Dec 11-16: Dec 11 Monday:St. Damasus I,For a short biography click onhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-damasus-i : Luke 5:17-26: 17 On one of those days, as he was teaching, there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 And behold, men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; 19 but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. 20 ……. 26 .. (Cfr. Mt 9: 1-8)

The context: Beyond showing Divine authority over temptation, over the lives of men, over nature, over demons, and over sickness, in today’s Gospel we see Jesus demonstrating a new form of Divine authority – the authority to forgive sins: Jesus offers the miraculous restoration of a paralyzed man to health as proof. The healing episode presents Jesus as God Incarnate, sent to save us, restore us, and make us new. So we have to look beyond the boundaries of our religious experience if we are to appreciate the healing and forgiving operation of our God in newer and newer ways.

Many kinds of sickness were seen by the Jews as punishment for one’s personal sin or the sins of one’s parents. This man’s paralysis was also seen by the people around him as a punishment for some sin in his own life or in the lives of his parents. It was a common belief that no sickness could be cured until sin was forgiven. For that reason, Jesus had first to convince the paralyzed man that his sins had been forgiven. Once Jesus granted the paralytic the forgiveness of God, the man knew that God was no longer his enemy, and he was able to receive the cure which followed. It was the manner of the cure which scandalized the Scribes. By forgiving sin, they thought Jesus had blasphemed, claiming to be God, because forgiving sin is the exclusive prerogative of God. In addition to showing Jesus’ own direct connection to God, this healing demonstrates the fact that we can never be right physically until we are right spiritually, that health in body and peace with God go hand in hand.

Life messages: 1) We need God’s forgiveness to live wholesome lives. The heart of the Christian Faith is the “forgiveness of sins.” In the Creed we say, “I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” While we have the power to forgive others, we need to be forgiven ourselves by the One who has the authority to forgive. In Jesus we see this authority, the same authority He gave to his Apostles and so to his Church. 2) Today’s Gospel gives us an invitation to open ourselves to God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and to hear, in the priest’s spoken words of absolution, the Voice of Jesus speaking to the paralytic: “Your sins are forgiven.” 3) The Gospel also instructs us to forgive others their sins against us and to ask God’s forgiveness for our daily sins every day of our lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Dec 12 Tuesday:USA: Our Lady of Guadalupe: Lk 1: 39-47: 39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

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

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

Anecdote: About sixteen years ago a priest (Fr. Phil Bloom) received a very unusual request: A young woman asked him if he would help her get rid of her unborn child. The priest was obviously surprised, but he tried not to react negatively. “Why do you want to end your pregnancy?” he asked. She replied that when she told her boyfriend, he said he was going to leave her. She loved him and desperately wanted him back. The priest resisted the temptation to say, “your boyfriend is a rat.” Instead he asked her to do three things: First, to allow the priest to pray with her and bless the baby. Second, to see a medical professional that he knew. And, third, to watch a short video. The video showed the development of the human embryo. After she left, the priest thought about the young woman and wondered what she would do. In his room he had a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He noticed the black ribbon below her folded hands and he remembered that the ribbon signified pregnancy. The child within her, of course, is Jesus. The priest asked Our Lady to help that young woman. A month or so passed. The priest heard a knock on his office door. When he opened the door, he saw a shy, smiling face. It was the young woman. she told the priest she had decided to keep her baby. A year later he saw her again. She was holding a lovely baby girl. After some conversation, the priest asked her, “Would you give up your baby for anything?” “No,” she said, “she is my treasure.” The girl is now a teenager. She lives with her mom and grandmother. In their home they have a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe that the priest gave to mom.* (http://www.homilies.net/e/E-10-12-12.asp) L/23

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

Dec 12 Tuesday:Our Lady of Guadalupe:For a short account, click here: Luke 1:26-38 or Luke 1:39-47: Gospel reflections: 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 And Mary said to the angel, “How shall this be, since I have no husband?” 35 And the angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God. 36 And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For with God nothing will be impossible.”38 ….

The context: Today’s Gospel describes the story of the Annunciation, explaining how God began to keep the promise He had made to King David through the prophet Nathan, that David’s descendant would rule over the world as its Messiah. The Archangel Gabriel’s salutation to Mary: “Hail, full of grace,” reminds us of God’s words to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3:12), and the angel’s salutation to Gideon, (Jgs 6:12). Mary is described as “full of grace,” filled with God’s favor and graciousness. She is to be the new Ark, a tent and temple. God will be in her, literally and physically, and thus she will be the greater House God promised to David. Mary’s believing question, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” is natural. That is why Gabriel reminds Mary, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” God will “empower” her (“the Spirit will come upon you“) and “protect” her (“overshadow you“). Luke’s narrative points out that the Child will not only be a distant grandson of David — He will be God’s own Son. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His ancestor David.”Mary does not require confirmation but responds in Faith. She agrees to carry out the Word Gabriel has addressed to her.

Life messages: 1) We need to be humble instruments in the hand of God, trusting in His power and goodness. St. Augustine reminds us that God Who created us without our permission cannot save us without our active cooperation. Hence, let us cooperate in the fulfillment of God’s plan for us with Mary’s trusting Faith and humility. 2) Like Mary, who brought God to us as Jesus our Savior, it is our duty to carry Jesus everywhere and bring Jesus to the lives of others around us through love, mercy, forgiveness, and service. “Let the soul of Mary be in each one of you to magnify the Lord. Let the spirit of Mary be in each one to exult in Christ.” (St. Ambrose). 3) We should treasure these words of the Gospel and use them often, for example, by practicing the Christian custom of saying the Angelus every day and reflecting on the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary. (Navarre Bible Commentary). (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Dec 13 Wednesday: St. Lucy For a short biography click onhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-lucy:: Mt 11:28-30: 28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to be freed from unnecessary burdens: Jesus is interested in lifting from our backs the burdens that drain us and suck the life out of us, so that he can place around our necks his own yoke and his burden which bring to us, and to others through us, new life, new energy, and new joy. 2) We need to unload our burdens before the Lord. One of the functions of worship for many of us is that it gives us a time for rest and refreshment, when we let the overheated radiators of our hectic lives cool down before the Lord. This is especially true when we unload the burdens of our sins and worries and evil addictions on the altar and offer them to God during the Holy Mass. (Fr. Kadavil) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Dec 14 Thursday: St. John of the Cross For a short biography click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-john-of-the-cross : Matthew 11:11-15: Jesus said to the crowds: 11 Amen I say to you among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and men of violence take it by force. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; 14 and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come.15 He who has ears to hear, let him hear.

The context: John the Baptizer preached the coming of a fiery Messiah. But what he heard about Jesus from prison was that Jesus was a loving, merciful, and forgiving preacher who befriended tax collectors and sinners. Hence, John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to learn whether Jesus was, or was not, the expected Messiah. After sending them back to John to report the actions by which He was fulfilling the Messianic prophecies, Jesus gave the highest compliments to John in today’s Gospel.

Jesus praised John first as a prophet and second as the expected Elijah. As a prophet, John had God-given wisdom in his mind, God’s truth on his lips, and God-given courage in his heart. He had been heralding the Messiah with the courage of his prophetic convictions. John had lived like the Prophet Elijah who was expected to come just before the Messiah. He had spoken with the same prophetic authority and had corrected the self-righteous, attracting Jewish followers by the hundreds to receive the baptism of repentance. Jesus, however, stressed the fact that His own followers were greater than John because, while John knew only God’s judgment and punishment, we know God’s love, forgiveness and the salvation, given through Jesus. But Jesus warned his followers that they would be persecuted for their trust in God’s Kingdom, and that they would have to use force on their selfish and evil tendencies to reach God’s Kingdom.

Life message: We need to have the courage of our Christian convictions to profess in public what we believe and to practice what the Church teaches. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Dec 15 Friday: Matthew 11:16-19:16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places and calling to their playmates, 17 `We piped to you, and you did not dance; we wailed, and you did not mourn.’ 18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, `He has a demon’; 19 the Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Behold, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet wisdom is justified by her deeds.” (Cfr. Luke 7: 31-35).

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

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

Life messages: 1) Jesus’ parable about disappointed playmates challenges us to examine ourselves to see if we are “buffet” Catholics with selective hearing, so that we hear only what we want to hear and choose only those practices and laws which appeal to us. Jesus’ message of the kingdom of God is Good News and it produces true joy and spiritual freedom for those who will listen, but it is also a warning for those who refuse to listen and close their minds.

2) Hearing the Gospel implies the total acceptance and assimilation of what we hear and the incorporation of it into our daily lives. Like the generation of Jesus’ time, our age is marked by indifference and contempt, especially in regard to the things of Heaven. Indifference dulls our ears to God’s voice and to the Good News of the Gospel. Only the humble of heart can find joy and favor in God’s grace. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Dec 16 Saturday: Matthew 17:9-13: 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead.” 10 And the disciples asked him, “Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” 11 He replied, “Elijah does come, and he is to restore all things; 12 but I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not know him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of man will suffer at their hands.” 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.

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

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

Life message:1) Let us accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, Who became our Messiah by dying for us on the crossWe do so by cooperating with our Savior in our eternal salvation, by obeying Jesus’ commandment of love, and by following the instructions given by the Church Jesus founded and transforming our suffering to redemptive suffering.. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Advent II [B] (Dec 10th) (Eight-minute homily in one page) L/23

Introduction: Homecoming is the central theme of the Scripture readings for the Second Sunday of Advent. All three readings focus on the absolute necessity of our getting ready for Christ’s “Homecoming” into our hearts and lives by true repentance, reparation, prayer and the renewal of our lives. They also remind us that the past coming of Jesus, some 2000 years ago, the present daily coming of Jesus into our lives through the Eucharistic celebration, through the Scriptures and through the praying community, and his future coming (the Second Coming) are actually the fulfillment of God’s saving plan for us all, from all eternity.

Scripture lessons: The first reading, taken from the prophet Isaiah, tells us about the Babylonian exiles coming home to their native country, Judah, and their holy city, Jerusalem. Isaiah assures his people that the Lord will lead them in a grand procession to their homeland and take care of them as a shepherd cares for his sheep. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 85) describes how shalom or perfect peace is coming home with the Lord’s coming. The second reading, taken from the second letter of St. Peter, invites us to get ready to go home to Heaven with Jesus at his Second Coming. Peter tells those who doubt the Second Coming of Jesus that God’s way of counting time is different from ours and that God has His own reasons for delaying the Second Coming of Christ. The Gospel tells us through John the Baptist how we should prepare to receive Jesus our Savior’s “coming home” into our lives during the Advent season by repentance and the renewal of life. John preached that the appropriate behavior for those preparing “the way of the Lord” was to be baptized “as they confessed their sins.” He wanted the Jews to prepare their lives for the Messiah by filling in the valleys of prejudice, leveling the mountains of pride and straightening out their crooked paths of injustice and immorality. John recommended a baptism of repentance in the river Jordan to the Jews who were familiar with ritual and symbolic washings. The most amazing thing about John’s baptism was that, as a Jew, he was asking fellow-Jews to submit to the baptism of repentance which only a Gentile was obliged to undergo.

Life messages: 1) We need to prepare for the rebirth of Jesus: We are invited by the Church to prepare for Christmas by repenting of our sins and renewing our lives so that Jesus may be reborn in us. Let us remember with the German mystic Angelus Silesius “Christ could be born a thousand times in Bethlehem – but all in vain until He is born in me.”( https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Angelus_Silesius). 2) We need to allow Jesus to be reborn in our lives. People around us should recognize Jesus’ rebirth in our lives by our sharing love, unconditional forgiveness, compassionate and merciful heart, and spirit of humble and committed service. 3) Let us accept the challenge of John the Baptist to turn this Advent season into a real spiritual “homecoming” by making the necessary preparations for the fresh arrival of our Lord and Savior Jesus into our hearts and lives arrival of our Lord and Savior Jesus into our hearts and lives.

ADVENT II [B] Dec 10th: Is 40:1-5, 9-11; 2 Pt 3:8-14; Mk 1:1-8

Homily starter anecdotes:1) Trailblazing successors of John the Baptists: “In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue.” Columbus was a trailblazer who dared to believe that it was possible to reach the East Indies by sailing west across a vast uncharted ocean. Yet, even with the odds stacked against him, Columbus sailed with his flotilla of three ships. His eventual discovery of the New World blazed a path that many have followed. About eighty years later Nicholas Copernicus, a Polish priest and amateur astronomer, initiated another revolution. His observations of the heavens convinced him that the theory of Ptolemy (ca. 150 BC, an Egyptian mathematician and astronomer), that the earth was the center of the universe, was wrong and that the sun was the center of the solar system with the earth one of many heavenly bodies which rotated around it. This heliocentric theory was not supported by Church as it was not the description in the Bible.  Thus, Copernicus was forced to wait until the year of his death to publish his work. In 1803, Meriwether Lewis and William Clark set out on an expedition that led to the opening of the West in the United States.  Lewis and Clark, in their famous three-year journey by boat and on foot, blazed a trail for countless pioneers who later went west in search of land, fortune, and fame. Christiaan Barnard, a South African physician and surgeon, had conducted many experiments with human hearts, especially the replacement of valves. But on December 3, 1967, he performed the first heart transplant. The patient lived only eighteen days, but it was a start. His second transplant patient survived over a year and a half. Barnard was the trailblazer for modern heart surgery. Today the transplantation of a human heart is so commonplace that when it happens it receives not one word in the local paper or on the evening news. Columbus, Copernicus, Lewis and Clark, and Christiaan Barnard were all trailblazers. They had the courage to prepare a path that others could follow, a route that in each case brought the world to a better and more advanced state. — On this Second Sunday of Advent we hear John the Baptist, in our Gospel Reading, blazing a special path, as he prepared the way of the Lord. We are asked to do the same for our brothers and sisters. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 2) John the Baptist, the Pony Express of the past: The Pony Express was founded by William H. Russell, William B. Waddell, and Alexander Majors. Plans for the Pony Express were spurred by the threat of the Civil War and the need for faster communication with the West. The Pony Express consisted of relays of men riding horses carrying saddlebags of mail across a 2000-mile trail. The service opened officially on April 3, 1860, when riders left simultaneously from St. Joseph, Missouri, and Sacramento, California through Nebraska, Wyoming, Utah and Nevada.  The first westbound trip was made in 9 days and 23 hours and the eastbound journey in 11 days and 12 hours. The Express Riders covered 250 miles in a 24-hour day. Their salary was $100 to $150 a month, high wages in those days.  Eventually, the Pony Express had more than 100 stations, 80 riders, and between 400 and 500 horses. The express route was extremely hazardous, because the riders had to fight Indians and bandits using their two revolvers and knife.  But only one mail delivery was ever lost. The service lasted only 19 months until October 24, 1861, when the completion of the Pacific Telegraph line ended the need for its existence although California relied upon news from the Pony Express during the early days of the Civil War.  However, the romantic drama surrounding the Pony Express has made it a part of the legend of the American West. — Today’s Gospel reminds us of those brave, fearless and young Express Riders with the Lord’s words. “I am sending my messenger…to prepare the way of the Lord.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) A Tale of Repentance.   Not too many years ago, newspapers carried the story of Al Johnson, a Kansas man who repented of his sins and chose Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior. What made his story so remarkable was the fact that, as a result of his newfound Faith in Christ, he confessed to a bank robbery he had participated in when he was nineteen years old. Because of the statute of limitations, Johnson could not be prosecuted for the offense. But because of his complete and total change of heart, he not only confessed his crime but voluntarily repaid his share of the stolen money! — That’s repentance – metanoia — the radical change of heart demanded by John the Baptist in today’s Gospel. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

Introduction: Today’s readings remind us that the past, present, and future comings of Jesus into the world are the fulfillment of the saving plan of God. Today’s Scripture readings deal with coming home – Babylonian exiles coming home, the shalom or perfect peace coming home, our going home with Jesus at his Second Coming, and Jesus, the Savior, “coming home” into our lives during Advent.  All three readings focus on the absolute necessity of our readying ourselves by repentance and reparation for Christ’s coming. In the first reading, Isaiah assures his people that the Lord will restore their homeland to them and care for them as a shepherd cares for the sheep. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 85) also speaks of the return of shalom (perfect peace), and pardon to the people.   The second reading gives an answer to those who scoff at the expectation of the Second Coming of Christ, explaining that God’s way of reckoning time is different from ours and that God has His own reasons for delaying Christ’s second coming. Peter gives us the assurance that Jesus is sure to come again although we do not know when.   Hence, while we wait, we should be leading lives of holiness and godliness. Finally, the Gospel tells us that the restoration of the fallen world has already begun, starting with the arrival of John the Baptist, the messenger and forerunner of the Messiah. John speaks of one, more powerful than he – Jesus Christ – who will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Each of us has received the gift of the Holy Spirit in Baptism, and now we live in the Spirit each day, waiting for the return of our Lord. Thus, we become John the Baptist’s successors, preparing for Christ’s return which will bring a new and perfect world.

The first reading: Is 40:1-5, 9-11 explained: Isaiah consoles the Jews in exile in Babylon, giving them Yahweh’s assurance that their 60 years of Babylonian captivity will end soon and that they will be going home as free people. He assures them that they will be brought back to Israel by the power of God. Isaiah is not shy about saying that the Exile was a punishment for sin. But Israel’s sins are forgiven now, and the exile is over. Isaiah wants the people to consider their return journey as their second Exodus, with Yahweh once more their loving Father and faithful Shepherd. He describes God’s marvelous love for the undeserving.  If Yahweh is now their Redeemer rather than their punisher, then their relationship with Yahweh also has to change.   Isaiah instructs the exiles that they are to return home in a   grand religious procession, with God leading them. To pave the way for this procession, valleys and mountains are to be leveled, and a highway is to be created in the wilderness. God will lead them to Judah and, within Judah, to the city of Jerusalem and, within Jerusalem, to Zion, the hill where their Temple had stood. Seeing the procession in his mind, the prophet exclaims with joy, “Here comes your God with power!” Then he presents the tender picture of God leading the exiles as a shepherd  cradles lambs.

Isaiah originally spoke these words in the 6th century BC.  On one level they were fulfilled when Persia conquered Babylon, and those who had been exiled from Judah to Babylon were allowed to return home.  God first accomplished the salvation proclaimed by Isaiah by leading the exiles back from Babylon.  However, on a deeper level this word foretold the coming of Jesus.  The words of Isaiah about the “voice of one crying out in the desert: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths,’” were a prediction of John the Baptist.  He was calling upon people to prepare for the coming of the Lord.  And the Lord was Jesus who brought about true liberation from the bondage of sin for all mankind.  It is because of this deeper meaning of the prophet’s words that this reading has been chosen for Advent.

Second Reading, 2 Peter 3:8-14 explained: Traditionally attributed to Simon Peter, this letter was probably written c. 50 or 60 years after the apostles death (ca. 110-120 C.E.) (“The Second Epistle of Peter”, The New Jerome Biblical Commentary). Taken from the second letter of Peter, this reading makes it clear that the salvation promised by Isaiah was not completely accomplished even by the first coming of Jesus.  It is only when Jesus comes again at the end of time that Isaiah’s words will be entirely fulfilled. Hence, Peter warns against false teachers who have given up any expectation of   Christ’s return because of its long delay. As the years rolled by, non-Christians began ridiculing those Christians who still expected Christ’s second coming. A few Christians, in fact, began to believe that it would never happen. They laughed at what they thought was error and delusion.  So, Peter reminds them that even though the Second Coming seems to be delayed, Christ will indeed come as promised.   Peter also reminds them that God doesn’t reckon time the way we do since, to Him “one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day” (Psalm 90). In other words, the risen Lord is eternal and infinite and so is not restricted or measured by time in fulfilling promises. Besides, God “is patient” with us, giving us more time to repent of our sins and renew our lives. The longer we are allowed to wait for Christ’s Second coming the more people will have an opportunity to be converted and take part in God’s glory. So, Peter assures his people that Christ’s promise will be fulfilled. That is why we say in the Nicene Creed, “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and His Kingdom will have no end.” We, then, are expected to wait, leading lives of holiness and godliness. We should be holy in conduct and devotion, being “eager to be found without spot or blemish before him, at peace.” 

Gospel Exegesis:  The context:  While Matthew and Luke start their Gospels by giving us a brief account of the conception, birth, and early boyhood of Christ and John begins his Gospel by pointing to the eternal life of Christ as the Word of the Father, Mark opens his Gospel with the preparation for Christ’s public life, in which the chief actor is John the Baptist. This wilderness prophet proclaims the “here-ness” of an event and person every Jew has been anticipating. “One more powerful than I,” John announces, “is to come after me….I have baptized you in water; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.”   The essence of the Baptizer’s message is “repent and return to the ways of the Lord.”  John preaches that the appropriate behavior for those preparing “the way of the Lord” is to be baptized “as they confess their sins.”

Malachi’s view of the mission of the Messiah: “I send my messenger before you and he will prepare your road for you” Mark cites Isaiah as his source for the whole of the quotation with which his Gospel opens. This first sentence appeared originally in the prophecy of Malachi (Malachi 3:1). In its original context, it was a threat and warning from God to the Temple priests.  In those days, the priests were living lazy lives and were failing in their duty by offering the blemished and the second-best as sacrifices to Yahweh. Hence, the messenger was to cleanse and purify the worship of the Temple before the Anointed One of God emerged upon the earth. Coupled with Isaiah’s “voice crying in the wilderness,” however, the prophecy becomes an invitation to all Israel to prepare for the coming of the Messiah whom John would announce. So,  Malachi anticipates the mission of John the Baptist as one of purification.  John gives the Jews some down-to-earth advice on changing their lives for the better. He wants them (and us as well), to fill in the valleys of prejudice, level the mountains of pride, and straighten out the crooked paths of injustice. Preparing a way for God in our hearts is a time-consuming and costly business. It demands our listening to what God is saying to us and then making changes in our behavior. Welcoming God also involves removing all blockages and obstacles which keep Him from coming close to us. “Although Mark attributes the prophecy to Isaiah, the text is a combination of Malachi 3:1; Isaiah 40:3; and Exodus 23:20 … this prophecy of Deutero-Isaiah concerning the end of the Babylonian exile is here applied to the coming of Jesus; John the Baptist is to prepare the way for him” (New American Bible footnotes).

 Repent and return to the Lord – the priorities set by John: There are two traditions from which John’s baptism could be derived:  One is the ritual washings by which people cleansed themselves of spiritual impurity. Ritual bathing was especially important in the Qumran community with which John may have had some connection.  The other tradition is proselyte baptism of Gentile converts to Judaism; an initiatory cleansing rite performed by immersion. It seems likely that John borrows from both traditions (ritual washings and proselyte baptism) but establishes his own baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins as a prepartation for the coming Messiah.  John recommended a baptism of repentance in the river Jordan to the Jews who were familiar with ritual and symbolic washings (Lv.11-15).  The Jews insisted that when a male Gentile became a Jew, he had to do three things: i) accept circumcision as the mark of the covenant people; ii) offer sacrifice because he stood in need of atonement, and iii) undergo baptism by immersion in water, which symbolized his cleansing from all pollution. The most amazing thing about John’s baptism was that he, a Jew, was asking fellow-Jews to submit to that which only a Gentile was supposed to need. John, a prophet prompted by the Hoy Spirit, was convinced of the truth that even the chosen people needed true repentance and renewal of life to receive their long-awaited Messiah. We tend to think of repentance as feeling guilty about our sins, but it is more—much more. The Greek word, metanoia, means a change of mind or direction. It is related to the Hebrew word tesubah, used by prophets to call Israel to abandon its sinful ways and to return to God. Both words (metanoia and tesubah) imply “a total change of spiritual direction.” The baptism of a Gentile was accompanied by a confession made to three different recipients as a sign of repentance for sin.  (i) A man must make confession to himself because the first step in repentance is to admit his sin to himself.   (ii) He must make confession to those whom he has wronged.  This involves humiliation and is a test of real repentance since there can be no forgiveness without humiliation.   (iii) He must make confession to God because it is when a man says, “I have sinned,” that God gets the chance to say, “I forgive.”  

John’s message calls us also to confront and confess our sins; to turn away from them in sincere repentance; to receive God’s forgiveness; and most importantly, to look to Jesus. Do we need to receive God’s forgiveness? There are basically three reasons why we fail to receive forgiveness. First,  we fail to recognize as sin what we have done or failecd to do; second, we recognize the sin but do not repent of it, and third is that we ourselves fail to forgive thos who hae injured us.  Jesus was very explicit about this third failure, saying, “For if you forgive men their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions”  (Mt 6:14-15). Is there someone we need to forgive today? Let us not allow what others have done to us destroy the rest of our life. We can’t be forgiven unless we forgive. Let ask God to help us to let go of that bitterness and allow Him to work healing in our life. Perhaps we need to draw closer to Him. Whe we do, our spiritual eyesight will grow stronger and, in His Love for us we will recognize the sins to which we were blind but now see, and so repent of them, turning to  the one we have offended and making reparation, and to God to ask for forgiveness. Like the prodigal son’s father, God will run to meet us. He will throw His arms around us and He will forgive us and restore us. He will receive us as His sons and daughters. Let us draw close to Him today, and He will draw close to us.

The effectiveness of John’s ministry: John’s ministry was effective primarily because his message was his life:  he lived what he preached. He was a man from the desert. In its solitude, he had heard the voice of God, and, hence, he had the courage of his convictions. His camel’s hair garment and leather belt resembled those of Elijah and other great prophets of Israel. It is coarse, woven from the belly hair of a camel—more like our burlap than anything else.  His food, too, was very simple:  wild locusts and wild honey. Dried locusts are fried and dipped in spices for eating. The “wild honey” refers to the fruit harvested from the date palms that grow abundantly in the saline soils around Jericho and south to the Dead Sea. The dates would give him the energy needed to stand in the current and welcome men and women into the river where he would dip them under the water. The Israelites had not had a prophet for four hundred years, and the people were waiting expectantly for one.  John’s message was effective also because he was completely humble.   His role was to serve Jesus and to serve the people. “He must increase, I must decrease,” he says elsewhere (Jn 3:30). That is why he publicly confessed that he was not fit to be a slave before the Messiah. He frankly admitted that he was the Messiah’s humble and obedient messenger, preparing a straight way for the Messiah in the hearts and lives of the Jews. His message combined three Scriptural passages familiar to the Jews, namely, Ex  23:20, Mal 3:1 and Is 40:3. That is why John’s influence continued to live on after his death.  When the apostle Paul went to Ephesus nearly 30 years later, he found a group of John’s disciples (Acts 19:1-7).

Life messages: 1) We need to make use of Advent as a season of reflection and preparation. We are invited by the Church to prepare for Christmas through this time of reflection and personal renewal in preparation for the coming of Jesus into our lives.  In the section of St. Peter’s Second Letter which we read today, Peter reminds us, on the one hand, of God’s great desire to come into our lives and, on the other, of our need to be prepared for that event when it happens. We want, and need, God’s help and comfort, but we are not always prepared to change our ways to enhance genuine conversion. For God to come to us, we also need to go to Him. We need to let every day become Christmas and the “Day of the Lord” for each one of us.

2) We need to  accept Jesus instead of ignoring  him during this Christmas season. It was their stubborn pride and self-centeredness, which blinded the eyes of the Jews and kept them from recognizing Jesus as their long-awaited Messiah. The same stubborn pride, the same exaggerated sense of our own dignity, blinds the intellects of many of us today who not only fail to accept Christ and his good tidings, but also prevent others from accepting him. The mad rush for earthly possessions and pleasures, the casting-off of all the reasonable restraints and restrictions which are so necessary for the survival of human society, the rejection of all things spiritual in man’s make-up, the general incitement of the animal instincts in man – all these are signs of the rejection of Christ. Let us accept Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord during this Christmas season and remain, or become, true Christians in our daily conduct.  Let us use these days of preparation for Christmas to ready ourselves for Christ’s daily coming and Second Coming, remembering that the Second Coming will occur for each one of us on the day of our death, or on the Day of the Lord, whichever comes first.

3) We need to become preachers of the Good News: John’s message  challenges us to consider whether we lead others to Jesus, or whether our actions are motivated by a need for attention and affirmation.  John’s preaching reminds us also of our important task of announcing Christ to others through our lives at home, in  the workplace, at school, and in the parish and local communiti3w. When we show real love, kindness, mercy and a spirit of forgiveness, we are announcing the truth that Christ is with us. Thus, our lives become a kind of Bible which others can read. John the Baptist invites us to turn this Advent season into a real spiritual homecoming by making the necessary preparations for the arrival of the Savior and his entrance into our lives.

Jokes of the week

1) ”I did not send you!” A man who thought he was John the Baptist was disturbing the neighborhood. So, for public safety, he was forcefully taken to the psychiatric ward of a hospital. He was put in a room with another crazy patient. He immediately began his routine, “I am John the Baptist! The Lord has sent me as the forerunner of Christ the Messiah!”  The other guy looked at him and declared, “I am the Lord your God. I did not send you!”

