March 11-16: Monday: Jn 4:43-54: 43 After the two days he departed to Galilee. 44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. 45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast. 46 So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was a royal official whose son was ill. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Jesus therefore said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” 49 The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” 50 Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went his way. . [51] As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was living. [52] So he asked them the hour when he began to mend, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” [53] The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live”; and he himself believed, and all his household. [54] This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee.

The context: According to John’s Gospel, after facing rejection by his hometown, Nazareth, Jesus went to Jerusalem in Judea for the Passover feast. From Jerusalem, Jesus returned to Galilee and to his headquarters, Capernaum, where people received him as a miracle-working preacher and prophet. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus did a long-distance (telepathic) healing for the dying son of an official employed in the royal court of king Herod. Jesus was preaching at Cana, twenty miles away from Capernaum. Herod’s officer came on horseback from Capernaum to Cana urgently seeking Jesus’ presence for the healing of his dying son. He was desperate enough to swallow his pride and make a public request to a wandering preacher for this healing. Jesus’ critical comment on the lack of belief in the Pharisees did not discourage the official. With expectant Faith he pleaded with Jesus, reminding him of the seriousness of the illness. So, Jesus told him, “Go; your son will live.” With trusting Faith in the assurance Jesus had given him, the officer rushed back toward his house. On the way there, he received the good news that his son had been healed at the very time Jesus gave his assurance. The officer was so grateful that he and the other members of his family accepted Jesus as the promised Messiah without fearing the ridicule of fellow-officers and friends.

Life message: 1) Miraculous healings can take place in our lives, too, if we approach Jesus the healer with true humility, trusting Faith, earnest prayer and the willingness to surrender ourselves to God’s will. We might not experience immediate answers or healing, but no prayer ever goes unanswered. Each prayer is answered according to God’s will. (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(Copy and paste these web addresses on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard)

March 12 Tuesday: Jn 5:1-16: 1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Bethesda, which has five porticoes. 3 In these lay a multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed.5 One man was there, who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew that he had been lying there a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your pallet, and walk.” 9 And at once the man was healed, and he took up his pallet and walked. Now that day was the Sabbath. 10 So the Jews said to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet.” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me said to me, `Take up your pallet, and walk.'” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, `Take up your pallet, and walk’?” 13 Now the man who had been healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had withdrawn, as there was a crowd in the place. 14 Afterward, Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had healed him. 16 And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the Sabbath.

The context: The Jews had three major feasts – the Feast of Tabernacles, the Feast of Passover, and the Feast of Pentecost. Although only adult male Jews living within a 15 mile-radius of Jerusalem were bound to participate in the Passover feast, Jesus went to Jerusalem as a practicing Jew. Today’s Gospel passage describes how Jesus healed a paralyzed man who had been lying near the “Probatic” pool of Bethesda (also called Bethzatha), for 38 years, hoping for a healing when the water was miraculously stirred by an angel. Before granting the healing, Jesus asked the paralytic if he wanted to be healed. The man expressed his intense desire for healing and confessed his inability to crawl to the pond in time. At once, Jesus gave the healing command, “Take up your pallet, and walk,” and the man obeyed.The Pharisees sternly told the healed man that he shouldn’t be carrying his mat as that the day was the Sabbath. The man responded that his healer had told him to but was unable to identify Jesus as that healer when they asked. Later, when Jesus caught up with former paralytic in the Temple and warned him, “See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse befall you!” The former paralytic recognized that it was Jesus who had healed him and reported the fact to the Jews who had earlier questioned him about carrying his mat.

Life message: 1) We, too, will experience miracles in our lives when we approach God with trusting Faith in His power to do the impossible and in His mercy for His children. But we need to express our desire to Him with persevering and fervent prayers. 2) This miracle challenges us to give up the blindness of our heart, the lameness of our mind, and the paralysis of our spirit, and to focus on the positive of God’s unconditional healing and love made visible in Jesus. (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

March 13 Wednesday: Jn 5:17-30: 17 But Jesus answered them, “My Father is working still, and I am working.” 18 This was why the Jews sought all the more to kill him, because he not only broke the Sabbath but also called God his Father, making himself equal with God. 19 Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever he does, that the Son does likewise. 20 For the Father loves the Son, and shows him all that he himself is doing; and greater works than these will he show him, that you may marvel.

Context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ explanation, vindicating himself when he has been accused by the Jews of breaking the Sabbath by healing on that day, and of being a blasphemer, by claiming, as God’s Son, equality with God and the same authority and power as God.

Jesus’ claims and justification: In general, Jesus claims that he is one with the Father in all he does as Mediator, and that there is a perfect understanding between him and his Father in the whole matter. But, at the same time, he is obedient, and so entirely devoted to his Father’s will that it is impossible for him to act separately from his Father in anything. Thus, Jesus claims that his identity with the Father is made visible in his complete obedience: Jesus always does what his Father wants him to do. Then Jesus proves his equality with the Father by doing some works that are the exclusively works of God Who is his Father. For example, it is God’s prerogative to forgive sins, and to raise the dead, restoring them to life, and Jesus exercises these prerogatives. Jesus has received Divine power from the Father to exercise His judgment and authority over life and death. That is why Jesus’ words bring healing and restore life to those who believe in the One Who sent him, and condemnation to those who do not. At the last judgment, all who have heard Jesus’ voice and obeyed his word will be raised to eternal life.

Life message: True Christian life is the surrender of our lives to God with the same love and obedience which Jesus demonstrated for his Father. (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

March 14 Thursday: Jn 5:31-47: If I testify on my own behalf, my testimony cannot be verified. But there is another who bears witness to me, and I know that the testimony which he bears to me is true. 33 You sent emissaries to John, and he has borne witness to the truth. 34 Not that the testimony which I receive is from man; but I say this that you may be saved. 35 He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light. 36 But the testimony which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has granted me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear me witness that the Father has sent me. 37 And the Father who sent me has himself borne witness to me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen; 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe him whom he has sent. 39 You search the scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me; 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. 41 I do not receive glory from men. 42 But I know that you have not the love of God within you. 43 … ..47

The context: In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus defends His Messianic claims. The Jews demanded proofs for Jesus’ Messianic claims, quoting Dt 19:15 which requires two or three witnesses to substantiate a person’s claims. Here, Jesus presents four witnesses who approved His Messianic and Divine claims: 1)John the Baptist, 2) his own miracles, 3) his Heavenly Father, and 4) the Hebrew Scriptures (our Old Testament).

1) John the Baptist, whom many Jews considered a prophet, bore witness to Jesus as the “Lamb of God” and the Holy One whose paths he had come to prepare. 2) The miracles Jesus worked could only have been done by the power of God his Father. 3) God the Father attested to the Divinity of Jesus at Jesus’ Baptism (cfr. Jn 1:31-34); at the Transfiguration (cfr. Mt 17:1-8), and later, in the presence of the whole crowd (cfr. Jn 12:28-30). 4) The Hebrew Scriptures, especially, the Law and the Prophets, [Toa & Nebim] bear testimony to Jesus’ Divine and Messianic claims. It was the Spirit of God Who prompted the prophets of the Old Testament to record their Messianic prophecies. Then Jesus identifies four obstacles which prevented the Jews from recognizing him as the Messiah and Son of God: 1) their lack of love of God, 2) their striving after human glory, 3) their prejudiced interpretation of Sacred texts, and 4) their lack of Faith in Moses and the prophets.

Life message: When we have doubts about Faith and the Church’s teachings we need to 1) read the Bible with trusting Faith; 2) pray for an increase of Faith; 3) learn the teachings of the Church, starting with the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the official documents of the Church; 4) accept the mysteries of our Faith, relying on the Divine Authority and veracity of Jesus; and 5) examine how strong our own Christian testimony is. Does our life reflect the light of Christ so much that it brings light to the darkness in others? (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

March 15 Friday: Jn 7:1-2, 10, 25-30:Judea, because the Jews sought to kill him. 2 Now the Jews’ feast of Tabernacles was at hand. 10 But after his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, not publicly but in private. 25 Some of the people of Jerusalem therefore said, “Is not this the man whom they seek to kill? 26 And here he is, speaking openly, and they say nothing to him! Can it be that the authorities really know that this is the Christ? 27 Yet we know where this man comes from; and when the Christ appears, no one will know where he comes from.” 28 So Jesus proclaimed, as he taught in the temple, “You know me, and you know where I come from? But I have not come of my own accord; he who sent me is true, and him you do not know. 29 I know him, for I come from him, and he sent me.” 30 So they sought to arrest him; but no one laid hands on him, because his hour had not yet come

The context: Today’s Gospel passage describes Jesus’ secret journey to Jerusalem to participate in the Feast of Tabernacles (Booths), amid rumors of his possible arrest. But Jesus courageously made his public appearance in the crowd in Jerusalem and started teaching in the Temple. Naturally, people started wondering why the authorities did not arrest him.

Jesus’ Messianic claim and the Jewish reaction: Jesus made two unique and seemingly blasphemous claims. 1) He claimed that he was the Messiah, God’s Anointed One. 2) Jesus made the additional claim that only he knew God as He is because Jesus had come from God. By this claim, Jesus contradicted the belief of the Jews that they had the perfect and final revelation of God given through Moses and the prophets. In addition, Jesus’ claim to be the Messiah, and the “Son of Man” prophesied by Daniel, with exclusive and intimate knowledge of God was, they thought, nothing but blasphemy. The Jews argued that a mere carpenter-turned-wandering-preacher from Nazareth could not be the Messiah because nobody was supposed to know where the Messiah would come from. According to Jewish belief, the Messiah would emerge quite unexpectedly from Mount Olivet, cross the Kedron Valley, enter the city of Jerusalem, be anointed by Elijah the prophet, take possession of the City and the Temple and establish His Messianic kingdom.

Life messages: 1) Like the Jews, we, too, can be prejudiced and occasionally refuse to accept and follow the teachings of the Church. We need to have the humility to honor the teaching authority of the Church and its guidance by the Holy Spirit.

2) We need to accept Jesus as our Lord and personal Savior, experience him through prayer and the Sacramental life and surrender our lives to him.

3) Like the Jews who expected the surprise appearance of a super-human Messiah we, too, show the tendency to seek God only in miraculous and extraordinary events, ignoring His presence within us and in everyone around us. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

March 16 Saturday: Jn 7:40-53:40 When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This is really the prophet.” 41 Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee? 42 Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” 43 So there was a division among the people over him. 44 Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him. 45 The officers then went back to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” 46 The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this man!” 47 The Pharisees answered them, “Are you led astray, you also? 48 Have any of the authorities or of the Pharisees believed in him? 49 But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed.” 50 Nicodemus, who had gone to him before, and who was one of them, said to them, 51 “Does our law judge a man without first giving him a hearing and learning what he does?” 52 They replied, “Are you from Galilee too? Search and you will see that no prophet is to rise from Galilee.” 53 They went each to his own house.

The context: Today’s Gospel describes the reaction of the people, the Pharisees, the Temple police, and Nicodemus, the Sanhedrin member, to Jesus’ pubic claim to be the promised Messiah and the “Son of Man” prophesied by Daniel.

The common people say that Jesus probably is the expected Messiah because of His authoritative teaching and authentic miracles. But the Pharisees, the Scribes, and the Jewish priests can only see Jesus as a Galilean from Nazareth, and they argue from Scripture that the real Messiah must be born in David’s family in Bethlehem. The Temple police, whom they have sent to arrest Jesus, report that they have not arrested Jesus because, “nobody ever spoke like Him.” They are impressed by Jesus’ wisdom and authoritative teaching. Nicodemus, a prominent member of the supreme council of the Jews defends Jesus, demanding that the Sanhedrin give Jesus a fair trial before they have Him punished for blasphemy on unfounded claims.

Life messages: 1) We believe in Jesus’ teachings, based on His authority as God. We believe in the Sacred Scriptures based on the teaching authority Jesus gave to Peter and his successors. Since Jesus and His Apostles believed in the Old Testament Books as the inspired word of God, and since the Church teaches the same thing, we, too, believe them to be the real word of God, and we follow the instructions given in the Bible. Hence, we need to follow the Bible as the guide of our Christian life and accept the traditional interpretation given to the word of God by the teaching authority in the Church.

2) Today we Christians are also “a sign of contradiction,” as Simeon described Jesus, because we are different and challenging when we stand for Christ and choose His teachings while others reject them. We need to have, and act on, the courage of our Christian convictions. (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

LENT IV [B] (March 10) SUNDAY (Eight-minute homily in one page)

Introduction: The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called Lætare (Rejoice) Sunday, from the first words of today’s liturgy. As on Gaudete Sunday in Advent, rose-colored vestments may replace violet, and flowers may grace the altar, symbolizing the Church’s joy in anticipation of the Resurrection of Our Lord. The central theme of today’s readings is that our salvation is the free gift of a merciful God, given to us sinners through Jesus, His Son. The readings stress God’s mercy and compassion and remind us of the great love, kindness, and grace extended to us in Christ.

The Scripture lessons summarized: In the first reading, taken from the Second Book of Chronicles, we see the compassion and patience of God. God chose Cyrus the Great, a pagan conqueror, to become the instrument of His mercy to, and salvation of, His chosen people exiled in Babylon. In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 137), the Psalmist voices the pain of exile the captives of Judah suffered. In the second reading, Paul tells us that God is so rich in mercy that He has granted us eternal salvation and eternal life as a free gift through Christ Jesus. Today’s Gospel provides a theme that parallels the Gospel, but on a much higher level. Jesus, the Son of God, becomes the agent of God’s salvation, not just for one sinful nation but for the sinfulness of the whole world. Through John 3:16, the Gospel teaches us that God has expressed His love, mercy, and compassion for us by giving His Only Son for our salvation. Nicodemus, the wealthy Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, meets Jesus by night and begins a long religious discussion. Jesus explains to him that he must believe Jesus’ words because Jesus is the Son of God. Then, by referring to the story of Moses and the bronze serpent (Nm 21:1-9), Jesus further explains God’s plan of salvation. Just as God saved the victims of serpent bite from death through the bonze serpent, He is going to save mankind from its sins by permitting the crucifixion and death of His Son Jesus, because the love of God for mankind is that great.

Life messages: 1) We need to love the cross, the symbol of God’s forgiving and merciful love: As a forceful reminder not only of God’s love and mercy, but also of the price of our salvation, the crucifix invites us to more than simple generosity and compassion. It inspires us to remove the suffering of other people’s misery. It encourages us not only to feel deep sorrow for another’s suffering, but also to try our best to remove that suffering. Hence, let us love the cross, wear its image, and carry our own daily cross with joy, while helping other to carry their heavier crosses.

2) We need to reciprocate God’s love by loving Him in others. God’s love is unconditional, universal, forgiving, and merciful. Let us try to make an earnest attempt to include these qualities in sharing our love with others during Lent. 3) Our rebirth by water and the Spirit must be an ongoing process. That is, we must lead a life of repentance and conversion which will bring us, with the help of the Holy Spirit living within us, to an ongoing renewal of life through prayer, adoration, Bible reading, frequenting the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist, and doing corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

LENT IV [B] (March 10) 2 Chr 36:14-16, 19-23; Eph 2:4-10; Jn 3:14-21 (L/24)

Homily starter anecdotes:  # 1: J 3: 16: the “umbilical cord” of space walking astronauts: The famous Bible verses given in today’s Gospel passage, John 3:16 and John 3:17 took an extra special meaning for many Christians when they were displayed in an astronaut program on TV a few  years ago. Space engineers were shown as designing space suits for the command module pilot and the lunar module pilot. A part of the design of each space suit was an umbilical cord, consisting of a long flexible tubing. Its purpose was to supply oxygen to the astronauts when they walked in space or passed from one module to another. The suit receptacle into which the command pilot’s cord fit was called J 3:16 and that of the lunar pilot was called J. 3:17. — Designer Frank Denton said that he named the two suit receptacles after the two gospel passages, John 3:16 and John 3:17. His reasoning for doing so went like this. Just as J 3:16 and J 3:17 supply the astronauts with what they need to survive in their journey from one module to another, so John 3:16 and John 3:17 supply us with what we need to survive in our journey from earth to heaven. That is why Bible scholars call Jn 3:16 the Gospel in the Gospels or the miniature Gospel, explaining why God sent His Own Son into our world to die for us and save us, thus demonstrating God’s unconditional love for us.  (Mark Link, S.J.). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#2:  “The Hound of Heaven”: “The Hound of Heaven,” written by Francis Thompson, is one of the best- known religious poems in the English language.  It describes the pursuit of the human soul by God. The poem tells the story of a human soul who tries to flee from God, as it thinks that it will lose its freedom in the company of God.  This is the story of Thompson’s own life.  As a boy, he intended to become a priest.  But the laziness of his brilliant son prompted Thompson’s father to enroll young Francis in a medical school.  There he became addicted to opium that almost wrecked his body and mind.  He fled to a slum and started earning a living by shining shoes, selling matches, and holding horses.  In 1887 Francis sent some poems and an essay to Mr. Wilfrid Meynell, the editor of a Catholic literary magazine called Merry England.  The editor recognized the genius behind these works and published them in April 1888.  Then Meynell went in search of the poet.  He arranged accommodation for Francis, introduced him to other poets and helped him to realize God’s love.  How Francis tried to run away from God, how God “hunted” him, how Divine love caught up with him – these are the themes of his stirring poem, “The Hound of Heaven.” — Once we realize, as did the poet Francis Thompson, and as do all the saints, that God, in His Infinite love for us, will pursue our souls to the ends of the earth and beyond, then we will be able to trust Him enough to try to return to that Love , allowing the Hound of Heaven to “catch” us.  Today’s Gospel tells us about the breadth and depth and height of the Divine love of the Hound of Heaven for each one of us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: Glimpse of God’s love in the Amtrak tragedy: Near Mobile, Alabama, there was a railroad bridge that spanned a big bayou.  The date was September 22, 1993.  It was a foggy morning, just before daybreak, when a tugboat accidentally pushed a barge into the bayou.  The drifting barge slammed into the river bridge.  In the darkness no one could see the extent of the damage, but someone on the tugboat radioed the Coast Guard.  Minutes later, an Amtrak train, the Sunset Limited, reached the bridge as it traveled from Los Angeles to Miami.  Unaware of the damage, the train crossed the bridge at 70 mph.  There were 220 passengers on board.  As the weight of the train broke the support, the bridge gave away.  Three locomotive units and the first four of the train’s eight passenger cars fell into the alligator infested bayou.  In the darkness, the fog was thickened by fire and smoke.  Six miles from land, the victims were potential food for the aroused alligators.  Helicopters were called in to help rescue the victims.  Rescuers were able to save 163 persons.  But one rescue stands out.  Gary and Mary Jane Chancey were waiting in the railcar with their eleven-year-old daughter Andrea.  When the car went into the bayou and began to fill rapidly with water, there was only one thing they could do.  They pushed their young daughter through the window into the hands of a rescuer, and then succumbed to their watery death.  Their sacrificial love stands out especially because their daughter was imperfect by the world’s standards.  She was born with cerebral palsy and needed help with even the most routine things.  But she was precious to her parents. — We, too, are imperfect. Our lives are filled with mistakes, sin, and helplessness.  But we are still precious to God – so precious that He sacrificed his Son Jesus to save us.  Today’s Gospel tells us how a perfect God sent His perfect Son to save an imperfect world. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 4: AA’s twelve steps and today’s readings: You do not have to be an alcoholic (or compulsive gambler, eater, drug  or sex addict) to recognize that the famous twelve steps of AA reflect the essentials of the human experience of redemption. It is all there: the profound awareness of need for rescue by Another; the abandonment of self to God; the admission of one’s own responsibility for the moral harm of one’s behavior to oneself and to others; commitment to prayer, reflection, and outreach to others. The fact that the twelve steps are a “we” statement in the past tense testifies that following the program is an expression of a community which shares the experience of the healing power of rescue from evil by a caring God. That makes it a kind of Credo or confession of Faith. More accurately, it is a proclamation of sacred history: Here’s how God has acted in our lives. — AA’s twelve steps can help us get to the heart of this Sunday’s readings. The first reading tells us how God has worked through Cyrus to rescue the Babylonian exiles  from exile and “restore them to sanity” by bring them home. The same sense of rescue by “a Power greater than ourselves” is spelled out powerfully in the passage from Ephesians. Like the twelve steps of AA, this passage is the celebration of a community who have “turned their will and lives over to the care of God as they have come to know him” in Christ Jesus. The Gospel passage for this Sunday  is another classic confession of Christian experience of Divine rescue in Jesus. “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life.”(Dennis Hamm, S.J.). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: The Fourth Sunday of Lent is called Lætare (Rejoice) Sunday, from the first words of the day’s liturgy [the Introit].  Since this Sunday occurs in the middle of Lent, as Gaudete Sunday is celebrated midway through Advent, Lætare Sunday reminds us of the Event to which we look forward at the end of the penitential season.  As on Gaudete Sunday, rose-colored vestments may replace violet, and flowers may grace the altar. In Lent, these outward signs symbolize the Church’s joy in anticipation of the Resurrection, a joy which cannot be contained even in this penitential Season, though we still refrain from Alleluias and the singing of the Gloria until the magnificence of the Easter Vigil.

Scripture readings summarized: The central theme of today’s readings is that our salvation is the free gift of a merciful God, given to us through Jesus, His, Son.  The readings stress God’s mercy and compassion and remind us of the great love, kindness, and grace extended to us in Christ.  As an act of love and gratitude to God Who is “rich in mercy,” and as an expression of our Faith, we are invited to share Jesus’ sufferings by doing penance during Lent so that we may inherit our eternal salvation and the glory of his Resurrection in Heaven.  As we continue our Lenten observance for the fourth week, the Sacred Liturgy invites us to enter more deeply into the mystery of God’s grace, mercy, and salvation.  In the first reading, taken from the Second Book of Chronicles, we learn the compassion and patience of God.  God chose Cyrus the Great, a pagan conqueror, to become the instrument of His mercy and salvation for His chosen people exiled in Babylon.  Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 137) presents the sad picture of weeping Jewish exiles in Babylon, refusing to sing the joyful songs of Judah because —through their own infidelity — they have been exiled in a pagan Kingdom, and everything they have held dear has been taken from them. In the second reading, Paul tells us that God is so rich in mercy that He has granted us eternal salvation and eternal life as a free gift through Christ Jesus.  Today’s Gospel has a theme, parallel to the first reading  but on a much higher level.  Jesus, the Son of God, has become the agent of God’s salvation, not just for one sinful nation but for the sinfulness of the whole world.  Through John 3:16, the Gospel teaches us that God has expressed His love, mercy, and compassion for us all by giving His only-begotten Son for our salvation.

First reading (2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23) explained: Today’s Gospel contains this lament of  St.  John the Evangelist: “The Light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to Light.”  The chronicler in the first reading says the same thing about the chosen people long ago: “But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His warnings, and scoffed at His prophet.” He also reports, “early and often did the Lord God send messengers to the people out of deep compassion for them (2 Chr 36:15). 2 Chronicles describes the history of the period from the reign of Israel’s first king, Saul, (1030 BC), to the end of Judah’s exile in Babylon (550 BC)., presenting both the successful periods of Israel’s development (God’s reward for fidelity), and the tragedies and military defeats (God’s punishment for the people’s infidelity). Today’s passage shows us how the people’s infidelities also caused them to lose the Temple, their homeland, and their language until they “came to their senses,” recognizing their own sinfulness and cried out to God for mercy.  It was then that God came to their rescue, choosing to work through the pagan king Cyrus the Great of Persia in order to return them to their homeland and to help them rebuild His Temple there.  This short, sad summary with a hopeful ending is told from the viewpoint of a conviction that right worship will restore a people and that God is willing to use desperate measures, even the heartbreak of his people, not to hurt them, but to save them and bring them back to Him as His Chosen People.

Second Reading (Ephesians 2:4-10) explained: Both the second reading from Ephesians and the Gospel pericope remind us  to focus on the mystery of salvation as a gift to sinners. Paul teaches us that, although we don’t deserve anything from God on our own merits, God has chosen to love, save, and give life to us – both Jewish and Gentile Christians – because of His great mercy and love.  In the first half of his letter, Paul says that Divine grace does three things for us: a) brings us to life in Christ, b) raises us up with Christ, and c) seats us in the Heavens.  The sole purpose of these Divine deeds is to show the immeasurable riches of God’s grace.  In the second half of the reading, Paul contrasts what we can achieve spiritually on our own (nothing), with what God gives us as undeserved grace (everything).  Paul also reminds us that all our goodness is God’s gift to us and, so, is nothing for us to boast about.  Our goodness, such as it may be, is His goodness shining through us.  “By grace we are saved through Faith, and this is not our own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph 4:8-10). The second reading thus reveals “the great love [God] had for us.” Further, while this reading affirms that we are “saved through Faith,” it also makes clear that this Faith itself “is the gift of God,” given to us freely “because of the great love He [has] for us.

Gospel exegesis:  The context: Nicodemus, the wealthy Pharisee and member of the Sanhedrin, meets Jesus by night and begins a long religious discussion.  But Jesus interrupts him, stating that rebirth by water and the Spirit is an essential condition for entering the Kingdom of God.  Jesus explains to him that Nicodemus must believe Jesus’ words because Jesus is the Son of God.  Jesus further explains God’s plan of salvation by referring to the story of Moses and the bronze serpent.  He also reveals the Good News that God will show His love for mankind by subjecting His own Son to suffering and death.

9. A) The uplifted serpent: John refers to an Old Testament story given in Numbers 21:4-9. On their journey through the wilderness, the people of Israel murmured and complained, regretting that they had ever left Egypt. To punish them, God sent a plague of deadly serpents.  When the people repented and cried for mercy, God instructed Moses to make an image of a serpent impaled (and so killed), on a pole, and to hold it up in the midst of the camp, so that anyone who looked upon the serpent (and so obeyed this command of God given them through Moses), might be healed through the power of God.  In today’s Gospel lesson, Nicodemus learns that, like Moses’ bronze serpent, Jesus, too, must be “lifted up” (a contemporary euphemism for being crucified), and that the act of His being “lifted up” will similarly bring about salvation.  This is the first of three references in John’s Gospel to Jesus being “lifted up” (cf. 8:28, 12:32-34).  Specifically, this reference foreshadows the crucifixion of Jesus who carried with him the burden of the sins of the world.  When humans turn their thoughts to their crucified Savior and believe in him, they too will find eternal life.  Jesus was lifted up twice: first on the Cross and second at his Ascension into Heaven.  Just as the cross was the way to glory for Jesus, so it is for us.  We can, if we like, refuse the cross that every Christian is called to bear.  It is an unalterable law of human life, however, that without the cross, there is no crown.

B) Believing in Jesus: This includes three elements: 1) the belief that God is our loving Father, 2) the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and, therefore, tells us the truth about God and life, and 3) the belief that we must give unquestioning obedience to Jesus.  “I believe in ” means,  “I put my trust in Jesus and I seek to obey Him.”  The Faith of which our Lord speaks is not just intellectual acceptance of the truths He has taught: it involves recognizing Him as Son of God (cf. 1 Jn 5:1), sharing His very life (cf. Jn 1:12), and surrendering ourselves to Him out of love, thereby becoming like Him (cf. Jn 10:27; 1 Jn 3:2) (Navarre Bible).   The Catholic doctrine teaches that salvation is “by grace through Faith unto good works” (Eph 2:8-10).   We are enabled to, and must do “good works” when we have been truly saved.  In other words, if we are saved by our Faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, good works will follow as our acts of thanksgiving.  This favor from God is constantly being offered, and our challenge is to respond to it gratefully by leading a good life. Thus, we will receive from God eternal life, the very Life of God Himself.  Then we will experience peace with God, peace with men, peace with life, and peace with ourselves.

1. C) The Gospel of the Gospels: John 3:16 is probably the best loved verse in the Bible and it has been called “everybody’s text” and the “Gospel of the Gospels.” “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” This is the summary of the Gospel message of salvation through Christ Jesus. This text is the very essence of the Gospel.  It tells us that the God takes the initiative in all salvation because of His love for man.  As St. Augustine puts it: “God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love.”   It is our God who brings us to greater belief in our daily struggles and temptations,  and leads us to eternal life, thus demonstrating the depth of His love for us.
2. D) Love of darkness and God’s judgment: When we walk according to the teachings of Christ, we are walking in the Light. If we oppose these teachings, we oppose Christ himself; hence, we are walking in darkness.  In today’s text, we are told, “Light has come into the world, but people loved the darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”  There are many dark corners in our world.  These dark corners  include, among many others, addiction to alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography,  and sexual immorality,  environmental irresponsibility, and a lack of purpose for our life in flesh and time which burdens many of us especially among young people.  It is very easy to pretend that these dark corners don’t exist.  When we do, we act like the   desert nomad in the story who woke up hungry in the middle of the night.  He lit a candle and began eating dates from a bowl beside his bed.  He took a bite from one and saw a worm in it; so he threw it out of the tent.  He bit into the second date, found another worm, and threw it away also.  Reasoning that he wouldn’t have any dates left to eat if he continued to look for worms, he blew out the candle and quickly ate the rest of the dates!

Our lives matter to God, and He knows all about the dark corners in our lives.  He wants us to stop hiding our sin in the dark and demands that we expose every dark corner to His loving Light of life, so that we will be able to receive what He is giving to us  — the Light that not only shows up the dirt in our lives but cleans it away.  He died so that we could be made new and clean.  Freely, the Light of His forgiveness shines into our lives, brightening up every corner, forgiving every sin, and restoring our relationship with God, renewing our lives.

Life messages: 1) We need to love the cross, the symbol of God’s forgiving and merciful love: The crucifix – the symbol of the “lifted up” Jesus – holds a central place in our Churches because it is a forceful reminder not only of God’s love and mercy, but also of the price of our salvation.  Hence, no Christian home should be without this symbol of God’s love.  The crucifix invites us to respond with more than compassion; it inspires us to remove the suffering of other people’s misery.  It encourages us not only to feel deep sorrow for another’s suffering, but also to try our best to remove that suffering.  Hence, let us love the cross, wear it, and carry our own daily cross with joy.

2) We need to reciprocate God’s love by loving others. God’s love is unconditional, universal, forgiving, and merciful.  Let us try, with His help, to make an earnest attempt to include these qualities as we share our love with others during Lent, for in them we love and serve Him.

3) Our rebirth by water and the Spirit must be an ongoing process. As Christians, we are meant to lead a life of repentance and on-going conversion, bringing us to a renewal of life with the help of the Holy Spirit living within us.  The renewal of the Spirit comes when we work with Him to be liberated from the bondage of evil habits by using the Divine strength we receive from Him through prayer, Adoration, Bible reading and frequenting the Sacraments of Reconciliation and the Holy Eucharist.

4) Let us be bearers of Jesus’ Light and carry it to other people.  When we allow the Light of God’s forgiveness to shine in our lives, it brightens up every corner, forgives every sin, restores our relationship with God, and renews our lives.  Whoever follows Jesus will not walk in darkness.  We will experience the joy and peace of sins forgiven, of new attitudes and of new relationships with God, family and friends.  Jesus’ Light of truth, justice, holiness, and charity shining in our lives is meant to bring blessing to others.  We are to let this Light of Christ shine through us into the lives of the people around us.  The Light we give to others can dispel the darkness of their lives (as well as to our own in the sharing),  and bring them to a completely new outlook.  Let us not underestimate what the Light of Christ can do through us.  As Jesus said: “You are the light of the world…. your light must shine before people so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in Heaven” (Mt. 5:14, 16).

JOKES OF THE WEEK: #1: “For God so loved the world that” He sent His Son to Israel: A Jewish father in the U.S. was concerned about his son.  He had not truly raised him in the faith of Judaism…  So, hoping to strengthen his son’s Faith, the father sent him to Israel so that the boy could experience his heritage.  A year later the young man returned home.  He said, “Father, thank you for sending me to the land of our Fathers.  It was wonderful and enlightening.  However, I must confess that while in Israel I converted to Christianity.”

“Oh, (groan) what have I done?” the father thought.  So, in the tradition of the patriarchs, he went to his best friend and sought his advice and solace. “It is amazing that you should come to me,” stated his friend. “I, too, sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian.” So, in the tradition of the Patriarchs, they went to the Rabbi.  “It is amazing that you should come to me,” stated the Rabbi. “I, too, sent my son to Israel and he returned a Christian.  What is happening to our sons? Brothers, we must take this to the Lord,” said the Rabbi.  They fell to their knees and began to wail and pour out their hearts to the Almighty.

As they prayed, the clouds above opened, and a mighty voice stated, “Amazing that you should come to Me.  I, too, sent My Son to Israel…” (Jewish Jokes)

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).

