Category Archives: Homilies

July 3-8 weekday homilies

Homilies

July 3-8: (Emailed from my home) Click on http://frtonyshomilies.comfor missed homilies July 3 Monday (St. Thomas, Apostle): For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-thomas-the-apostle/ Jn 20:24-29: 19 On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” 20 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. 21….USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/

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

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

Life messages: 1) Faith culminating in self-surrender to God leads us to the service of our fellow-human beings. Living Faith enables us to see the risen Lord in everyone and gives us the willingness to render each one loving service: “Faith without good works is dead” (Jas 2:17). Mother Teresa presents it this way: “If we pray, we will believe; if we believe, we will love; if we love, we will serve. Only then we put our love of God into action.” It was his Faith in the Lord and obedience to Jesus’ missionary command that prompted St. Thomas to travel to India to preach the Gospel among the Hindus, to establish seven Christian communities (known later as “St. Thomas Christians”), and eventually to endure martyrdom. 2) We need to grow in the living and dynamic Faith of St. Thomas using the following means prescribed by the Spiritual Fathers: a) We come to know and experience Jesus personally and intimately by the daily and meditative reading of the Bible. b) We strengthen our Faith by the power of the Holy Spirit through personal and community prayer. c) We share in the Divine Life of Jesus by frequenting the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. d) We are reconciled with God on a daily basis by repenting of our sins and asking God’s forgiveness and by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation whenever we fall into a grave sin. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

July 4 Tuesday: Matthew 8: 23-27: 23 And when he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 24 And behold, there arose a great storm on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by the waves; but he was asleep. 25 And they went and woke him, saying, “Save, Lord; we are perishing.” 26 And he said to them, “Why are you afraid, O men of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. 27 And the men marveled, saying, “What sort of man is this, that even winds and sea obey him?”Additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

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

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

Life message: We need to welcome Jesus into the boat of our life to calm the storms we face. All of us are making a journey across the sea of time to the shore of eternity, and it is natural that we all will experience different types of violent storms occasionally in our lives: physical storms, emotional storms, and spiritual storms. We face storms of sorrow, doubts, anxiety, worries, temptations, and passion. Only Jesus can give us real peace in the storm of sorrow or console us for the loss of our dear ones. When the storms of doubt seek to uproot the very foundations of the Faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us his Divinity and the authority behind the words of Holy Scripture. He gives us peace in the storms of anxiety and worries about ourselves, about the unknown future, and about those we love. Jesus also calms the storms of passion in people who have hot hearts and blazing tempers. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

July 5 Wednesday (St. Anthony Zacchariah, Priest; For a short biography, click on:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-anthony-zaccaria/; St. Elizabeth of Portugal (U.S.A) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-elizabeth-of-portugal/; Mt 8:28-34 28 And when he came to the other side, to the country of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs met him, coming out of the tombs, so fierce that no one could pass that way. 29 And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 30 Now a herd of many swine was feeding at some distance from them. 31 And the demons begged him, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of swine.” 32 And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and went into the swine; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, and perished in the waters. 33 The herdsmen fled, and going into the city they told everything, and what had happened to the demoniacs. 34 And behold, all the city came out to meet Jesus; and when they saw him, they begged him to leave their neighborhood. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/

The context: Today’s Gospel episode demonstrates Jesus’ power over the devil in a Gentile town called Gadara (Matthew) or Gerasa (Mark and Luke) of Decapolis, east of the Jordan. Two (in Mark and Luke, one), possessed men came out of a tomb-filled desolate place. The possessing demons, recognizing Jesus as the Son of God, begged that Jesus send them into a herd of swine. In Mark’s and Luke’s version of the incident, the possessed man’s demons named themselves Legion (6000), indicating their number. Jesus did as the evil spirits requested, the then-possessed swine ran down the slope, and they drowned in the sea. The frightened people of the city asked Jesus to leave their city. The people considered their swine more precious than the possessed men, and the liberation given to these men from evil spirits did not matter to them. If we have a selfish or materialistic outlook, we fail to appreciate the value of Divine things and push God out of our lives, begging Him to go away as these people did.

Life messages: Come out of your tombs: 1) Jesus is calling us to come out of the tombs. Our tombs are the closed-in, sealed-off areas of our hearts where Life in the Spirit of God has died because we have not allowed Jesus to minister to us through others. When we are sealed off from God, we are lonely. We try to satisfy our inner emptiness by filling our lives with money, promiscuity, addictions, or workaholism. 2) Jesus, the liberator, is ready to free us from the tombs of our evil addictions and habits. Let us go to him and receive his love, that we may experience the joy and freedom of the children of God. 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

July 6 Thursday: (St. Maria Goretti, Virgin, Martyr) For a short biography, click on:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-maria-goretti/ Mt 9:1-8: 1 And getting into a boat he crossed over and came to his own city. 2 And behold, they brought to him a paralytic, lying on his bed; and when Jesus saw their faith he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, my son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 And behold, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, `Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, `Rise and walk’? 6 But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins” — he then said to the paralytic — “Rise, take up your bed and go home.” 7 And he rose and went home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were afraid, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to men.

The context: Beyond exercising Divine authority over temptation, over the lives of men, over nature, over demons, and over sickness, Jesus, as we see in today’s Gospel demonstrates a new form of authority – the Divine authority to forgive sins. Jesus miraculously restores a paralyzed man to health as a sign of having this Divine authority. The healing episode presents Jesus as God Incarnate was sent to save us, restore us, and make us new. So, we have to look beyond the boundaries of our limited religious experience to appreciate the healing and forgiving operation of our God in newer and newer ways.

Many kinds of sickness, like the paralysis of the man in the story, were seen by the Jews as punishment for the personal sins of the sufferer or of the sufferer’s parents. It was also 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 had granted the paralytic the forgiveness of God, the man knew that God was no longer his enemy, and he was ready to receive the cure which followed. It was the manner of the cure which scandalized the Scribes. By forgiving sin Himself, Jesus had, they thought, blasphemed, insulted God, because forgiving sin is the exclusive prerogative of God. This healing demonstrates two facts: that we can never be right physically until we are right spiritually, and 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 Church. Today’s Gospel gives us an invitation to open ourselves to God’s forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and to hear from the priest’s mouth the words of Jesus to the paralytic being spoken to us: “Your sins are forgiven.”

2) 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. 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

July 7 Friday: Mt 9:9-13: 9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax office; and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him. 10 And as he sat at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat down with Jesus and his disciples. 11 And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 Go and learn what this means, `I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

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

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

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

July 8 Saturday: Matthew 9:14-17: 14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?” 15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast. 16 And no one puts a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old garment, for the patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made. 17 Neither is new wine put into old wineskins; if it is, the skins burst, and the wine is spilled, and the skins are destroyed; but new wine is put into fresh wineskins, and so both are preserved.”

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

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

Life message: 1) We need to be adjustable Christians with open and elastic minds and hearts: The Holy Spirit, working actively in the Church and guiding the teaching authority in the Church, enables the Church to have new visions, new ideas, new adaptations and new ways of worship in the place of old ones. So, we should have the generosity and good will to follow the teachings of the Church. At the same time, we need the Old Testament revelations, the New Testament teachings and the Sacred Tradition of the Church as main sources of our Christian Faith. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

O. XIII Sunday (July 2, 2023) homily

Homilies

OT XIII [A] Sunday (July 2) Eight-minutes homily in one page (L-23)

My new mailing address is Fr. Anthony Kadavil, c/o Fr. Joseph M. C. , Pastor, St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Ave, Bay Minette, AL 36507. Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is the witnessing mission given to Christ’s followers to love God and our brothers and sisters through hospitality, generosity, commitment in humble service, and the practice of corporal and spiritual works (acts) of mercy (charity). The readings also remind us of the sacrifice demanded of Jesus’ disciples and the suffering they will endure for their Faith when they bear witness to Jesus. (You may add a pertinent anecdote, here).

Scripture lessons: In our first reading, we see, the welcome given to the prophet Elisha by an elderly, childless couple who lived in Shunem. The wife recognized the holiness of Elisha. She showed him reverence and hospitality by inviting him to dine with her and her husband and by arranging an upper room of their house so that Elisha might stay with them when he visited the area. In response, Elisha promised her, “This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.” The promise was fulfilled by God. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 89), reminds us that we are the children of God Who tells us, “My mercy[kindness] is established forever.” The second reading, taken from Paul’s letter to the Romans, explains why those who care for the followers of Jesus are caring for Jesus himself, and those who show hospitality to any one of them are eligible for a reward. By our Baptism, we have been baptized into Jesus’ death and buried with him, and we look forward to our resurrection with him (Rom 6:5). Since Baptism is our entrée into this new life, it makes us part of the Body of Christ, and Christ is truly present in us. That is why the one who welcomes us welcomes Christ and becomes eligible for a reward. Today’s Gospel lesson concludes Jesus’ great “missionary discourse” in which he instructs the twelve apostles on the cost and the reward of the commitment required of a disciple. The first half of these sayings of Jesus details the behavior expected of his disciples, and the second half speaks of the behavior expected of others towards the disciples. Jesus assures his disciples that whoever shows them hospitality will be blessed. Those who receive Jesus receive the One who sent him. Also, those who help the “little ones,” (believers) and the poor, the sick, and the needy will be amply rewarded.

Life message: 1) We need to be hospitable and generous: Hospitality means acknowledging the presence of God in others and serving Him in them, especially those in whom we least expect to find Him. We, as individuals and as a community, are to look for opportunities to be hospitable–and, of course, there are plenty of ways of offering hospitality. Maybe hospitality is offered through a kind word to a stranger – or even a smile. A kind smile or a “hello” to someone waiting with us in a grocery line may be the only kindness that person encounters all day. We become fully alive as Christians through the generous giving of ourselves. What is more important than the sending of checks for charitable causes is the giving of ourselves to people, primarily in the way we think about them, for from that spring will flow the ways we speak to them and about them, forgive their failings, encourage them, show them respect, console them, and offer them help. Such generosity reflects warmth radiating from the very love of God.

OT XIII [A] (July 2) (2 Kgs 4:8-11, 14-16a; Rom 6:3-4, 8-11; Mt 10:37-42)

Homily starter anecdotes: (Biblical reason why preachers may use anecdotes in their homilies? Mt 13: 34:  “All this Jesus said to the crowds in parables; indeed, he said nothing to them without a parable”). 1) “Paid in full for one glass of milk.” The special joy of nature-loving boy Howard Kelly was hiking great distances and studying animals in the wild. On a walking trip, up through Northern Pennsylvania one spring, young Kelly stopped by a small farmhouse for a drink of cool spring water. A little girl answered his knock at the door, and instead of water, she brought him a glass of fresh milk. He thanked her profusely and went on his way. After years of medical studies, he became Dr. Kelly. Dr. Howard Kelly (1858-1943) was a distinguished physician who was one of the four founding doctors of Johns Hopkins, the first medical research university in the U.S. and, arguably, one of the finest hospitals anywhere. In 1895, he established in that school the department of Gynecology and Obstetrics. Over the course of his career, Doctor Kelly advanced the sciences of gynecology and surgery, both as a teacher and as a practitioner. Some years later, that same little girl from Northern Pennsylvania who had given him that glass of milk years ago, came to him for an operation. Just before she left for home, fearful of a huge bill, her bill was brought into the room and across its face was written in a bold hand, “Paid in full for one glass of milk.” — That was Dr. Kelly’s style of showing gratitude and hospitality. While he charged the rich patients substantial fees, he provided his services free-of-charge to the less fortunate. By his conservative estimate, in 75% of his cases he neither sought nor received a fee. Today’s Scriptures challenge us to practice hospitality, seeing Christ in others. Adapted from http://www.snopes.com/glurge/milk.asp.  See the Thai version of this story in YouTube. (https://youtu.be/BhEvzF8GOKQ). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

2) Catholic Worker Houses of Hospitality. The eighth of November marks the 123rd  anniversary of the birth of Dorothy Day (November 8, 1897 – November 29, 1980), the uncanonized saint of the homeless, an American journalist turned social activist, and a devout member of the Catholic Church. She was also an outspoken advocate for the poor.   For most of her life she agitated for better treatment of the disadvantaged.    The Catholic Worker Movement, which she started in May 1933, was a further extension of her interest in the poor.   With the help of her friend Peter Maurin she revived the idea of hospitality once fostered by monasteries.  All were welcome:  the poor, the downtrodden and losers.   She also started the first House of Hospitality where she could care for the poor. Dorothy and Peter suggested that every Catholic parish should have such a place of hospitality. Today there are nearly 175 of these Catholic Worker Houses of Hospitality.  “Those who cannot see the face of Christ in the poor,” she used to say, “are atheists indeed.”  “If I have achieved anything in my life,” she once remarked, “it is because I have not been embarrassed to talk about God.” — In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs Christians on how they should be hospitable and generous. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