2)  “Maybe Jesus was a Jew, but God is a Baptist!” A little girl who normally attended another Sunday School happened to attend a Methodist Sunday School one weekend, while visiting her grandmother. In the course of the morning she heard a number of things she wasn’t quite sure about, but when the teacher said that Jesus was a Jew she responded, “Maybe Jesus was a Jew, but God is a Baptist!” — Of course, God isn’t a Baptist; and neither was John the Baptist, for that matter. That is why the Revised Standard Version calls him “John the Baptizer”…to avoid such confusion.

3) “Fake Jeep?”  Christmas shopping, though fun, can be difficult. Did you hear about the guy that bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas? A friend of his said, “I thought she wanted one of those sporty 4-Wheel drive vehicles.” “She did,” he replied. “But where was I going to find a fake Jeep?”  

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)

• 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/ ……
• Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/

WEBSITES ON PRONUNCIATION OF BIBLE NAMES……..1) http://howjsay.com/pronunciation-of-bible?&wid=1280 ……2) http://www.pronouncenames.com/Bible 3)http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ 7) Text week Sunday Scriptures:  http://www.textweek.com/mkjnacts/jn1b.htm 8) Video of today’s gospel: of today’s gospel: https://youtu.be/Gv1cA8xh02U 9 )  Compendium of Catechism of the Catholic Church in question & answer form : http://www.vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html   (Available as book, useful for Confirmation classes))  10) Video Sunday-Scripture study by Fr. Geoffrey Plant: https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant2066

 (“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B No. 2 by Fr. Tony (akadavil@gmail.com)

31- Additional anecdotes:

1)    Letting God Find Us: A school principal called the house of one of his teachers to find out why he was not at school. He was greeted by a small child who whispered: “Hello?” in his daddy’s cell phone. “Is your Daddy at home?” asked the principal. “Yes” answered the whispering child. “May I talk to him?” the principal asked. “No,” replied the small voice. “Is your Mommy there?” the principal asked. “Yes,” came the answer.  “May I talk with her?” Again, the small voice whispered, “No.” “All right,” said the principal, “Is there anyone besides you?” “Yes,” whispered the child, “A policeman.” “A policeman? Now may I speak with the policeman?” “No, he is busy,” whispered the child. “Busy with what?” asked the principal. “Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the fireman,” came the child’s answer. “The fireman? Has there been a fire in the house or something?” asked the principal. “No,” whispered the child. “Then what are the policeman and the fireman doing there?” Still whispering, the young voice replied with a soft giggle, “They are looking for me.” — It would be pretty hard for the ‘rescuers’ to find the child as long as the child keeps hiding from them. In Today’s Gospel we see John the Baptist calling out to the people of Judea to come out into the open space and let God find them. You can liken John the Baptist’s call to the fireman calling to the ‘lost’ child. The child has to leave his hiding place and come out into the open for the policeman to find him. (John Pichappilly in The Table of the Word). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

2) Resistance Movement in Europe and Israel: During World War II, there were a variety of underground groups that sprang up throughout German-occupied Europe in an attempt to oppose the Nazi regime. Known generically as the Resistance, this grassroots movement was comprised of still- untold numbers of civilians as well as armed partisans and guerrilla fighters. Their activities on behalf of their respective governments included: assisting in the escape of Jews, captured Allied soldiers and others who were unjustly detained; committing acts of sabotage and smuggling intelligence information to the Allied command; publishing and circulating clandestine newspapers and other informative literature. Among the publications of the Resistance were poems, songs, and accounts of heroism intended to bolster their compatriots to persevere against the growing tyranny. If the time that Deutero-Isaiah and his contemporaries spent in exile in Babylonia could be compared to the oppression of Europe during the second world war, then the visions, songs and oracles, through which the prophet supported and encouraged his people, could be called Resistance Literature. Also known as the Book of Comfort or Consolation, Isaiah 40-55 is considered to be the work of an unnamed mid-sixth century B.C.E. prophet. In this his inaugural vision, the prophet has identified himself and his mission as well as the role of Israel for the future. (Sanchez Files). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

3)  Growing crabs “molt” every so often as they grow.  Permit me to draw an analogy. We “aficionados” of crab meat – both as cooks and as consumers – are aware that growing crabs “molt” every so often as they grow. This means that they shed their outer shell, which does not grow, to make room for a new shell more conducive to housing their growing body. And they need lots of “moisture” to avoid death and to make the process less painful. This “self-shedding of the old” is doing “radical violence” to what we call the crab’s body. But it is absolutely necessary in order to avoid death from suffocation in his “old” shell. Now take that analogy to the spiritual level. St. Paul is saying (in effect) that we, too, must make “every effort to be found without stain or defilement” when the Lord comes again. Notice that it calls for effort on our part; we don’t just waltz our way into Heaven – it takes work, albeit joyful work. We need to shed our old “shells” of selfishness and pride, as well as our disobedience to the teachings of the Church Magisterium in matters of Faith and morals (such disobedience is also sinful and born of stubborn pride, is it not?). St. Paul is warning us not to be caught wrapped in a useless shell of cultural conformity that prevents spiritual growth. Continued spiritual growth is an absolutely essential part of our preparation for eternity; it is our way of “preparing the way of the Lord” who will come again at a time unknown to us, without warning. We need the “moisture” of prayer, humility and trustful obedience to the Magisterium to avoid eternal death. (Bishop Clarke). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

4) “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you!”: A middle-age woman is having a near-death experience in the operating room. She asks God if she is going to die. God says no and explains that she has another 30 to 40 years to live. With all those bonus years assured, she decides to make the most of them by staying on at the hospital to have an “extreme makeover.” She has a face-lift, liposuction, breast augmentation and a tummy tuck. She even changes her hair color to platinum blonde. As a “new” woman, she proudly sashays out of the hospital and is struck and killed by a speeding ambulance at the entrance. At the Pearly Gates she confronts God and tells him, “I thought you said I had another 30 to 40 years!” God replies, “Sorry, I didn’t recognize you.” — The Jews didn’t recognize John the Baptist, not knowing if he was the herald or the Messiah himself. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

5) Homecoming in Roots. Homecoming is featured in Alex Haley’s epic saga of an American family, Roots. “Chicken George”, son of Kizzy and grandson of the family’s African patriarch, Kunta Kinte, had been sold by his master to a member of the English gentry who used the man’s skills at training cocks to fight. George had been promised that, after a few years in Europe, he’d be able to return home to his family, as a free man. But, as with many such promises, years passed before it was fulfilled. When at last George did return, his coming home had significance for all his family. This would indeed be a new beginning. Now a free man, George had the capability of buying the freedom of his aged wife, grown sons, their wives and his grandchildren. Though their aged and furrowed faces bore a visible record of years of want and struggle, their eyes burned with an unmistakable determination to keep their family together and to keep alive the traditions of their ancestral African people. Those same eyes brimmed with tears of joy at the thought of leaving their slave quarters and of finally coming home, to a plot of land bought by Chicken George in Tennessee. — On this second Sunday of Advent, each of the selections from Scripture would also have us consider the notion of coming home – Babylonian exiles coming home, shalom or perfect peace coming home   and Jesus the Savior “coming home” into our lives. (Sanchez Files). The cast of the film, interviewed by Oprah: (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)https://youtu.be/v50EXWR8LLo

6) Conversion of IRA bomber: For 300 years the people in Ireland have lived in the past. For 350 years, really, all they have done is remember the past, taking revenge on one another.  But slowly, one by one, on both sides, people have begun to repent, to look, not to the past, but to the future. One of the first to do so was a man named Shane O’Doherty. He was the first former IRA member to come out publicly for peace. Twenty years ago he was sent to jail for mailing letter bombs. At his trial as a terrorist for the IRA, he had to sit and listen to people tell what it was like to open those letters. Fourteen people testified against him, all innocent victims, many of them mutilated because of what he had done. He said it was sitting in that court, face to face with people who had been harmed by his actions that his conversion began. But it was completed in prison, in his cell, as he was reading Scripture. First he experienced Jesus’ love for him. Then he experienced Jesus’ requirement of him. He knew he had to change. When he got out of prison, O’Doherty started to talk about building a new future in Ireland, instead of just repeating the past. He found that his life was now being threatened by his former colleagues. But he continued to do it, because, he said, “I believe that one person is able to make a difference just by talking about peace, just by making his witness. It begins in any nation, in any community, with one person, then another, and then another, saying, ‘I’m going to accept the future that God is giving to us, rather than simply repeating the past.’” — Every year in Advent they are there, both John and Jesus, saying, “Repent; for the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom is at hand.” God is offering us a new future. Let us choose it, turn away from the past, and accept what God is offering us. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

7) “Come home for your dear Daddy’s sake!” Ian Maclaren once told a delightful story of Lackland Campbell and his daughter Dora. Dora left home and fell into the wrong kind of relationships. She began to misuse the gifts of life. Soon she did not respond to her father’s letters because she found it difficult to relate to him. Maggie, Dora’s aunt, wrote her a letter that finally melted her heart. At the end of the letter Maggie writes: “Dora, your Daddy is a grievin’ ye. Come home for your own sake. Come home for your dear Daddy’s sake. But, Dora, come home most of all for the dear Lord’s sake!” [Lloyd John Oglivie. The Cup of Wonder (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1976).] — Christmas is a time of coming home. John the Baptist’s message was simple: “Repent,” turn your life around, change your mind, examine your motives, because the Messiah will be here soon. This brings us to the final theme of today’s text. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

8) “The University Has Been Waiting 250 Years for Us.“: At the 250th anniversary of the founding of Harvard University, the students marched in a torchlight procession. The most memorable group was the Freshman Class, one month old, which emerged with a gigantic banner reading, “The University Has Been Waiting 250 Years for Us.” —  The New Testament presents Jesus Christ and exclaims that all the ages have been waiting for His arrival, that all history has been preparing for His coming. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

9) Prepare the way: Culturally, Alexander the Great had spread the Greek language over most of the civilized world three centuries earlier. It was then established as the international language by which the Gospel could be communicated. Governmentally, the Romans furnished a system of law which made it possible for the Gospel to grow in relative stability. Logistically, the system of Roman roads made travel by missionaries very possible. (Ernest White.) –Do you suppose that as Alexander was extending his empire, he had any idea that God was using him to prepare the way for the Babe of Bethlehem? Do you suppose that as the Romans built the roads that made commerce possible over all the known world, they knew that they were preparing the way for the King of Kings? When Augustus Caesar sent out his decree that all the world should be taxed and that every person should be enrolled in his own city, do you suppose that he had any idea that he was engaged in bringing to pass an ancient prophecy that the Messiah should be born in Bethlehem? By the time John cried out in the wilderness his prophetic, “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight,” God had already been at work for thousands of years bringing about just the right conditions for the birth of his Son. Then, in the fullness of time, Christ was born. And now, some 2000 years later, He is inviting us  to follow His Son all the way Home.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

10) “I have never felt remorse.” In September of 1985, convicted killer Theodore Streleski was released from prison after having served seven years for the hammer-slaying of a Stanford University professor. He had been a model prisoner in many ways. On three occasions prior to his release, he had been offered parole, but each time he rejected it because he was unwilling to accept its conditions. One condition was that he express some remorse for his crime and promise never to kill again. But Streleski said, “I do not feel remorse. I have never felt remorse.” (The Bellevue (Ohio) Gazette, Sept. 9, 1985, p. 1) — Repentance is important. Confession is important. Obviously, when we confess our sins we are not giving God any information God doesn’t already have. But we are getting our souls in position where we can accept God’s forgiveness. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

11) Missing figure in the nativity scene: A three-year-old was helping his mother unpack their nativity set. He announced each piece as he removed its tissue paper wrappings. “Here’s the donkey!” he said. “Here’s a king and a camel!” When he finally got to the tiny infant lying in a manger he proclaimed, “Here’s Baby Jesus in his car seat!” — Well, it wasn’t a car seat, but that would be an easy mistake to make, wouldn’t it? We all love nativity scenes. Baby Jesus in the manger . . . Mary and Joseph hovering reverently over the Holy Child . . . shepherds, wise men, assorted cattle, sheep and camels . . . and, of course, a donkey. But, as someone has noted, there is always one person missing from these nativity scenes. Have you ever seen John the Baptist in any of the nativity scenes? Louder than any Santa says, ‘Ho, ho, ho,’ you would hear the automated voice of John the Baptist screaming, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near.’ Has anyone noticed a figure like that in any of the nativity scenes that are traditional to our celebration of Christmas?” (http://www.nph.com/nphweb/html/pmol/pastissues/2005%20Advent/webdec4.htm. ) Well, no. At least, I’ve never seen a nativity scene featuring John the Baptist. Yet, on the second Sunday of Advent, we always encounter this strange lonely figure sounding his message out in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

12) “Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth“: A popular paperback says “Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth” (Hal Lindsey and C.C. Carlson, Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1972)…in spite of the fact that Jesus said precisely the opposite. (See Luke 10:18) The Ayatollah Khomeini referred to America as “The Great Satan” and then did things that seemed to earn the title for himself. He called us “Satan,” and we were quick to return the compliment. Everybody seems to know more about Satan than I do. I once heard of a minister in Chicago who preached three sermons on the Devil. His titles were: “Who the Devil he is,” “What the Devil he does” and “How the Devil he does it.” — Today’s readings challenge us to know more about Jesus and his triple “homecoming” to earth to destroy sin and death and certify that Satan has lost the war for God’s Throne and will abide in the Lake of Unquenbchable Fire for ever.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

13) “What are swaddling clothes?”: A 6-year-old little girl, missing a front tooth, emerged from her Sunday school class with a grin on her face, a piece of candy and a new pencil in her hands. “Guess what?” she said to Mom, “I was the best listener today. I won the prize!” “That’s wonderful,” Mom replied. “How did you win?” “Miss Lynda read a story about baby Jesus then asked what Mary wrapped the baby Jesus in when she laid him in the manger.” “Well, what did Mary wrap him in?” “Swaddling clothes,” came the quick reply. “What are swaddling clothes?” Mom asked. “I don’t know,” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. “I guess they’re what ducks wear.” (Childress, Modesto, California in Christian Herald). — Sometimes we treat Christmas like that; we know the answers, we know the story but we don’t know the meaning behind those answers. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

14) Jesus was born up at the North Pole:  In a Family Circus cartoon, the little girl sits her baby brother on her lap and tells him the story of Christmas. According to her version: Jesus was born just in time for Christmas up at the North Pole surrounded by eight tiny reindeer and the Virgin Mary. Then Santa Claus showed up with lots of toys and stuff and some swaddling clothes. The three Wise men and elves all sang carols while the Little Drummer Boy and Scrooge helped Joseph trim the tree. In the meantime, Frosty the Snowman saw this star. — We can appreciate her confusion. There is a lot to learn about Christmas. Who does the teaching in your home? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

15) The Desert Experience: In the high desert of Crestone, Colorado in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains there is a hermitage called the Spiritual Life Institute. Founded in 1960 by Fr. William McNamara, the Institute is a center for contemplation under the direction of an ecumenical community of men and women. At the entrance to the Spiritual Life Institute there is a wooden plaque which serves as the Magna Carta of their desert experience. On this wooden plaque is a triangle with three words inside – silence, solitude and simplicity – and three words outside – contemplation, communion and celebration. —  One of the desert heroes of this Institute is John the Baptist, who is introduced in today’s Gospel as a “voice in the desert, heralding the Lord’s coming.” The Gospel then goes on to keynote his desert experience as an ideal Advent preparation for Christmas. [Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.]. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

16)Reverse mind: A woman was dying of cancer. Her doctor said, “Ma’am, your cancer has spread, and I’m afraid you’ll die soon. Is there any last wish you’d like me to fulfill?” “Yes,” cried the woman weakly, “Can you take me to another doctor?” — It’s difficult to accept painful truths like, “I’m sick,” or “I’m a sinner.” But, John’s accusing finger diagnoses my spiritual cancers, and prescribes their cure: repentance. “Prepare a way,” says John; “make paths straight!” The Greek word for repentance, metanoia, etymologically means ‘reverse mind’. John calls me to reverse my mad rush against God and surf safely on the waves of Love. The world’s ways are enticing: Its waves promise ‘new highs’ of narcotics, narcissism, sex, success, popularity and possessions. Indeed, John the Baptist’s “cry in the wilderness” is a far cry from what Indo-American Deepak Chopra and other New Age gurus and TV-evangelists promise of ‘instant salvation’. Will I prepare my way to meet The Way? [Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

17) It’s all about preparation: In the late seventies, Pope St. John Paul II visited Ireland. It was a wonderful occasion and it will live forever in the memories of those who were involved. Apart from the blessings of the Good Lord Himself, there were many reasons why the occasion went so well. The most important one, in my opinion, was the preparation that preceded his visit. I was personally involved in some of this, so I experienced it at first hand. We had huge crowds at special Masses and All-night Vigils, and there were thousands of prayer-cards all — When the Pope finally arrived, we were ready. I believe we were as prepared as we could have been. It was a huge success, and a time of many blessings for all. I am fully convinced that the effort put into the preparation contributed enormously to those blessings. [Jack McArdle in And that’s the Gospel Truth!; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

18) “39 years had gone by!”: In the film The Cemetery Club, Esther, a middle-aged widow, reflects on the sudden death of her husband, Murray: “By the time the ambulance got there, he was gone. It just seems so unreal, you know? There we were, enjoying a wonderful dinner and… When I got home that night, his cigar was still in the ashtray. His tooth brush was still damp. I just couldn’t make sense of it, you know? It is like one day you’re looking into his face as he proposes and the next day you’re standing at his grave remembering how nervous he had been – and, between those two days, 39 years had gone by! Application: How are we using out time? [Gerard Fuller in Stories for all Seasons; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

19) “Made a difference to this one”: One day, a man was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a boy reaching down to the sand, picking up something and very gently throwing it back into the sea. As he got closer, he called out, “Good morning, young man! What are you doing?” The young person paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the sea.”  Why are you throwing starfish into the sea?” the man asked. “The sun is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”  “But, don’t you realize that there are miles of beach here and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!” — The boy listened politely. Then he knelt down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said…”Made a difference to this one.” Advent is the time to make a difference in the life of somebody. (Fr. Eugene Lobo S.J.) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

20) Searching for the lost key: A neighbor found Nasuruddin on hands and knees. “What are you searching for, Mullah?” “My key.” Both men got on their knees to search. After a while the neighbor says, “Where did you lose it?” “At home.” “Good Lord! Then why are you searching here?” “Because it’s brighter here!” — We must search for the better life where we lost it, and we lost it where God is; and where God is, there are “new heavens and new earth” During this Advent, therefore, we need to get into a symbolic desert experience, in order to experience God, Who is already here amongst us. “Here I am with you,” says God, “and you keep thinking of Me, talking of Me with your tongue and searching for Me in your books! When will you shut up and see?” [Vima Dasan in His Word Lives.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

21) Facilitating God’s coming: A monk was passing along a dangerous and deserted highway. He came across a wounded man with high fever lying helplessly on the roadside. The monk took compassion on him and began to take care of him. He cleaned his wounds and tied them with medicinal leaves; he shared his food with him and spent the night taking care of him. The following morning the man was a little better and he was able to proceed on his own. When the monk was about to take leave, the stranger turned towards the monk and said to him, “Sir, you do not know who I am – neither my name, nor my race or caste or language, yet you bound my wounds, shared your food and spent the night taking care of me. Tell me, what made you do all these things for me?” Then the monk replied, “The Lord who created me said, ‘What you do to the least of your brethren, you do it for Me.’” You are my brother. What I had have done for you, I have done for my Lord.” Then the man said, “Sir, who is your God? If your God makes you do all these things to a stranger, then I need that God. Give your God to me.” — The monk paved the way for God in that man’s life. It is said that a saint is one who makes it easy for others to believe in God. [John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)22) “Empty your cup”: In the Zen tradition of the Far East there is a story about a professor who went to visit the great master Nan-In one day. “Master,” he said, “teach me what I need to know to have a happy life. I have studied the Sacred Scriptures, I have visited the greatest teachers in the land, but I have not found the answer. Please teach me the way.” At this point Nan-In served tea to his guest.  He poured his visitor’s cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring so that the tea began to run over the rim of the cup and across the table, and still he poured, until tea was cascading upon the floor. The professor watched this until he could not longer restrain himself.  “It’s overfull! Stop! No more will go in!” he cried out. “Like this cup”, Nan-in said, “you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you the way unless you first empty your cup?” — Let us empty our hearts of all the unnecessary and harmful stuff during these Advent weeks, clean it with tears of repentance and confession of sins, allow God to fill us with Himself and keep Him the center of our lives during Christmas and every day of the New Year.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

23) Preparation of an artist: Our tendency is to think that everything should happen fast and easily – especially in our spiritual life. But that’s not true. Think about how much work goes into to plowing a farmer’s field before it’s ready to plant. Think about the nine months of preparation that occur before a mother gives birth to her child. Think about the literally thousands of man-hours that a professional football team uses just to get ready for one regular season football game. Or think about everything artists have to do in order to get their canvas ready for painting. After building a wooden frame, cutting the canvas to fit it, stretching the canvas over the frame and attaching it firmly and evenly, they’re still not ready to paint. They have to prime the canvas first, applying a layer of “sizing”, a thin coat of weak glue that acts as a sealant and protective coating. Once that is dry, they have to apply the “ground,” a layer of special gesso [JEH-sew] or very thin plaster that produces a uniform color, texture, and level of absorbency. When the first coat of gesso dries, the artist has to lightly brush the entire canvas with sandpaper to smooth it out, and then apply a second coat. Only when that coat has dried and been smoothed is the canvas ready to become a work of art. If an artist is careless with this painstaking process of preparation, the acid in the oil paint will soak through the surface and deteriorate the fabric of the canvas. Then, years later, the painting will suddenly and inexplicably start to fall apart. — Advent is about preparing the canvas of our hearts to receive God’s grace at Christmas. (E-Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

24)  St. Louis IX Reaches Out: God’s tireless attention to us is shown forth eloquently in the lives of the saints, who are always striving to seek out the lost sheep and tend to the needs of those around them. St. Louis IX, King of France in the thirteenth century, is a perfect example. His 52-year reign is still considered one of France’s most golden ages. He understood that God had not made him King so that he could enjoy himself, but so that he could show forth God’s goodness to his people. He used to walk through the streets of his cities distributing alms by the handful. He would go into the hospitals and homes for the dying and nurse the worst cases himself. He would sometimes invite to his own royal dinner table twenty homeless people whose filth and stench revolted even the soldiers of his guard. Once when he was outside, he heard the distant rattle of a leper, which was a warning to stay away from the afflicted person. But St. Louis walked directly towards the sound instead of away from it, and embraced the hideously deformed man. He gave special attention to the administration of justice, introducing lasting reforms in the legal system. His biographer even tells about how he would sometimes leave morning Mass and go outside under an oak tree near the edge of the woods. He would stay there all day to hear complaints and cases of the common people, administering justice quickly and fairly so that they didn’t have to invest time and money in following the complex court procedures. — He was always present to his people, because he had discovered that God was always present to him. And God is present to us too, always waiting for us. (E- Priest). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

25) To find God: “Vladimir Ghika was a Romanian prince who became a Catholic priest and died a martyr in a Communist concentration camp in 1954. His words are particularly apt today as we begin our own Odyssey in a new wilderness: “He who does not seek God everywhere runs the risk of not finding him anywhere.” — The good news of this advice, as St. Bernard and other mystics remind us, is, “No one can seek you O Lord, who has not already found you.” Or as St. Gregory of Nyssa put it: “To find God one must search for Him without end.” Not only will we come to experience the truth of this timely paradox, but we will discover that God does indeed let Himself be sought and found in every historical era, even in those great axial ruptures in history such as ours. Our new spirituality will remind and reassure us that God is still Emmanuel, that is, still very much “with us” in the wilderness.” (Richard Cote; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

26) Prepare for the Service of God: Martin Buber tells the story about a rabbi’s disciple who begged his master to teach him how to prepare his soul for the service of God. The holy man told him to go to Rabbi Abraham, who at the time, was still an innkeeper. The disciple did as instructed and lived in the inn for several weeks without observing any vestige of holiness in the innkeeper, who, from Morning Prayer till night devoted himself to affairs of his business. Finally, the disciple approached him and asked him what he did all day. “My most important occupation” said Rabbi Abraham, “is to clean the dishes properly, so that not the slightest trace of food is left, and to clean and dry the pots and pans, so that they do not rust.” When the disciple returned home and reported to his rabbi what he had seen and heard, the rabbi said to him, “Now you know the answer about how to prepare your soul for the service of God.” — The way to reach God is by doing everything wholeheartedly and genuinely; everything (and every act) is full of God’s holiness — so treat it accordingly with dignity and respect. (Brian Cavanaugh in Sower’s Seeds of Christian Family Values; quoted by Fr.          Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

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

28) “Forget Him!” There is an interesting and thought-provoking incident from Lawrence of Arabia. While crossing the desert in a blinding sandstorm, Lawrence suddenly noticed that one of his group had been mistakenly left behind. Turning to the group, he asked, “Where is Jasmine?” “Forget him,” said one of the leaders, “not only is he sick, but he is worthless!” Without batting an eyelid, the valiant leader turned back in search of his lost companion, even at the risk of his own life, and would not rest content until Jasmine had been traced and re-united to the group. — Lawrence’s refusal to abandon the lost Jasmine is indeed a striking image of God’s unfailing and unwavering concern for us all. This image is echoed by the Word of God today: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Said Bob Goddard: “Be tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, and tolerant with the weak and wrong. Sometime in life you have been all of these.” (James Valladares in Your words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They are Life). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

29) “The Shaking Reality of Advent”: Twenty years after the end of World War II, the German postal system released a series of stamps honoring eight of the countless people who served in the Resistance during the Nazi regime. Among those honored with a commemorative stamp were Lutheran pastor and professor, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Alfred Delp, a Jesuit priest. Delp was editor of the Jesuit monthly The Voice of the Times until it was suppressed in 1941. He then moved to a suburban parish, where he became an address for Jews escaping on the underground route to Switzerland. Delp was eventually arrested and sent to Berlin by the Gestapo, and his lengthy interrogation and torture ended with his death by hanging in February 1945. He penned several pieces in secret and had them smuggled out of the prison. Among them was an essay he wrote shortly before his execution called “The Shaking Reality of Advent” [from Watch For the Light, (Farmington, Pa.: Plough Publishing House, 2001).] In that essay, Delp insisted, “There is nothing we modern people need more than to be genuinely shaken up.” Rather than live in an utterly false and counterfeit security, we need to allow our inmost spirit to be moved by God so that we may begin to live in that movement and disquiet of heart that results when we are faced with God. Face-to-face with God, we begin to see things clearly, as they really are. We begin to see sin for what it is and to recognize ourselves as needing repentance and forgiveness. — On this, Advent’s second Sunday, the Biblical authors echo Delp’s ideas as they join their voices to speak a message intended to shake us into a renewed awareness of God’s coming into our lives. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

30) “Why don’t you fix the clock’s inner parts?”: A man once owned a large and expensive clock crafted in Switzerland. He kept the clock in a window, where it was seen by passersby who set their watches by it. But something was wrong with the clock. Its hands habitually showed the wrong time. So, the man spent considerable energy every day in turning the clock’s hands to the right positions. This went on for several years, which kept the owner weary. One day someone suggested, “Instead of wasting your energy in correcting the hands, why don’t you fix the clock’s inner parts?” “What a tremendous idea!” the owner exclaimed in astonishment and delight. “I never thought of that!” [Vernon Howard. Inspire Yourself (Grants Pass, OR: Four Star Books, Inc., 1975).] — God did not intend to make a few cosmetic changes by sending Christ into the world. God intended nothing less than to change the whole dynamic of human character. That’s why each Advent we encounter this strange character, John the Baptist, with his call to repentance. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

31) He gathers the lambs: On August 24, 1981, twelve children from Saranac Lake, led by two adults, began to descend from the crest of wooded Ampersand Mountain, which they had just climbed. Ten-year-old Kathryn Dekkers, the last in line, stopped for a minute to tie her shoestrings. When she tried to catch up with the strung-out party she unfortunately took the wrong turn of the trail. In moments she was lost in the depths of the great Adirondack forest. As soon as the leaders noticed that she was not with them, they wisely completed the trip and reported her missing. Everybody was deeply concerned. The last time a hiker had gone astray in that area in 1896, he had never been found. Kathryn’s father and brothers quickly assembled a searching party of 200 to comb the woods. They fanned out from the trail and kept looking for three days. Finally, thanks to a hunch of one of the hunters in the posse they discovered the little wanderer. Kate was hungry and a little scratched-up but otherwise sound in body and mind. In fact, her only real fear was facing her mother. She had lost her socks and was afraid of a big scolding. — Now somebody might ask (say a robot): “Why should 200 people take three days off and go traipsing through the woods in search of one small child only ten years of age?” Anybody with a heart could answer. All the living things of earth that God has created are precious. Most precious among his creatures is the human being, no matter how small. He made us lovingly in his own image and likeness. He made sparrows, too; but we are worth more to him and to our fellowmen than many sparrows. “… Like a shepherd he feeds his flock; in his arms he gathers the lambs, carrying them in his bosom, and leading the ewes with care.” (Is 40: 10-11. Today’s first reading). (Father Robert F. McNamara) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)  L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle B (No 2) 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

Advent I [B] (Dec 3)(Eight-minute homily in one page) L/23

Introduction: The central theme of today’s readings is Jesus’ warning to us to be alert, watchful and prepared because Christ’s Second Coming, coinciding with the end of the world, can occur at any time. People, in general, have a paranoid fear about the end of the world. It was expected it in AD 204, 999 and 2000. The title of a best-seller published in 1988 was 101 Reasons Why Christ Returns in 1988. An extremely popular film released in 1999 about Christ’s Second Coming was Omega Code, and another film released in 2005 was Left Behind. Excessive fear of the tribulations accompanying the end of the world led the followers of a religious cult led by Jim Jones (in 1978), and followers of another cult called Heaven’s Gate (in 1997), to commit mass suicide. But Jesus, in today’s Gospel, gives us the assurance that we need not be afraid of the end of the world, Christ’s Second Coming, and the Last Judgment, if we remain alert and prepared. The Church invites us on this first Sunday of Advent to prepare for Christ’s Second Coming, 1) by properly celebrating during this Christmas season the fond memory of Christ’s first coming 2000 years ago, 2) by experiencing Christ’s daily advent or coming in every Eucharistic celebration, in the Holy Bible, and in the worshipping community, and 3) by preparing daily for Jesus’ SecondComing which, for us, will happen at the unknown moment of our death or the equally unknown moment when the World will end.