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

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/1)      http://www.catholic.org/: A wealth of information on Catholic Church/ Faith

6)  56 Adult Faith formation lessons & RCIA classes by Fr. Tony: http://frtonyshomilies.com/ http://stjohngrandbay.org/wt/client/v2/story/WT_Story.cfm?SecKey=233

7)  Catholic News Service: http://www.catholicnews.com/

8)  Catholic World News: http://www.cwnews.com/

9) Gospel of John (video presentation) https://youtu.be/4iqN-4v8E5U

30- Additional anecdotes: 

1) “I beheld only the face of the man who would die for me.”  On the southern border of the Persian empire of Cyrus, there lived a great chieftain named Cagular who tore to shreds and completely defeated the various detachments of Cyrus’ army sent to subdue him. Finally, the emperor, amassing his whole army, marched down, surrounded Cagular, captured him, and brought him to the capital for execution.  On the day of the trial, he and his family were brought to the judgment chamber.  Cagular, a fine-looking man more than 6 feet tall, with a noble manner about him was a magnificent specimen of manhood.  So impressed was Cyrus with his appearance that he said to Cagular, “What would you do should I spare your life?”  “Your Majesty, if you spared my life, I would return to my home and remain your obedient servant as long as I lived.”  “What would you do if I spared the life of your wife?”  “Your Majesty, if you spared the life of my wife, I would die for you.” So moved was the emperor that he freed them both and returned Cagular to his province to act as governor thereof.  Upon arriving at home, Cagular reminisced about the trip with his wife.  “Did you notice,” he said to his wife, “the marble at the entrance of the palace?  Did you notice the tapestry on the wall as we went down the corridor into the throne room?  And did you see the chair on which the emperor sat?  It must have been carved from one lump of pure gold.”  His wife could appreciate his excitement, but she only replied: “I really didn’t notice any of that.”  “Well,” said Cagular in amazement, “What did you see?”  His wife looked seriously into his eyes and said, “I beheld only the face of the man who said to the emperor that he would die for me.”  — Today’s Gospel presents before us the face of God’s Son who was sent to die for us, demonstrating God’s mercy and love for each one of us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “Gee, Mom, she thinks I’m real!” There is an old story about a family consisting of mother, father, and small son who went into a restaurant. As they were seated at the table, the waitress sailed up. You know, the particular kind of waitress who moves as though she were the captain of a ship. She sailed up, pad in efficient hand, looked, and waited. The parents ordered. Then the boy looked up and said plaintively, “I want a hot dog.” “No hot dog!” said the mother. “Bring him potatoes, beef, and a vegetable.” The waitress paused for a moment, and then looked at the boy squarely and said, “Yes, sir. What do you want on your hot dog?” “Ketchup – lots of ketchup – and a glass of milk.” “One hot dog, coming up,” said the waitress and sailed off toward the kitchen. The boy turned to his parents said, “Gee, Mom, she thinks I’m real!” — One reason that we are real is because God thinks we are real. He created all of us to be His children. That process of becoming God’s children may be for us as radical as being born anew, as Jesus told Nicodemus, but it is precisely that for which we were created. For Christians, to be real is to allow ourselves to be loved by God, and to love God in return, which, according to St. John, means living the truth. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Nicodemus in art and history: One of Rembrandt’s most famous etchings portrays the scene. The limp, dead body of Jesus was slowly taken down from the cross. Joseph of Arimathea, dressed as the person that he was, in all his finery, stands close by. In the darkness, further away, veiled in shadow as only Rembrandt could do it, with his face lined in sorrow, is Nicodemus. He is holding in his hands the linen cloth in which Jesus’ body would be buried. The Gospel says that Nicodemus also brought with him a mixture of spices, myrrh and aloes, “about a hundred pounds.” — One wonders what Nicodemus must have been thinking as he stood there, waiting for the body of Christ to be taken down from the cross. Obviously, much was going on in his life,  this wealthy man, bringing fine linen and a bountiful supply of expensive spices to anoint the body of one who had died as a common criminal. Was he still as mystified as he had been when Jesus told him that he must be born again? Was he still puzzled by the response of Jesus when he pressed his question about how one could be born again? Jesus’ answer had been totally unsatisfying for his rational mind: “The Spirit blows where it wills — you feel it, and you hear the sound of it — but you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) Emergency Night-call: One of the things that pastors, doctors, fire-fighters, and police have in common is that they all receive occasional night-calls. And most pastors would agree that some of our most significant opportunities to help people have come in response to night-time calls, usually of an emergency nature. However, not all of our night calls are that significant. Dr. Robert Ozmont of First United Methodist Church in Atlanta received a call one night about 2:00 AM. He did not know the lady who called; she had found his number in the yellow pages. She had a problem. By any objective measure it was not an emergency; certainly, it could have waited until morning. Nevertheless, Dr. Ozmont tried to offer what advice he could. Then he asked, “Ma’am, do you belong to a church in Atlanta?” “Yes,” she replied. “I am a member of Calvary Presbyterian.” “Why,” asked Dr. Ozmont, “didn’t you call your pastor about your problem?” “I thought about that,” she said, “but my pastor works so hard that I just hated to bother him in the middle of the night.” — The Gospel of John tells us about a night-time call Jesus received from a prestigious Jew named Nicodemus. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) “Believe in the God Who Believes in You.”  Mother Teresa was interviewed on American television years ago. She said, “It is very, very important, that the families teach their children to pray and pray with them.” Then she added, “And we have enough reason to trust God, because when we look at the cross, we understand how much Jesus loved us. It is wonderful to be able to come to Jesus! That’s why God made Him – to be our bread of life, to give us life! And with His life comes new life! New energy! New peace! New joy! New everything! And I think that’s what brings glory to God, also, and it brings peace.” Then she said, “I’ve seen families suffer so much, and when they’ve been brought to Jesus, it changes their whole lives.” [Robert H. Schuller. Believe in the God Who Believes in You. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1989), p. 126.] — I have also seen lives changed by the power of the cross. Have you? Today’s Gospel gives a parallel between the bronze serpent erected by Moses to heal the Israelites bitten by snakes and Jesus raised on the cross to save mankind. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “Release this guilty man.”  King Frederick II, an Eighteenth-Century king of Prussia, visited a prison in Berlin one day. The inmates jumped at the opportunity to plead their innocence directly to the king. All except one. One prisoner sat quietly in the corner. This aroused the king’s curiosity. The king quieted the other inmates and approached the man in the corner. “What are you in for?” he asked. “Armed robbery, your honor.” The king asked, “Are you guilty?” “Yes sir,” he answered. “I entirely deserve my punishment.” The king then gave an order to the guard: “Release this guilty man. I don’t want him corrupting all these innocent people!” — How ironic! Only when we see and admit our guilt to ourselves, can we repent and return to God to receive the forgiveness and so wash that guilt away. One of the greatest promises of Scripture is this one: “If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive our sins.” Recognition of our sin and Repentance for it are the first steps toward the new birth mentioned in today’s Gospel. Think for a moment. Is there some failing in your life that you have never admitted to yourself or to God? Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) Only five percent of people are able to dream in color: Did you know that a glass of hippopotamus milk contains eighty calories, or that only five percent of people are able to dream in color? Facts are intriguing, but they are easily forgotten. The recent knowledge explosion has had a great impact upon technology. With that technological “know how,” we thought we had a blank check on the future. Then came the new bullies on the block: environmental pollution and computer impersonalism. The marriage of knowledge and technology was not creating the utopia we had hoped for. The yellow brick road to the future emptied into that old dirt path of breast-beating. It didn’t break any record for moral progress, either. Many of us have to agree that any quest for knowledge as a thing in itself can be a dull date. Knowledge must ripen into truth. Okay, but what is the truth? — To answer that adequately, we must recall Nicodemus. If ever a man were dead certain of himself, it was the Pharisee. For him all was quiet on the western front until he met Jesus. The Nazarene became the burr under his saddle. His intellectual absolutes shook like Jello. His neatly spun web of Jewish theology slowly began to unravel. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “Well, Sarah, that is exactly right.” A little girl went to the doctor for a check-up. When the doctor came into the examining room, she held up both hands to get his attention and then she said: “Doctor, I know what you are going to do. You are going to do 5 things. You are going to check my eyes, my ears, my nose, my throat and my heart.” The Doctor smiled and said: “Well, Sarah, that is exactly right. Is there any particular order I should go in?” Sarah said: “You can go in any order you want to… but if I were you, I’d start with the heart!!!” — That’s what Jesus did, wasn’t it? He started with the heart. He started with Love… and that is precisely what he wants us to do! Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) “God, I ain’t got nothin’ against nobody.” Anthony Campolo tells about a mountaineer from West Virginia who fell in love with the beautiful daughter of the town preacher. The gruff and tough man one evening looked deeply into the eyes of the preacher’s daughter and said, “I love you.” It took more courage for him to say those simple words than he had ever had to muster for anything else he had ever done. Minutes passed in silence and then the preacher’s daughter said, “I love you, too.”  The tough mountaineer said nothing except, “Good night.” Then he went home, got ready for bed and prayed, “God, I ain’t got nothin’ against nobody!” — Many of us know that feeling. To love and to be loved — what joy that simple emotion brings into our lives! Then to realize that the very nature of God IS Love is almost more than you or I can comprehend.  (Rev. King Duncan; quoted by Fr. Kayala. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Chain of love: Before we are able to give love we must receive love. Let me give you a powerful example.  Once, years ago, there was a little girl in an institution who was almost like a wild beast. The workers at the institution had written her off as hopeless. An elderly nurse believed there was hope for the child, however. She felt she could communicate love and hope to this wild little creature. The nurse daily visited the child whom they called Little Annie, but for a long time Little Annie gave no indication she was aware of her presence. The elderly nurse persisted and repeatedly brought some cookies and left them in her room. Soon the doctors in the institution noticed a change. After a period of time, they moved Little Annie upstairs. Finally, the day came when this seemingly “hopeless case” was released. Filled with compassion for others because of her institutional experience, Little Annie, Anne Sullivan, wanted to help others.  It was Anne Sullivan who, in turn, played the crucial role in the life of Helen Keller. It was she who saw the great potential in this little blind, deaf, and rebellious child. Anne loved her, disciplined her, played, prayed, pushed, and worked with her until Helen Keller became an inspiration to the entire world. It began with the elderly nurse, then Anne Sullivan, then Helen Keller, and finally every person who has ever been influenced by the example of Helen Keller. (Jeffrey Holland in Vital Speeches) — That chain of love goes on forever. Before it began with that elderly nurse, though, we have to go all the way back to the beginning when God first loved His creation and then created it.  Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “I resolve to compose no more.”: One day in his later years, the composer Johannes Brahms reached a point in his life when his composing almost came to a halt. He started many things, serenades, part songs and so on, but nothing seemed to work out. Then he thought, “I am too old. I have worked long and diligently and have achieved enough. Here I have before me a carefree old age and can enjoy it in peace. I resolve to compose no more.” This cleared his mind and relaxed his faculties so much that he was able to pick up with his composing again without difficulty. — Many of us are a bundle of anxieties. That is why we accomplish so little. What we need is to relax in the knowledge that we are loved. “God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son that whoever believes in him…” Do you believe in Christ? Then what in the world are you worried about? Accept His love. Lay your deepest concerns at the foot of the cross. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Driving Miss Daisy: Miss Daisy drove her Packard into her neighbor’s backyard. Boolie Werthan, Daisy’s son, thought that such an incident was sufficient evidence to warrant the end of his mother’s driving; she needed a driver, a chauffeur. Hoke Coleburn, a middle-aged black man, was Boolie’s choice for the job. Daisy, however, would not accept this restriction, this change in her life; she was not open to being transformed. Boolie may have hired Hoke, but that did not mean that Miss Daisy had to use him. As Hoke stood idle, Miss Daisy took the street-car wherever she went, to the hairdresser or the grocery store. Hoke Coleburn was being paid for doing nothing. That is exactly how Miss Daisy wanted things. As stubborn as she could be, Miss Daisy ultimately did change her attitude. One day she needed a few things from the store. She left the house and began to walk toward the streetcar. Hoke decided that Miss Daisy’s refusal to use his services needed to end. As she walked down the sidewalk, Hoke slowly drove alongside in the new 1948 Hudson Boolie had purchased for his mother. “Where are you going?” scowled Daisy. Hoke replied, “I’m fixin’ to take you to the store!” Although still not content with the arrangement, Daisy agreed to get into the car; her conversion had begun. Daisy did not approve, but Hoke had become her chauffeur. Whether it was to the temple (you see Miss Daisy was Jewish), the store, or a trip to Mobile to visit relatives, Daisy and Hoke went together. As the years passed, their relationship as driver and passenger grew; they bonded together. Then one day Miss Daisy’s conversion became complete. The process had been long and sometimes difficult, but now it was finished. She could finally say, “Hoke, you are my best friend.” — Alfred Uhry’s 1988 Pulitzer Prize winning play, Driving Miss Daisy, tells more than the story of a relationship between a black chauffeur and an elderly, rich, Jewish widow. It is the story of a challenge to be transformed in mind and heart from rebellion into a sense of acceptance in one’s life. Lent is a season when the Church calls us to reflect upon our lives and see how we need to be transformed, to enter into a stronger relationship with God. Miss Daisy’s experience is one illustration of a reality for all: transformation takes time, and shortcuts to its end-product only lead to problems and disappointments. Today’s popular and familiar passage from John’s Gospel challenges us, as it did Nicodemus, to be transformed by Christ. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “I can’t imagine dividing love by eight.” One of the “ministers” (that means lay persons), of a local Church was delivering meals as part of his work with a “Meals on Wheels” mission. He took the meal to a home of a woman whose only child was visiting that day. He congratulated the woman for having such a nice son, and said, “I have eight children of my own.” “Eight kids,” exclaimed the woman. “I love my son so much that I can’t imagine dividing love by eight.” “Ma’am,” the man said gently, “you don’t divide love–you multiply it.”– Jesus’ Love is not zero-based: the more you give, the less you have. Jesus’ Love is eternity-based: the more you give, the more there is to go around.  Jesus’ Love is other-based: we are to reach out in love to “all people” and “especially to those of the family of Faith” (Gal 6:10). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) A baseball story: Those who are “born again” claim Jesus Christ as both Savior and Lord. Let me share a sports story told by the outstanding Christian coach at Florida State University, Bobby Bowden. Back in the 1920s there was a great major league baseball player named Goose Gosling. His team was in the World Series one year. In the bottom of the 9th inning of the final game, the score was tied. Goose came to the plate. He got the kind of pitch he wanted and hit a solid line drive over the shortstop’s head. It rolled all the way to the wall. The left-fielder fumbled the ball as he tried to make the play. Goose rounded second. As he neared third base, the coach was waving him toward home. The ball reached the catcher a half- second before Goose did. Goose lowered his shoulder as he had been taught and hit the catcher as hard as he could. The ball squirted loose and Goose Gosling stepped on home plate. The fans erupted in pandemonium and poured onto the field. In all the confusion no one noticed the first baseman retrieving the ball, racing to first, and tagging the base. He then appealed to the umpire, claiming that Goose had never touched first base. The umpire agreed with the first baseman and called Goose out. — Many people are like Goose Gosling. They seem to be altogether successful. Everybody is cheering for them. They glitter with success. But if in the course of living, they never repent and claim Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, they never even make it to first base. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “I have lived my life the best I could.” Perhaps the most powerful movie I have ever watched is Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks, as Captain Miller, along with a ragtag squad of soldiers in World War II, give their lives in search of Private Ryan so he can be returned to his parents. Private Ryan’s parents had already lost their other sons in that terrible war that some of you know first-hand. As they move in the search of Private Ryan, they argue with one another and sometimes fight with one another, “Why on earth are we risking our lives for Private Ryan? He is probably not worth it anyway.” Still, they push on. Finally at the big battle at the bridge, one by one, they give their lives for this no-named person called Private Ryan. Finally, there is Captain Miller, lying wounded and taking his final breaths, looking up into the eye of the Private, saying just two words, “Earn it.” — The movie fast-forwards and now Ryan is an old man. Once more he goes to the rows of crosses that help us remember the high price of our freedom. He finds the grave of Captain Miller and falls to his knees, saying, “Every day I think about what you said to me that day at the bridge. I have lived my life the best I could. I hope that was enough.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) Miracle of new birth: One rainy Sunday afternoon, a little boy was bored and his father was sleepy. The father decided to create an activity to keep the kid busy. So, he found in the morning newspaper a large map of the world. He took scissors and cut it into a good many irregular shapes like a jigsaw puzzle. Then he said to his son, “See if you can put this puzzle together. And don’t disturb me until you’re finished.” He turned over on the couch, thinking this would occupy the boy for at least an hour. To his amazement, the boy was tapping his shoulder ten minutes later telling him that the job was done. The father saw that every piece of the map had been fitted together perfectly. “How did you do that?” he asked. “It was easy, Dad. There was a picture of a man on the other side. When I got him together right, the world was right.” —  A person’s world can never be right until the person is right, and that requires the miracle of new birth. Don’t you dare stop asking God for the experience of new birth until you can shout from the housetops, “Through Jesus Christ, God has fundamentally changed my life!” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Coming Home: John Voigt and Jane Fonda play the lead roles in the movie, Coming Home, which is about an American soldier crippled for life because of the Vietnam War. The film focuses on the psychological as well as the physical ordeals of this paraplegic – how he struggles with the help of a woman to accept his handicap, reconstruct his dreams, and create a future for himself. — This Vietnam War vet’s situation is very similar to that of the Jews in the first reading. God often sends people to help us through a crisis: parents and children often intervene to assist each other; a true friend comes through when no one else will; sometimes it is a pastor, a teacher or a parishioner who bails us out. Like the Jews in exile, or like that Vietnam vet in Coming Home, we endure small deaths in many ways. Nonetheless, we can find new life because of our faith in the Lord Jesus. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) A life that makes a difference: Several years ago, a bomb was detonated outside the huge oak doors of a Greek Catholic Church in Jerusalem. The heavy doors were blown inward so that they careened up to the front of the sanctuary and destroyed the chancel area. Windows were blown out, pews were destroyed, and the balcony collapsed. Dr. Ken Bailey, a Presbyterian missionary scholar and friend of the priest of the Greek Church, stopped by to assess the damage. It took little time to determine that the priest was in shock and unable to make necessary decisions. So Dr. Bailey took it upon himself to ask seminary administrators at the school where he taught to close classes, and he invited students to join him in helping the priest. They cleaned the church and boarded the windows to prevent looting. The next day, Bailey again called on his friend. The maid confided in him that the priest did not cry at the bomb’s destruction. However, she added, “He did cry when you and your friends helped clean up the mess it made.” —  Dr. Bailey has since remarked, “I did not teach any theology that afternoon — or did I?” If theology is about love in action, he held one of his best classes that day. The truth is…faith is never so beautiful as when it has its working clothes on. (Steve Goodier; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 19) Snakes and Ladders: Aboriginals in India have an indigenous and ingenious way of curing snakebite. Once in Magathara village, South Gujarat, a little girl Nimmi (8) was bitten by a cobra. The girl wept bitterly. Makhabhai, Nimmi’s dad, the village leader, made an incision near the snakebite. He then caught a hen and pressed its rectum on the spot where blood was oozing out. The hen’s rectum worked like a suction-pump, and it began to struggle. I saw the hen slowly turning blue. Nimmi was saved. The hen died. — In childhood, I enjoyed playing ‘snakes and ladders’. The dice are cast and one hopes to reach ‘Home’ before the others by avoiding snakes, ascending ladders. Some of those snakes were big; some, small. Even close to ‘Home’, one could suddenly be bitten by a snake and tumbled down. Life’s like that! As the bronze–serpent signified salvation for the Israelites, the cross, like a ladder, leads us God-wards. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

20) Bought with a price: During the years when slavery was legal in the United States, a gentleman happened upon a slave-bidding in a crowed street. As he watched from the edge of the crowd, he saw one slave after another led to a platform, their arms and legs shackled with ropes as if they were animals. Displayed before the jeering crowd, they were auctioned off, one by one. The gentleman studied the group of slaves waiting nearby. He paused when he saw a young girl standing at the back. Her eyes were filled with fear. She looked so frightened. As the auctioneer opened the bidding for the girl, the gentleman shouted out a bid that was twice the amount of any other selling price offered that day. There was silence for an instance, and then the gavel fell as, “Sold to the gentleman” was heard. The rope, which bound her, was handed to the man. The young girl stared at the ground. Suddenly she looked up and spat in his face. Silently, he reached for a handkerchief and wiped the spittle from his face. He smiled gently at the young girl and said, “Follow me”. She followed him reluctantly. When a slave was set free, legal documents were necessary. The gentleman paid the purchase price and signed the documents. When the transaction was complete, he turned to the young girl and presented the documents to her. Startled, she looked at him with uncertainty. Her narrowed eyes asked, what are you doing? The gentlemen responded to her questioning look. He said, “Here, take these papers. I bought you to make you free. As long as you have these papers in your possession, no man can ever make you a slave again. The girl looked into his face. What was happening? Slowly, she said, “You bought me, to make me free? You bought me, to make me free?” She fell to her knees and wept at the gentleman’s feet. Through her tears of joy and gratitude, she said, “You bought me, to make me free….I’ll serve you forever!”– You and I were once bound in slavery to sin. But the Lord Jesus paid the price, to make us free, when He shed His Blood at Calvary. How often have we spat in our Master’s face – He who paid His all, for our freedom? (Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 21) Lifelines: A number of years ago, these two verses, John 3:16 and John 3:17, took on extra-special meaning for many Bible readers. You may recall the episode. It involved our astronaut program. Space engineers were designing space suits for the command module pilot and the lunar module pilot. A part of the design of each space suit was an umbilical cord, consisting of a long flexible tubing. The purpose of the umbilical cord was to supply oxygen to the astronauts when they “walked” in space or passed from one module to another. The suit receptacle into which the command pilot’s cord fit was called J 3:16. Designer Frank Denton said he named the two suit receptacles after the two gospel passages: John 3:16 and John 3:17: [¹⁶“For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have  eternal life. ¹⁷For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through Him.”]  Just as J 3:16 and J 3:17 supplied the astronauts with what they would need to survive in their journey from one module to another, so Jn 3:16 and Jn 3:17 supply us with what we need to survive in our journey from earth to Heaven. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 22) God so loved the world that He gave…Once a certain Saint asked God to show her the difference between Heaven and Hell. So God asked an angel to take her first to Hell. There she saw men and women seated around a large table with all kinds of delicious food. But none of them were eating. They were all sad and yawning. The saint asked one of them, “Why are you not eating?” And he showed her his hand. A long fork about 4 feet long was strapped to their hands such that every time they tried to eat they only threw the food on the ground. “What a pity!” said the Saint. Then the angel took her to Heaven. There the saint was surprised to find an almost identical setting as in hell: men and women sitting around a large table with all sorts of delicious food, and with four-foot forks strapped to their arms. But unlike hell the people in heaven were happy and laughing. “What!” said the Saint to one of them, “How come you are happy in this condition?” “You see,” said the man in Heaven, “Here we feed one another.”  — Can we say this of our families, our neighborhood, our Church, our world?  If we can say that, then we are not far from the Kingdom of Heaven. (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 23) “I’ve got a newfound glory and it shines out in all I do.” During the American depression (1929-1939), a ferry-boat captain managed to eke out a modest living for himself and his family by piloting his boat up and down the Mississippi. His boat was old and in poor repair. The engines were grimy, spewing forth soot and smoke as the boat made its seemingly endless shuttle on the river. The captain was as unkempt as his boat, his manner with passengers often surly and rude. As it happened, the captain was proselytized by one of his passengers, a traveling missionary who introduced the captain to Christ and to the Gospel. The captain’s conversion was profound and authentic. One of the first things he did was to clean up his ferry-boat and repair its engines. The decks and deck chairs were freshly painted, and all the brass fixtures were polished. As to his personal appearance and demeanor, the captain was utterly transformed. Clean-shaven, and with a smile, he greeted his regular customers who immediately remarked about the pleasant changes he had made. In reply, the captain said, “I’ve got a newfound glory and it shines out in all I do; that’s what Christ does for a person. He gives him a glory!” — In his letter to the Christians of Ephesus, the author of today’s second reading described a similar transformation that had taken place in his readers because of Christ. (Sanchez Files). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24)   A serpent on a pole and a man on the cross: According to Greek mythology, Hermes, messenger of the gods carried a caduceus as a symbol of peace. Among the ancient Greeks and Romans, it became the badge worn by heralds and ambassadors signifying their inviolability. Originally the caduceus was a rod or olive branch decorated with garlands or ribbons. As time passed, the garlands were interpreted as two snakes, intertwined in opposite directions with their heads facing away from each other. A pair of wings, representing the swiftness of Hermes was attached to the staff above the snakes. The similarity of the caduceus to the staff of Aesculapius, the healer, (a single serpent twined around a staff branched at the top), resulted in the adoption of the caduceus as a symbol of the physician and as the emblem of the U.S. Army Medical Corps. — Serpent-signs of healing, like these, played a main role in mythological and religious traditions throughout the world and were known to our ancient Israelite ancestors as well. According to the narrative from the book of Numbers (21:4-9), the wandering Hebrews were instructed by Moses to look upon the bronze serpent impaled on the staff as he held it aloft. Those who looked at the serpent were healed. St. John incorporated this event into today’s Gospel pericope and offered the raised serpent-sign as a type or pre-figuring of the lifted up and crucified Christ. (Sanchez Files). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) Forgive and be Forgiven: Some time ago a woman wrote a letter to Ann Landers describing the terrible relationship that once existed between her and her brother. It took the death of their father to get her to forgive him and to treat him as a brother again. Sometime after their reconciliation, her brother had a heart attack and died in her arms. She ends her letter with this moving paragraph. “I am grateful for the years we had together, but I could scream when I think of all the years we missed because we were too bull-headed and short-sighted to try to get along. Now he is gone and I am heartsick.” — Today’s Gospel is an invitation to review the relationships in our lives and to bring them into line with Jesus’ teaching. (Mark Link in ‘Sunday Homilies’) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 26) Inability to Forgive: The singing career of Grammy award winner Marvin Gaye ended in tragedy on April 1, 1983. He was shot to death by his own father. Gaye’s close friend David Ritz wrote Gaye’s biography a year later. He called it Divided Soul. Gaye was indeed a divided soul. He was part artist and part entertainer, part sinner and part saint, part macho man and part gentleman. Gaye’s childhood was tormented by cruelty inflicted upon him by his father. Commenting on the effect this had on Gaye, Ritz says of his friend: “He really believed in Jesus a lot, but he could never apply the teaching of Jesus on forgiveness to his own father. In the end it destroyed them both.”  — That story of an unforgiving father and son contrasts sharply with the story of the forgiving father and son, which Jesus tells in the Gospel. And the contrast between the two stories spotlights a growing problem in modern society. It is the inability or unwillingness of people to forgive one another. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) Mutiny on the Bounty: Mutiny on the Bounty is one of the most adventurous maritime episodes in history. Captain Bligh sailed in the ship to Tahiti in search of breadfruit plant for the West Indies. He was proud and ruthless, and many of his crew were against him. While returning from Tahiti, most of the sailors rebelled against him and a mutiny broke out. The captain and 17 of his sympathizers were forced into a small boat and were left on the high sea.  The mutineers, 15 of them with the ship Bounty went to Tahiti. Gathering with them some men, women and children, they reached a small Island called Pitcairn in the Pacific Ocean between New Zealand and South America. Afraid that they might be found out if they had the ship, they saved whatever they could carry and burnt the ship. This group of undesirables perpetuated their evil lives of drinking, revelry and murder. Within ten years of their landing on this island only one survived. His name was John Adams, and he was no better than the rest who died. However, he had to take on the responsibility of the Island’s folk. One day as he was checking the goods salvaged from the ship before it was burnt, he found an old Bible. Though he was not interested in it, it was the only book on the Island, and he began reading it. The Word of God began to work in him, and eventually, he changed his, life and became a new creation in Christ. He built a school-cum-Church and began to lead the children in Christian experience. For years the only book they had was the Bible. — Years later, a strong Christian community was formed on this Island. The warm and pleasant behaviour of the people on this Island attracted the ships sailing through the Pacific. In 1980 when a census was taken, all the inhabitants on the Island were Christians. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) Coming out into the Light: The shortest journey to the Light is by doing the good/right thing. The following true story beautifully illustrates this. In the Lithuanian city of Kovno there lived a Jewish professor. Though he had been an agnostic all his life, the professor began to be more and more troubled by the sad, neglected condition of the Jewish graveyard in the city. Since the holocaust of the Jews by the Nazis and the harassment of them by the Soviets, no one had taken care of their graves. So out of the goodness if his heart, the professor himself decided to do so.  Whether or not he was aware that tending graves is a ‘mitzvah’, that is a traditional good deed, we do not know. In any case, the old man acquired a spade, a sickle and shears, and began the job of making the graveyard worthy of those buried in it. At first, he was on his own, but as some weeks went by other Jews joined him in the work. Most of these were once observant Jews but had become agnostic like the professor. Eventually there were some two hundred of them, all doing a good thing. As they worked a beautiful thing happened. Their Jewish Faith came alight in them. Practically all of them became observant Jews once more. — We have to accept that there is darkness in our lives and in our world. How many of our deeds are done in the Light? How many of them could bare the scrutiny of the Light? Alas, we disciples of Jesus sometimes prefer the darkness to light. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr.             Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).  

 29) Salvation through faith … God’s gift: In the wars of religion that followed the Protestant Reformation, both Catholics and Protestants sometimes treated each other with a cruelty we would like to forget. Especially cruel was a group of fanatical Calvinists who waged war upon the Catholics of Holland. They called themselves the “Ragamuffins.” In 1572 these guerrillas rounded up nineteen Catholic priests and friars in the town of Gorkum, both because they despised their beliefs, and because they hoped the priests and brothers would reveal where their Church “treasures” were hidden. The captors made public mockery of their “hostages” and then put them “on trial,” demanding that they deny the authority of the Pope and the doctrine of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. Meanwhile, the Prince of Orange, head of the Calvinist army, sent an order that the captives be released. The Ragamuffins ignored their leader’s order. Herding the captives into a shed, they prepared to hang them from its beams, unless they would finally deny their Catholic faith. When all nineteen refused, they were hanged and their bodies were mutilated. Now, although there were some saintly men among the victims, two of them did not have good records. James Lacops, a member of the Norbertine Fathers, had made light of the rule of his order, and when rebuked had resisted his superiors. Fortunately, he had made amends. But Andreas Wouters, a secular priest, had scandalized many by flagrantly ignoring his vow of chastity. Yet, when these unlikely men had been asked to deny their Faith, they had stood firm. Far from being “other Christs” in their lives, they had truly become “other Christs” in their deaths. With the rest of their fellow martyrs they were canonized as saints in 1867.  — God’s grace is always free. The human mind can never appreciate the extent of His generosity: “. . . Salvation … is not your own doing … neither is it a reward for anything you have accomplished so let no one pride himself on it.” (Eph 2:8-9). Today’s first reading). (Father Robert F. McNamara). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) “Create him not:” Jewish legend has it that when God was about to create man, He consulted the angels about His throne: “Create him not,” said the Angel of Justice. “For he will commit all kinds of wickedness against his fellowmen; he will be bad and cruel and dishonest and unrighteous.” The Angel of Truth said, “Create him not, for he will be false and deceitful to his brothers and sisters, and even to You.” “Create him not,” said the Angel of Holiness. “He will follow that which is impure in Your sight and dishonor You to Your face.” Then stepped forward the Angel of Mercy said, “Our Heavenly Father, create him, for when he sins and turns from the path of right and truth and holiness, I’ll take him tenderly by the hand, speak loving words to him, and then lead him back to You.” And God indeed created man, following the counsel of the Angel of Mercy. — This story shows to us the message of Christ in today’s Gospel of Fourth Sunday of Lent in the B Cycle. And the verse John 3:16 has been called a summary of the Bible, and a summary the entire Gospel as well. Maybe because we can find the acronym, GOSPEL Let us listen very carefully: “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-begotten Son, so that whoever who believes in Him should not Perish but have Eternal Life.” (3:16). (Fr. Benitez) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/24

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

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

MARCH 4-9: March 4 Monday: [Saint Casimir] For a short biography click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-casimir Lk 4:24-30: [23 And he said to them, “Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, `Physician, heal yourself; what we have heard you did at Capernaum, do here also in your own
country.'”] 24 And he said, “Truly, I say to you, no prophet is acceptable in his own country. 25 But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; 26 and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. 27 ……30…

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism especially when we experience the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect, or abuse from our friends, families, or childhood companions. 2) Let us not reject God in our lives, as the people in Jesus’ hometown did. Are we unwilling to be helped by God, or by others? Does our pride prevent us from recognizing God’s direction, help, and support in our lives, coming to us through His words in the Bible, through the teachings of the Church and through the advice and example of others? 3) We must have the prophetic courage of our convictions. The passage challenges us to have the courage of our Christian convictions in our day-to-day lives in our communities, when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian Faith. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

March 5 Tuesday: Mt 18:21-35: 21 Then Peter came up and said to him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.23 “Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants. 24 When he began the reckoning, one was brought to him who owed him ten thousand talents; 25 and as he could not pay, his lord ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the servant fell on his knees, imploring him, `Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him the lord of that servant released him and forgave him the debt. 28 …35

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

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

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

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

March 6 Wednesday: Mt 5:17-19: 17 “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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

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

Life messages: 1) In obeying God’s laws and Church laws, let us remember these basic principles of respect and reverence. 2) Our obedience to the laws needs to be prompted by love of God and gratitude to God for His blessings. Fr.Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

March 7 Thursday: [Saints Perpetua and Felicity, Martyrs] For a short biography click onhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-perpetua-and-felicity/ Lk 11:14-23: When the evil spirit hasgone out, the dumb man spoke, and the people marveled. 15 But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince of demons”; 16 while others, to test him, sought from him a sign from heaven. 17 But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household falls. 18 And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. 19 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 20 But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; 22 but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. 23 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.

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

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

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

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

March 8 Friday: [Saint John of God, Religious]For a short biography click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-john-of-god/ Mk 12:28-34: Another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, `Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, `You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that he is one, and there is no other but he; …

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

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

Life Messages:1) We need to love God whole-heartedly: Loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, means that we should place God’s will ahead of our own, seek the Lord’s will in all things, and make it paramount in our lives. It also means that we must find time to adore Him, to present our needs before Him, and to ask His pardon and forgiveness for our sins. 2) God’s will is that we should love everyone, seeing Him in our neighbor. This means we have to help, support, encourage, forgive, and pray for everyone without regard to color, race, gender, age, wealth, social status, intelligence, education, or charm. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

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

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

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

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

2) Let us have the correct approach in our prayer life. For most of us, prayer means asking God for something when we are in need. We conveniently forget the more important aspects of prayer: adoration, praise, contrition, and thanksgiving. If we have forgotten God through our years of prosperity, how can we expect Him to take notice of us when something goes wrong? Yet, even there His mercy welcomes us. Our day’s work and our day’s recreation, if offered for the honor and glory of God, are prayers pleasing in His sight. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24 For additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

LENT III [B] Sunday (March 3 ) Eight-minute homily on one page-L/24

Introduction: Today’s readings from Holy Scripture teach us that Lent is the ideal time to clean out the Temple of our own hearts and to offer to God proper Divine worship by obeying the Ten Commandments. They also teach us that our New Covenant with God demands that we should keep our parish Church holy, and our Divine worship vibrant by our active participation in the liturgy with hearts cleansed by repentance, and made holy by allowing the Holy Spirit to control our hearts and lives.

