sea captain named Eleazar Hall lived in Bedford, Massachusetts, during the time of the great sailing ships. He was renowned, legendary, and revered as the most successful of the sea captains of the day. Captain Hall was often asked about his uncanny ability to stay out so long without navigational equipment. Eleazar simply replied, “Oh, I just go up on deck and listen to the wind and rigging. I get the drift of the sea, look up at the stars, and then set my course.” Well, times changed at Bedford. The big insurance companies moved in and said they no longer insured the ships if the captains didn’t have a certified and properly trained navigator on board. They were terrified to tell Eleazar. But to their amazement he said, “If I must, I will go and take the navigational course.” Eleazar graduated high in his class, and having greatly missed the sea, he immediately took off for a long voyage. On the day of his return, the whole town turned out to ask him the question: “Eleazar, how was it having to navigate with all those charts and equations?” Eleazar sat back and let out a long low whistle. “Oh,” he replied, “it was simple. Whenever I wanted to know my location, I’d go to my cabin, get out my charts and tables, work the equations and set my course with scientific precision. Then I’d go up on deck and listen to the wind and the rigging, get the drift of the sea, look at the stars, and go back and correct the errors I had made in computation.” — When I heard that, I prayed, “Lord, I want to know You that way. I want to go up on deck, hear Your quiet Voice in my heart, consider Your eternal Word, and then go back down below and make adjustments to all those fine, logical, scientific plans I’ve drawn up in my head.” Ron Mehl from Surprise Endings; (quoted by Fr. Botelho). 

 23) It began in “the hole”! There is a story of a hardened criminal serving a life sentence, who felt such despair that life had no longer any hope for him. His behavior got so mean that he was sent to solitary confinement for three weeks in what was known as “the hole.” One day while in “the hole” a remarkable thing happened. He was lying on the cold cement doing sit-ups when he noticed that something was wedged into the back corner of the cell, under the sleeping platform. He had no idea how it got there but figured a former resident of “the hole” must have left it. He wiggled it out. It was, of all things, a copy of the New Testament. Now the thing that is so remarkable is that the inmate actually began to read from it. The inmate had always been a dynamo of power and energy. Suddenly, he began to wonder what would have happened to him had he used his power and energy for good rather than evil. The thought completely boggled his mind. For a long time he lay there thinking: “Why did God create me? Why did God create someone who would end up behind bars? Why did God create someone who would die to goodness and love and be buried in a tomb of evil and hate in a prison cell?” What happened next is hard to describe. A surprising thought entered the inmate’s mind. The greatest event in history began in a tomb- a tomb just as secure and guarded as his cell. That event, of course was the resurrection of Jesus. A second thought jolted him. What happened to Jesus could happen to him too, in “the hole.” Because of Jesus’ new life and glory, he too could be reborn. He too could be re-created. In a sense he too could rise from the dead. At that moment something roused deep inside him; he felt it stirring. He asked Jesus to come to him and raise him to a new life, to re-create a hardened criminal into a new person. And what happened to Jesus in the tomb happened to the prisoner in his tomb, “the hole.” The resurrection power of God brought him new life. — That man was Starr Dailey, who after being released from prison became one of the pioneers of prison reform in the United States. (Mark Link).

 24)   If the earth, hit by a giant meteorite,  tilts on its axis a mere fraction of an inch:  One writer (quoted in a sermon by John MacArthur),  describes what would happen on the earth if some heavenly body happened to pass close enough to the earth to cause it to tilt on its axis a mere fraction of an inch. “At that very moment, an earthquake would make the earth shudder. Air and water would continue to move through inertia. Hurricanes would sweep the earth and the seas would rush over the continents carrying gravel and sand and marine animals and casting them on the land. Heat would be developed. Rocks would melt. Volcanoes would erupt. Lava would flow from fissures in the ruptured ground and cover vast areas. Mountains would spring up from the plains and would travel and climb on the shoulders of other mountains causing faults and rifts. Lakes would be tilted and emptied. Rivers would change their beds. Large land areas with all their inhabitants would slip under the sea. Forests would burn and the hurricane and wild seas would wrest them from the ground on which they grew and pile them branch and root in huge heaps. Seas would turn into deserts. Their waters flowing away.” (SNB files).

25) “Ready or not, here I come.” One of the most memorable games from my childhood days is the game of hide-and-seek. On many occasions throughout the year, the family would gather at my grandparents’ home. The children would usually start a game of hide-and-seek.         When the game started, someone was chosen to be “it”.  A spot was chosen to be “base”. Whoever was “it” would stand at “base” with closed eyes and count to 100. The other players ran and hid. Then it was “its” job to find them before they could return to “base”. The game ended when everyone made it back to “base”, or when “it” found someone who was hiding. In the next game, the person who was caught became “it”.         The part of that game that still echoes in my mind is what “it” would say before he or she came looking for those who were hiding. “It” would always say, “Ready or not, here I come.” When “it” said that, you had better be ready, or you were going to be in trouble.  —   When I read these verses, that old childhood game came back to my memory. Jesus is telling His men that there will be a day when He will come again. That day will arrive whether people are ready or not. (SNB files) L/21

26) The lighthouse and the ship: A battleship was on exercise at sea in bad weather. The captain was on the bridge. It was foggy. Just after dark the look out spotted a light on the starboard side. The captain asked if it was steady or moving. The look out replied the light was steady meaning they were on direct collision course with that ship! The captain ordered the lookout signal to the other ship: “Change course 20 degrees. We are on collision course.”

The signal came back ‘”Advisable for you to change course.”

The captain signaled ‘”I am a captain. Change course 20 degrees.”

“I am a seaman second class. You had better change course 20 degrees” came the reply.

The captain was furious. He sent back ‘”I am a battleship. Change course!”

Back came the signal, “I am a lighthouse. Your call.”

Our limited perception of our reality can limit and endanger us. What we do to open our mind to the world of others? Remember the ends- death, judgment, heaven  and hell and change your life style.

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 59) 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 Fr. Tony or under Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in  for the website versions.  (Vatican Radio website 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

Nov 11-16: Nov 11 Monday:[Saint Martin of Tours] For a short biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-martin-of-tours : Lk 17:1-6: 1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

The context: In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus gives us two warnings: 1) We should not give scandal to anyone. 2) We need to practice unconditional forgiveness. Jesus also stresses our need for trusting Faith in God’s power if we are to avoid giving scandal and to practice offering forgiveness.

The great sin of scandal: Literally, scandal is a trap or stumbling block. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines it as any saying, action, or omission which causes an occasion of sin for another. Giving scandal to children and beginners in the Faith is a serious sin because it causes a chain reaction of sins for years, affecting many, taking away the life of grace from the victims. That is why Jesus says that it would be better for its perpetrators to have their necks inserted in heavy circular millstones and to be drowned in the sea than to suffer God’s punishment for this sin.

The necessity of practicing forgiveness: Jesus commands his followers to forgive their offending brothers and sisters repeatedly, as often as they are repentant. Further, we need to offer fraternal correction to the offender with charity, without humiliating him or offending his feelings. At the same time, we should not allow the offender to violate our just rights. Sincere forgiveness leads us to forget the particular offense and to extend the hand of friendship, which in turn helps the offender to repent. Jesus concludes his instructions by reminding his followers that avoiding scandals and forgiving the offenders are possible only if they have the trusting faith in God which enables Him to work miracles in their lives.

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid giving scandal to any one because it causes a series of sins and does damage to a number of innocent victims. 2) We should ask God to enlarge our hearts to forgive others and to help us to be ready to grant forgiveness to those who have offended us. (Fr. Kadavil) (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

[Monday November 11, Veteran’s Day in the U. S.): one-page synopsis:

1)
A day when the Unites States honors the service and sacrifice of more
than 22 million living American veterans who guaranteed its freedom and who
kept America secure against its enemies. Today, at the 11^th hour,
on the 11^th day, of the 11^th month of 2024 (the 106^th
Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, ending the fighting of World War
I), we will pause to honor them and celebrate their contributions to our way of
life.

2)
A day to thank every man and woman in the US Armed Services — Army,
Navy, Maine, Air Force, Coast Guard,  and
National Guard — who has ever worn the uniform, for what he or she  has
done for our country.

3)
A day to thank also those who do military service for the freedom and
welfare of their country and for the preservation of the freedom of other
countries, in the wake of world-wide acts of terrorism by terrorist
organizations.

4)
A day to thank the families and dear ones of our soldiers who volunteered
to give up their sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, husbands and
wives, brothers and sisters for the well-being of their country and the world.