Scripture lessons: In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah prays for God’s active presence so that the Jewish community, returned from Babylonian exile, may remain faithful to their God.

In the second reading, St. Paul prays for the reconversion of Christians in Corinth who have misused their gifts and charisms and remain ill-prepared for Christ’s Second Coming.

In today’s Gospel, using the short parable of the servants and gatekeeper of an absentee master who could return at any time, Jesus instructs his followers to be alert and watchful while doing their Christian duties with sincerity. The gatekeeper and the household servants are expected to be ever vigilant because their master is sure to return. Although the time of his return is uncertain, the reward or punishment is sure and certain.

Life messages: 1) Live in the living presence of Jesusevery day. The message of today’s Scripture is that we should live in the living presence of Jesus every day waiting for his Second Coming. We can experience Christ’s living presence in the Holy Eucharist, in the Holy Bible, in the worshiping community of our parish, in our family, in our own souls, and in everyone around us. The early Christians experienced the living presence and coming of Jesus with absolute certainty. So their mutual greeting was not “Hi!” or “Good Morning!” but the Aramaic, “Maran Atha” which means “Come, Lord Jesus.” This greeting acknowledged Jesus present in each of them and about to return. May God bless you, and keep you ever prepared for Christ’s second coming.

Nov 27-Dec 2: Nov 27 Monday: Luke 21:1-4: Lk 21:1-4: He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. 3 And he said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; 4 for they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living that she had.”

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

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

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

#2: We need to accept Christ’s criteria for judging people: We often judge people by what they possess. But Jesus measures us on the basis of our inner motives and the intentions hidden behind our actions. He evaluates us on the basis of the sacrifices we make for others and on the degree of our surrender to His holy will. What is hardest to give is ourselves in love and concern, because that gift costs us more than reaching for our purses. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 28 Tuesday: ST. CATHERINE LABOURE: For a short biography, click here : http://www.daughtersofstpaul.com/saintday/m11.htmlLuke 21: 5-11: Lk 21:5-11: 5 And as some spoke of the Temple, how it was adorned with noble stones and offerings, he said, 6 "As for these things which you see, the days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." 7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?" 8 And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at once." 10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.

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

Life message: 1) We need to learn from the signs of the times, like crises in morality, a culture of death, an increase in violence and terrorism, the “normalization” of sexual deviations, the breaking down of families, and the moral degradation of society. We need to prepare ourselves for the end times by living ideal Christian lives, helping others, sharing our blessings with others, getting and staying reconciled with God and our neighbors, and trusting in the living presence of Jesus in the Church. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 29 Wednesday:Luke 21:12-19:12 But before all this they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors for my name’s sake. 13 This will be a time for you to bear testimony. 14 Settle it therefore in your minds, not to meditate beforehand how to answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which none of your adversaries will be able to withstand or contradict. 16 You will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and kinsmen and friends, and some of you they will put to death; 17 you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head will perish.19 By your endurance you will gain your lives.

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

Life messages: 1) Although we may not get a chance to die for the Faith, we are invited to face “dry martyrdom,” a “living death” as outcasts in our contemporary materialistic, secular, liberal, agnostic, and atheistic society. 2) We are called to bear witness to Christ by loving those who hate us, by showing mercy and compassion to those who hurt and ill-treat us, by forgiving those who continue to offend us, by accepting our sufferings without complaint, and by continuing to keep Jesus’ word in our lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 30 Thursday: (Saint Andrew):For a brief biography, click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-andrew/) Matthew 4:18-22: (St. Andrew, the Apostle) For a short biography, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-andrew/ 18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father, and followed him. (Mark 1: 14-20)

Two accounts of Andrew’s call: There are two accounts of Andrew’s call as an apostle by Jesus in the Gospels. According to Matthew and Mark, Jesus selected four fishermen, Andrew and his brother Peter, with James and his brother John, right from their fishing boats. Peter and Andrew “immediately” left their nets and followed Jesus. Similarly, James and John “immediately” left the boats and their father and followed Jesus. According to John’s Gospel, John and Andrew were the disciples of John the Baptist, and they had been encouraged to follow Jesus by John the Baptist, who pointed out Jesus as “the Lamb of God” (Jn 1:38-30), suggesting that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. One apostle leading other to Christ: First, we find Andrew, after spending a night with Jesus, leading his brother Peter to Jesus. Next, Andrew appears in the Gospel scene of the multiplication of the bread and fish with which Jesus miraculously fed a multitude. While Philip gave a bad report of the situation, Andrew went among the multitude and found a boy who offered to give his small food packet of five bread and fish to Jesus to feed the multitude. Andrew, who saw Jesus miraculously supplying wine at Cana, knew that Jesus could work another miracle with five barley loaves and two dried fish. We find Andrew a third time in the Gospel, bringing a few Greek pilgrims to Jesus. They had first approached Philip for help and Philip had sought the help of Andrew to bring them to Jesus. The preaching and the martyrdom: According to Church tradition, Andrew preached the Gospel in Greece and Turkey and was crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross to which he was tied. According another tradition, he also preached in Scotland and Russia. St. Andrew is the patron saint of Russia, of Scotland, and of fishermen.

Life messages: 1) In order to be effective instruments in the hands of God and to continue Jesus’ preaching, healing and saving ministry, we, too, need to repent of our sins on a daily basis and to renew our lives by relying on the power of God. 2) As the first four apostles, including Andrew, gave priority to Christ and left behind everything, we, too, are to give priority to Jesus and Jesus’ ideals in our vocation in life. 3) St. Andrew’s zeal is a real inspiration to us. Hearing “Behold! The Lamb of God!” from St. John the Baptist who was pointing to Jesus, John, Zebedee’s son, and Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, immediately ran after Him with their inquiries. After talking with Jesus, Andrew wasted no time in bringing his brother, Simon Peter, to meet Jesus. We can almost picture Andrew, full of excitement, telling everyone he met about our Lord. Through Andrew’s evangelization, St. Peter, our first Pope, was brought to Jesus. https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23 For additional reflections Click on : https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections

Dec 1 Friday: Luke 21:29-33:29 And he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 as soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away till all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

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

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

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

Dec 2 Saturday: Luke 21:34-36:34 “But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; 35 for it will come upon all who dwell upon the face of the whole earth. 36 But watch at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of man.”

The context: In St. Luke’s version of Jesus’ advice to the disciples before His passion and death, as given in today’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes that every Christian needs to be vigilant and prepared because we cannot be sure of the time of our own death when we will be asked to give an account of our lives. Vigilance consists in obtaining strength from God through prayer, so that we may be freed from evil addictions and unnecessary attachment to worldly pleasures. Jesus also instructs us to be vigilant because we do not know the time either of our own death or of the end of the world and Jesus’ Second Coming. St. Paul repeats this advice: “You are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief” (I Thes 5: 4).

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid spiritual laziness and indifference. 2) We need to be freed from excessive and crippling anxiety, needless worries, and evil habits. 3) We need to get our strength from God by prayer, which means listening to God, talking to Him, and doing what He asks. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

OT 34 [A] Christ the King (Nov 26) (Eight-minute homily in one page)

Introduction: Today’s Scripture Readings revolve around the Last Judgment scene of Jesus Christ coming in glory and power. It was Pope Pius XI who brought the Feast of Christ the King into the liturgy in 1925 to bring Christ as Ruler, and Christian values, back into lives of Christians, into society, and into politics. The Feast was a reminder to the totalitarian governments of Mussolini, Hitler and Stalin that Jesus Christ is the only Sovereign King. Although Emperors and Kings now exist mostly in history books, we still honor Christ as the King of the Universe by enthroning Jesus in our hearts, surrendering our lives to God. This feast challenges us to see Christ the King in everyone, especially those whom our society considers the least important, and to treat each person with the same love, mercy, and compassion Jesus showed. (+ a homily starter anecdote)

Scripture lessons, summarized: The first reading, taken from the Prophet Ezekiel, introduces God as the Good Shepherd, reminding us of Christ’s claim to be the Good-Shepherd-King, leading, feeding and protecting his sheep. In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 23), we rejoice in Jesus, who is our Good Shepherd. In the second reading, St. Paul presents Christ as the all-powerful Ruler-King Who raises the dead and to Whom every form of power and authority must eventually give way. Today’s Gospel describes Christ the King coming in Heavenly glory to judge us, based on how we have shared our love and blessings with others through genuine acts of charity in our lives. Jesus is present to us now, not only as our Good Shepherd leading, feeding, and healing his sheep, but also as dwelling in those for whom we care. In the parable of the separation of the sheep from the goats at the Last Judgment, every person to whom we give ourselves, “whether hungry, thirsty or a stranger, naked, sick or in prison,” is revealed to us as having been the risen Jesus. Our reward or punishment depends on how we have recognized and treated this risen Jesus in the needy.

Life messages: 1) We need to recognize and appreciate Christ’s presence within us and surrender our lives to Christ’s rule: Since Christ, our King, lives in our hearts with the Holy Spirit and His Heavenly Father and fills our souls with His grace, we need to learn to surrender our lives to Him, to live in His Holy Presence, and to do God’s will by sharing His forgiving love with others around us. Aware of His presence in the Bible, in the Sacraments, and in the worshipping community, we need to listen and talk to Him.2) We need to learn to be servers: Since Christ was a Servant-King we are invited to be His loyal citizens by rendering humble service to others and by sharing Christ’s mercy and forgiveness with others. 3) We need to use our authority to support the rule of Jesus. This feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority in the public or the private realms to use it for Jesus by bearing witness to Him in the way we live. Parents are expected to use their God-given authority to train their children in Christian ideals and in the ways of committed Christian living. 4) We need to accept Jesus Christ as the King of love. Jesus. who came to proclaim to all of us the Good News of God’s love and salvation, gave us His new commandment of love: “Love one another as I have loved you,” (Jn 13:34), and demonstrated that love by dying for us sinners. We accept Jesus as our King of love when we love others as Jesus already loves us — unconditionally, sacrificially, and with agape love.

CHRIST THE KING: Ez 34:11-12, 15-17; I Cor 15:20-26, 28; Mt 25:31-46

Homily Starter Anecdotes  1) On His Majesty’s Service: Polycarp, the second century bishop of Smyrna, was arrested and brought before the Roman authorities. He was told if he cursed Christ, he would be released.  He replied, “Eighty-six years have I served Him, and He has done me no wrong; how then can I blaspheme my King, Jesus Christ Who saved me?”  The Roman officer replied, “Unless you change your mind, I will have you burnt.”  — But Polycarp said, “You threaten a fire that burns for an hour, and after a while is quenched; for you are ignorant of the judgment to come and of everlasting punishment reserved for the ungodly.  Do what you wish.”  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) The King of Kings is a silent film directed by Cecil B. De Mille in 1927.  It is a religious movie about the last weeks of Jesus on earth, with H. B. Warner starring as Jesus. It was a production acclaimed by world-famed scholars, the press and the public in the U. S.  and abroad, as the most ambitious presentation of the final years of the life of Jesus ever pictured on the screen. It was seen by over a billion people all over the world. De Mille claimed that the most important tribute to the movie he had ever received came from a woman who had only a few days to live. Her nurse wheeled her to a hall in the hospital to see the movie. After viewing the whole movie she wrote to the producer DeMille: “Thank you sir, thank you for your King of Kings. It has changed my expected death from a terror to a glorious anticipation.” She shared the feelings of the good thief who heard the promise of Jesus: “Today you will be with me in paradise.” Both of them were suffering, both expected death and both received new hope from the dying King of kings for only he could give them what he promised because he is God, the King of kings and Lord of all.  — Today, as we celebrate the feast of Jesus, the King of kings, and as his Calvary sacrifice is re-presented on our altar, let us approach our Lord with repentant hearts and trusting Faith in his promise of eternal life. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

Introduction: The Franciscan Order, following the lead of its great thirteenth century theologians St. Bonaventure and Blessed Duns Scotus, was instrumental in establishing the Feast of Christ the King and extending the celebration to the other local Churches.  It was not until 1925, in his encyclical Quas Primas that Pope Pius XI actually instituted The Feast of Christ the King for the Universal Church. He did so because he recognized that the people had “thrust Jesus Christ and his holy law out of their lives,” believing “these had no place in public affairs or in politics.”  Pius connected the increasing denial of Christ as king to the rise of secularism throughout Europe. At the time of Quas Primas, many Christians (including Catholics), had begun to doubt Christ’s authority and existence, as well as the Church’s power to continue Christ’s authority, because they had been witnessing the rise of non-Christian dictatorships in Europe. These dictators often attempted to assert authority over the Church. Pope Pius XI hoped the institution of the feast would have various effects: 1. That nations would see that the Church has the right to freedom, and immunity from the state (Quas Primas, 32). 2. That leaders and nations would see that they are bound to give respect to Christ (Quas Primas, 31). 3. That the faithful would gain strength and courage from the celebration of the feast, as we are reminded that Christ must reign in our hearts, minds, wills, and bodies (Quas Primas, 33).

Although Emperors and Kings now exist mostly in history books, we still honor Christ as the King of the Universe by enthroning him as King in our hearts and allowing him to take control of our lives. When we accept Jesus as the King of our lives, then everyone and everything else falls into its proper place. We are also challenged to find Christ the King in everyone around us. As loyal subjects of Christ the King, we are invited to treat others with justice and compassion as Jesus did, especially those whom we consider the least important.

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading presents God as a Shepherd reminding us of Christ’s claim to be the True Shepherd. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 23) serves as  our act of Faith, trusting Love, and grateful thanksgiving offered to Jesus, Who is our Good Shepherd.  In the second reading, St. Paul introduces Christ as the all-powerful Ruler who raises the dead and to whom every other power and authority must eventually give way. Today’s Gospel presents Christ the King coming in Heavenly glory to judge us, based on how we have shared our love and blessings with others through genuine acts of charity in our lives. Matthew adds a new dimension to the risen Jesus’ presence in the Christian community in the parable of the Last Judgment.  Jesus is present to us now, not only as our Good Shepherd, leading, feeding, and healing his sheep, but also as dwelling in those for whom we care.  In the parable of the separation of sheep from goats at the Last Judgment, every person to whom we give ourselves in loving service, “whether hungry, thirsty or a stranger, naked, sick or in prison,” is revealed to us as having been the risen Jesus.  Our reward or punishment depends on how we have loved and served this risen Jesus in the needy.

The First reading (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15:17) explained: The prophet Ezekiel was consoling the Jews exiled in Babylonia, explaining that their exile had been caused by infidelity and disloyalty to God on the part of their Kings and religious leaders who had used their power and authority to exalt themselves.  In this passage, Ezekiel prophesies that God will eliminate the “middlemen,” the unfaithful shepherds of His People of Israel, and will Himself become Israel’s Shepherd, leading, feeding, healing, and protecting His sheep.  Though the prophet originally was talking about a specific point in Israel’s history in which Yahweh would come to shepherd the Chosen People, Jesus’ disciples believed that the risen Jesus was with the early Christians and was fulfilling Ezekiel’s prophecy of God, as the Divine  Good Shepherd, rescuing, pasturing, seeking, bringing back, and healing his sheep.  No longer limited to His earthly body, the risen Jesus continues His loving ministry through such saving actions as we, his Mystical Body, perform in Him and with His power. Since King David had originally been a shepherd and, since the coming Messiah was widely believed to be a descendant of David, there was already an association of shepherd images with the Messiah.

The Second Reading (1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28)  explained: In his letter to the Corinthian Church, Paul answered the question: “If Jesus is alive among us by his Resurrection, how does he affect our lives?”  Many of the Corinthians believed in Plato’s doctrine that human beings were originally pure spirits or souls who lived in the presence of God.  They sinned and as punishment they had to carry a human body which they shed at death and thus were liberated to return to their state of happiness.  So those Corinthians could not understand how Jesus had been raised with his glorified body.  Paul explained to the Corinthians that as God the Father had raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus too would raise those who believed in him.  In other words, the first mission of the risen Christ as King is to give us eternal life by raising us from death, thus undoing the primary consequence of the first Adam’s sin.  The final mission of Christ the King is to subject all cosmic powers to himself, and then to God his Father.

Gospel Exegesis: The Gospel of Christ the King’s Last Judgment. As John P. Meier (Matthew, Michael Glazier, Inc., Wilmington: 1983) has noted, “the scene of Last Judgment described [in Mt 25:31-46] is not a parable but the unveiling of the truth which lay behind all the parables of chapters 24-25.” For this reason, readers should recognize the scene as one of judgment but also of revelation. Here, Jesus is being revealed as Son of Man in Glory, as the King who judges justly, and the criterion of  his judgment is given. The Gospel passage teaches us that the main criterion of the Last Judgment will be the works of Christian charity, kindness, and mercy we have done for others, in whom we have actually served Christ, knowingly or unknowingly. The account tells us that Christ, the Judge, is going to ask us six questions, and all of them are based on how we have cooperated with God’s grace in performing 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 no, we will be eternally punished.

Kingship of Jesus the Messiah in Old Testament. In most of the Messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Micah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, Christ the Messiah is represented as a King.  Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus, the Prophet Micah announced His coming as King:  “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrata, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” (Mi 5:1).  Daniel presents “One coming like a son of man … to him was given dominion and Glory and Kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him.  His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away and his Kingship is one that shall never be destroyed” (Dn 7:3-14).  

Kingship of Jesus in New Testament. The New Testament tells us that Jesus is the long-awaited King of the Jews.  In the account of the Annunciation, we read: “The Lord God will make him a King, as his ancestor David was, and he will be the King of the descendants of Jacob forever and his Kingdom will never end” (Lk 1:32-33).  The Magi from the Far East came to Jerusalem and asked the question, “Where is the baby born to be the King of the Jews?  We saw his star… and we have come to worship him” (Mt 2:2).   During the royal reception given to Jesus on Palm Sunday, the Jews shouted “Blessed is the King, who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Lk 19:38).   When Pilate asked the question, “Are you the King of the Jews?” (Jn 18:33).  Jesus, in the course of their conversation, made his assertion, “You say that I am a King.  For this was I born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the Truth. Everyone who belongs to the Truth listens to My Voice” (Jn 18:37). That Truth, as we know, is that He is God and Sovereign King of all Creation. The Gospels tell us that the board hung over Jesus’ head on the cross read: “Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews,” (Mt 27:37; see also, Mk 15:26; Lk 23:36; Jn 19:19-20), and that, to the repentant thief on the cross who made the request: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom,” Jesus promised that the repentant thief would be in Paradise with Him that very day. (Luke 23:39-43).  Before His Ascension into Heaven, the Risen Jesus declared: “I have been given all authority in Heaven and on earth” (Mt. 28:18). The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that “In the Lord’s Prayer, ‘thy kingdom come’ refers primarily to the final coming of the reign of God through Christ’s return.” (CCC #2818, cf. Titus 2:13)

A unique King with a unique Kingdom: Jesus Christ still lives as King in thousands of human hearts all over the world.  The cross is his throne and the Sermon on the Mount is his rule of law.  His citizens need obey only one law: “Love others as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12).  His love is selfless, sacrificial, kind, compassionate, forgiving, and unconditional.  That is why the Preface in today’s Mass describes Jesus’ Kingdom as “a Kingdom of truth and life, a Kingdom of holiness and grace, a Kingdom of justice, love, and peace.”  He is a King with a saving and liberating mission: to free mankind from all types of bondage, so that we may live peacefully and happily on earth and inherit Eternal Life in Heaven. His rule consists in seeking the lost, offering salvation to those who call out to him, and making friends of enemies.

The Kingdom of God is the central teaching of Jesus throughout the Gospels.  The word Kingdom appears more than any other word throughout the four Gospels.  Jesus begins His public ministry by preaching the Kingdom.  “The time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:14). In Christ’s Kingdom, “we are all a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Pt 2:9; see also Ex 19:6; Is 61:6). According to the teachings of the New Testament, the “Kingdom of God” is a three-dimensional reality:  the life of grace within every individual who does the will of God, the Church here on earth, and Eternal Life in Heaven.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains that the Church is the Kingdom of Christ already present in mystery.  It is the mission of the Church to proclaim and establish the Kingdom of Christ in human souls. This mission takes place between the first coming (the Incarnation), and the second coming (the end of this word, with His Final Judgment of all mankind), of Jesus into this world. The Church helps us to establish in our hearts and souls, Christ’s Kingdom, into which we were incorporated at Baptism by means Sanctifying Grace — that sharing in Divine Life which allows us to participate in God’s inner life. This supernatural Life of Grace, lived out in our daily lives, comes to fulfillment in the Eternal Life of Heaven (CCC #758-780).

Life messages: 1) We need to surrender our lives to Christ’s rule: Since Christ, our King, lives in our hearts with the Holy Spirit and His Heavenly Father and fills our souls with His grace, we need to learn to live in His Holy Presence, doing His will by sharing His forgiving love with others around us. We need to be constantly aware of His Presence in the Bible, in the Sacraments, and in the worshipping community.

2) We need to fight against the enemies of Christ’s Kingdom: Terrorism has affected the entire world, including Christ’s Kingdom on earth.   These terrorists are people who slaughter the unborn; engage in a frontal attack on the modern family through provocative television shows, movies, music, and pornography; eradicate any recognition of God from public display and public schools; they include those priests and the religious who abuse children.  Hence, Jesus, the King, needs convinced apostles who are prepared and ready to fight against these enemies, first by prayer, then by accepting willingly the sufferings that come our way and offering them to God with Jesus, our King, in reparation for our sins and the sins of the world, and finally by living lives of loving, humble service, using our gifts generously for all.  The battlefield is the heart, the home, the school, the place of employment, the neighborhood, and the parish.  These   provide new and exciting challenges, new opportunities for us to do, ourselves, what is right and to live out the Truth of Jesus Christ our King, neither compromising with sin nor passing judgment on the motives or guilt of any of our brothers and sisters, but loving and praying for all of us. To ensure that Jesus is always the King of our hearts, we need to make a permanent, total commitment to Him and to live out that commitment with the necessary sacrifices, conviction, hard work, and daily, serious prayer.

3) We need to use what authority we have been given to pass on Jesus’ message.  This feast is an invitation to all those who have power or authority in the government, in public offices, in educational institutions and in the family to use it for Jesus.  Are we using our God-given authority so as to serve others with love and compassion as Jesus did?  Are we using it to build a more just society rather than   to boost our own egos? As parents are we  using our God-given authority to train our children in Christian ideals and  the committed Christian living we faithfully model for them?

4) We need to make Christ the King of our Personal, Familial, Social, and Cultural life: Personal: By allowing Him to be King and center of our heart through prayer, receiving the Sacraments and freely entering a personal relationship with Him; Familial: By creating a proper rule and servant-leadership in the family –  let us have a “king,” a “queen,” “prince” and “princesses” in our home; Social: By not divorcing ourselves  from the state, from legislation and from affecting the social order; and Cultural: By bringing Christ and His Beauty and Radiance into the living traditions of our community. (Fr. Lombardi).

Conclusion:  The Solemnity of Christ the King is not just the conclusion of the Church year.  It is also a summary of our lives as Christians. On this great Feast, let us resolve to give Christ the central place in our lives and to obey His commandment of love by sharing our blessings with all his needy children.  Let us conclude the Church year by asking the Lord to help us serve the King of Kings as He presents Himself in those reaching out to us.  “To Him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by His Blood and made us a Kingdom, priests for His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (Rv 1:5b-6). Christus vincit! Christus regnat! Christus imperat! Christ conquers! Christ rules! Christ reigns!

JOKES OF THE WEEK

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

# 2: Sleep-inducing sermon on Christ the King: “I hope you didn’t take it personally, Father,” an embarrassed woman said to her pastor after the Holy Mass, “when my husband walked out during your sermon on Christ the King.”
“I did find it rather disconcerting,” the pastor replied. “It’s not a reflection on you, Father,” she insisted.  “Ralph has been walking in his sleep ever since he was a child.”