Scripture lessons summarized: Today’s first reading teaches us that the Ten Commandments are the basis of our religious and spiritual life. Instead of restricting our freedom, the Commandments really help us to love and respect our God and our neighbors. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 19) depicts the Mosaic Law’s life-enhancing attributes: it refreshes the soul and rejoices the heart; it is pure and true, more precious than gold. The second reading reminds us that we must appreciate the Divine “foolishness” of the crucified Christ and obey His commandment of love as our expression of Divine worship. Today’s Gospel gives us the dramatic account of Jesus’ cleansing the Temple of its merchants and moneychangers, followed by a prediction of his death and Resurrection. The synoptic Gospels place the “cleansing of the Temple” immediately after Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem on the back of a colt on Palm Sunday, while John places it at the beginning of his Gospel. Jesus cleansed the Temple which King Herod began to renovate in 20 BC. The abuses which kindled the prophetic indignation of Jesus were the conversion of God’s Temple into a “noisy marketplace” by the animal merchants and into a “hideout of thieves” by the moneychangers with their grossly unjust business practices – sacrilege in God’s Holy Place. Jesus’ reaction to this commercialized Faith was fierce. Since no weapons were allowed inside the Temple, Jesus constructed his own, a whip of cords, and used it to drive out the merchants and moneychangers from the Court of the Gentiles.

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid a calculating mentality in Divine worship: Our relationship with God must be that of a child to his parent, one of mutual love, respect and a desire for the family’s good, with no thought of personal loss or gain. We are not supposed to think of God as a vending machine into which we put our sacrifices and good deeds to get back His blessings. 2) Let us remember that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit: St. Paul reminds us that we are God’s temples, body and soul, because the Spirit of God dwells in us. Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by impurity, injustice, pride, hatred, or jealousy. Let us be cleansed by asking God’s forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 3) Let us love our parish Church as our “Heavenly Father’s house” and make it a holier place by our care for it, by our active participation in the liturgy, by offering our time and talents in the various ministries, and by our financial support for its maintenance and development.

LENT III [B] (March 3) Ex 20:1-17; I Cor 1:22-25; Jn 2:13-25

Homily starter anecdotes# 1: Righteous anger, good anger, healthy anger: Abraham Lincoln was angry about slavery. Martin Luther King Jr. was angry about racial discrimination, Mahatma Gandhi was angry about the racial discrimination against the “untouchables” by the “high castes” in India, Nelson Mandela was angry about apartheid in South Africa … all that was righteous anger. When we see a bully beating up a young kid, when we see a thief stealing an old woman’s purse, when we see a group of girls being catty and mean to another girl at recess, when a husband beats up his wife — the list goes on and on. The Lord God has wired us in such a way that most healthy human beings are angry inside when we see evil and injustice being done to someone. “Anyone can be angry. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, with the right purpose … that is not easy.” (Aristotle). — Today’s Gospel pictures the righteous, healthy  anger of Jesus, seeing the desecration of a holy place. (Pastor Edward F. Markquart; online). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

#2: “Never argue with him when he’s drunk!” A man was driving without his seatbelt when he spotted a patrol car right behind him.  He grabbed for the belt and put it on.  But it was too late, and the red lights began to flash.
“You weren’t wearing your seatbelt,” said the officer. “Yes, I was,” said the man, “and if you don’t believe me, ask my wife.” “So how ABOUT it, ma’am?” asked the cop. “Officer,” she said, “I’ve been married to this man for forty years, and there’s one thing I’ve learned: Never argue with him when he’s drunk!  Just give him a ticket for not wearing the seat belt.” — In today’s Gospel, Jesus doesn’t bother to argue with the unjust merchants and moneychangers who have converted the Temple of Jerusalem into a noisy “marketplace” and a “hideout of thieves.”  Instead, he frightens them with his angry order and chases them away, wielding the  whip in his hands. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: Nitroglycerine and salad bar: Someone has compared anger to nitroglycerine. Nitroglycerine is an unstable liquid which, in paste form, constitutes dynamite. However, nitroglycerine in very small amounts is what is given to heart patients to keep their hearts beating. The little molecule that dilates blood vessels wherever they are in the body is nitric oxide. It is the active ingredient in nitroglycerine, which is a widely used as a little pill for the treatment of heart pain (angina). When the heart arteries are constricted, the heart becomes starved for blood and a crushing chest pain results. Put a nitro pill under the tongue and “ah, relief!” as the nitric oxide relaxes the arteries and allows the blood to flow again. Anger, of itself, is not sinful. The sin is in getting angry over the wrong things.  We get angry when someone cuts us off in traffic, or when someone takes credit for something we’ve done at the office. We get angry at the kids when they are too noisy and at our spouses when they don’t meet our expectations. Sometimes we get angry when we’re simply tired and cranky. We don’t even need anything to set us off.  The media reported sometime back on a fight that broke out in a nursing home.  The Spring Haven Retirement Community in Florida found their peace disrupted over a nasty incident at the salad bar. Mealtime turned ugly when an 86-year-old man complained to another gentleman about picking through the lettuce. Name-calling soon gave way to punching and the police was summoned.  Those in the way paid a price. One resident was bitten in his attempt to stop the fight, another knocked down. While no one was seriously injured, one of the men was expelled from the home. (www.PalmBeachPost.com) — You and I get angry over all kinds of things, some of them exceedingly silly. Sinful human beings exploit religion just as they exploit everything else and for the same reasons–wealth, power, prestige.   Jesus got angry when he saw people exploiting religion for their own gain. That’s a little different from getting miffed over a salad bar. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/). Introduction: The central theme of today’s readings is the challenge to keep our Covenant agreement with Jesus Christ, just as the Israelites tried to keep the agreements of the Old Testament Covenant with Yahweh by promising to obey the Ten Commandments.  We become people of the New Covenant by loving others as Jesus did, by keeping our parish Church holy and fully dedicated to Divine worship, and by keeping our hearts cleansed, just, holy, and pure because they aretemples of the Holy Spirit.  Today’s first reading teaches us that the Ten Commandments are the basis of our religious and spiritual life, just as they formed a rule of life for the Israelites because of their Covenant with Yahweh at Mount Sinai.  The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 19) depicts the Mosaic Law’s life-enhancing attributes: it refreshes the soul and rejoices the heart; it is pure and true, more precious than gold.  In the second reading, Paul reminds us that we must live and preach the Divine “folly” of the crucified Christ and the spirit of the cross, especially during the Lenten season.  The message of the cross is God’s wisdom and power and, “foolish” as it may seem, that message is greater than the Law, greater than the Temple, greater than worldly wisdom or human strength.  Today’s Gospel gives the dramatic account of Jesus’ cleansing the Temple of its merchants and moneychangers, followed by the prediction of his death and Resurrection.

First reading, Exodus 20:1-17 explained: On the first Sunday of Lent, we reflected on the Covenant that God made with the world through Noah after destroying all living things on the land with the flood.  Last Sunday our meditation was on the Covenant promises God made to Abraham and his descendants.  On this third Sunday of Lent we consider the third Covenant God made with His chosen people through Moses at Mount Sinai.  In that Covenant, God, Who had liberated His people from slavery in Egypt, promised to make the Jews His own people, to lead them to the Promised Land, and to protect them from their enemies.  The people, in return, agreed to obey the Ten Commandments and other laws given by Yahweh through Moses.  The Ten Commandments form a list of directives or instructions for living out our Covenant relationship.  In other words, it is the Constitution of the people of God because the Ten Commandments were part of a Covenant into which God entered with a specific group of people: the Israelites. The Covenant offered these people a society genuinely free, secure, mutually respectful, and trustworthy, superior to neighboring societies, and more humane than anything the earth had yet seen.  The Ten Commandments are based on two basic principles, namely, the principle of reverence and the principle of respect.The first four commandments demand from us reverence for God, reverence for His Holy Name, reverence for His Holy Day (Sabbath), and reverence for our father and mother.  The remaining commandments ask us to respect life, to respect the bodies of other persons, to respect their marriage bonds,  to respect their property,  to respect the good name of people everywhere,  and our own words about them  in a court of law, and to respect our neighbor’s wife and his property. Jesus summarized all the commandments into two: love of God and love of neighbor and later clarified the latter further: “Love others as I have loved you.”

Second Reading, 1 Corinthians 1:22-25 explained: Since today’s Gospel portrays Jesus as causing a scandal by his prophetic cleansing of the Temple, Paul says that Jesus’ cross is a scandal, or “stumbling block,” to the Jews and “foolishness” to Gentiles.  A crucified Christ did not fit into the Jewish concept of a triumphant political Messiah.  In the same manner, the idea of a suffering God Who was crucified but rose again did not appeal to the intelligentsia of Corinth who considered it an affront to their dualistic tendency to write off the body as valueless!  Hence, the Apostle simply reminds the Corinthian community of something they already know: “The ‘foolishness’ of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the ‘weakness’ of God is stronger than human strength.”  Though Jesus expected His disciples to adhere to the Ten Commandments, it quickly became evident to them that such adherence was simply “entry-level” Faith.  After His death and Resurrection, they discovered it was essential to follow Jesus himself with the commandments as guidelines, rather than a series of laws  for their own sake.  The only way to live a fulfilled life was to imitate Jesus’ dying and rising, whether it scandalized others or not. Hence, this second reading reminds us that we must appreciate and live out in various ways the Divine “foolishness” of the crucified Christ and obey His commandment of love as expression of our Divine worship.

Gospel exegesis: 1) Time of the incident: While the turning of water into wine was the first sign of Jesus’ ministry, according to John, the first public act of his ministry is to cleanse the Temple. (In John, the Temple scene makes a claim for Jesus’ authority at the beginning of his ministry, while  in the Synoptics, it occurs near the end.) The authority Jesus used was ultimately based on his identity as the Only-Begotten Son of the ONE and ONLY God  Who makes His dwelling place in that Temple.  As such, Jesus had the authority to disrupt the Temple’s unholy activities. Passover was a major Jewish festival.  Pilgrims from all over Palestine and beyond would come to Jerusalem to celebrate the feast and to pay their annual Temple tax.  Matthew, Mark, and Luke (Mt 21:12-17; Mk 11:15-19; Lk 19:45-48), report only one participation  in the Passover feast in Jesus’ public life, and that was just before his arrest, emphasizing the time when Jesus cleansed the Temple.  The synoptic Gospels place the “cleansing of the Temple” immediately after Jesus’ triumphant arrival in Jerusalem on the back of the colt of an ass.  For Matthew, Mark, and Luke the powerful scene in the Temple demonstrates Jesus at the height of his power and popularity.  His conflict with the religious establishment in Jerusalem, the religious capital, provided fuel for the fires of indignation and alarm set among the Sadducees and Pharisees.  John, however, puts the incident at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry because John is not interested in telling us when Jesus cleansed the Temple, but rather in showing this cleansing as an act prophesied of the Messiah.  John considers the raising of Lazarus, and not the Temple-cleansing, as the precipitating event for Jesus’ arrest, trial and crucifixion (Jn 11-12).

2) The Temple Jesus cleansed: The Temple in Jerusalem was the symbol of Jewish religion and the only center for Israel’s common worship and sacrifices.  Weekly Sabbath prayers and the teaching of the Law were conducted in local synagogues. King Solomon built the first Temple on Mount Moriah in 966 BC to replace the tabernacle that had been Israel’s portable place of worship; I Kgs 5, gives a detailed description of that Temple’s solemn blessing.  That Temple area covered some 35 acres. After 379 years, the Babylonians under Nebuchadnezzar destroyed that Temple in 587 BC and took all the healthy Jews as slaves.  On their return from exile, after some 70 years of Babylonian exile, the Jews rebuilt the Temple in 515 BC under the leadership of Zerubbabel (who was of the House of David). Next, that rebuilt Temple was damaged, plundered, and desecrated by Greek conqueror Antiochus IV Epiphanes in 167 BC, and stripped of everything of value. That Temple was  cleansed and restored by Judas Maccabaeus in 164 B.C. But it was plundered and damaged again, first by Roman generals Pompey in 63 BC and  then by Crassus in 54 BC. King Herod the Great began to renovate it in 20 BC. Since Herod’s Temple was constructed over the foundation of the temple built under Zerubbabel in 515 BC (though greatly expanded), it is known by Jews today as the Second Temple. Jesus did his controversial cleansing of this Temple, in the outer courtyard. This courtyard was called the Court of the Gentiles, because Gentiles were allowed to enter in it for prayer to the Most High, if they wished to do so.

3) The abuses which infuriated Jesus: a) The merchants selling animals and the money changers had converted the Court of the Gentiles into a noisy marketmaking it impossible for the Gentiles to worship Yahweh.  i) The merchants sold the animals and birds for sacrifice at unjust and exorbitant prices (18 to 20 times the regular price outside the Temple).  ii) The animal-inspectors, bribed by the merchants, disqualified even the healthy animals brought by poor shepherds and farmers for sacrifice.  This was an unjust extortion at the expense of poor and humble pilgrims, who were practically blackmailed into buying animals and birds from the Temple booths.  Jesus considered this a glaring social injustice aggravated by the fact that it was perpetrated in the name of religion. b) The Temple authorities, by sharing the profit made by the merchants and moneychangers, converted the Temple into a “hideout of thieves” (Mk 11:17;  Lk  19:45). Roman coins, bearing the images of pagan gods and the emperor for whom godhead was claimed, were forbidden for use or as an offering in the Temple.  The moneychangers, who exchanged Roman coins for the Temple coin (Galilean shekel) with 1/6 of the value of the coin as their commission, even from the poor people who had to pay one and a half days of their daily wage as their annual Temple tax.  What especially enraged Jesus was not that a fee was being charged, but that the amount being charged to the poor was exorbitant and, hence, unjust.  What was happening was a great social injustice done in the name of religion.  In fact, the moneychangers were street-level representatives of a corrupt Temple banking system which had become an instrument of injustice, fleecing the poor to benefit the powerful.  By chasing the moneychangers and merchants from the Temple, Jesus was questioning the validity of the entire sacrificial system itself — of Israel’s ability to atone for its sins, be forgiven, and stand in right relationship with God. “Jesus’ symbolic attack on the Temple would (in His culture) have had a meaning not unlike that of the terrorists who flew planes into the World Trade Centre—symbolically attacking a building that was widely seen as the “nerve center” of an entire network of political, economic and religious power. In addition to its key religious functions, the Temple had also taken on political and economic roles in Judaea. Apparently, its Treasury was used by many wealthy Jewish people as the ‘central bank of Jerusalem,’ where they stored their wealth, considering it safe from theft or pillaging.” (Dr. Murray Watson).

Jesus got whip-cracking angry: Jesus’ reaction to this commercialized Faith was fierce.  Since no weapons were allowed inside the Temple, Jesus constructed  his own: a whip of cords.  He then wrought havoc on those who were committing abuses.  He pushed people and animals out of the way, overturned the money-changers’ tables (thus spilling all their coins). With over a hundred thousand pilgrims in the city to make their sacrifices at the Temple, it seems likely that there would have been hundreds, perhaps thousands, of sheep and cattle.  Considering the crowd and the damage, it is one of the unsung miracles of Jesus’ ministry that he was not set upon and killed by a mob of outraged businessmen and Temple police!  Because of his righteous zeal, Jesus inspired people with respect for his actions.  His words bit into the consciences of those who were taking advantage of the system.  John adds an additional note that Jesus’ disciples remembered Psalm 69:9 (“Zeal for Your house consumes me”), as a justification for Jesus’ rage. Filled with zeal for the House of God, that special place where humans and God meet, Jesus challenged religious practice that was simply external.  Jesus, answering the call of a higher Authority, obeyed, regardless of the consequences.

The Temple in Jerusalem replaced by Jesus, the Temple:  The Johannine account, in which Jesus quotes Zec 14:21, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace,” seems at first glance to support the interpretation of the event as a cleansing. However, the greater emphasis here is not so much on the cleansing of the Temple, as on the replacement of the Temple.  The Temple in Jerusalem was the place where God made His Name or Glory to dwell.  With Jesus’ coming on the scene, the Temple was no longer important in Jewish life as John tells the story.  The Temple had ceased to have a function.  Jesus’ promise of a new Temple suggested that God’s glory would be manifested, not in a building, but in a Person.  By the end of the first Christian century, whenever Christians heard the word Temple, they no longer thought of the destroyed stone and mortar edifice which Solomon had originally constructed and Herod had rebuilt, but of the risen Jesus: the Temple which had been destroyed and raised up again in three days.  Jesus had replaced and superseded everything the Temple had formerly symbolized.  By his prophetic actions in the Temple, Jesus made it clear that the God Who gave the Law on Sinai could not be bought by sacrifice or bribe.  Jesus is the Temple in Whom His followers come into contact with God.  Our Faith is Person-centered, and we are dealing with a relationship.  The cleansing of the Temple by Jesus conveys to us the message that our parish Church should be the source of strength for our spiritual life and the proper venue for its public expression.

The Sadducees’ challenge: Jesus threw the mechanics of Temple worship into chaos, disrupting the Temple system during one of the most significant feasts of the year, so that neither sacrifices nor tithes could be offered that day.  No wonder the Jews who were gathered at the Temple asked for a sign to warrant his actions! The Sadducees responsible for the Temple’s ongoing life demanded some sort of an explanation (but, surprisingly, no reparation), for the holy mess Jesus had made.  That is why they demanded “signs” which might legitimize Jesus’ disruptive actions.  Jesus’ response only promised more destruction, with an infinitely greater cost.  The Sadducees took this talk of Temple-destroying literally and were properly horrified.  John’s account once again jumps forward in time, giving as the reference behind Jesus’ reply, his future death and Resurrection.  Both interpretations are shocking.  Suggesting that God would allow the Temple, the most holy site in Judaism, to be reduced to rubble was nothing less than blasphemy.

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid a calculating mentality in Divine worship:  Our relationship with God must be that of a child to his parent, one of mutual love, respect and a desire for the family’s good, with no thought of personal loss or gain.  Hence, fulfilling our Sunday obligation only out of fear of mortal sin and consequent eternal punishment (a loss), is a non-Christian approach.  In the same way, obeying the commandments and doing acts of charity merely as prerequisites for Heavenly reward (a gain), are acts driven by a profit motive, of which Jesus would not approve.  Hence, let us ask ourselves these questions during this third week of Lent:  Can leading worship become simply a business for the clergy for which they are paid?  Do the laity sometimes think that they are “paying” the minister to do the worship for them — thinking, “We pay them to do this for us”?  Do we think of God as a vending machine into which we put our sacrifices and good deeds to get back His blessings?  Do we use our acts of obedience to the Ten Commandments as bargaining chips with God?  The theologian Karl Rahner put it this way: “The number one cause of atheism is Christians.  Those who proclaim God with their mouths and deny Him with their lifestyles are what an unbelieving world finds simply unbelievable.”

2) We need to remember that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit:  St. Paul reminds us that we are God’s temples, body and soul, because the Spirit of God dwells in us.  Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by impurity and injustice.  We are expected to cleanse our hearts of pride, hatred, jealousy, and all evil thoughts, desires, and plans.  Reminiscent of what Jesus did in cleansing the Temple, we, as 21st century disciples, must, with His grace, cleanse ourselves of attitudes and behaviors that prevent us from seeing and responding to hurt wherever we find it.  Let us welcome Jesus into our hearts and lives during Lent by repentance and the renewal of our lives.  We will drive out the wild animals that do not belong in the holy temple of our body by making a whip of cords out of our fasting, penance, and almsgiving during Lent, and by going to Confession to receive God’s loving forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

3) We need to love our parish Church and use it: Our Church is the place where we come together as a community to love and praise God.  It is the holy place where we gather strength to support one another in the task of living the Gospel.  It is the place where we come privately to enter into intimate conversation with God.  In this building many prodigal sons and daughters have met the merciful Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and have been welcomed back to our community.  In this building, tears have been shed by those in pain and grief.  Let’s look around our Church this morning and treasure it.  When we pass our Church, we might take the time to make a brief visit.  Let us make our Church even more of a holy place by helping to keep it clean, by adding our prayers and songs to parish worship and by offering our time and talents in the various ministries.

4) Do we deserve the presence of Jesus with his whip in our contemporary world?  a) Cases of reported child abuse have risen from under one million cases annually to nearly three million.  b) Cohabitation statistics are up six-fold. Contrary to popular belief, “trial marriage” — living together followed by marriage — is a statistical predictor of later divorce.  c) The divorce rate has doubled, and happiness in surviving marriages has slightly declined.  d) In 1960, five percent of babies were born to unwed parents.  Today, more than 27 percent of all children are raised by single parents.  In 1960, one out of 10 children lived with only one parent, whereas today, three of 10 is the average. e) Abortions continue almost unchecked and people continue to agitate for an extension of time in a pregnancy during which an abortion will still be legal.

JOKES OF THE WEEK # 1: Devouring monstrous “zeal” in the Church: There is a funny story about the childhood days of the former American president, Theodore Roosevelt.  Little Teddy Roosevelt had a problem.  When he was a child his mother, Mitty, found that he was so afraid of the Madison Square Church that he refused to set foot inside it alone.  He was terrified, as she discovered, of something called “The Zeal.”  It crouched in dark corners ready to pounce upon him.  And when she asked him what zeal might be, he said that he couldn’t exactly describe it, but he thought it might be something like an alligator or a dragon, and he had heard the pastor read about it from the Bible one day.  So, using a concordance, Mitty read him those passages containing the word zeal until suddenly he stopped her and, very excited, said, “That’s it!”  The line was from the Book of John, Chapter 2, verse 17, and it was the King James version- “And his disciples remembered that it was written ‘the zeal of Thine House hath eaten me up.”  2) Commercials in the Church: A little girl was taken to the Church for the first time. As she was leaving with her parents, the pastor asked how she had liked the Mass.  “I liked the music,” she replied, “but the commercial was too long.” (Liguorian, March, 2006). 3) “I don’t smoke during Lent.”  The story is told of a priest who was coming back to his parish house one evening in the dark only to be accosted by a robber who pulled a gun at him and demanded, “Your money or your life!” As the priest reached his hand into his coat pocket the robber saw his Roman collar and said, “So you are a priest? Then you can go.” The priest was rather surprised at this unexpected show of piety and so tried to reciprocate by offering the robber his packet of cigarettes, to which the robber replied, “No, Father, I don’t smoke during Lent.”

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)

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

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/1)     http://www.catholic.org/: A wealth of information on Catholic Church/ Faith

6)   Catholic news & views:  10 http://www.catholicculture.org/7)   Catholic resources: http://www.catholic.org/sitemap.php?four

8) Jesus Cleansing the Temple (video clip from movie): https://youtu.be/boNIL1owRAI/

9)   https://youtu.be/geferlpn_5A (video clip from movie)

18- Additional anecdotes

1) Beware of whip-lashing Jesus when  you are preparing your tax returns!  A man was having trouble sleeping because of frightening dreams of an angry Jesus chasing him with a whip in his hands.  He knew in his heart it was his conscience that was keeping him awake.  He’d been less than honest in filing his tax return, and it was getting to him.  So he sent a check to the IRS with the following note: “Dear Sirs, in filing my 2023 tax return, I did not report all my income.  Therefore, I am enclosing my check for $100.00.  P. S. If my conscience still troubles me with those dreams of whip-wielding Jesus, I’ll send you the rest.”  Guess what happened next!  Today’s Gospel challenges us to examine ourselves to see if Jesus will have to take a whip when he comes to our hearts – the temple of the Holy Spirit  – in Holy Communion.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “You’re never gonna go to school with white boys.”  One of the angriest young men picked out by the American spotlight over the past five decades was the black activist of the sixties, Stokely Carmichael. Remember Stokely, with his rhetoric of hate and rebellion? Why was he so angry? There were reasons. Let me give you an example.  A school was being desegregated and Stokely Carmichael took his six-year-old niece to the school to begin kindergarten. Six years old. Remember that. The cops in that southern town weren’t about to let the school be integrated. One cop grabbed Stokely’s niece, put the girl on the ground, put his boot on her neck, stuck his gun in her ear, and said, “This is the last time I’m gonna tell ya. You’re never gonna go to school with white boys.”  Carmichael took his niece home in shock. Naturally, she was a frightened mess. At that moment Stokely Carmichael vowed that he would never let a boot hold down the neck of another black person again. He would kill the person wearing the boot rather than let it happen. [Larry King, The King, (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1988).] There are times when it is right to get angry. Jesus was angry when he drove the money-changers out of the Temple. Christ’s example tells me there are times when a Christian ought to be angry.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “Mother Who Abandoned Son Wins Half of His $300,000 Estate.” Did you read about a Connecticut Supreme Court case in which the court reluctantly ruled that a Suzanne Benson is entitled to half the estate of her dead son? If the newspapers are correct, this mother abandoned her two-year-old son 13 years ago. Recently the son was killed in a car/bicycle collision. His dad’s insurance company awarded $300,000 to the son’s estate. Mrs. Benson showed up after all this time to claim half the money.  Under Connecticut law, if Mrs. Benson had officially terminated her parental responsibility, she could not have profited from the money. Abandonment of a baby, however, does not constitute formal parental termination. [“Mother Who Abandoned Son Wins Half of His $300,000 Estate,” The Knoxville News Sentinel (May 10, 1989), Section A, P. 7.] So she collected $150,000. –That violates my sense of justice, doesn’t it yours? It’s not fair. It’s not right. But listen. There are far worse injustices taking place in our world than that one isolated case. We all know it’s true. There are racial injustices, religious injustices,  and economic injustices. In today’s Gospel Jesus reacts forcefully against religious injustice. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “In his note there was a very naughty word.” Paul Harvey tells about a robber in Oceanside, California wearing a motorcycle helmet and carrying a gun who strode into a branch bank. He selected a teller who appeared fiftyish, soft, kindly, an easy mark. He handed her a note demanding money or her life. The woman reached for the cash drawer. Then she looked again at the note and her eyes flashed, her lips clenched. She pulled the entire cash drawer out, but instead of giving him money, she clobbered the robber over the head with the drawer. And again and again. She was scolding him. Money was flying everywhere and she was beating him and shouting shame on him and bouncing blows off his helmet “until the young man turned and ran. Police caught him in nearby shrubbery. Then they asked the woman teller how come she was about to give him money at gunpoint and then, suddenly, instead, became enraged? She said, ‘In his note there was a very naughty word.’”  (Paul Harvey’s For What It’s Worth“). — Different people get upset at different things. Jesus shouted, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s House a marketplace!” Jesus got their attention. Sometimes we need to get angry. Anger can lead to creative and constructive solutions. However, Jesus’ anger is not the focus of this story. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) The court had to let Sweeney go free. There is a most interesting story from American history about a man named George Wythe (pronounced with), a signer of the Declaration of Independence and perhaps one of the period’s most noted legal minds. In 1776, George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, and Edmund Pendleton began the task of reworking and updating the laws of the state of Virginia. The task took most of their time for three years. It was really an extraordinary piece of work. However, there was at least one flaw – a flaw that would one day haunt the family and friends of George Wythe.  In 1806, Wythe suffered for almost 2 weeks from what almost certainly was arsenic poisoning and finally died. It is also reasonably certain that Wythe’s grandnephew, George Wythe Sweeney, had added the arsenic to his elder’s coffee. However, the only person who saw Sweeney commit this act was Lydia Broadnax, Wythe’s devoted mulatto housekeeper; and negroes and mulattoes were forbidden under Virginia law to testify in court against whites – a law that George Wythe had chosen to let stand during his revision process. So, despite fairly certain knowledge that Sweeney had murdered Wythe, the court had to let Sweeney go free. [Brother C. Edward, FSC. “The Law That Failed,” American History Illustrated (Jan., 1973), pp. 38-45.] — I suppose we might consider that a case of poetic justice. If George Wythe had recognized the rights of African Americans, his killer would not have gone free. Justice does not always work out that neatly, of course, but we should tremble when we reflect that God is a just God. For eventually justice does prevail. There is a time when Christians ought to get angry about some of the inequities and injustices in our world. As Melvin Wheatley once said, “There are situations in life in which the absence of anger would be the essence of evil.” There is a time for anger. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “Somebody ought to do something about that.” A man named Leonard Haslim got angry watching the 6 o’clock news. Hundreds of people had died in an airliner crash in Washington, D.C. because the plane’s wings iced up, making it too heavy to fly. Haslim decided to make sure it didn’t happen again. Haslim came up with a brilliant, but rather simple solution. Everyone who has studied science knows that opposite charges attract and like charges repel. Haslim used that principle to come up with the ultimate wing deicer. He wrapped a thin sheet of rubber around an airplane wing, with wire ribbons carrying electrical current underneath. When he threw the switch on, the positive wires jumped away from each other, as did the negatives, breaking the ice that had frozen to the layer of rubber above them.  “It’s like snapping a hall carpet,” drawls Haslim, “and watching the dust fly.” His invention can pulverize ice an inch thick on the surface of a wing. Yet it uses no more power than a single landing light, and costs less than an airplane tire. “It’s so simple, lightweight, and cheap, it’s nauseating,” says Haslim. It may be that over the next several years, hundreds of lives will be saved because Leonard Haslim got angry watching the 6 o’clock news. (Success, October, 1990). —  Is there something making you angry? Is there some evil in the world that a voice within you keeps saying, “Somebody ought to do something about that.” That is what Jesus did, as described in today’s Gospel, by cleansing the Temple. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) One-man army: Two men stood in front of a taxicab arguing about who had the right to the cab. While they argued, the wife of one of the men stood and watched. After they had argued for a few of minutes, one man became calm, opened the door for his opponent, and returned to his wife.  Curious, his wife asked him why he’d suddenly allowed the other man to take the cab. He explained, “You see dear, he needed the cab more than we did; he was late for his martial arts class. He’s the teacher!” — Today’s Gospel tells us that Jesus had no such fear in confronting the animal merchants, the moneychangers and the Temple police in the Temple of Jerusalem in his cleansing of the Temple operation with prophetic courage. [The Pastor’s Story File (Saratoga Press, P.O. Box 8, Platteville, CO, 80651; 970-785-2990), January 1996.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Herman Kahn and nuclear war: Herman Kahn who founded the Hudson Institute, a private center for research on national security and public policy, had been working on a paper on nuclear warfare, which he was to deliver at the Pentagon on July 8, 1983, when he died very suddenly on July 7. For 23 years he had been repeating the same theme: that nuclear war was not only a possibility but a probability, insisting that a nuclear war would not mean the annihilation of civilization. He believed in “degrees of awfulness,” and prescribed arms control, negotiated disarmament, and a strong military deterrent to nuclear war. Kahn’s critics insisted that he minimized the dangers of nuclear war and played into the hands of the militarists calling for more powerful weapons systems. Some claimed that his thinking, writing, and speeches merely supported the system when he ought to have been challenging it. — Jesus could never be accused of such a sell-out in the scheme of things prevailing in the Temple. He shook the building – and the system – right down to the very foundations of both. Why wouldn’t the priests and the other leaders be upset with him and begin to consider how they might get rid of this Jesus? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) The Temple Jesus cleansed: It had a series of ascending courtyards. Your first entry was into the outer courtyard … the place that was called the Court of the Gentiles. You could be admitted there … because anybody could be admitted there. But if you were a Gentile … which virtually all of you are … you could not go beyond there. For it was “death” for a Gentile to penetrate further. Next came the Court of the Women, entered by the arch that they called the Beautiful Gate. Any Israelite could go there. This was followed by the Court of the Israelites, entered by Nicanor’s Gate (a gate of Corinthian bronze which required 20 men to open and shut). It was in this court that the men of Israel assembled for Temple services. Lastly, came the Court of the Priests, into which only the priests might enter. There could be found the great altar of the burnt-offering … the lesser altar of the incense-offering … the seven-branched lamp stand … and the table of the shewbread. It was at the back of the Court of the Priests that the Holy of Holies stood, accessible only to the High Priest, and that only once a year. To enter the Holy of Holies was to approach the very throne of God, which is why legend has it that more than one High Priest attached a rope to his ankle before passing through the veil, thus ensuring that (should he be struck dead by the power of God while praying), his colleagues would be able to pull him out without endangering themselves. — So when Jesus went into the Temple for purposes of “cleansing,” where did he go? Not to the Holy of Holies. Not to the Court of the Priests. Not to the Court of the Israelites. Not even to the Court of the Women. Jesus went into the outer court … the Court of the Gentiles, open to everybody. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Jesus and the IRS: The voice on the other end of the line identified its owner as a representative of the Internal Revenue Service. The caller asked, “Did John Jones give $10,000 to your Church last year?” The pastor thought for a moment, and then carefully replied, “He will!” If there is anything that strikes terror into the hardiest of hearts it is the dread acronym: IRS. “The Infernal Revenue Service.” Er, I mean, the Internal Revenue Service. Someone has said, “You may not agree with every department in the government, but you really have to hand it to the IRS.” Another cynic has said, “Death and taxes may always be with us, but at least death doesn’t get any worse.” Arthur Godfrey once said, “I feel honored to pay taxes in America. The thing is, I could probably feel just as honored for about half the price.” Benjamin Franklin said, “In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes.” — The one we will have to confront but once; the other, like Gospel on Jesus’ cleansing the Temple of Jerusalem, comes around once a year, frightening us about what would happen if Jesus had to come to our hearts with a whip in his hands. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 11)  The Ten Commandments Indicator: On 3rd February 1959, 10,000 meters above the Atlantic, Captain Lynch took a last look at the flight panel of the Boeing 707. The co-pilot was studying a map. Captain Lynch decided to stretch his legs, thinking that the worst was over. Shortly after leaving Paris they had run into a 120-kph headwind. But by now they had climbed above the storm. The captain made his way down the aisle. Just then the Captain felt the right-wing tip and he was thrown against the seats on the right-hand side. At the same moment all the lights in the plane went out. Next, he found himself lying on the floor. But then he realized it was the ceiling he was on. The Boeing was on its back. He began to make his way back to the cockpit. He decided to try to hold the plane at 2,000 meters. The co-pilot had been knocked unconscious. He came to again and he and the captain managed to bring the Boeing to the horizontal. A few more seconds and the plane would have crashed. The whole incident lasted four minutes. — What caused it? While the co-pilot was studying the map, he did not notice the blue light on the indicator panel warning that the automatic pilot had stopped working. God has given us an indicator panel to guide us through life. That indicator panel is the Commandments. The Commandments are a gift from God to help us enjoy life by not getting lost along the way. (Author Unknown; quoted by Fr. Botelho).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Living the Law: Several years ago, a preacher from out-of-state accepted a call to a Church in Boston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his house to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the bus driver had mistakenly given him a quarter too much in change. As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, “You’d better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it.” Then he thought, “Oh, forget it, it’s only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a ‘gift from God’ and keep quiet.” When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, and then handed the quarter to the driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change.” The driver with a smile, replied, “Aren’t you the new preacher in town?” “Yes,” he replied. “Well, I have been thinking a lot lately about going somewhere to worship. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change. I’ll see you at Church next Sunday.” When the preacher stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, held on and said, “Oh God I almost sold your Son for a quarter!” — Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read! As someone has said, “We need Christians to make Christians.” (J. Valladares in Your Words Are Spirit and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) Knowing the Law: One of President Reagan’s favorite stories involves a farmer and a lawyer whose cars collided. The farmer took a look at the lawyer, then reached in the back of his car and took out a bottle of whiskey. “Here, you look pretty shook up,” “Take a nip of this; it’ll steady your nerves.” After taking five or six gulps, the lawyer suggested the farmer have a drink himself. “Not me,” declared the farmer. “I’m waiting for the traffic police.” (Christopher Notes; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14)  Picasso’s Bad Shepherd: The famous modern artist Pablo Picasso was born into a Catholic family in 1881.But he rejected his Catholic upbringing in his early 20s, mostly because he saw religious morals as an obstacle to the hedonistic fashions of his age. Picasso never publicly returned to the Church, although a priest was present at the artist’s funeral. Throughout his life, he associated himself with various secular movements, one of them being Communism, a violently anti-Christian ideology. Soon after Picasso became a Communist, he made an interesting sculpture called “Man with Sheep.” It was a conscious re-interpretation of a famous and beloved image in Christian art, one we are all familiar with because it is taken directly from the Gospels – the Good Shepherd. In traditional sculptures and paintings of the good shepherd, a tranquil lamb curls gently around the shepherd’s shoulders. This is how shepherds used to teach rambunctious and foolish lambs that would run off on their own and leave the flock. The shepherd would break one of the lamb’s legs, so that it couldn’t run off into danger, and then carry the wounded lamb for weeks, until it healed. By that time, the lamb would have learned that the shepherd is good and trustworthy, and so it would never again stray away from the shepherd into danger. Picasso’s “Man with Sheep” is a complete contrast. In this bronze sculpture, the shepherd is a stark, distorted man with the bulging eyes and a fierce expression. He clasps the sheep in one arm, while the animal twists its head away, open-mouthed and protesting, resisting with all its might. Picasso’s figure seems like a butcher bringing a lamb to the slaughter. — That’s what happens when we try to understand suffering without Christ – it just doesn’t make sense. But with Christ, all our crosses bring salvation, wisdom, and deeper intimacy with God. (E-Priest)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) No Smoking: Modern life is becoming more and more cluttered with No– signs. No smoking is spreading like a rash out of control. No Trespassing is growing abundantly all over the land, and there is a fair yield of No Fishing and No Shooting in the remoter scenic regions. No Dumping is to be found here too, but it does well in all types of terrain. The back-packing hiker will not have to venture far before encountering his first No Camping. The Don’ts (sometimes called the Do Nots) are another member of the same family. Don’t Walk on the Grass is a favorite in city parks. Don’t Cycle on the Pavements thrives on asphalt or Cement. We are familiar with the Don’ts from childhood. They were the first prohibitions we were taught to recognize, almost from infancy. Don’t Cry, Don’t Wake the Baby, Don’t Cross the Road, Don’t Talk to Strangers were mother’s favourites. School was a whole world of them. Teacher had a whole bagful, graded for every occasion. Some were simple admonitions like Don’t be Late or Don’t be Long. Others were more menacing like Don’t be Smart or Don’t be so Stupid. When we emerged from the school system as young adults, we were ready to face the world and its Don’ts. Since then, life has fluctuated from an official reprimand Don’t Rock the boat to a wifely pat, Don’t Worry. — When Moses came down from the smoke-wrapped Mt Sinai, he brought with him two tablets of stone, on which were carved the Ten Commandments and eight of them were Thou Shalt Nots. Since then, the Ten Commandments have formed the basis of every legal system in the civilised world. The Don’ts of the Decalogue have evolved into a charter of human rights. Christ drove the money-makers out of the Temple with “Don’t turn my Father’s house into a den of thieves.” (Biblical IE) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) Jesus the meek lamb and ferocious lion: C. S. Lewis illustrated the contrasting qualities of Jesus in his character Aslan, the Lion. In the Voyage of the Dawn Treader,two children, Lucy and Edmund, come to a grassy area. The field covers an area almost as far as the eye can see in greenery, except for one small white spot. The children can’t figure out what the white spot is from a distance, so they hike down to it and discover that it’s a lamb. This white woolly creature is not just any lamb but a lamb that can cook breakfast and have a conversation with them. The children want to know how to get to the land of Aslan. While the lamb is giving them directions a marvelous thing happens: “His snowy white flushed into tawny gold and his size changed and he was Aslan himself towering above them and scattering light from his mane” (C.S. Lewis, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, as found in “What’s it going to take?” a sermon by Rev. John H. Pavelko). — Lewis graphically illustrates one of the great truths of our Faith: Jesus, the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world is also the Lion of Judah. In Christ we find both the meekness of the lamb and the ferocity of the lion. Jesus could be both the strong and gentle man who welcomed children and the angry man who swung a powerful whip of cords to clear the Temple. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Divine gift and gracious guidance of a loving God: In his 1965 novel about Israel through the ages, The Source, Michener chronicled the development of an ancient people who shifted their allegiance to a new god “partly because his demands upon them were severe and partly because they had grown somewhat contemptuous of their local gods precisely because they were not demanding.” (James A. Michener, The Source, Random House, Inc., New York: 1965). — In the readings selected for the Third Lenten Sunday, the Scriptures invite the gathered assembly to consider some of God’s demands, albeit from a different frame of reference than Michener’s. Whereas the god featured in The Source appears to be the product of human reasoning and imagination and is portrayed as an ever evolving and maturing concept in the minds of believers, the God of the Hebrew and Christian Covenants is the transcendent Creator of all, Who, through Personal revelation chooses to be known immanently and intimately by humankind. For this reason, the demands of the Law, as featured in the first reading and the demands for authentic worship as featured in the Gospel are to be understood, not as orders that burden and entrench humanity in a maze of moral gridlock, but as a Divine gift and gracious guidance. (Sanchez Files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Prefer positive peace (Martin Luther King Jr.)