5)
A day to pray for all our soldiers and their helpers so that God may
protect them in their tough mission, demanding total commitment.

6)
A day to pray for the eternal repose of the souls of all our warriors
who made the ultimate sacrifice by offering their lives for their country in
battles, and for others who died a natural death after a long period of
meritorious service in the Armed Forces.

7)
A day to honor and worship the greatest Veteran – Jesus Christ – who
fought for our salvation and won our redemption by shedding his blood.

  How to observe Veterans’ Day:  1)
By offering all our veterans and current soldiers on the altar and praying for
their health in mind and body.  2)      By
praying for the eternal repose of all our deceased soldiers.
3)      By attending a local Veterans’ Day ceremony or parade or
by finding some other meaningful way to honor those who served our country in
the military and those who continue to serve.  

4)
By teaching the younger generation to
appreciate the courage and commitment of our soldiers and the enormous
sacrifice they are making for their country. L24

Nov 12 Tuesday: [Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr] For a short bigraphy, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-josaphat: Lk 17:7-10: 7 “Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’

The context: Today’s Gospel gives Jesus’ warning on complacency in the spiritual life through a parable about a slave and his relationship with his master. The slave had the duties of a cook as well as those of a fieldworker. Jesus says that the master wanted him to do fieldwork till evening, then prepare the supper and serve him at the table. Since both were parts of his duty, he need not expect a “thank you” from the master. This parable was a warning also to the Pharisees, who thought that God was indebted to them because of their scrupulous observance of the Mosaic Law.

The Teaching: We are God’s servants because God owns everything, and all our possessions have been loaned to us by a generous God. Our efforts and accomplishments are nothing in comparison with the blessings of God which we have received. All our devotions, prayers, and works of charity form only a negligible part of our return to God, and the power to do them is another of His gifts to us. We can never adequately repay the gifts God has given to us. The Blessed Virgin Mary was fully aware of this truth, and that is why she responded to God’s messenger saying: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord” (Lk 1:38). St. Bernadette Soubirous (1844-1879), the girl to whom the Blessed Mother appeared in Lourdes, France lived a life in obscurity as a contemplative nun following the apparitions of )ur Lady. A journalist was able to track her down and eventually got the permission of the Prioress to interview her. One question that the journalist asked of her was why she opted to live in obscurity when she was so well known all over the world. In answer Bernadette compared herself to a house broom which has been put aside in a closet after it had been used to clean the room.

Life messages: 1) We need to offer our prayers of thanksgiving and acts of charity to God so that we may grow in God’s grace. 2) We need to consider our service to our neighbors as a sacred duty we owe to God in return for His innumerable blessings. 3) God’s love and generosity should compel us to give Him the best that is in us as our acts of thanksgiving. (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

Nov 13 Wednesday: [Saint
Frances Xavier Cabrini], Virgin] For a short bigraphy, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-frances-xavier-cabrini : Lk 17:11-19: 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then said Jesus, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God? found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Stand up and go; your faith has saved you.”

The context: Jesus was on the border between Galilee and Samaria when he was met by a band of ten lepers, both Jews and Samaritans. By describing Jesus’ miraculous healing of the ten lepers from a physically devastating and socially isolating disease, today’s Gospel presents a God Who desires only gratitude from us for the many blessings we have received from Him, and Who feels pain at our ingratitude. The Gospel story tells of a single leper (a “Samaritan”), who returned to thank Jesus for healing him, while the others went their way, the Jews perhaps under the false impression that healing was their right as God’s chosen people. They did not seem to feel indebted to Jesus for the singular favor they had received. Instead, they hurried off to obtain a health certificate from the priests. “Where are the other nine?” Jesus asked the Samaritan leper. “Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?’” Today’s reading also presents Faith and healing going hand in hand, as do Faith and reconciliation.

Life messages: 1) We need to learn to be thankful to God and to others. Often, we are ungrateful to God. Although we receive so much from Him, we often take it all for granted without appreciating His gifts. Often, we are ungrateful to our parents and consider them a nuisance, although in the past we were dependent on them for literally everything. Similarly, we owe a great debt of gratitude to our friends, teachers, doctors, and pastors — but we often fail to thank them. Hence, in the future, let us be filled with daily thanksgiving to God and to others for the countless gifts we have received. Let us pray: “Please, God, heal my heart of ingratitude.” 2) We need to celebrate the Holy Eucharist as the supreme act of thanksgiving. When we celebrate Holy Mass together, we are thanking God for the great gift of His Son, whose sacrifice formed us into the People of God. We thank God for the gift of the Spirit, through whom we bring the presence of the Lord to others. 3) We all need healing from our spiritual leprosy. Although we may not suffer from physical leprosy, when we suffer from the “spiritual leprosy” of sins, Jesus, our Savior, wants to heal us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. (Fr. Kadavil) (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

Nov 14 Thursday: Lk 17:20-25: 20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!’ or `There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And He said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, `Lo, there!’ or `Lo, here!’ Do not go, do not follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

The context: The Jews believed that the sudden and unexpected arrival of the promised Messiah would be accompanied by special signs. They also believed that the Messiah would be a politician who would rule Israel forever after overthrowing all other rulers. Hence, they asked Jesus for the prophesied signs identifying the Messiah – if Jesus were the Messiah.

Jesus’ reply: Jesus replied that the kingdom of God was already within them, and that THAT was the greatest messianic sign. The Greek word we translate as “within” means both within you and among you. Considering the kingdom of God as within you, we are to understand that the Messiah is going to rule the hearts and minds of individuals, creating a revolution in human hearts and converting them from stony hearts to Spirit-filled loving, merciful, and compassionate hearts. Considering the kingdom of God as among you, we are to understand that God Himself is present among His people in the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, representing the Kingdom of God and doing God’s will in the most perfect way possible. Jesus also warned the Pharisees not to search for the Messiah anywhere else. He would appear again in Jesus’ Second Coming, quite unexpectedly, and as unmistakably as a flash of lightning that “lights up the sky from one side to the other.”

Life messages: 1) Let us be Kingdom people by allowing Jesus, the true Messiah, to have complete control of our lives. 2) Let us allow Jesus, to rule our lives by giving Jesus priority in all our actions. (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/;

Nov 15 Friday: [Albert the Great, Bishop and
Doctor of the Church] For a short bigraphy, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-albert-the-great : Lk 17:26-37: 26 As it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of man. 27 They ate, they drank, they married, they were given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was in the days of Lot — they ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built, 29 but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom fire and sulphur rained from heaven and destroyed them all — 30 so will it be on the day when the Son of man is revealed. 31 On that day, let him who is on the housetop, with his goods in the house, not come down to take them away; and likewise let him who is in the field not turn back. 32 Remember Lot’s wife. 33 Whoever seeks to gain his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life will preserve it. 34 I tell you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. 35 There will be two women grinding together; one will be taken and the other left.” 37 And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together.”

The context: In today’s Gospel, Jesus is prophesying three endings: 1) the end of his public life, 2) the destruction of Jerusalem, and 3) the end of the world. Jesus warns his listeners to be ready and not to think that they can postpone their preparations, because when the end strikes it will already be too late. Through this prophecy and warning, Jesus asks us, too, 1) to be ready to meet him as our Judge at his Second Coming, whenever that may take place, and 2) to be prepared to meet him and to give him an account of our lives at the moment of our death, a time which is also unknown to us.

We need to learn lessons from the past: Jesus gives the example of the Flood during Noah’s time, when people ate and drank right up to the moment of disaster. Similarly, he goes on, in the days of Lot, people were leading their ordinary, sinful lives when fire and brimstone rained down on the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Only Lot and his family, who had been previously warned, and directly assisted, by the angels, escaped. The same events would be repeated at the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 70), and will be repeated again at the end of the world. Some will be saved and others destroyed. Some will be prepared to meet their God and will be rewarded, while the unprepared will be punished. The criterion of selection will be our intimacy with Jesus in a life of grace. If we really want to see the Kingdom of God on earth in our times, we need only look at people’s lives. The Kingdom is there when people are reflecting in their lives the vision of life and the values that Jesus revealed to us, that is, loving God in offering loving , humble service to all they encounter.

Life messages: 1) We need to stay ready always by living holy and prayerful lives spent in doing good for others. 2) We need to make reparation for our past sins and to prepare our lives to meet our Savior as our Judge now — by living lives of penance and prayer and by doing works of charity. (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/24)

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

Nov 16 Saturday: [Saint Margaret of Scotland; For a short bigraphy, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-margaret-of-scotland Saint Gertrude, Virgin] For a short bigraphy, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-gertrude-the-great : Lk 18:1-8: And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7…8.