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

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 A 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/
• Justus, SJ’s resources: http://catholic-resources.org/
• 58 Youth Catechism videos: http://vcat.org/
• Video Sunday-Scripture study by Fr. Geoffrey Plant: https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant2066
• Don’s new collection of video homilies & blogs: https://lectiotube.com/ 

30 Additional anecdotes

1)”We have a King.” About three centuries ago, Spaniards besieged a small French town, St. Quentin. The city walls were in ruins; fever and famine plagued the people. One day the Spaniards shot over the walls a shower of arrows to which were attached little slips of parchment promising that if they surrendered, their lives and property would be spared. The mayor of the town was a devout Huguenot. For answer, he tied a piece of parchment to a javelin and hurled it back to the Spaniards. On the parchment was the message: “Regem habemus” — “We have a king!” Christians also can say, “We have a King.” Jesus is our King. We belong to his Kingdom. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

3) Mother Teresa and Leo Tolstoy recognized the King in disguise: The story is told of Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa), observing a novice using tweezers to pluck maggots from the leg of a dying leper. The young woman stood at arm’s length to perform the odious task. Gently but firmly, Mother Teresa corrected her charge. Taking the tweezers and putting her face quite near the wound, she said, “You don’t understand, my dear. This is the leg of Christ our Lord. For what you do to this man, you do to Him.” Or again, Leo Tolstoy’s story, “Martin the Cobbler,” tells of a lonely shoemaker who is promised a visit by our Lord that very day. Eagerly all day he awaits his arrival. But all that come are a man in need of shoes, a young mother in need of food and shelter, a child in need of a friend, all of whom he helps. Martin the cobbler ends the day thinking, “Perhaps tomorrow He will come,” only to hear a voice reply, “I did come to you today, Martin; not once, but three times. – and you helped Me!” — Christ is a King who goes about in disguise as the poor, the sick, the cripples, the tortured, the marginalized. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) INRI: A Jewish boy was lazy in his studies and misbehaved in the public school. So, his parents enrolled him in a Catholic school to see if he would improve.  His parents were surprised to observe that the boy stopped his excessive watching of TV, limited his time on computer games and spent most of his time in studies.  At the end of the year, he was the best student in class.  His baffled parents asked him what had happened.  “The first day I went to school,” he explained, “and saw that man hanging on a plus sign at the main entrance of the school building, I knew you couldn’t fool around here and get away with it.” — Today’s Gospel reminds us that the Man on the cross is not an object to frighten naughty kids, but our God, our King and Savior Who died for us promising us eternal life, and Who will come in Glory to judge the world on the day of the Last Judgment. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

6) “Super Savior“– A Church in Ohio did it with a large icon–a 62-foot-tall statue of Jesus with upraised arms, installed in a cornfield just north of Monroe, Ohio on Interstate 75. The statue–dubbed “Super Savior”– was erected by the Solid Rock Church, in Middletown. Here is what is interesting. Traffic fatalities on this notorious stretch of road have dropped dramatically since the Super Savior statue was raised. Is that pure coincidence, or has the Styrofoam and fiberglass Christ really aided road safety? Nobody knows. [Dr. John Bardsley. Source: National Catholic Reporter (10-28-2005), p. 3.] — Certainly, a giant statue of Christ does no harm, and if it improves traffic, that’s fine. But do not be confused. This is not the best way to express our allegiance to Christ. The best way to express our allegiance to Christ is to make our lives worthy of the name Christian. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) Feast of Christ the King: In 1925, Pope Pius XI wanted people to know that this was Christ’s world, not the property of the emerging dictators of that day. Both Josef Stalin in Russia and Benito Mussolini had been in power for three years. Adolf Hitler had been out of jail only a year, and was finding great popular support for his fledgling Nazi party. — The Pope had the courage of his convictions to declare, despite dictators, that Christ was King, reminding Christians where their ultimate loyalty lay! (From a sermon by Don Friesen, Ottawa Mennonite Church). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Unfinished work: A newspaper story some time back recorded the grim incident of a police officer shot and killed in the line of duty. His great desire before he was killed was to see his family’s back yard completely landscaped, a desire he never saw fulfilled, because of the bullet that ended his life. Some of his fellow officers, who had grown to love their fallen comrade, donated their time and money to complete the work. Because it was the policeman’s desire to finish the project it became his friends’ desire. [Allen Hadidian, Discipleship (Chicago: Moody Press, 1987).]  — The application to those of us who love Jesus Christ and accept Him as the King of our lives, is clear. What He loved and desired, we should love and desire — and work to complete. His work is to see lost men saved and built up. His work is to see this world redeemed. His work is to see this unfinished world brought to completion. We who love Him are called to complete the task with His grace. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) King of kings and Lord of lords. Listed in any history book among the greatest leaders that the world has ever known would be the name, Caesar Augustus. It was Caesar Augustus who fixed the limits of the Roman Empire. It was during his reign that the Pax Romana, the peace of Rome that lasted for over 200 years, was initiated. It was Augustus who ordered the building of roads linking the colonies of the great Empire and allowing rapid access to subordinate governments. It was he who gave Rome its constitution, creating the office of Emperor and investing in that office unlimited power, though he never used the title Emperor himself. The age of Augustus was a bright spot in literature and the arts. It was the era that gave the world Virgil, and the great historians. Caesar Augustus was truly a great ruler. Is it not ironic, then, that 2000 years after the reign of Caesar Augustus, he is mainly remembered because every year at Christmas time, we read these timeless words: “In those days, a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed” (Lk 2:1) Among those to be taxed, of course, were Mary and Joseph from Nazareth. — Caesar Augustus would truly have been shocked to realize that during his reign was born One who was far greater than he. He was the One Who had been anointed King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It was a minor official in the Roman Empire, Pontius Pilate, who first asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”  (Jn 18:33). Jesus obviously convinced him that he was. We often see engraved on crosses the letters INRI. They stand for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. This was the “charge” Pilate wrote and had  nailed to the top of the cross, stating the  charge under which this man miscreant was being crucified by an empire which recognized only Caesar as King. St. Teresa of Avila, the 16^th century Carmelite reformer, always referred to Jesus as “His Majesty,” and so He is. After 2000 years, His stature has not diminished. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) The forgiving King: Rev. Tony Campolo says that in his teenage years he was terrified by a visiting pastor’s depiction of Judgment Day. This pastor claimed that one day God would show us a movie of every single sinful thought, word, or action we ever committed. And he ended his lurid description with the announcement, “And your mother will be there!” But Tony claims that Judgment Day will more closely mirror what happened during the trials over the Watergate scandal. The prosecutor brought in a tape of a conversation between Nixon and his aides. Just at the most crucial part of the tape, the section that revealed their crimes, there was an eighteen-minute gap of silence. Nixon’s faithful secretary, Rosemary Wood, had erased the incriminating evidence! — In the same way, Campolo says, Jesus will erase all the incriminating evidence against us, as he did for the repentant thief crucified at his right side.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) “You’re with Him; go on in.” A few years ago, Pastor Erwin Lutzer and his daughters were visiting Washington, D.C. While there, they met a man who served on former President Bush’s Secret-Service security team. The gentleman offered to give them a guided tour of the Oval Office. Pastor Lutzer and his daughters passed through many security checkpoints the next day on the way to the Oval Office. At each checkpoint, they expected to be searched and questioned. But instead, the guards took one glance at the Secret-Service man and announced, “You are with him; go on in.” — Pastor Lutzer wrote that he expects our entrance into Heaven will be like that. We will have no credentials of our own that could possibly get us in. But Jesus will be walking along beside us. And at each gate, the angels will take one look at Jesus and announce, “You’re with Him: go on in.” [Erwin Lutzer, “Do Many Paths Lead into God’s Presence?” Preaching Magazine March/April, 2001), p. 20.] (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) King Who conquered death: Worldly kings do not have this power. Their last enemy is death, which ends their power, wealth, and prestige. In Vienna there is a crypt under a Capuchin church. In this crypt are buried 140 Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses. Each sarcophagus is sculpted in steel. The largest is a double tomb for Maria Theresa and her husband. On each sarcophagus is carved a cross and the Royal crown. On each corner of one sarcophagus was a skull wearing a crown. The message is clear: Death is king even over Kings. — But the King of God’s realm lives in spite of death. And so we, as Christians belonging to Him, have no fear of death, for by the power of His death on the cross and rising on the third day,  sin and death have been finally  defeated for us all. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “Thy Kingdom come:” Those of us who live in the United States have no experience with royalty or with “Kingdoms” ruled by Kings or Queens. We have no Royal Family, so we have to invent our “Royalty.” We had the “King of Rock’n’Roll,” Elvis Presley. We had the “King of Pop,” Michael Jackson. We had a “King of Soul,” James Brown. We have a “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin. We have a “King of all Media,” Howard Stern. We have a “Queen of Clean,” Linda Cobb. We even have a “King of Greasy Goodness” for the “Queen of Clean” to clean up: “Burger King”! But in countries like the Motherland, Great Britain, there is a real Royal Family. And the public can always keep track of where their Monarch is through an ancient tradition. When the ruling Monarch is in residence, the Royal Standard, the flag of the ruling Monarchy of the United Kingdom, flies above. When the King is at Windsor Castle or Buckingham Palace, the Royal standard flutters overhead. When he is NOT in residence, the Royal Standard is replaced by the Union Flag (the “Union Jack”). At the King’s residences in Scotland, the Royal Standard flies above Holyrood Palace or Balmoral Castle when he is present. When he is absent from the grounds, the ancient Royal Standard of Scotland is hoisted. Long before there were reliable news sources, just one glance overhead would let the citizens of the kingdom know whether their Monarch was present, or where “the King was in the Kingdom.” — Maybe it is our lack of any historical connection to a “Royal Residence” that makes us so clueless about the concept of the Kingdom of God when Jesus talks about it. We are not very educated in being a “Kingdom” or even in knowing what “Kingdom come” means. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

 15) Dismas House — built to serve the parolees with “royal priesthood” of Christ the King: The salvation of the ‘good thief’, later named Dismas in Christian thought, reminds me of those heroic people who have tried to bring hope and saving concern to criminals in our society. I remember especially Fr. Jack Hickey, OP, a dynamic and charismatic chaplain at Vanderbilt University. Despite reservations from many quarters, but with help from dedicated lay partners, he founded “Dismas House.” Unlike the setup of other Dismas houses, recent parolees lived and worked with college students in the hope that mutual understanding and healing would take place. — In the last years of his life, Jack fought virulent cancer and exercised his ‘royal priesthood’ from his personal cross, serving the parolees. Since his all-too-early death from cancer in January 1987, the movement has blossomed into ten such houses.  (John Donahue in Hearing the Word of God). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) The real King? This happened a number of years ago when the late King Baudouin was reigning in Belgium. As the Constitutional Monarch, one of his duties was to “rubber stamp” all the bills passed by Parliament with his signature, thereby officially promulgating them as law. In 1990, the Belgian parliament passed a reprehensible bill that basically removed all legal sanctions against abortions. As a practicing and conscientious Catholic, King Baudouin objected to abortion vehemently, and so he could not and would not endorse the measure. But according to the Constitution, he did not have a choice – as figurehead Monarch, he had to ratify the bill, so by refusing to sign the bill into law, he was, in effect, attempting to veto the parliament, and putting his throne on the line! The parliament simply dethroned him for one day, promulgated the law on that day when there was no reigning monarch in Belgium, and then re-instated him on the next day. — Granted, earthly Monarchs need Constitutional limitations to prevent the abuse of power.  But, that’s not true for the Heavenly Monarch, the all-good, all-loving God, for any time we attempt to impede Christ’s reign in our lives, we’re just erecting an obstacle to the good that He could be and desires to do in our lives.  Clearly then, there’s false comfort and perilous perdition in that illusion of ultimate self-determination: if someone on the street swears at you and says, “Go to Hell!” sure, it’s easy to invoke your autonomy then and shrug it off with the slur, “I’m free – I don’t have to go anywhere I don’t want to go!” Yet when the people who declare self-determination their highest law (and have thus pretended to enthrone themselves as the sovereign moral authority by dethroning Christ the King in their hearts), finally hear HIM solemnly speak those same words as the judgment of their eternal damnation, they will discover the absolute limits of personal freedom, limits constituted by the True and Almighty King of all Creation. (John Ruscheinsky in Daily Online       Reflections’). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

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

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

20) Man for All Seasons:   There is a great scene in the play A Man for All Seasons that fits so well here.  You might remember that the play was about the determination of St. Thomas More to stand for the Faith against the persuasion and eventually persecution of Henry VIII of England. In the scene I’m referring to, Henry VIII is trying to coax his second in charge, Thomas More, to agree with him that it is proper for him, the King, to divorce his wife Catherine since she was his sister-in-law (though the Church had given him a dispensation for this marriage),  and since she did not give birth to a male heir to the Kingdom.  After the King made all his arguments, Thomas More said that he himself was unfit to meddle in this argument and the King should take it to Rome.  Henry VIII retorted that he didn’t need a Pope to tell him what he could or couldn’t do.  Then we come to the center point.  Thomas More asks the King, “Why do you need my support?”  Henry VIII replies with words we would all love to hear said about each of us, “Because, Thomas, you are honest.  And while there are plenty in the Kingdom who support me, some do so only out of fear and others only out of what they can get for their support.  But you are different. And people know it.  That is why I need your support.”   —    In the presence of integrity, Henry VIII knew who was King and who was subject.  (Quoted by Fr. Tony Kaila) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) St. Ignatius of Antioch: The patron of our parish, St. Ignatius of Antioch, was the second most powerful Christian in the Roman Empire, second only to the Bishop of Rome.  He had written letters to Christians to stand up for the Faith in the face of persecution.  And then he, as a venerable old man, was arrested.  He was put on a ship that would eventually end up sending its cargo to Rome.  There he would be fed to the lions in the Coliseum.  Many early Christians could not bear the thought of losing Ignatius.  He was too important, too needed in the Church.  They plotted to raise money to bribe the sailors in one of the ports the ship would stop before reaching Rome.  They had plenty of time to do so, the trip would take two to three years.  Evidently, they also had plenty of money.  Wealthy Christians were determined to save Ignatius.  They just didn’t understand Ignatius’ integrity.  He was not going to buy his way out of a fate that he had encouraged others to have the courage to accept.  Nor was he going to use some sort of skillful legalese to save his skin. In fact, in his letters  to the various churches, he begged the people not to attempt to rescue him. He wanted to die for Christ.  And Ignatius of Antioch walked into the Coliseum with the other Christians in control of the direction of his life.  He was a frail old man; yet, he was more powerful than the lions who would destroy him or the Romans who did not have the courage to stop the absurd spectacle.  Ignatius was a man of integrity.  —   Ignatius of Antioch and Thomas More and so many others followed Jesus Christ in being people of integrity.  The powerful Pilate could have Jesus tortured and killed, and he did, but Pilate himself remained a prisoner because he lived a lie.  And Jesus remained a King because he testified to the Truth to his last breath. (Quoted by Fr. Tony Kaila) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

23) King with a difference: It was customary, in the ancient world, to place great treasures and gifts before the emperors and kings to please them.  In the year 200AD Jingo, the Empress of Japan, invaded and conquered Korea. Following his defeat, the Korean king placed valuable treasures before the empress and promised to pay “homage and send tribute until the sun no longer rises in the East, but comes from the West; until the courses of the rivers turn backwards and the river pebbles ascend and become stars in Heaven.” When the Queen of Sheba visited King Solomon, she crossed the Sahara desert into Israel with more than 797 camels, donkeys, and mules too numerous to count. She gave the king 120 talents of gold, a very great store of spices, and precious stones. The value of the gold alone, which she gave to King Solomon, was of great worth. (1 Kgs 10:2-5). When the Magi heard about the birth of a King for the Jews they set out with royal offerings- Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. After 33 years, the same King stood elevated on the cross with the inscription INRI, (Iesus Nazarenus, Rex Iudaeorum – “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”). By placing this title Pilate on Jesus’ cross, Pilate had  made an involuntary, but historical proclamation  that Jesus is the King not only of the Jews but of the Universe. —  Many a time such involuntary proclamations of Jesus’ Kingship are heard from unbelievers. The soldiers made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head, and they put a royal purple robe on him, and shouted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” (Jn 19:2-3) Fr. Bobby Jose). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) “I have nothing more to give”:  Some years ago divers located a 400-year-old sunken ship off the coast of Northern Ireland. Among the treasures they found on the ship was a man’s wedding ring. When they cleaned it up, they noticed that it had an inscription on it. Etched on the wide band was a hand holding a heart. Under the etching were these words: “I have nothing more to give you.” — Of all the treasures found on that sunken ship, none moved the divers more than that ring and its beautiful inscription. The etching on that ring and its inscription “I have nothing more to give” -could have been placed on the cross of Christ.  – (Mark Link). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) Brothers and Sisters of the King: Sometimes Americans wonder why the English bother with the monarchy, since the Queen — now the King — is little more than a figurehead with no authority. Yet, within most people there is a wish for a person to whom we can look up, someone who personifies dignity and wins our respect, a person who makes us feel better about ourselves. Many Americans found that kind of a person in the election of John F. Kennedy as President of the United States. He was young, handsome, intelligent and articulate. He was married to a beautiful woman who, it seemed to us, had become his Queen. The White House became known as Camelot. The United States had a family to whom many Americans attributed royalty. But on Friday Nov. 22, 1963 the dream was shattered with the President’s assassination. The dream of Camelot was gone, and the illusion of royalty was dimmed. — All along we had been looking in the wrong direction, towards the White House as if it were a palace. We should have been looking back at Calvary, because the cross is truly the throne of Christ the King. We do not need an earthly sovereign to give us self-respect. Our King is truly royal. His kingdom is not an imaginary Camelot. It is an eternal and universal Kingdom, a Kingdom of truth and life, a Kingdom of holiness and grace, a Kingdom of justice love and peace. Our King is Christ the Lord. (Charles Miller in Sunday preaching; quoted by Fr. Botelho) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

26) Won’t you come down, King? A king once fell in love with a poor girl. At first, he thought of simply bringing her to the palace and marrying her, but he realized this wouldn’t work since she would soon realize the immense difference in their backgrounds and not be happy. After much reflection, he decided to renounce his kingdom and go and live near her, so that she’d realize how deeply he loved her. Shocking one and all, he left the palace. — This story (adapted from philosopher Kierkegaard’s original), somehow reveals to us the great love of our king Jesus Christ, who ‘comes down’ that we might be raised up. (Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

27) “I could have been down there.” There is  a story about a South Dakota rancher which reminded me that many of us know how near the Kingdom really is, but we just don’t talk about it in that way. The story goes that following the disastrous winter of 1997 with its many blizzards and ice storms, and its record losses of cattle, an older rancher welcomed several helping professionals to his ranch. They had come to visit with him on behalf of his Church, and to assess the extent of his losses from these disasters. He led them out to a hill in the pasture near his ranch, and told them they were standing on the grave of his herd of cattle. All but a small number had been frozen to death in an early April storm. The visitors were stunned by the enormity of his loss, and by his matter-of-fact manner in relating it to them. They questioned and probed a bit for some sense of his feelings about all of this, until he responded… as many South Dakotans did in the face of such disasters: “Well, it could have been worse.” – The visitors were more sure than ever that this man must be deep in denial to have such an attitude about losing his life’s work in one weekend storm. They questioned and probed a bit more. How could it have possibly been worse? Having been pushed to explain himself, and probably having sized up the visitors as city folks, he finally responded by pointing down to the hill or grave they — The story speaks volumes to me about rural people and their daily understanding of the nearness of the Kingdom of God. (Rev. Andrea DeGroot-Nesdhal). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

28) Christ the King on the day of Last Judgment:  “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of Mine, you did for Me.” A story is told of a priest assigned in a seminary who took his sabbatical year in Kolkata, India to work with Mother Teresa. Towards the end of his sabbatical, he wondered what he could take back to his seminarians. Thinking back, he remembered how Mother Teresa received Holy Communion: her eyes and face glowed with love for Jesus as she expressed the desire to give him back her love completely. For the priest, that was understandable for she was then already known as ‘a living saint.’ But what he could not understand was what he saw one evening when she was with a sick person. The same glow in her eyes and face was present when she was attending to him. Reflecting on these two experiences, the priest discovered why. For Mother Teresa, that sick person was Jesus himself for did he not say: “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.” —  Do we see Jesus’ face in others, especially the poor, needy, marginalized, deprived, downtrodden, sick and suffering, and so on? Jesus meets us in their disguise. They are his true face. (Fr. Lakra) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

29) “Please, don’t be angry with me, my brother.” Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910 C.E.), the great Russian author was also a great Christian who took seriously the demands of the Great Sermon (Matthew 5-7) and attempted to live his life accordingly. One day a beggar stopped him while he was out walking and asked him for alms. Tolstoy searched his pockets for a coin but finding none he said with regret. “Please, don’t be angry with me, my brother, but I have nothing with me. If I did, I would gladly give it to you.” At that, the beggar’s face brightened with joy. “You have given me more than I asked for”, he said, “You have called me brother!” — Tolstoy had not only grasped the intent of the Great Sermon but he had also penetrated the truth of today’s Gospel. He regarded the poor man, asking for alms, as a brother because he had understood and made his own the great commandment (Matthew 22:37). But he had also learned to see the face of Christ in the poor, and because of that insight, he met the criteria of judgment set forth for our consideration in this Matthean text. (Sanchez Fles). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

30) Doing nothing deserves hell: Dante’s “Divine Comedy” is the story of a journey to paradiso, to paradise, that is, to heaven. But before Dante reaches paradise he must first journey down to the depths of hell, the Inferno, and then slowly upwards through purgatory, purgatorio, before entering paradiso. 60. There are nine levels of hell, with Lucifer at the very bottom of the inferno, surrounded not by fire, but by ice. Dante’s vision of hell is a place where the wicked are frozen in misery. 61. Dante is accompanied by the poet Virgil as his guide, and here you can see William Blake’s lithograph of the scene where Dante and Virgil are about to pass through the gates of the inferno, of hell. Above the entrance are the words: Abandon hope all ye who enter here. No sooner do they pass through the gates and enter what we could call the vestibule of hell, before entering the first of hell’s nine circles, they hear sighs, cries and shrieks of lamentation. 62. Dante is startled and asks Virgil: “Teacher, what are these sounds I hear? What souls are these so overwhelmed by grief? 63. Here they behold souls who are being stung and stung again by hornets and wasps. Because we are in hell, we can assume that they are sinners, but what have they done, what sin have they committed? 64. Virgil explains that “This wretched state of being is the fate of those sad souls who lived a life but lived it with no blame and with no praise.” 65. “Stung and stung again by the hornets and the wasps.” In other words, here we have the fence-sitters, those who refused to choose. They did nothing really evil, but neither did they do any good. Because these souls were not passionate about anything during life, they are tormented endlessly by hornets and wasps. And they are also condemned for all eternity to run after a banner. In life they had no banner, no leader to follow. Now they run around and around after a banner, endlessly, for all eternity. 66. Here, by the way, we have an example of what is known as contrapasso – the punishment of a sin by a process that either resembles or contrasts with the sin itself. In this case the punishment is in stark contrast to the sin. 67. These tormented souls call to mind the judgment passed on the church in Laodicea in the Book of Revelation. The first part of the Book of Revelation contains a judgment on seven churches in what was then known as Asia Minor, now western Turkey. 68. The judgment the Lord passes on the Church in Laodicea is this: “Write to the church in Laodicea .. I know about your activities: how you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were one or the other, but since you are neither hot nor cold, but only lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth.” 69. So today’s gospel about the scene of judgment is not about the separation of those doing good from those doing evil, but rather, the separation of those doing good from those doing nothing. Fr. Gepffrey Plant ((https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 62) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com

Visit my website by clicking on https://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies  under CBCI or  Fr. Tony for my website version. (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website– http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020)  Fr. Anthony Kadavil, Chaplain, Sacred Heart Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor, 1655 McGill Ave, Mobile, AL 36604

WEEKDAY HOMILIES OT 33 (NOVEMBER 20-25, 2023)

Nov 20-25: (Click on http://frtonyshomilies.comfor missed homilies):

Nov 20 Monday: Lk 18: 35-43: 35 As he drew near to Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; 36 and hearing a multitude going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” 38 And he cried, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped, and commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me receive my sight.” 42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.” 43 And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God.

The context: Jesus was going to Jerusalem to participate in the feast of Passover. At Jericho, there was a big crowd of pilgrims walking along, listening to Jesus’ teaching. Beggars used to sit on both sides of the road, as the pilgrims were very generous, and the people used to line up on the roadside to greet the pilgrims. A blind beggar on the roadside was told by his friends that Jesus of Nazareth, the miracle-worker, was passing by. So, the blind man repeatedly shouted at the top of his voice, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” The pilgrims listening to Jesus’ teaching tried to stop the beggar’s loud cry, but in vain. Jesus stopped, called the beggar to him, and asked him, “What do you want Me to do for you?” The beggar answered, “Lord, let me receive my sight,” Jesus replied, “Receive your sight; your Faith has made you well,” and at that moment the beggar was able to see. This miracle was Jesus’ reward to the blind man for his trusting Faith in the healing power and compassionate heart of the Messiah. St. Augustine described the urgency with which we should respond to God’s gift, to His passing us on the road: “I fear Jesus may pass by and not come back.”

Life messages: 1) We, too, need healing from our spiritual blindness which makes us incapable of seeing and appreciating the living presence of God within ourselves and others. For that healing, we also require the same trusting Faith the blind man displayed in the healing power and mercy of Jesus, and the same persevering persistence in our prayers. We need to pray with conviction, urgency, and constancy. 2) We need to repeat the prayer of the blind man, “Lord, let me receive my sight,”when our Faith is feeble, when we cannot understand the reason behind God’s plans, and when our commitments become shaky. God gave us eyes so that we can see. God gave us a heart so that we can see better. Let us use them all the time. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 21 Tuesday: (The Presentation of Blessed Virgin Mary): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/presentation-of-mary/ : Lk 19:11-28 & Mt 12:46-50 This feast commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a young girl in the Temple. (Mary’s house was in Nazareth, 95 miles away from Jerusalem which meant 4-5 days walking distance). Tradition holds that all young Jewish girls were left in the care of the Temple for a period, during which they were educated in reading Scriptures, singing liturgical songs and helping in the Temple. As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the Temple only in apocryphal literature. The Protoevangelium of James (recognized as an unhistorical account), tells us that Anna and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was very young. Later versions of the story (such as the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary), tell us that Mary was taken to the Temple at around the age of three in fulfillment of a vow made by her parents. Tradition held that she was to remain there to be educated in preparation for her role as Theotokos

— Mother of God. This was to carry out her mother’s promise made to God when Anna was still childless. The feast originated as a celebration of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the New, built in AD 543 by the Byzantines under Emperor Justinian I near the site of the ruined Temple in Jerusalem.  The feast originated in the Orient probably about the 7th century. The Eastern Orthodox church celebrates it on November 21 as one of its twelve “Great Feasts.” The feast continued to be celebrated throughout the East, and by the ninth century had spread to the west,  first in the monasteries of Southern Italy.  It was  formally introduced into the whole Western Church in the 14th century. In the 1974 encyclical Marialis Cultus, Pope St. Paul VI (canonized by Pope Francis, October 14, 2018) wrote, “despite its apocryphal content, it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable traditions having their origins in the Eastern Churches.” Though it cannot be proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.

Life message: 1) Every Holy Mass in which we participate is our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through our Savior Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass.  Hence, we need to live our daily lives with the awareness both that we are dedicated people consecrated to God and that we are therefore obliged to lead holy lives. We offer ourselves to God, asking to be made holy under the patronage of Mary and assisted by her powerful intercession and the union of her merits. L/23

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

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

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

 Life messages: 1) We need to accept the Divine invitation to repentance.  We are all sinners to a greater or lesser degree.  Jesus is inviting each one of us to total conversion today by means of this Gospel lesson.  Let us remember that Jesus loves us, in spite of our ugly thoughts, broken promises, and sullied ideals, our lack of prayer, our lack of Faith, our resentments, and our lusts.  Hence, let us confess to Him all our weaknesses and sins, repenting, and ask Him trustfully for His Mercy. 2) We need to love others in spite of their sins, as Jesus loves us.  Jesus loved Zacchaeus—a great sinner — and by that love, Zacchaeus was transformed.  As parents or teachers, can we lovingly accept our children without first setting up for them standards of behavior as conditions for being loved?  Just as Jesus loved Zacchaeus, even though he was a public sinner, so we must love others in spite of their sins.  Jesus expects this of us.  3) We need to be set free from selfishness and choose generosity: Zacchaeus was changed from being greedy to being generous, from selfishness to selflessness.  When we feel the warmth of God’s presence within us, that warmth will, in itself, melt our coldness and selfishness, leading us to repentance and generosity.  (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ L/23

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

 

 Nov 22 Wednesday: (St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr): For a short biography, click here:  Lk 19:11-28: 11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of  God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.’ 17..28

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to trust God enough to make use of the gifts and abilities He has given us.  We may be especially talented in teaching children, or cooking meals, or repairing homes, or programming computers.  Let us use our particular gifts in the service of our families, our Christian community, and the wider society.  2) We need to make use of our talents in our parish.  We should be always willing to share our abilities in creative worship in the Church and in the various ministries in our parish, such as Sunday-school teacher, singer in the choir, volunteer, and/or member of one or more of the various parish organizations and community outreach programs.  3) We need to trade with our talent of Christian Faith: All of us in the Church today have received at least one talent namely, the gift of Faith.  Our responsibility is not just to preserve and “keep” the Faith, but to work with it and grow with it. We need to promote and add value to Faith by living it out.  (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

 

 Nov 23 Thursday: Thanksgiving Day in the U. S. (St. Clement I , Pope, Martyr; St. Columban, Abbot; Blessed Miguel Agustine Pro, Priest, Martyr (U.S.A.) 1-PAGE SYNOPSIS OF THANKSGIVING DAY HOMILY- NOV 23,2023

Introduction: Today is a day of national thanksgiving 1) for the blessings and protection God has given us; 2) for our democratic government and the prosperity we enjoy; 3) for our freedom of speech and religion; and 4) for the generosity and good will of our people.

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) Let us be thankful and let us learn to express our thanks daily: a) to God for His innumerable blessings, providential care and protection and for the unconditional pardon given to us for our daily sins and failures; b) to our parents – living and dead – for the gift of life and Christian training and the good examples they gave us; c) to our relatives and friends for their loving support and timely help and encouragement; d) to our pastors, teachers, doctors, soldiers, police, and government officers for the sincere service they render us. (Fr. Tony) L/23

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

 

Mass of the day out side the USA: Lk 19:41-44   41 As he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes.  43 For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, 44 and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Context: It was when two-and-a-half million people were present in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover that Jesus’ followers paraded with him for a distance of two miles from the Mount of Olives to the city of Jerusalem.  But when the procession reached the spot from which there was a magnificent view of the city of Jerusalem, Jesus started to weep.  Later, Jesus explained why he loved the city, which was the center of Judaism, Yahweh’s promised place of terrestrial residence, and the culminating point of Jesus’ public ministry.  He could not foresee without tears its destruction in A.D. 70 by Titus, who would totally demolish the Temple and the city after massacring most of its residents. Jesus explained the destruction of the city as a punishment from God because its inhabitants had failed to recognize the time of their visitation.  In other words, Jerusalem had closed her doors, and her inhabitants had closed their hearts, to the salvific coming and message of the Redeemer.  In spite of Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry among the Chosen people, they had largely rejected him, and their leaders were planning to crucify him.

 Life messages: 1) Jesus visits each one of us as our Lord and Savior and teaches us through the instruction and preaching of the Church.  We hear Jesus’ voice when we read Holy Scripture, and Jesus offers us forgiveness of sins and grace through the Sacraments.  So we should not reject Jesus or his message as the Jews did, nor remain indifferent to him, but listen to God’s warning about our need to repent, renew our lives, and walk in God’s ways of peace and holiness.