I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. The Negro’s great  tumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the Ku Klux Klanner but the white moderate, who prefers a negative peace (the absence of tension) to a positive peace (the presence of Justice. Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. (Martin Luther King, Jr. “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” 1963). L/24

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

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

Feb 26- March 2: Feb 26 Monday: Lk 6:36-38: 36 Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful.37 “Judge not, and you will not be judged; condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven; 38 give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”

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

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

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

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

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

Life message: 1) We should leave all judgment to God and practice mercy and forgiveness, remembering the advice of saints: “When you point one finger of accusation at another, three of your fingers point at you.” Let us pay attention to the Jewish rabbi’s advice: “He who judges others favorably will be judged favorably by God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Feb 27 Tuesday: [Saint Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church] : For a short account visithttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-gregory-of-narek/ Mt 23:1-12: 1Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, 2saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. 3Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. 4They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. 5All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. 6They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, 7greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ 8As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. 10Do not be called ‘Master’;you have but one master, the Christ. 11The greatest among you must be your servant. 12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need servant-leaders in a serving community: The Church is a servant-community in which those who hunger, and thirst are to be satisfied; the ignorant are to be taught; the homeless are to receive shelter; the sick are to be cared for; the distressed are to be consoled; and the oppressed are to be set free. Hence, leaders should have a spirit of humble service in thought, word and deed. 2) We need to live the Faith we profess. Our Faith tells us that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Heavenly Father. Hence, we should always pray for each other. Instead of judging the poor, we should be serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of economic justice. Instead of criticizing those of other races, we should be serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of racial justice. Instead of ignoring the homeless, we should be serving them through efforts to supply them with adequate housing. 3) We need to accept the responsibilities which go with our titles. Titles and polite forms exist to remind each of us of our specific responsibilities in society. Hence, let us use everything we are and have in a way that brings glory to God, by serving His children. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Feb 28 Wednesday: Mt 20:17-28: 20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. 21 And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 22 But Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” 23 He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” 24 And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. 25 But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones are tyrants over them.26

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

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

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

Life message: 1: The leaders in Jesus’ Church must be the servants of all as Mary was (“Behold the handmaid of the Lord”). That is why the Pope is called “the servant of the servants of God.” The priesthood of the ordained priests is called the ministerial priesthood because the duty of ordained priests is to give spiritual services to the people of God who share the royal priesthood of Christ by their Baptism (Rv 1:6; cf. 1 Pt 2:5,9. Church leaders must be ready to serve others sacrificially with agape love in all humility. In other words, leaders among Christians must be humble, loving, selfless and “the servants of all.” Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Feb 29 Thursday: Lk 16:19-31:“There was a rich man, who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, full of sores, 21 who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table; moreover, the dogs came and licked his sores. 22

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) We are all rich enough to share our blessings with others. God has blessed each one of us with wealth or health or special talents or social power or political influence or a combination of many other blessings. The parable invites us to share with others, in various ways, what we have been given –instead of using everything exclusively for selfish gains. 2) We need to remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment: Matthew (25:31ff), tells us that all six questions Jesus will ask each of us when he comes in glory as our judge are based on how we have shared our blessings from him (food, drink, home, mercy and compassion), with others. 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/;

March 1 Friday: Mt 21:33-43, 45-46:33 Matthew 21:33-46 : 33 “Hear another parable. There was a householder who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. 34 When the season of fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants, to get his fruit; 35 and the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. 36 Again he sent other servants, more than the first; and they did the same to them. 37 Afterward he sent his son to them, saying, `They will respect my son.’ 38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, `This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ 39 And they took him and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him. 40 When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 41 They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” 42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:

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

Life messages: 1) We need to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of the Church. Jesus has given the Church everything necessary to make Christians fruit-bearing. Having already received the Gift of Life in Baptism, we find we also have the following: a) the Bible to know the will of God; b) the priesthood to lead the people in God’s ways; c) the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the remission of sins; d) the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food; e) the Sacrament of Confirmation for a dynamic life of Faith; f) the Sacrament of Matrimony for the sharing of love in families, the fundamental unit of the Church; g) the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick to heal us in spirit, and in body if God so wills, and to prepare us for bodily death; and h), the Sacrament of Holy Orders by which the priesthood of Jesus is continued on earth and will be continued until the end of the world. We are expected make use of these gifts and to produce fruits for God. 2) We need to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of our family. By our mutual sharing of blessings, by our sacrificing of our time and talents for the welfare of all the members, by our humbly and lovingly serving others in the family, by our recognizing and encouraging each other, and by our honoring and gracefully obeying our parents, and by teaching and caring for our children, we become producers of “good fruit” or good vine-branches in our families. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to meet the challenge for self-evaluation: If we have been in sin, God’s mercy is seeking us, searching for our souls with a love that is wild beyond all imagining. God is no less ready to receive and welcome us back than Jesus was to welcome sinners in his time. 2) We should also ask God for the courage to extend this forgiveness to others who have offended us. 3) Let us confess our sins and regain peace and God’s friendship. The first condition for experiencing the joy and relief of having our sins forgiven is to see them as they are and give them up. We have to be humble enough to recognize that we need God’s forgiveness to be whole. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

LENT II [B] SUNDAY (Feb 25) Eight minute-homily in one page (L24)

Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is challenge for metamorphosis or transformation, especially during this Lent season. How? We have to transform our dull and sleepy spiritual life into dynamic Christian life during Lent. Again, how? By cooperating with the grace of God and the strengthening of the Holy Spirit through prayer, fasting, and sharing our blessings with those in need. Result expected? A renewal of our spiritual life during Lent, as our Spirit-filled lives begin radiating Christ’s love and mercy around us.

Scripture lessons: The three readings refer to transfiguration on three mountains. The first reading explains how Abraham’s obedience and faith were transformed to blind obedience and trusting faith in his God, when Yahweh saved Isaac from being sacrificed on Mount Moriah, making Abraham the Father of Faith. In the second reading, St. Paul speaks about the Mount Calvary transfiguration of Jesus, the only begotten Son of God when instead of saving him from death as He spared Isaac, God the Father permitted Jesus to die a shameful death by crucifixion, suffering horrible pain and humiliation. In other words, God showed His love for us by allowing the transformation of the glorious preaching and healing ministry of His Son to a tragic end – proving that God’s love has no limits. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116) speaks of God’s distress at the death of anyone. “Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His faithful.” In the Transfiguration story in today’s Gospel, Jesus is revealed in His Heavenly glory, superior to Moses and Elijah on the Mountain of Transfiguration, Tabor or Hermon. The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to allow him to consult his Heavenly Father and ascertain His plan for His Son’s suffering, death, and Resurrection. God’s secondary aim was to make Jesus’ chosen disciples aware of Jesus’ Divine glory, so that they might discard their worldly ambitions and dreams of a conquering political Messiah and might be strengthened in their time of trial. A third aim was to give Jesus the conviction that he will continue to be the Son of God, his loving Father, even during his suffering and death. Finally, by describing the theophany of Jesus’ Transfiguration, the Gospel gives us a glimpse of the Heavenly glory awaiting those who do God’s will by putting their trusting Faith in Him.

Life messages: (1) Every sacrament we receive transforms our lives: Baptism, for example, transforms us into children of God and heirs of heaven while Confirmation transforms us into brave witnesses of and warriors for Christ and Reconciliation transforms sinners into saints.

(2) The “transfiguration” in the Holy Mass is the Source of our strength: In each Holy Mass, the bread and wine we offer on the altar are transformed into the crucified and risen, living body and blood of Jesus by transubstantiation. Just as Jesus’ transfiguration strengthened the apostles in their time of trial, each holy Mass should be our Source of Heavenly strength against temptations, and our renewal during Lent. In addition, our Holy Communion with the living Jesus should be the Source of our daily “transfiguration,” transforming our minds and hearts so that we may do more good by humble and selfless service to others.

(3) Christ’s Transfiguration gives us the message of encouragement and hope: In moments of doubt and during our dark moments of despair and hopelessness, pain and suffering, the thought of our future transformation in Heaven will help us to reach out to God and to listen to His consoling words: “This is my beloved son.” Let us offer our Lenten sacrifices to our Lord so that, through these practices of Lent and through the acceptance of our daily crosses, we may grow closer to Jesus in his suffering, may share in the carrying of his cross, and finally may share the glory of his second “transfiguration,” namely, his Resurrection.

LENT II [B] (Feb 25) Gen 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13,15-18; Rom 8:31b-34;  Mk 9:2-10

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

 # 2: Transformation from pro-choice to pro-life: Dr. Peggy Hartshorn, president of Heartbeat International, tells a dramatic story about a woman who glimpsed the mystery of her unborn child. The young woman was seeking an abortion. She simply could not handle having a baby at this time. But she agreed to an ultrasound. When the baby appeared on the screen, the woman was amazed to see the perfectly formed body, the tiny legs and arms moving inside her womb. But the woman kept saying, “No, no, I have to have an abortion.” Dr. Hartshorn felt sad. She knew that seventy-five percent of women who see an ultrasound decide to keep their baby – but that a quarter, nevertheless, still have the abortion. It seemed like this woman would be in that twenty-five percent. All of sudden, Dr. Hartshorn’s assistant said, “Reach out and take your baby’s hand.” Dr. Hartshorn thought, “Oh, gosh, why is she saying that?” But the woman raised her hand and touched the monitor. As if by some divine cue, the baby stretched out his arm to the exact place of his mom’s hand. On the screen his tiny fingers met hers. She kept her baby. — There is a mystery inside each one of us – the mystery of the image of God. Today’s Gospel tells us how three of the apostles saw a glimpse, a tiny glimpse, of who Jesus was. That would transform them and sustain them through some dark moments following Jesus’ arrest. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 # 3: “It’s kind of hard to explain.” A little boy asked his mother, “Marriage makes you have babies, doesn’t it, Mom?” The mother reluctantly answered her son, “Well, not exactly. Just because you are married does not mean that you have a baby.” The boy continued his inquiry: “Then how do you have babies?” His mother, not very enthusiastic about continuing, answered, “It’s kind of hard to explain.” The boy paused and thought for a moment. He then moved closer to Mom, looked her right in eye, and carefully said, “You don’t really know how it works, do you, Mom?” (Pastor’s Story File, October 1995; submitted by Jim Pearring, New Harbor Community Church, Benicia, California). — Believe it or not, this is one of the most dreaded Sundays in the Christian year for folks who use the Lectionary for their preaching. Why? Because it deals with the Transfiguration of Jesus. Generally, this is one of those, “What does that mean and how am I supposed to explain that?” sort of passages. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 Introduction: The readings for the Second Sunday of Lent highlight Jesus’ identity as God’s beloved Son (revealed at his baptism and Transfiguration) and confront us with the mystery of his death on the cross. Hence, the main purpose of today’s readings is to give us an invitation as well as a challenge to put our Faith in the loving promises of a merciful God Who sent His Son to die for us and to transform our lives by renewing them during Lent.  Our transformed lives will enable us to radiate the glory and grace of the transfigured Lord around us by our Spirit-filled lives.  The first reading shows us how God saved the life of Abraham’s son Isaac as a reward for Abraham’s trusting Faith. Because of this Faith, the Lord renewed his promise to Abraham for the blessings of land and progeny. While Abraham’s son Isaac was spared, God’s beloved Son, Jesus, died a cruel death on the cross. The linking of this story with the Gospel reading emphasizes God’s infinite love, as seen in the redemptive sacrifice of His own Son for the salvation of the world. If the mystery of the requested sacrifice of Abraham’s beloved son, Isaac, is hard to understand, the mystery of the death of God’s beloved Son, Jesus, is far more challenging. That is why Paul reminds us, in the second reading, that God the Father did not spare His Own Son‘s life. What an irony and paradox!   God spared Abraham’s son, but not His own!  Why? Because God loves us with an everlasting love. Paul interprets God’s willingness to sacrifice His Own Son as proof of His great love for humankind and as God’s pledge that He will always protect and provide for us. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116) speaks of God’s distress at the death of anyone. “Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His faithful.” In the transfiguration story (a theophany) in today’s Gospel, Jesus is revealed as a glorious figure, superior to Moses (Ex 19-20; 34) and Elijah(1 Kgs 19:4-18) who experienced theophanies. He is identified by the Heavenly Voice as the Son of God. Thus, the transfiguration narrative is a Christophany, that is, a manifestation or revelation of Who Jesus really IS. Describing Jesus’ transfiguration, the Gospel shows us a glimpse of the Heavenly glory awaiting those who do God’s will by putting their trusting Faith in Him.

 First reading, Gn 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18 explained: Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son has been understood as an Old Testament type or prefiguring of God’s willingness to offer Jesus as a sacrifice for human sin. The command to Abraham to sacrifice his only child was also a real test of Abraham’s great Faith and total trust in God.  God had promised that Abraham would become the father of many nations.  How could this be possible if Isaac were to be sacrificed?  Although Yahweh’s command was most painful, Abraham trusted that God was both faithful enough and powerful enough to keep His promise.  The Lord responded by renewing His promise to Abraham that he would be the father of a great race.  His progeny throughout the whole world would receive the blessing of God – Divine adoption through the Incarnation.  Not only would Abraham’s descendants be blessed, but all the nations of the earth would be blessed in him. In the Divine sparing of Isaac, Israel was to learn that theirs was a God who was not appeased by human sacrifice but by the sacrifice of a contrite spirit and a humbled heart (Psalm 51:19).  The story of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice Isaac carries great significance.  There is a clear parallel with Jesus in this story.  Abraham’s readiness to sacrifice his son is a prototype of God the Father and His Son, Jesus.  But the difference is that while Isaac was spared at the last moment, Jesus had to die.  Just as sacrificing his only son did not make sense to Abraham, it made even less sense to the disciples of Jesus that God could allow their Lord and Master Jesus to be executed.  It was only after Pentecost that the apostles realized that our eternal salvation was brought about by the suffering, death and Resurrection of Jesus.

Second Reading, Rom 8:31b-34 explained: This passage shares with the first reading the image of a father’s willingness to give up his son and the son’s readiness to accept the father’s will wholeheartedly.  Paul assures us that it is by the perfect obedience to the will of his Father, expressed in his suffering and death, that Jesus was glorified and made our Heavenly intercessor.  Paul also affirms that He who gave His Son for us will give us all things with His Son. We have every reason to have confidence in God because it is Christ Jesus at the right hand of the Father who intercedes for us, and nothing can separate us from the love of Christ for us.  Paul’s argument runs like this: “If God is for us, who can be against us?” Paul reminds us that God’s love has no limits, as He offered His Son to die for us.   Paul argues that the greatest proof that God is for us is the fact of the Incarnation and crucifixion of His Son Jesus for us sinners.  It necessarily follows that God will give us the assistance that we need to get to Heaven.

Gospel exegesis: The objective: The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to allow him to consult his Heavenly Father and ascertain His plan for His Son’s suffering, death and Resurrection. The transfiguration was a theophany that authorized Jesus to make his way to Jerusalem to meet his destiny, the cross, and his vindication.  God’s secondary aim was to make Jesus’ chosen disciples aware of Jesus’ Divine glory so that they might discard their worldly ambitions and dreams of a conquering political Messiah and might be strengthened in their time of trial.  The Transfiguration also established Jesus’ glorious identity as the beloved Son of God and placed his Divine Sonship in the context of Jewish expectations about the kingdom and the resurrection of the dead.  The event took place in late summer, just prior to the Feast of the Tabernacles.  Hence, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Transfiguration at about the time of the year when it actually occurred, in order to connect it with the Old Testament Feast of the Tabernacles.  The Western tradition recalls the Transfiguration at the beginning of Lent, then celebrates the formal feast on August 6.

The location of the Transfiguration was probably Mount Hermon in North Galilee, near Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus had camped a week before this wondrous event.  Mt. Hermon was a desolate mountain, 9200 feet high.  The traditional oriental belief that Transfiguration took place on Mount Tabor is based on Psalm 89:12. But Mount Tabor is a small mountain or a big hill in the south of Galilee, less than 1000 feet high, with a Roman fort built on it.  Hence, it would have been an unlikely place for solitude and prayer.  

The scene of Heavenly glory:   While praying, Jesus was transformed into a shining figure, full of Heavenly glory.  This reminds us of Moses and Elijah who also experienced the Lord in all His glory.  Moses had met the Lord in the burning bush at Mount Horeb (Ex 3:1-4).  After his encounter with God, Moses’ face shone so brightly that the people were frightened, and Moses had to wear a veil over his face (Ex 34:29-35). The Jews believed that Moses was taken up in a cloud at end of his earthly life (Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews 4. 326). Elijah traveled for forty days to Mt. Horeb on the strength of the food brought by an angel (1 Kgs19:8).  At Mt. Horeb, Elijah covered his face with his cloak and stood in the entrance of his as the Lord came and spoke directly to him (1 Kgs 19:9-18).  Finally, Elijah was taken directly to Heaven in a chariot of fire without seeing death (2 Kgs 2:11-15).  These representatives of the Law and the Prophets – Moses and Elijah – foreshadowed Jesus, who is the culmination of the Law and the Prophets.  Both earlier prophets were initially rejected by the people but vindicated by God.  The Jews believed that the Lord had buried Moses in an unknown place after his death (Dt 34: 5-6), and that Elijah had been carried to heaven in a whirlwind (II Kings 2:11).  Thus, the implication is that, although God spared Elijah from the normal process of death and Moses from normal burial, He did not spare His Son suffering and death. Peter, overwhelmed at the scene, says how good it is to be there.   His remark about three booths (or tents) may be a reference to the Jewish festival of Succoth, the most joyful of Jewish holy days, when booths were erected from which all kinds of presents and sweets came.   Or it may be a reference of reverence, alluding to tabernacles to house the patriarchs and the Son of God.

God the Father’s Voice from the cloud: The book of Exodus describes how God spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai from the cloud.  God often made appearances in a cloud (Ex 24:15-17; 13:21 -22; 34:5; 40:34; 1 Kgs 8:10-11).   We are told how God revealed His presence in the Temple of Jerusalem on the day the Ark of the Covenant was placed under the cherubim, and the Temple was dedicated: “When the priests left the Holy place, the Cloud filled the entire Temple, so that the priests could no longer minister  because of the Cloud, since the Lord’ Glory had filled the Temple of the Lord” (1 Kgs 8:10-11). The Jews generally believed that the phenomenon of the cloud would be repeated when the Messiah arrived.  God the Father, Moses and Elijah approved the plan regarding Jesus’ suffering, death and Resurrection.  God’s words from the cloud, “This is My Beloved Son; listen to him,” are similar to the words used by God at Jesus’ baptism: “You are My beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” Mk 1:11). At the moment of Jesus’ death, a Roman centurion would declare, “Truly, this man was the Son of God” (15:39).  These words summarize the meaning of the Transfiguration, that on this mountain, God revealed Jesus as His Son — His beloved — the One in whom He is always well pleased and the One to whom we must listen.

The three transformations in our lives in our journey towards eternity: The first change begins at Baptism, which washes away original sin, transforming us into children of God and heirs of Heaven. The second transformation takes place through our victory over the trials and tribulations of life.  Every challenge, every difficulty, every moment of suffering, is an opportunity for transformation and spiritual growth. The third transformation takes place at death.  Eternal life in Heaven, perhaps after a period of further transformation in purgatory, is granted to those who have been found worthy.  The last transformation or transfiguration will be completed at the Second Coming when our glorified body is reunited with our soul.

Life messages: (1) The transubstantiation in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength: In each Holy Mass, the bread and wine we offer on the altar are changed into the crucified and risen, living body and blood of Jesus.  Just as Jesus’ Transfiguration strengthened the apostles in their time of trial, each holy Mass should be our source of heavenly strength against temptations, and our renewal during Lent.  In addition, our holy Communion with the living Jesus should be the source of our daily “transfiguration,” transforming our minds and hearts so that we may do more good by humble and selfless service to others.

(2) Each time we receive one of the Sacraments, we are transformed: For example, Baptism transforms us into sons and daughters of God and heirs of Heaven. Confirmation makes us temples of the Holy Spirit and warriors of God.  By the Sacrament of Reconciliation, God brings back the sinner to the path of holiness.

(3) A message of encouragement and hope: In moments of doubt and during our dark moments of despair and hopelessness, the thought of our transformation in Heaven will help us to reach out to God and to listen to His consoling words: “This is my beloved son.”  Let us offer our Lenten sacrifices to our Lord so that, through these practices of Lent and through the acceptance of our daily crosses, we may grow closer to him in his suffering, may share in the carrying of his cross and may finally share the glory of his final “transfiguration,” his Resurrection.

4) We need “mountain-top experiences” in our lives: We share the “mountain-top experience” of Peter, James and John when we spend extra time in prayer during Lent.  Fasting for one day will help the body to store up spiritual energy.  This spiritual energy can help us have thoughts that are far higher and nobler than our usual mundane thinking.  The hunger we experience puts us more closely in touch with God and makes us more willing to help the hungry.  The crosses of our daily lives also can lead us to the glory of transfiguration and resurrection.

5)  We need transformation in our Christian lives so that we may seek reconciliation instead of revenge, love our enemies, pray for those who hate us, give to the needy without expecting a reward, refuse to judge others and make friends with those we don’t naturally like. This transformation will also enable us to hold back on harsh words and let love rule so that we may seek reconciliation rather than revenge, pray for those who give us a hard time, avoid bad-mouthing those we don’t agree with, forgive those who hurt us, and love those who hate us.

JOKES OF THE WEEK: 1) “I got a better place in Jaffa.” A certain missionary on a study trip to the Holy Land was visiting Jaffa (Joppa) where Peter was residing when he baptized Cornelius (Acts 10). The breath-taking beauty of this small seaside town was such that it inspired him to come up with this joke: At the Transfiguration, Peter offered to build three tents, one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Jesus said, “And what about you, Peter?” And Peter replies, “Don’t worry about me Lord, I got a better place in Jaffa.”

2)  Transformation in old age: Two old men are chatting.  One man says, “My friend, you must try this memory pill I’m taking.  I remember everything.  It’s an amazing memory booster.” The other man says, “Sounds wonderful.  What is the name of the pill?” The first man says, “Hmm! The name of the pill …  Let’s see …  Hmmm, what is the name of the flower produced on a garden plant with thorns?  It’s red …  You give it on Valentine’s Day.” The other man says, “A rose?” The first man says, “Yes, that’s right!”  Then, calling for his wife, he says, “Rose, what is the name of that pill which I take to boost my memory?”

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

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).

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

5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/1)      http://www.catholic.org/: A wealth of information on Catholic Church/ Faith

6) Lenten reflections: http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/

7) Thoughts for Lent: http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Lent/

8) Bible stories for kids: http://kids.christiansunite.com/biblestories.shtml

9) Swiftly Pass The Clouds of Glory (music) : https://youtu.be/E3F8KnUJ0iY

10)  Children’s homilies: 1) https://sermons4kids.com/    & https://www.sermons4kids.com/nt.htm 2) http://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/worshiping_with_children 3) https://stnoel.org/liturgy-sacraments/homilies/childrens-homilies/  4) http://greatcatholichomilies.com/tag/children/ 

    26- Additional Anecdotes:

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

2) “The March of the Ducks.”  On the side of the Peabody Hotel in Orlando, Florida, there is a cutout of a large duck symbolizing what came to be known as “The March of the Ducks.”  Each day at 11 a.m. and 5 p.m., the hotel people lay down a dazzling red carpet across the lobby.  Then one of John Phillip Sousa’s famous marches is played over the intercom.  Whereupon, ten ducks, in single file, march down the red carpet in perfect harmony with the Sousa march.  The ducks take a dip in the hotel fountain and then march out again in single file, down the red carpet, keeping perfectly in step with the beat of the music. —  For those who have witnessed ” The March of the Ducks,” it is an event so vivid and real and uplifting and fun-filled that it’s difficult to find the right words to describe the wonder and the beauty of it, much less try to convince someone that it is true. Today’s Gospel Lesson describes an event called “transfiguration of Jesus” so wondrous and so beautiful as to defy all description (Watch: http://video.google.com/videosearch?hl=en&q=March+of+the+Peabody+ducks&um) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) Transfiguration in children

If a child lives with criticism, he learns to condemn.
If a child lives with hostility, he learns to fight.
If a child lives with ridicule, he learns to be shy.
If a child lives with shame, he learns to feel guilty.
If a child lives with tolerance, he learns to be patient.
If a child lives with encouragement, he learns confidence.
If a child lives with praise, he learns to appreciate.
If a child lives with fairness, he learns justice.
If a child lives with security, he learns to have faith.
If a child lives with approval, he learns to like himself.

If a child lives with acceptance and friendship,
he learns to find love in the world. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) Noah and the ark: Two men were standing in a big city waiting shed on a rainy day trying to hire a taxicab, not an easy task since it was raining very hard.  One man turned to the other and started a conversation which went as follows: First man:  “If it keeps raining like this we’ll all have to build an ark.”

Second man: “What’s an ark?”

First man: “You mean you haven’t heard about Noah and the ark, and the great flood and all those animals?”