3) Amish hospitality: Years ago, on a trip through the Amish country of Pennsylvania, I took the occasion to visit several of the shops. Many of them had signs of greeting hung on the door or in the window, which read, “Welcome! There are no strangers here — only friends we haven’t yet met.” In keeping with the sign was the warmth and kindness with which visitors were received and tended to. Unfortunately, hospitality such as this has become an uncommon, albeit pleasant surprise in today’s world. But it was not always so. In ancient times, hospitality was considered a sacred duty and in Scripture the patriarchs are cited as models of this virtue (Gn 19:2; 24:17-33; 43:24). Recall, in particular, the visit of Yahweh to Abraham (Gn 18:2-8); Abraham and Sarah’s generous welcome of their guests was rewarded with the promise of a son. As Xavier Leon-Dufour [Dictionary of Biblical Theology (Geoffrey Chapman, London: 1973)] explains, hospitality was to be valued as a work of mercy as well as a means of witnessing to the Faith. The visitor who traveled through and requested assistance (Prv 27:8, Sir 29:21-27) was to be regarded as a living reminder of Israel’s former struggle as enslaved strangers in Egypt (Lv 19:33-34). The stranger in need was also to remind Israel of its present status as a wandering pilgrim on earth (Ps 39:13, Heb 11:13, 13:14).  In today’s Gospel, Jesus impresses upon his disciples the importance of hospitality; those who labor for the sake of the Gospel are to be provided with a ready welcome by those to whom they minister. (Sanchez Files).  — All this reminds us that the hospitality and generosity expected of us should be given here and now. Fr. Tony (Sanchez Files).(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

4) The vow of hospitality made by the Little Sisters of the Poor: By our vow of hospitality we promise God to consecrate ourselves exclusively to the service of the elderly poor. We welcome them into our homes, form one family with them, accompany them from day to day and care for them with love and respect until God calls them home. Through our vow of hospitality the Church has given us a mandate to prolong Christ’s mission of charity—to convey to the elderly, in the concrete realities of everyday life, the kindness and love of God for them, his eldest children. Consecrated hospitality is a witness to the mercy and compassionate love of the heart of Jesus. It is based on the words of Christ himself: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7). “I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me … sick and you visited me.… Truly I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Mt 25:35–40). Our foundress, Saint Jeanne Jugan, echoed these words of our Lord as she often said, “Never forget that the poor are Our Lord. In caring for the poor say to yourself: This is for my Jesus—what a great grace! As Hospitaller religious our lives are made up of many humble, hidden tasks. We serve the elderly day and night, striving to meet their physical needs, to make them happy, and to minister to them spiritually. We accomplish our mission together as a community, each one bringing her gifts and talents to the work of hospitality. The accompaniment and care of the dying is the summit of our vocation. In today’s world it is an ever more powerful witness of the culture of life. By the look in his eyes or by the silence of his whole being, the elderly person who is near death asks us this question: “Does my life still have any value? Is it worth living?” To each person we respond with a resounding yes! Thanks to Saint Jeanne Jugan’s presence among us, we continue her spirit as we pursue our mission of hospitality today. (http://www.littlesistersofthepoorwashingtondc.org/vow-of-hospitality/)

 Introduction: The common theme of today’s readings is the work God gives us to do as the followers of Jesus:  to love God and our brothers and sisters through hospitality, generosity, commitment, and charity. They also remind us of the sacrifice demanded of Jesus’ disciples and the suffering they will endure for their Faith when they bear witness to him. 

Scripture readings summarized: In our first reading, we see, in Elisha’s welcome by a childless woman and her husband who lived in Shunem, a radical illustration of all four works. The woman recognized the holiness of Elisha. She showed him reverence and hospitality by inviting him to dine with her and her husband and by setting aside and furnishing an upper room of her house for the prophet to occupy whenever he should come to town.  In grateful response, Elisha promised her, “This time next year you will be fondling a baby son.” The promise was fulfilled by God Who reminds us in the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 89) “My mercy [kindness] is established forever,” for He always keeps His promises; to this the Psalmist refers as he sings, “The promises of the Lord I will sing forever, / through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.” The second reading, taken from Paul’s letter to the Romans, reminds the Roman Christians, and us, that by Baptism we have been baptized into Jesus’ death, buried with him, and now look forward to resurrection with him (Rom 6:5). As Jesus died to sin, we, too, must be dead to sin and “live for God in Christ Jesus.” Since Baptism is our entrée into this new life in which we are made part of the Body of Christ, so Christ is truly present in us, the one who welcomes us welcomes Christ and becomes eligible for a reward. Thus, since those who care for the followers of Jesus are caring for Jesus himself, those who show hospitality to any one of them are eligible for a reward.

Today’s Gospel lesson concludes Jesus’ great “missionary discourse” in which he instructs his twelve disciples on the cost and the reward of the commitment required for being a disciple. The first half of these sayings of Jesus details the behavior expected of the disciples, and the second half speaks of the behavior expected of others toward the disciples. Even Jesus’ shameful death on the cross is not too high a price to pay if one is to be a true disciple because the reward is so great. Jesus assures his disciples that whoever shows them hospitality will be blessed. Those who receive Jesus receive the One who sent him. So, too, those who help the “little ones” (messengers) will be amply rewarded. Jesus ate with sinners throughout His earthly ministry. He received children gladly. He taught us to invite the lowly to parties and to welcome strangers. He prepared breakfast for His wayward disciples, including Judas who had betrayed Him. Jesus ate with the Emmaus disciples after His resurrection. Before His departure, Jesus said He was going to “prepare a place” for His people. Jesus also instituted the Lord’s Supper or the Eucharistic celebration, giving new meaning to the Passover meal, and told us that He will drink it again with us when “the kingdom of God comes.”

Gospel exegesis: “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me….”  These words may sound a bit extreme, since family comes first for most of us. 1) What Jesus means is that all loyalties must give place to loyalty to God.   The wants of any person or any group of people (e.g. a family), cannot be met by trampling on or denying the rights and needs of others.  If members of one’s family   act unjustly, one must, in conscience, separate oneself from them.   In other words, one cannot condone immoral practices even by members of one’s family. Jesus clearly is not attacking family life.  He is giving a warning to his disciples of the conflicts and misunderstandings they will experience through their living out the word and thus becoming prophets, proclaiming God’s Will and living presence among His people through their own lives.  

2) These words of Jesus can have another meaning. All those who become followers of Jesus belong to a new family.  It is a family where every single person, including relatives, friends, and even strangers are truly my brothers and sisters. We become part of a larger family to whom we also have responsibilities.  Jesus means that there will be times when we will have to give more love and compassion to the hungry, the sick, those in prison, the social outcasts, the unemployed or the unemployable, the handicapped, and the lonely than to the members of our  own family.  In other words, Jesus is not speaking against the family, but rather reminding us that we are part of a larger family of our fellow Christians.

We need to be ready to take up our cross and lose our life for Christ: In ancient Palestine, the cross had a terrible meaning.   Crucifixion was a vicious way of executing people, and it was reserved only for those who were not Roman citizens. Only the worst criminals were crucified. The Jews who heard Jesus’ call for taking up one’s cross in order to follow him must have been horrified. Yet, that is what Christ wants from his disciples. The cross stands for unconditional forgiveness of those who call us enemy, the total emptying of ourselves of our wants and needs for the sake of another, and the courageous, consistent choosing to do what is right and just because we love God.  The main   paradox of the Christian life is that we must lose life in order to find Life, and we must die to ourselves in order to rise again. (“Those who find their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.”). We live in a world where “finding their lives” is the paramount ambition of the majority of people. But Jesus tells us very clearly that this should not be our main concern. What he asks of us is that we should “lose this life,” which means that we must stop living for ourselves alone.   We must forget our own security and work toward the security of others.  We must learn to take our own health a bit less seriously, in order to care for those who are sick and hungry.   We must stop polluting the environment, so that the rest of the world will have clean air to breathe. All these things fall into place when we lose ourselves in caring for others.

We owe hospitality to strangers in Jesus’ name (“offering a cup of cold water..”): For the Jews, receiving a person’s representative or messenger was the same as receiving the person himself. Hence, receiving a man of God who teaches God’s truth was considered equivalent to receiving God Himself. The four main links in the chain of salvation are i) God who sent Jesus with His message, ii) Jesus who preached the “Good News,” iii) the human messenger who preaches Jesus’ message through words and life, and iv), the believer who welcomes, lives out, and passes on the message and serves the messengers. Giving hospitality to a preacher or a believer is the same as welcoming Jesus Himself. This is why welcoming others is given such high priority in the New Testament, and why it is a tradition which still lives on in many parts of the Church today. The basis of all hospitality is that we all belong to God’s family, and that every person is our brother or sister. In the game of life, while we would prefer to be the quarterback — the hero — Jesus’ heart leans toward the water-boy or water-girl.   Hence, providing a cup of water is a valid vocation. Here is the advice of the apostles: “Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality (Rom 12:13). “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…” (Heb 13:2). “Show hospitality to one another without grumbling” (1 Pt  4:9). They were asking Christians  to open their homes to strangers — traveling missionaries who were planting churches and carrying letters from the apostles to believers scattered around the Roman empire. This was a time when hotels were not the most pleasant (or safe) places to stay, and these missionaries could not afford them anyway.

Materialism and consumerism dominate our lives and turn our homes into isolated fortresses with iron gates, intruder alarms, and surveillance cameras.   Society believes in competition, power, influence, and success. Jesus’ argument is that when we work hard to ensure that everyone has enough, there will be enough for us, too. Hence, the questions we should ask are,  “Am I living my life at the expense of others?”  “Am I trying to live in solidarity with others?” and “Am I aware of people in my area who are in real need?” In the words of Mother Teresa, “The Gospel is written on your fingers.” Holding up her fingers, one at a time, she accented each word: “You-Did-It-To-Me.” Mother Teresa then added: “At the end of your life, your five fingers will either excuse you or accuse you of doing it unto the least of these.”

The reward promised to preachers and helpers. Today’s Gospel lesson implies that there might be differing rewards for prophets, righteous persons, and little ones — and differing rewards for those who receive prophets, righteous persons, and little ones. The Good News is that the modesty of our circumstances does not limit our potential rewards.  We don’t have to be a prophet to receive a prophet’s reward–we have only to receive a prophet.  We don’t have to be a great saint to receive a great saint’s reward–we have only to show hospitality to such a saint.  The smallest gift to the littlest disciple brings a certain reward.  Just as God knows and cares about every hair of our heads, so too, He knows about our generous acts in behalf of the faithful.  Such gifts are counted as gifts to Jesus — and gifts to Jesus are counted as gifts to the Father. Another bit of Good News is that, as we are engaged in the Lord’s work, those who help us are also promised a reward.  That is true whether we are clergy or lay people, preachers or janitors.  We may not find it comfortable to be on the receiving end rather than the giving end of a generous, loving exchange, but the Lord has ordained that our humble, grateful receiving becomes a blessing for the giver.

Life messages: 1) We need to be hospitable: Christ comes to our door in many disguises. Hospitality means encountering the hidden presence of God in others, usually where we least expect to find Him, and serving Him there in the loving service we give to the person. The virtue of hospitality is the virtue of recognizing the presence of God in others and nourishing this presence. We, as a community, are to look for the opportunities to be hospitable— and, of course, there are many ways of offering hospitality.  Maybe we offer hospitality simply by offering a stranger a kind word or a smile. When we live in such a busy and hectic world, we tend to brush off people who need help. A kind smile or a “hello” to someone waiting with us in a grocery line may be the only kindness that person encounters all day.  In a cold and inhospitable world, a caring person becomes an oasis of encouragement and companionship. 