2) We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by harboring jealousy, discrimination, injustice, or impurity in our hearts (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

 

 Nov 24 Friday: (St. Andrew Dung -Lac, Priest and Companions, Martyrs) Lk 19: 45-48: 45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him; 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

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

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the business mentality of loss and profit in Divine worship.  Our relationship with God must be that of child-to-parent, with no thought of loss or gain, but only of mutual love, respect, and the common good.  2) Secondly, we need to remember that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by acts of impurity, injustice, pride, hatred, or jealousy.   3) We need to love our parish Church and use it.  Our Church is the place where we come together as a community to praise and worship God, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask pardon and forgiveness for our sins, and to receive His offered healing and nourishment.  Let us make our Church an even more holy place by adding our prayers and songs to community worship and by offering our time and talents in the various ministries of our parish. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 25 Saturday:  (St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin, Martyr); Lk 20: 27-40: 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; 30 and the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.  32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; 35-40

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to live the lives of Resurrection people: That is, we are not to lie buried in the tomb of our sins and evil habits.  Instead, we are to live joyful and peaceful lives, constantly experiencing the Real Presence of the Risen Lord Who gives us the assurance that our bodies also will be raised. 2) The salutary thought of our own resurrection and eternal glory should also inspire us to honor our bodies, keeping them holy, pure, and free from evil habits, and to respect those with whom we come in contact, rendering them loving and humble service. (Fr. Kadavil) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

 

— Mother of God. This was to carry out her mother’s promise made to God when Anna was still childless. The feast originated as a celebration of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the New, built in AD 543 by the Byzantines under Emperor Justinian I near the site of the ruined Temple in Jerusalem.  The feast originated in the Orient probably about the 7th century. The Eastern Orthodox church celebrates it on November 21 as one of its twelve “Great Feasts.” The feast continued to be celebrated throughout the East, and by the ninth century had spread to the west,  first in the monasteries of Southern Italy.  It was  formally introduced into the whole Western Church in the 14th century. In the 1974 encyclical Marialis Cultus, Pope St. Paul VI (canonized by Pope Francis, October 14, 2018) wrote, “despite its apocryphal content, it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable traditions having their origins in the Eastern Churches.” Though it cannot be proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose. It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and beyond.

Life message: 1) Every Holy Mass in which we participate is our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our Father through our Savior Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass.  Hence, we need to live our daily lives with the awareness both that we are dedicated people consecrated to God and that we are therefore obliged to lead holy lives. We offer ourselves to God, asking to be made holy under the patronage of Mary and assisted by her powerful intercession and the union of her merits. L/23

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

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

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

 Life messages: 1) We need to accept the Divine invitation to repentance.  We are all sinners to a greater or lesser degree.  Jesus is inviting each one of us to total conversion today by means of this Gospel lesson.  Let us remember that Jesus loves us, in spite of our ugly thoughts, broken promises, and sullied ideals, our lack of prayer, our lack of Faith, our resentments, and our lusts.  Hence, let us confess to Him all our weaknesses and sins, repenting, and ask Him trustfully for His Mercy. 2) We need to love others in spite of their sins, as Jesus loves us.  Jesus loved Zacchaeus—a great sinner — and by that love, Zacchaeus was transformed.  As parents or teachers, can we lovingly accept our children without first setting up for them standards of behavior as conditions for being loved?  Just as Jesus loved Zacchaeus, even though he was a public sinner, so we must love others in spite of their sins.  Jesus expects this of us.  3) We need to be set free from selfishness and choose generosity: Zacchaeus was changed from being greedy to being generous, from selfishness to selflessness.  When we feel the warmth of God’s presence within us, that warmth will, in itself, melt our coldness and selfishness, leading us to repentance and generosity.  (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ L/23

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

  Nov 22 Wednesday: (St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr): For a short biography, click here:  Lk 19:11-28: 11 As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of  God was to appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.’ 14 But his citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, `We do not want this man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came before him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.’ 17..28

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to trust God enough to make use of the gifts and abilities He has given us.  We may be especially talented in teaching children, or cooking meals, or repairing homes, or programming computers.  Let us use our particular gifts in the service of our families, our Christian community, and the wider society.  2) We need to make use of our talents in our parish.  We should be always willing to share our abilities in creative worship in the Church and in the various ministries in our parish, such as Sunday-school teacher, singer in the choir, volunteer, and/or member of one or more of the various parish organizations and community outreach programs.  3) We need to trade with our talent of Christian Faith: All of us in the Church today have received at least one talent namely, the gift of Faith.  Our responsibility is not just to preserve and “keep” the Faith, but to work with it and grow with it. We need to promote and add value to Faith by living it out.  (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

  Nov 23 Thursday: Thanksgiving Day in the U. S. (St. Clement I , Pope, Martyr; St. Columban, Abbot; Blessed Miguel Agustine Pro, Priest, Martyr (U.S.A.)

1-PAGE SYNOPSIS OF THANKSGIVING DAY HOMILY- NOV 23,2023

Introduction: Today is a day of national thanksgiving 1) for the blessings and protection God has given us; 2) for our democratic government and the prosperity we enjoy; 3) for our freedom of speech and religion; and 4) for the generosity and good will of our people.

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) Let us be thankful and let us learn to express our thanks daily: a) to God for His innumerable blessings, providential care and protection and for the unconditional pardon given to us for our daily sins and failures; b) to our parents – living and dead – for the gift of life and Christian training and the good examples they gave us; c) to our relatives and friends for their loving support and timely help and encouragement; d) to our pastors, teachers, doctors, soldiers, police, and government officers for the sincere service they render us. (Fr. Tony) L/23

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

 Mass of the day out side the USA: Lk 19:41-44   41 As he drew near and saw the city he wept over it, 42 saying, “Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes.  43 For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank about you and surround you, and hem you in on every side, 44 and dash you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation.”

Context: It was when two-and-a-half million people were present in Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish feast of Passover that Jesus’ followers paraded with him for a distance of two miles from the Mount of Olives to the city of Jerusalem.  But when the procession reached the spot from which there was a magnificent view of the city of Jerusalem, Jesus started to weep.  Later, Jesus explained why he loved the city, which was the center of Judaism, Yahweh’s promised place of terrestrial residence, and the culminating point of Jesus’ public ministry.  He could not foresee without tears its destruction in A.D. 70 by Titus, who would totally demolish the Temple and the city after massacring most of its residents. Jesus explained the destruction of the city as a punishment from God because its inhabitants had failed to recognize the time of their visitation.  In other words, Jerusalem had closed her doors, and her inhabitants had closed their hearts, to the salvific coming and message of the Redeemer.  In spite of Jesus’ preaching and healing ministry among the Chosen people, they had largely rejected him, and their leaders were planning to crucify him.

 Life messages: 1) Jesus visits each one of us as our Lord and Savior and teaches us through the instruction and preaching of the Church.  We hear Jesus’ voice when we read Holy Scripture, and Jesus offers us forgiveness of sins and grace through the Sacraments.  So we should not reject Jesus or his message as the Jews did, nor remain indifferent to him, but listen to God’s warning about our need to repent, renew our lives, and walk in God’s ways of peace and holiness.

2) We are the temples of the Holy Spirit, and we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by harboring jealousy, discrimination, injustice, or impurity in our hearts (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

  Nov 24 Friday: (St. Andrew Dung -Lac, Priest and Companions, Martyrs) Lk 19: 45-48: 45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, `My house shall be a house of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47 And he was teaching daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him; 48 but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people hung upon his words.

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

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the business mentality of loss and profit in Divine worship.  Our relationship with God must be that of child-to-parent, with no thought of loss or gain, but only of mutual love, respect, and the common good.  2) Secondly, we need to remember that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit.  Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by acts of impurity, injustice, pride, hatred, or jealousy.   3) We need to love our parish Church and use it.  Our Church is the place where we come together as a community to praise and worship God, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask pardon and forgiveness for our sins, and to receive His offered healing and nourishment.  Let us make our Church an even more holy place by adding our prayers and songs to community worship and by offering our time and talents in the various ministries of our parish. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 25 Saturday:  (St. Catherine of Alexandria, Virgin, Martyr); Lk 20: 27-40: 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that there is no resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; 30 and the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died.  32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” 34 And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage; 35-40

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to live the lives of Resurrection people: That is, we are not to lie buried in the tomb of our sins and evil habits.  Instead, we are to live joyful and peaceful lives, constantly experiencing the Real Presence of the Risen Lord Who gives us the assurance that our bodies also will be raised. 2) The salutary thought of our own resurrection and eternal glory should also inspire us to honor our bodies, keeping them holy, pure, and free from evil habits, and to respect those with whom we come in contact, rendering them loving and humble service. (Fr. Kadavil) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

 

OT XXXIII [A] (Nov 19) Eight-minute homily in one page (L/23)

Introduction: This penultimate Sunday of the liturgical year reminds us not only of the end of the liturgical year but also of the end of all things and of the preparations we need to make to reach Heaven. The main theme of the three readings is an invitation to live in such a way that we make the best use of the talents God has given us, so that at the hour of our death Our Lord will say: “Well done, my good and faithful servant!… Come and share the joy of your master” Mt 25: 21).

The Scripture lessons: The first reading suggests that we should be as diligent and industrious as a loyal and faithful wife, in the use of our God-given gifts and talents with “the fear of the Lord.” Unlike the one-talent man, she takes her gifts and “brings forth good, not evil”; she “reaches her hands to the poor and extends her arms to the needy.” In today’s Responsorial Psalm, Ps 128, the Psalmist echoes the concept of the blessedness of the faithful servant of the Lord. The Psalm affirms that the fear of the Lord is the key to human happiness and success. In the second reading, Paul advises us to keep awake and be sober, encouraging and building each other up as we wait for the “Day of the Lord.” He challenges the Thessalonians to turn fear of the Lord into positive, constructive and life-affirming action. Today’s Gospel challenges us to ask the questions: Are we using our talents and gifts primarily to serve God? Are we doing everything we can to carry out God’s will? The parable of the talents challenges us to do something positive, constructive and life-affirming with our talents here and now.

Life messages: 1) We need to trust God enough to make use of the gifts and abilities we have been given. We may be especially talented in teaching children or cooking meals or repairing homes or programming computers. So, we should ask ourselves how we are using our particular gifts in the service of our Christian community and the wider society.

2) We need to make use of our talents in our parish. In addition to our homes and families, the best place to do this is in our parish. This means that we should be always willing to share our abilities in creative worship in the Church and in various ministries of our parish, such as Extraordinary Minister of the Eucharist, lector, usher, Sunday school teacher, singer in the choir, volunteer, and member of one or more parish organizations and community outreach programs.

3) We need to “trade” with our talent of Christian Faith: All of us in the Church today have received at least one talent namely, the gift of Faith. Our responsibility is not just to preserve and “keep” the Faith, but to work with it. We need to promote and add value to Faith by living it out. The way to preserve the Faith, or any other talent that God has given us, is to put it to work and make it bear fruit.

OT 33 [A] (Nov 19): Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31; I Thes 5:1-6; Mt 25:14-30

Homily starter anecdotes: 1) Chance-taking adventurous voyagers. Columbus trusted his maps and calculations, considered his risks and sailed off to encounter the “new world.”  Magellan based his charts and maps on the most current information then available, and boldly circumnavigated the world.  A few centuries later in their search for a Northwest Passage, Lewis and Clark set off, crossed the entire North American continent, explored and mapped previously unknown territory in the west. All these explorers had at least one thing in common.  They all based their momentous journeys on maps that were mostly inaccurate, hopelessly flawed or vastly mistaken.  Yet each of these adventurers went ahead, accepted the risks, plunged into unknown territories and changed the world.  It is precisely because of their risk-taking that the map of the planet was re-drawn and the dreams of future generations were re-shaped.  Those without the vision, without the courage to take risks, are quick to label others as crazy, crackpots, fools and failures. — In the parable of the talents this week, Jesus gives a stern warning: discipleship does not promise complete safety.  On the contrary, true disciples are called to take risks and venture beyond the known and the secure, trusting in His grace.

2) Play it safe: There is an old story about two farmers visiting over a fence in early Spring.  “Jake,” the first one said, “What are you going to plant this year, corn?”  “Nope,” Jake replied, “scared of the corn borer.”  “Well, what about potatoes?” his neighbor asked.  “Nope, too much danger of potato bugs,” announced Jake. The neighbor pressed on, “Well, then, what are you going to plant?” Jake answered, “Nothing! I’m going to play it safe.” —  In today’s Gospel Jesus tells the story of a lazy servant like Jake, who buried his talent instead of doing business with it.

2) The man who did not bury his talent: Antonio Stradivari was born in Cremona, Italy, in 1644.  Because Antonio’s voice was high and squeaky, he did not pass the audition for the Cremona Boys’ Choir.  When he took violin lessons, the neighbors persuaded his parents to make him stop.  Yet Antonio still wanted to make music.  His friends made fun of him because his only talent was wood-carving.  When Antonio was 22, he became an apprentice to a well-known violinmaker, Nicholas Amati.  Under his master’s training Antonio’s knack for carving grew, and his hobby became his craft.  He started his own violin shop when he was 36.  He worked patiently and faithfully.  By the time he died at 93, he had built over 1,500 violins, each one bearing a label that read, “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno……”  (“Antonio Stradivarius of Cremona made in the year…”)  They are the most sought-after violins in the world and sell for more than $100,000 each.  — Antonio couldn’t sing or play or preach or teach, but he used the   ability he had, and his violins are still making beautiful music.  Antonio is a challenge to people who have only a single talent and who try to bury the talent for fear of failure — like the lazy servant in Jesus’ parable.

Introduction: This penultimate Sunday of the liturgical year reminds us not only of the end of the liturgical year but also of the end of all things and of the preparations we need to make to reach Heaven.  The main theme of the three readings is an invitation to live in such a way that we make the best use of the talents God has given us, so that at the hour of our death Our Lord will say: “Well done, my good and faithful servant! Come and share the joy of your master” Mt 25: 21).  The first reading suggests that we should be as diligent and industrious as a loyal and faithful wife in the use of our God-given gifts with “the fear of the Lord.” In today’s Responsorial Psalm, Ps 128, the Psalmist echoes the concept of the blessedness of the faithful servant of the Lord. The Psalm affirms that the fear of the Lord is the key to human happiness and success. In the second reading, Paul advises us to keep awake and be sober, encouraging and building each other up as we wait for the “Day of the Lord.” He challenges the Thessalonians to turn fear of the Lord into positive, constructive and life-affirming action.  Today’s Gospel challenges us to ask the questions: Are we using our talents and gifts primarily to serve God?  Are we doing everything we can to carry out God’s will? The parable of the talents challenges us to do something positive, constructive and life-affirming with our talents here and now.

First reading, Proverbs (31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31) explained: The book of Proverbs is the best place to find practical advice about life.  This first reading describes a good and faithful woman – a gracious wife and mother – who does all her household duties faithfully and efficiently and finds time to reach out a helping hand to the poor and the needy. Unlike the “wicked, lazy servant” in the Gospel, this faithful and loving wife works diligently to bring good to others and is judged praiseworthy for increasing the quality of life within and around her. Since she practices love for both God and neighbor it has pleased God to say: “Her value is far beyond a pearl” (v 10).  This reading suggests that we should be as diligent and industrious as a loyal and faithful wife in the use of our God-given gifts. Unlike the one-talent man, she takes her gifts and “brings forth good, not evil” (v 12); she “reaches her hands to the poor and extends her arms to the needy” (v 20). The author of Proverbs believes everyone should be creatively and lovingly active. Writing against a cultural background which stressed the exploits of men, the Sacred Author sees the “worthy wife” (v 10), as a dynamic, ingenious individual.  Hence, the ideal Old Testament woman is no empty-headed sex object but a model held up for imitation by both women and men.

Second Reading, (1 Thessalonians 5:1-6) explained: When the Thessalonians first accepted the Christian Faith, they thought that their imitation of Jesus’ death and Resurrection would be a short-term experience.  Everyone, including Paul, was certain that Jesus’ Second Coming was very near. As time went on without that Coming, the Thessalonian Church seethed with rumors about its exact date. People were more concerned with “times and seasons” of Christ’s second coming than with living their Faith.  Paul assured his readers that it was foolish to worry about the “day of the Lord” (v 2).  Instead of expecting an imminent Parousia, Christians should always “stay alert and sober,” (v 6), doing their duties faithfully.  “We belong neither to darkness nor to night; therefore, let us not be asleep like the rest, but awake and sober!” (vv 5-6). Paul means that our wholehearted dedication to the responsibilities of Christian living will earn for us the Lord’s praise at the Final Judgment.  Paul reminds us that the children of light are destined not for wrath but for salvation when the Lord comes.  He warns us that the Day of the Lord will come “like a thief in the night” (v 4), when we least expect it.  Thus, we should keep awake and be sober, encouraging and building each other up as we wait for the “Day of the Lord.”  Only those who live each day to the fullest will be ready when Jesus’ special Day arrives.

Gospel Exegesis: The context: The parable is set in the last of Jesus’ five great discourses — this one   focusing on Jesus’ eschatological teaching.  The three parables in the twenty-fifth chapter of Matthew (The Wise and Foolish Virgins, The Talents, The Last Judgment) are about the end times, the end of the world, and the end (intent, purpose, and upshot) of our lives.  Matthew’s account provided good advice to the early Christian community as to how they are to behave in this period following Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension while they await his imminent second coming.  Whatever had been given to them — money, talent, opportunity — was meant to bear fruit for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. The same is true for all of us. Perhaps, Jesus was condemning the Jewish religious authorities. They were like the third servant, so carefully bent on preserving in its purity the tradition with which they had been entrusted that they lost their openness for new things and refused to accept Jesus’ message. In the early community the parable was allegorized. The master was equated with Christ, his departure with the ascension, and his delayed return with the delay of the Parousia or the “second coming.”

The story: A very rich person, about to set off on a journey, entrusted very large sums of money (talents) to three of his slave servants, each according to his personal ability:  five, two, and one.  A talent was worth between five and six thousand denarii — or about 15 years’ wages for a simple day laborer.  Even one talent could be worth more than a laborer would earn in a lifetime. The rich man freely bestowed responsibility and a chance for unsupervised action on all three slaves.  These amounts were enormous to these slaves who had nothing and earned nothing.  Through skillful trading and investing, the slave with the five talents managed to make five more — doubling his master’s money.  The slave with the two talents did the same.  The third slave buried his talent in the ground.  He was afraid to take the risk, afraid of the consequences of losing all the money, and afraid of the master’s reaction if he did.  On the day of accounting, the master rewarded the two clever slaves (“Come, share your master’s joy” vv 21, 23), but punished the third slave whom he called “wicked and slothful” (v. 26).  He took the third slave’s talent and gave it to the first slave.  Clearly the master did not want security — but initiative.  He exposed the third slave’s explanation as a mere excuse for irresponsibility and laziness.  Even the most timid person could at least have invested the one talent with bankers and gained the interest from it, the master pointed out (v 27).

The four lessons taught by Jesus through the parable.

1) God gives each person different gifts for his or her intended uses.  Everything is gift, and everything is meant to be given back in service of love for the Lord. We are only asked to make full use of what we have been uniquely given and to use our talents for the benefit of the community as a whole. The human family is charged with preserving the beauty, diversity, and integrity of nature as well as fostering its productivity. (2) The better our work the greater our responsibility.  God gives more responsibilities to those who make the best use of their God-given talents.  (3) The lazy and the unproductive will be punished.  Even the person with only one talent has something to offer to others.  If he fails to do some positive good work, he will lose what he has.  If he tries and fails, he will meet compassion and forgiveness.  (4) God blesses generous sharers and punishes the selfish hoarders.  Those who share generously the gifts they have been given are likely to find themselves constantly and immeasurably enriched, while those who jealously and selfishly preserve, out of fear, what they have been given, will lose it.  In short, the parable outlines the result of abundant, grace-filled stewardship of God’s resources. A person who does not refuse a gift of the Lord’s receives it and consequently has more. The trustworthiness of the profitable servants ensures their share in the “joy of the Lord.” because the wealth of life and talent given them has  been invested to bear fruit in labors of faith, hope, and charity.

The challenge given by the parable: Take the risk for Christ. God, who risked everything in the person of Jesus Christ for the sake of our salvation, expects us to do more than simply cling to safety.  Hence, Jesus is encouraging his followers not to be afraid but, trusting in his help, to take chances in using their talents for the glory of God and for the salvation of their neighbors.  Overwhelmed by the fear of being eternally condemned to Hell, many of us identify ourselves with the servant who quickly buried the talent he received from his master.  Our concern with our eternal salvation is so intense that we concentrate only on the possibility of loss and become afraid to risk extending love to others in our spiritual life.  We presume that forming relationships is always risky, and showing love to another might mean having to change our actions to meet the needs of that other.  There’s always a danger we might “do the wrong thing” and lose the grace we have. The parable teaches us that a “take-no-chances” policy is not Christian.

The object lesson: Our lame excuses invite punishment: The third servant decided to avoid risk-taking and showed too much caution with money.  His excuse was that, after all, he had not been given explicit orders about how to do his investing.  Besides, any type of business is risky and the master might hold him accountable for any loss.  He probably knew as well  the long-standing rabbinic teaching that anyone who buries money that has been put into his care is no longer liable for its safety. Through this description of a lazy servant Jesus teaches us that that there is no “safe” position in life.  Christian living is strenuous business involving occasional risk-taking.  God expects us to use our every talent for personal growth, community service, and religious witness.  Hence, this parable reminds us of the terrible punishments which lie in store for those who do not produce new spiritual wealth from the talents God has placed in their stewardship.   “While the parable of the wise and foolish virgins shows that “good intentions are not enough,” and the last judgment story reminds us to care for the poor and needy, this parable of the talents describes the “terrible punishments which lie in store for those who do not produce new wealth from the talents God has placed in their stewardship.” (Letter by the Lay Commission on Catholic Social Teaching and the U.S. Economy).

 Life messages: 1) We need to trust God enough to make use of the gifts and abilities we have been given.  Some of us are clearly very gifted with valuable abilities, but there is no one, absolutely no one, who can say he has been gifted with nothing. We may be especially talented in teaching children or cooking meals or repairing homes or programming computers.  So, we should ask ourselves how we are using our particular gifts in the service of our Christian community and the wider society.  Why not follow the example of people who use their God-given talents the best way possible, like, for instance, nursing assistants who take great pride in keeping their patients clean and comfortable, or carpenters who gain enormous satisfaction from building quality homes, or teachers who find joy in the discoveries of the classroom, or attorneys who keep the goal of justice at the very center of their practices?

2) We need to make use of our talents in our parish. God calls us to live in a world of abundance by taking risks and being generous. In addition to our homes and families, the best place to do this is in our parish.  This means that we should be always willing to share our abilities in creative worship in the Church and innovative educational events in the Sunday school.   We can fulfill needs we will find right in our parish: feeding the hungry, visiting the sick or the elderly, housing the homeless, and welcoming strangers in our midst.  We need to make the bold assumption that there’s going to be a demand for every one of our talents in our parish community.  We should step out, with confidence, believing that every God-given gift we have is going to be exceedingly useful and fruitful!

3) We need to “trade” with our talent of Christian Faith: All of us in the Church today have received at least one talent. We have received the gift of Faith. Our responsibility as men and women of Faith is not just to preserve and “keep” the Faith. We need to work with it. We need to offer it to the men and women of our times. Unless we do this, we stand in danger of losing the Faith just as the third servant lost his talent. The way to preserve the Faith, or any other talent that God has given us, is to put it to work and make it bear fruit.

JOKES OF THE WEEK: (1) How to stay safe without taking risk: First, avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of all fatal accidents. Second.  Do not stay home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home. Third, avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents occur to pedestrians. Fourth, avoid traveling by air, rail, or water because 16% of all accidents     involve these forms of transportation. Fifth,  of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in Hospitals.  So, above     all else, avoid hospitals.     BUT, you will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in worship services in Church, and these are usually related to previous physical disorders. —  Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for you to be at any given point in time is at Church!  And, Bible study is safe too.  The percentage of deaths during Bible study is even smaller.  So for SAFETY’S sake, attend Church, and read your Bible.  IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

(2)   Have you heard the old parachute joke about the guy who was having trouble trusting? His friend said, “I know the best solution for your problem. A parachute jump will fix your problem of trust and lack of confidence.”  So, they took this guy up for a jump.  But just before he was to jump he got very nervous. His friend assured him, “It’s very easy.  You jump out, and then pull the rip cord. If for some reason it doesn’t work, you pull the second cord, which is a back-up – guaranteed absolutely to work!  Trust me!  Then you just enjoy your trip down and a car will be waiting for you and will drive you back to the airport.”  So, the guy jumped out of the plane.  He pulled the rip cord and nothing happened.  “Oh, no!” he thought.  “I’ll pull the back-up cord.”  He did.  Nothing happened. And the guy said to himself, “Oh, no!  And I bet the car won’t be there either”

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 A 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) Our Sunday Visitor:  http://www.osv.com

7) Resources on tithing @ stewardship: http://www.kluth.org/1quotes.htm

8) Detect Hoax Emails: http://www.geocities.com/tbchambers/vaccine.htm

9) Sr. Ursuline using her musical talent; https://youtu.be/TpaQYSd75Ak

     26-Additional anecdotes:

1) Using one’s talents: Booker T. Washington started life as a slave. At the age of sixteen, he walked almost five hundred miles from his slave home to Hampton Institute in Virginia. When he got there, he was told that classes were already filled. But that didn’t stop him. He took a job at the school doing menial jobs: sweeping floors and making beds and anything they wanted just so he could be around the environment of learning. He did these jobs so well that the faculty found room for him as a student. He worked his way up at the school, became a famous teacher, the first black faculty member at Hampton Institute. He became a writer and the author of Up From Slavery. He was a popular public speaker. And he eventually founded Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, where he brought George Washington Carver to teach and do all his research which changed and improved farming techniques. — Booker T. Washington made the effort to use his God-given talents and we all gained from it.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) Buried talent: Niccolò Paganini (1782 –1840) was an Italian violinist, violist, guitarist, and composer. He was one of the most celebrated violin vituosi of his time, and left his mark as one of the pillars of modern violin technique. His Caprice No. 24 in A minor, Op. 1, is among the best known of his compositions, and has served as an inspiration for many prominent composers. But he willed his violin to the city of his birth, Genoa, Italy, with the condition that the violin never again be played. — What a pity! The absence of use and handling resulted in the decay of the wood used in the instrument. A violin that is constantly used can be preserved and, in some cases, even grow richer in tone for hundreds of years, Paginini’s wish had resulted in the crumbling of his precious violin in its case.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “If only I had her looks.” There is a story of the thirty-eight-year-old scrubwoman who would go to the movies and sigh, “If only I had her looks.” She would listen to a singer and moan, “If only I had her voice.” Then one day someone gave her a copy of the book, The Magic of Believing. She stopped comparing herself with actresses and singers. She stopped crying about what she didn’t have and started concentrating on what she did have. She took inventory of herself and remembered that in high school she had had a reputation for being the funniest girl around. She began to turn her liabilities into assets. When she was at the top of her career, Phyllis Diller made over $1 million a year. In the 1960’s that was a great deal of money. She wasn’t good-looking and she had a scratchy voice, but she could make people laugh. — Maybe God is saying something like that to us through today’s parable of the talents. Maybe when we complain that we wish that we had more, if only we were like someone other than ourselves, if only… He says to us: “Use the gifts I have given you!” Stop crying about what you do not have and start concentrating on what you do have. Use the gifts that God has given you.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “Where is the piccolo?” Sir Michael Costa, the celebrated conductor of the 19th century, was holding a rehearsal. As the mighty chorus rang out accompanied by scores of instruments, the musician playing the piccolo –a little pint-sized flute–thinking perhaps that his contribution would not be missed amid so much music, stopped playing. Suddenly, the great leader stopped and cried out, “Where is the piccolo?” The sound of that one small instrument was necessary to the harmony, and the Master Conductor missed it when it dropped out. The point? — To the Conductor there are no insignificant instruments in an orchestra. Sometimes the smallest and seemingly least important one can make the greatest contribution even if it doesn’t seem to make that big a difference. Like the piccolo player in Sir Michael’s orchestra, we often in our own sovereignty decide that our contribution is not significant. — But the Conductor immediately notices. From our perspective, our contribution may be small, but from His, it is crucial. For all piccolos who won’t play, or at least aren’t playing, Jesus has something to say: “Use the gifts that God has given you.”(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

5) “Do you want a chance to change the world?”: Steven Jobs is the man who founded the enormously successful company called Apple Computer. Jobs decided that Mr. John Sculley was the man he needed to help him fulfill his dream of building a completely different kind of computer company, one which would make computers available to every person in the world. However, Mr. Sculley was comfortably and safely entrenched as president of the Pepsico Corporation, the makers of the soft drink Pepsi. In this position, John Sculley had obtained everything that a man could want: power, prestige, public recognition, an enormous salary and a secure future. The thought of a career change requiring a move to the West Coast frightened him. He was concerned about losing pensions and deferred compensation and the adjustment to living in California, in other words, “the pragmatic stuff that preoccupies the middle-aged.” He says, “I was overly concerned with what would happen next week and the week after next.” John Sculley knew that he was safe and happy at Pepsico. But he also knew that he had grown to dislike the competitive nature of the business. He also knew how bored he was. Steven Jobs at Apple Computer sensed this. And so, he finally confronted his new friend with this pointed question. He said to John, “Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared water or do you want a chance to change the world?” That question penetrated deep into the heart and mind of John Sculley. It changed the course of his life. He therefore went to Apple Computer and helped it to grow into one of the most successful corporations in the world. —  Mr. Sculley’s life was changed because he took the risk and decided to invest in himself and others, and to grow. [John Sculley, Odyssey (New York: Harper & Row, 1987), p. 90.](https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Talents- use them or lose them: There was an American businessman by the name of Wilson. He was tired of the Great Depression, rising taxes, and increasing crime, and in 1940 he sold his home and business and moved to an island in the South Pacific to get away from it all. Balmy and ringed with beautiful beaches, it was a paradise. Sounds like the perfect setting doesn’t it.  — You know the name of the island? Iwo Jima! For those too young to recall, Iwo Jima, was an island where the fiercest fighting between American forces and the Japanese took place in the Second World War. There is no escape from living:  you have to use your talent or lose it.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7) “What we are about is faithfulness.” Back in the 1940’s Clarence Jordon founded a farm in Americus, Georgia, and called it Koinonia Farm. Koinonia was a community of poor whites and blacks who cooperated in earning a living. The integrated status of the community bothered many local citizens. They tried everything possible to wreck Koinonia. They boycotted its farm products, and slashed the workers’ tires when they came to town. Finally, in 1954, the Ku Klux Klan decided to get rid of Koinonia Farms. One night they came and burned every building except Dr. Jordon’s home. They chased off all of the families except for the Jordons and one black family. The next day a local newspaper reporter came to the farm to see what remained. The rubble was still smoldering. But Clarence Jordon was busy planting and hoeing. With a haughty spirit, the reporter said to Dr. Jordon, “Well, you got two of those PhDs and you’ve put fourteen years into this farm, and there’s nothing left to show for it. Just how successful do you think you’ve been?” Clarence stopped hoeing, turned toward the reporter with his penetrating eyes, and said quietly but firmly, “Sir, I don’t think you understand us Christians. What we are about is not success; what we are about is faithfulness.” — In order to be faithful, we must be willing to take risks for that One who dared to march into the very jaws of Hell for us.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) Earl Fitz was a doer. According to a recent article in Christianity Today, Fitz is 81 years young and he has been the mayor of Iowa Falls, Iowa four times. But that’s the easy part. In Earl’s mid-fifties he left his teaching job and began a new career, selling Bibles. Earl bought 10,000 Bibles from a publisher getting out of Bible sales and sold them all. Today, Earl is the founder and president of Riverside Book and Bible House, which sold $33 million worth of books last year. He’s succeeded with a lot of hard work and a commitment to get Bibles into the homes of America. — Earl began a new career when most are preparing for retirement. He wasn’t ready to buy into that classic American line, “I’ve done my time, I owe myself some easy livin’.” And he’s going strong nearly thirty years later [Christianity Today (August 17, 1987), p. 14ff.] I believe Jesus loves the Earl Fitzes of this world. That is the lesson of the parable of the talents.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) LVA: result of using one’s talents:  Ruth Colvin was shocked at her hometown’s illiteracy rate. So, she decided that God would have her do something about it. “I felt strongly motivated by the Parable of the Talents,” she says. “We’re responsible for making good use of the knowledge we’re given.” So Ruth, a teacher, set up a makeshift office in her suburban basement, filing important matters in an old refrigerator, and launched Literacy Volunteers of America in 1962. — Today, LVA has helped 90,000 people learn to read thanks to a grandmotherly woman who saw a need and put her talents to work meeting it. [Today’s Christian Woman (January/February 1987), p. 23.] Life is a gift. We live in a wonderful world of opportunity.