Second man:  “Look, my friend, I’ve only been in town for a day, and I haven’t even had time to read a newspaper.” — Today’s Gospel Lesson includes Mark’s version of the Transfiguration story.  Did I hear someone ask, “What’s a Transfiguration?”  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) A Death That Gives Life:  A few years ago, the television and print media carried the story of a seven-year-old boy who died in tragic circumstances while on vacation with his family in Italy. Armed thieves, attempting to take the family’s car and valuables, waited in ambush in the Italian countryside. As the car passed, the thieves sprayed a shower of bullets at the vehicle. Although the family was able to escape, some of the bullets had hit the young boy, while he slept in the back seat. A short time later, the child was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. People were shocked and outraged as the sad news was reported. But public outrage was soon replaced by wonder and admiration. The boy’s family arranged that all of their son’s vital organs be harvested and donated. As a result, the lives of eight Italians, each of whom received one or more of the child’ healthy organs, were forever changed. For some it meant being able to see again; for others death was postponed because a young vital organ had replaced an aged, defective one. Because organ donation was such a rarity in Italy, the gift of life was all the more remarkable. — This story reminds us of the death of another Son, whose dying brought life to so many. It is the life-giving death of this other Son, namely, Jesus, which is the focus of our Scripture readings for today. The moving narrative of Abraham and Isaac which comprises today’s first reading (Genesis) has been understood as an Old Testament type or prefiguring of God’s willingness to offer Jesus as a sacrifice for human sin. (Sanchez Files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 6)”I have seen the face of the pilot.” Robert Louis Stevenson tells the story about a ship that was in serious trouble in a storm. A passenger on that ship, defying orders, made his way to the pilot, who seeing the fear on the passenger’s face gave him a smile of assurance. Relieved, the traveler returned to his cabin and said, “I have seen the face of the pilot. He smiled, and all is well.” — There are times in life when we need to see our pilot face-to-face. That’s what happened in this mystical story that the Church calls the Transfiguration of Christ. Peter, James, and John were there. Moses and Elijah showed up from the past. They had an experience that was mystical and out of this world. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus/Look full in his wonderful face,” sings the hymn. What would a glimpse of Christ himself mean to you today? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 7) Could your soul use a lift today? People pay big money for radiant faces these days. Face-lifts are a thriving business. The only problem is that the soul has a way of seeping through. Maxwell Maltz is a plastic surgeon. He’s in the business of lifting people’s faces, but, Dr. Maltz says, “Even though I get marvelous results, patients are often not happy. I have come to realize that inner scars are much more difficult to remove than outer ones.” — Could your soul use a lift today? Have depression, difficulty, duties and daily routines caused your soul to sag, your spirit to falter, your heart to sink? Christ came to lift us. Our reflections on the transfigured Christ will give us a spiritual lift. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “I’ll fight, I’ll fight, I’ll fight to the very end.” William Booth. He was a Methodist preacher, too, you know –“willful Will” they called him — but Booth became disillusioned with the political wrangling of the Methodists. So, he left the church and in 1865, with his wife, Catherine,  started a Christian mission in the poverty-stricken East Side of London that reached out to the worst. That Christian mission became the Salvation Army, which declared war on poverty and homelessness. Or, as William Booth said: “While women weep, as they do now. I’ll fight. While children go hungry, as they do now, I’ll fight. While there remains one dark soul without the light of God, I’ll fight, I’ll fight, I’ll fight to the very end.” — That was one hundred fifty-nine years ago. It seems like the kind of war all of us could get behind, the war on poverty, the war on homelessness. Maybe it’s time for another William Booth. If you have a heart, help us. Discipleship is a matter of your heart. “Turn your eyes upon Jesus, /Look full in His wonderful face,” as Peter did on the mount of transfiguration. He’ll give you a lift. He’ll give you a life. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) An army of green giants who kept on coming and coming. The legendary football coach Knute Rockne knew the power of fear. Today we call it “psyching out your opponent.” Notre Dame was facing a critical football game against a vastly superior Southern California team. Rockne recruited every brawny student he could find at Notre Dame and suited up about a hundred “hulks” in the school uniform. On the day of the game the Southern California team ran out on the field first and awaited the visiting Fighting Irish. Then, out of the dressing room came an army of green giants who kept on coming and coming. The USC team panicked. Their coach reminded them that Rockne could only play eleven men at a time, but the damage was done. USC lost. They did not lose to the hundred men. They were beaten by their own fear.  [A.  Philip Parham, Letting God (New York: Harper & Row; #3 W. Howard Chase in Vital Speeches] — Today’s Gospel says: “[Peter] hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.” Witnessing the Transfiguration of Christ was not the only time the disciples were fearful in Jesus’ presence. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “Mountain-top experience” of Terry Anderson: Former American hostage Terry Anderson recalls the Autumn before he was captured. For some reason he felt drawn to an old church. It was 1984. Terry and his fiancée, Madeleine, were visiting her father in Sunderland, England. Terry looked forward to some peace and quiet from his hectic career as a journalist. He was so dispirited that it took him some days to settle down, even in the pleasant atmosphere of this English hamlet. As he walked through the streets with Madeleine, inhaling the crisp air, he noticed a church steeple outlined against the pale blue sky. Terry had been brought up in the Church but had drifted far from God and, in his own words, considered himself an agnostic. That afternoon he wondered why that Church had captured his attention. After a few days, he decided to walk over to the Church. He opened the heavy oaken door, stepped in and sat down in a worn pew. Looking up at the altar and cross gleaming in the shadows, he suddenly had a strong sense of coming home. He knew that was where he belonged. Terry reaffirmed his Faith that day. For the next six months Terry wondered why he had been drawn to that Church. He thought perhaps God was calling him to do something, “but what?” he wondered. He was beginning to sense a closer relationship with God, when one morning on a street in Beirut he was shoved at gunpoint into the back of a green Mercedes. His face was pressed to the floor and a blanket thrown over him as the car accelerated. The date was March 16, 1985. While in captivity Terry began reading the Bible. The Bible characters came to life! He came to know them as living beings [“Small Graces,” Terry Anderson, Guideposts (September 1993), p. 2-5.; see also Terry A. Anderson Den of Lions: Memoirs of Seven Years [New York: Crown Publishing, 1993]). — Terry Anderson found the strength to endure seven years of captivity because God was with him. The “mountain-top experience” in the little English Church was preparation for what lay ahead. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “I meet God about one in every eight worship services”: A young woman asked her older co-worker: “Why do you go to Church every Sunday? Does something happen there that can’t happen somewhere else? And does it happen every Sunday?” The older woman replied, “What happens is I go to meet the God whom I’ve come to know in Jesus. God meets me in other settings than at Church. However, I must confess that I’m sure I miss most of God’s appointments with me. I find that I live most of my days in a daze – as though I’m sleepwalking or on autopilot. I go to Church to be reminded that that’s true.” The younger woman then asked, “So you go to Church every week and God meets you there?” The older woman answered, “I go to Church every Sunday and for reasons I can’t explain, I meet God about one in every eight worship services.” The younger woman asked, “Then why do you go every Sunday?” “I go every Sunday,” said the older woman, “because I never know when that one Sunday is going to be.” — Peter, John and James had that experience on the mountain of transfiguration. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Edmund Hillary and a Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay: Those of us who are old enough certainly recall that amazing story of sixty-five years ago, May 29, 1953. A New Zealand beekeeper named Edmund Hillary and a Sherpa guide, Tenzing Norgay, were the first ever to reach Everest’s summit. Here was a mountain – unreachable, tantalizing, fearsome, deadly – that had defeated 15 previous expeditions. Some of the planet’s strongest climbers had perished on its slopes. For many, Everest represented the last of the earth’s great challenges. The North Pole had been reached in 1909; the South Pole in 1911. But Everest, often called the Third Pole, had defied all human efforts – reaching its summit seemed beyond mere mortals. (Don George, “A Man to Match His Mountain,” http://www.salon.com/bc/1998/12/cov_01bc.html) Now, success. And heightening the impact even further was the delicious coincidence of their arrival just before the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II and of the dramatic announcement of their triumph on the morning of the coronation. A “mountain-top experience”…literally. — Today’s Gospel presents the “mountain-top experience” of Peter, John and James. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) Serve others after the “mountain-top experience”: In Port Arthur, Texas, there is a special school for very sick children, most of whom have few, if any, motor skills. One very sick boy lived at that school, dying little by little. As tragic as that is, that’s not the point of the story. Unfortunately, children get grievously ill every day. This little boy, though, had the good fortune to be living in the same community with some faithful believers who took the Transfiguration story as their own. God’s glory lived in them. They carried it with them wherever they went. A group of these folks joined together to go to this little boy every day and read to him. Since he was slowly dying, unable to move or read for himself, their act of kindness and ministry was the only activity that brought him any comfort. The social workers were amazed. Just being read to by three different women, one every day, transformed that boy. He was transformed from being depressed and despondent into a responsive bright young man. And even though his spark of life would soon leave him, it got brighter and brighter not dimmer.  — The boy died, but his life had been forever changed. It had been transformed by the ministry of these caring Christians. They had allowed the light of Christ to shine through them. And a young boy’s life had been transformed. [The Clergy Journal, Logos Productions Inc., Inver Grove Heights, MN, Vol. LXXIII, Number 7, pp. 88.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Moses’ shepherd’s pipe: John Killinger tells the legend about “the simple shepherd’s pipe once played by Moses when he kept his father-in-law’s flocks. When the pipe was discovered, many years after Moses’ death, it was decided that it should be put on display for the benefit of his admirers. But it looked far too common for such an important purpose, so someone suggested that it be embellished by an artist. A few centuries later, when the pipe was given a new home in an upscale museum, a committee said it needed improving yet again. So another artist was employed to overlay it in fine gold and silver filigree. The result, in the end, was a breathtaking piece of art, a marvelous sight indeed. It was so beautiful, in fact, that no one ever noticed that it was no longer capable of the clear, seductive notes once played upon it by Moses.” [God, the Devil, and Harry Potter (New York: Thomas Dunne, 2002), 162-3.] — How do we tell what voices to listen to, whose advice to take, what directives are important, and what we should just let fall on deaf ears? In today’s Gospel text, the Divine Voice from the enshrouding cloud offered Peter, James, and John simple, straightforward words: “This is My Beloved Son; listen to Him.” The message and mission of Jesus were meant to guide the disciples, informing all their actions, influencing all else they heard. God’s proclamation to those three disciples is the same for all who follow Christ today: Let Jesus be your high-tech hearing aid, filtering and clarifying what you hear and how you respond. Listen to him. Or as Jesus put it elsewhere, “Learn from Me.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) Baby powder: You might remember comedian Yakov Smirnoff. When he first came to the United States from Russia, he was not prepared for the incredible variety of instant products available in American grocery stores. He says, “On my first shopping trip, I saw powdered milk: you just add water, and you get milk. Then I saw powdered orange juice: you just add water, and you get orange juice. And then I saw baby powder, and I thought to myself, ‘What a country!’” — Smirnoff is joking but we make these assumptions about Christian Transformation. Some denominations make Christianity so simple: accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, confess your sins to him, and you are instantly saved, born again. Some traditions call it repentance and renewal. Some call it Sanctification of the believer. Whatever you call it, most traditions expect some quick fix to sin. We go to Church as if we are going to the grocery store: Powdered Christian. Just add water and you get disciples! — Unfortunately, there is no such powder, and disciples of Jesus Christ are not instantly born. They are slowly raised through many trials, suffering, and temptations. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) “Well, what is it?”  H.G. Wells once told a fascinating story about an Episcopalian bishop, though he could have been a cleric in any denomination. He was the kind of man who could always be counted on to provide a pious platitude. He had a favorite answer that always served him in good stead. When troubled folks came to him, he would assume his best stained-glass voice and ask, “Have you prayed about it?” If said in just the right way, no more needed to be said. The bishop himself didn’t pray much. After all, his life was quite uneventful. He felt quite self-sufficient. One day, however, life tumbled in on him, and he found himself overwhelmed. It occurred to the bishop that maybe he should take some of his own advice. So, one Saturday afternoon he entered the cathedral. He knelt down and folded his hands before the altar. He could not help but think how childlike he was. Then he began to pray, “O God….” Suddenly there was a voice. It was crisp, businesslike. The voice said, “Well, what is it?” — When the worshipers came to Sunday services the next morning, they found the bishop sprawled face down before the altar. When they turned him over, they discovered he was dead. Lines of horror were etched upon his face. The good bishop had advised others to approach God in prayer, but when he found himself face to face with the Almighty, it scared him literally to death, as Christ’s Transfiguration scene scared the three apostles, though they lived to tell the tale.. (Haddon Robinson, Preaching Today). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Transformation of a young man with a sense of duty: Years ago, in a small fishing village in Holland one night, the winds raged, and a gale force storm capsized a fishing boat at sea. Stranded and in trouble, the crew sent out the S.O.S. The captain of the rescue rowboat team sounded the alarm. While the team launched their rowboat, and fought their way through the wild waves, the villagers waited restlessly on the beach. An hour later, the rescue boat reappeared through the fog and the volunteers reported that the rescue boat could not hold any more passengers and they had to leave one man behind. Frantically, the captain called for another volunteer team to go after the lone survivor. Sixteen-year-old Hans stepped forward. His mother grabbed his arm, pleading, “Please don’t go. Your father died in a shipwreck 10 years ago and your older brother, Paul, has been lost at sea for three weeks. Hans, you are all I have left.” Hans replied, “Mother, I have to go. What if everyone said, `I can’t go; let someone else do it?’ Mother, this time I have to do my duty.” Hans kissed his mother, joined the team and disappeared into the night. Another hour passed, which seemed to Hans’ mother like an eternity. —  Finally, the rescue boat darted through the fog with Hans standing up in the bow. Cupping his hands, the captain called, “Did you find the lost man?” Barely able to contain himself, Hans excitedly yelled back, “Yes, we found him. Tell my mother it’s my older brother, Paul!” (Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Transfigured by Jesus: One of the things that impressed me most when I first read the story of Fatima was that the children went into a trance once Our Lady appeared, and nothing anybody around them could do was able to distract them. You could stick pins in their fingers, or hold a burning candle to their hands, and they remained totally oblivious to it all. It is evident that, once they got in touch with that other world, it was all absorbing, and it was the centre of their faces, and a light in their eyes that amazed all those who watched. That expression was also evident on the face of Saint Padre Pio as he offered Mass or prayed on his own. — It is not surprising, then, that the apostles should have been given this glimpse of Jesus. (Jack McArdle in And That the Gospel Truth; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) Pigeon Feathers: John Updike wrote a short story called “Pigeon Feathers.” It’s about a young boy, David, who begins to have doubts about his Faith. One night in bed David is thinking about his problem. Suddenly he decides upon a bold experiment. He takes his hands from under the covers, lifts them above his head, and asks Jesus to touch them. As David waits breathlessly, he thinks he feels something touch his hands; he is not sure if they have been touched or not. — We can all relate to David in this scene. We too experience times when our Faith seems to disappear or go behind a cloud. When this happens, we long desperately for a sign that God is real and that Jesus is the Son of God. Or to put it in another way, we long for a sign of Jesus’ glory, like the one Peter, James and John received in today’s Gospel. May we call upon His power and presence when put to the test! (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Transformation of a frog into prince: The word “transfiguration” is not often part of our vocabulary today. I can’t image a mother coming to the table with a beautifully done casserole proclaiming that she had “transformed” the macaroni into this exotic dish. We might use it if someone goes to the beauty shop and gets a daring haircut. “Look how transformed she is!” we might say. Or we might use it in telling fairy tales to our children – someone was transformed into a princess-like Cinderella or a frog was transformed into a Prince. — But despite the fact that it isn’t a common word to use, what the word signifies does happen pretty often. Something is changed into something more beautiful or altered in some way, making it more “awesome” to use today’s cliché. Lent is a transformational season in the Church. This is, of course, why we hear the story of the Transfiguration read to us today. (Fr. Ron Stephens). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Victim or Victor: Charles Rayburn has been a victim of cerebral palsy since his birth. His only means of communication is an electric typewriter which he strikes with a stylus attached to a band around his head. In spite of his palsy, Charles Rayburn has published 37 articles in national magazines. One of his articles appeared in America magazine and dealt with the Stations of the Cross. — Charles Rayburn is a living example of today’s reading about Isaac and Jesus. These three figures and the three readings are tied together by a triple theme –the theme of Sonship, Death, and Deliverance. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) “Listen to Him!” Perhaps you have heard of the man who wanted to test his wife’s hearing. He stood some distance behind her and said, “Honey, can you hear me?” Having received no answer, he moved closer and again whispered, “Honey, can you hear me?” Again, having received no answer he moved right up behind her and softly said, “Honey can you hear me?” She replied, “For the third time, yes!” –- In some ways this story could be analogous of our communication with God. We constantly check to see if He is listening, in hopes that He will respond to our needs. In reality, He hears us, but He has asked us to listen to Him as well. Lent should be a listening time for each of us. When we learn to listen, our lives become obedient lives. At the close of the transfiguration scene described in today’s Gospel the three apostles hear the word of God from the cloud, “This is my beloved Son, listen to him.” (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) No Cross, No Crown: Arthur Ashe, the legendary Afro-American Wimbledon player was dying of cancer. He received letters from his fans, worldwide, one of which read: “Why did God select you for such a dreadful disease?” Ashe replied, “The world over, 5 crore children start playing tennis, 50 lakhs learn the game, 5 lakhs turn professional, 50,000 come to the circuit, 5,000 reach Grand Slams, 50 reach Wimbledon, 4 to the semifinals, 2 to the finals. When I won the Wimbledon crown, I never asked God, “Why me?” Today, in pain, I shouldn’t be asking God, ‘Why me?’” — Wimbledon crown, cancer cross. That’s Christianity! That is why Jesus reminds his three apostles about his death and Resurrection immediately after his glorious transfiguration. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) “I’ve been to the mountain-top.” Shortly before he was gunned down by an assassin in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King (1929-1968) told the assembled crowds, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn’t matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountain-top. And I don’t mind. Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I’m not concerned about that now. I just want to do God’s will. And He’s allowed me to go up to the mountain. . . And I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.” — It was his vision of a better future and his conviction that equal freedom would one day be enjoyed by all Americans that enabled King to have hope when death-threats against him seemed to imperil not only his life but the entire civil rights movement. After King’s death, his experience of the mountain-top inspired his followers to continue his work, just as Jesus’ disciples looked to the mountain- top experience of Jesus’ transfiguration and were strengthened to further his mission. (Sanchez Files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) In sacrifice, the gift-giver is the primary beneficiary of gift-giving. To see this point, consider Maximilian Kolbe, who sacrificed his life for Franciszek Gajowniczek at Auschwitz. The Nazis had randomly selected 10 prisoners to die, and Franciszek Gajowniczek was one of them. When he was picked, he cried out, “Oh, my poor wife! My poor children! I will never see them again!” But Maximilian Kolbe stepped forward and offered to take Franciszek’s place. Kolbe knew that the selected prisoners would be slowly starved to death in a dark and airless bunker. But Kolbe offered his life for that of his fellow prisoner anyway. Witnesses reported afterwards that Kolbe prayed and sang hymns until the end when his voice failed. — In his sacrifice, Kolbe became a person in whom the beauty of love shone so brightly that his story now illumines all who hear about it. He gave his life to give life to Franciszek, but he himself received far more than he gave. Who would not want to be as lovely a soul as Kolbe was? And so God, who lacks for nothing, is glad to have the gift of our sacrifices, not because He gets something great from them, but because we do.(Prof. Eleonore Stump). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) Journalist Kevin Carter’s Pulitzer Prize winning photo: Let me tell you a story. Journalist Kevin Carter was given permission to take photos of famine victims in draught-stricken Sudan in the 90’s. The camp was full, with thousands of starving people coming to be fed at the feeding center. Carter wandered outside of the camp into the open bush. There he heard a soft, high-pitched whimpering. He found a tiny little girl crouched, head bowed, touching the ground, struggling to make her way into the camp, to the feeding center. Carter instantly got his camera ready, for here was a powerful picture. He started to photograph the child when dramatically a well-fed vulture, taller than the child, landed just a few feet behind her. The bird was waiting to claim the child when she died. Kevin waited for about 30 minutes, hoping the vulture would do something like spread its wings for an even more dramatic image. It didn’t. After he took the pictures, he chased away the vulture and watched while the child struggled toward the camp. The picture first appeared in the New York Times in March of 1993, and Carter won a Pulitzer Prize for best picture of the year. He explained how he took the picture, waiting for the right light and for the bird to spread its wings. Then a storm broke. Carter was criticized for being so absorbed in his craft that he did not drop everything and rush that little child into the feeding center. Why did he wait so long, when a child’s life was on the line? Two months after winning the Pulitzer, Carter committed suicide. He had not seen the child as a life that needed to be saved; he only saw a picture to be taken. He was obsessed with this work, determined, persistent, nothing would come before his photos. He had once said, “Photography is my life.”–

I do not know anyone who would act like Kevin Carter, no one sitting in this church. But we could all ask ourselves a question, what controls my life? Is it lust for power, for recognition, for honor and glory? What makes you go? What makes you tick? Who or what rules your heart? Something does, or someone does, or here is a dreadful thought, perhaps, nothing does. Kevin Carter was an addict to his photography. It ended up controlling his life. A sad and tragic event, but the whole incident becomes a parable about today’s gospel of the transfiguration. So many of us get sucked up into the tunnel vision of a totally demanding and absorbing job. The big career move, the spectacular deal, the salable moment, the right advantage. They are so absorbed in what advances them, they become blind to the needs of others. They simply do not see that there are times they should drop everything and hug their spouses or children, help their friends, or carry the starving child to the feeding center. Such insights, such transfigurations are not possible, because they are so focused on the immediate, the here and now. They are like Peter, James and John, not comprehending, not fully awake, wanting to build small huts, to stay there. And yet, weeks later they would all desert Him. Lent was designed precisely as a time for us to wake up and examine our priorities This gospel tells us we, too, might be missing something…..some transfiguring moments. (Fr. Bob Warren).  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/24

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

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

Feb 19-24: Feb 19 Monday: Mt 25:31-46: “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’ 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 …46

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

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

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

Feb 20 Tuesday: Mt 6:7-15:7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. 9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who are in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power
and the glory forever. Amen.’] 14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.”

The context: In today’s passage from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs the crowd that they should not pray like the Gentiles, repeating empty phrases. He means that true prayer is not so much a matter of the number of words as of the frequency and the love with which one turns towards God, raising one’s mind and heart to God. So, Jesus teaches them a model prayer. Jesus’ prayer, “Our Father,” consists of two parts. In the first part, we praise and worship God, addressing Him as our loving, caring, and providing Heavenly Father and asking Him to help us to do His Holy Will in our lives as obediently and lovingly as His Will is done in Heaven and, thus, to remain remaining in His kingdom. In the second part, we present our petitions before the Triune God. First,we ask God for our present needs, food clothing and shelter, (“give us this day our daily bread”), then for our past needs, especially for forgiveness of our sins (“forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”), and finally, for our future needs, protection against the tempter and his temptations (“and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil”). In this part, we also bring the Trinitarian God into our lives. We bring in: 1) God the Father, the Provider, by asking for daily bread; 2) God the Son, our Savior, by asking forgiveness for our sins; and 3) God the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete, Who is our Guide, Advocate, Comforter, and Illuminator, by asking for protection and deliverance from evil. Special stress on the spirit of forgiveness:We are told to ask for forgiveness from others for our offenses against them, and to offer unconditional forgiveness to others for their offenses against us as a condition for receiving God’s forgiveness. Jesus clarifies, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. “But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Mt 6:14-15).

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

Feb 21 Wednesday: [Saint
Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church] : For a short account visit https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-peter–Lk 11:29-32:29 When the crowds were increasing, he began to say, “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah. 30 For as Jonah became a sign to the men of Nineveh, so will the Son of man be to this generation. 31 The queen of the South will arise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and behold, something greater than Solomon is here. 32 The men of Nineveh will arise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.”

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

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

Life messages: We need to recognize God-given signs in our lives: 1) Each Sacrament in the Church is an external sign representing God’s grace. 2) On the altar we re-present Christ’s sacrifice on the cross using liturgical signs and prayers. 3) Everyone living with us or working with us is a sign of God’s living presence in our midst, inviting us to love and honor him or her as God’s child and the living Temple of the Holy Spirit. 4) All world events and all the events in our lives are signs of God’s care and protection for us, His children. 5) The Holy Bible is a sign of God communicating His message to us every day. So, let us learn from these God-given signs instead of looking for signs in weeping Madonnas, bleeding crucifixes, and daily messages of visionaries. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Feb 22 Thursday: (The Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle): For a short account visit Mt 16:13-19: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/chair-of-saint-peter/: By celebrating the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter we honor the mission of teacher and pastor conferred by Christ on Peter and continued in an unbroken line down to the present Pope. We also celebrate today, the unity of the Church, founded upon the Apostle Peter, and we use this occasion to renew our submission to the Magisterium or teaching authority of the Roman Pontiff, extended both to truths which are solemnly defined ex cathedra, and to all the acts of the ordinary Magisterium. Like the committee chair, this chair refers to the occupant, not the furniture. Its first occupant stumbled a bit, denying Jesus three times and hesitating to welcome Gentiles into the new Church. Some of its later occupants have also stumbled a bit, sometimes even failed scandalously. So, the feast reminds us that the Vicar of Christ needs the prayer support of all the Catholics. This feast also gives us the occasion to give thanks to God for the mission He entrusted to the Apostle Peter and his successors.

It is also is the feast of a relic long reputed to be St. Peter’s actual throne or the Cathedra Petri. On the feast, 110 candles illuminate the reliquary that contains it. This relic has been venerated by the faithful since the fourth century. Previously reserved in the Baptismal Chapel of what is referred to as the Old St Peter’s Basilica, built by the Emperor Constantine around 333AD, today it can be found encased in a reliquary — the bronze throne built by Bernini and enshrined in the apse of St Peter’s Basilica. The throne is supported by the statues of four Doctors of the Church: two from the West, St Augustine and St Ambrose, and two from the East: St John Chrysostom and St Athanasius, beneath the well-known stained-glass image depicting the Holy Spirit as a dove. In medieval liturgical custom the Pope was enthroned on the relic for part of his coronation ceremony and used it as his liturgical throne in the Basilica on the feast. Ever since, Bernini’s art work covering the Chair, is considered as the reliquary, with the wooden Chair in side it as the relic. The last time the relic was exposed was in 1867 by Blessed Pius IX on the eighteenth centenary of the martyrdom of Ss. Peter and Paul. Kings of old sat on thrones and ruled. Peter’s chair is a symbol of his authority from Jesus to rule the Church. This feast reminds us that Jesus bestowed on Peter a special place among the Apostles. He was one of the three who were with Christ on special occasions, such as the raising of the daughter of Jairus, the Transfiguration of Christ, and the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was the only Apostle to whom Christ appeared individually on the first day of the week, the day of the Resurrection. Peter, in turn, often spoke on behalf of the Apostles. When Jesus asked the Apostles, “Who do men say that the Son of Man is?” Simon replied, “Thou art Christ, the Son of the Living God.” (Mt 16:16)

And Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona: because flesh and blood have not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I say to you: That you are Peter [Cephas, a rock], and upon this rock [Cephas] I will build my Church [ekklesia], and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven (Mt 17-19) In saying this, Jesus made St. Peter the head of the entire community of believers and placed the spiritual guidance of the faithful in St. Peter’s hands. A symbol of this authority is the “cathedra,” a bishop’s throne or chair in a cathedral. Peter delivered the first public sermon after the Pentecost and won a large number of converts. He also performed many miracles and defended the freedom of the Apostles to preach the Gospels. He preached in Jerusalem, Judaea, and as far north as Syria. He was arrested in Jerusalem under Herod Agrippa I, but miraculously escaped execution. He left Jerusalem and eventually went to Rome, where he preached during the last portion of his life. He was crucified there, head downwards, as he had desired to suffer, saying that he did not deserve to die as Christ had died. The date of St. Peter’s death is not clear. Historians estimate he was executed between the years 64 and 68. His remains now rest beneath the altar of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life messages: 1)Let us try to forgive,forget, and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible. St. Paul advises us “Be angry (righteous anger), but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). 2) When we keep anger in our mind, we are inviting physical illnesses like hypertension, and mental illnesses like depression. 3) Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry and pray for God’s strength for self-control , and for the grace, first to desire to forgive, and then actually to forgive, those who have injured us Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Feb 24 Saturday: Mt 5:43-48: 43 “You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, ‘Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,’ 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect

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

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

Life Messages: We are to try to be perfect, to be like God: 1) We become perfect when we fulfill God’s purpose in creating us: with His help, to become God-like. 2) We become perfect when, with His ongoing help, we try to love as God loves, to forgive as God forgives, and to show unconditional good will and universal benevolence as God does. Perfection means we are striving to live each and every moment doing God’s will, using or cooperating with the grace of God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

LENT I [B] SUNDAY (Feb 18)) Eight-minute homily in one page.(L/24)

Introduction: The primary purpose of Lent is to prepare us for the celebration of Jesus’ death and Resurrection. The second purpose is to bring us to renew our Baptismal promises of rejecting Satan and accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior, allowing him to rule our lives. Both these aims demand purification of minds and hearts. The Church tries to achieve this goal by leading her children to a metanoia or true “repentance,” and by renewal of life through fasting, prayer, almsgiving, self-control, and practice of the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. During Lent, we talk to God through personal, family, and liturgical prayers; we listen to Him by meditative Bible reading. We serve the Lord by giving alms, and we practice self-control through fasting. Since by Baptism we share the death and Resurrection of Jesus, today’s readings refer to Baptism directly or indirectly.

The Scripture lessons: The first reading tells us that, although man irrevocably broke the original covenant God had made with Adam and Eve, the merciful God selected Noah and his family to renew that covenant. Noah’s rescue from the flood waters symbolizes our being saved through the water of Baptism which cleanses us of sin and makes us one with Christ. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 25) is an exquisite penitential prayer, humbly acknowledging our human insufficiency and radical dependence upon God, His mercy, and His forgiveness. The psalmist lists some of God’s Own characteristics that will shape the life of the forgiven penitent: Truth, Compassion, Love, Kindness, Goodness, Uprightness, Humility, and Justice. In the second reading, St. Peter shows us how Noah’s episode prefigured Baptism. He reminds us that, as Noah and his family were saved from the waters of the deluge, so we are saved through the waters of Baptism. Baptism is an outward sign of the New Covenant that God has made with His people. It makes us adopted children of God, heirs of Heaven, and temples of the Holy Spirit. In the Gospel, we are told that Jesus faced and defeated the tempter at the end of his forty days of prayer, penance, and communion with the Father in the desert immediately following his baptism. It also tells us how Jesus started preaching his Messianic mission: “The time is fulfilled. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent. Believe in the Gospel.”

Life messages: 1) Let us conquer our temptations as Jesus did, using the methods Jesus employed: prayer, self-denial, and timely use of the word of God. During this Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies by talking to God, by listening to Him speaking to us though the Holy Bible, and by practicing self-control to subdue our evil tendencies. 2) Let us convert Lent into a time for spiritual growth and Christian maturity by: a) participating in the Mass each day, or at least a few days in the week; b) setting aside some part of our day for personal prayer; c) reading some Scripture, alone or, better still, with others. d) setting aside some money we might spend on ourselves for meals, entertainment, or clothes and giving it to an organization which takes care of the less fortunate in our society; e) abstaining from smoking, alcohol, and other evil addictions; f) receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Lent and participating in the “Stations of the Cross” on Fridays; g) visiting the sick and those in nursing homes, and h) doing some acts of charity, kindness, and mercy every day in the Lent. 3) Let us use Lent to fight daily against the evil within us and around us by practicing self-control, relying on the power of prayer, and seeking the assistance and the daily anointing of the Holy Spirit.

LENT I [B] SUNDAY (Feb 18) Gn 9:8-15; I Pt 3:18-22; Mk 1:12-15 ) L-24

Homily starter anecdotes: #1:  Danger of raising a tiger and an alligator as pets: Antoine Yates lived in New York City in a multistoried apartment building.  For some inexplicable reason he brought home a two-month-old tiger cub and later a young alligator. It’s not clear where he found them and how he reared them. But they were with him for two years — in his apartment. What was a little tiger cub grew to a 500 pound Bengal tiger, and the little alligator to a frightening monster. The police got a distress call from Yates about a “dog” bite and when they got to the 19-story public housing apartment building, they discovered Yates in the lobby with injuries to his right arm and leg. Someone alerted the police to the possibility of a “wild animal” in his apartment. A fourth-floor resident informed them that urine had seeped through her ceiling from Yates’ apartment. The police officer peered through a hole drilled into the wall of Yates’ apartment and saw the huge cat prowling around in the room. To make a long story short, it took a contingent of officers at the door, and the use of a dart gun by a veterinary doctor to bring the tiger under control. When finally, they entered the apartment, they found the big cat lying unconscious atop some newspapers. A big alligator was nearby guarding his unconscious friend. Both animals were trapped and relocated to shelters. His own wild pets tried to kill Yates. — That is what happens to those who habitually entertain temptations in the form of evil thoughts and desires. That is why we are asked to practice prayer, fasting and sharing during the Lenten season to resist and conquer our temptations. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

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

# 4: When to repent? “When should we repent?” the disciples asked their master Rabbi Eliezer. “The day before we die,” said the Rabbi with an air of authority in his words. “But how we do know when we are going to die?” his disciples asked him again. “We do not know when we are going to die,” said the master. “That is all the more reason for us to repent of our sins always!” — However, our repentance should not be meant exclusively as a preparation for our death. It should also be meant to help us live a life of holiness. Our repentance should lead to a change of heart and a radical renewal in our life.  (Quoted by Fr. Jose P CMI).  Have a fruitful Lent. (Fr. Jose P) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 5: Factory re-setting and software update of Christian life during Lent: Alternatively referred to as a factory reset or factory restore, a computer’s factory settings are the settings the computer had when it was first purchased. … A factory reset is often performed before a computer is resold to help resolve any software issues or eliminate the previous user’s profile and personal data. Software updates are a way for software developers to fine-tune a product to make it the best it can be. They offer small, frequent improvements rather than major changes. Unlike a software upgrade, updates need the existing programs you are using to work. Updates sometimes run automatically in the background. A software upgrade is a bit different. Instead of building on your existing program, a software upgrade is a new version of the software product entirely. — Lent is the time to do the “factory resetting” of our spiritual life and update it by leading a life of repentance and renewal of life. Today’s First Reading makes a “factory reset” by reminding us of the New Covenant God made to Noah after the deluge, and the Second Reading “updates” the meaning and significance of our Baptism in the context of Lenten season which invites us to renew our Baptismal promises. https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: The primary purpose of Lent is spiritual preparation for the celebration of the Paschal Mystery recalling Jesus’ death on Good Friday and Resurrection on Easter Sunday.  Hence,  the Church leads her children to “repentance,” a type of conversion. Repentance is the process by which one reorders one’s priorities, and changes one’s values, ideals, and ambitions, through fasting, prayer, and penitential mortification. Lent, then, is a period of self-examination, prompting us to repent of our sins, and so to effect a real conversion:  to turn completely to God and to His teaching, and to do good for others.  Lent also challenges us to reform our lives by turning away from self, from evil, and from sin, so as to turn toward God and toward others with renewed Faith and fervor. Lenten observances are also intended to lead us to our annual solemn renewal of Baptismal vows on Holy Saturday.  Through Baptism, we are called to live justly, to  love God with all our being, to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to build the kingdom of God by our acts of charity.  That is why the three readings chosen as today’s Scripture refer to Baptism directly or indirectly.