The context: Today’s Gospel gives a parable Jesus told during his last trip to Jerusalem. When Luke recorded this passage, the Parousia or Second Coming of Jesus had been delayed beyond the limits the early Church had expected. Further, the Church was experiencing persecution from both the Jews and the Romans. The persecuted early Christians were finding it increasingly difficult to maintain their Faith. Today’s Gospel lesson, addressing the issues of Faith in difficult times, must have reassured those disciples, as Jesus reassured His own contemporaries, that God was listening to their persistent prayers and would grant them justice and vindicate their Faith in the end. Jesus presents the widow in today’s Gospel as a model of the trust and tenacity with which all his disciples are to pray.

The parable: This parable is based on the corrupt Roman legal practices prevalent in Palestine at the time of Jesus. The judge in the parable was a magistrate appointed either by Herod or by the Romans. Such judges were avaricious and corrupt, demanding bribes for a favorable decision, and they had no fear of God or the public. By publicly badgering the judge every day, the woman was trying to shame this shameless person. Finally, the unjust judge was forced to yield. Hence, this parable is not only about the efficacy of persistent prayer, but also shows us how God’s Justice reaches out to the poor and the weak, enabling them to fight against injustice. The parable teaches us that the purpose of all our prayers is the augmentation of our trusting Faith in a loving and caring God Who is our Father.

Life messages: 1) Prayer attunes our minds to God’s, enabling us to do what He wants. The parable teaches us that our prayers do not change God’s will. Instead, they bring our hearts into line with His purposes. Sincere and persistent prayer makes us ready to accept and live out His will in love and trust. 2) We should not expect to get whatever we pray for. We would like to get from God what we want, when and how we want it, but God. Who always hears all our prayers, knows how and when to grant them. Only God sees time whole, and, therefore, only God knows what is truly good for us, and when, in the long run. Hence, we have to leave it to God’s decision saying, “Thy will be done,” and to express our trusting Faith in, and dependence on, Him by persevering in our prayers. (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

OT XXXII [B] (Nov 10) Sunday (Eight-minute homily in one page)L/24

Introduction: Today’s readings invite us to surrender our lives to God with a humble and generous heart, by serving others lovingly and sacrificially.

Scripture lessons: The first reading and the Gospel today present poor widows who sacrificially gave their whole lives and means of livelihood to God,symbolizing the supreme sacrifice Jesus would offer by giving His life for others. In the first reading, taken from the First Book of Kings, a poor widow who hasbarely enough food for herself and her son welcomes the prophet Elijah as a man of God, offers all her food to him and receives her reward from God in the form of a continuing daily supply of food. In the Gospel, Jesus contrasts the external signs of honor sought by the scribes with the humble, sacrificial offering of a poor widow and declares that she has found true honor in God’s eyes. The poor widows in both the first reading and the Gospel gave away all that they possessed for the glory of God. The sacrificial self-giving of the widows in the first reading and the Gospel reflects God’s love in giving His only Son for us, and Christ’s love in sacrificing himself on the cross. So, the second reading tells us how Jesus, as the High Priest of the New Testament, surrendered His life to God His Father totally and unconditionally as a sacrificial offering for our sins – a sacrifice far beyond the sacrifices made by the poor widows.

Life messages: # 1: We need to appreciate the widows of our parish:Even in seemingly prosperous societies, widows (and widowers), in addition to their deep grief, often suffer from economic loss, from the burden of rearing a family alone, and from a strange isolation from friends, which often sets in soon after protestations of support at their spouses’ funerals. Let us learn to appreciate the widows and widowers of our parish community. Their loneliness draws them closer to God and to stewardship in the parish. They are often active participants in all the liturgical celebrations, offering prayers for their families and for their parish family. Frequently, they are active in the parish organizations, as well as in visiting and serving the sick and the shut-ins. Hence, let us appreciate them, support them, encourage them and pray for them.

#2: We need to accept Christ’s criteria of judging people: We often judge people by what they possess. We give weight to their position in society, to their educational qualifications, or to their celebrity status. But Jesus measures us in a totally different way – on the basis of our inner motives and the intentions hiddenbehind our actions. He evaluates us on the basis of the sacrifices we make for others and on the degree of our surrender to His holy will. The offering God wants from us is not our material possessions, but our hearts and lives. What is hardest to give is ourselves in love and concern, because that gift costs us more than reaching for our purses. Let us, like the poor widow, find the courage to share the wealth and talents we hold. Let us stop dribbling out our stores of love, selflessness, sacrifice, and compassion and dare to pour out our whole heart, our whole being, our “whole life” into the love-starved coffers of this world.

OT XXXII (B) (Nov 10) I Kgs 17:10-16; Heb 9:24-28; Mk 12:38-44 

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: Widow’s mite and St. Jeanne Jugan’s & St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)’s mite: It is now well known how God transformed the humble mite of the widow St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, and religious sisters St. Jeanne Jugan and St. Teresa of Calcutta to revolutionize the field of caring the sick, the poor and the discarded people all around the world. God empowered Elizabeth Ann Seton the young, bankrupt, 30-year-old   widow with five children to start the first Catholic parochial school, the first Catholic orphanage and the first indigenous religious order for women (Sisters of Charity in 1809) in the U. S.  The growth of the parochial school system and orphanages is now history. Thirty years later in 1839 God blessed the humble mite of a French woman, Jeanne Jugan to assemble a group of kind- hearted women into a religious order, the Little Sisters of the Poor, to take care of the poor, the sick and the dying people. It spread to so many countries and in the U. S. to 26 dioceses. Mother Teresa began her caring for the poor and the sick and the marginalized people in 1948 after getting trained at the Little Sisters of the Poor in Calcutta and after receiving a short course in nursing from Medical Mission Sisters. She founded the Missionaries of Charity religious order in 1949. God blessed her mite, and before her death it grew to 4500 Sisters and Brothers, 755 homes for the children, the sick, the destitute and the dying and 1,369 medical clinics that serve 120,000 worldwide.  Today’s first reading as well as the gospel, by citing the examples of two widows, challenge us to surrender our lives to God, sacrificially serving others.

 #2: A widow’s mite in the life of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. By birth and marriage, Mother Elizabeth Ann Seton was linked to the first families of New York and enjoyed the fruits of living in high society.  Reared a staunch Episcopalian by her mother and stepmother, she learned the value of prayer, Scripture reading, and a nightly examination of conscience.  At 19, Elizabeth was the belle of New York.  She married a handsome, wealthy businessman, William Magee Seton.  They had five children before his business failed, and William died of tuberculosis.  At 30, Elizabeth found herself widowed and penniless, with five small children to support.  While in Italy with her dying husband, Elizabeth had witnessed the Catholic Church in action, through the lives, beliefs and behavior of family friends.  Three basic elements in Catholicism led her to become a Catholic in March, 1805: a belief in the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist, a devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of God, and a conviction that the Catholic Church traced its origin and priesthood in a direct line back to the apostles and to Christ.  When Elizabeth returned to the U. S., many of her family and friends rejected her because she had become a Catholic. To support her children, she opened a school in Baltimore with the cooperation of some of her friends.  From the beginning, her group was organized along the lines of thereligious community which would only be founded officially in 1809.  Mother Seton became one of the keystones of the American Catholic Church.  She founded the first American religious community for women, the Sisters of Charity.  She opened the first American parish school and established the first American Catholic orphanage. All this she did in the span of 46 years while rearing her five children.  She died on January 4, 1821, and was buried in Emmitsburg, Maryland.  In 1963, Mother Seton was beatified, the first American-born citizen to receive this honor.  She was canonized in 1975.  Elizabeth Ann Seton was a real widow who offered her mite to God without reservation as the poor widow in today’s Gospel did (Adapted from St. Anthony’s Messenger).