10) Use the gift of your vote: One voter in each precinct in the United States can determine the next President of the United States. In 1948 just one additional vote in each precinct would have elected Thomas Dewey as President. In 1960 one vote in each precinct in Illinois would have elected Richard Nixon as President. Thomas Jefferson was elected President by one vote in the Electoral College. So was John Quincy Adams. Rutherford B. Hays was elected President by one vote. One vote gave Statehood to California, Idaho, Oregon, Texas, and Washington. The Draft Act of World War II passed the House by one vote. — Your one vote is important, and a spiritual gift is just like a vote. You either use it or you lose it.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) One-note opera: Charles L. Allen once told about a composer named Gioachino Rossini who would go out to some small village in Italy one which could not afford an opera and he would write an opera which the people of that village could perform. One summer, he auditioned all of the talent in this small village, and the only woman who could possibly be a leading lady was limited to only one good note. It was a middle B-flat. Rossini was not discouraged; he went right ahead and wrote the opera in which the leading lady had only that one note to sing. But, he surrounded that middle B-flat with such beautiful harmony that when she sang her one note, it was like an angel from heaven. — That is what happens when we offer our meager gifts to God.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) “Life is just a tiny little minute, / But eternity is in it.” : Herman Cain, CEO and president of Godfather’s Pizza, Incorporated, is an African-American man who was raised in poverty. He credits his hard-working father for his success in life. Throughout Herman’s life, his father worked three or four jobs at a time in order to support his family. In addition to his father, Herman Cain also found inspiration from Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, a former president of Morehouse College. Dr. Mays taught Herman a poem that has guided him through the ups and downs of life. It is as follows:

“Life is just a minute/ Only sixty seconds in it,

Forced upon you, can’t refuse it./ Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it,

But it’s up to you to use it./ You must suffer if you lose it,

Give an account if you abuse it,

Just a tiny little minute,/ But eternity is in it.” (2)

— This catchy little poem perfectly captures our first point for today. According to Jesus, parable of the kingdom, we will be held accountable for our “stewardship” of our lives.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) “But the recruiting office is on the other side of the street!” The French Army was having a campaign to recruit paratroopers. On one of the busiest streets in Paris they placed their poster. It read like this: “Young Men! Join the parachutist forces of France. It is more dangerous to cross this street than to jump with a parachute.” The poster was a great success until someone scribbled this message at the bottom of the poster: “I would gladly join, but the recruiting office is on the other side of the street!” [Eric W. Johnson, A Treasury of Humor, (New York: Ivy Books, 1994), p. 187.] — I doubt that many potential parachutists were deterred by having to cross the street, but there are also many people who would never parachute no matter how safe it was. The very idea turns their knees to jelly. They don’t want to take any risk in life just like the lazy servant in Jesus’ parable.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) “Do you like the house?” J. Wallace Hamilton in his book What About Tomorrow? tells the story of a wealthy builder. He called in his top assistant manager and said, “I am going away for a while. While I am gone, I want you to oversee the building of my home. I am going to be retiring in a few years, I have these wonderful plans, and excellent parcels of land by the lake, and I want you to oversee the building of our home.” As he left on his journey, the assistant said to himself, “He lives in luxury and has done very little for me. When he retires, what will I have?” So the assistant used every opportunity to feather his own nest. He hired an immoral builder, he used inferior products, he hired inferior workmen and when the house was completed, it looked fine on the outside, but its deficiencies in workmanship and material would soon show as the test of time came. It was not a job “well done.” When the wealthy builder came back, he said, “Do you like the house?” The assistant manager replied, “Yes, I do.” The wealthy builder then asked, “Is this house beautiful?” “It certainly is,” the assistant manager replied. “Great,” said the wealthy builder, “because it is my gift to you. The house is yours.” — Each of us lives in the house we are building each day. Where are you in this story tonight?(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) “If you are lonely or have a problem call me.” Tony Campolo told of meeting a woman who is confined to a wheelchair. Although Nancy had a handicapping condition, she developed a unique ministry to people who are lonely and hurting. Nancy ran ads in the personals section of the newspaper that read: “If you are lonely or have a problem call me. I am in a wheelchair and seldom get out. We can share our problems with each other. Just call. I’d love to talk.” From that simple ad the results were truly amazing. Nancy claims that she receives at least thirty calls each week from persons who need someone to talk to and listen to their pain. Nancy spends most of her day comforting and counseling people. She has become someone for hundreds of people with problems to lean on. Campolo asked her how she became handicapped. Nancy’s answer surprised, even shocked him. “By trying to commit suicide,” she said. Nancy went on to explain, “I was living alone. I had no friends. I hated my job, and I was constantly depressed.” Nancy decided to jump from the window of her apartment “to end it all. But instead of being killed, she ended up in the hospital paralyzed from the waist down. While she was in the hospital, Nancy said, “Jesus appeared to me and told me that I’d had a healthy body and a crippled soul but from then on I would have a crippled body and a healthy soul. I gave my life to Christ right there and then,” she said. “When I got out of the hospital, I tried to think of how a woman like me in a wheelchair could do some good, and I came up with the idea of putting the ad in the newspaper.” [Wake Up America! Tony Campolo (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 1991), pp. 87-88.] — Nancy does not have some of the opportunities you and I have. But she is making maximum use of the opportunities she has. She is among the blessed of this world. Today’s Gospel challenges us to show gratitude to God by making use of the talents which God has given to us.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) There are actually seven forms of intelligence: There is a psychologist at Harvard named Howard Gardner who is trying to revolutionize the study of intelligence. He says we have been studying I.Q. all wrong. On our intelligence tests we only measure one or two forms of intelligence. Gardner says that there are actually seven forms of intelligence. Some people are gifted with linguistic intelligence, he says. These are our writers and poets. Others have what he calls logical/mathematical intelligence. They make good accountants and scientists. Some people are gifted spatially. These are our artists and architects. Some are gifted kinesthetically. Their bodies are unusually graceful and coordinated. These are our athletes and dancers. Others are gifted interpersonally. They know instinctively how to get along well with the people around them. These are our sales persons, counselors, teachers. Some are gifted in their ability to look within. These are our philosophers “our wise people.” Some are gifted musically. — Here is the important point. Gardner claims that everyone he has ever tested has scored high on at least one of these seven forms of intelligence. All of us are gifted in our own way. Many of us are smarter than we think we are. Don’t you wish that someone had told you that a long time ago? Do tell your children, please. Many of them will go through life thinking they are dumb because their form of intelligence is not valued in school. All of us are gifted. All of us have what we need to succeed. God has created us differently so that different tasks will get done in this world. But all of us have a place where we fit in. All of us have what we need to succeed. WE ALL HAVE WHAT WE NEED TO SUCCEED. God has given us all we need! The sad thing is that we do not appreciate the gifts we have.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) Give it your best shot! Tom Dempsey was born without a right hand and with only half a right foot. Tom went to school and played football. He even played on a junior college team in California. In time he began to place kick for the team. He got so good that eventually he was signed by the New Orleans Saints. On November 8, 1970, the Saints were trailing Detroit 17-16 with two seconds to go. They had the ball on the Detroit 45-yard line. New Orleans coach J. D. Roberts tapped Tom on the shoulder and said, “Go out there and give it your best shot!” The holder set the ball down eight yards behind the line of scrimmage, instead of seven, to give Dempsey a split second more time to get the ball off. This put the ball 63 yards from the uprights. The rest of the story is history. Tom’s half a right foot made perfect contact. Tom later said in Newsweek Magazine: “I couldn’t follow the ball that far. But I saw the official’s arms go up, and I can’t describe how great I felt.” The Saints won the game 19-17, and Dempsey shattered the NFL field goal record by seven yards. — What does this story have to do with today’s Scripture readings – especially Jesus’ point in today’s Gospel? (Mark Link S. J. quoted by Fr. Botelho)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

18) Sharing the best you have: Mother Theresa of Calcutta was summoned to the court on the charges of converting children to the Catholic faith. When she stood in the dock, the judge asked her if the charges were true. She asked for a baby to be given to her. She held the baby in her arms and said, “This child I picked up from the dust bin; I don’t know to what religion this child belongs or what language it speaks… I give this child my love, my time, my care, my food… but the best thing that I have in my life is the faith in Jesus Christ. Can’t I give this child the best I have in my life?” — The case was dismissed in favour of Mother Theresa. (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 19) Wasted talent: I don’t believe there is any such thing as a born footballer, or writer, or painter. But Paul came very close to being an exception. He was a star footballer. Of course, he had to work at it. But everybody agreed that he was a natural. He knew he was better than any of the kids around him. It came as no surprise when at fifteen he was snapped up by a top professional club. He didn’t have long to wait for his big chance. He had only just celebrated his sixteenth birthday when he found himself selected for the first team. He made an immediate impact. Almost overnight he shot from obscurity to fame.  From there on it was one success after another. Within two years he was the club’s leading scorer. By now he was also playing for his country. Everywhere football was talked about his name was mentioned. To the fans he was a hero. To the media he was celebrity. He reveled in his success. A few years ago, he had been a poor kid playing in the back streets of a provincial town. Now he was rich and famous. He married a beautiful model, drove a Mercedes, and was the envy of every schoolboy who played football. However, things soon started to go wrong. There were rumors that he was drinking heavily. The rumors proved to be well-founded. His football began to suffer. His personal life began disintegrating. His wife suddenly left him, claiming that he was selfish and immature. Sadly, Paul’s glittering career came to a premature end. He was remembered as much for the manner in which he squandered a rare talent as for what he achieved with it.  —  It is dangerous when a talent springs up overnight. Far better that it should grow up quietly and almost unnoticed, like a seed that grows into a tree. When a talent grows up like that, a kind of wholeness results. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday and Holy Day Liturgies; quoted by Fr. Botelho).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) Staying Awake: In his autobiography, Report to Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis recounts a conversation he once had with an old monk. Kazantzakis, a young man at the time, was visiting a monastery and was very taken by a famed ascetic, Father Makarios, who lived there. But a series of visits with the old monk left him with some ambivalent feelings as well. The monk’s austere lifestyle stirred a certain religious romanticism in Kazantzakis, but it repelled him too; he wanted the romanticism, but in a more-palatable way. Here’s their conversation as Kazantzakis records it: “Yours is a hard life, Father. I too want to be saved. Is there no other way?” “More agreeable?” “More human, Father.” “One, only one.” “What is that?”  “Ascent. To climb a series of steps. From the full stomach to hunger, from the slaked throat to thirst, from joy to suffering. God sits at the summit of hunger, thirst, and suffering; the devil sits at the summit of the comfortable life. Choose.” “ I am still young. The world is nice.  I have time to choose.” Reaching out, the old monk touched my knee and said: “Wake up, my child. Wake up before death wakes you up. I shuddered and said: “I am still young.”  “Death loves the young,” the old man replied. “The inferno loves the young. Life is like a lighted candle, easily extinguished. Take care—wake up!  Wake up! Wake up before death wakes you up!” —  In a less dramatic expression that’s a virtual leitmotif in the Gospels. Jesus is always telling us to wake up, to stay awake, to be vigilant, to be more alert to a deeper reality. What’s meant by that? How are we asleep to depth? How are we to wake up and stay awake? (Fr. Ron Roklster, Center for Liturgy). L/17(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) “That was the happiest moment of my life.” : It has been said that our true birthplace is the place in which we awaken to our gifts and talents. Often it takes an outsider to recognize the talents. Just as the sun helps to bring to birth the fragrant flowers that lie hidden in the soil of the fields, so there are people who find their fulfillment in helping to unfold the talents God has deposited in others. The Russian writer, Fydor Dostoevsky, was only 20 when he wrote his first book, entitled, Poor Folk. The foremost critic of the day was a man by the name of Belinksy. When Belinsky read the manuscript of the young Dostoevsky he said: “You have a great gift. Take good care of this gift and you will become a great writer.”  Dostoevsky was intoxicated by the words of the famous critic. Many years later he wrote, “That was the happiest moment of my life.” — The recognition of Belinsky confirmed him in his belief of his own talent. It did more. It launched him on his way. He spent the rest of his life expressing himself through his writing. One of our greatest needs is to express ourselves. Unless we express ourselves, we cannot realize or fulfill ourselves. Sadly, a lot of talent goes unexpressed. It is in living that we discover our talent. Every talent has to be discovered. A lot of discipline, patience and hard work are required if a talent has to bear full fruit. We see this in the first two servants in Jesus ‘story. We see the opposite of it in the case of the third servant. It wasn’t the harshness of the master that prevented him from using his talent, nor was it lack opportunity, He himself was to blame. We can’t take credit for our talent. Life is God’s gift to us. What we do with our life is our gift to God. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 22) “Today you have proved to me that there is a God in heaven!” The legendary American violinist, Yehudi Menuhin, was but seven when he performed Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in public. Aged ten, his violin recital at London’s Royal Albert Hall was so phenomenal that Albert Einstein who heard him reportedly whispered to the child prodigy, “Today you have proved to me that there is a God in Heaven!” — Indeed, when one experiences talent developed in so short a time, one gets a glimpse of God, a foretaste of heaven. Today’s readings suggest that God wants us to use our talents and treasures before time runs out. Francis Gonsalves in ‘Sunday Seeds for Daily              Deeds’ (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 23) The man who did not bury his talent: Antonio Stradivari was born in Cremona, Italy, in 1644.  Because Antonio’s voice was high and squeaky, he did not pass the audition for the Cremona Boys’ Choir.  When he took violin lessons, the neighbors persuaded his parents to make him stop.  Yet Antonio still wanted to make music.  His friends made fun of him because his only talent was wood-carving.  When Antonio was 22, he became an apprentice to a well-known violinmaker, Nicholas Amati.  Under his master’s training Antonio’s knack for carving grew, and his hobby became his craft.  He started his own violin shop when he was 36.  He worked patiently and faithfully.  By the time he died at 93, he had built over 1,500 violins, each one bearing a label that read, “Antonius Stradivarius Cremonensis Faciebat Anno……”  (“Antonio Stradivarius of Cremona made in the year…”)  They are the most sought-after violins in the world and sell for more than $100,000 each.  — Antonio couldn’t sing or play or preach or teach but he used the   ability he had, and his violins are still making beautiful music    today.  Antonio is a challenge to people who have only a single talent and who try to bury the talent for fear of failure — like the lazy servant in Jesus’ parable.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 24) “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!” Bertoldo de Giovanni is a name even the most enthusiastic lover of art is unlikely to recognize. He was the pupil of Donatello, the greatest sculptor of his time, and he was the teacher of Michelangelo, the greatest sculptor of all time. Michelangelo was only 14 years old when he came to Bertoldo, but it was already obvious that he was enormously gifted. Bertoldo was wise enough to realize that gifted people are often tempted to coast rather than to grow, and therefore he kept trying to pressure his young prodigy to work seriously at his art. —  One day he came into the studio to find Michelangelo toying with a piece of sculpture far beneath his abilities. Bertoldo grabbed a hammer, stomped across the room, and smashed the work into tiny pieces, shouting this unforgettable message, “Michelangelo, talent is cheap; dedication is costly!”  (Gary Inrig, A Call to Excellence).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) America’s Got Talent”is one of a dozen or more copy-cat “spin-offs” from the grand-daddy original “discover-unknown-talent” show, American Idol, a franchise we copied from Great Britain’s Pop Idol franchise. This genre of television (including The Voice, X-Factor and “America’s Got Talent“) focuses on finding that rare pearl of stardom embedded amidst the grit and gravel of everyday gifts. –Ferreting out someone’s ability to excel at something, identifying an individual’s unique “talent,” has its roots in this week’s Gospel text. In fact, you might call our text the original “talent contest.” In the first century a “talent” was actually a measure of weight for gold, silver and copper. We do know it was not a specific value of currency or wealth. We do not know exactly what the weight was that a “talent” measured. We do know it was recognized as the largest weight in normal everyday use. One “talent,” then, was a considerable amount, especially when it expressed the weight of such valuable commodities as gold and silver and copper. In this week’s Gospel parable these weighty “talents” are distributed by a master to his servants in varying amounts.

26) Caught Off-Guard: In 79 AD, the volcano Vesuvius, which rises just off the Bay of Naples, Italy, erupted violently and totally destroyed Pompeii, a city of 20,000 population. Much of the city was excavated in the nineteenth century, but archeologists are still uncovering certain neighborhoods. Sometimes the volcanic ash simply buried victims alive. Their bones have long since turned to dust, but the ash in many cases formed a firm mold around them at the moment of death; and by filling the mold with plaster, the excavators can obtain perfect images of those who died in the anguish of the disaster. In 1949 the archeologists reproduced a startling cast of one of the Pompeian victims. He lay face-down as if death had taken him completely unawares. In one hand was a small crowbar. In the other, clasped tight in his fist, were several gold coins. To all appearances he was a thief who had taken advantage of the confusion of others to break into a building and rob the owner. The gold had done him little good. — “… You are not in the dark, brothers, that the day should catch you off guard, like a thief.” (1 Thessalonians, 5:4. Today’s second reading). -Father Robert F. McNamara (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 61) 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

Nov 13-18: Click on http://frtonyshomilies.com for missed homilies):

Nov 13 Monday: St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Vigin USA): For a short biography, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-frances-xavier-cabrini Lk 17:1-6 1 And he said to his disciples, “Temptations to sin are sure to come; but woe to him by whom they come! 2 It would be better for him if a millstone were hung round his neck and he were cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin. 3 Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; 4 and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,’ you must forgive him.” 5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” 6 And the Lord said, “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this sycamore tree, `Be rooted up, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid giving scandal to any one because it causes a series of sins and does damage to a number of innocent victims. 2) We should ask God to enlarge our hearts to forgive others and to help us to be ready to grant forgiveness to those who have offended us. (Fr. Kadavil) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 14 Tuesday: : Lk 17:7-10: 7 “Will any one of you, who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, `Come at once and sit down at table’? 8 Will he not rather say to him, `Prepare supper for me, and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat and drink’? 9 Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? 10 So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, `We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to offer our prayers of thanksgiving and acts of charity to God so that we may grow in God’s grace. 2) We need to consider our service to our neighbors as a sacred duty we owe to God in return for His innumerable blessings. 3) God’s love and generosity should compel us to give Him the best that is in us as our acts of thanksgiving. (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/23)

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

Nov 15 Wednesday: (St. Albert the Great, Bishop, Doctor of the Church): For a short biography, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-albert-the-great Luke 17: 11-19: 11 On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, who stood at a distance 13 and lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.” 14 When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice; 16 and he fell on his face at Jesus’ feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan. 17 Then said Jesus, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? 18 Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” 19 And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

The context: Jesus was on the border between Galilee and Samaria when he was met by a band of ten lepers, both Jews and Samaritans. By describing Jesus’ miraculous healing of the ten lepers from a physically devastating and socially isolating disease, today’s Gospel presents a God Who desires only gratitude from us for the many blessings we have received from Him, and Who feels pain at our ingratitude. The Gospel story tells of a single leper (a “Samaritan heretic”), who returned to thank Jesus for healing him, while the others went their way, the Jews perhaps under the false impression that healing was their right as God’s chosen people. They did not seem to feel indebted to Jesus for the singular favor they had received. Instead, they hurried off to obtain a health certificate from the priests. “Where are the other nine?” Jesus asked the Samaritan leper. “Did only one come back to say ‘thank-you?’” Today’s reading also presents Faith and healing going hand in hand, as do Faith and reconciliation.

Life messages: 1) We need to learn to be thankful to God and to others. Often, we are ungrateful to God. Although we receive so much from Him, we often take it all for granted without appreciating His gifts. Often, we are ungrateful to our parents and consider them a nuisance, although in the past we were dependent on them for literally everything. Similarly, we owe a great debt of gratitude to our friends, teachers, doctors and pastors — but we often fail to thank them. Hence, in the future, let us be filled with daily thanksgiving to God and to others for the countless gifts we have received. Let us pray: “Please, God, heal my heart of ingratitude.” 2) We need to celebrate the Holy Eucharist as the supreme act of thanksgiving. When we celebrate Holy Mass together, we are thanking God for the great gift of His Son, whose sacrifice formed us into the People of God. We thank God for the gift of the Spirit, through whom we bring the presence of the Lord to others. 3) We all need healing from our spiritual leprosy. Although we may not suffer from physical leprosy, when we suffer from the “spiritual leprosy” of sins, Jesus, our Savior, wants to heal us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. (Fr. Kadavil) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 16 Thursday: (St. Margaret of Scotland): For a short biography, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-margaret-of-scotland; St. Getrude, Virgin:: For a short biography, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-gertrude-the-great) Lk 17:20-25: 20 Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God was coming, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed; 21 nor will they say, `Lo, here it is!’ or `There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.” 22 And He said to the disciples, “The days are coming when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it. 23 And they will say to you, `Lo, there!’ or `Lo, here!’ Do not go, do not follow them. 24 For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in His day. 25 But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

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

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

Life messages: 1) Let us be Kingdom people by allowing Jesus, the true Messiah, to have complete control of our lives. 2)Let us allow Jesus, to rule our lives by giving Jesus priority in all our actions. (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/23)

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

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to stay ready always by living holy and prayerful lives spent in doing good for others. 2) We need to make reparation for our past sins and to prepare our lives to meet our Savior as our Judge by living lives of penance and prayer and by doing works of charity. (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/23)

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

Nov 18 Saturday: (Dedication of the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles); For a short account, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/dedication-of-churches-of-saints-peter-and-paul ; St. Rose Philippine Duchsene, Virgin U.S.A) For a short biography, click here:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-rose-philippine-duchesne

Lk 18:1-8: 1 And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor regarded man; 3 and there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, `Vindicate me against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, `Though I neither fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.'” 6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. 7…8.

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

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

Life messages: 1) Prayer attunes our minds to God’s, enabling us to do what He wants. The parable teaches us that our prayers do not change God’s will. Instead, they bring our hearts into line with His purposes. Sincere and persistent prayer makes us ready to accept and live out His will in love and trust. 2) We should not expect to get whatever we pray for. We would like to get from God what we want , when and how we want it, but God Who always hears all our prayers, knows how and when to grant our prayers. Only God sees time whole, and, therefore, only God knows what is truly good for us, and when, in the long run. Hence, we have to leave it to God’s decision saying, “Thy will be done,” and to express our trusting Faith in, and dependence on, Him by persevering in our prayers. (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/23)

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

OT XXXII [A] (Nov 12)Sunday (Eight-minute homily in one page)

Introduction: This Sunday’s readings bring the usual warnings about preparation for the end of our own world, the end of our own time, and our passage to another world. They tell us that a searching, watching, and growing heart is essential for a lively, dynamic Faith in God. They ask us whether we are ready for these events and how we are preparing for them. (+ an anecdote)

Scripture lessons summarized: Because Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel has five well-prepared wise women, the first reading chosen for today is one which personifies wisdom as a woman. The author advises Jews in Alexandria not to envy the wisdom of the pagan philosophers, because they themselves have true wisdom in their Sacred Scripture, a wisdom which regulates not only this life but the next also. Hence, they must live their lives in strict conformity with the Divine wisdom given them so generously by God. In the second reading, Paul offers Christian wisdom, assuring those Christians who expected Jesus’ second coming in their lifetime that the death and Resurrection of Jesus is powerful enough to save even those who die before Jesus’ second coming. But they need to be alert, well-prepared, and vigilant. In the Gospel parable of the ten virgins, the foolish virgins represent the “Chosen People of God” who were waiting for the Messiah but were shut out from the messianic banquet because they were unprepared. The parable teaches us that, like the five wise virgins, we should attend to duties of the present moment, preparing now, rather than waiting until it is too late.

Life messages: 1) We need to be wise enough to remain ever prepared: Wise Christians find Jesus in the most ordinary experiences of daily living — in the people they meet, the events that take place, and the situations in which they find themselves — and they carefully make their daily choices for God. They are ready to put the commandment of love into practice by showing kindness, mercy and forgiveness. 2) Let us be sure that our Lamps are ready for the end of our lives: Spiritual readiness, preparation, and growth are the result of intentional habits built into one’s life. We cannot depend on a Sunday Mass or morning service to provide all our spiritual needs. We cannot depend on Christian fellowship to provide us with spiritual development. The meeting of spiritual needs and spiritual development itself come through routine, mundane attention to ordinary spiritual disciplines — making sure we have enough oil or spiritual fuel: oil of compassion and mercy, oil of patience, sympathy, and forgiveness. We open ourselves to receive these graces by taking time for prayer, and being alone with God; by reading God’s Word; by living a sacramental life; by offering acts of service to others; by moral faithfulness, by loving obedience, and by spending time with other Christians for mutual prayer, study, and encouragement. When we receive the graces we need, we thank God for His generous love. As taking these ways becomes habitual, they cease to be a struggle and begin to be a source of strength and blessing. They make our lives powerful against the onslaught of the world.