Scripture readings summarized: The first reading describes how Noah’s family was saved from the waters of the Flood by God’s special providence, and how God made His first “friendship covenant’” with mankind. Noah’s rescue from the flood waters symbolizes how we are saved through the waters of Baptism which cleanse us of sin and make us one with Christ. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 25) is an exquisite penitential prayer, humbly acknowledging human insufficiency and our radical dependence upon God, His mercy, and His forgiveness. The psalmist lists some of God’s characteristics –Truth, Compassion, Love, Kindness, Goodness, Uprightness, Humility, and Justice — in the life of the forgiven penitent.  In the second reading, Peter shows us how Noah’s episode prefigures Baptism.  In the Gospel, we are told that Jesus faced and defeated the tempter at the end of His forty days of prayer and penance in the desert immediately following His baptism. Today’s readings challenge us to enter upon the reforming process of turning away from self, from evil, and from sin, so as to turn toward God and toward others with renewed Faith and fervor.

 First reading, Genesis 9:8-15 explained: According to the Biblical story, God’s covenant with Noah after the Deluge was the second covenant made by God. This one-way covenant declared that God is in a providential relationship with all of natural creation and will be so down through the ages.  The story of the great Deluge in the book of Genesis was also intended to remind people of their present Covenant with the Lord and to reinforce their commitment to it. It tells us how man irrevocably broke the original covenant God had made with Adam and Eve and how the merciful God found Noah and his family with whom to renew that covenant.  The covenant with Noah was very simple.   It consisted mainly of God’s promise to care for the earth and not to destroy it again by a flood of water. Through the sign of the rainbow, God promised Noah that He would love and care for Noah’s descendants and for the earth that they inhabited. The sign of the covenant with Noah was the rainbow. The rainbow often gives the impression of linking heaven and earth. That is why the rainbow is a sign of the second covenant joining Heaven and earth. The sign of the rainbow may help us to understand better the pivotal place of Jesus in salvation history. Like the rainbow, Jesus,  the Incarnate Son of God, is the link between God and humankind, and between Heaven and earth. The story of the salvation of Noah and his family from the waters became an inverse symbol of Baptism:   through the waters of Baptism in which we die to sin, we become incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ, the living Christian community.  Through our life in and with our parish and world-wide Christian community, we learn how to live out our commitment to Jesus.  We get support in living that life from the community of which we are a part.  We learn to grow into a people who are whole and complete, in union and harmony with our God, with others and with ourselves.  And that is salvation. It begins here and now, and Lent is the time for us to strengthen and renew that process in our own lives.

Second Reading, 1 Peter 3:18-22 explained: Lent is the beginning of the season that culminates in our solemn remembrance of the Paschal Mystery,  Jesus’ suffering, death and Resurrection (“Christ died for our sins,”), and in the joyful Baptism of new members. Lent is, thus, the season of self-examination.  All three elements are packed into this second reading from the letter of Peter.  Addressed to the persecuted Christians of the Church, this letter was intended to bolster their Faith. It will do the same for us. Peter reminds us all of our place in the larger history of God’s providence in order to help us see our present sufferings in a larger context.  He says an outward sign of the Covenant that God made with his people through Jesus is Baptism. Baptism not only removes Original Sin but is also our birth into Christ – the way we become adopted children of God, heirs of heaven, and temples of the Holy Spirit. Peter points out that the waters of Baptism are an antitype of the waters of the flood. The flood waters destroyed almost all the people except Noah’s family. The waters of Baptism on the other hand are the cleansing agent that saves all. Using already traditional formulas of Faith, Peter affirms that in the Paschal Mystery Jesus made it possible for all humankind to enter a right relationship with God (justification) and to live their new life in the Holy Spirit (sanctification).      The odd picture of Christ going “to preach to the spirits in prison” :(“He descended into hell” in the Apostles’ Creed), probably refers to the risen Christ making known to imprisoned souls his victory over sin and death.  (The New American Bible-1970 edition).

Gospel exegesis: The context: All the synoptic Gospels agree that Jesus experienced a period of temptation.  Hebrews 4:15 also testifies to Jesus’ temptation episode.  While Matthew and Luke give graphic descriptions of Jesus’ temptations in the desert during his forty days of fasting and prayer following his baptism in the River Jordan, Mark just reports that the Spirit led Jesus to the desert and he was tempted by Satan.  The desert was the place where, in Moses’ time, ancient Israel was tested for 40 years. The 40 days of Jesus’ fasting may also recall the 40-day fasts undertaken by Moses (Dt 9:18) and Elijah (1 Kgs 19:8). Mark does not mention that Christ fasted for the forty days and nights but the “desert” seems to imply this.  Nor does Mark specify the various “temptations,” as Matthew and Luke do. The temptations described by Matthew and Luke and hinted at by Mark refer probably to the main temptations Jesus faced during his public life: 1) to use his Divine power for personal comfort, 2) to become a political messiah of power and fame (according to the Jewish expectation), and 3) to rule the whole world, not by way of suffering a death but by receiving that world from the hands of Satan in exchange for worshipping this Evil One.  These temptations, which Jesus faced, and defeated, help us to understand the conflicts that were in Jesus’ own life, and in ours, too.  Instead of yielding to the temptations, Jesus said a firm “Yes” to his Father’s plan, even when it came to giving over his life.

 Why was Jesus tempted after his baptism? The author of Hebrews used the temptation narrative to show that the Incarnate Son of God wanted to experience human life to the full, except for sin.  Since temptation and how we respond to it are integral parts of our lives, Jesus experienced them also.  The Fathers of the Church explain that Jesus’ temptations are described after his baptism to teach us why we are tempted and to show us how we should conquer temptations.  Baptism and Confirmation give us the weapons we need to do battle with Satan.  God never tempts people, and never permits them to be tempted beyond their strength. But He does allow them to be tempted. Why?  Here are the five reasons given by the Fathers: i) so that we can learn by experience that [with God]  we are indeed stronger than the tempter; ii) to prevent us from becoming conceited over having God’s gifts; iii) that the devil may receive proof that we have completely renounced him; iv) that by the struggle we may become even stronger; and v) that we may realize how precious is the grace we have received.

“Repent and believe in the Good News of God’s Kingdom.” Mark here gives us the first public words of Jesus, his Messianic mission’s basic keynote speech, which has four specific messages: 1)“The time is fulfilled.” 2) The Kingdom of God is at hand.” 3) “Repent.” 4) Believe in the Gospel.”  This speeech summarizes the purpose of Jesus’ ministry.  In this statement Jesus is not asking his audience to do or not to do something to shape their future in Heaven.  He is concerned with the here and now. Repentance, (metanoia) is a change of mind and heart, a lifelong process of transformation.  The Good News Jesus announces is that God is already working here among us, so close to us that we can reach out and touch Him in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man.  But we will be able to experience Jesus as Son of God only if we undergo a complete change in our value system and priorities by means of true repentance.  Jesus announces, “the time has come,” meaning that the long-expected “Kingdom of God” is present in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah of God.

“The Kingdom of God” announced by Jesus and brought to earth by him is not a place, still less Heaven, but the loving Power and Personal rule of God, to which we are all invited to submit ourselves.  This Kingdom/Kingship has arrived in the Person of Jesus, our King and Lord.  The presence of this loving power of a merciful and forgiving God is evident in the teaching and healing ministry of Jesus.  The presence of God’s Kingdom in Jesus is revealed also by the liberation of people from the destructive forces in their lives, by the bringing back of the rejected and the outcast, by the forgiveness and reconciliation given to repentant sinners and finally by the supreme act of self-giving love — Jesus’ passion, death and Resurrection.  “Believing in the Gospel” means a total commitment to the way of life presented in the Gospel and a sharing, and  living out,  of its vision of life.

Life messages: 1) Let us make Lent a time of renewal of life by penance and prayer:  Formerly the six weeks of Lent meant a time of severe penance as a way of purifying ourselves from our sinful habits and getting ready to celebrate the Paschal Mystery (the passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ), with a renewed commitment to follow Christ.  Now the Church leaves the Lenten practice of penance to the good will and generosity of individual Christians. However, Lent should be a time for personal reflection on where we stand as Christians in accepting the Gospel challenges in thought, word, and deed.  It is also a time to assess our relationships with our family, friends, working colleagues, and other people with whom we come in contact, especially those of our parish.  We should examine whether we are able to make any positive contribution to other people’s lives and to eradicate the abuses which are part of our  society.

2) Let us convert Lent into a time for spiritual growth and Christian maturity by:  a) participating in the Mass each day, or at least a few days in the week;  b) setting aside some part of our day for personal prayer; c) reading some Scripture, alone or, better still, with others;  d) setting aside some money that we might spend on ourselves for meals, entertainment or clothes and giving it to an organization which takes care of the less fortunate in our society;  e) abstaining from smoking or alcohol;  f) receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation in Lent and participating in the “Stations of the Cross” on Fridays;  g) visiting the sick and those in nursing homes  (when such visiting is again allowed), and h) doing some acts of charity, kindness, and mercy every day in the Lent.

3) Let us use Lent as a time to fight daily against the evil within us and around us: Repenting and fighting against temptations and evil is a lifetime’s task. Jesus did not overcome Satan in the wilderness; he achieved that only in his death. Lent reminds us that we have to take up the fight each day against the evil within us and around us, and never give up. Jesus has given the assurance that the Holy Spirit is with us, empowering us, so that final victory will be ours through Jesus Christ.

 JOKES OF THE WEEK: # 1: Devil is your dad: Two boys were walking home from church and sharing their reflection on the lesson.  They had been studying the temptation of Christ in the wilderness. Little Peter said to his friend John, “Do you believe that stuff about the devil?  Do you think there really is a devil?” John looked at him and said, “Naah, it’s just like Santa Claus — it’s your dad.”

# 2) Temptations: real or imaginary? The drunk was floundering down the alley carrying a box with holes on the side. He bumped into a friend who asked, “What do you have in there, pal?” “A mongoose.”  “What for?” “Well, you know how drunk I can get. When I get drunk I see snakes, and I’m scared to death of snakes. That’s why I got this mongoose, for protection.” “But,” the friend said, “you idiot! Those are imaginary snakes.” “That’s okay,” said the drunk, showing his friend the interior of the box, “So is the mongoose.”

# 3: Temptation to dominate: A long line of men stood at one of Heaven’s gates, waiting to be admitted. There was a sign over the gate which read, “For men who were dominated by their wives while on earth.” The line extended as far as the eye could see. At another of Heaven’s gates, only one man was standing. Over this gate there was a sign that read, “For men who were not dominated by their wives.” St. Peter approached the lone man standing there and asked, “What are you doing here?” The man replied, “I don’t really know. My wife told me to stand here.”

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).

• Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies
• Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)
• Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics:   https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)
• Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle B Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/
• Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/1)      http://www.catholic.org/: A wealth of information on Catholic Church/ Faith
• Lenten Bible Reflctions by Dr. Michael Karmattam: https://youtu.be/Jt2bGokoLt4

7) Great mini videos on Sacraments: http://bustedhalo.com/

8) Catholic Answers tracts: http://www.catholic.com/tracts

9)http://www.textweek.com/lent.htm

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

11)Lent sources http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Lent/

12) Lent & Easter: http://www.lent-and-easter.com/

13) Jimmy Akin’s (apologist) articles:  http://jimmyakin.com/library/online-articles

What can I do for Lent’? (Fr. Dan Herbert) When Lent approaches we begin to ask ourselves, “What can I do for Lent?” “I’ll give up smok­ing.” Sometimes this becomes more of a sacrifice for those we live with than for our­selves. “I’ll give up candy.”  Here we start by imitating a squirrel’s storing nuts for winter. When Easter arrives, we partake of our savings of candy and make up for lost time. “I’ll pray an ex­tra hour each day.” What good is that if I can’t make it through my work-day because I’m so tired from lack of sleep? I would like to propose a new look at,  “What can I do for Lent?” How about doing nothing for Lent? What I mean is, during Lent do what we NORMALLY do, but do it better. Outside of Lent, I may act like a very inconsiderate and insensitive person. During Lent I will become more Christ-like with others. What a sacrifice! Outside of Lent I am always so busy or preoccupied with my work that I have no time to waste with any­one else. During Lent I’m going to spend quality time with others. What a hard thing to do! Lent is a personal journey in which we follow Christ to His death and then ex­perience the greatest of all hope in His Resurrection. — During Lent, instead of adding more items to our already busy schedule, why not just live normally and become more conscious of how we are doing things and im­prove on them? Ask the questions: “How would Christ do this? How would Christ say this?” And then do it as Christ would. Wouldn’t it be great if we did improve our lives dur­ing Lent and were still im­proving by Lent in 2025? Wouldn’t it be great if we had grown closer to Jesus by Easter through seeing what it means to be a real Chris­tian? Let’s all pray for the grace to be more like Christ.

26  Additional anecdotes

1) “Baptize the entire Ford Motor Plant,” Henry Ford: You might have heard the story of the machinist who worked years ago at the original Ford Motor Company plant in Detroit, Michigan.  Over a period of years, he had “borrowed” from the factory various car parts and tools which he hadn’t bothered to return.  While the management never condoned this practice, nothing was ever done about it.  In time, however the “forgetful” machinist experienced a Christian conversion and was baptized.  More importantly, the man took his Baptism seriously and became a devout believer.  The very morning after his Baptism, the machinist arrived at work with his pickup truck loaded with all the parts and tools he had taken from the Ford Company over the years.  He went to his foreman and explained that he never really meant to steal them and asked to be forgiven.  The foreman was so astonished and impressed by this act that he cabled Henry Ford himself, contacting the auto magnate while he was away visiting a European Ford plant. In his telegram the foreman described the entire event in great detail.  Ford immediately cabled back this striking two-line response: “Dam up the Detroit River.  Baptize the entire Plant!”   — Our Scripture for this First Sunday in Lent focuses on the effect our Baptism should have on our lives especially during the Lenten season. https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

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

4) Conversion of Piri Thomas: Piri Thomas wrote a book called Down These Mean Streets. It describes his conversion from being a convict, a drug addict, and an attempted killer, to becoming an exemplary Christian. One-night Piri was lying on his cell bunk in prison. Suddenly it occurred to him what a mess he had made of his life. He felt an overwhelming desire to pray. But he was sharing his cell with another prisoner called ‘the thin kid.’ So he waited. After he thought ‘the thin kid’ was asleep, he climbed out of his bunk, knelt down on the cold concrete, and prayed. He said: “I told God what was in my heart… I talked to him plain…I talked to him of all my wants and lacks, of my hopes and disappointments… I felt like I could even cry….” After Piri finished his prayer, a small voice said “Amen.” It was ‘the thin kid.’ The two young men talked a long time. Then Piri climbed back into his bunk. “Good night, Chico,” he said. “I’m thinking that God is always with us -it’s just that we aren’t with Him.” — This story is a beautiful illustration of what Jesus means when he says, “Reform your lives and believe in the Gospel!” https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) A box of enchanted Turkish Delight. In C. S. Lewis’ book, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the wicked queen entices the boy, Edmund, with a box of enchanted Turkish Delight. Each piece is sweet and delicious, and Edmund has never tasted anything better. There is only one problem. The more he eats of this enchanted Turkish Delight, the more he wants. He doesn’t know that this is the wicked queen’s plan. The more he eats, the more he will want, and thus he will eat and eat until it kills him. It would never satisfy his hunger; it would never fill him up…it would simply kill him. (Rev. John Lestock) — Lewis is giving us a metaphor for temptations to sin. Sin never satisfies, it only enslaves. https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) “You knew what I was when you picked me up:” An old Indian legend sums up our situation: Many years ago, Indian braves would go away in solitude to prepare for manhood. One hiked into a beautiful valley, green with trees, bright with flowers. There, as he looked up at the surrounding mountains, he noticed one rugged peak, capped with dazzling snow. “I will test myself against that mountain,” he thought. He put on his buffalo hide shirt, threw his blanket over his shoulders and set off to climb the pinnacle. When he reached the top, he stood on the rim of the world. He could see forever, and his heart swelled with pride. Then he heard a rustle at his feet. Looking down, he saw a snake. Before he could move, the snake spoke. ”I am about to die,” said the snake. “It is too cold for me up here, and there is no food. Put me under your shirt and take me down to the valley” “No,” said the youth. “I know your kind. You are a rattlesnake. If I pick you up, you will bite, and your bite will kill me.” “Not so,” said the snake. “I will treat you differently. If you do this for me, I will not harm you.” The youth resisted awhile, but this was a very persuasive snake. At last the youth tucked it under his shirt and carried it down to the valley. There he laid it down gently. Suddenly the snake coiled, rattled and leaped, biting him on the leg. “But you promised,” cried the youth.” “You knew what I was when you picked me up,” said the snake as it slithered away. [Guideposts (July, 1988).] — That is a powerful little parable. The snake could be drugs or alcohol or extramarital sex or greed or a host of other attractions forbidden by God and our good sense. The best protection we have is in avoidance. https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “Then I can go live with my sister.” A married couple had lived together for twenty-five years in what outwardly seemed like a reasonably good union. The husband was a good provider. The wife was a good housekeeper. They went to Church together every Sunday and prayed together every night before they retired. But they did have one problem that seemed insurmountable. They could not have a conversation that didn’t end up in an argument. Finally, the wife decided she’d had enough, but because of her religious scruples, divorce was out of the question. She had a better idea, however. One night as the couple settled down for their nightly prayers, she said to her husband, “We must put an end to this terrible situation we’re in. We can’t go on like this anymore. Since today is the first day of Lent, why don’t we pray that things will change. Let’s pray that the Lord will call one of us home to Him. Then I can go live with my sister.” https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Satan is Making a Comeback! Within recent years, Satan has been featured in several best-selling novels and block-buster movies. He fathered Rosemary’s Baby. He turned on movie audiences as he did battle with The Exorcist (twice)-and many people declared him the winner. In the film called The Exorcist and Its Sequel, he successfully resisted all human efforts to destroy him. He now has his own section in most of the big bookstores under the heading, Occult. — A few years ago, Satan’s comeback was the subject of a book by Arthur Lyons, called The Second Coming: Satanism in America. The author’s research revealed that the number of satanic cults in America had been rapidly rising. In his words, “…the United States probably harbors the fastest growing and most highly organized body of Satanists in the world.” https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Carnivorous plant – Sundew: In the Australian bush country grows a little plant called the “sundew.” It has a slender stem and tiny, round leaves fringed with hairs that glisten with bright drops of liquid as delicate as fine dew. Woe to the insect, however, that dares to dance on it. Although its attractive clusters of red, white, and pink blossoms are harmless, the leaves are deadly. The shiny moisture on each leaf is sticky and will imprison any bug that touches it. As an insect struggles to free itself, the vibration causes the leaves to close tightly around it. This innocent-looking plant then feeds on its victim. —  Temptations do the same. [Our Daily Bread, (December 11, 1992).] https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) “So no one will know.” In China’s later Han era, there lived a politician called Yang Zhen, a man known for his upright character. After Yang Zhen was made a provincial governor, one of his earlier patrons, Wang Mi, paid him an unexpected visit. As they talked over old times, Wang Mi brought out a large gold cup and presented it to Yang Zhen. Yang Zhen refused to accept it, but Wang Mi persisted, saying, “There’s no one here tonight but you and me, so no one will know.” “You say that no one will know,” Yang Zhen replied, “but that is not true. Heaven will know, and you and I will know, too.” Wang Mi was ashamed and backed down. Subsequently, Yang Zhen’s integrity won increasing recognition, and he rose to a high post in the central government. — Human nature is weak, and we tend to yield to temptation when we think nobody can see us. https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “Are you trying to break this bridge?” As the Union Pacific Railroad was being constructed, an elaborate trestle bridge was built across a large canyon in the West.  Wanting to test the bridge, the builder loaded a train with enough extra cars and equipment to double its normal payload. The train was then driven to the middle of the bridge, where it stayed an entire day. One worker asked, “Are you trying to break this bridge?” “No,” the builder replied, “I’m trying to prove that the bridge won’t break.” —  In the same way, the temptations Jesus faced weren’t designed to see if He would sin, but to prove that He wouldn’t.  [Today in the Word (March 14, 1991).] https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

13) “Don’t swim in that canal.”  Some people fall into temptation, but a great many make plans for disaster ahead of time. “Son,” ordered a father, “Don’t swim in that canal.”  “OK, Dad,” he answered. But he came home carrying a wet bathing suit that evening.  “Where have you been?” demanded the father.  “Swimming in the canal,” answered the boy. “Didn’t I tell you not to swim there?” asked the father.  “Yes, Sir,” answered the boy.  “Why did you?” he asked.  “Well, Dad,” he explained, “I had my bathing suit with me and I couldn’t resist the temptation.”  “Why did you take your bathing suit with you?” he questioned.  “So I’d be prepared to swim, in case I was tempted,” he replied.  — Too many of us expect to sin and do sin. The remedy for such dangerous action is found in Romans 13:14, “But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof.” Whenever we play with temptation, it is easy to drift into great danger. https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) Open for a Left Hook: On May 21, 2005, Andrew Golota fought Lamon Brewster for the WBO heavyweight boxing title.  Golota, a strong fighter with a powerful punch, had 38 wins, 5 loses, and 31 knockouts.  In preparation for the fight, Brewster studied tape of Golota’s boxing, looking for an opening. He noticed that the way Golota held his hands left him open for a left hook. Within seconds after the first round began, Brewster found the opening and threw a left hook.  Golota went down to the mat and got up.  Brewster threw another left hook and Golota went down again.  He stood up and the fight resumed.  Brewster threw another left hook to the same opening, and Golota went down for the 3rd time, which counted as a knockout.  Lamon Brewster won the fight in the first round because he was the smarter fighter.  All he had to do pound on his opponent’s weakness. — In a similar way, Satan is looking to pound on our weakest areas.  When we leave an opening by yielding to temptation, he’ll take advantage and throw a left hook.  But if we’ll not yield to temptation, we’ll close off the area and cut off his opportunity.  www.kentcrockett.com https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) The real temptation: The popular picture we have of Mother Teresa is either carrying a tiny undernourished child or applying medicines on the wounds of a leper. We have identified her with social works. One day, when Mother Teresa was talking to Father Le Joly, a Jesuit priest, who had written few books on Mother and her congregation, she said to him, “Father, when you write a book about me, tell everybody we are not here for work, we are here for Jesus. We are religious, not social workers, or nurses, or teachers; we are religious Sisters. All we do, our prayer, our work, our suffering, is for Jesus. Without Jesus our life would be meaningless…. Incomprehensible….”

(John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 16) Spiritual Boot-camp: In the movie An Officer and a Gentleman, we are taken inside a boot-camp, where candidates are trained to be naval flight officers. Actor Richard Gere plays the lead role of a candidate, who is so intent on being a flight officer that he endures, every test and challenge his tough drill sergeant, played by Lou Gossett, can throw at him. In the end Richard Gere emerges from the training grounds a changed man. Upon entering boot-camp he was selfish; he cared only about his own success and comforts. Before he left, he learned how to reach out and help his batch mates, he felt real pain when his close friend committed suicide, and he proved a true gentleman by marrying his girlfriend, played by Debra Winger. — Lent is like a spiritual boot-camp in a sense. Its theme of spiritual training is set forth in the Gospel. [Internet Notes; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Selling our soul: It was 11.00 P.M. and when the clock struck. Terror engulfed Dr. Faustus. He had one more hour to live, and then he had to surrender his soul to Satan. He helplessly cried out in terror: “Stand still, you ever moving spheres of heaven,/That time may cease, and midnight never come;/Fair Nature’s eye, rise, rise again and make /Perpetual day; or let this hour be but/A year, a month, a week, a natural day,/That Faustus may repent and save his soul.” [Christopher Marlowe. The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, Scene xiv, ll. 74-79 (NY: Folger Library, 1975) p. 76]. But the clock struck 12:00 at midnight; the devil came and took his soul. — This is the tragic story of Dr. Faustus. He got into an agreement with Lucifer, the chief lord of perpetual darkness. In return for bequeathing his soul to Lucifer, he demanded a life of voluptuousness for 24 years, and then attendance of Mephistopheles to grant whatever he demanded either to aid his friends or slay his enemies. He cut his arm, and with the blood when he wrote the deed of agreement, the blood congealed. Later, Faustus finished the deed and sold his soul. — In life, we always confront situations wherein we sell out. We sell out for good or for bad causes. We sell out to the Devil or to God. Jesus, too, confronted such a situation. Today we heard in the Gospel about Jesus’ temptation. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) “What more can I do?” – Radical Solution: There is a story of a man who had an apple tree in his garden. He loved apples and believed he could not live without them. However, while the tree never failed to supply him with apples, apples which tasted good, there was something definitely lacking in their quality. One thing was missing – there was no nourishment in them. He consulted a friend who was an expert on apple trees. The expert looked at the tree and pointed out some obvious deficiencies in it. It needed to be sprayed for its branches were encrusted with moss, the branches needed pruning. It could do with having the earth around it dug up and fertilized. The man listened and acted on the expert’s advice. Yet the following autumn the apples, though slightly more plentiful were no more nourishing. The quality remained unchanged. The man was disappointed and once more consulted the expert. “What more can I do?” he asked. “You are wasting your time.” The expert answered. “What do you mean?” “Obviously the only thing to do is to cut the tree down and plant a new one in its place.” “But what will I do in the meantime for apples?” “You will have to do without them, won’t you?” came the answer. — The question is: was the man ready for a radical decision, in order to have new and wholesome fruit? Are we ready for a radical change of heart? (Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) Crumpled $50 bill: A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $50 bill. he asked the 200 participants in the seminar, “Who would like this $50 bill?” Hands started going up. He proceeded to crumple up the fifty-dollar bill. He then asked, “Who still wants it?” The hands went up again. Then he dropped it on the ground and ground it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, crumpled and dirty, and said. “Now who still wants it?” The hands went up. He said, “You have all learned a valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it didn’t decrease in value. It was still worth $50.”  — Many times in our lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by our own decisions or those of other people. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, we will never lose our value: dirty, clean, crumpled or finely creased, we are still priceless to the One Who knows us through and through, and values us so much that He wants to live in friendship with us forever. If you still find it hard to believe, look closely at the crucifix. That is the real message of Lent. Christ wants us with him forever in Heaven, so much so that he was willing to be torn and crumpled and stomped on and humiliated just as much as we have been, to show each of us how much he loves us. (E- Priest). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) “I am guilty and richly deserve all that I get!” One day, Frederick William I visited a prison at Potsdam and listened to a number of pleas for pardon from prisoners who had grievances against the law’s injustice. All said they had suffered imprisonment on account of prejudiced judges, perjured witnesses, and unscrupulous lawyers. From cell to cell the tale of wronged innocence continued, until the King stopped at the door of one cell inhabited by a surly inmate who said nothing. Surprised at his silence Frederick said jocularly, “Well I suppose you are innocent too.”  “No, your Majesty”, was the startling response; “I am guilty and richly deserve all that I get.” On hearing this, the King shouted at the jail authorities and asked them to set the prisoner free, lest he corrupt all the rest of the “innocent” prisoners! — The prisoner who admitted his guilt showed certain potential for improvement. The others were not likely to change. (Francis Xavier in Inspiring Stories for Successful Living; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) Temptations: A husband was struggling to make ends meet at home on one salary. Then one day he had to confront his wife with a receipt for a $ 250.00 dress she had bought. “How could you do this?” “I was outside the store looking at the dress in the window, and then I found myself trying it on,“ she explained. “It was like Satan whispering in my ear, “You look fabulous in that dress. Buy it!” “Well,” the husband replied, “You know how I deal with that kind of temptation. I say, ‘Get behind me Satan!’ His wife replied, “I did that, but then he said, ‘It looks fabulous from the back too!’” (J. Pichappilly in The Table of the Word; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22)  Christ’s head – a composite of scores of smaller faces. At a point in his life when the painter William Zdinak had become frustrated with the seeming emptiness of his success as an artist, he was commissioned to produce a picture for a religious art show. For weeks he stared at the empty canvas, unable to formulate an idea and unwilling to resort to the sentimentality that too often characterizes religious art. He was haunted by the words of Thomas Merton who said, “If there were no other proof of the infinite patience of God with men, a very good one could be found in God’s toleration of the pictures that are painted. . . under the pretext of being in God’s honor.” With a prayer to the God of patience, Zdinak turned his attention away from himself toward God and began to paint. When he finished, he had created a likeness of Christ in ruddy skin tones, with kind eyes and handsome Mediterranean features. While his work was well done, it was not unlike so many others which were hung on display for the art show. However, when viewers drew nearer to the painting, they were surprised to find that Christ’s head was actually a composite of scores of smaller faces. Represented were men, women and children of every ethnic background, of all races and walks of life. Included among the myriad faces were notables like Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Abraham Lincoln, and John  F. Kennedy. When viewers drew back from the painting, the mosaic of human faces blended once again to reflect the image of Christ. — At the beginning of a yet another Lenten season, William Zdinak’s painting reminds me that this is a time for directing my eyes and my energies away from myself toward the person and mission of Jesus Christ and to find therein, the faces of all my sisters and brothers, whose needs I am called to recognize and serve. (Patricia Sanchez) https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) “Is that Jesus knocking?” A paediatrician would plug his stethoscope into his little patients’ ears to let them listen to their own heartbeats. Their eyes would always light up in awe. He was taken aback one day when he placed the disk over little Sylvia’s heart. “Listen” said the doctor. “What do you suppose that is?” Sylvia listened carefully to the tap-tap-tapping in her chest and cried, “Is that Jesus knocking?” — During Lent Jesus is knocking at my heart so that I might love like him and allow my heart to be opened to His. True, rendering, repenting, and re-turning must come from my heart. Only then will I understand the reassurance of rainbows and the welcoming warmth of spring –in my heart. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24 What profound Humility! I read recently that when Copernicus, the great astronomer, who wrote a masterpiece entitled The Revolution of the Heavenly Bodie, was dying, a copy of that scholarly masterpiece was placed in his hands, so that he could treasure his finest achievement in his last moments and enjoy both solace and pride. Much as he valued that outstanding work, Copernicus had other things on his mind. Calling a friend, he requested that the following epitaph be placed on his grave at Frauenberg: “O Lord, the Faith thou didst give to St. Paul, I cannot ask; the mercy thou didst show to St. Peter, I dare not ask; but, Lord, the grace thou didst show unto the repentant thief, that Lord, show to me!” — What profound humility! What amazing faith! What sense of repentance! These are the virtues we need to practice, especially during Lenten season. (James Valladares in Your Words O Lord Are Spirit, and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho). https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

26) “Jerome, you have not yet given me your sins!” Saint Jerome, the brilliant doctor of the Church, lived for twenty-five years in the cave where the Child Jesus was born. One time he prayed to Jesus thus: “Dear Child, you have suffered much to save me; how can I make amends?” “What can you give me, Jerome?” a Voice was heard. “I will spend my entire life in prayer, and I will offer all my talents into Your hands,” Jerome replied. “You do that to glorify Me, but what more can you give to Me?” the Voice asked again. “I will give all my money to the poor,” Jerome exclaimed. The Voice said: “Give your money to the poor; it would be just as if you were giving it to Me. But what else can you give to Me?” Saint Jerome became distraught and said: “Lord, I have given You everything! What is there left to give?” “Jerome, you have not yet given Me your sins,” the Lord replied. “Give them to Me so I can erase them.” With these words Jerome burst into tears and spoke, “Dear Jesus, take all that is mine and give me all that is Yours.” — Lent is the time to give our sins to God with  repentant hearts.(Fr. Benitz). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/24

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 17) by Fr. Tony (akadavil@gmail.com)

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

Lent: Giving Up 

Self-Denial is about making a sacrifice that makes a difference, focusing us on the Cross and reminding ourselves what Christ gave up for us. Rev. Craig Gates of Jackson Mississippi has a great list of suggestions. He says we should:

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

GIVE UP 10 to 15 minutes in bed! Instead, use that time in prayer, Bible study and personal devotion. A few minutes in prayer WILL keep you focused.
GIVE UP looking at other people’s worst attributes. Instead concentrate on their best points. We all have faults. It is a lot easier to have people overlook our shortcomings when we overlook theirs first.
GIVE UP speaking unkindly. Instead, let your speech be generous and understanding. It costs so little to say something kind and uplifting or to offer a smile. Why not check that sharp tongue at the door?
GIVE UP your hatred of anyone or anything! Instead, learn the discipline of love. “Love covers a multitude of sins.”

GIVE UP your worries and anxieties! They’re too heavy for you to carry anyway. Instead, trust God with them. Anxiety is spending emotional energy on something we can do nothing about: like tomorrow! Live today and let God’s grace be sufficient.

GIVE UP TV one evening a week! Instead, visit  (or telephone, these days), someone who’s lonely or sick; visit when this becomes possible again. There are those who are isolated by illness or age. Why isolate yourself in front of the “tube?” Give someone a precious gift: your time!
GIVE UP buying anything but essentials for yourself! Instead, give the money to God. The money you would spend on the luxuries could help someone meet basic needs. We’re called to be stewards of God’s riches, not consumers.