 #3: St. Jeanne Jugan’s mite: St. Jeanne Jugan was the Mother Teresa of her time. It is probably no coincidence, either, that St. Teresa of Calcutta spent several of her formative years in India with the Little Sisters of the Poor before founding the Missionaries of Charity. The congregation of the Little Sisters of the Poor was founded in France in 1839 by a humble woman named Jeanne Jugan, who opened her own home to a blind elderly woman who had nowhere else to go. From this simple act of charity grew a movement — and then a full-fledged religious order dedicated to taking care of the needs of the elderly poor, doing so with a complete and absolute faith that God would provide all the resources necessary to carry out that mission in thirty countries. In 1868, the Little Sisters of the Poor landed in Brooklyn. There were no planned giving departments, no Little Sisters of the Poor annuities to be purchased for a donation, just the sustaining providence of God and the generosity of friends and strangers. For 156 years, since first stepping foot in New York, the sisters have experienced firsthand, how God and all those friends and strangers have graced them as they now span 26 dioceses across the United States. In all their homes are places where the charism of hospitality that St. Jeanne began in 1839 continues, and a place elderly and impoverished souls find love, compassion and the face of Jesus through the acts of dedicated consecrated women and an equally devoted staff.

 # 4: Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa)’s mite: Consider David Porter’s comment on Mother Teresa: “She was born as Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu (AG-nes GOHN-jah BOY-yah-jee-oo), to Albanian parents in Yugoslavia. She went to India in 1929 as a member of the Loreto Order of nuns, after learning English in their Motherhouse in Dublin Ireland.  There she taught for 17 years and became principal of the school.  In 1946, she received her ‘call within a call’ to work with the poorest of the poor.  By 1948, she had received permission to leave the Loreto order and had trained in the nursing skills she would need to carry out her calling.  She prayed, “Oh God, if I cannot help these people in their poverty and their suffering, let me at least die with them, close to them, so that I can show them your love” [Mother Teresa: The Early Years, 67; cited by Caroline J. Simon, “The Media and Mother Teresa,” Perspectives, 12 (March, 1997), 3.]  Simon notes: “From this simple beginning, the Missionaries of Charity have grown to include 4,500 Sisters and Brothers, 755 homes for the children, the sick, the destitute and the dying and 1,369 medical clinics that serve 120,000 worldwide.”  Mother Teresa’s mite has might, and it’s the ever-growing might of love in action.

5) Superhero from Birmingham, Alabama: The story of Austine Perinefrom Birmingham, Alabama would give you chills. The four-year-old African American boy was watching Animal Planet with his father when a mother Panda abandons her cub and walks away. Austin dad remarks that the cub would become homeless. Austin was moved with pity for the cub when he learns from the dad that being homeless means not having a home to stay and not receiving the care of a dad and mom. On a later date, Austin’s dad, TJ Perine, takes him to a homeless shelter in the city at Austin’s request to see what it means to be homeless. When Austin saw people looking hungry and tired, he asked his dad if they could give them Burger King chicken sandwichs. His father was not preparedfor that, but he couldn’t but responded to Austin’s recommendation to feed the homeless. After that, Austin requested that the parents convert the money for his toys to buying chicken sandwiches for the homeless. Every week, the superhero who is also known as “President Austin,” would dress up in a blue top and pants with a red cape and visit the homeless to hand them food and would always say to them “remember to show love.”  Soon he became phenomenal in the city and later in the country, and the Austins started getting support from people and organizations including $1,000 monthly allowance from Burger King to feed the homeless every week.(https://www.birminghamtimes.com/2018/05/meet-austin-perine-birminghams-4-year-old-superhero-who-feeds-the-homeless/)

Introduction: Today’s readings invite us to surrender our lives to God with a humble and generous heart, by serving others lovingly and sacrificially. It is the self-giving in the gift or the heart and the sacrifice behind it or the love and concern involved in it which God counts, for God counts the inner motives and hidden intentions of our gifts and how it “costs” us. The first reading and the Gospel today present poor widows who sacrificially gave their whole lives and means of livelihood to God, symbolizing the supreme sacrifice Jesus would offer by giving His life for others.  In the reading from the First Book of Kings, a poor widow who has barely enough food for herself and her son welcomes the prophet Elijah as a man of God, shares her food with him and receives her reward in the form of a continuing daily supply of food.  Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 146) is the first in the final group of Hallel psalms.  In it, God is praised for his loving-kindness toward the needy, including widows: The Lord kees faith forever, secures Justice for the oppressed, gives food to the hungry … The fatherless and the widow He sustains …”Ps 146:7,9).  In the Gospel, Jesus contrasts the external signs of honor sought by the scribes with the humble, sacrificial offering of a poor widow and declares that she has found true honor in God’s eyes.  The poor widows in both the first reading and the Gospel gave away all that they possessed for the glory of God.  The second reading tells us how Jesus, as the High Priest of the New Testament, surrendered His life to God His Father totally and unconditionally as a sacrificial offering for our sins – a sacrifice far beyond the sacrifices made by the poor widows.

First reading,  1 Kings 17:10-16, explained: This particular passage is one in a collection of stories of miracles wrought by the prophet Elijah who challenged King Ahab and his cruel pagan Queen Jezebel over the issue of worship of the false god, Baal.  Complementing the story of the Widow’s Mite told in today’s Gospel, the first reading explains how another poor, pagan widow, a Syro-Phoenician living in Zarephath in the territory of Sidon, in the middle of a famine and with little left for herself, shares the last of her meager resources with the prophet Elijah. As a reward for her sacrificial generosity, she receives God’s blessing for the remaining months of the famine in the form of sufficient continuing daily provisions which ensure their survival.  Elijah, instructed by the Lord God and following the Near Eastern custom, has asked for hospitality in the form of food and accommodation.  The widow is not unwilling but tells the prophet that she has enough for only one meal for her son and herself. Nevertheless, Elijah asks her to demonstrate her trust in his God’s provision by first giving food to himself, as the man of God.  She does as he asks, and we know what happened.  Her jar of meal and the jug of oil did not empty until the drought had ended.  This story of the widow’s provisions, like the following story of Elijah’s raising of her son when he had died, also emphasizes the power of God’s word in the prophet’s mouth.   

Second Reading, Hebrews 9:24-28, explained:  The letter to the Hebrews was written for Jewish converts to Christ, in part to help them cope with the loss of the comforts they had enjoyed from the institutions of Judaism.  The Temple authorities had refused to permit early Jewish Christians to participate either in the synagogue or the Temple services.  St. Paul teaches these Judeo-Christians that Jesus, alive in the community, has become the Holy of Holies and the High Priest, around which pair all Temple worship revolved.  Since Jesus has replaced both the Temple and human mediators, the Christians need not go to the Temple for worship.  The true temple is no more the Temple of Jerusalem or any other place of worship but humanity of Christ, the sanctuary in which God bodily dwells. Christ entered this sanctuary at his Incarnation when He, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, onlybegotten Son of the Father, became true man. In today’s passage, the institutions in question are sanctuary, sacrifice, and judgment.  Underthe Old Covenant, a priest conducted an annual ritual sacrifice in the sanctuary of the Temple, slaughtering a lamb.  Paul argues that Jesus Himself has replaced the whole class of ancient priests, and that the earthly sanctuary has been made obsolete by the sanctuary that is Heaven, where Jesus the High Priest intercedes for us directly before God.  Similarly, the repetitive annual sacrifices have beenreplaced by Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice at the end of the ages. The old sacrifices were meant to forestall an unfavorable judgment by God.  The new expectation is brighter and more positive: salvation for those who eagerly await Him.  

Gospel exegesis: The context: Beginning from chapter 11 of Mark’s Gospel, Jesus confronts the Temple authorities and challenges the abuses in the “organized religion” of his time.  One by one he engages in debate with the Sadducees, the Pharisees, the scribes, and the Herodians.  Jesus’ overarching condemnation of the religious-political-economic establishment is summed up when he accuses the leaders of having transformed the Temple into a den of robbers (Mark 11:17). Today’s Gospel text demonstrates why all those who held traditional positions of religious power found Jesus’ presence and preaching so disturbing.  Jesus’denunciation of the scribes forms the conclusion of the series of Jerusalem conflict stories. These stories show the widening gulf between Jesus and the Temple authorities that will result in the Sanhedrin’s decision to get rid of Jesus.