OT XXXII [A] (Nov 12): Wis 6:12-16; I Thes 4:13-18; Mt 25:1-13 

Homily starter anecdotes: 1) Forgetting the parachute:  In April 1988 the evening news reported the sad story of a photographer who was also a skydiver.  He had jumped from a plane along with several other skydivers and filmed the group as they individually dove out of the plane and opened their parachutes.  As the video was being shown of each member of the crew jumping out and then pulling their rip cord so that their parachute opened to the wind, the final skydiver opened his chute and then the picture went out of control.  The announcer reported that the cameraman had fallen to his death, having jumped out of the plane without a parachute.  It was not until he reached for the ripcord that he realized he was in free fall, taking pictures without a parachute. — Tragically he was unprepared for the jump. It did not matter how many times he had done it before or what skill he had.  By forgetting the parachute, he made a foolish and deadly mistake.  Nothing could save him, because his Faith was in a parachute which he had never taken the trouble to buckle on.  It is a story not unlike the parable which Jesus tells about the foolish bridesmaids forgetting to bring something very important and necessary to fulfill their responsibilities to the bridal couple.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “What’s your purpose in life, Bob?” Josh McDowell tells about an executive “head-hunter” (recruiter) who goes out and hires corporation executives for large firms. This recruiter once told McDowell that when he gets an executive that he’s trying to hire for someone else, he likes to disarm him. “I offer him a drink,” said the recruiter, “take my coat off, then my vest, undo my tie, throw up my feet and talk about baseball, football, family, whatever, until he’s all relaxed. Then, when I think I’ve got him relaxed, I lean over, look him square in the eye and say, ‘What’s your purpose in life?’ It’s amazing,” said the recruiter, “how top executives fall apart at that question.” Then he told about interviewing one fellow recently. He had him all disarmed, had his feet up on his desk, talking about football. Then the recruiter leaned over and said, “What’s your purpose in life, Bob?” And the executive who was being recruited said, without blinking an eye, “To go to Heaven and take as many people with me as I can.” “For the first time in my career,” said the recruiter, “I was speechless.” [Stories For the Heart, compiled by Alice Gray (Sisters, Oregon: Multnomah Books, 1996), p. 112.] — No wonder! He had encountered someone who was really prepared! In today’s Gospel parable of the ten virgins Jesus warns us to be ever prepared to meet God our Creator at the end of our lives to give an account of how we have lived. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “Be prepared” and “Don’t run out of gas.”: One thing that all Scouts, young and old, never forget is the Boy Scout Motto: “Be prepared.” If you’ve ever set up a tent without tying your lines securely, you know what happens when the wind and rain hit! A tent-collapse in the middle of the night is a rude awakening! Or, if you get a brand-new pair of hiking boots and don’t properly break them in, then go on a ten-mile hike, it’s pretty painful! You might forget bug-spray during mosquito season. Or if you bring a flashlight on a campout, but not extra batteries, that can make finding the latrine somewhat challenging in the middle of the night! — We sometimes have to learn the hard way to anticipate our needs and plan ahead, before it’s too late. It was not raining when Noah built the ark! Through the parable of the ten virgins, Jesus warns us to be ever prepared for the end of our lives.  Ever run out of gas? It would appear that every year at least a half million people call for help because they have run out of gas. Besides flat tires, dead batteries, and misplaced keys, running out of gas ranks right up there in the reasons why people call for roadside service. — One might understand this happening a generation ago, when gas gauges were not entirely accurate, and when all the warning lights of our day were non-existent. But now we have warning messages that our fuel is running low (giving us perhaps an hour more of driving), and then additional, progressively urgent warnings indicating just how many estimated miles of driving we have left. One must say that most people who run out of fuel are “without excuse.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

Introduction: Our lectionary ends the Church’s liturgical year with texts about the coming of the Son of Man, which leads into the New Year  with Cycle B and the Season of Advent — the Season of “Coming.”  Jesus’ future coming as the conquering Son of Man at the end of time and his past coming as the helpless infant in a manger are the topics of our remembrance.  This Sunday’s readings bring the usual warnings about preparation for the end of our own world, the end of our own time, and our passage to another world.  They tell us that a searching, watching, and growing heart is essential for a lively, dynamic faith in God.  They ask us whether we are ready for these events and how we are preparing for them.

The first reading (Wis 6:12-16) explained: Jesus’ parable in today’s Gospel shows us five well-prepared, wise women, and the first reading chosen for today offers us Wisdom, personified as a woman.  Writing in Greek to the dispersed Jews living in the cosmopolitan city of Alexandria, in Egypt, around 100 BC, the author wants his fellow Jews to seek wisdom and learn from her.  Wisdom is a Divine gift – but a gift that will not elude the one who seeks it sincerely.  What the author suggests is that the faithful adherence of the Alexandrian Jews to their ancestral religion in their somewhat hostile environment is seeking after Divine Wisdom.  The Jews need not envy the wisdom of the pagan philosophers, because they themselves have true Wisdom in their Sacred Scripture, a Wisdom which regulates not only this life but the next as well.  They must live their lives in strict conformity with the Divine Wisdom given them so generously by God.  Those who are watchful enough to find and welcome Wisdom will also find that they will be prepared for the rest of the journey – from this life to the next. Wisdom (Whom we, in our blessed times, recognize as the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity Incarnate (St. Louis-Marie de Montfort The Love of Eternal Wisdom), is searching for those who are waiting.  The message given by the first reading is clear: God willingly reveals Himself, but mysteriously in His own way, according to His own timetable.  God can be found, but only by those who never give up the search, yet patiently await His initiative. “The deepest wisdom and fullest readiness is to live chastely, honestly, non-violently (Mt 5), and to meet our neighbors’ basic needs (Mt 25).” (Fr. Dennis Ham)

The second reading (I Thes 4:13-18) explained: First Thessalonians is the earliest of Paul’s letters.  When he wrote it, contemporary Christians, including Paul himself, expected Jesus to come very soon — within their lifetime — to rebuild the Kingdom and to establish his glorious reign.  So they needed to be vigilant in order not to miss his return.  Some quit their jobs in the belief that the Kingdom was at hand.  But then, as the years passed, there seemed to be no signs of the Second Coming.   Paul writes this earliest Christian letter to respond to the community’s fears and questions about those who die before the Parousia: will the few Christians who die in this short period somehow miss out on the benefits of Jesus’ return?  Paul says they will not, because what God has wrought in the death and Resurrection of Jesus is powerful enough to save even those who have already “fallen asleep.”  Paul helps them to realize that they need to believe in what the Lord has done for us. He doesn’t want them to fret. He explains, “We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thes 4:13). Instead, the Thessalonians should prepare themselves for the Kingdom.  The central idea is clear: only the alert and the vigilant can experience God coming in their lives.  Those who are asleep to the present never seem to notice God’s Presence.

Gospel exegesis: Context: Today’s Gospel passage is situated in the context of Jesus’ discourse (Mt 25 and 26), on the end times and the second coming of Christ.  After speaking of the destruction of the Temple (Mt 24:1-3) and the end of the age (Mt 24:4-51), Jesus gives us the parable of the wise and the foolish bridesmaids to illustrate teachings about the coming of the Kingdom.  This parable, along with three others in chapter 25 and 26, offers pointed application for the waiting faithful in the early Church as they come to terms with an unexpected delay in the Parousia (or the second coming of Christ), which most expected in their lifetime.

The parable tells a story which could have happened at any time in a Palestinian village and which could still happen today.  Since a wedding was a great occasion, the whole village lined up at the sides of the road to wish God’s blessings on the bride being taken in procession by her groom to her new home.  The invited ones would join the procession, which started from the bride’s house and moved to the groom’s house, to take part in the week-long celebration of the marriage. Since the bridegroom might come to the bride’s house unexpectedly, the bridal party had to be ready at any time, with accompanying virgins (bridesmaids in our day), carrying lighted torches and jars of reserve oil.  Five of these virgins neglected to bring reserve oil, and so had to run to the dealers to buy some. They missed the arrival of the groom’s party, and so, lost their chance to take part in the celebration.  They lost not only the opportunity of witnessing the marriage ceremony, but also of participating in the week-long celebration that followed.

The meaning of the parable: This parable has both a local and a universal meaning.  The local meaning is that the foolish virgins represent the “Chosen People of God” who were waiting for the Messiah but were shut out from the Messianic banquet because they were unprepared. “The division between the wise and the foolish virgins becomes the division between those in Matthew’s church who keep the commandments of Christ, the new lawgiver of the church, and those who hear his words but fail to do what he commands.” (Fr. Reginald Fuller).  The universal meaning is that the five foolish virgins represent those who fail to prepare for the end of their lives.  What matters is not the occasional or the last-minute burst of spiritual fervor but habitual attention to one’s responsibilities before God.  At the final judgment, there will be no depending upon the resources of others, no begging or borrowing of grace.   Some are used to depending upon others’ prayers, others’ gifts, others’ compassion and others’ Faith. But there are certain things we must win or acquire for ourselves for we cannot borrow them from others. Close relationship with God is the most important thing. The parable implies that we should attend to duties of the present moment, preparing now rather than waiting until it is too late.

The allegorical interpretation of the parable: The virgins represent the Church or Christian community that is waiting for Christ’s Second Coming.  The Bridegroom is Christ.  The wedding feast is the great and joyous occasion in which Christ comes for his Church (Rv 19:9).  The delay of the Bridegroom corresponds to the delay of the Second Coming (Parousia).  The Bridegroom’s arrival in the dark of night is the Second Coming itself.  The closing of the door is the final judgment. Many Old Testament texts also presuppose the imagery of God as Israel’s husband or bridegroom (e.g., Is 54:5; Jer 31:32; Hos 2:16). The rejection of the foolish maidens is the Last Judgement and, perhaps, the foolish maidens represent Israel and the wise ones the Gentiles

“Make sure you have enough oil!” Literally, our text answers the question, “What shall we do while we wait?”  The answer is:  “Make sure you have enough oil for your lamps!”  Scripture scholars of the past and the present have reflected on what this oil symbolizes, and they have arrived at different, but related, views.  (i) Perhaps, the best explanation is that the oil stands for our personal relationship with God who is the Source and Power behind our good deeds or “fruit-bearing” (Mt 3:8, 10; 7:16, 17, 18, 19, 20; 12:33; 13:8, 23, 26; 21:19, 34, 41, 43).  This relationship is not something that one can attain overnight or borrow from someone else as the foolish virgins attempted to do.  This “state of grace” is something we must receive from God personally and directly. (ii) In Scripture, oil is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit.  It is when we submit our work, our intentions, our purpose to the Holy Spirit that He fills our deeds with power and effectiveness. (iii) Oil stands for character and Christian values which we cannot borrow – or buy, the foolish virgins’ choice.  That metaphor of “oil” refers to the way we do — or do not — live the virtuous life that God freely empowers us to live. You cannot “borrow” these virtues at the last moment; you must “live” them. These Gospel words are very sobering, and they  remind us that we can never use the excuse,  “But no one told me.”  (iv) Oil stands for “spiritual capital” (our merits) – all that we build up by good works:  concern for the needy and acts of justice.  (v) Perhaps, oil refers to real Christian Faith.  (vi) Oil is the spirit of reconciliation with the others and a willingness to share our lives and blessings with others.  (vii) Oil may also be a generic reference to faithful and obedient discipleship as presented in the whole Gospel.

Warnings given by the parable: 1) The parable warns us that there are certain things which cannot be obtained at the last minute:   a) a good relationship with God, b) good character, c) merits from good deeds of sharing, forgiving love and humble service done to others. 2) The parable also warns us of certain elements in Christian life that cannot be borrowed: a) relationship with God, b) ideal character, c) Faith.

The parable when applied to Holy Mass: We have to learn three lessons from this parable: 1) an eager, expectant waiting for the Lord’s coming in all his ways; 2) a recognition that we can’t borrow what we’re going to need to meet the Lord when we comes; and 3) a loving admonition from the Lord not to procrastinate in making our preparations until it’s too late. This Mass is meant to help us with each of the three. If we’re truly ready to meet the Lord each week here, with our souls clean from serious sins, with our hearts hungering for Him, with the Lord himself, the Light of the World, burning inside of us, fueled by the oil of love, we’ll never be caught off guard, whether he comes today, tomorrow, or eighty years from now. Our response to today’s word of the Lord, and to the tremendous Gift that is the Mass which is offered here every day, will determine whether, in the final analysis, we’re foolish or we’re wise. Is our soul thirsting for the living God more than a man in the desert pants for water? Are we keeping perpetual vigil seeking Wisdom Incarnate? Have we come asking the Lord to fill not just our lamps but our flasks so that we can make a total self-offering? The Lord who knows us wants to give us all these gifts. “The Bridegroom is here. Let us go out to meet Christ the Lord!”

Life messages: 1) We need to be wise enough to remain ever prepared:  Wise Christians live each day in the light of Jesus’ vision.  Such people find Him in the most ordinary experiences of daily living — in the people they meet, the events that take place, and the situations in which they find themselves.  They carefully make their daily choices for God. They are ready to put the commandment of love into practice by kindness and forgiveness.  There is absolutely no better way to prepare for the final call than to learn to spend each day in the company of Jesus, remembering his assurance, “I am with you always.” (CCC #1036, #2612: vigilant in waiting for the Lord’s return). The following short prayer should be always on their lips: “Lord, grant that all my thoughts, intentions, actions and responses may be directed solely to Your love and service this day. Help me, Lord, to seek, to find, and to respond to You in every single experience this day.”  When we eventually hear the final call, “Get up! The Master is coming!”  we will not be worried, but   happy and more than ready to meet Him, as well as old friends and family, in Heaven.  God has made this promise to us: “Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever” (Dn 12:3). 

2) Let us be sure that our Lamps are ready for the end of our lives: Spiritual readiness, preparation and growth do not just happen.  They come as a result of intentional habits built into one’s life.  We cannot depend on a Sunday morning Mass to provide all our spiritual needs.  We cannot depend on Christian fellowship to provide us with spiritual development. These things come through routine, mundane attention to ordinary spiritual disciplines — making sure we have enough oil: spiritual fuel.  They come when we habitually take time for prayer and being alone with God. They come through reading God’s Word; living a sacramental life; performing acts of service for others; being morally faithful; obeying God with love, and spending time with other Christians for mutual prayer, study, and encouragement.  These are the things which, along with the normal difficulties of life, enable one to grow in Christ and to be prepared for Christ’s coming. Without these things we will not be prepared. The preparation cannot be hit-or-miss, nor can it be postponed.  We dare not procrastinate, lest death come unexpectedly and ruin us.  We need to develop those things which encourage our spiritual growth into holy habits in our lives, for that growth must take precedence over other interests and claims on our time and attention. As these habits become entrenched, they cease to be a struggle for us and begin to be a source of strength and blessing.  They make our lives powerful against the onslaught of the world.

3) What is the oil that we lack?  Oil in Scripture is often a symbol for the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps we try to spring into action without first submitting our work to the Holy Spirit.  Or perhaps we lack the oil of kindness and compassion.  There’s no way we can be ready to meet Jesus without the essential oils of compassion and mercy.  Perhaps we lack   the oil of patience and sympathy.  Without such oil, we’re ill-equipped to deal with someone who comes to us in need of long-term love and guidance.  Perhaps we’re short of the oil of education and instruction, or we’re not adequately trained and lack proper skills to be of service in areas where help is needed.  Perhaps God is calling us to take our expertise and skills to another level in order that we may more adequately meet Jesus in the people God allows to enter our lives. I need to have the oil of being in the state of grace.  If I do not,  I am in the empty a state of mortal sin. Ignatius of Loyola’s famous prayer is the prayer of the follower of Jesus; ‘Lord, teach me to know you more, love you more, and serve you more faithfully in my life.’ (Spiritual Exercises). The “more” indicates that our spiritual life on earth is always in process,  never a finished product: like love and friendship it grows in our lives. It is exciting that Jesus is never gone from us: risen from the dead he is always alive, always new. Our reading of the Gospel, our sharing at Mass and the sacraments and our personal prayer keep this relationship always alive, always new.

JOKE OF THE WEEK

1) A tour group was riding in an elevator to the top of the Empire State Building.  At about the 102nd floor, a woman asked the tour guide, “If the cables on this elevator break, do we go up or down?”  The tour guide answered, “Well, that depends on how you are living.”

2) A   Sunday school teacher was testing the children in her class one morning to see if they understood the concept of “getting to Heaven.”   She said, “If I sold my house and my car, held a big garage sale and gave all my money to the Church, would that get me into Heaven?”
“NO!” the children answered.
“If I cleaned the Church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”
Again, the answer was, “NO!”
“Well, then, if I was kind to animals, gave candy to children and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?”
Again, they all answered, “NO!”
“Well,” the teacher continued, “how do I get into Heaven?”
A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.”

3) When Bishop Philip Brooks, author of “O, Little Town of Bethlehem,” was seriously ill, he requested that none of his friends come to see him.  But when an acquaintance of his named Robert Ingersoll, the famous anti-Christian propagandist, came to see him, Brooks allowed him to enter his room.  Ingersoll said, “I appreciate this very much, especially when you aren’t letting any of your close friends see you.”  Bishop Brooks responded, “Oh, I’m confident of seeing them in the next world, but this may be my last chance to see you.”

4) Hibernation in the White House:  Do you recall Laura Bush’s comments a few years ago about her husband?  She said, “George always says he’s delighted to come to these press dinners.  Baloney.  He’s usually in bed by now.  I’m not kidding.  I said to him the other day, ‘George, if you really want to end tyranny in the world, you’re going to have to stay up later.’  I am married to the president of the United States, and here’s our typical evening: Nine o’clock, Mr. Excitement here is sound asleep, and I’m watching “Desperate Housewives” on television. One day in February 2003, with America on the verge of a war with Iraq, Secretary of State Colin Powell was reminded that, notwithstanding the stress, President George W. Bush was in bed by 10 o’clock every night and slept like a baby.  “I sleep like a baby, too,” Powell replied.  “Every two hours I wake up screaming!” Ronald Reagan insisted on taking a nap every afternoon.  Even so, he was so sleepy that he nearly overslept his own presidential inauguration.  On one occasion, he did in fact drop off at an awkward moment … in an audience with Pope St. John Paul II.

5)  During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives. One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgement is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjounment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought.” (as quoted at: “Sermon Nuggets” http://home.twcny.rr.com/lyndale/Pentecost%2025A.htm)

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 A 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/
• Lectio Divina daily reflections: https://www.ocarm.org/en/lectio-divina/1329-lectio-divina-november-2023-pdf/file
• YouTube video: https://youtu.be/iFGjzT_lF8s
• VCat Video Catechism Home: org/
• Faith shared via videos: http://bustedhalo.com/
• Muslims against Catholics University: https://youtu.be/BvWzBfXhIpA
• Text week: http://www.textweek.com/mtlk/matt25a.htm
• Wedding in Jesus’ time: https://cathstan.org/posts/what-were-weddings-like-in-jesus-day-2

24 Additional anecdotes:

1) “At last I’ve met a man more stupid than myself.”  There is an old legend about a man who had a rather stupid servant. The master often got exasperated with his servant. One day in a fit of frustration he said to the servant, “You’ve got to be the stupidest man I’ve ever met. Look, I want you to take this staff and carry it with you. And if you ever meet a man stupider than you are, give him the staff.” So the servant carried the staff. Often out in the marketplace, he’d meet some pretty stupid people. But he was never sure they were worse off than he. Years passed with the servant carrying his staff. Then one day, he came back to the castle and was ushered into the bedroom of his master. His master was quite sick. In the course of their conversation, the master said, “I’m going on a long journey.” The servant said, “When do you plan to be back?” The master said, “This is a journey from which I’ll not return.” The servant said, “Sir, have you made all the necessary preparations?” The master said, “No, I have not.” The servant said, “Could you have made preparations?” The master said, “Yes, I guess I’ve had my life to make them, but I’ve been busy about other things.” The servant said “Master, you’re going on a journey from which you’ll never return, you could’ve prepared for it, and you just didn’t?” The master said, “Yes, I guess that’s right.” The servant took the staff he’d carried so long and said, “Master take this with you. At last I’ve met a man more stupid than myself!” — Telling us the parable of the 10 virgins Jesus warns us to be ever prepared to meet him as our judge on the day of our death. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

2) “I’ll tell you what’s more important; it’s the will to prepare.” In 1976, Indiana University’s basketball team was undefeated throughout the regular season and captured the NCAA National Championship. Controversial and colorful coach Bobby Knight led them to that championship. Shortly afterwards, Coach Knight was interviewed on the television show 60 Minutes. The commentator asked him, “Why is it, Bobby, that your basketball teams at Indiana are always so successful? Is it the will to succeed?” “The will to succeed is important,” replied Bobby Knight, “but I’ll tell you what’s more important; it’s the will to prepare. It’s the will to go out there every day, training and building those muscles and sharpening those skills!” [John R. Noe, Peak Performance Principles for High Achievers (New York: Berkley Books, 1984).] — No wonder Bobby Knight has been so successful as a coach! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

3) “Don’t fool yourself.” Another famous coach believed the same thing. “Hurry Up” Yost was the football coach at the University of Michigan. A player once assured Coach Yost that their team was sure to win on Saturday because the players had “the will to win.” “Hurry Up” Yost answered: “Don’t fool yourself. The will to win is not worth a plugged nickel unless you have the will to prepare.” — That is true. Whether we are talking about sports, or education, or science, or business, or any worthwhile endeavor in life, success goes to the person who has the will to prepare! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

4) “Keep your lamps lighted and your fork in hand.” There was a young woman who had been diagnosed with a terminal illness and had been given three months to live.  As she was getting her things in order, she contacted her pastor and had him come to her house to discuss her final wishes.  She told him which songs she wanted sung at the funeral Mass, what Scriptures she would like read, and what outfit she wanted to be buried in.  Everything was in order and as the pastor was preparing to leave, the young woman suddenly remembered something very important to her.  “There’s one more thing,” she said excitedly.  “What’s that?” asked the pastor. “This is very important,” the young woman continued.  “I want my body to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor stood looking at the young woman, not knowing quite what to say.  “That surprises you, doesn’t it?” the young woman asked.  “Well, to be honest, I’m puzzled by the request,” said the pastor.  The young woman explained.  “My grandmother once told me this story, and that’s where I got the idea.  I have, also, always tried to pass along its message to those I love and those who are in need of encouragement.  In all my years of attending Church socials and potluck dinners, I always remember that when the dishes of the main course were being cleared, someone would inevitably lean over and say, ’Keep your fork!’ It was my favorite part of the meal because I knew that something better was coming, like chocolate cake or deep-dish apple pie.  Something wonderful, and with substance!  So, I just want people to see me there in that casket with a fork in my hand and I want them to wonder, “What’s with the fork?” — Then I want you to tell them: “Keep your fork–the best is yet to come.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

 5) Can you “sleep when the wind blows”? A young man applied for a job as a farm hand. When asked for his qualifications, he said, “I can sleep when the wind blows.” This puzzled the farmer, but he liked the young man and hired him. A few days later, the farmer and his wife were awakened in the night by a violent storm. They quickly began to check things out to see if all were secure. They found that the shutters of the farmhouse had been securely fastened. A good supply of logs had been set next to the fireplace. The farm implements had been placed in the storage shed, safe from the elements. The tractor had been moved into the garage. The barn had been properly locked. Everything was fine. Even the animals were calm. It was then that the farmer grasped the meaning of the young man’s words, “I can sleep when the wind blows.” Because the farm hand had performed his work loyally and faithfully when the skies were clear, he was prepared for the storm when it broke. Consequently, when the wind blew, he had no fear. He was able to sleep in peace. —  In the parable that is our Gospel lesson this morning, Jesus is talking about exactly the same thing, being able to sleep when the winds blows, in other words, being prepared. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

6) Victory goes to those who are prepared. Graham Greene once observed: “There is always one moment when the door opens and lets the future in.” Will you be ready when your time comes? Robert Runcie was. During a battle in WWII, a British tank was hit. The crew, except for the co-driver, scrambled out. The turret on the tank was stuck in such a position that it could not be opened, pinning the co-driver inside. Under heavy fire, a soldier jumped out of his own tank, ran to turn the turret, and dragged the copilot out. That soldier, Robert Runcie, was ready to do what was needed in WWII. He was also ready to do what was needed when he became Archbishop of Canterbury many years later. — Victory goes to those who are prepared. Preparation and character go hand in hand. One more thing needs to be said. It is amazing that many of us who are prepared for life fail to prepare for eternity. We get our degrees in school. We position ourselves for the right jobs. We set our goals ten years in advance. We know where we want to retire. Each year we sock away the limit in our IRAs. And we totally disregard the most important reality of all our relationship with God – until it’s too late and we are unprepared. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

7)  “Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life.” In a recent TIME magazine sidebar, there were “Eight Steps Toward a More Satisfying Life.” Here are the Eight Steps:  1. Count your blessings. 2. Practice acts of kindness. 3. Savor life’s joys. 4. Thank a mentor. 5. Learn to forgive. 6. Invest time and energy in friends and family. 7. Take care of your body. 8. Develop strategies for coping with stress and hardship. (TIME, 17 (January 2005), A8-A9.] — This morning when we reflect on the parable of the ten virgins, we add one more step, a 9th Step to the strategy: Be prepared. Be prepared to step off life’s planned paths, and trust the Spirit. After all, the Spirit can appear in many guises, disguises, and surprises. (Rev. Leonard Sweet) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

8) “You are given three minutes to get into the boat.” There’s a true story that comes from the sinking of the Titanic. A frightened woman found her place in a lifeboat that was about to be lowered into the raging North Atlantic. She suddenly thought of something she needed, so she asked permission to return to her stateroom before they cast off. She was granted three minutes, or they would leave without her. She ran across the deck that was already slanted at a dangerous angle. She raced through the gambling room with all the money that had rolled to one side, ankle deep. She came to her stateroom and quickly pushed a side her diamond rings and expensive bracelets and necklaces as she reached to the shelf above her bed and grabbed three small oranges. She quickly found her way back to the lifeboat and got in. Now that seems incredible because thirty minutes earlier, she would not have chosen three oranges over the smallest diamond. But death had boarded the Titanic. One blast of its awful breath had transformed all values. Instantaneously, priceless things had become worthless and worthless things became priceless. And in that moment, she preferred three small oranges to a crate of diamonds. — There are events in life, which have the power to transform the way we look at the world. Jesus’ parable about the ten virgins offers one of these types of events, for the parable is about the Second Coming of Christ.  (Sermons.com) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

9) Unprepared. Forgetful. Irresponsible:  These are the ten best things to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk: #10. “They told me at the blood bank this might happen.” #9. “This is just a 15-minute power-nap like they raved about in that time management course you sent me to.” #8. “Whew! Guess I left the top off the White-Out. You probably got here just in time!” #7. “I wasn’t sleeping! I was meditating on the mission statement and envisioning a new paradigm.” #6. “I was testing my keyboard for drool resistance.” #5. “I was doing a highly specific Yoga exercise to relieve work-related stress. Are you discriminating against people who practice Yoga?” #4. “Darn! Why did you interrupt me? I had almost figured out a solution to our biggest problem.” #3. “The coffee machine is broken . . . ” #2. “Someone must’ve put decaf in the wrong pot . . . ” And the #1 best thing to say if you get caught sleeping at your desk . . . ” . . . in His name. Amen.” — Jesus tells a parable in today’s Gospel about ten young women—bridesmaids — five of whom forgot their specific responsibility in a wedding celebration. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

10) Lighted candle race: The Greeks had a race in their Olympic games that was unique.  The winner was not the runner who finished first.  It was the runner who finished with his torch still lit.  Some of our schools used to have its imitation in the form of a 50-meter race for girls in the primary schools with lighted candles. —  Let us run all the way of our life with the flame of our torches still lit for God. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

11) Spiritual Intelligence: Scientists are working feverishly on AI—Artificial Intelligence.  But Jesus’ parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids tells us   more about what we might call “Spiritual Intelligence” than about mere high IQ. Or AI for machine learning. Researchers are advancing NEW ideas of what intelligence is, how it should be measured, and which values should be invoked in considerations of the human intellect.  Harvard University professor Howard Gardner points out that psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman has achieved worldwide success with his 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence.”  Contending that this new concept (sometimes nicknamed EQ) may matter as much as or more than IQ, Goleman draws attention to such pivotal human abilities as controlling one’s emotional reactions and ‘reading’ the signals of others.  Psychiatrist Robert Coles, author of The Moral Intelligence of Children, argues that we should prize character over intellect, and work to cultivate human beings with a strong sense of right and wrong.  Others are pushing leadership intelligence (LQ), executive intelligence (EQ) and even money-management intelligence!  A quick cruise through cyberspace reveals numerous types of intelligences, including Visual-spatial intelligence, Verbal-linguistic intelligence, Musical-Rhythmic intelligence, Logical-mathematical intelligence, Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, Interpersonal intelligence, Intrapersonal intelligence etc. Finally, the research these days is in AI — Artificial Intelligence — an area in which researchers have created conversational computer programs that imitate psychotherapists, and programs called “chatterbots” that simulate paranoid-schizophrenics, that chat on the Internet and that control Webcams.  (For details, confer www.scbe.on.ca/mit/mi.htm).  —  Today we hear the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids, a story told by Jesus to illustrate the character of the Kingdom of God, and to describe what constitutes Spiritual Intelligence (SQ). In this passage, we encounter a tale that is nothing less than a test of “SQ,” a cutting-edge research project that measures spiritual wisdom.  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