2) We become fully alive as Christians through the generous giving of ourselves. What is more important than the sending of checks for charitable causes is the giving of ourselves to people,  primarily in the way we think about them, for from that spring will flow  the ways we speak to them and about them, forgive their failings, encourage them, show them respect,  console them, and offer them help. Such generosity reflects warmth radiating from the very love of God

JOKE OF THE WEEK: 1) Funny truths: You may sleep in the Church, but don’t snore. William Muehl, professor of preaching at Yale Divinity, spoke the following famous words to generations of seminarians: “Always remember that most of the people you have on a Sunday morning almost decided not to come, to stay in bed and sleep instead.” Hence, it is no wonder that a recent study in Great Britain found that 42 percent of regular Churchgoers fall asleep in Church. Ever feel like yawning in Church yourself? This’ll wake you up: “Yawning is of medical importance because it is symptomatic of pathology such as brain lesions and tumors, hemorrhage, motion sickness, chorea and encephalitis.” So says a 1987 University of Maryland report in the journal “Behavioral and Neural Biology.” So, while you’re yawning, be sure to tell yourself: “Don’t worry. There’s only a small chance it’s a tumor.”

2) Southern hospitality: Two women, a Yankee and a Southern Belle, are sitting next to each other on a plane. The Southern Belle turns to the Yankee and asks, “So, where y’all from?” The Yankee replies, “I am from a place where we do not end our sentences with a preposition.” Without missing a beat, the Southern Belle bats her lashes and asks, “So, where y’all from, Rude, lady?”

3) Overdose hospitality: A farmer, who went to a big city to see the sights, asked the hotel’s clerk about the time of meals. “Breakfast is served from 7 to 11, dinner from 12 to 3, and supper from 6 to 8,” explained the clerk. “Look here,” inquired the farmer in surprise, “when am I going to get time to see the city?”

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

 

 

24- Additional anecdotes:

1a)“It’s hard just to make it past the suffering part!” : St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa), like some early Christian writers, notes, “suffering has to come because if you look at the cross, Jesus has got his head bending down — he wants to kiss you — and he has both hands open wide — he wants to embrace you. He has his heart opened wide to receive you. Then when you feel miserable inside, look at the cross and you will know what is happening. Suffering, pain, sorrow, humiliation, feelings of loneliness, are nothing but the kiss of Jesus, a sign that you have come so close that he can kiss you. Do you understand, brothers, sisters, or whoever you may be? Suffering, pain, humiliation — this is the kiss of Jesus. At times you come so close to Jesus on the cross that he can kiss you.” But, Mother Teresa added, “I once told this to a lady who was suffering very much. The lady answered, “Tell Jesus not to kiss me — to stop kissing me.” (Rev. Paul Andrew) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

1b) Benedictine hospitality: Hospitality is one of the cornerstones of Benedictine spirituality, and it is based on seeing Christ in the guest, just as he is seen in the monks. In the Rule of St. Benedict (the 6th century father of western monasticism), Chapter 53 is dedicated to the reception of guests. Christ told his disciples that their service and disservice of others would also be directed at him, and this teaching is the foundation for the Benedictine attitude on hospitality: “Let all guests who arrive be received as Christ, because He will say: ‘I was a stranger and you took Me in’ (Mt 25:35). And let due honor be shown to all, especially to those ‘of the household of the faith’ (Gal 6:10) and to wayfarers.” When a guest arrives, the Rule of St. Benedict prescribes that he be greeted by the superior and the brothers, and they all pray together before anything else. The Abbot attends to the guest and teaches the guest about “Divine law.” Hospitality also involves flexibility: in the Rule, it prescribes a separate kitchen with a couple of monks dedicated to meeting the guests’ needs, even when they are not following the monastery’s schedule for mealtimes and other activities. (E- Priest) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

2) Saints and preachers who lived for others as Jesus did: St. John Chrysostom, who lived in the fourth century, was one of the most powerful preachers in Church history. Yet, he devoted more time and energy to the poor than to preaching. He established many Christian charities, hospices, and hospitals for the destitute. St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Cistercian abbot and renowned monastic theologian and preacher, led many people to Christ. He also established a network of hostels, hospices, and hospitals that survive today. John Wycliffe, who translated the New Testament into English, led a grass-roots movement of lay-preachers and relief workers who ministered to the poor. General William Booth was a Methodist preacher when he started The Salvation Army. Dwight L. Moody, one of the best known of all the pastors in America established more than 150 street missions, soup kitchens, clinics, schools, and rescue outreaches. [John Wimber and Kevin Springer, Power Points (New York: Harper San Francisco, 1991), p. 189.] — The Christian Faith is about generous self-giving. We only have to survey the ministry of Jesus to see that. There was nothing self-serving in anything Jesus ever did. He was truly the Man for others. And Jesus calls us to be men and women for others. At the very heart of our Faith is a spirit of giving. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

3) Heroic suffering of the baseball player Kirk Gibson:  Suffering and pain are integral to life’s experience but they need not humiliate, defeat, and destroy us! A Detroit News article some years ago carried the story of Kirk Gibson during his glory days with the Tigers. Few really knew the price of pain and agony paid by Gibson for that glory. According to the article, Kirk Gibson was a baseball player who knew how to live with pain. In 1980, he tore the cartilage in his wrist. Two years later, he had a sore left knee, a strained left calf muscle, and a severe left wrist sprain. In 1983, he was out for knee surgery, and in 1985 he required 17 stitches after getting hit in the mouth with a wild pitch. In addition, he bruised a hamstring muscle, injured his right heel, and suffered a sore left ankle. His worst injury involved severe ligament damage to his ankle in 1986, a year predicted to be his best. When asked about pain, Gibson was quoted as saying, “There are pluses and minuses in everything we do in life. But the pluses for my career, myself, and my family make it worth it. It’s the path I chose.” – His attitude reminds us of Jesus’ challenge in today’s Gospel, “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of    me.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 4) The agony and ecstasy of Michelangelo: A few of you perhaps have had the privilege of visiting Rome to view some of the world’s most splendid artistic productions in sculpture, on canvas, and in architecture. While there, perhaps you saw what is regarded by some as the most outstanding of all artistic expressions, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel painted by Michelangelo. What many people do not know is that he suffered beyond imagination while producing that unparalleled masterpiece. In Irving Stone’s novel, The Agony and the Ecstasy, Michelangelo’s agony is vividly described. For thirty days, he painted from dawn to darkness, completing the Sacrifice of Noah, the four large male figures surrounding the Ark and the Prophet Isaiah opposite. He returned home late each night to work on the scene of the Garden of Eden. For those thirty days, he slept in his clothes without even taking off his boots. When at the completion of that section, utterly spent, he asked a friend to pull his boots off for him, the skin came away with them. He grew dizzy from standing and painting with his head and shoulders thrown back, his neck arched so that he could peer straight upward, his arms aching in every joint from the vertical effort, his eyes blurred from the dripping paint, even though he had learned to paint through slits and to blink his eyes shut with each brush stroke, as he had learned to do against flying marble chips when sculpting. He did his painting on a platform on top of the scaffolding. He painted sitting down, his thighs drawn up tight against his stomach for balance until the padded bones of his legs became so bruised that he could no longer bear the agony. Then he would lie flat on his back, his knees in the air, until he could no longer endure that and would switch to another position; no matter which way he leaned, crouched, lay, or knelt, on his feet, knees, or back, eventually there always came a painful strain. Yet, the greatness of the agony of his painting experience was more than matched by the greatness of the glory the marvelous production and end result gave him. — Today there are many people who want to live a godly life, who want to assist in seeing the Kingdom of God grow, but whenever effort, strain, or suffering is involved, they beg off. Jesus challenges them in today’s Gospel: “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 5) Long living, hardy Bristlecone Pines:  Some time ago a fascinating article appeared in Reader’s Digest, telling about a most unusual tree called the “Bristlecone Pine.” Growing in the western mountain regions, sometimes as high as two or more miles above sea level, these evergreens may live for thousands of years. The older specimens often have only one thin layer of bark on their trunks. Considering the habitat of these trees, rocky areas where the soil is poor and precipitation is slight, it seems almost incredible that they should live so long or even survive at all. The environmental “adversities,” however, actually contribute to their longevity. Cells that are produced as a result of these perverse conditions are densely arranged, and many resin canals are formed within the plant. Wood that is so structured continues to live for an extremely long period of time. What happens if these trees are grown in more welcoming circumstances?  Says author Darwin Lambert in his article on the subject, “Bristlecone Pines in richer conditions grow faster, but die earlier and soon decay.” The harshness of their surroundings, then, is a vital factor in making them strong and sturdy. –How similar this is to the experience of the Christian who graciously accepts the hardships God allows to come into his life! In Hebr 12:11 we read that such chastening produces “the peaceable fruit of righteousness!” (KJV) For those not rooted in Christ, suffering can be decimating. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

6) “You one day gave a coin to Baron de Rothschild in the studio.” Baron De Rothschild was one of the richest men who ever lived. Legend has it that the Baron once posed before an artist as a beggar. While the artist, Ary Scheffer, was painting him, the financier sat before him in rags and tatters holding a tin cup. A friend of the artist entered, and the baron was so well-disguised that he was not recognized. Thinking he was really a beggar, the visitor dropped a coin into the cup. Ten years later, the man who gave the coin to Rothschild received a letter containing a bank order for 10,000 francs and the following message: “You one day gave a coin to Baron de Rothschild in the studio of Ary Scheffer. He has invested it and today sends you the capital which you entrusted to him, together with the compounded interest. A good action always brings good fortune. Signed, Baron de Rothschild.” [Bits and Pieces (February 4, 1993), p. 24.) — A simple act of kindness was bountifully rewarded. Now hear the words of our Lord: “And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his reward.” Even a cup of cold water, says the Master, water given to one of His little ones, will be rewarded. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

7) “I give while I’m still living!”:  In a fable of the pig and the cow, the pig was lamenting to the cow one day how unpopular he was. “People are always talking about your gentleness and your kind eyes,” said the pig. “Sure, you give milk and cream, but I give more. I give bacon, ham, bristles. They even pickle my feet! Still, nobody likes me. Why?” The cow thought a minute and then replied, “Well, maybe it’s because I give while I’m still living, and I give milk which is meant for my child.” — Today’s Gospel reminds us that the hospitality and generosity expected of us should be offered here and now, and not just by way of something left for others in our Last Will and Testament. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

8) Imitation of Christ or Presentation of Christ? In 1418 the first copy of what would become the most widely read volume on Christian spirituality appeared. The Imitation of Christ was first published anonymously but is now accepted as the work of the priest Thomas a Kempis. This book of devotions holds up Jesus’ teachings as the greatest counsel and truths one could ever find and urges all Christians to follow Jesus’ words at every juncture. The Imitation of Christ quickly became popular with the educated laity, then was accepted, read, and followed by such diverse groups as religious orders and monasteries, the Jesuits, and the Methodists. What a Kempis offered was “soul-steeping” in Christ’s words: inward meditation, outward devotion, committed contemplation. It’s a great book. I encourage you to read it. — But in today’s Gospel text, Jesus is not interested in growing a new generation of mere “imitators” of the Christ.” In fact, Jesus’ words are startling. When disciples go out, those who welcome them are welcoming  JESUS! Disciples are not “imitations.” Disciples are the real deal. Disciples are not “copies,” or a copy of a copy. Disciples are “originals.” Do you hear it? Jesus IS present, God IS present, when disciples come in the Name of the One Who has sent them. It’s not about “imitation.” It’s about implantation. No wonder “welcoming” is such a mandate! Instead of a Kempis’ “imitations” of Christ, better to envision Paul’s “Body of Christ.” Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

9) Pastoral ministry is a tough occupation: Did you hear about the farm boy who always wondered what would happen if he twisted the tail on the mule? One day he tried it. And now they say about him, he’s not as pretty as he used to be, but he’s a whole lot wiser!  Ministry is not for cowards, the lazy, the easily discouraged, the thin-skinned, or those without endurance. It is a tough occupation! And it’s getting tougher! I love the cartoon that shows a man saying, “I don’t get America’s fascination with the television show Survivor. I’ve occupied an island of strenuous and dangerous activities with hostile cohorts with a chance of getting voted out. I’ve been a pastor for thirty years!” — Today’s Gospel lesson gives us Jesus’ final words of instruction to his disciples, as he commissions them to undertake their mission and continues instructing them about their purpose. The text also urges us to see that our ministers get rest. Jesus talks about giving our prophets a break, time off for a cup of cool water. Let’s face it; a minister’s job is never done. There is always another sermon to write, a book to read, prayers to pray, a person to meet, a wrong to right, a meeting to attend. Even the pace of ministry is accelerating, thanks to e-mail, faxes, and cell phones. And a pastor, to survive, must learn to work under a load of unfinished work. Why, today’s pastor is like a man juggling a dozen balls well! The people of his congregation keep tossing him more balls until he’s up to 64! Then he drops them all and people walk away, shaking their heads in disbelief. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