The attack on pride and hypocrisy: The scribes of Jesus’ day were experts in the Law of Moses, scholars to whom people turned for a proper understanding of God’s will as revealed in Scripture.  But in today’s Gospel, Jesus moves from the scribes’ erroneous theology to their bankrupt ethics, reflected in their craving for pre-eminence both in religious gatherings (in the synagogue), and in social settings (market places and banquets).  Jesus publicly criticizes their behavior as a ceaseless grasping for honor.  He begins by attacking the popular style of scribal dress, a fairly easy target.  A first-century scribe wore a long linen robe with a long white mantle decorated with beautiful long fringes.  White robes identified the wearer as someone of importance and prestige.  Jesus’ observation that the scribes liked “to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces” is a reference to the tradition which dictated that common people “in the marketplace” should respectfully rise to their feet when a scribe walked past.  The Talmud notes that when two people meet in the marketplace, the one inferior in knowledge of the Law should greet the other first.  But the scribes began to feel that such respect was a right owed to themfor their learning in the Law, and this made them arrogant and proud.  Likewise, at banquets and dinner parties, when rich men invited scribes and perhaps some of their pupils as guests, they would give these men prominent seats.  Similarly, the scribe’s synagogue seat of honor placed him up front with the Torah, facing the congregation.  Scribes were seated on a platform facing the people, resting their backs against the same wall that held the box which contained the Torah scrolls.  The problem Jesus pinpoints is that the scribes had confused the respect intended for the position they held with respect given them for their own abilities and accomplishments.  Jesus also characterizes the scribes’ offering of long prayers to God, whether in the synagogue or Temple or some other highly public place, not as an attempt to seek God’s will or praise God’s Name, but as a means of asserting, and being honored for, superior piety.

Devouring widows’ houses: In verse 40, Jesus denounces the shameless profiteering of the scribes at the expense of widows.  The Jewish scribes of the first century were not paid for being scribes because they were not considered as belonging to a professional, self-supporting group.  Thus, despite the honor their position brought them, many scribes were downright poor, and it was deemed an act of obedience and piety to extend the hospitality of one’s goods and services, of one’s home and resources, to scribes for their support.  Devouring widows’ houses is Jesus’ condemnatory description of the source of the luxurious lives led by somescribes who impoverished gullible and pious widows who volunteered to support them.  The reference to “widows’ houses” could also refer to the scribes’ tendency to abuse their powers as trustees for the estates of wealthy widows.  Further, these authorities were charged with distributing the Temple collections to widows and the needy.  In actuality, however, some spent the funds on conspicuous consumption: long robes and banquets and Temple decorations.  This is how they devoured the estates of widows.  Power and position can lead even religious leaders to material greed and corruption.

Widow’s mite: By praising the poor widow, Jesus is pointing out the difference between giving what we have left over and giving all that we have. According to the Mishnah (Shekalim VI. 6), there were, standing up against the wall of the Court of Women, 13 trumpet-shaped receptacles that functioned to gather the gifts of the faithful for the Temple treasury. As Jesus and his disciples sat and watchedthe comings and goings of those offering their gifts of support, they observedmany wealthy worshipers placing significant sums into the temple treasury.  But it was not until Jesus observed the tiny offering of two leptons (equivalent to a couple of pennies), made by a poor widow, that he was moved to comment on the proceedings.  It was not the woman’s poverty that made her gift significant for Jesus.  For him, it was the fact that this widow, alone among all the contributors lined up to give their offerings, gave her all.  The very rich put in much, and the moderately well-off put in a decent amount.  But all those who had gone before this widow had limited their giving by holding back a major portion of their money for their own use.  This widow stood alone as the one who had turned over, as an offering to God for His use, everything she had — two leptons.  Those two, almost worthless coins represented her last shred of security, her fragile earthly thread of hope for the future. With her deep desire to be an obedient servant of God, the widow gave all she had as an offering — even her future — for the sake of God.  In other words, she gave herself totally into God’s hands, with the sure conviction that He would give her the support she needed.

Compliment or lamentation? Oddly, some modern Bible commentators argue that Jesus’ statement that this poor widow put in all she had, was not intended primarily as praise of the woman but was meant both as a prophetic denunciation of the members of the Temple establishment who took advantage of such little people and as the expression of his personal moral indignation at the situation.  How, they ask, could Mark’s Jesus praise someone for sacrificing everything to a place and system which, even in the first century, Christians believed Jesus hadreplaced?  According to John Pilch (The Cultural World of Jesus), speaking of the widow who put her two mites in the Temple collection box, “Jesus laments this woman’s behavior because she has been taught ‘sacrificial giving’ by her religious leaders. Jesus’ constant Gospel teaching had been grounded in a belief that religion was never to use people’s benevolence to enrich itself.  Christians were to direct their generosity to the needs of others, not to enrich their parishes beyond a certain limit.  Yet Mark clearly focuses on the widow’s deed.  In contrast to the external signs of honor sought by the scribes, she sought only to please God, and she, not they, possessed true honor in God’s eyes. The simple piety of this woman of no social standing is contrasted with the arrogance and social ambitions of some so-called religious leaders.  This poor woman, in a daring act of trust in God’s providence, put into the treasury everything she had. Her action symbolized what Jesus would do by offering his very life to God his Father as an act of perfect         obedience. 

Life        messages: # 1: We need to appreciate the widows of our parish: In our seemingly prosperous society, widows (and widowers), in addition to their deep grief, often suffer from economic loss from the burden of rearing a family alone and from a strange isolation from friends which often sets in soon after protestations of support at their spouses’ funerals. Let us learn to appreciate the widows and widowers of our parish community.  Their loneliness draws them closer to God and to stewardship in the parish.  They are often active participants in all the liturgical celebrations, offering prayers for their families and for their parish family.  Frequently, they are active in the parish organizations, as well as in visiting and serving the sick and the shut-ins.  Hence, let us appreciate them, support them, encourage them and pray for         them.

#2: We need to accept Christ’s criteria of judging people: We often judge people by what they possess.  We give weight to their position in society, to their educational qualifications, or to their celebrity status.  But Jesus measures us in a totally different way – on the basis of our inner motives and intentions hiddenbehind our actions.  He evaluates us on the basis of the sacrifices we make for others and on the degree of our surrender to God’s holy will.  The offering God wants from us is not our material possessions, but our hearts and lives.  What is hardest to give is ourselves in love and concern, because that gift costs us more than reaching for our purses.

# 3: We need to pour out our “whole life.” Can we, like the poor widow, find the courage to share the wealth and talents we hold? Can we stop dribbling out our stores of love and selflessness and sacrifice and compassion and dare to pour out our whole heart, our whole being, our “whole life” into the love-starved coffers of this world?

JOKE OF THE WEEK #1: Feed the Hungry: You know the old joke about the chicken and the pig that saw the church sign saying “Help feed the hungry.”  The chicken said “That’s a good idea!  Let’s help by putting in our ‘widow’s mite.’  Let’s give ham and eggs.”  The pig said, “That’s easy for you to say, but for me it’s a total commitment!”

#2: Unfair Collections: A six-year-old boy, home from his first day at Church, was asked what he thought of the Holy Mass. “It was OK,” he replied, “but I think it was unfair that the pastor at the altar did all the work, and then a bunch of other people came around and took away all the money.” Amen to that small lad’s insight!

# 3: “Conversion or Redemption?” A colleague once told how “a certain woman phoned her personal banker to arrange for the disposal of a $1,000 bond. The voice on the phone asked for clarification, ‘Is the bond for conversion or redemption?’The confused woman paused and then inquired, ‘Am I talking to the bank or the church?’”

# 4: Kids! Aren’t they great? Recently I visited all our Prep classrooms. In the 2nd grade the teacher introduced me as Father Eschbach. I asked the kids why I was called Father. A number raised their hands and I pointed to one little guy who was really excitedly waving his hand. He promptly said, “Because you’re old.” I knew I was walking in troubled waters, but I doubled down and asked why I was wearing this white collar. A sweet little girl didn’t even bother raising her hand, she simply announced, “Because it prevents fleas and ticks for up to six months.”Really, I don’t know when to quit when I’m behind. So, I asked another little girl what she was doing. She said, “I’m drawing God.” I said, “Wow, that’s really great, but no one has ever seen God. We don’t know what God looks like.” She continued drawing and without even looking up, she said, “You will in a minute.” (Fr. Eschbach).

Websites of the week ((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) Dr. Bryant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle B Sunday Scripture:https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-b

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

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

3)Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: (Type https://sundayprep.org

          26 Additional anecdotes

1) Fanny Epps’ mite has might of love:  Mrs. Epps likes the time she spends with children. So, she enjoys her time as a volunteer at the Norge Elementary School in Williamsburg, Virginia. There, she works with students who have mental and physical disabilities. Her day begins long before she goes on duty at 7 a.m. She has to catch a bus to get to the school. When she gets there, she greets Drew who has difficulty walking. Another one of her favorites has Down syndrome. He sits beside her, smiling. She turns on the tape recorder and plays “Jingle Bell Rock,” while her students sing and clap enthusiastically. It takes a lot of energy to work all morning, five days a week, with these children. Oh, did I mention that Mrs. Epps is 99 years old? Wasted time, twisted values? “I don’t want to act dead while I’m still alive,” she says. Fanny Epps’ mite has might, and it’s the might of love!