GIVE UP judging others by appearances and by the standard of the world! Instead, learn to give up yourself to God. There is only one who has the right to judge, Jesus Christ. (Billy D. Strayhorn, Cross Eyed: Focus)

9 things you need to know about Lent (Apologist Jimmy Akins)

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

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

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

4. Is Lent exactly forty days long as currently celebrated? No, it’s actually a little longer than forty days. The number is approximate, for spiritual purposes.

5. Are the Sundays in Lent part of Lent? Yes. See question 1 for the duration of Lent. It runs from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday. No exceptions are made for Sundays. Furthermore: the Sundays of this time of year are called the First, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent [emphasis added]. The Sixth Sunday, on which Holy Week begins, is called, “Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord,
6. Why is the number forty significant? Pope Benedict XVI explains: “Lent recalls the forty days of our Lord’s fasting in the desert, which He undertook before entering into His public ministry. We read in the Gospel: ‘Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry’ (Mt4:1-2). Like Moses, who fasted before receiving the tablets of the Law (cf. Ex 34:28) and Elijah’s fast before meeting the Lord on Mount Horeb (cf. 1 Kings19:8), Jesus, too, through prayer and fasting, prepared Himself for the mission that lay before Him, marked at the start by a serious battle with the tempter.” [Message for Lent 2009].

7. What are the rules for fasting in Lent? Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are days of fast. The law of fast binds those who are from 18 to 59 years old, unless they are excused for a sufficient reason (e.g., a medical condition that requires more frequent food, etc.). According to the Church’s official rules (as opposed to someone’s personal summary of them): The law of fasting allows only one full meal a day, but does not prohibit taking some food in the morning and evening, observing—as far as quantity and quality are concerned—approved local custom [Apostolic Constitution  Paenitemini,  Norms, III:2]. The system of mitigated fasting that is required by law thus allows for “one full meal” and “some food” in the morning and evening. The Church’s official document governing the practice of fasting does not encourage scrupulous calculations about how much the two instances of “some food” add up to, though obviously each individually is less than a full meal, since only one of those is allowed.

8. What are the rules for abstinence in Lent? Ash Wednesday and all Fridays of Lent are days of abstinence (as well as Good Friday). An exception is if a solemnity falls on a Friday. The law of abstinence binds those who are 14 years old or older. According to the Church’s official rules: The law of abstinence forbids the use of meat, but not of eggs, the products of milk or condiments made of animal fat [Paenitemini, Norms III:1].

9. Do you have to give up something for Lent? If you do, can you have it on Sundays? The traditional custom of giving up something for Lent is voluntary. Consequently, if you give something up, you set the parameters. If you choose to allow yourself to have it on Sundays as to promote joy on this holy day, that is up to you. (http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jimmy-akin/9-things-you-need-to-know-about-lent.

When to repent? “When should we repent?” the disciples asked their master Rabbi Eliezer. “The day before we die,” said the Rabbi with an air of authority in his words. “But how we do know when we are going to die?” his disciples asked him again. “We do not know when we are going to die,” said the master. “That is all the more reason for us to repent of our sins always.” However, our repentance should not be meant exclusively as a preparation for our death. It should also be meant to live a life of holiness. Our repentance should lead to a change of heart and a radical renewal in our life.  (Quoted by Fr. Jose P CMI).

Feb 12 Monday: Mk 8:11-13: The Pharisees came and began to argue with him, seeking from him a sign from heaven, to test him. 12 And he sighed deeply in his spirit, and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign shall be given to this generation.” 13 And he left them and getting into the boat again he departed to the other side.

The context: The Pharisees of Jesus’ time had a long list of fifty extraordinary signs which they expected from the real Messiah, to distinguish the promised Messiah from false messiahs. Some of the false messiahs in the past had claimed that they could divide the Jordan River into two sections or cause the huge stony walls of Jerusalem to fall by a single word. Hence, the Pharisees demanded that Jesus show some miracles from their list of Messianic signs.

Jesus’ reply: Jesus knew that the proud, hard-hearted, prejudiced Pharisees were unwilling to accept the signs he had been working as the Messianic signs foretold by the prophets. Others of them, he knew were not interested in his message but only in seeing signs and wonders. Hence, according to Mark, Jesus unequivocally denied the demand for an additional Messianic sign. But according to Mt 12:38-42 and Lk 11:29-32, Jesus offered them another sign–the miracle of Jonah, the sign of the death and Resurrection of Christ — knowing well that not even this remarkable proof would lead the Pharisees to shed their pride.

Life message: 1) It is very sad to see superstitious Christians travelling miles to see a miraculous statue of a Madonna shedding tears of blood or oil., while at the same time, they fail to see the presence of Jesus as he promised, in the Bible, in the Holy Eucharist, in a worshipping community or in one’s fellow Christians. Let us pray for the grace of increased Faith in the genuine teachings of Jesus. 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/refl

Feb 13 Tuesday: Mk 8:14-21:: 14 Now they had forgotten to bring bread; and they had only one loaf with them in the boat. 15 And he cautioned them, saying, “Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.” 16 And they discussed it with one another, saying, “We have no bread.” 17 And being aware of it, Jesus said to them, “Why do you discuss the fact that you have no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Having eyes do you not see, and having ears do you not hear? And do you not remember? 19 When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” 20 “And the seven for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” And they said to him, “Seven.” 21 And he said to them, “Do you not yet understand?”

The context: The Jews considered fermentation by yeast as equivalent to putrefaction and, hence, something evil. That is why Jesus equated evil influence with leaven. Jesus considered the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the immoral life of the king Herod as leaven corrupting the dough of Israel. Hence, he gave the warning against their evil influence to his disciples while they were crossing the Lake in a boat.

The misunderstanding and correction: The Apostles in the boat misunderstood Jesus’ warning as a scolding for their having forgotten to bring enough bread for all of them. Hence, Jesus reminded them of his miraculous provision of bread in the feedings of the five thousand and of the four thousand people as evidence that they did not have to worry about food they had forgotten to bring for their supper. The twelve baskets full of leftovers after the miraculous feeding five thousand people represent the twelve tribes of Israel whom God first established as His chosen people to preserve the belief in the one true God. The seven baskets full of leftovers after the miraculous feeing of the four thousand people represent the seven nations of the Gentiles to whom salvation is extended. Jesus clarifies by these miracles that while salvation is universal, the way to salvation is through him, the Messiah. He warns his disciples to beware of the false ways of salvation offered by the two extreme philosophies of the Pharisees and the King Herod and the Herodians.

Life messages: 1) With trusting Faith, let us rely on the miraculous provision God has in store for us in our daily life (in the word of God and the Holy Eucharist), when we do our share of work sincerely.

2) Let us take Jesus’ warning against allowing the evil influence of the society around us to define and defile (the leaven of hypocrisy, immorality, pride and prejudice), but let us rely on the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and guiding, protecting, and enlightening the Church. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/24

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

Feb 14 Wednesday: Ash Wednesday: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18: Introduction: Ash Wednesday (dies cinerum), is the Church’s Yom Kippur or “Day of Atonement.” The very name of the day comes from the ancient practice of mourning or doing penance wearing “sackcloth and ashes” to express penitence, not only by the Chosen People but by pagans as well. The Old Testament shows us the pagan people of Nineveh, the pagan King Ben Haddad of Syria, and the Jewish Queen Esther, all of whom fasted, wearing sackcloth and ashes.In the early Church, Christians who had committed serious sins did public penance wearing sackcloth and ashes. The Church instructs us to observe Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as days of full fast and abstinence. Fasting is prescribed to reinforce our penitential prayer during the Lenten season.

Scripture lessons summarized:In the first reading, the prophet Joel, insists that we should experience a complete conversion of heart (‘metanoia’) and not simply feel regret for our sins. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 51) for today, provides us with an excellent prayer of repentance and a plea for forgiveness. Saint Paul, in the second reading, advises us “to become reconciled to God.” Today’s Gospel instructs us to assimilate the true spirit of fasting and prayer, not just to settle for the legal externals.

The blessing of the ashes and the significance of the day: The priest, dipping his thumb into ashes (collected from burnt palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday), marks the forehead of each with the sign of the cross , saying, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” By doing this, the Church gives her children: 1- a firm conviction that a) we are mortal beings, b) our bodies will become dust when buried, ashes if cremated, and c) our life-span is very brief and unpredictable; 2- a strong warning that we will suffer eternal misery if we do not repent of our sins, become reconciled with God, asking His pardon and forgiveness, and do penance; and 3- a loving invitation to realize and acknowledge our sinful condition and to return to our loving and forgiving God with true repentance so that we can renew our life as the prodigal son did.

Ash Wednesday messages: # 1: We need to purify and renew our lives during the period of Lent by repentance — expressing sorrow for our sins by turning away from the near occasions of sins and making a right turn to God. We express our repentance; by becoming reconciled with God daily; by asking for forgiveness from those we have offended; by giving unconditional forgiveness to those who have offended us; and by receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation.

# 2: We need to do prayerful fasting and acts of penance for our sins, following the example of Jesus before his public ministry. Fasting reduces our “spiritual obesity” or the excessive accumulation of “fat” in our soul — evil tendencies, evil habits, and evil addictions.  It also gives us additional moral and spiritual strength and encourages us to share our blessings with the needy, offers us more time to be with God in prayer, and encourages us to share our food and goods with the needy. Fasting also makes our minds clearer and more receptive to receiving the sacred nourishment of God’s Word in Scripture and in Holy Eucharist. (Thomas Merton). We can practice penance by practicing more self-control and mortification, by observing Lenten fasting and abstinence, by doing acts of charity, kindness and mercy and by sacrificially helping the poor and the needy.  L/24

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

 Feb 15 Thursday: Lk 9:22-25: 22 Jesus said to his disciples, “The `Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and on the third day raised.    23 And he said to all, “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake, he will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?

 The context: After Peter had made his famous declaration of Faith in Jesus as God and the Messiah, Jesus plainly warned his disciples about his suffering death and Resurrection.  But the Apostles were unwilling to accept such a fate for their master.  Hence, Jesus declared the three conditions of discipleship which he expected from his followers, as given in today’s Gospel.

 The Three Conditions: 1) Deny yourself. 2) Take up your cross. 3) Follow Me.   1) Denying oneself involves a) cleansing of the heart by the eviction of self and the removal of all evil tendencies and addictions from the heart with the help of the Holy Spirit, b) the enthronement of God in the heart and the dedication of oneself to Him, and c) the surrendering of one’s life to the enthroned God through loving, selfless service of others for God’s glory.  2) Taking up one’s cross means, not only accepting gracefully from God our pains and suffering, but also accepting the pain involved in serving others, in sharing our blessings with them, and in controlling our evil tendencies.  Carrying one’s cross becomes easier when we compare our light crosses with the heavier ones given to terminally-ill patients and to exploited people living under subhuman conditions.  The realization that Jesus carries with us the heavier part of our cross also makes our cross-bearing easier and more salvific.  3) Follow Me means one is to follow Jesus by obeying the word of God and adjusting one’s life accordingly.  One living as Jesus’ disciple should be ever ready to obey as Jesus directs one –through His words in the Bible and through the teaching authority He has instituted in the Church.

 The paradox of saving/losing and losing/saving life: According to Bible commentators, the word “life” is here used, clearly, in a double sense: the earthly life of man in flesh and time and his eternal Life of happiness in Heaven.  Hence, what Jesus means is that whoever wishes to save his (earthly), life will lose his (eternal), Life.  But whoever loses his (earthly), life by spending it for Jesus and the Gospel, will save his (eternal), Life.

Life message: We need to love the cross, wear the cross, carry the crosses we are given, and transform these God-given crosses of our life into the instruments of our salvation by working with the Holy Spirit. (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

Feb 16 Friday: Mt 9:14-15: 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.”

The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ reply to the question asked by a few disciples of John the Baptist about fasting and feasting.  Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were the three-cardinal works of Jewish religious life.  Hence, John’s disciples wanted to know why they and the Pharisees fasted, while Jesus’ disciples were seen feasting with him and never fasting.    Jesus’ reply: Jesus responded to their sincere question using three metaphors: the metaphor of the “children of the bridal chamber,” the metaphor of patching torn cloth and the metaphor of wineskins (Mk 2:18-20; Lk 5:33-35).  In today’s Gospel passage taken from Matthew, Jesus compares his disciples with the children of the bridal chamber.  These people were selected friends of the bridegroom who feasted in the company of the bride and groom during a week of honeymoon.  Nobody expected them to fast.  Jesus declares that his disciples will fast when he, the Bridegroom, is taken away from them. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy, and it is mentioned next after love in St Paul’s list, “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22).   Hence, we are to welcome the joys of Christian life as well as the crosses it offers us. The Fathers of the Church interpret the image of the bridegroom and bride as referring to Christ and his Church. Some explain it topologically: as long as the Spouse is with us, we are not able to mourn; but when by our sin we turn from Jesus, then is the time for tears and fasting. Yet others apply the words of Christ to the Holy Eucharist. The parable does not condemn the strictness of John nor does it condemn fasting. The disciples of Christ kept the fasts prescribed by the Law, but they did ignore those imposed by the Pharisees.

 Life messages: 1) Fasting reduces the excessive accumulation of fat in our soul in the form of evil tendencies and evil habits (= spiritual obesity).   In addition, fasting gives us additional moral and spiritual strength: it offers us more time to be with God in prayer and encourages us to share our food and goods with the needy.  We fast so as to share in the sufferings of the Body of Christ (Col 1:24).  2) We need to be adjustable Christians with open and elastic minds and hearts: The Holy Spirit, working actively in the Church and guiding the Magisterium — the teaching authority in the Church — enables the Church to have new visions, new ideas, new adaptations, and new ways of worship in the place of old ones.  So, we should have the generosity and good will to follow the teachings of the Church (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

Feb 17 Saturday: [The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order] For a short biography, click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/seven-founders-of-the-servite-order Lk 5:27-32: 27 After this he went out, and saw a tax collector, named Levi, sitting at the customs post; and he said to him, “Follow me.” 28 And he left everything, and rose and followed him. 29 And Levi made him a great feast in his house; and there was a large company of tax collectors and others sitting at table with them. 30 And the Pharisees and their scribes murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” 31 And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; 32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 The context: Today’s Gospel episode of Matthew’s call to be  Jesus’ Apostle reminds us of God’s love and mercy for sinners and challenges us to practice this same love and mercy in our relations with others.

The call and the response: Jesus went to the tax collector’s post to invite Matthew to become his disciple.  Since tax collectors worked for a foreign power, extorted more tax money from the people than they owed, and thus made themselves rich by extortion, they were hated and despised as traitors by the Jewish people, and considered public sinners by the Pharisees.  But Jesus could see in Matthew a person who needed Divine love and grace. While everyone hated Matthew, Jesus was ready to offer him undeserved love, mercy, and forgiveness.  Hence, Matthew abandoned his lucrative job, because for him, Christ’s call to follow him was a promise of salvation, fellowship, guidance, and protection.

Scandalous partying with sinners: It was altogether natural for Matthew to rejoice in his new calling by celebrating with his friends. Jesus’ dining with outcasts in the house of a traitor scandalized the Pharisees for whom ritual purity and table fellowship were important religious practices.  Hence, they asked the disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  Jesus Himself answered their question, stressing his ministry as healer: “Those who are well do not need a physician; the sick do.”  Then, in Matthew’s account, quoting Hosea, Jesus challenged the Pharisees, “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ (Hos 6:6)” Finally, Jesus clarified his position, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Life messages: 1) Jesus calls you and me for a purpose: Jesus has called us, through our Baptism, has forgiven our sins, and has welcomed us as members of the Kingdom. He calls us   through the Word and through his Church to be his disciples and to turn away from all the things that distract us and draw us away from God.

2) Just as Jesus did, and Matthew did, we, too, are expected to preach Christ through our lives by reaching out to the unwanted and the marginalized in society with Christ’s love, mercy, and compassion.  (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 VI [B] (Feb 11) Eight-minute homily in one page (L/24)

Introduction: All three readings today teach us that we are called to become pure and holy. But we don’t become holy by some ritual observances. We become holy by confessing our sins to God and offering our lives for God’s glory and by sharing God’s love with everyone around us without discriminating against anyone based on color, race, culture, religion, lifestyle, wealth, or social status.

Scripture lessons summarized: The word Vayikra (the Hebrew name of theBook of Leviticus)means that God called Moses and His chosen people to holiness and purity. That is why the first reading teaches the theme of freedom from bodily and ritual impurity as a sign of internal holiness. This freedom is symbolized by the precautions against contracting leprosy given in the first reading and by the healing of the leper described in the Gospel. The first reading shows the ancient Jewish attitude toward leprosy and gives the rules for the segregation of lepers. This provides a background for Jesus’ healing of a leper. In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 32), the psalmist says: “I confessed my faults to the LORD, and You took away my guilt.” He teaches us that we become holy by confessing our sins and being reconciled with God every day. The psalm serves as a mini-treatise on reconciliation, covering the meaning of the spiritual leprosy of sin and showing how we are forgiven by a Sacramental encounter with God: “I turn to You, Lord, in times of trouble, and You fill me with the joy of salvation.” In today’s second reading, St. Paul exhorts us to become holy by doing “everything for the glory of God” and by showing sensitivity toward others who are different from us, rather than passing judgment on them. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus heals a leper, liberating him both from the disease of leprosy and from the unjust, inhuman social, ritual, and religious isolation and ostracism to which lepers were subjected.

Life messages: 1) We need to trust in the mercy of a forgiving God who assures us that our sins are forgiven and that we are clean.We are forgiven and made spiritually clean from the spiritual leprosy of sins when we repent of our sins, because God is a God of love Who waits patiently for us. The only condition required of us is that we ask for forgiveness with a repentant heart. We are sure to hear His words of absolution, “Very well — your sins are forgiven, and you are clean,” echoed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. 2) We need to tear down the walls that separate us from others and build bridges of loving relationship. Jesus calls every one of us to demolish the walls that separate us from each other and to welcome the outcasts and the untouchables of society. These include homosexuals, the imprisoned, AIDS victims, alcoholics, drug addicts and marginalized groups – the divorced, the unmarried-single mothers, migrant workers, and the mentally ill. God’s loving hand must reach out to them through us. Jesus wants us to touch their lives. Let us re-examine the barriers we have created and approach God with a heart that is ready to welcome the outcasts in our society.

OT VI [B] (Feb 11) Lv 13:1-2, 44-46; I Cor 10:31–11:1; Mk 1:40-45 

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: St. Francis of Assisi and the leper: Today’s Scripture lessons teach us that the sick and the maimed are not to be objects of scorn, but potential reservoirs of God’s mercy for us.  St. Francis of Assisi, for instance, understood this.  At one time in his life, he had a terrible fear of lepers.  Then one day when he was out for a ride, he heard the warning bell that lepers were required to ring in the Middle Ages.  When a leper emerged from a clump of trees, St. Francis saw that he was horribly disfigured.  Half of his nose had been eaten away; his hands were stubs without fingers and his lips were oozing white pus.  Instead of giving in to his fears, Francis slid down from his horse, ran forward, embraced the leper, and kissed him.  Francis’ life was never the same after that episode.  He had found a new relationship with God, a new sensitivity to others and a new energy for his ministry. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 2:  The healing touch of Jesus repeated by St. Damien of Molokai: 85,000 people who gathered in a football stadium in Brussels, to celebrate the centenary of the death of Blessed Damien the leper-priest (beatified by Pope St, John Paul II, in 1995). Father Damien had lived for sixteen years in a remote corner of one of the remotest islands in the Pacific. He worked with lepers and, like Jesus in today’s Gospel, word spread about him far and near. He was written about in newspapers from England to Australia. The day of our gathering was a national holiday in Belgium. The king and queen attended. The whole country was en fete. And all for one man who spent sixteen years working at the back of beyond, but working in Jesus’ name, and doing his work. It coincided – with the centenary of the birth of Adolf Hitler; and there were no celebrations. [Blessed Damien was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI, October 11, 2009; his feast day is celebrated May 10^th. (Encyclopaedia Britannica on-line).]  — There is a beautiful song by Marilla Ness called “He Touched Me.” It has a haunting melody, and the words are powerful and moving. “He touched me and oh, the joy that fills my soul; something happened: now I know: he touched me and made me whole.” Today’s Gospel describes how the healing touch of Jesus made a leper whole. (Lyrics & music: (https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/elvispresley/hetouchedme.html,  https://youtu.be/96gOjU54YOs ) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 3: Recovery of a 285-year-old Stradivarius violin:  In 1981 Peter Cropper, the world-famous British violinist, was invited to Finland to play a special concert. As a personal favor to Peter, the Royal Academy of Music lent him their priceless 285-year-old Stradivarius violin for use in the concert. It was made of 80 pieces of special wood  by the world-famous Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari, covered with 30 coats of special varnish. But then the unimaginable nightmare happened.  As Peter entered the stage he tripped, landed on top of the violin and snapped its neck off. We cannot even imagine how Peter Cropper felt at that moment. A priceless masterpiece destroyed! Cropper was inconsolable. He got the permission to take the violin to a master craftsman in England in the vain hope he might be able to repair it. The master craftsman worked endless hours on the broken violin and repair it he did. So perfect was the repair that the break was undetectable, and, more importantly, the sound was exquisite. The Academy was most gracious and allowed Cropper to continue using the Stradivarius. And so, night after night, as Peter drew his bow across those string, Peter was reminded of the fact that what he once thought irreparably damaged had been fully restored by the hand of a Master craftsman. In the months ahead Cropper took the violin on a worldwide tour and drew standing ovations from concert audiences. — That violin is a beautiful illustration of what happened the wretched leper in today’s Gospel. Jesus reached out his hands lovingly to him, touched the man and healed him. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

# 4:  healing touch on lepers: Ruth Pfau – Doctor Sister Ruth Pfau, a German nun and medical doctor who devoted her life to combatting leprosy in Pakistan, died on August 10, 2017 at the age of 87. Born in Leipzig, Germany, in 1929, where her home was bombed in World War II, Pfau went to France to study medicine and later joined the Society of Daughters of the Heart of Mary.  Pfau, who was known locally as Pakistan’s Mother Teresa, came to the southern port city of Karachi in 1960 and spent half a century taking care of some of the country’s sickest and poorest people. She was the founder of Marie Adelaide Leprosy Centre in Karachi, where she was being cared for at the time of her death after falling ill two weeks previously. Leprosy remained a problem in Pakistan from the 1950s until about 1996 and in that victory Sister Doctor Ruth Pfau played a key role in the efforts by Pakistan and the World Health Organization to bring the disease under control.  — Pfau’s work earned her the Nishan-e-Quaid-i-Azam, one of Pakistan’s highest civilian awards. Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi expressed his sadness over her death, saying “she may have been born in Germany, but her heart was always in Pakistan”. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: All three readings today contain the Christian teaching on the need for social acceptance especially when people are different from us.  They also tell us that it is purity or holiness of soul coming from God that cleanses our lives.  In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Book of Leviticus is known by its first word, Vayikra (ויקרא), meaning “and he called”.    The word Vayikra means that God called Moses and His chosen people to holiness and purity.  That is why the first reading teaches the theme of freedom from bodily and ritual impurity as a sign of internal holiness.  This freedom is symbolized by the precautions against contracting leprosy given in the first reading and by the healing of the leper described in the Gospel.  The first reading shows the ancient Jewish attitude toward leprosy and the rules for segregating lepers.  This provides a background for Jesus’ healing of a leper.  In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 32), the psalmist exhorts us to rejoice in the Lord because He purifies us from our sins:   “I confessed my faults to the LORD, and You took away my guilt.” The psalm serves as a mini-treatise on reconciliation, covering the meaning of the spiritual leprosy of sin and showing how we are forgiven by a sacramental encounter with God: “I turn to You, Lord, in times of trouble, and You fill me with the joy of salvation.”  In today’s second reading, St. Paul exhorts us to testify to our healing from the leprosy of sin by living changed lives, expressed in our doing “everything for the glory of God” and for the salvation of others. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus healed a leper, liberating him both from the disease of leprosy and from the unjust and inhuman social isolation and ostracism to which the lepers were subjected.

First reading, Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 explained: The first reading gives us the background of the sad state of lepers in first-century AD Palestinian society.  Psalm 88 might well be read as the leper’s cry for mercy. The Book of Leviticus contains laws that teach the Israelites that they should always keep themselves in a state of legal purity, or external sanctity, as a sign of their intimate union with the Lord.  The first reading deals with very ancient rules and customs.  It was the duty of the priests to decide whether a man was infected with leprosy and when/whether he was healed.  Once the priest had examined a patient and declared him a leper, the afflicted person had to live in isolation, away from the dwelling-places of healthy people, in order to prevent the spread of the dreaded disease.  In other words, victims of leprosy were segregated from the community on two counts: (1) fear of contagion and (2) fear of the ritualistic uncleanness which resulted from contact with the diseased. Since it was believed that an illness like leprosy resulted from corrupted morals and not from bacteria or viruses, a healing that was spiritually- rather than physically-oriented was sought. However, some medical historians argue that true leprosy entered Palestine only after the first century AD, and other conditions, like psoriasis, eczema, ringworm, boils, impetigo, acne, ulcers, rashes, or dandruff rashes may have been considered as leprosy in Christ’s days. That may have been why many “lepers” were healed by native medicine.   Hence, it is likely that the Hebrew word sara’at and Greek lepra, which are translated as “leprosy,” do not always describe true leprosy or Hansen’s disease. Sin is a “leprosy” of the soul, which disfigures it and makes a person “unclean.” But we become upright when we confess our sins before God with true repentance, and ask His forgiveness.

Second reading:  1 Corinthians 10:31-11 explained: Saint Paul worked hard to teach the young Christian community of Corinth to find the truths that would separate and protect them from the diverse religious beliefs and pagan rituals practiced by their still-pagan neighbors.  There were, for instance, pagan temples in Corinth in which animals were sacrificed to the gods, after which a large portion of the meat which had been offered was sold in the market.  Corinthian Christians were sometimes invited out to dinner by their pagan friends who might offer them the choice meat that had previously been used in pagan sacrifices.  Both Jewish and Gentile Christians had scruples about the eating of such meat because that would be a participation in the sacrifice honoring pagan gods, a declaration indeed that those gods were real and that worshipping them had value for the Christians.  Paul’s general answer was that since “the earth and all that is in it is the property of the Lord” a Christian could lawfully eat any meat placed before him, and he need not be concerned as to its origin.  But if the use of this lawful freedom should scandalize a weaker brother who would think that his fellow Christian was intending to honor the pagan gods, then the Christian should deny himself this freedom.  Paul calls each of us to follow our own conscience carefully, without condemning others or trying to change their behavior.  “I try to please all in any way I can by seeking not my own advantage.”  We, too, must follow Paul’s and Jesus’ example, responding with sensitivity toward others who are different from us, rather than by passing judgment on them or by excluding them from our neighborhood, Church, or local communities.  The glory of God is served when God’s people serve one another and live in loving unity.

Gospel Exegesis: Why did Jesus become “angry” and issue a “stern warning?” Most translations say that Jesus was “moved with pity” when he saw the leper who approached him.  But some modern Bible scholars tell us that there are ancient manuscripts that indicate that Jesus was “angry” or even “indignant” when he was confronted by this leper, and that after healing him Jesus spoke sternly to him about showing himself to a priest. A background study reveals that Jesus was not angered by the leper but by the social and religious conditions of the day.  There may have been two reasons for this:  1) Jesus could have been angered by the unjust and inhuman social isolation and ostracism to which the lepers were subjected.  In Jesus’ day, a leper had no right either to medical care or to other kinds of help from the community.  In addition, the Book of Leviticus 13:1-2, 44-46 demanded that lepers wear the tattered clothes and uncombed, uncut hair of mourners (Note, Harper Collins Study Bible, p. 172).  When meeting any “sound” person, a leper had to cover his mouth with one hand and shout out a warning of his/her own “unclean” condition. Lepers were taken away from their families and forced to live in leper colonies or in caves outside the city.   Anyone suspected of having contracted leprosy was to be taken before a priest for examination. According to historians, in some cities Jews were massacred at the mere mention of the plague being in the area, “even before it had actually arrived.” (René Girard, The Scapegoat). The rabbinic sayings compare the cure of leprosy to raising the dead.  Thus, it would be no wonder if Jesus were angry about conventions that forced the leper to live like an animal, without rights or privileges. 2) Jesus could have been angered by the blasphemous religious explanation of the day that all leprosy was God’s punishment for grave sins. Jesus was also angry at the way lepers were treated as cursed creatures by the Jewish religion which sanctioned such inhuman treatment for lepers.  Lepers were not only considered physically loathsome but were looked upon as persistent sinners. Even if the lepers were cured, they had to submit to a ritual cleansing and purging of sin before they would be re-admitted to society.  Jesus might well have been revolted by the whole notion that lepers were sinners beyond God’s embrace. That might be precisely why He healed the leper by “stretching out his hand, touching” the legally untouchable. By instructing the healed leper to go and show himself to the priest, Jesus may have been challenging the religious authorities to see that God’s healing grace is available to anyone who asks.

Jesus’ identification with the leper: According to some Fathers of the Church, one reason Jesus promptly responded to the leper’s cry in today’s Gospel story, ignoring the Mosaic Law prohibiting touching a leper and thus becoming ritually unclean, is that Jesus identified himself with the man’s condition.  Jesus dramatically identified himself with the sufferer in the total rejection and isolation waiting for him. The irony here is that Jesus risked becoming “unclean” Himself in order to make the leper clean.  Just as he stretched out his hand to the leper and touched him and made him whole, Jesus stretched out his hands on the cross to make us whole.  He touched the leper thus bridging the gap between what is clean and what is unclean, identifying himself with all lepers, with all who are ritually or socially unclean and isolated and with all of us sinners who are spiritually unclean and have no way to change our condition except through His sacrifice and mercy.  Thus, He became “unclean” in the eyes of the law that we might be made clean. He allowed himself to be rejected by his family and people so that those who are separated from God might return to him and be healed.

A story about how we judge others as acceptable or not in the community: This is a story about how we treat others on the basis of appearance – both real and supposed.  In our society, looks aren’t everything. They are the only thing!  No wonder we can get feelings of inferiority, looking at all those young, attractive, trim models and superstars in magazines and on TV commercials! As a result, we make rash judgments with far-reaching consequences, making people outcasts in the society.  For example, who can live down an accusation of child abuse?  Who can really live a normal life in the community if he or she is known to be HIV positive?  Who can really walk about as one of us in this age of the war against terrorism if he/she comes from the wrong ethnic group, wears the wrong clothes, or has the wrong skin-color?  In today’s Gospel incident, Jesus challenges us to accept others unconditionally as our own brothers and sisters.  (Our media gave little attention to those Catholic high-school girls who wore head-scarves in support of their innocent Muslim friends after Sept. 11, 2001).  Jesus reaches out to touch us in this very Eucharistic celebration, making us whole and restoring our relationship with him and with one another.  Then he grants us a share in his Divine life through the Holy Communion. Healed and graced by Jesus, we, like the leper are each compelled to tell our story, making public the good news that God saves sinners and welcomes them home.

Life messages: 1) We need to trust in the mercy of a forgiving God who assures us that our sins are forgiven and that we are clean.  We are forgiven, and our souls are cleansed, from the spiritual leprosy of sin when we repent of our sins.  This is because God is a God of love Who waits patiently for us.  No matter how many sins we have committed or how badly we have behaved, we know God forgives us.  The only condition required of us is that we ask for forgiveness with a repentant heart.  We need only kneel before him and ask him, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean” We are sure to hear his words of absolution, “Very well– your sins are forgiven, and you are clean” echoed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  

2) We need to tear down the walls that separate us from others and build bridges of loving relationship. Jesus calls every one of us to demolish the walls that separate us from each other and to welcome the outcasts and the untouchables of society.   These include homosexuals, AIDS victims, alcoholics, the imprisoned,  drug-addicts, and  marginalized groups such as the divorced, the unmarried, single mothers, migrant workers, and the mentally ill.  God’s loving hand must reach out to them through us.   Jesus wants us to touch their lives.  Let us pass beyond the narrow circles of our friends and peers and try to relate to those who may be outside the bounds of propriety.   Let us re-examine the barriers we have created and approach God with a heart that is ready to welcome the outcasts in our society.  Remember the old African-American children’s song reminding us that there is room for everyone in God’s Kingdom: “All God’s creatures got a place in the choir, some sing low and some sing higher.  Some sing out loud on a telephone wire and some just clap their hands or paws or anything they’ve got now.”

3)  The Church continues Jesus’ healing ministry: We need to remember that the Church continues the healing mission of Jesus and offers special healing prayers called the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick for those with serious illnesses (CCC #1509-10). This Sacrament is offered to parishioners at any time of serious illness, and especially when they are in danger of death from sickness or old age (CCC #1514). Call your parish priest, who is the proper minister of this great Sacrament (CCC #1516) and celebrate it with your family present (CCC #1517). There are many important graces received through this Sacrament (CCC #1520-22), including the compassion of the believing community.

JOKES OF THE WEEK: #1. Jesus in disguise?: A leper goes into a bar, sits down and says to the bartender, “Look, before I order, I’d like you to know that I’m aware of how my appearance affects some people, and I’ll fully understand it if you refuse to serve me.”  The bartender says, “No, sir, I am a professional, and you are my customer.  It is my pleasure to serve you.  What would you like?” “A shot of whiskey, if it’s not too much trouble.” “Coming right up, sir.”  The bartender pours the drink, then goes to the area behind the bar, ostensibly to wash some glasses, but the leper can hear him puking his guts out.  When the bartender returns a few minutes later, wiping the corner of his mouth with a rag, the leper says, “Look, I told you I would understand.  You didn’t have to go through that for my sake!”  The bartender replied, “I know that, sir, and I would like to assure you that I would have had no trouble, but for the last three minutes or so, the drunk next to you has been hugging you as if he was St. Francis of Assisi and you were Jesus in disguise.”