10) One unsung hero of the Bible is Onesiphorus. He is forever known as a minister to the minister, the one who kept the Apostle Paul on his feet. In 2 Tm 1:15-18, Paul confided, “You are aware that all who are in Asia turned away from me, among whom are Phygelus and Hermogenes. May the Lord grant mercy to the family of Onesiphorus because he often gave me new heart and was not ashamed of my chains. But when he came to Rome, he promptly searched for me and found me. May the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day. And you know very well the services he rendered in Ephesus.” (II Tim 1:16-18). http://www.usccb.org/bible/2timothy/1 – 63001018-o  — Just listen to the action verbs: He often gave me new heart. He was not ashamed of my chains. He promptly searched for me. He found me. May we be that sort of person to one another, and especially to our pastors!  Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

11) “The Messiah is among you.” There is an old legend about the famous monastery which had fallen on very hard times. Its many buildings were once filled with young monks, and chapel resounded with the singing of the choir. But now it was deserted. People no longer came there to be nourished by prayer. Only a handful of old monks remained. On the edge of the monastery woods, an old rabbi had built a tiny hut. He came there from time to time to fast and pray. No one ever spoke with him, but whenever he appeared, the word would be passed from monk to monk: “The rabbi walks in the woods.” One day the abbot decided to visit the rabbi and bare his heart to the rabbi. As he approached the hut, the abbot saw the rabbi standing in the doorway, his arms outstretched in welcome. It was as though he had been waiting there for some time. The two embraced. As he entered the hut, he saw in the middle of the room a wooden table with the Scriptures open. They sat there for a moment, in the presence of the Book. Then the rabbi began to cry. The abbot could not contain himself. He covered his face with his hands and broke down. After the tears and all was quiet again, the rabbi lifted his head. “You and your brothers are serving God with heavy hearts,” he said. “You have come to ask a teaching of me. I will give you a teaching, but you can only repeat it once. After that, no one must ever say it aloud again.” The rabbi looked straight at the abbot and said, “The Messiah is among you.” The Abbot stood in stunned silence. Then the rabbi said, “Now you must go.” The abbot left without ever looking back. The next morning, the abbot called his monks together in the chapter room. He told them that he had received a teaching from the rabbi who walks in the woods, and that this teaching was never again to be spoken aloud. Then he looked at each of his brothers and said, “The rabbi said that one of us is the Messiah.” The monks were startled and thought to themselves: “What could it mean? Is brother John the Messiah? No, he’s too old and crotchety. Is brother Thomas? No, he’s too stubborn and set in his ways. Am I the Messiah? What could this possibly mean?” They were all deeply puzzled by the rabbi’s teaching. But no one ever mentioned it again. As time went by, though, something began to happen at the monastery. The monks began to treat one another with a reverence. They were gentle with one another. They lived with one another as brothers once again. Visitors found themselves deeply moved by the genuine caring and sharing that went on among them. Before long, people were again coming from great distances to be nourished by the prayer life of these monks. And young men were asking, once again, to become part of the community. Jesus said, “He who receives you receives me.” Hospitality…because in one another we see face of Christ — this is the first step in Christian Discipleship. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

12) No trespassers allowed: Eleven times in the New Testament, Jesus either assumes or receives the hospitality of others for his daily care and lodging. How else do you think he survived? Furthermore, hospitality is assumed by Jesus in the sending forth of the apostles (“He who receives you, receives me,” Mt 10:40). And the early Church would never have made it, had it not “practiced hospitality” as Paul mandated in Rom 12. Traveling missionaries stayed in homes … conducted worship in homes … served the Sacrament in homes … and took up collections for those engaged in the work of the Gospel in homes. In the first two centuries of the Church’s existence, any talk about “the house of God” literally meant a house … somebody’s house … where the people of God gathered and where the servants of God bunked (while passing through). — “What happened to hospitality?” people cry. Well, what happened to hospitality was insecurity. When people no longer felt safe, they buttoned things up. They installed locks, buzzers, cameras, gatehouses and tall hedges … along with any number of things that controlled access. They became “selectively social,” given that you never knew who might be out there. But “security” was not the only issue that privatized hospitality, turning “welcome” into a highly selective verb. Privacy also entered in. People began to define their space more carefully … setting limits … establishing perimeters, all of which is understandable, maybe even laudable. But much of this runs counter to the spirit of Scripture whose mandate was especially appropriate to “nomadic life,” when people moved around a lot, but where public inns were a rarity. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

13) And so the House of the Urchin was established:  Shortly after World War II, the bombed-out city of Naples was filled with bands of young orphans and outcasts called scugnizzi. These scugnizzi lived on the streets, begging, pilfering, and sometimes assisting older criminals. These kids were tough, wily, and apparently unreachable. But 25-year-old Father Mario Borrelli wanted to try. He felt it was his responsibility to love in the way Christ has loved. So, each night right after his regular duties, he became a scugnizzi. Dressed in a ragged and filthy get-up, he started begging at the Naples railroad terminal. The other young toughs were impressed by his style, just the right mixture of humor and pathetic humility. When a gang leader swaggered up and demanded half his take, Mario beat him up. That really impressed the guys. This incognito priest slept on basement gratings covered with old newspapers, just like the others. Soon he was getting to know his new companions well as they talked around fires, heating up their scraps of food in old tin cans. He had something to express about the God who took on human flesh. And Mario discovered that all of them, even the most bitter and hardened, had a longing for home, affection, and security. After winter arrived, Mario informed the gang that he’d found a place for them to stay, the abandoned ruins of the church of Saint Gennaro. Slowly he transformed the structure into a home and started providing the boys with nourishing meals. One night, Mario appeared in full clerical robes. After his buddies stopped laughing, he explained that he was, in fact, a priest. By this time, the bonds he’d established were strong enough to make them stay; Mario had won their respect. And so the House of the Urchin was established, where young throwaways could find a home, hope, and the streetwise spiritual guidance of Mario Borrelli. [This story is a paraphrase of one recorded by Frederic Sondern Jr. in “Don Vesovio and the House of the Urchin,” Reader’s Digest Teenage Treasure, vol. 3 (Pleasantville, NY: Reader’s Digest Association, 1957), pp. 28-32; found in Steven Mosley, Secrets of the Mustard Seed: Ten Life-Changing Promises from the New Testament.] — Christ is not asking most of us to make that drastic a change in our lifestyle, but he is asking us to be in mission. There is no other path to true happiness. We are to be in mission in our family, in our community and in our world and to have a consciousness that we are the people of God, bringing God’s light to the world. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

14) “Help yourself to a cool drink.” Some years ago, Sam Foss, a writer and traveler, came to a little rustic house in England situated at the top of a hill. Nearby was a signpost that read: “Help yourself to a cool drink.” Not far away he found a spring of ice-cold water. Above the spring hung an old-fashioned gourd dipper, and on a bench nearby was a basket of summer apples and another sign inviting the passersby to help themselves. Curious about the people who showed such hospitality to strangers, Foss knocked at the door. An elderly couple answered, and Foss asked them about the well and the apples. They explained that they were childless. Their little plot of ground yielded a scant living, but because they had a well with an abundance of cold water, they just wanted to share it with anyone who happened by. “We’re too poor to give money to charity,” said the husband, “but we thought that in this way we could do something for the folks who pass our way.” [Donald E. and Vesta W. Mansell, Sure As The Dawn (Review & Herald Publishing Association, 1993).] — That’s the kind of hospitality Christ had in mind. It’s a simple thing, “a cup of cold water,” but rarer than you might think. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

15) Shrinking and growing angel: The Russian author Leo Tolstoy once wrote a story about a shoemaker who was making his way home one night when he found a poor man shivering and poorly clad. Moved by pity, the shoemaker took the man home. His wife was not pleased. She complained about the cost of feeding another mouth. As she continued to complain, the stranger grew smaller and smaller, shriveled and wrinkled with every unkind word. But when she spoke kindly to the stranger and gave him food, he grew and became more beautiful. The reason was that the stranger was an angel from Heaven in human form and could live only in an atmosphere of kindness and love. [Fulton J. Sheen, The Power of Love (New York: Simon and Schuster, 1964).] — The writer of Hebrews tells us that we are to be hospitable to “strangers for thereby, some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 16) “Broken bread.” Salvation Army General Albert Osborn, in a favorite hymn [found in The Song Book of the Salvation Army, American Edition (Verona, NJ: National Headquarters, 1987), 512], wrote:

“My life must be Christ’s broken bread,

My love his outpoured wine,

A cup o’erfilled, a table spread

Beneath his name and sign,

That other souls, refreshed and fed

May share his life through mine.”

— Cook food. Serve love. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

17) “My life must be Christ’s — the seminarian sponsored by the cobbler. There was a poor lad in a country village who, after a great struggle, became a priest. His benefactor in his days of study in the seminary was the village cobbler. In due time, the new priest became an associate pastor in his benefactor’s parish.   On that day his benefactor, the cobbler, said to him, “It was always my desire to be a minister of the Gospel, but the circumstances of my life made it impossible. But you are achieving what was closed to me. And I want you to promise me one thing — I want you to let me make and cobble your shoes–for nothing — and I want you to wear them in the pulpit when you preach. Then I will feel that you are preaching the Gospel that I always wanted to preach standing in my shoes.” Beyond a doubt the cobbler was serving God as the preacher was, and his reward would one day be the same. (Adapted from Barclay). — Today’s Gospel challenges us to help those in the ministry by using our God-given talents. The Church and Christ will also always need those in whose homes there is hospitality and, in whose hearts, there is Christian love.   All service ranks the same with God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

 

18) Following Christ faithfully is tough, but it’s worth it! St Maximilian Kolbe is a particularly eloquent example of how our faith in Christ gives strength and meaning in the midst of this world’s sufferings. He was a Polish Franciscan arrested by the Gestapo during World War II because of his criticism of Nazism. Eventually, he was sent to the concentration camp of Auschwitz, where he was treated with extra brutality because he was a priest. We have all heard of the famous incident where a fellow prisoner, a man who was married with children, was condemned by the guards to execution, and St. Maximilian Kolbe offered himself in the other prisoner’s place. His offer was accepted, and he died with other condemned prisoners in a starvation bunker. But even before that dramatic finish, he was already bringing Christ’s light into the darkness of the concentration camp. Here is how a fellow prisoner who survived the camp expressed the inspiring power of Fr Kolbe’s presence, even in that hellish place: “Each time I saw Father Kolbe in the courtyard I felt within myself an extraordinary effusion of his goodness. Although he wore the same ragged clothes as the rest of us, with the same tin can hanging from his belt, one forgot this wretched exterior and was conscious only of the charm of his inspired countenance and of his radiant holiness.” (E- Priest). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

19) Cardinal Van Thuan’s Reward:  Many of us have heard parts of the amazing story of the Vietnamese Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan. Just six days after he was named coadjutor Archbishop of Saigon, South Vietnam fell to Communist controlled North Vietnam. Soon thereafter, the future Cardinal was arrested by the Communist authorities. For the next fourteen years, the Communists tried to break his Faith, moving him among re-education camps, prisons, and solitary confinement. When he was finally released, he was expelled from Vietnam and forbidden to return. So, he went to Rome, was welcomed by Pope St. John Paul II in 1991. He was made Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and named President in 1998.  [F.X..  Nguyen Van Thuan The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison (Boston: Pauline Books and Media, 2001), pp. ix-xi]. In the year 2000, the Great Jubilee Year, Pope John Paul II asked Cardinal Van Thuan to preach the annual spiritual exercises – a retreat that lasts a full week – to the pope and the other cardinals who work in the Vatican. In 2002, Archbishop Nguyen Van Thuan was named a Cardinal, and had printed a book of his reflections, written day by day while he was in prison on scraps of paper smuggled out by a young boy who visited him daily. The short reflections were copied by his brothers and sisters and so circulated among his flock. The Cardinal died in exile in 2002, at the age of 74. (Ibid). After the Retreat of 2000, the Pope asked Cardinal Van Thuan to publish as a book the powerful reflections he had shared on the retreat. That’s how a modern-day spiritual classic was born: Testimony of Hope. In the introduction to that book, Cardinal Van Thuan shares with his readers a moving coincidence, a coincidence that was more than a coincidence. It was a sign to Cardinal Van Thuan, just two years before his death, that his suffering had not been in vain. [“Today, at the conclusion of the spiritual exercises, I feel profoundly moved. Exactly twenty-four years ago on March 18, 1976, on the vigil of the Feast of St Joseph, I was taken by force from my residence in Cay Vong and put in solitary confinement in the prison of Phu Khanh. Twenty-four years ago, I never would have imagined that today, on exactly the same date, I would conclude preaching the spiritual exercises in the Vatican. Twenty-four years ago, when I celebrated Mass with three drops of wine and a drop of water in the palm of my hand, I never would have dreamed that today the Holy Father would offer me a gilded chalice. Twenty-four years ago, I never would have thought that today (the Feast of St Joseph, 2000) in Cay Vong – the very place where I lived under house arrest – my successor would consecrate the most beautiful church dedicated to St Joseph]. — Following Christ is not easy, but it’s worth it – no matter how bad things get, if we stay close to Christ, he stays close to us and gives meaning and fruitfulness to everything we suffer. (E- Priest) Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