12) Unprepared Mayflower Pilgrims: One of the most cherished events in our history was the landing of the Mayflower on these shores. One hundred and two Pilgrims stepped from their storm-tossed little ship with unsteady legs and huge relief. It would be difficult to imagine a group of people more ill-suited to a life in the wilderness, according to Bill Bryson in his book, Made in America. These Pilgrims packed as if they had misunderstood the purpose of the trip. They found room for sundials and candle-snuffers, a drum, a trumpet, and a complete history of the country of Turkey. One man named William Mullins packed 126 pairs of shoes and thirteen pairs of boots. Yet the Pilgrims failed to bring a single cow or horse, plow or fishing line. Among the professions represented on the Mayflower’s manifest were two tailors, a printer, several merchants, a silk worker, a shopkeeper, and a hatter–not exactly the most appropriate occupations when one thinks of surviving in a hostile environment. With the uncertain exception of their captain, Miles Standish, probably none in the party had ever tried to bring down a wild animal. Hunting in seventeenth-century Europe was a sport reserved for the aristocracy. Even those who labeled themselves farmers generally had scant practical knowledge of husbandry, since “farmer” in the 1600s, and for some time afterward, signified an owner of land rather than one who worked it. These Pilgrims were, in short, dangerously unprepared for the rigors ahead, and they demonstrated their incompetence in the most dramatic possible way: by dying in droves. Six expired in the first two weeks, eight the next month, seventeen more in February, a further thirteen in March. By April, when the Mayflower set sail back to England, just fifty-four people, nearly half of them children, were left to begin the long work of turning this tenuous toehold into a self-sustaining colony. [(New York: William Morrow and Company, Inc., 1994), pp. 2-3.] — What are we thinking of when we spend our lives accumulating funds for old age, but ignore the spiritual side of our lives so that life after death will be worth living? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

13) His name was Alexander Graham Bell.  In early 1874 an inventor named Elisha Gray transmitted a few musical notes over a telegraph wire. He thought to himself, “If I can send music, perhaps I could send the human voice.” The New York Times reported predictions of a “talking telegraph” and the public began to grow eager for it. Just one-year later Gray believed he had the answer. Tin-can like voice chambers connected by a wire in a liquid that could turn vibrations into signals is what came into his mind. But inexplicably, he did not put his idea on paper for two months. After finally making a sketch, he waited four more days before he went to the patent office. When he arrived, Mr. Gray was told that just two hours earlier a school-teacher had come through that same door with his own sketch and had already applied for the patent. His name was Alexander Graham Bell. When you compared the sketches, the voice chambers, the wire, and the liquid everything was identical. — The reason we know the name Alexander Graham Bell and until today, never heard the name Elisha Gray is simply because one man seized the opportunity when he could. The other one waited until it was too late That’s what happened to the five foolish virgins in today’s Gospel story. (Rev. James Merritt). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

14) “If the end of the world came.” A mother wrote to Catholic Digest saying that one day when she was heading up the stairs with a basket containing the last load of folded clothes, herding her three little ones in front of her for bedtime, her eldest child, Peggy, who was then in kindergarten, picked that moment to begin one of those questions that seem to intrigue all children at some time. “Mommy,” she asked, “If it were the end of the world, and everyone was getting ready to die…” The mother stopped, shifted the basket on her hip, and said an ultra-quick prayer for wisdom to answer this question. “Yes?” she said, The little girl finished her theological inquiry: “If the end of the world came, would you have to take your library books back?”  —  That young lady did not want any unfinished business in her life! (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

15) End-time or Beginning-time? On September 14, 2005, an Australian Jesuit colleague and friend, Paddy Meagher, bade farewell to India after more than four decades of dedicated service here. He was suffering from melanoma (skin cancer) that had struck suddenly and spread over his face leaving lumps likely to affect his brain and throat. Bravely enduring his pain, he said, “I know I’ll die soon and I’m prepared. Nonetheless, I’ll continue reading and writing until death comes!” Paddy died on January 5, 2006. — For “wise virgins” like these, there is always oil in their lamps. And for many of the victims of earthquakes who call God Abba or Allah, what we see as end-time is more likely to be a beginning-time for the eternal wedding feast.
(Francis Gonsalves in Sunday Seeds for Daily Deeds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

16) Timing: General Douglas MacArthur’s autobiography, Reminiscences, is full of World War II stories. One such story is about Capt. Thomas G. Lanphier, a pilot of the 339^th Fighter Squadron who “became the unsung hero of an extraordinary exploit” on April 18, 1943. The Japanese code had been broken, and our Intelligence learned exactly where and when Admiral Yamamoto was going to fly in to one of the Solomon Islands. Yamamoto was the commander-in-chief of the Japanese combined Fleet. So eighteen P-38s were sent from Guadalcanal, 400 miles away to attack Yamamoto. At the exact hour of rendezvous, Yamamoto’s squadron appeared and were met by our waiting planes. Sixteen P-38s went after his Zero escorts, while Tom Lanphier and another pilot were assigned to attack the two bombers carrying Yamamoto and his staff. Yamamoto’s pilot used every artifice to escape, but eventually Lanphier’s gunfire hit his bomber causing it to explode and crash. Washington lauded Lanphier’s feat as one of the most significant strikes of the war but labeled it top secret and forbade its publication until 1945 when Tom was awarded the Navy Cross. — Timing, alertness and readiness were key factors in this air strike, which proved to be a turning point in the war. These same themes are found in today’s readings, but for different reasons. (Albert Cylwicki in His Word Resounds; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

17) How will Jesus find us? Nineteen hundred years ago, the volcano Mt Vesuvius erupted in Italy. When the eruption ended, the city of Pompeii lay buried under 18 feet of volcanic ash. The city remained that way until modern times, when archaeologists excavated it. What they found amazed everyone. There were carbonized loaves of bread, fruit still retaining its flavor, and olives still swimming in their oil. But there were even more amazing discoveries. The volcanic ash had frozen people in the exact position they had occupied when the disaster struck. The bodies of the people decayed. As they did, they left behind hollow cavities in the hardened ash. By pouring liquid plaster into these cavities, archaeologists were able to make casts of the victims. Some of the casts evoke an emotional response. For example, one is that of a young mother hugging her child tightly in her arms. Another is that of a Roman sentry still at his post, standing erect fully armed. He had remained calm and faithful to his duty to the end. A third that of a man standing upright with a sword in his hand. His foot is resting on a pile of gold and silver. Scattered about him are five bodies, probably would-be looters he had killed. — The plaster casts illustrate in a dramatic way the two themes of today’s readings. The first theme is that of the suddenness with which the end of the world and the second coming of Jesus will take place. (Mark Link in Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (that

 18) Eternal preparedness: From time immemorial, people have resorted to stories, especially fables, to teach some moral points for our instruction. In the West, Aesop’s Fables were famous. One such fable from this collection, which every child reads, is “The Hare and the Tortoise’. Once upon a time, the Hare and his friend the Tortoise decided to have a race. The Hare, by nature was swift. The Tortoise was placid and not inclined to hurry much. They stood side-bi side t the starting line.  The Woodpecker agreed to be the Starter and he rat–tat-tatted the starting signal and they were off. The Hare sped off, raising dust, and at the midpoint, he turned back to see how his competitor was progressing. The Tortoise was way behind, plodding patiently up the road.  “Well,” thought the Hare, “I’ve got time to take a nap before THAT slow-poke catches up!” And so the Hare curled up by the side of the road on the grass under a tree and slept peacefully. Meanwhile the Tortoise kept up his steady pace, and quietly passed the sleeping Hare. As the Tortoise took his last three steps toward the finish line, the Hare woke with a start and leaped into action, running as fast as he could. It was a great effort but it failed! For the Tortoise just stepped over the finish line first with his front feet and then with his hind feet, while with his tail followed, winning the race, then turned to greet the Hare who blazed over the line and skidded to a stop and drooped in shamed chagrin. ”You won, Tortoise, he said, puffing a bit, “but only after I lost it!”  The Tortoise smiled and said, “You snooze, you lose!” — In other words, “Constant preparedness is the key to successes.” This is not only true in the mundane life, but also true in the spiritual sphere. In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches that eternal preparedness is the price of salvation. Every disciple of Jesus must be ever prepared to meet the Lord—whenever He may come.  (John’s Sunday Homilies; quoted by Fr. Botelho). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

19) “Let us trim our lamps and fill them with charity in silence.” When Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk and author died in 1968, he left behind a literary legacy which has continued to feed the spiritual hungers and prod the social and political consciences of believer to this day. Merton’s death, by accidental electrocution while he was  attending a conference of Buddhist and Catholic monks in Bangkok, Thailand, was unexpected and untimely. — Nevertheless, there is little doubt that Merton was prepared, like the wise virgins in today’s Gospel, to meet the Lord. In one of his best-known books, No Man Is an Island, the holy monk wrote: “We must learn during our lifetime to trim our lamps and fill them with charity in silence. . . if the spirit that kept the flame of physical life burning in our bodies took care to nourish itself with the oil that is found only in the silence of God’s charity, then when the body dies, the spirit itself goes on burning with the same oil, its own flame. But if the spirit has burned all along with the base oils of passion or egoism, or pride, then when death comes, the flame of the spirit goes out with the light of the body because there is no more oil in the lamp.”(Patricia Datchuck Sánchez). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

20) This guy got the job! Several years ago, a Fortune 500 company advertised in the New York Times to fill a vacancy in its sales force. They received an application unlike any other. This particular job-seeker wrote: “I am at present selling furniture at the address listed below. You may judge my ability as a salesman if you will stop in to see me at any time, pretending that you are interested in buying furniture. When you come in, you can identify me by my red hair. I will have no way of identifying you. Such salesmanship as I exhibit during your visit, therefore, will be no more than my usual workday efforts and not a special attempt to impress a prospective employer.” — From among more than 1500 applicants, this guy got the job!  So how do you keep plenty of oil in your lamp? (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

21) “Don’t forget nothing!” I spent 25 years in the Army; do you know the difference between the Army and the Boy Scouts? The Scouts have adult leadership! When I was stationed at Fort Meade, Maryland, I was assigned to a battalion that had 24 hours to be alerted and arrive at any location ready to fight. We were called a Rapid Deployment Force. We would conduct random EDREs—Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercises. We’d get a call, usually in the middle of the night (at 0-dark-thirty), and we’d have to scramble to get on our uniforms and equipment, our weapons, dispatch our vehicles, and be ready to roll! We were in a constant state of readiness. I kept my duffle bag and chaplain kit ready to grab-and-go at all times. When I was called on to deploy to Desert Storm, I had 5 days to get from Fort Sam Houston, Texas, to Fort Knox, Kentucky (where I was issued desert gear) to Saudi Arabia. And I did it! The US Army Rangers also have a motto, like the Scouts. Theirs is simply: “Don’t forget nothing!” (Rev. Robert Leroe). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

22) Staying Awake: In his autobiography, Report to Greco, Nikos Kazantzakis recounts a conversation he once had with an old monk. Kazantzakis, a young man at the time, was visiting a monastery and was very taken by a famed ascetic, Father Makarios, who lived there. But a series of visits with the old monk left him with some ambivalent feelings as well. The monk’s austere lifestyle stirred a certain religious romanticism in Kazantzakis, but it repelled him too; he wanted the romanticism, but in a more-palatable way. Here’s their conversation as Kazantzakis records it: “Yours is a hard life, Father. I too want to be saved. Is there no other way?” “More agreeable?” asked the ascetic, smiling compassionately. “More human, Father.” “One, only one.” “What is that?” “Ascent. To climb a series of steps. From the full stomach to hunger, from the slaked throat to thirst, from joy to suffering. God sits at the summit of hunger, thirst, and suffering; the devil sits at the summit of the comfortable life. Choose.” “I am still young. The world is nice.  I have time to choose.” Reaching out, the old monk touched my knee and said: “Wake up, my child. Wake up before death wakes you up.” I shuddered and said: “I am still young.” “Death loves the young,” the old man replied. “The inferno loves the young. Life is like a lighted candle, easily extinguished. Take care—wake up! Wake up! Wake up before death wakes you up!“ — — In a less dramatic expression that’s a virtual leitmotif in the Gospels. (Fr. Ron Rolheiser). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

23) With the Lord unceasingly: Robert Bolt, the British playwright, did justice to Sir Thomas More in a heroic drama about his life, appropriately named A Man for All Seasons. Surely Thomas’ greatest season was when he stood trial for treason against Henry VIII for allegedly denying to the King his claim to be head of the Church of England. Although he, indeed, held that view, More, as the “King’s good servant,” had been careful to make no public statement on the matter. Like a good lawyer he demanded that the court prove its case against him. Of course, the court intended to condemn him anyhow, proof or no proof. Once the judgment had been given, St. Thomas More felt free to state his belief. He denied that “a temporal lord could or ought to be head of the spirituality.” Yet he held no grudge against those who had sentenced him to death for this Catholic principle. St. Paul, he reminded the tribunal, had originally persecuted the first Christian martyr, St. Stephen; but Paul had subsequently become a Christian and joined Stephen in the ranks of the martyrs. Now he prayed that he and his judges would share the joys of eternal life: “I verily trust, and shall therefore right heartily pray, that though your lordships have now here on earth been judges of my condemnation, we may yet hereafter in Heaven merrily all meet together to everlasting salvation.”   — Paul concurs: “We shall be with the Lord unceasingly. Console one another with this message.” (I Thes 4:17b-18. Today’s second reading). (Father Robert F. McNamara). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) “Be prepared”: Memories are short! “Aw, we don’t have to worry about this hurricane. We’ve lived through a lot of them, and none of them have been as bad as this one is predicted to become. Don’t worry about it.” There are a lot of other stories: “Aw, don’t worry about gas or food. As soon as the storm passes over, we’ll go down to the grocery store and replenish our shelves… There is always a lot of gas and food…” Or, how about this one: “A flood? Here? Not a chance… A tornado hit us? Here? Not a chance…” There is something prophetic about the decades-old Boy Scout motto, “Be Prepared.” A lot of people pooh-pooh that motto, believing that they are immune to disaster. They prefer to believe in the magical tooth fairy. — As we approach the end of the liturgical year, the readings begin to zero in on the themes of death, judgment, and the final coming of the Lord. We have been waiting two thousand years, and some folks think that he will come within the next few years. Today’s parable reminds us that “we know neither the day nor the hour,” so we have to be prepared for the long haul. In fact, the Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared” is a good summary of the Gospel message.  The ten bridesmaids are symbolic of the human race. Some are foolish, so used to instant coffee and microwave dinners that they expect instant salvation as well. Others, the truly wise, know that the arrival of the Bridegroom, The Lord, may be delayed, and they are prepared to deal with that situation, but they keep in mind that time and the oil will run out, sooner or later, so they make sure they get and keep their spiritual back-up ready NOW!.(Bishop Clarke). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

25) The Top Five Regrets of the Dying.  Bronnie Ware has an interesting and rather unusual occupation. She is a live-in companion to people who are dying. She becomes their nurse, housemaid, confidant and friend. She has written about her experiences in a recent book entitled The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Having accompanied many people who were dying, what had she learnt from them? When people look back over their lives, what are their chief regrets, what would they like to have done differently? The stories she tells are about people who have a lot in common with the foolish bridesmaids in today’s gospel. Only when it is too late do they realise what they should have done. According to Bronnie,  regret 1 is: “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” She gives the example of a woman named Grace: Now that she was dying, she didn’t care what people thought of her and anguished over why she hadn’t worked this out sooner. Grace had kept up appearances and lived the way others expected her to, only now realizing the choice to do so had always been her own, and was based on fear. Bro Nonie makes this observation: “Of all the regrets and lessons shared with me as I sat beside their beds, the regret of not having lived a life true to themselves was the most common one of all. The second regret is: “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. “John and his wife Margaret had raised five children. When all of the children were adults and had left home, Margaret asked John to retire. They were both fit and healthy and had enough money behind them to retire well. But John always said they might need more. For fifteen years the battle went on between them. When, finally, John said he’d retire in a year’s time, Margaret started excitedly looking through travel brochures. But it was not to be. Margaret was diagnosed with cancer and died three months before John was due to retire. Now in retirement, John lamented: “I wish I hadn’t worked so hard. What a stupid fool I was. I worked too damn hard and now I am a lonely, dying man. The worst part is that I have been lonely for the whole of my retirement and I need not have been.” But it was too late; the door had been closed. The third regret is: “I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.” Jozsef was a holocaust survivor and migrated to Australia after the Second World War. He was now 94 years of age and dying. The family had convinced his doctor not to tell him that he was dying. In fact, the family was trying to convince him that he was getting better. Jozsef lamented that he had worked too hard, but also that he had kept the family at a distance. I was too scared to let my feelings show. So I worked and worked and I kept the family at a distance. But they don’t know me. They don’t know me. And I want them to. It takes courage to express your feelings, particularly if you are not doing OK and need assistance, or if you’ve never expressed honest feelings to someone you love and don’t know how it will be received. Pride is such a waste of time. Regret number 4 is: “I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. “Now in a nursing home Doris expresses her regret: “I am missing my friends most of all. Some have died. Some I have lost touch with. I wish I hadn’t lost touch with them. You imagine your friends will always be there. But life moves on, and suddenly you find yourself with no one in the world who understands you or who knows anything about your history.” And the fifth regret: “I wish I had let myself be happier. Dorothy had left an abusive marriage and started her life afresh. She was a woman ahead of her time, becoming an executive in a global corporation, the first woman in her city to reach such a high level of management. Looking back on her life she said: “I wish I’d let myself be happier. What a miserable person I have been. I just didn’t think I deserved to be happy. But I do. I know that now.” Speaking to Bronnie she says, “Laughing with you this morning I realized that there was no need at all to feel guilty for being happy. “Perhaps we can recognize something of ourselves in each of these dear people. Each of them, for perfectly understandable reasons, had failed to act, had failed to be attentive to the longings of their own heart, and it led only to sadness. So, be aware and make Lady Wisdom our companion in life. As today’s first reading from the book of Wisdom tells us, Lady Wisdom is quick to anticipate those who desire her, and she makes herself known to them. Watch for her early and you will have no trouble; you will find her sitting at your gates. (Fr. Geoffrey Plant)  L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 60) 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. Jogi M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507

Nov 6-11: Nov 6-11: (Click on http://frtonyshomilies.comfor missed homilies):

Nov 6 Monday: Lk 14:12-14:He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.”

The context: Jesus was invited to a dinner where he noticed how the invitees were rushing for the best places. So, he used the occasion as a teachable moment for the guests, then advised the host on the motives behind one’s generosity and the criteria to be followed while inviting guests for banquets. Jesus instructed him to “invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind” in the communityand obtain the blessing of God on the day of the Last Judgment.

Life message: We need to check the motives behind all our acts of generosity to assess if they are meritorious acts or not. If a generous act is done chiefly out of sense of duty or obligation (as we pay our income tax because it is the state’s law), or if we pay tithes in the parish mostly because it is God’s law, we lose most of the merit. If a rationalized self-interest, like a future reward in Heaven, is the only motive for our good action, we lose the merit of the action once again. We lose the merit of an act of generosity if vainglory or a desire for fame or for acknowledgement from others is the only motive behind our generosity. That is why the Jewish rabbis used to advise their disciples that in the best kind of giving, the giver should not know to whom he is giving, and the receiver should not know from whom he is receiving. Pure altruism with agápe love and overflowing charity are the motives God shows us in His gifts to us, and He expects from us the same in all our acts of generosity, charity and service to Him done to others. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 7 Tuesday: Lk 14:15-24: 15 When one of those who sat at table with him heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave a great banquet, and invited many; 17 and at the time for the banquet he sent his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.’ 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ 19 And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I pray you, have me excused.’ 20 And another said, `I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported this to his master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my banquet.'”

The context: Jesus was participating in a banquet where he advised the host to reserve admission to the “poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind” and so to become eligible for God’s reward at the resurrection. One of Jesus’ fellow-guests commented on the blessedness of those who are invited to attend the Heavenly banquet hosted by Yahweh to honor His Chosen People. Jesus used the occasion to highlight the cost of refusing God’s invitation for the Heavenly banquet with lame excuses by telling a parable of a banquet hosted by a very rich and influential landowner.

The parable: The invited VIP guests, who had accepted the first invitation to participate in the banquet, refused the second invitation sent a few days before the banquet, giving lame excuses like the inspection of a newly-bought field, the testing of a newly-bought five yoke of oxen and honeymooning with a newly-married wife. The angry landowner instructed his servants to invite everyone in the surrounding areas in order to fill the banquet hall. Jesus directed this parable to the Jewish religious and civic leaders who had accepted the Covenant but had refused to accept his invitation for God’s salvation, the endpoint of the first Covenant, and had attacked his preaching and healing ministry. Jesus explained through this parable why he was befriending tax collectors and sinners, promising them eternal salvation and participation in the Heavenly banquet.

Life message: God invites us through Jesus and his Church to the banquet of the word of God, to the banquet of the Body and Blood of Jesus, and to the banquet of His grace through His Holy Spirit via the Sacraments. Let us examine ourselves to discover whether we, too, are refusing God’s invitation and giving lame excuses to show how busy we are because of our work or career duties, our addictions to games, entertainments, and hobbies or our preoccupation with family matters. We may not get a better chance or more opportunities to accept God’s invitation to pray deeply, to join the Eucharistic celebration or to do serious study of and refection on the word of God or service in the community. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 8 Wednesday: Lk 14:25-33: 25 Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and He turned and addressed them, 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ 31 Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. 33 So therefore, whoever of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.”

The context: Jesus was making his final journey to Jerusalem, and both the apostles and the common people, thought that the Master was going to overthrow the Roman government by using miraculous powers. Hence, a big crowd was following along. Jesus thought it was necessary to clarify for them the real cost involved in Christian discipleship.

The teaching: Today’s Gospel passage from Luke challenges us to make a total commitment to the will of God by putting Him first in our lives. Jesus reminds us to count the cost of being a Christian, because the cost is high. Christian discipleship requires one to “renounce” both possessions of the earth and possessions of the heart (i.e., one’s relationships). Jesus lays out four “trip wires” challenging true Christian discipleship: i) attachment to family; ii) attachment to possessions; iii) the hard consequences of discipleship which may involve even losing one’s life; and iv) the cost involved. Using the examples of a watch tower in a vineyard, left uncompleted due to lack of funds, and the example of a foolish king facing defeat by going to war without assessing the strength of the enemy, Jesus warns his would-be followers to count the cost and calculate the consequences before becoming disciples.

Life messages: 1) We need to accept Jesus’ challenge of making a total self-gift to Him in our commitment in true Christian Discipleship: “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” (Martin Luther). Jesus’ challenge can be accepted only if, with God’s grace, we practice the spirit of detachment and renunciation in our daily lives. Real Christian discipleship also demands a true commitment both to the duties entrusted to us and to loving acts of selfless, humble, sacrificial love offered to God in all His children around us. ) This is possible only if we rely on His grace, on the power of prayer and on the guidance of the Holy Spirit through a) daily prayer, b) devout participation in the Sunday Mass c) diligent study of the Bible, d) service in and beyond the parish, e) spiritual friendships, and f) giving time, talents, and resources to the Lord’s work. (Fr. Tony)(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 9 Thursday: (Dedication of the Lateran Basilica) For a short account, click here😦https://www.franciscanmedia.org/dedication-of-saint-john-lateran/): Jn 2:13-22 Historical note: Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral Church of Rome by Pope Sylvester I (AD 314-335), in AD 324. This Church serves as the Episcopal seat of the Pope as the Bishop of Rome and, hence, is called “the mother and head of all Churches of Rome and the world.” The basilica and baptistery were built originally by Emperor Constantine and called Basilica Constantinia. Later it was renamed the Arch-Basilica of the Most Holy Savior. However, it is now called St. Johns Lateran Basilica because it was built on property donated to the Church by the Laterani family, and because the monks from the monastery of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Divine served it. The name St. Johns comes, first, from the Baptistery, rebuilt after its hard treatment by the Visigoths (AD 410), by Pope St. Sixtus II (AD 432-440), and dedicated by him to St. John the Baptist. Later, Pope St. Hilary (AD 461-468), dedicated it to St. John the Evangelist, in thanksgiving to that apostle for saving his life. [Richard P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes (San Francisco, CA:
HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp. 58-58, 71-72, 77-78.]. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm

The context: Today’s Gospel gives us the dramatic account of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. He drove out its merchants and moneychangers with moral indignation at the unjust commercialization of God’s House of Prayer and the exploitation of the poor pilgrims in the name of religion. The merchants charged exorbitant prices for animals for sacrifices, and the moneychangers charged unjust commissions for the required exchange of pagan coins for Temple coins. Jesus cleansed the Temple in Jerusalem. Originally built by Solomon in 966 BC and rebuilt by Zerubbabel in 515 BC after the Babylonians had destroyed it, the Temple was still being renovated for the last time finishing the work begun in 20 BC by King Herod the Great. The abuses which infuriated Jesus were 1) the conversion of a place of prayer to a noisy marketplace and 2) the unjust business practices of animal merchants and moneychangers, encouraged by the Temple authorities. Hence, Jesus made a whip of cords and drove away the animals and the moneychangers, quoting Zechariah the prophet, “Stop making My Father’s house a marketplace”(Zechariah 14:21).

Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the business mentality of profit and loss in Divine worship. Our relationship with God must be that of a child to his parent, one of love, respect and desire for the common good, with no thought of gain or loss. 2) We need to remember that we are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by impurity, injustice, pride, hatred, or jealousy.

3) We need to love our parish Church and use it. Our Church is the place where we come together as a community to praise and worship God, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask pardon and forgiveness for our sins, and to offer our lives and petitions on the altar. Let us make our Church an even more holy place by adding our prayers and songs to community worship and by offering our time, talents, and treasure in the various ministries of our parish. (Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/ (L/23)

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

Nov 10 Friday: (St. Leo the Great, pope, Doctor of the Church) ) For a short biography, click here: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-leo-the-great Luke 16:1-8: 1 He also said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 And he called him and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 3 And the steward said to himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out of the stewardship.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said to the first, `How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, `A hundred measures of oil.’ And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?’ He said, `A hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.’ 8 The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

The context: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us the strange parable of a steward who was a rascal to teach us that serving God is a full-time job, not a part-time job or a spare-time hobby. Jesus also teaches us that, in matters spiritual and eternal, we should use the same ingenuity and planning which business people show in the business world. The parable challenges us to use our blessings — time, talents, health, and wealth — wisely and shrewdly, so that they will count for our reward in eternity. We are on the right road only if we use our earthly wealth to attain our Heavenly goal. The parable: In the parable, Jesus tells us how the slave-steward of an absentee landlord, caught red-handed in misappropriating his master’s wealth, ingeniously cheated his master by his unjust manipulation of the master’s business clients. His tricks were intended to make him the friend of his master’s debtors and gave him the prospect of becoming rich by working for them (or blackmailing them?) when he was fired by his master from the stewardship.

Life messages: 1) We need to be faithful in the little things of life: As Saint John Chrysostom said, “Faithfulness in little things is a big thing.” Our future opportunities in the eternal service of God largely depend on our stewardship in handling the little opportunities we have had on earth. As Mother Teresa used to recommend, “Do little things with great love.”

2) We have to act shrewdly, trusting in the power and assistance of God. Let us make use of our resources — like Hope in God’s justice, Faith in God’s assistance, and Trust in God’s grace, celebrating the Mass and the Sacraments as sources of Divine grace and prayerfully studying the Holy Bible as the word of God for daily meditation.

3) Let us remember that as God’s stewards we need to be prepared to give an account of our lives at any time (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Nov 11 Saturday: (St. Martin of Tours, Bishop) For a short biography, click here : https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-martin-of-tours Lk 16:9-15: 9 And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations. 10 “He who is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much; and he who is dishonest in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11 If then you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12 And if you have not been faithful in that which is another’s, who will give you that which is your own? 13 No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” 14 The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all this, and they scoffed at him. 15 But he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts; for what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

The context: After telling the parable of the rascally steward as an example of shrewdness and as a warning against using unjust means for gain, Jesus advises his listeners to make friends with the poor by almsgiving and to be faithful and honest in the little things entrusted to them by God.

The teaching: Jesus advises his followers to imitate the shrewd steward who used money generously to make friends for himself. Jesus suggests that his disciples should show their generosity and mercy by almsgiving: “sell your possessions and give alms” (Lk 12:33). The recipients immediately become friends of the kind donor.It is God’s generosity which makes one rich, and, hence, the money we have is unrighteous in the sense that it is unearned and undeserved. So, God expects us to be generous stewards of His generous blessings. Generosity curtails our natural greed, making almsgiving an act of thanksgiving to God for His generosity. Then Jesus tells us that what we get in Heaven will depend on how we have used the things of the earth and on how faithful we have been in the little things entrusted to us. A slave is the exclusive property of his master, and our Master, God, is the most exclusive of masters. So serving Him cannot be a part-time job or spare-time hobby; it is full-time job. Finally, Jesus warns the Pharisees that material prosperity is not a sure sign of one’s goodness and God’s blessing, but a sign of God’s mercy and generosity.

Life messages: 1) We need to share our blessings with others. Since all our blessings are God’s generous loans to us, we need to be equally generous with others. 2) We need to serve God full-time: Since God owns us totally, we are expected to be at His service doing His holy will all the time. Hence, there is no such thing as a part-time Christian. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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