# 2: A pastor had a dread of getting leprosy. He had read that the early signs are loss of feeling in the limbs, and was always pinching his legs, and if it hurt, he was reassured. On one occasion at a dinner with the parishioners he reached under the table and pinched his leg. He couldn’t feel a thing.  He pinched it again – harder this time. Still no sensation. The pastor visibly blanched and blurted out, ” Oh, no! I’ve got leprosy!” A young lady sitting next to him asked: “But how do you know?” “Well, one of the early signs is loss of feeling in the leg. I’ve just pinched my leg twice and I didn’t feel a thing!” The young lady remarked, “It was my leg you were pinching, pastor.”

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).

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

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

7) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://lectiotube.com/

8) https://homefaith.wordpress.com/

9) http://www.mycatholicsource.com/mcs/guide.htm

10) http://www.catholicdoors.com/index.htm

11) http://www.catholic-convert.com/

12) http://reallifecatholic.com/

25 Additional anecdotes:

1) Segregation–past and present: In India, the lowest caste people were untouchables for high caste Hindus. Until the Civil Rights Movement, African-American heritage was such a social disability in the U. S. that white shopkeepers would slap a black customer’s change on the counter to keep from touching his/her hands. In some restaurants, dishes or glasses used by blacks would be broken immediately after they had finished eating.  If a black swam in a public pool, it would immediately be closed, drained, and disinfected.  Even in some of our Catholic parishes, black parishioners had to wait until all the white parishioners had received the Eucharist before presenting themselves at the altar for Communion.  The issue, however, is not only a matter of race.  It’s a question of all   people in our society who are “different” from us.  Our modern society ostracizes the gays, the lesbians, the AIDS victims, the alcoholics, and the drug addicts.  We tend to marginalize the divorced, the cohabiting, the unemployed single mothers, Gypsies, the homeless, migrant workers, and asylum seekers.  People with AIDS also report that they don’t get touched as much as they used to before they became HIV positive.  Church workers and volunteers tend to steer clear of teenagers.  It’s hard to get people to work among teens.  Their awkward stage of development makes a lot of us uncomfortable.  Their music, their dress, their attitudes and thoughts are viewed as alien. — But all such attitudes are unchristian. They have no place among Jesus’ disciples, as He teaches us today by touching a leper with affection and healing him with compassion. We must open our hearts and minds to those outside the pale of society if we are going to truly follow Jesus. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2)  Covid-19 to leprosy: ostracizing and quarantining people: We are still experiencing the painful isolation of people making an attempt to save the healthy from the sick Covid-19 patients. By December 2020 Covid-19 had sickened 85.5 million people worldwide (although 60 million recovered) causing 1.86 million deaths. Through the centuries, humankind has been beset by a myriad of illnesses, some of which have altered the course of history. For example, in 1348 the so-called Black Death or Bubonic plague first reached Europe from the East. By 1350, more than half the population of the continent had died. Over the next 20 years, the plague reduced the population of the civilized world by 75 percent! In 1918 an epidemic of influenza claimed more than 20,000,000 people worldwide: with more than 548,000 succumbing in the U.S. alone. In the 1940s and 50s, polio swept the world, leaving thousands crippled and maimed in its wake. Nearer to our times, cancers of the lungs, breast, skin, etc., continue to afflict and kill thousands while A.I.D.S. has yet to be completely understood and is far from being controlled. When these and so many other common ailments strike, one of the first reactions is to quarantine the sick so as to protect the healthy. Separated from rest of society, those held in quarantine suffer doubly, first from their illness and its terrors, and then from the isolation. In the ancient world, victims of leprosy knew all too well, this double-dose of suffering.

— Conquered and controlled only in the twentieth century,  Mycobacterium leprae, or Hansen’s disease (named for the scientist who discovered it), was, in effect, a death sentence for those who contracted it. Once it was determined that one had been stricken with sara’at or leprosy, one was legally obliged to keep one’s clothes torn, one’s head bare and to call out the warning, “unclean,” when approached (Lv 13:45). Ostracized from their family and neighbors, lepers were made to dwell outside the village or in a separate house (Lv  13:45; Nm 5:2; 12:15; 2 Chr 26:21). Many made their homes in caves on the outskirts of towns and villages; all were dependent upon the charity of others for the necessities of life. There is little reason to wonder why those who suffered from this dread disease were referred to as “the living dead.” However, the term sara’at encompassed more than Hansen’s disease or leprosy per se. Dermatological disorders of every sort, e.g., psoriasis, eczema, impetigo, acne, boils, ulcers, rashes, and even dandruff and baldness were so labeled. Unlike leprosy, many of these lesser ailments were curable and the law provided a procedure whereby the afflicted could be reinstated in the community after a lengthy process of purification supervised by the Temple clergy. A sampling of the purification process constitutes today’s first reading. (Sanchez Files)

3) “Gentlemen! Gentlemen! I am nothing!” One evening, after a brilliant performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, conductor Arturo Toscanini found himself facing a crowd gone wild. They applauded, whistled, stamped their feet and nearly deafened him with shouts of “Bravo! Bravo!” Toscanini bowed repeatedly and then turned to acknowledge the artistry of the orchestra. With a breathlessness in his hushed voice, he leaned in close and said, “Gentlemen! Gentlemen! I am nothing!” This was an extraordinary admission, given his enormous ego. Then the great conductor added, “Gentlemen, you are nothing.” They had heard that same message countless times during rehearsal. “But Beethoven”, said Toscanini with a tone of adoration in his voice, “Beethoven is everything, everything, everything!” –Centuries before Beethoven and Toscanini, Paul had come to the same realization as regards Jesus. Christ was “everything, everything, everything” for the great apostle to the Gentiles and he, for his part wished to share his experience of and relationship with Christ with everyone he met. In today’s second reading, Paul was trying to convince his Corinthian converts of the supreme importance of Christ in their lives. For Paul, Christ was everything, everything, everything. (Sanchez Files).

4) The Healing Touch: Studies show that babies who are not touched may die. Experts tell us that infants need to be held a lot. They have a basic need for physical warmth. Marcel Gerber was sent by a United Nations committee to study the effects of protein deficiency on Ugandan children. She found, to her surprise, that Uganda’s infants were developmentally the most advanced in the world. It was only after two years of age that the children began to be seriously damaged by such things as tribal taboos and food shortages. Ugandan infants were almost constantly held by their mothers and mother surrogates. They went everywhere with their mothers. The physical contact with the mother and the constant movement seemed to be the factors that propelled these infants to maturity beyond Western standards. Many young parents today understand this principle and make it a practice to massage their infants. That’s a wise practice. — We all have a need to be touched. Studies have shown that touching has physiological benefits–even for adults. One researcher made numerous studies on the effects of the practice many Christians recognize called “laying on of hands.” She discovered that when one person lays hands on another, the hemoglobin levels in the bloodstreams of both people go up, which means that body tissues receive more oxygen, producing more energy and even regenerative power. Jesus could have healed this man with leprosy simply by speaking, but he reached out and touched him, too. He knew that this was exactly what this man needed.

5) Elisha, Jesus, and Princess Diana: The story of Naaman found in the Old Testament (2 Kgs 5:1-27) is an interesting contrast to the healing of the leper in today’s Gospel reading. Naaman, the commander of the army of Syria, had leprosy. He heard there was a prophet in Samaria named Elisha, who had the power of healing. So Naaman went to Samaria, stood outside Elisha’s tent, and asked Elisha to heal him. But Elisha would not touch a leper.  He wouldn’t even come out to be near Naaman the leper. Instead, he sent his servant with the instruction that Naaman was to go and dip himself in the River Jordan seven times to be healed. Elisha would not come near a leper. —  But today’s Gospel tells us, “Jesus, moved with pity, stretched out his hand, and touched him.” Think of the image of Princess Diana, visiting children with AIDS in hospitals around the world. Nothing endeared her more to the whole world than, moved with compassion, she reached out to the forgotten and the suffering of the world. And not only did she touch them, she picked them up, and she held them in her arms. She was royalty, who came to embrace the suffering of the world. We believe that that is what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. He has sent his Son into the world of sin, suffering and misery to save the world.

6)  “Love never fails.”   In the 1850s, there was a leper colony on the Island of Molokai, part of the Hawaiian Islands.  People who were found with leprosy on the main island of Hawaii were put into cages, shipped off to Molokai, and literally dumped into the ocean near the Island.   There were no medicines, no doctors, no shelters, no blankets–nothing but the hot sun during the day and cold wind beating on them at night.  The Catholic Bishop of the Hawaiian Island knew that there were about ten Catholics among the two or three hundred lepers on Molokai.  There was a young priest named Damien de Veuster (now Saint Damien de Veuster, or St. Damien of Molokai), who had been a carpenter before he became a priest.  The Bishop asked Fr. Damien to go to the leper colony and put together a prefabricated chapel that had already been shipped there.  Fr. Damien was instructed to have no contact with the lepers – no anointing, no confessions, and no burial because the Bishop did not have many priests and did not want to lose a zealous young priest. But conquering his fears, Damien became the first non-leper to stay overnight on the island.  He immediately began building shelters for the people.  He constructed the Church and began saying Mass.  He was surprised to find over a hundred people wanting to pray with him, even though only ten of them were Catholics.  He was the first to show Christ’s love to them in deeds rather than mere words. A boat came to pick up Fr. Damien after his thirty-day medical visa expired, but Damien refused to go.  He built a water system, planted over a thousand trees to protect the people from the scorching sun and continued saying Mass for the people.  Lepers of all faiths and no faith went to his Masses.  They said, “He holds our hands when we die.”  — In the end Fr. Damien himself contracted leprosy.  Towards the end of Father Damien’s life, Mother (now Saint) Marianne Cope and a group of Franciscan Sisters joined him on the island and continued his work.  On a little hill in Molokai there is a cross with three words from St. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that sum up what was at the heart of St. Damien’s work.  The words are:  “Love never fails.”

7) “You’re going to miss Mother Teresa.” Here is a story about Michael Wayne Hunter who was put on death row in California in 1983, in San Quentin Prison. After his third year on death row something happened. One day he was getting ready to spend time exercising when the guard said, “You’re going to miss Mother Teresa. She’s coming today to see you guys.” “Yea, sure,” he said, “one more of those designs they have on us.” A little later he heard more commotion about it and thought it might be true, that Mother Teresa [now Saint Teresa of Calcutta] was actually coming to see them. Another guard said, “Don’t go into your cells and lock up. Mother Teresa stayed to see you guys.” So Michael jogged up to the front in gym shorts and a tattered basketball shirt with the arms ripped out, and on the other side of the security screen was this tiny woman who looked 100 years old. Yes, it was Mother Teresa. This hardened prisoner wrote about his experience, he said, “You have to understand that, basically, I’m a dead man. I don’t have to observe any sort of social convention; and as a result, I can break all the rules, say what I want. But one look at this Nobel Prize winner, this woman so many people view as a living saint, and I was speechless.” Michael said an incredible vitality and warmth came from her wizened, piercing eyes. She smiled at him, blessed a religious medal, and put it in his hands. This murderer who wouldn’t have walked voluntarily down the hall to see the Warden, the Governor, the President, or the Pope, stood before this woman, and all he could say was, “Thank you, Mother Teresa.” Now listen to what happens: At one point Mother Teresa turned and pointed her hand at the sergeant, “What you do to these men,” she told him, “you do to God.” — The sergeant almost fainted away in surprise and wonder. He couldn’t believe Mother Teresa had just said that to him.
That day was a turning point in the life of Michael Wayne Hunter. This San Quentin Death Row prisoner was cleansed by that experience. Life changed. Suddenly there was meaning to it. So drastic was the change, a new trial was set and the death penalty was not sought. The verdict was guilty on two counts of first-degree murder but a new sentence was given: Life. Life, without the possibility of parole. Prosecution did not seek the death penalty because Mr. Hunter was now a model prisoner and an award-winning writer. He is one other thing: A testimony that Christ still is willing to heal, still willing to touch the untouchable, and to make us whole. (eSermons.com Sermons, Brett Blair and Staff).

8)  “Visit us and talk to us; we don’t bite.” Michael Kirwan, a long-time member of the Catholic Community Worker Movement in Washington, DC, who was highly respected for his work of feeding and caring for the homeless in that city, once told the story of how he began his work.  “One night I brought down a large gallon plastic jug of split pea soup and set it down on the cement block near the heating vent where the poor and the homeless people gathered.  A rather rough looking fellow picked up the jar of soup by surprise and, in one motion, broke the jar over my head.”  Instead of running away, I asked the man why he had done that.  These were probably the first words I had ever spoken to any of them. He told me that I was doing nothing more than bringing food to the dogs.  I was bringing food, setting it down like I was feeding them out of a pet dish and then just walking away.  He said, “Talk to us.  Visit us.  We don’t bite.” — “From what happened that night,” Michael said, “I realized that these men and women on the street only wanted to be loved and respected and listened to.  They cared that someone cared about them, but just giving food and a blanket was not enough.”  In today’s Gospel, by healing a leper, Jesus gives the same message of reaction against the unjust and inhuman religious and social isolation of lepers in his society.

9) Billie Jean Matay, 52, sued Disneyland. Why?  Did you know that a few years ago a former Mouseketeer, Billie Jean Matay, 52, sued Disneyland? It’s a fascinating story. It seems that Mrs. Matay sued her former employers in the Disney organization after being robbed in the parking lot of Disney’s Anaheim amusement park. She says that she and her three grandchildren were held for hours by security officers. And she was asking damages because her three grandchildren saw some famous Disney characters getting out of their costumes. The children were allegedly traumatized to discover that the Disney characters weren’t real, but simply human beings in disguises. (John Leo, Syndicated columnist, The Speaker’s Digest, Quote, March 1996, p. 53). — Now forget the lawsuit. We don’t even know how it was resolved. Focus instead on the three children. They were forced to come to grips with what they believed about Mickey and Goofy and all the rest of the Disney characters. Our text for today calls us to come to grips about what we really believe about God. A man with leprosy came to Jesus. He knelt in front of the Master and pleaded, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.”

10) “You’ve got the wrong number!” There is a story about a New York City policeman investigating a case. Dialing a  phone number  on Day One of the investigation, he somehow knew before he had even finished that he’d made a mistake. The phone rang once, twice – then someone picked it up. “You’ve got the wrong number!” a husky male voice snapped before the line went dead. Mystified, the policeman hit redial. “I said you got the wrong number!” came the voice. Once more the phone clicked down. “How could he possibly know I had the wrong number?” the policeman asked himself. A cop is trained to be curious and concerned. So he dialed a third time. “Hey, c’mon,” the voice said. “Is this you again?” “Yea, it’s me. I was wondering how you knew I had the wrong number before I even said anything.” “You figure it out!” The phone slammed down. He sat there for a while, the receiver hanging loosely in his fingers. He called the man back. “Did you figure it out yet?” the man asked. “The only thing I can think of is nobody ever calls you.” “You got it!” The phone went dead for the fourth time. Chuckling, the officer dialed the man back. “What do you want now?” asked the man. “I thought I’d call – just to say hello.” “Hello? Why?” “Well, if nobody ever calls you, I thought maybe I should.” — There may be nobody else in this world that is moved with compassion enough to reach out to you. There are lepers all around us who live isolated lives. And sometimes the only one we have to rely on is God Himself,  God Who dials our number and says, “I thought I’d call – just to say hello,” God, Who brings joy to the sorrowful, peace to the troubled and healing to the lepers, God, who embraces the lonely in the shadow of His wings, Who fills the empty, and Who guides those who are without hope.

11) “God heals; the doctor collects the fee.” Professor Henry Mitchell wrote about a time when his wife was recovering from a critical illness. He approached the doctor to thank him for his attentiveness and care for his wife Ella. The doctor’s response amazed him. The doctor said, “First of all, give God the praise. Then thank the people for their fervent prayers. Then, maybe, I come in somewhere on down the line.” Henry Mitchell thought this was unusual modesty, and maybe even undue modesty, to which the doctor replied that he was just being honest. “You see,” he said, “we doctors don’t ever heal anybody. We may be effective in removing obstacles to healing, such as infections, but the actual healing process is not ours to control.”– And that is true. As Mark Twain once said, “God heals; the doctor collects the fee.” We do not understand the ways of God. Why are some people healed and others are not? We don’t know. Truly, only God knows. Today’s Gospel describes how Jesus heals a leper.

12) “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” Rebecca O’Conner is a nurse at New York Presbyterian Hospital. When she saw the horrific images of the Asian tsunami, she knew she had to do something, so she flew to Sri Lanka with eight other medical professionals. They set up a makeshift clinic in a downtown Sri Lankan mosque, treating hundreds of people a day with respiratory problems and foot and leg wounds. Then they discovered there was a hospital less than a mile away. So the obvious question was asked, “Why are people coming to us when there is another large hospital clinic so close?” A Sri Lankan friend was quick to answer, “At the hospital someone asks your name, age, complaint and then you are given a sheet of paper and told to wait somewhere. Here you sit down with the person, listen to their story and try to treat what you can.” — There is an old proverb that is true: “People do not care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Hurting people look for care and compassion.

13) Jesus’ compassion reflects the compassion of God: Some of you are familiar with a man who is called by an unusual name, Boomer Esiason. Esiason is a former outstanding NFL quarterback.  Boomer Esiason and his wife were devastated when, in 1993, they learned that their precious, two-year-old son, Gunnar, had cystic fibrosis, a potentially fatal lung disease.  Even with the best treatments available, most cystic fibrosis sufferers don’t make it past their early thirties.  — Boomer and his wife developed an amazing compassion for children with special needs. They took in many foster children; they also adopted a young boy named Mark. And they started a foundation, which is now the nation’s second largest foundation for Cystic Fibrosis funding. Boomer and his wife, Cheryl, learned to live day by day, and to look for blessings where they could find them.   As Boomer once commented on children with special needs, “They are the most fulfilling children to be around . . . I’ve been around a lot of these kids and every one of them has just been special, like they’re angels, like they’re touched by God.” [Todd Richissin, Fathers & Sons (Philadelphia: Running Press, 2000), pp. 131-132.]

14) American leper colony: In fact, one of the best ways to understand the history of America is to see it as a kind of “leper colony,” or leper continent. For example, at different points in history: The Puritans who fled England to practice their faith were “lepers” to the hard-liners in the Church of England. The Irish immigrants, Catholic, mostly, were the “lepers” to those of English Protestant heritage. The eastern European immigrants were the “lepers” to the western Europeans. And leprosy, as ever, continues to be a “skin disease.” Leprosy lets us single out and be fearful of whatever color skin is different from our own: black skin, white skin, brown skin, yellow skin, red skin. Since 9/11 it has been too easy to put the leper label on all Muslims. And it was the leper label that terrorists put on America which made it possible for 9/11 to happen. — Within each of us are the germs – our own weaknesses, our pet hatreds, our obsessions, our fears, our desires, our diagnoses – of our own form of “leprosy”: that prejudice which rises from our fear of our true selves, and by which we project onto others what we most fear or dislike in ourselves. We can’t forgive others what we can’t forgive in ourselves. What “leprosy” does God want to cure you of this morning? What part of yourself are you afraid of? What part of you are you hiding from?

15) Accept illness and give God a chance to heal as the leper did: Byron Janis was a world-class pianist. For the last years of his career he was fighting arthritis. With the kind of cruel irony that life sometimes imposes upon us, the arthritis settled in his hands. For years he continued to play with arthritis, keeping his disease a secret. But after a while he couldn’t hide it. During that period he practiced five or six hours a day to keep his hands limber. Finally they became so swollen and sore that he had to quit. He retreated into his apartment in New York, and retreated into depression. He thought that his life was over. Probably out of that despair, he stopped taking his medicine, then discovered that he was feeling more alert and sensitive to what was going on around him. He felt better. Then began a transformation in his life. First of all,  he came to terms with his condition. He said — for the first time he could say — “OK, I’ve got arthritis. I can accept the physical deterioration, but life is more than this.” Then he began to consider the things that he could do now with his life. He said, “I could paint, I could write, I could compose, I could conduct.” He wrote, “I can’t control the fact that I have arthritis, but I can control the way I cope with it.” He tried out everything to improve his condition: chiropractors, acupuncture, hypnosis, meditation, diet — the whole carnival of cures. He tried them all. Nothing worked. That is to say, he wasn’t cured, though he got some better. — “What helped me,” he said, “is something that surprised me. I can’t explain it. But I developed a personal relationship with God. I think prayer is important. I think the belief in God is healing.” This story in Mark is told to encourage you in that belief. “Lord if you will, you can make me clean.” Byron Janis, incidentally, did get better. In fact, he played a benefit concert at the White House for the Arthritis Foundation. At that concert he made the first public announcement that he had arthritis. He said, “I still have arthritis, but it doesn’t have me.”

16) Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life.‘ A touching story has been circulating on the Internet. It’s about a little five-year-old boy named Timmy. Timmy’s Mom loved him very much and, being a worrier, she was concerned about him walking to school when he started kindergarten. She walked him to school the first couple of days, but when he came home one day, he told his mother that he did not want her walking him to school every day. He wanted to be like the “big boys.” He protested loudly, so she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor, Mrs. Goodnest, if she would surreptitiously follow her son to school, at a distance behind him that he would not likely notice, but close enough to keep a watch on him. Mrs. Goodnest said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed. The next school day, Mrs. Goodnest and her little girl, Marcy, set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor boy he knew. She did this for the whole week. As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, the little friend of Timmy noticed that this same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally, he said to Timmy, “Have you noticed that lady following us all week? Do you know her?” Timmy nonchalantly replied, “Yea, I know who she is.” The little friend said, “Well who is she?” “That’s just Shirley Goodnest” Timmy said. “Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us?” “Well,” Timmy explained, “every night my Mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers ‘cuz she worries about me so much. And in it, the psalm says, “Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life.’ So I guess I’ll just have to get used to it.” (http://monday-fodder.com/ ) — As a pun, that is pretty bad: “Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life.” But it’s not that bad as theology. God is with us . . . all the days of our lives. And God is able, writes St. Paul, “to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Eph 3:20). The problem is not with God. Something in our modern world has robbed US of a sense of both God’s presence and God’s power. A man with leprosy came to Jesus because he knew that Jesus was able to cure him. Can you say that–that Christ is able to help you with any problem you have today?

17) Is God’s power limited? Rabbi Harold Kushner wrote a best-selling book, When Bad Things Happen to Good People. He wrote this book after watching his young son, Aaron, suffer from one of the most heart-wrenching conditions which a human being can confront. The boy had progeria, a disease in which the aging process is bizarrely speeded up. Kushner was told that Aaron would never have any hair or grow over three feet tall. At six years of age, he would have the skin and bone structure of an old man. Harold Kushner watched his son shrivel up, grow weak, and finally die, all before his fifteenth birthday. Can you imagine anything more horrible?  In his book, Kushner said he grew to accept God’s love, but question God’s power. We believe God loves us, yet we still hurt; so the only possible alternative is that God’s power is limited. –This side of Heaven, we will never know the answer to why, but we can know the loving care of our Heavenly Father. Rev. Richard Exley says we can do one of two things with our suffering: we can make it into a shrine or we can turn it into a sacrifice of praise (Hebrews 13:15).  When we allow our heartaches to control our lives or harden our hearts, then we are making a shrine to our suffering.  But when we turn our heartaches over to God and continue to trust Him, we are turning our heartache into a sacrifice of praise. [Richard Exley.  Strength for the Storm (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999), p. 18.] 

18) Come to school to discuss Emily’s problems: In Tillie Olsen’s moving story “I Stand Here Ironing,” she pictures an anxious and impoverished mother standing at the ironing board and thinking about her troubled nineteen-year-old daughter, Emily. A note has come from the school asking her to come in to discuss Emily’s problems, and this starts her mother remembering Emily’s childhood. Emily was a beautiful baby, a miracle, remembers her mother, but when she was eight months old her father abandoned the family, and Emily had to be left during the day with a woman downstairs “to whom she was no miracle at all.” Then, as economic hardship increased, Emily was left in the kind of nursery school which is only a “parking place” for children. Her mother did not know then the pain that was in that place for Emily, but, as she irons and reflects, she admits that knowledge could not have made a difference. She had to hold a job, and the nursery school was the only place for Emily. Emily was a thin girl, and she was dark and foreign looking in a time when little girls were supposed to be blond and plump and cute. She was a “slow learner” in a world where quickness and glibness are valued. She was a child, not of proud love, but anxious love. And now, a note has come from school, but Emily’s mother knows that too much has happened to Emily for there to be any real help for her at the school. As she moves the iron back and forth across the ironing board, thinking of the isolation and poverty and rejection which have been Emily’s inheritance, she cries to herself, and to whatever power of mercy there may be beyond herself. — Emily is a modern-day leper, one about whom her culture has sadly shaken its head and said, “I’m sorry. The die has been cast. The scars are too deep. Nothing can be done.” And yet, in her mother’s desperate cry there is a hope beyond all hoping, an appeal to the last resort of grace. “Help her to know,” she prays, “that she is more than this dress on the ironing board, helpless …”[Tillie Olsen, “I Stand Here Ironing” in Tell Me A Riddle (New York: Dell Books, 1971), pp. 20-21.] “If you will,” said the leper to Jesus, “you can heal me.” And Jesus was moved with strong compassion.

19) Handicap no barrier: Henri Vicardi was born in 1912 in New York City to immigrant parents. He was born without normal legs. He spent most of his early life in a hospital. He did not receive his artificial legs till he was twenty-seven. — But what a life he has lived! He has become one of the most respected figures in the fields of rehabilitation and education. He has devoted his life to ensuring that severely disabled individuals might have all the opportunities to achieve their fullest potential as human beings. In 1952 he founded the internationally famed Human Resources Centre in Elberton, Long Island. Henri has been an advisor to every president from Roosevelt to Reagan. Once an interviewer asked him, “Henri where did you get such a positive attitude towards life?” His answer was a classic. He said, “When the turn came for another crippled boy or girl to be sent to the world, God consulted his council of Ministers and they suggested that they could be sent to Vicardi family.” (Francis Xavier in The World’s Best Inspiring Stories; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

20) Remembering outstanding lives: I was one of 85,000 people who gathered in a football stadium in Brussels, to celebrate the centenary of Blessed (now Saint) Damien the leper-priest. He had lived for sixteen years in a remote corner of one of the remotest islands in the Pacific. He worked with lepers and, like Jesus in today’s Gospel, word spread about him far and near. He was written about in newspapers from England to Australia. The day of our gathering was a national holiday in Belgium. The king and queen attended. The whole country was en fete. And all for one man who spent sixteen years working at the back of beyond, but working in Jesus’ name, and doing his work. I couldn’t help but remember at that time that it coincided with the centenary of the birth of Adolf Hitler; and I didn’t hear of any celebrations.

(Jack McArdle in And That’s the Gospel Truth; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 21) The Plight of the Untouchables in India: Untouchable, a novel written by Mulk Raj Anand gives a touching account of the plight of the untouchables in India. The story is narrated by Bakha who is a hard-working boy who never disobeys his father despite his father’s repugnance for him and his lifestyle. Bakha endures one of the most humiliating and depressing days of his young life in this story. From sunrise on he is forced to deal with discrimination, hatred and hypocrisy. He is woken this early morning by his father’s shouts. The first chore of the day is to clean the latrines before the rest of the community gets up to use them. When Bakha sleeps in he is chided by a local man who wants to use the toilet, “Why aren’t the latrines clean, you rogue of a Bakha! More humiliation is in store for Bakha before his day is out. His curiosity takes him to a local temple, where he climbs the steps to get a glimpse of the wonders inside. Untouchables are not allowed to see the inside of the temple for purity reasons. While Bakha was peering through the window he was interrupted by the priest shouting, “Polluted! Polluted! “. Soon a crowd had gathered and they all berated Bakha saying they would need to perform a purification ceremony. Bakha ran down to the courtyard where his sister was waiting. — The story goes on to show even more examples of the harsh treatment of untouchables. This book exposes the hardships that the untouchables have to face. Nothing in their lives is made easy. All three readings of today contain the Christian teaching on the need for social acceptance even (especially?) when people are different from us.

22) Made whole again: In 1981 Peter Cropper, the British violinist, was invited to Finland to play a special concert. As a personal favour to Peter, the Royal Academy lent him their priceless 258-year-old Stradivarius for use in the concert. This rare instrument takes its name from the Italian violin maker, Antonio Stradivari. It is made of 80 pieces of special wood and covered with 30 coats of special varnish. Its beautiful sound has never been duplicated. When Peter Cropper got to Finland, an incredible nightmare took place. Going on stage, Peter tripped and fell. The violin broke into several pieces. Peter flew back to London in a state of shock. A master craftsman named Charles Beare agreed to try to repair the violin. He worked endless hours on it. Finally, he got it back together again. Then, came the dreaded moment of truth – What would the violin sound like? Beare handed the violin to Peter Cropper. Peter’s heart was pounding inside him as he picked up the bow and began to play. Those present could hardly believe their ears. Not only was the violin’s sound excellent, but it actually seemed better than before. In the months ahead Peter took the violin on a worldwide tour. Night after night the violin, everyone thought was ruined forever, drew standing ovations from concert audiences. — The violin story is a beautiful illustration of what happened to the leper in today’s Gospel. Through the touch of Jesus, he was made whole again. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 23) “He touched me, and so I decided to stay.” Some years ago, a man collapsed on a busy corner in downtown Brooklyn. Within minutes an ambulance rushed him to the nearest General Hospital. From time to time, he would regain consciousness and would keep calling for his son. In his wallet, the attending nurse found an old letter, which indicated that he had a son, who was a marine stationed in North Carolina. So she called and asked him to come over immediately. As soon as he arrived, the nurse took him to the man’s bedside and whispered, “Your son is here! Your son is here!” The old man opened his eyes, and even though he could not recognize the face, he noticed the marine uniform. Reaching out compassionately the young marine took the old man’s hand and held it lovingly. Sometime later the nurse urged him to go out and have something to eat and drink. But the marine declined, only asking for a chair, so he could sit by the old man’s bedside and keep holding his hand. Sometime before dawn the patient died. Stepping up to the marine, the nurse extended her sympathy. “Nurse” he stammered, “who is this man?” The nurse could not believe her ears. “Why?” she replied hesitantly, “I thought he was your father.” “Quite honestly, nurse, my father died some time ago. I have never seen this man before in my life.” “Then why did you not say something earlier?” asked the nurse. “I would have” answered the marine, “but I could see that he was too sick to realize that I wasn’t his son. I could also see that he was slipping fast and that he needed the comfort of his son. And so I decided to stay.”  — Compassion is indeed a virtue that makes the love and concern of God a tangible reality for another human being in distress. That is what Jesus showed to the leper in today’s Gospel. (Anonymous; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 24) God’s Power and you: In this book,  The Spirit of Synergy: God’s Power and You, Methodist minister Robert Keck tells how he was racked with pain and confined to a wheelchair by the age of forty. In search of a non-chemical way to manage his pain, Keck explored Christian faith healing, psychic healing, acupuncture, biofeedback and medical hypnosis. Quite suddenly, 80% of his pain disappeared and has not returned. Keck believes that his healing happened when all his research formed a momentary gestalt – that is, a unified peak experience. This was his discovery of synergy, a way of using all the resources of body, mind and spirit for healing and pursuing wholeness. — In his holistic approach to health, Robert Keck uses meditative prayer to tap the resources of altered states of consciousness where God’s activity frequently takes place. Keck’s contention is that if God can speak to us through dreams, why not let him heal us through meditative prayer if he so wills? (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

 25) The Samaritans: Chad Varah was an Anglican priest. In 1953 he buried a girl who had killed herself. The coroner, at her inquest, suggested that she might not have done this desperate act if someone had been around who would have listened to her troubles. Chad Varah decided to use his London church and a telephone to listen to people who were in despair. He put a small advertisement in the local paper, and during the first week he had 27 calls. Soon he was listening and advising people 12 hours a day. There were so many people waiting in his outer office to see him that he asked some of his congregation to come and provide cups of tea for them. Then he found that often people who had come into his outer office in great distress had become different people by the time they reached him, and some did not even wait to see him because one of the helpers had befriended them. So, he decided to train a group of his congregation so that they could become more helpful in the way they befriended the clients. — That is how the Samaritans were formed. (Gerard Fuller in Stories for All Seasons; quoted by Fr. Botelho).

26) Do all for the glory of God: A feature story in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle of September 18, 1981 revealed a sad personal tragedy. Mrs. Cynthia Fitzpatrick, aged 116, was about to be evicted because of over $1000 of unpaid taxes. It was not that the Rochester finance department officers were intentionally cruel. They were simply enforcing the local law, a law which made no exceptions for centenarians. An alerted public rallied to the cause. A black leader paid the tax installment immediately due; and Cynthia’s minister set up a special fund to help Rochester’s oldest citizen and the 56-year-old granddaughter who lived with her. Mrs. Fitzpatrick’s response was one of deep faith: “It’s what the Master said: Take care of the widows and orphaned children. I can say people have played their part by me.” — I would have expected her to comment thus. I had first encountered this deeply spiritual black woman in 1976. When the floating New York State museum called the “Bicentennial Barge” docked at Rochester on September 4, a Lutheran minister and I were invited to say a brief prayer at the local opening. The ribbon-cutting was reserved for a black senior citizen whom I had never met. “That’s Cynthia Fitzpatrick,” a bystander whispered to me. “She was born in 1864 in Mississippi of slave stock.” Cynthia wore a long, attractive dress and a picture hat. She was a woman of smiling countenance and great dignity. When her moment came, she approached the gangplank, her arm linked with that of a friend. The crowd was silent as she took the scissors. Her speech was brief, but she said all that was needed to transform a patriotic event into a spiritual moment. “In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, I cut this ribbon.”…Whatever you do, you should do all for the glory of God. (1 Cor. 10:31. Today’s second reading.) (Father Robert F. McNamara). L/24

“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B, no. 15 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