20) Alaskan hospitality: One American family was travelling in their motor home through Alaska, when the axle broke and they were stranded in the middle of nowhere. So the father left the family in their motor home and began to walk in search of help. To his good luck, he came upon an isolated farmhouse. He knocked on the door and a very friendly farmer responded. When he learned of the man’s distress, the farmer just patted him on the shoulder and said he could help him. Without wasting a minute, he got into his tractor, drove out and towed the motor house to his yard. And then, in a very short time, he used his welder and fixed the problem. The American family were extremely relieved and grateful. Taking out his wallet the father of the family offered to pay, but the farmer would have none of it. “It was my pleasure” was all he said. “As you can see, I live in isolation and often do not see anybody for weeks and even months. You have given me the pleasure of your company. That is more than adequate compensation.” — The American family was greatly impressed. It certainly enhanced their belief in the essential goodness of human beings. (James Valladares in Your Words, O Lord, Are Spirit, and They Are Life; quoted by Fr. Botelho). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

21) “Oh, no!” Satan answered. “That’s my tool to wreck the Church.”  There is an old legend about Satan one day having a yard sale. He thought he’d get rid of some of his old tools that were cluttering up the place. So there were gossip, slander, adultery, lying, greed, power-hunger, and more laid out on the tables. Interested buyers were crowding the tables, curious, handling the goods. One customer, however, strolled way back in the garage and found on a shelf a well-oiled and cared-for tool. He brought it out to Satan and inquired if it was for sale. “Oh, no!” Satan answered. “That’s my tool. Without it I couldn’t wreck the Church! It’s my secret weapon!” “But what is it?” the customer inquired. “It’s the tool of discouragement,” the devil said. — Indeed! In today’s Gospel text, Jesus is talking to the Church members about their attitude and deportment toward the prophets God sends among us as shepherds. He speaks frankly about acceptance and rejection, about kindness and trust. In short, he promises that in the minister’s success among us shall come our own reward as well as his. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

22) Shell-Shock: A new malady was introduced to the human race through the First World War, a disorder medical services had never encountered before: shell-shock. Soldiers by the thousands “were being turned into zombies and freaks without suffering physical injuries of any kind,” walking about in trancelike states, shaking uncontrollably or freezing in odd postures, sometimes “unable to see or hear or speak.” All without experiencing physical harm. The reason was the incomprehensible firepower of the first modern war: earth-shattering artillery bombardments, flamethrowers, poison gas, machine gun fire that cut whole companies of charging men in half, etc. It was too much for the mind to endure, more than it was meant to handle. The result was shell shock. –Everyday life can likewise throw at us more than we can handle on our own, from financial stresses to griefs to broken relationships to fears for the future. [G. J. Meyer, A World Undone: The Story of the Great War, 1914 to 1918 (Bantam Books, 2006), pp. 393-7] Our Heavenly Father gives us a cure in his Word to this spiritual shell-shock: “Cast all your anxiety on him because He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) He will be our refuge through the battles of life. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

23) The little prophet in the hospital cot: A young woman oncologist was a part of a group of doctors from a Boston hospital who went to Haiti in January 2010 to offer their help in the wake of the deadly earthquake.  She told of being totally overwhelmed by the situation in a very primitive tent hospital.  There was a seemingly endless barrage of impossible medical traumas, and they were without proper medicines or instruments.  At one point, she said, she became paralyzed by her helplessness and fear.  It was all too much.  Unable to function any longer, she began sobbing uncontrollably, burying her face in her hands. She was at the bedside of a little boy, whose leg had been amputated a few days earlier.  The little boy, about six or seven years old, saw her tears and her trembling and, with a smile, lifted his head from his pillow and encouraged her to move on to some other kids nearby whom he knew needed her attention more than he did. And remarkably she found she was able to do so.  For in that moment, the power of death and her overwhelming sense of horror and hopelessness were broken open.  She witnessed in that little boy the triumph of love over pain and fear. — In his generosity of heart and compassion of spirit, this little boy is the kind of “prophet” that Jesus speaks of in today’s Gospel.  To receive the prophet’s reward is to seek out every opportunity, to use every gift God has given us, to devote every resource at our disposal to make the love of God a living reality in every life we touch.   The Gospel “cup of water” can be simple and ordinary, but every kindness we offer, when given out of generous compassion, is a prophetic act of God’s presence in our midst. (Quoted in Connections as reported in The Boston Globe). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

24) “The Lord is slow to anger” Most countries have received the Catholic faith from foreign missionaries. Korea was first evangelized by a Korean. In the eighteenth century, certain Christian writings in Chinese began to find their way into nearby Korea. One prominent gentleman named Yi-Sung-Hun was attracted by what he read. In 1184, while visiting Peking, China, on a diplomatic mission, he sought out the Portuguese Catholic missionaries there. Receiving Baptism from them he brought Christianity back home and spread the good news. When a Chinese Catholic priest finally visited Korea ten years later, he found 4,000 Korean Christians who owed their Faith to Yi-Sung-Hun. By the time French missionaries arrived in Korea in the 1830’s to establish a formal mission, the number of Korean Catholics had already doubled. But a bloody persecution against them had already begun. In 1925 Pope Pius XI beatified their first missionary bishop, the Frenchman, Lawrence Imbert, and eighty other missionaries and native Korean Christians, On May 6, 1984, Pope John Paul II, visiting Korea, canonized 103 of the nineteenth century martyrs – men and women from every walk of life. The National Catholic News Service, recounting their canonization, told the story of one of these martyrs, Protasius Chong, whose road to martyrdom was especially striking. Chong worked in a rope factory in Seoul. When he was thirty, he learned about the Church and was baptized. After that, he welcomed missionaries to his rural home, despite the persecution, and invited all the other Catholics in the district to attend Mass there. In 1839, when Protasius was forty-one, he was arrested by the state, interrogated for several days, and severely beaten. Finally, he gave in and said he would renounce the Christian faith. So he was released and sent home. But, by the time Chong reached home, he had already begun to feel ashamed of having buckled under, even though he had done so under great pressure. So, he went back to the judge and told him that he was withdrawing his recantation. The judge, of course, re-arrested Protasius and picked up where he had left off. He made him lie flat on his stomach and had him beaten twenty-five times on the back with a heavy cudgel. A few hours later, Protasius Chong joined the ranks of the other martyrs who had thought he was lost to them.  — Our Lord once asked his followers, “Which son truly obeys his father: the one who says “I am on my way, sir,” and then doesn’t go; or the other who says, “No, I will not,” but on second thought, does go? Of course, the answer was “the second one” (Mt 21:28-31). Protasius became a saint not because he denied his Faith under pressure, but because “afterward he regretted it and went back to the judge, reported his  return to the Faith, and went on to die a martyr.” What a comfort to know we have a God who (as today’s Psalm says) is “slow to anger and of great kindness.” If our hearts are right, he is always ready to give us a second chance. Otherwise, what would become of us bunglers? -Father Robert F. McNamara. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 40) 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 (This homily is uploaded from my home). 

 

 

 

June 26 – July 1 homilies

Homilies

June 26 — July 1: Click on http://frtonyshomilies.com for missed homilies. ((My new mailing address is Fr. Anthony Kadavil, c/o Fr. Joseph M. C. , Pastor,  St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Ave, Bay Minette, AL 36507)). For a short biography, click on: June 26 Monday: Mt 7:1-5: “Judge not, that you be not judged.  2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.  3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?  4 Or how can you say to your brother, `Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?  5 You hypocrite first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

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

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

 Life message: 1) Let us leave the judgment to God and refrain from being critical and judgmental. Let us remember the advice of saints: “When you point one finger of accusation at another, three of your fingers point at you. Let us also heed the Jewish rabbi’s reminder, “He who judges others favorably will be judged favorably by God.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

June 27 Tuesday: (St. Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop, Doctor of the Church): For a short biography, click on:https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-cyril-of-alexandria/   (Mt 7:6, 12-14), 6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before swine lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you. 12 So whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them; for this is the law and the prophets. 13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many.  14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

The context: Today’s Gospel passage, taken from the Sermon on the Mount, speaks about the proper use of holy things, the Golden Rule we have to obey, and the less-traveled narrow way we have to take in our Christian lives.

1) Jesus advises his listeners to use holy things in a holy manner.  The Jews had a statement in their Scriptures (“Do not put a golden ring in the nose of a pig or on the ears of a dog” Prv 11:22), parallel to Jesus’ statement, “Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine” (Mt 7:12) The Jews understood the injunction to mean the exclusiveness of their religion, which meant that they should not teach the Law to the Gentiles.  The early Church interpreted Jesus’ statement in its earliest catechism, the Didache, to mean that only the baptized should approach the Eucharistic table.  This view is reflected in the canons of the Oriental Churches, introducing a command in the text of the Mass before Eucharistic prayer, “Let the catechumens, hearers and unbelievers quit,” and a serious warning before Holy Communion, “Holy things are for holy people.”  2) The statement of the Golden Rule, “Whatever you wish that men would do to you, do so to them” (Mt 7:12), is Jesus’ positive contribution to ancient and negative Jewish principles, meaning that real Christianity consists in doing good to others by loving service and works of mercy. 3) Enter by the narrow gate:  Supplementing the instructions given by Moses (Dt 30:15-20), Joshua (Jos 24:15), and Jeremiah (21:8), Jesus challenges his followers to “enter by the narrow gate and take the hard way that leads to life.”

Life message: 1) Let us learn to reverence and respect holy things in a holy manner. 2) Let us do to others what we wish them to do to us. 3)  Let us choose Jesus’ narrow way of sacrificial love and humble service. (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

June 28 Wednesday: (St. Irenaeus, Bishop, Martyr): For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-irenaeus/ Mt 7:15-20: “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.  16 You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?  17 So, every sound tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears evil fruit.  18 A sound tree cannot bear evil fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit.  19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  20 Thus you will know them by their fruits..

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

False and true prophets: The Old Testament speaks of false prophets and how they mislead God’s people. Jer 23:9-40 is a classic example. The prophet condemns the false prophets of Baal. The Old Testament gives three signs of true prophets: a) they honor God and promote the worship of the one true God; b) they care for the poor; c) they fight for justice. Modern false prophets in the Church try to remove the cross from Christianity, dilute sin, and avoid teaching about God’s judgment while teaching that morality is relative, which God abhors: “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who change darkness into light and light into darkness” (Is 5:20).  They try to separate the people of God from the Magisterium of the Church. But modern true prophets lead exemplary and righteous lives, obey God’s laws and the Church laws, and demonstrate the virtues of Faith, Hope, Charity, Justice, Prudence, Fortitude, and Temperance. In addition, they produce the fruits of the Holy Spirit. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” (Gals 5:22-23). The pre -Vatican II Baltimore Catechism  expanded this passage from Galatians to Twelve Fruits: “Charity, Joy, Peace, Patience, Benignity [Kindness], Goodness,  Long-suffering [Patience] Mildness [Gentleness], Modesty, Continency, Chastity [three effects of Self-Control].

Life message: 1) As Christians, we participate in the prophetic role of Christ. Hence, we have the duty of leading others to Christ by our exemplary Christian lives. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

 June 29  Thursday: (St. Peter & Paul, Apostles) For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-peter-and-paul/ Mt 16:13-19: 13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth  shall be loosed in heaven.

Peter and Paul are the principal pillars of the Church. Today we celebrate the feast of their martyrdom.  Peter was son of Jona and brother of Andrew. He was a professional fisherman from Bethsaida, a fishing town on the Lake of Galilee or Gennesaret. He might have been a follower of John the Baptist. It was his brother, Andrew, who introduced him to Jesus, and Jesus who changed his name from Simon to Cephas or Peter. Jesus made Peter the leader of the apostles. At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus promised to make Peter the head of the Church, and the risen Jesus confirmed Peter’s precedence. It was the Holy Spirit through Whose Presence and Power, Peter’s speech on the day of the Pentecost, inaugurated the active life of the Church. Peter made missionary journeys to Lydda, Joppa and Caesarea He also offered the decisive argument settling the question of Gentile converts and the Jewish Law at the first Council in Jerusalem.  He wrote two epistles to the whole Church, and he was martyred in Rome by crucifixion under the emperor Nero.