2)  Mr Harakhchand Sawla’s          mite:(http://jeevanjyot.in/design/white/about.html)  A young man in his thirties used to stand on the footpath opposite the famous Tata Cancer Hospital at Mumbai and stare at the crowd in front, fear plainly written upon the faces of the patients standing at death’s door; their relatives with equally grim faces running around.  These sights disturbed him greatly.  Most of the patients were poor people from distant towns. They had no idea whom to meet, or what to do. They had no money for medicines, not even food.  The young man, heavily depressed, would return home. ‘Something should be done for these people’, he would think. He was haunted by the thought day and night.  At last, he found a way.  He rented out his own hotel that was doing good business and raised some money. From these funds he started a charitable activity right opposite Tata Cancer Hospital, on the pavement next to Kondaji Building.  He himself had no idea that the activity would continue to flourish even after the passage of 27 years.  The activity consisted of providing free meals for cancer patients and their relatives. Many people in the vicinity approved of this activity.  Beginning with fifty, the number of beneficiaries soon rose to hundred, two hundred, three hundred. As the numbers of patients increased, so did the number of helping hands.  As years rolled by, the activity continued, undeterred by the change of seasons, come winter, summer or even the dreaded monsoon of Mumbai. The number of beneficiaries soon reached 700. Mr Harakhchand Sawla, for that was the name of the pioneer, did not stop here. He started supplying free medicines for the needy. In fact, he started a medicine bank, enlisting voluntary services of three doctors and three pharmacists. A toy bank was opened for kids suffering from cancer.  The Jeevan Jyot Trust founded by Mr Sawla now runs more than 60 humanitarian projects. Sawla, now 57 years old, works with the same vigour. A thousand salutes to his boundless energy and his monumental contribution!  There are people in this country who look upon Sachin Tendulkar as ‘God’- for playing 200 test matches in 20 years, a few hundred one-day matches, and scoring 100 centuries and 30,000 runs.  But hardly anyone knows Harakhchand Sawla, let alone calls him “God” for feeding free lunches to 10 to 12 lac cancer patients and their relatives. We owe this discrepancy to our mass media!  God resides in our vicinity. But we, like mad men run after ‘god-men’, styled variously as Bapu, Maharaj or Baba. All Babas, Maharajs and Bapus become multi-millionaires, but our difficulties, agonies and disasters persist unabated till death.  For the last 27 years, millions of cancer patients and their relatives have found ‘God’, in the form of Harakhchand Sawla.

3) The Operation Smile mite: Consider William Magee, 52, and Kathleen Magee, 51, founders of Operation Smile.  One is a plastic surgeon and the other a social service worker.  Op Smile began in 1982.  Since then, it has performed surgery on 18,000 kids in 15 countries to correct — without charge — such disfigurements as cleft palates and burn scars, while training local doctors in the procedures.  Says William: “The world is changed by emotion.”  On June 20, 1996, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation awarded the group a $1 million prize to continue the work.  William and Kathleen Magee’s mite has might, and t’s the might of love.

 4) The poorest state in the U.S. is the most charitable: An interesting study appeared on p. 17 in the January 13, 2003, issue of Time magazine. It was a study ranking each of the 50 states’ personal income levels as compared to their rate of charitable giving. The results were surprising. Massachusetts, with the fourth highest personal income in the country ranked last in charitable contributions. The citizens of New Hampshire ranked 6th overall in average personal income, but ranked 45th in the percentage of their income given to charitable causes. On the other end of the spectrum, the citizens of Mississippi ranked 49th in average personal income, the second poorest state in the nation. Yet, Mississippians ranked 6th in the nation in their percentage of charitable giving. It also ranked first in actual dollars contributed. In Mississippi, forty-ninth in income, Mississippians gave, on average, about forty percent more to charity than did their Yankee cousins!  The more you have, the less you give. What that reflects is your values. Converted to percentage of income contributed to charity, the disparity was even greater. Another fact emerged: Wealthy people tend to give more to secular charities than to religious institutions. Poorer families give mostly to religious institutions and their social ministries. What’s going on? Are lower income families more generous or more religious? Do rich people see more direct benefit to their well-being from museums, colleges, or concerts than from worship, outreach, and fellowship at their churches?

5) “All that I have today is what I gave away.” In 1930, George Pepperdine, who was the owner of Western Auto, sold all of his Western Auto stock and went to Los Angeles.  He endowed a college for three million dollars it was named Pepperdine College. Everyone thought that college was secure forever. A $3 million endowment in 1930! But as the years passed, it became hemmed in there in Watts in the heart of L.A. I think there was only 15 acres of campus. Dr. Binowski, a young president came to Pepperdine with a great dream. He raised 100 million dollars and moved to that college to a hundred acres of the most-beautiful property in Southern California – Malibu, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The college has become a great university, with the name Pepperdine University. It has a huge endowment, a growing student body and an expanding national reputation. George Pepperdine, in 1930, would have never dreamed of the legacy he would leave the world. In 1950, George Pepperdine made some unfortunate investments, and lost everything. In 1962, he was virtually broke, except for Pepperdine College, now Pepperdine a university. Pepperdine wrote a book entitled, Faith is My Future. The opening sentence of that book is, “All that I have today is what I gave away.”

6) Evie Rosen’s mite: Evie Rosen, 69, of Wausau, Wisconsin, is no doubt busy right now, knitting afghans. The reason: Winter is almost upon us, and someone is going to need a blanket. Evie is a retired needlework shop owner. Disheartened by news stories about the homeless, Rosen wanted to do something to help. “Almost every home has little balls of yarn. I thought if we could all knit 7-inch by 9-inch rectangles, we could stitch them together and make a lot of afghans.” She started Operation Warm Up America in 1992, getting the word out to churches, retirement homes and craft shops. Last year, with help from other organizations, the group distributed 16,000 afghans! Evie Rosen’s mite has might, and it’s the might of love!

7) Norm and Lori Nickel’s mite: Norm and Lori Nickel of Abottsford, British Columbia, wanted to offer their services as a family to help others. So, with four of their children, they took three weeks off in the summer last year to work with SOAR (Sold Out and Radical, Youth Mission International’s teen program). They were placed in Reedley, California, where they worked with an organization called Community Youth Ministries that had been able to get into a Hispanic apartment complex housing 2,000 mostly illegal immigrants, 1,500 of whom were kids. They did Vacation Bible School, sports camps, drama and various other activities with the children. Lori says: “I could feel God working through our hands as we played with the children, our mouths as we verbally shared his love, and our eyes and ears as we saw and heard their hurts and pains. Just to think that God had set our family apart for three weeks so that he could convey his love and compassion to hurting people was life-changing for me.” Norm and Lori Nickel’s mite has might, and it is the might of love!

8) Paul’s mite has might: Paul Beyer calls it “the Lord’s work.” Beyer lives in Leola, Pennsylvania. Every week for 35 years he has driven a truck to New York City, a six-hour round trip, to deliver food to the Bowery Mission, located in one of the seedier sections of Manhattan. His truck is loaded with produce, canned meats and pastries which the Mennonite farmers and businesses near his town have donated. He says that people trust him with the food he takes and that the reward is to see all the happy faces when the food arrives. Paul’s mite has might, and it’s the might of love!

9) Mite of volunteers: In Santa Monica, California, volunteer pilots can fly with Angel Flight, an organization that helps the disadvantaged get to places where they can get the appropriate medical diagnosis and treatment. In 1995-1996, over 9,000 volunteers assisted the Red Cross in local relief efforts around the country. In Toronto, if you are a youth 16-24, you qualify to be placed with another youth aged 6-15 suffering from emotional, behavioral and social problems in a program called Youth Assisting Youth. The program has a phenomenal success rate of 98 percent in keeping kids in school and out of the criminal justice system.