Paul, the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and the greatest apostolic missionary, was a Roman citizen by birth, as he had been born in the Roman colony of Tarsus. His original name was Saul. As a Pharisee, he was sent to Jerusalem by his parents to study the Mosaic Law under the great rabbi Gamaliel. As a student, he learned the trade of tent-making. He was present at the stoning of Stephen and “consented to” this deed (Acts 8:1). But he was miraculously converted on his way to Damascus to arrest the Christians. He made several missionary journeys, converted hundreds of Jews and Gentiles and established Church communities. Paul wrote 14 epistles. He was arrested and kept in prison for two years in Caesarea and lived under house arrest for two more years in Rome. Finally, he was martyred by beheading at Tre Fontane in Rome.

Life Messages: 1) Just as Peter and the other apostles did, we must open our eyes, ears, and hearts wide to see, hear and experience the Risen Lord coming into our life in various disguises, circumstances, and events, reminding us of our mission to proclaim the Good News in deed and in word. 2) We need to love, obey, and pray for Pope Francis and the bishops and priests who are the successors of Peter and the Apostles as they continue the work of the Risen Lord with and for us. 3) Each one of us has a unique mission in the church, as a believer, parent etc., and we are challenged to do it.  (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

June 30 Friday: (First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church): For a short account, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/first-martyrs-of-the-church-of-rome/  Mt 8:1-4: 1 When he came down from the mountain, great crowds followed him; 2 and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  3 And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, “I will; be clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  4 And Jesus said to him, “See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people.”

 The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus healing a leper as soon as he had finished his Sermon on the Mount and come down the mountain.  In those days, all skin diseases were considered leprosy, and leprosy was known to be highly contagious.  Hence “lepers” were separated from their families and society and considered ritually unclean.  In addition, they were treated as sinners who had been punished by God with a contagious disease.  The punishment given to Miriam, the complaining sister of Moses (Nm 12:9-10), to Gehazi the greedy servant of the prophet Elisha (II Kgs 5: 27) and to the proud king Uzziah (Chr 26:19) supported this Jewish belief.  As a general rule, when a Jewish leper was healed (from any of the skin diseases considered as leprosy), he had to go to the local priest to have him confirm that the healed one was now clean and was permitted to mix with the general public.

Jesus rewards the trusting Faith of a humble leper: It is such a leper who has the courage to approach Jesus in public with trusting Faith in Jesus’ power to heal him.  In all humility he kneels down and says to Jesus, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”  Jesus violates the social taboo against touching a leper, and He heals the leper by a single command, “I will; be clean.”

Life message: 1) We all need healing from our spiritual leprosy.  Although we may not suffer from physical leprosy, we all suffer from the “spiritual leprosy” of sins.  It is sin that we carry with us that keeps us unclean.  Jesus, our Savior, wants to heal us. Since Jesus is not afraid to touch our deepest impurities, and knows all of them better than we do, let us not try to hide them, nor fear to confess them in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Just as the lepers cried out to Jesus for healing, let us also ask Jesus   every night before we go to sleep to heal us from the spiritual leprosy of sins, and let us approach Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation whenever we are in grave sin.  (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

July 1 Saturday: (St. Junipero Serra, Priest (U.S.A.) For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-junipero-serra

Mt 8:5-17 5 When He entered Capernaum, a centurion approached him and appealed to Him, saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.” He said to him, “I will come and cure him.,” 8 The centurion said in reply, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word, and my servant will be healed.  9 For I, too, am a person subject to authority, with soldiers subject to me. And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes; and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”  10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such Faith. 11 I say to you, many will come from the east and the west, and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob at the banquet in the Kingdom of Heaven, 12 but the children of the Kingdom will be driven out into the outer darkness, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.” 13 And Jesus said to the Centurion, “You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.” And at that very hour [his] servant was healed. 14 Jesus entered the house of Peter, and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose and waited on him. 16 When it was evening, they brought him many who were possessed by demons, and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick, 17 to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: ‘He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.’”

The context:  Following the Sermon on the Mount in which Jesus laid out the program for his Messianic Mission to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, he headed for Capernaum, healing a leper on the way. Entering the town, he was met by a Centurion who presented the problem of his dying servant in great pain. A man of Faith, this pagan asked for nothing, like Mary being content with simply stating the case and leaving the rest to Jesus, and Jesus responded at once, saying he would come and heal the servant. But the centurion displayed great humility, which underlined his Faith that Jesus was from God, saying, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my servant shall be healed.” It was the Centurion’s citation of the chain of command that governed his own life as the basis of his request, “Just say the word and my servant will be healed,” that so amazed Jesus, for this pagan had more genuine Faith in Him and in God than anybody he had yet met in Israel, the land which called the Lord God their God and worshipped Him in the Temple daily.

Following the dismissal of the Centurion with the assurance that what he believed would be done for him (at that very moment as it turned out), Jesus retreated to the house of Simon Peter, found Simon’s mother-in-law seriously ill with a fever that had put her in bed, and immediately, “touched her hand, and the fever left her.”  Here we see that God in His mercy does not require a request to pour out His mercies on us; in other accounts, the apostles had brought Jesus to the woman, thus making silent intercession for her, and the healing followed.  In both cases, in was the Faith of the people making intercession of the one in need that opened the door for Jesus to perform the healings. And that explains why, when we pray in Faith for others, even without their knowledge, God can, and sometimes does,  respond  with a miracle.

The next scene occurred after sundown, when, technically, the Sabbath was finished. All the people who had heard about Jesus brought all their sick and possessed from their homes to Simon Peter’s house and laid them on the ground, begging for healing for their dear ones. Jesus obliged, and, Matthew reports, “…he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick…”  adding the telling proof of Jesus’ Messianic identity for those who may have missed the point, “…to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet: ‘He took away our infirmities and bore our diseases.’”

Life messages: 1) The Centurion serves as our model of power rightly managed, with respect and obedience, of Faith in God, of love for those who serve us, and of humble appreciation for the greatness of God and His love for and willingness to help those in need, even though they are not part of His Chosen People.

2) Jesus’ humble readiness to answer with compassion the needs of all who ask, even of pagans, is our model for interactions with everyone we encounter, especially those most in need.

3) Let us approach the Lord with the Centurion’s humble, loving trust when we receive Holy Communion by really praying, “Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

 

O. T. XII Sunday (June 25) homily

Homilies

OT XII [A] HOMILY (June 25) Eight -minutes homily in 1-page (L-23)

Introduction:Our Scripture readings for this Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time challenge us to preach Christ through our words and lives without fear.

Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading tells us how the prophet Jeremiah trusted in the power of God while he faced opposition for his prophetic ministry. He was intimidated by attacks upon his character, but he was unafraid to speak out in the name of the Lord. The psalmist in today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 69) trusts in God when he is misunderstood and ill-treated even by his brothers and relatives. In the second reading, Paul assures the Christians in Rome that they need not be afraid of opposition both because they share in the death of Jesus and because they are united with Christ, the new Adam, in his Resurrection.

Today’s Gospel passage is taken from the end of Jesus’ instruction to his disciples as he sends them forth to carry on his mission of preaching and healing. He asks them to live simple lives and to expect opposition and rejection. After having foretold future opposition and persecution, Jesus encourages his disciples to stand firm. Three times they are urged, “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!” Instead of shrinking from their task, they are to proclaim the Gospel boldly because they will be protected, just as Jeremiah was assured of God’s protection. Hence, Jesus commands his disciples not to fear their persecutors. He presents before them the image of the sparrow to reinforce the disciples’ trust and hope in God. The readings hint at the opposition we future Christians will encounter as we carry on the work of Jesus in the world, and they encourage us to persevere in doing the work of Jesus. They assure us that we will be successful, despite the opposition we encounter.

Life messages: 1) We need not be afraid because our life is in the hands of a loving God. Sometimes we are afraid that we will make a wrong decision. At other times, we are afraid of what others will think when we speak up for Jesus. We are afraid of what the future will bring to our children. We are also afraid of growing old. Sometimes we are afraid of what declining health will bring us. At the root of these fears is the fear of loss. Every fear we have is grounded in the knowledge that we have something or someone to lose. I can lose my job, family, house, money, reputation, health, and even life itself. Rejection and loss are the basis of our fears. But we forget one thing: whatever trouble or crisis affects us, we know that God understands it better than we ourselves do. Our Heavenly Father knows exactly what is happening. What a release from fear it is to know that God is with us; that our life is in the hands of a loving God! The next time fear grips us we need to remember that being faithful to Christ wherever we meet him in this life is much more important than our fear of loss or rejection by others. Also, let us take a moment to recall some of the great promises of God. Let us remind ourselves that God cares – we are each a dear child of His, and He cares for each of us. “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The last verse of Psalm 27 sums it up nicely: “Trust in the Lord. Have Faith; do not despair. Trust in the Lord.”

OT XII [A] (June 25): Jer 20:10-13; Rom 5:12-15; Mt 10:26-33  

 Homily starter anecdotes: # 1:  Fearless St. John Chrysostom: Fidelity to God under persecution can manifest itself in many forms. A story told of St. John Chrysostom [“Golden-Mouthed”} a wondrous pereacher and writer, alleges that when the Emperor threatened banishment, Chrysostom responded to the threat by saying that the emperor could not banish him, “because the whole world is my Father’s Kingdom.” “Then,” replied the emperor, “I will take away your life.” To which Chrysostom said, “You cannot, for my life is hid with Christ in God.” Next threatened with the loss of his treasure, this saint replied, “You cannot, for my treasure is in Heaven where my heart is.” The emperor made one last effort: “Then I will drive you away from here and you shall have no friend left.” But again, St. John Chrysostom responded, “You cannot, for I have one Friend from whom you can never separate me. I defy you, for you can do me no harm.” — You can do me no harm! [Additional notes on St. Chrysostom: St. John Chrysostom (ca AD 347-  September 14, 407), a trained orator and a presbyter in Antioch of Pisidia for 12 years, preached and wrote against the “judaizers” who were  seducing Christians from the Faith,  drawing them into adopting Jewish laws, festivals, and decadent lives of pleasure and wealth. Appointed Archbishop of Antioch, he refused to live the lavish social life expected of him, reformed the clergy, and made powerful enemies by his plain-speaking about the neglect of Christ in the poor by the rich, their pagan tendencies, and the misuse of authority in both civil and religious spheres. Chrysostom suffered exile three times. The first was when the Eastern Roman emperor Arcadius, prompted by his wife, Eudoxia and the Patriarch of Alexandria, banished him from the kingdom; he was recalled immediately, but described the ceremonies of dedication for the statue of Eudoxia, as pagan and described the Empress in terms of Herodias: “Again Herodias raves; again she is troubled; she dances again; and again desires to receive John’ head in a charger!”   Deposed and banished again, this time to Cuscus in Cappadocia, St. John Chrysostom continued to write letters of great influence in Constantinople, resulting in a further banishment, moving him from Cuscus in Cappadocia to Pitiunt (Pityus). He never reached that city, dying in Comana Pontica September 14, 407. His last words, reportedly, were “Glory be to God for all things.” (Wikipedia). In 414 Pope Innocent 1 recognized him as a Saint, and his feast has been celebrated since 438 AD.  (Richard P McBrien, Lives of the Saints, from Mary and St. Francis of Asissi to John XXIII and Mother Theresa, (San Francisco: HarperCollins, 2001), pp. 37—73).]