10) When Giving Becomes a Sacrifice: St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) of Calcutta said, “If you give what you don’t need, it isn’t giving.” She used to tell a story of how one day she was walking down the street when a beggar came up to her and said, “Mother Teresa everybody is giving to you, I also want to give to you. Today for the whole day I got only fifteen rupees (thirty cents). I want to give it to you.”Mother Teresa thought for a moment: ‘If I take the thirty cents, he will have nothing to eat tonight, and if I don’t take it, I will hurt his feelings.’ So, I put out my hands and took the money. I have never seen such joy on anybody’s face as I saw on the face of that beggar at the thought that he, too, could give to Mother Teresa.” She said that gift meant more to her than winning the Nobel Prize. Mother Teresa went on: “It was a big sacrifice for that poor man, who had sat in the sun the whole day long and received only thirty cents. Thirty cents is such a small amount and I can get nothing with it, but as he gave it up and I took it, it became like thousands because it was given with so much love. God looks not at the greatness of the work, but at the love with which it is performed.” (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies).

11) “So why should I do anything for you?” There is a story told of a wealthy man who had never been what anyone would call a generous giver. His Church was having a big expansion program and financial campaign, so they resolved to visit him. In order to succeed where they had so often failed, they appointed a committee to study the situation. Finally, the committee called on the prospect and told him that in view of his resources they were sure that he would want to make a rather substantial contribution. “I see,” he said, “that you have considered it all quite carefully. In the course of your investigation did you discover that I have an aged, widowed mother who has no other means of support?” No, they hadn’t known that. “Did you know that I have a sister who was left by a drunken husband with five small children and no means of providing for them?” No, they hadn’t known that. “Did you know that I have a brother who was crippled in an accident and will never be able to do another day’s work in his life to support himself and his family?” No, they hadn’t known that. “Well,” he thundered triumphantly, “I’ve never done anything for them, so why should I do anything for you?” (Ray Balcomb, Stir What You’ve Got). — That makes the point in a sadistically humorous way. It’s not a matter of giving ‘til it hurts, but giving ‘til it helps. To be sure, like that man, ther are people who never give ‘til it hurts, much less giving ‘til it helps.

12)  “I would give it to the poor.” A government social worker was visiting New England farms. He had the authority to give federal dollars to poor farmers. He found an elderly widow farming a few acres. Her house was clean but tiny. There did not appear to be much food in the house. The windows had no screens to keep out the summer flies. The exterior needed a paint job. He wondered how she could survive. He asked, “What would you do if the government gave you five hundred dollars?” Her answer was, “I would give it to the poor.” — Do most Catholics give a fair share of their income to the Church and to charities? A Gallup poll answered that query.  In a recent year, American Catholics gave 1.3% of their income to parish and charities. But Protestants gave 2.4% and Jews 3.8%. A survey reveals while 44% of Baptists tithe giving to their parishes and charities, only 4% of Catholics do. Many Catholics are more generous to waiters than to God. They give up to 20% of their bill. That is double-tithing. Our comparative tightness with our dollars comes despite Rousseau’s admonition. “When a man dies, he carries in his hands only that which he has given away.” (Fr. James Gilhooley).

13) Widow’s mite in the Old Testament: Elijah had to flee, so God sent him off to the desert, east of the Jordan, where there was even less food and no water. He was fed thereby ravens, until God sent him to a widow in a little desert village named Zarephath. That’s all we know about her. She’s the widow of Zarephath. No name is given for her. Elijah meets her as she’s gathering sticks for fuel to cook some food for herself and her son. He asks her for a drink of water and she gives it to him. Then he asks for food. She replies, “I have nothing baked; there is only a handful of flour in my jar and a little oil in my jug. Just now I was collecting a couple of sticks, to go in and prepare somehing for myself and my son; when we have eaten it we shall die.” Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid. Go and do as you propose. But first make me a little cake and bring it to me. Then you can prepare something for yourself and your son. For the Lord, the God of Israel says, ‘The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the Lord sends rain upon the earth’” And so it happened. There is enough. It’s a miracle. It’s the miracle that happens when you give all you have in trust. It wasn’t much, but when she gave there was enough. God kept her supplies from running out until the drought and famine finally ended.

14) “They died from the cold within.”: Dr. Thomas Lane Butts tells the story of six people who froze to death around a campfire on a bitterly cold night. Each had a stick of wood they might have contributed to the fire, but for reasons satisfactory to themselves each person refused to give what they had. A woman would not give her stick of wood because there was an African-American person in the circle. A homeless man would not give because there was a rich man there. The rich man would not give because his contribution would warm someone who was obviously shiftless and lazy. Another would not give his stick when he recognized one not of his particular religious faith. The African-American man withheld his piece of wood as a way of getting even with the whites for all they had done to him and his race. And the fire died as each person withheld his/her piece of fuel for reasons justifiable to each. This story was originally told in a poem that ends with these tragic lines: “Six logs held fast in death’s still hand / was proof of human sin; // They did not die from the cold without; / they died from the cold within.” (Rev. Siegfried S. Johnson) — The people in our story were cold within, but this poor widow glowed with her love for God and for His Temple.

15) The Paradox of Our Time in History is that we spend more, but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less.  We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but less time; more medicine, but less wellness.  We read too little, watch TV too much and pray too seldom.  We have multiplied our possessions but reduced our values.  These are the times of tall men, and short character; steep profits, and shallow relationships.  These are the days of two incomes, but more divorce; of fancier houses, but more broken homes.  We’ve learned how to make a living, but not a life; we’ve added years to life, not life to years; we’ve cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul.

16) Widow’s mite necklace: Writer Angela Akers tells of traveling on American Airlines. Out of sheer boredom, she began flipping through the airplane shopping catalogue. These catalogues are perfect for bored passenger with too much money on their hands. They are filled with expensive doodads. Among the jewelry items, there was a necklace that caught Ms. Akers’ eye. It was labeled “The Widow’s Mite Necklace.” No, they weren’t kidding. Some jeweler had taken a mite, an ancient coin that was practically worthless in Jesus’ time, and coated it in sterling silver, then hung the trinket on a glittering, sterling silver chain. Or, for a few hundred dollars more, you could get that same necklace in 14 karat gold. — I wonder what Jesus would have thought of a gold-plated widow’s mite.

17) Supersize your vision and you will supersize your giving. John Maxwell tells us that during World War II parachutes were sewn by machine and packed by hand. It was a tedious, painstakingly repetitive process. Workers crouched over sewing machines and stitched for eight hours a day, producing an endless line of fabric, all the same, boring color. They folded, packed, and stacked the parachutes. How could they maintain peak concentration in the midst of such boring labor? Every morning they met in a large group and were made to ask themselves, “How would I feel if the parachute I am packing today were tomorrow strapped to the back of my son, my husband, my father, my brother?” These workers worked sacrificially and uncomplainingly, because someone had helped them connect their little contribution to the larger picture, to the larger mission of saving lives.
— It’s easy to lose the larger picture of the Church’s mission in the day-to-day work of the Church. We need constantly to be reminded to connect what we are doing to the larger scope, the larger mission of the Church. Supersize your vision and you will supersize your giving.

18)  Widow’s commitment: There was once a man who had a disabled leg, but he was determined to walk. And so every day he got up, he went out and he walked. Eventually he worked his way up to several miles a day. One day he was out in the countryside and for some reason he felt exhausted – far more than usual. He hoped someone might come along and offer him a ride. Sure enough, a friend of his came riding along on a racehorse and noticed that his crippled buddy seemed exhausted. His racehorse-riding friend naturally volunteered to loan the man his racehorse. “Just be careful, though, this is kind of a peculiar racehorse. He’s been trained a bit differently than normal. When you want him to go, you don’t say, ‘Gitty Up!’ you say, ‘Praise the Lord!’ He won’t move if you say, ‘Gitty Up!’ And once you get him going, if you want to speed up, just repeat, ‘Praise the Lord!’ And then, when you want him to stop, you don’t say ‘Whoa!’ You say, ‘Amen.’ If you remember that you won’t have any problem at all.” Grateful for his friend’s generosity the man mounted the racehorse, got comfortable in the saddle and said, “Praise the Lord” and the racehorse moved right out. Now that he was riding the man found that he was enjoying himself so he decided to take the scenic route home and speed the racehorse up a bit as he was going so he said again, “Praise the Lord!” As he came around a curve in a bend, he saw a cliff where the bridge had been disassembled for repair. Quickly the man attempted to stop the racehorse, “Whoa! Whoa! Whoa” but the racehorse didn’t stop. He was getting closer and closer to the dangerous edge, but he just couldn’t think of the right word. He was now able to peer over the cliff and see just how far down it really was when – all of a sudden – the man was able to recall the right word to stop. “Amen!” he cried, and the racehorse stopped right on the brink of the cliff. Overjoyed, the man raised his hands toward the sky and shouted, “Praise the Lord!” — Friends, there’s something to glean from this story: commitment matters. Whether it’s the manner in which you ride a horse or the way in which stay faithful to God – commitment matters. Today’s Scripture reading from Mark is one of the most shining examples of commitment in all of Scripture, for today we are allowed a glimpse of the power of the widow’s mite. (Rev. Chris Perkins).