# 2: Tom Brown’s School Days: This story of an English boys’ school, written in 1857 as a novel by Thomas Hughes, was based on his own experiences as a student of Rugby Boys School. A new boy joined the school. As he got ready for bed the first night, he knelt to say his prayers in a dormitory with twelve other lads. Tom Brown was among them and he was the most popular boy. The other boys were looking forward to making fun of the newcomer. Tom noticed a heavy shoe flying in the air to hit the praying boy. But it missed his head. Laughter and ridicule followed. The incident shook Tom and he could not sleep for some time. He kept thinking of his mother and the prayers she had taught him, prayers he had not said since coming to the school. So, encouraged by the example of the fearless newcomer, the following night Tom also knelt down to pray. The other boys who planned to bully the new boy the second night, immediately noticed what their leader and hero was doing, and they withdrew with respectful silence. Soon, the courage of two boys won the respect and admiration of the entire class.  Here is an example of what Jesus taught his apostles in today’s gospel to preach the good news without fear.  (Mgr. Arthur Tonne). Watch the Movie: https://youtu.be/s1MK7YEP-kY  & https://youtu.be/nefs_66p6bI

# 3: “Don’t be afraid! We have four bishops to pray for us.”  An elderly woman named Maude had a window seat on a big 747 jetliner that had just taken off for Rome from New York. She had been saving for years to fulfill her dream to visit the Eternal City. But it was her first flight, and she was terrified. Even the stately presence of four bishops seated behind her didn’t help. With fear and trembling she finally opened her eyes and peered out the window, just in time to see one of the plane’s four engines break loose from the wing and disappear into the clouds. “We’re going to die!” she cried out. “We’re going to die!” The stewardess consulted with the pilot who announced to the passengers that everything was under control that they could fly back to New York and land safely with three engines. But Maude continued to cry out, “We’re going to die!” The stewardess went to her and said, “Don’t worry, my dear, God is with us. We have only three engines, but look, we have four bishops to pray for us.” To which Maude replied, “I’d rather have four engines and three bishops!” — In today’s Gospel Jesus gives us three reasons why we should not be afraid and why we should have the courage of our Christian convictions.

Introduction: Our Scripture readings for this Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time call us to preach Christ through our words and lives without fear. The first reading tells us how the prophet Jeremiah trusted in the power of God while he faced opposition in his prophetic ministry. The psalmist in today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 69) displays the same trust in the kindness and great mercy of God when he is misunderstood and ill-treated even by his brothers and relatives. In the second reading, Paul assures the Christians in Rome that they need not be afraid of opposition both because they share in the death of Jesus and his Resurrection and because they are united with Christ, the new Adam, in his Resurrection. Today’s Gospel passage is taken from the end of Jesus’ instruction to the Twelve apostles as he sends them forth in pairs to prepare the people for His own coming, giving them a share in His own powers of miraculous healing. He instructs them to live simply and to expect opposition and rejection. After having predicted future opposition and persecution, Jesus encourages his disciples to stand firm. Three times they are urged, “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!” Instead of shrinking from their task, they are to proclaim the Gospel boldly because they will be protected, just as Jeremiah was assured of God’s protection. Hence, Jesus commands his disciples not to fear their persecutors. He presents before them the image of the sparrow to reinforce the disciples’ trust and Hope in God. The readings hint at the opposition the Apostles themselves would meet, and we future Christians will encounter as we carry on the work of Jesus in the world, and they encourage us to persevere in doing the work of Jesus.  They assure us that we will be successful despite the opposition we encounter.

The first reading: Jer 20:10-13 explained:  Like today’s Gospel, the first reading, taken from the prophecy of Jeremiah, reflects on the sufferings of the believer. The passage from Jeremiah contains three voices and three addressees. There is the overall narrator, there is Jeremiah himself, and there are his enemies.  Jeremiah (ca 650 BC to 580 BC) experienced the dangers posed by his friends because he spoke the words given him by Yahweh.  Most of his work was in Judah’s capital, Jerusalem. Jeremiah tried to keep the people and the kings faithful to God in a world of political intrigue. He met active hostility. Nevertheless, Jeremiah was confident that God would not let his enemies overcome him.  He declared, “But the Lord is with me, like a mighty Champion: my persecutors will stumble, they will not triumph.”  He praised God for salvation before he actually experienced it.  “Sing to the Lord, praise the Lord, for he has rescued the life of the poor from the power of the wicked!”

The second reading: Rom 5:12-15 explained:  Paul assures the faithful followers of Jesus that they need not be afraid of opposition because they share in the death of Jesus and in His Resurrection. With words of encouragement, Paul explains why, in spite of their bitter experience of opposition, their work will succeed. Since Jesus, by His death and Resurrection, has conquered sin, Jesus’ followers will ultimately succeed in carrying out his work, despite the opposition they encounter. Paul describes Jesus as the new Adam. Where the first Adam brought sin and death into the world, the second Adam brings grace and life. The passage tells us that we have died with Christ to the law, to sin, to self, and to the world.  We need not be afraid of those who oppose us, for we are united with Christ in his Resurrection. In the end, those who oppose Christ will be dishonored, and those who have remained faithful will be redeemed and blessed with eternal life.

Gospel exegesis: Have no fear. Jesus suggests that his disciples should move from fear to courage through trust and reliance in God. He gives three reasons why neither his apostles nor we, should be frightened. The first reason is that their opponents will not be able to prevent Jesus’ followers from succeeding in their mission because God will expose the opponents’ evil plans and deeds: “nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered.”  The Lord “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness” (1 Cor 4:5) and will vindicate the faithful. That God will not permit evil to win is the promise of v. 26.

The second reason not to be afraid is the limited power of our opponents.  They can kill the body, which dies all too soon anyway, but have no power over the soul.  Only God has power over eternity. The Gospel identifies two fears that the apostles had: fear of false accusation and conviction, and fear of bodily harm and death. Tradition has it that almost all the apostles died the violent death of martyrdom. Some of them ended up being crucified on the cross, like Peter and Andrew; beheaded, like James and Paul; flayed alive, like Bartholomew; or thrown into a cauldron of boiling oil, like John (who survived without a blister, suffered exile, was then  freed, and dsied of old age, the last of the original apostles).   When the Old Testament mentions fear of God (Pss 2:11; 15:4; 19:9; 22:23; 25:12, etc.) “fear” generally means loving reverence and awe of God which gives the respect due Him  as God.  Respect is an attitude proper to a free person. God does not threaten to throw us into Hell; rather He reminds us that to lose Him by sin is to lose ourselves also–and that is Hell. There is no reason to fear God because He does not wish that anyone should perish.  He has sent Christ to provide salvation for all. Reverent, loving, obedient Fear of God overcomes human fear: “Perfect Love casts out fear” (1 Jn 4:18).

The third reason we should not be afraid is God’s compassionate love. We are more important to God than sparrows.   Matthew speaks of two sparrows sold for one penny. The God who cares for a trivial bird like the sparrow also cares about our smallest problems – even the hairs on our heads are counted. While this is an encouraging assurance, it may be difficult to believe in the midst of persecution. But God knows everything that we go through – nothing that happens to us escapes Him. When we feel lonely and abandoned, when it seems that our prayers are unanswered, God knows and cares. Jesus concludes by saying, “So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows.”  In other words, the perfect antidote for fear is trust in God. God is our shelter and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So, we need not be afraid… (Ps 45:1, 2. Confer also Ps 27:1,2, Ps 91:1,2)

The necessity of loyalty in Christian life. If we are loyal to Jesus in this life, Jesus will be loyal to us in the life to come. On the other hand, if we are too proud to acknowledge that Christ is our Lord and Savior, He will not acknowledge us in the next life. In the early Church, Christians had the courage of their convictions, knowing very well that this might result in their losing their lives. Hence, we must not deny God through our silence, whether in word or deed. Denial by deeds arises from actions that do not match our profession of Faith.  We must not be ashamed to behave as people of Faith and to proclaim our Christian convictions when necessary.

Revelation of hidden things and triumph of truth. “There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed and nothing secret that will not be made known,” This is not a threat that God will expose some sin we had forgotten. Jesus speaks these words as Good News, as a reason not to be afraid of persecution. These verses promise that the evil motives and the wickedness of the persecutors will someday become a matter of public knowledge.   At the Last Judgment, the persecutors will not be able to hide their sin.  It will eventually come to light and to judgment. When that happens, those who have been persecuted will be vindicated before God and before the world. Verses 26-27 promise the ultimate triumph of truth and righteousness. We are challenged to trust in the loving God who continually saves us in the events of our lives. We are sheltered, protected, and wrapped in God’s love. Hence, we are free – free of fear – free to live – free to bear witness to Christ through our lives.

Life messages: 1) We need not be afraid:  Sometimes we are afraid that we will make a wrong decision. At other times, we are afraid of what others will think when we speak up for Jesus. We are afraid of what the future will bring our children.  We are also afraid of growing old. Sometimes we are afraid of what declining health will bring us. At the root of these fears is the fear of loss. Every fear we have is grounded in the knowledge that we have something or someone to lose. I can lose my job, family, house, money, reputation, health and even life itself.  Rejection and loss are the basis of our fears. But we forget one thing: whatever trouble or crisis affects us, we know that God understands it better than we ourselves do.  Our Heavenly Father knows exactly what is happening. What a release from fear it is to know that God is on our side; that our life is in the hands of a loving God! The next time fear grips our life we need to remember that being faithful to Christ wherever we meet him in this life is much more important than our fear of rejection and loss. Also, let us take a moment to recall some of the great promises of God. Let us remind ourselves that God cares – we are each a dear child of His, and He cares for each of us. “Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” The last verse of Ps 27 sums it up nicely: “Trust in the Lord. Have Faith; do not despair. Trust in the Lord.”

JOKES OF THE WEEK

  • Fear of monster under the bed: A man visited a therapist because he had a fear of monsters living under his cot. The man had been seeing this doctor for months. Every time he would come in, the doctor would ask, “Have you made any progress?” Every time the man would say “No”. The man decided to go and see another doctor. When he went back to his first doctor, the doctor asked, “Have you made any progress?” he said “Yes! I am feeling all better now!” The doctor asked, “What happened?” The man said, “I went to another doctor and he cured me in one session!” The doctor asked, “What did he tell you?” The man said “He just told me to cut off all four legs of my cot and leave no space for the monster!”
  • No Fear: The devil entered the house of an alcoholic. But the drunkard just ignored him. The surprised devil asked him “Do you know who I am?”
    “Why of course I know who you are,” the man calmly replied. “You’re Satan.”
    “And you’re not afraid of me like the others?” the devil asked somewhat puzzled. To which the drunkard replied, “No. Why should I be? I’ve been married to your sister for the last 25 years.
  • Fear of Sunday (Author Unknown) Fwd by Rev. Deacon Gary Thibodeau)
    To make it possible for everyone to attend Church next Sunday, we are going to have a special “No Excuse Sunday”:
  1. a) Cots will be placed in the foyer for those who say, “Sunday is my only day to sleep in.”
    b) There will be a special section with lounge chairs who feel that our pews are too hard.
    c) Eye drops will be available for those with tired eyes from watching T.V. late Saturday night.
    d) We will have steel helmets for those who say ” The roof would cave in if I ever came to Church.”
    e) Blankets will be furnished for those who think the church is too cold and fans for those who say it is too hot.
    f) Score cards will be available for those who wish to list the hypocrites present.
    g) Relatives and friends will be in attendance for those who can’t go to Church and cook dinner, too.
    h) We will distribute “Stamp Out Stewardship” buttons for those who feel that Church is always asking for money.
    i) One section will be devoted to trees and grass for those who like to seek God in nature.
    k)  Doctors and nurses will be in attendance for those who plan to be sick on Sunday.
    l)  The sanctuary will be decorated with both Christmas poinsettias and Easter lilies for those who never have seen the Church without them.
    m) We will provide hearing aids for those who can’t hear the preacher and cotton for those who say he is too loud.

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

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

Videos of the week

1) Fearless Imam refutes the terrorists: https://youtu.be/vUe4SbpN5-E

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

 22 Additional anecdotes:

1) Counting the hairs on your head: (“Even all the hairs on your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.” Mt 10: 26-33): It was just a few weeks after her surgery; the chemotherapy treatments had begun.  Every morning, she would comb her hair — and every morning she would pull out anther clump of her beautiful hair from the brush.  This side effect was hitting her harder and harder. One morning, she felt the top of her head and, for the first time, she could count the strands.  But she felt strangely at peace.  She held each strand — just as God, in his providence, could count them from the moment God breathed his life into her.  She became aware of God present in the love of her family and friends who were supporting and suffering with her.  She remembers: “I felt comfort knowing that God knew how many strands were in my brush, on my pillow, in my hat, and in my hand.  God had counted them all.  With or without my hair, God knew me and what my future held.  I was still afraid — of the cancer, of the chemo, the upcoming brain scan, and its results — but I knew that God would be with me through it all.” — May we find peace and reason to hope in the providence of God who has “counted . . . all the hairs of your head,” a providence that manifests itself in the love of family, the comfort of friends, the support of Church and community.  [Adapted from “I lost my hair but not my Faith” by Kathryn Lay, Catholic Digest, May 2008.]