19) Someone to divide with: At the turn of the century, a man wrote in his diary the story of a young newsboy he met on a street near his home in London. It was well known in the neighborhood that the boy was an orphan. All attempts to place the boy in either an institution or a foster home were thwarted, because the boy refused each offer of help and ran away when attempts were made to confine him. ‘I can take care o’ myself jest fine, thank ye!” he would say to kindly old ladies who questioned whether he’d had his porridge that day. Indeed, he never looked hungry and his persistence at selling papers, load after load, gave the impression he spoke the truth. But the streets are a lonely place for a child to live, and the man’s diary reflects a conversation he had with the child about his living arrangements. As he stopped to buy his paper one day, the man bought a little extra time by fishing around in his pocket for coins and asked the boy where he lived. He replied that he lived in a little cabin in an impoverished district of the city near the riverbank. This was something of a surprise to the man. With more interest, he inquired, “Well, who lives with you?” The boy answered, “Only Jim. Jim is crippled and can’t do no work. He’s my Pal.” Now clearly astounded that the child appeared to be supporting not only himself but also someone who was unable to contribute any income the man noted, ”You’d be better off without him!” The answer came with not a little scorn- a sermon in a nutshell: “No sir, I couldn’t spare Jim. I wouldn’t have nobody to go home to. An’ say, mister, I wouldn’t want to live and work with nobody to divide with, would you?” (Alice Gray in Stories for the Heart; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

20) “History will be kind to me!” When asked about the possible permanent damage the Watergate scandal would have upon his political career, Richard Nixon replied, “History will be kind to me!” Only time will tell if Mr. Nixon was right and if modern historians will assess his political accomplishments as great enough to outweigh his moral failures when they tell the story of his administration. — Such was not the case, however, with the political leaders of Israel and Judah. When the Deuteronomic historian set about the task of recording the deeds of the kings of his people, he evaluated them using a very different set of criteria. Rather than praise their diplomacy or achievements in foreign affairs, he dealt with each of Israel’s and Judah’s kings according to their moral rectitude and fidelity to the Covenant and the Law. With the brief statement, “And he did evil before the Lord,” the overwhelming majority of the kings of Israel and Judah were written off as infidels and sinners. Jesus, too, writes off in today’s Gospel the rich,proud Pharisees who displayed their generosity in the temple by contrasting them with the mite of the widow. (P.D. Sanchez).

21) A box full of loving kisses: Some time ago, a father punished his 3-year-old daughter for wasting a roll of gold wrapping paper. Money was tight, and he became infuriated when the child tried to decorate a box to put under the tree.

Nevertheless, the little girl brought the gift to her father the next morning and said, “This is for you, Daddy.” He was embarrassed by his earlier overreaction, but his anger flared again when he found that the box was empty. He yelled at her,“Don’t you know that when you give someone a present, there’s supposed to be something inside of it?” The little girl looked up at him with tears in her eyes and said, “Oh, Daddy, it’s not empty. I blew kisses into the box. All for you, Daddy.” The father was crushed. He put his arms around his little girl, and he begged her forgiveness. He kept the gold box by his bed for years. Whenever he was discouraged, he would take out an imaginary kiss and remember the love of the child who had put it there. — We require total surrender to do such giving. The tragedy of our lives is that often we hold back some part of us. There are many barriers that block our total surrender to God: fear, pride, selfishness and confusion. It is time that we examined ourselves, and practiced our charity with an element of love and sacrifice. (Fr. Bobby).

22) “Find someone in need and do something to help that person.” Dr. Karl Menninger, the famous psychiatrist, once gave a lecture on mental health and afterward answered questions from the audience. “What would you advise a person do to,” asked one man, “if that person felt a nervous breakdown coming on?” Most people expected the doctor to reply, “Consult a psychiatrist.” To their astonishment, he replied, “Lock up your house, go across the highway, find someone in need and do something to help that person.” — The Gospel message for this Sunday is about giving. Christ praises the poor widow who drops only two small coins in the coffer of the Temple, unlike the others who “put in their surplus money’” (v. 43). The poor widow received the praise of Jesus because she put her last money, though she was poor. As Jesus said: “she gave all she had to live on.” The message of Jesus is very clear: Every person is capable of sharing no matter how poor or needy he is. (Fr. Benitez).

23) “You called me your bother.” Walking along a street in Russia during a famine, the great writer Leo Tolstoy met a beggar. Tolstoy searched in his pockets to look for something he could give. But there was none. He had earlier given away all his money. In his pity, he reached out, took the beggar in his arms, embraced him, kissed him on his hollow checks and said: “Don’t be angry with me, my brother, I have nothing to give.” The beggar’s face lit up. Tears flowed from his eyes, as he said: “But you embraced me and kissed me. You called me brother – you have given me yourself – that is a great gift.” (Fr. Benitez).

24) You are welcome! One-night years ago, a cloudburst stranded a newly-wed couple on a remote country road. Unable to go any further, they got out of their car and set out on foot towards a dimly lit farmhouse. When they reached the farmhouse, an elderly couple carrying a kerosene lamp met them at the door. Explaining their predicament, the young man asked: “Could you put us up till morning? A place on the floor or a few easy chairs would be fine.” Just then a few grains of rice slipped from the young lady’s hair and fell to the floor. The elderly couple glanced down at it and exchanged a knowing glance. “Why surely children,” said the elderly woman. “We just happen to have a spare bedroom. You get your things from the car while my husband and I freshen it up a bit.” The next morning the newly-weds got up early and prepared to leave without disturbing the elderly couple. They dressed quietly, put a ten-dollar bill on the dresser, and tiptoed down the stairs. When they opened the door to the living room, they found the old couple asleep in chairs. They had given the newly-weds their only bedroom. The young man had his wife wait a minute while he tiptoed back upstairs and put another five dollars on the dresser. (Mark Link)

25) Copper coin Gandhi received: Mahatma Gandhi went from city to city, village to village collecting funds for the Charkha Sangh (Hand Spinners Association).  During one of his tours he addressed a meeting in Orissa. After his speech a poor old woman got up. She was bent with age, her hair was grey, and her clothes were in tatters. The volunteers tried to stop her, but she fought her way to the place where Gandhiji was sitting. “I must see him,” she insisted and going up to Gandhiji touched his feet. Then from the folds of her sari she brought out a copper coin and placed it at his feet. Gandhiji picked up the copper coin and put it away carefully. The Charkha Sangh funds were under the charge of Jamnalal Bajaj. He asked Gandhiji for the coin but Gandhiji refused. “I keep cheques worth thousands of rupees for the Charkha Sangh,” Jamnalal Bajaj said laughingly “yet you won’t trust me with a copper coin.” “This copper coin is worth much more than those thousands,” Gandhiji said. “If a man has several lakhs and he gives away a thousand or two, it doesn’t mean much. But this coin was perhaps all that the poor woman possessed. She gave me all she had. That was very generous of her. What a great sacrifice she made. That is why I value this copper coin more than a crore (10 million) of rupees.”

26) They like to parade around: St. John Vianney, the Cure of Ars in France, achieved such note as a spiritual leader in the first half of the nineteenth century that many worthy but unwise people wanted to honor him in some way. Their efforts brought the saint does not pleasure but agony. His own bishop was the first to try. Bishop Chalandon, newly installed in the Diocese of Belley, called at Ars one day while the Cure was hearing Confessions. St. John broke away from the Confessional to receive his superior. After a little speech, the bishop took out a hidden mozzetta (a silk shoulder cape trimmed with ermine) and put it on the priest’s shoulders. This was the garb of an honorary diocesan canon – something like the honor of Vatican Monsignor bestowed by the popes. The poor pastor was most embarrassed, and almost in tears. When the bishop left, Vianney quickly sold the mozzetta for fifty francs which he gave to the poor.

Sometime later, the Marquis de Castellane, civil official of the Ars district proposed that Emperor Napoleon III bestow on Father Vianney the cross of Knight of the Legion of Honor. “Is there a pension attached to that cross?” the priest asked when he was informed. “Does it mean money L/24

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 58) 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 Fr. Tony or under Resources in the CBCI website:  https://www.cbci.in  for the website versions.  (Vatican Radio website 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