2)  “Latimer, Latimer, be careful what you say!”: During the turbulent reign of Henry VIII (AD 1491-1547) Hugh Latimer (AD 1485-1555) a preacher, bishop of Worcester, reformer and eventually a Protestant martyr, was preaching in the presence of King Henry in Westminster Abbey. Hugh Latimer was the Archbishop of Canterbury.  As such, in his time, he was viewed as the highest Church official of England.  It was a time when Archbishops were appointed by the King, and the King expected loyalty. Latimer knew that he was about to say something that would incur the royal wrath so he began this soliloquy from the pulpit: “Latimer, Latimer, be careful what you say, the king is here!” He paused, and then as if in response to himself, he continued. “Latimer, Latimer, be careful what you say, the King of kings is here.” Eventually Latimer’s fearless preaching cost him his life. For such unflinching faithfulness, Latimer was eventually burned at the stake. But Latimer feared failing God more than he feared offending men. — Jesus counseled his apostles not to fear those who could deprive them of physical life (kings, rulers, enemies), but only those who could destroy the soul. Since the sole prerogative of judgment concerning the human soul rested with their loving Father (the King of kings) they should be fearless. (Sánchez Files).

3) Fearless St. Teresa. St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) is famous as a theologian, reformer of the Carmelite Order, and spiritual advisor to the great Spanish mystic, St. John of the Cross (1542-1591). But Teresa’s ministry was not well received in her community.  Her sisters had grown lax in Faith and practice, and when she called for reform their response was to throw her out of convents that she herself had established. On one occasion, she was turned out at night in the middle of a rainstorm. Dressed only in her coarse wool habit, she climbed into a donkey cart and was riding along when the wheel of the cart hit a ditch and the cart turned over, dumping Teresa into the mud. She sat there, in mud-soaked wool, looked up to Heaven, and said, “Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, it’s no wonder that you don’t have many!” But frustrated as she was, Teresa clung to God. In one of her meditations on the Disciplines of the Holy Spirit, Teresa talks about how we must not be deceived by the appearance that evil triumphs over good. She wrote, “God uses the Devil as a sharpening-stone for Christians.” Teresa not only taught this lesson, she lived by it. She never gave up on God, even when her sisters opposed her by going to priests and bishops to make trouble for her. She kept right on teaching what she knew to be the truth. And eventually, the Truth won out. Her desire was to be faithful, and God prospered her efforts. Today, she is known as a Doctor of the Church — an exemplary teacher and thinker — while the nuns who treated her so badly remain dead and unknown. And the Carmelite convents of Teresa’s reform continue to this very day. — Teresa understood what the prophet Jeremiah was talking about in the first reading and what Jesus was teaching in today’s Gospel lesson.

4) “I‘m holding this plane up by sheer will power!” TIME magazine reported sometime back on the many famous people who have a phobia about planes and are, nevertheless, constantly flying. Among them are Andre Previn, Joanne Woodward, Bob Newhart, Jackie Gleason, even former president Ronald Reagan. In an interview done aboard Air Force I, the president was asked if he had overcome the fear of flying. “Overcome it!” he retorted. “I’m holding this plane up by sheer will power!” [Bruce Larson, The Presence, (HarperCollins Publishers, 1988), pp. 10-11.] — Some of us can relate to that. Everyone’s afraid of something. Some people have fears that are almost pathological. It has been more than 35 years since Janet Leigh saw herself on the screen in Alfred Hitchcock’s classic horror film Psycho. After viewing the famous shower scene, in which she was repeatedly stabbed, Leigh was seized with an overwhelming and lasting terror. “I stopped taking showers, and even now I take only baths,” she says. In fact, when the actress stays in a hotel or at a friend’s home where only a shower is available, she panics. “I make sure the doors and windows of the house are locked,” she says, “and I leave the bathroom door and shower curtain open. I’m always facing the door, watching, no matter where the shower head is.” [Elaine M. Ward, Once Upon a Parable…(Educational Ministries, Inc., 1994), p. 38.] — Predicting future opposition and persecution, Jesus encourages his disciples to stand firm. Three times He urges them, and us, “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!” Thus, we know we, too, will be successful in God’s eyes, despite the opposition we encounter.

5) President Jimmy Carter with miles of smiles and Jesus with a fiery sword:  During the presidential campaign of 1976, Jimmy Carter became famous for his teeth. Cartoonists had a holiday, exaggerating the size of his teeth. His teeth were prominent because he went across the country constantly smiling which certainly was an important factor in his winning the presidency. Does life always let us smile? Are Christians supposed to wear a constant smile? Are there not times when a frown is more appropriate, times when we should be upset, angry, and ready to fight? — In today’s Gospel lesson, we see a side of Jesus seldom shown. The Prince of Peace declares that he has come “not to bring peace but the sword” (Mt 10:34, ff; this passage directly follows the end of today’s reading). He is a disturber of the peace. He comes holding not an olive branch, the symbol of peace, but a sword which means fighting. Wherever Jesus goes, he stirs up controversy. He turns values upside down. He challenges sinful ways. His word pits members of a family one against the other as they face the challenge of discipleship. How does one account for this? It is the result of Jesus’ taking the “cross” road of life. If we follow him on this road, we can expect the same. This leads us to the cost of discipleship. Can we afford to be a true Christian? Do we want to pay the price of walking on the “cross” road of life? In our text, Jesus calls us to follow him on this “cross” road. What is this road, and what does it take to travel on this road through life? The “cross” road of life is the Road of Discipline. In our text Jesus says, “He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me …” (Mt 10:37-39; not in today’s reading). This call for self-discipline says that we must put Christ first in our way of life,  hold all other persons secondary to Him, and consider ourselves as coming last.

6) Giraffes afraid of crossing a waterless two feet deep moat: Among the many wonders at the world-famous San Diego Zoo is the giraffe compound. Enclosed in a natural habitat are several of these magnificent animals. They are every bit as tall and graceful as one might imagine. But they are far more massive and muscular than expected. Tall somehow seems to imply thin. However, these great beasts are anything but skinny. Their necks are thicker and their legs shorter and more powerful than one anticipates. It is not difficult to see why one kick could send an ambitious lion packing. Yet these massive, stately animals are enclosed in a small compound that seems far too restricting for their size and power. But no cage contains them. There are no bars or walls. There is but a simple, waterless moat, no deeper than the beast’s knee, that circles the compound. Freedom is but a mere two steps away. But they are trapped. All of them are. For not one of them will take the risk of stepping down and across for fear of breaking its neck. [Don Martin, Team Think (New York: Penguin Books Ltd: 1993), p. 76.] — I wonder how many of us are limited like that by our fears. Fear of rejection… fear of failure…fear of looking foolish…fear of being hurt…fear of being alone… fear of intimacy…fear of being taken advantage of …fear of change…fear of being criticized. “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!” It is the urgent advice of Jesus to his disciples in today’s Gospel.

 

7) Out of proportion fears: In his book, Scared to Life (Victor), Douglas Rumford cites a study that explains why we shouldn’t allow fear to rule our lives: 60% of our fears are totally unfounded; 20% are already behind us; 10% are so petty they don’t make any difference; 4-5% of the remaining 10% are real, but we can’t do anything about them. That means only 5% are real fears that we can do something about. [Marriage Partnership (Summer 1995), p. 59.] — I don’t know how accurate those figures are but my guess is that for some of us, they understate the problem. We have a tendency to blow our fears out of proportion to our real-life situation. Listen to Jesus: “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!”

 

8) “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” In March 1933, the newly-elected President Franklin Roosevelt said: “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself — nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” (Rev. Edward Chinn, D.Min., Religion in Daily Life, www.allsaintstorresdale.org). — Fear can paralyze, whether that fear is based in reality or whether it exists only in our own mind.

9) “The Funniest Man in The World” was afraid of audience. Did you ever hear the name Joe Ancis? The reason you haven’t is due to fear. In the late forties, Buddy Hackett, Rodney Dangerfield, Lenny Bruce, and other young hopeful comics in New York all hung out at Hansons, a luncheonette on Broadway. Joe Ancis, the original sick comic, cracked everybody up at the time. Some people claim that Lenny Bruce learned what he knew from Ancis. He was dubbed “The Funniest Man in the World” by the other comedians. But Ancis was terrified of audiences. He could rap with the pros at Hansons, but he performed publicly only once when he was still a teenager. That appearance confirmed his fears. He never got up in front of an audience again. He went into selling aluminum siding. Some say he’s “The Best Salesman in the World.” But he couldn’t handle the fear of getting up in front of groups, only the people he knew. [Bernard Weinraub in The New York Times; quoted in “Personal Glimpses,” Reader’s Digest (November 1995), p. 7.]. — Can anyone relate to that? One survey indicates that some people fear speaking in front of a group more than they fear death. It seems absurd, of course, but it’s true. In today’s Gospel, Jesus urges his disciples not to be afraid of any opposition: “Do not fear!” “Do not be afraid!”

10) Overcome doubts about ourselves to overcome fear: First of all, we have doubts about ourselves. Some of us are ruled by our fears because we lack confidence in ourselves. That lack of confidence is a tremendous barrier to our achieving what God has called us to achieve. We have doubts about ourselves.  In Robert Schuller’s book, Power Thoughts, he tells of a woman called Sweet Alice. At the age of twelve, Sweet Alice was in jail. She was pregnant at thirteen, homeless by the time she was fifteen and had attempted suicide. Sweet Alice was convinced that she had ruined all her chances in life, and that she would never make anything good out of her life. It would have been easy for Alice to give into her fears and settle for a life of quiet failure. But then one day, Sweet Alice ran into a Jewish woman named Anne Cohn. Anne Cohn told Sweet Alice that she had a million-dollar smile and that people needed to see that smile. Anne assured Alice that she had great potential. No one had ever spoken to Sweet Alice like this before, and she desperately needed to hear it. Sweet Alice began to take action in her life. In 1965, the Watts riots flamed up in Los Angeles. Sweet Alice formed a group called POW — Parents of Watts. These parents worked together to improve their community. Recently, they shut down the business of a vendor in the Watts neighborhood who was selling t-shirts with objectionable, inflammatory messages. Sweet Alice also gave away her own house to start a program for the homeless. Since then, she’s added nine more houses to the program. She’s convinced that God rewarded her giving by giving her more to do. In 1993, Sweet Alice received a “Hero Award” and Essence magazine’s “Essence Award” for her work with POW and with the homeless. She was recognized alongside Senators, artists, and Olympic athletes for her contributions to American society. And all of this happened  because one person noticed her million-dollar smile. (New York: Harper Collins, 1993). — You are a child of God. You have all kinds of potential. All you have to do is release it. Fear not. Believe in yourself. And believe in God.

11) “Yes, Daddy really is a sissy, isn’t he?” One method of conquering fear is to give your fears a name. Before September 11th, when asked to name their fears, Americans responded this way: 51% of us are afraid of snakes, 40% of us are afraid of public speaking, 36% of us are afraid of heights, 34% of us are afraid of being closed in a small space, 21% of us are afraid of needles and shots, 18% of us are afraid of flying in an airplane. I expect that number is much higher now. — Except for those suffering from some phobia, I suspect our real fears are much deeper than that survey. We would be wise today to bring our fears to the surface, so we can name them and face them with Faith. Some of our fears are Simple Fright. Fear is an alarm system. It is like our home security system. It sounds at the appropriate time for our good and is valuable. Fear was designed by God to give our bodies the sudden burst of strength and speed we need in an emergency. Fear is a natural, normal reaction to danger. A mother was tucking her small son to bed during a thunderstorm. She was about to turn off the lights and leave the room when the toddler looked up to her and said, “Mommy, will you sleep with me tonight?” The comforting mother gave her little guy another hug and said, “I can’t dear. You know Mommy has to sleep with Daddy.” After a long silence, the child said in a shaky voice, “Yes, Daddy really is a sissy, isn’t he?”

12) “God doesn’t kill.” Adolfo Perez Esquivel writes some about his thirty-two days in a narrow, L-shaped cell in his native Argentina. For two days he was kept in total darkness. On the third day a guard opened the door and Esquivel could see what he had not seen before. The walls of the confining room were covered with all sorts of scribblings. There were some names, some insults, some prayers. What affected him most, however, was a huge bloodstain. Below the stain, sketched by someone’s finger dipped in blood, were the words: “God doesn’t kill.” Esquivel later writes about Hope and about grace. In that cell he felt the strong and abiding presence of Christ’s Spirit. He also felt surrounded by brothers and sisters in the Faith, surrounded by walls alive with acts of Faith and Hope. “Bars can’t lock up the Spirit, Infinite Presence, in every one of us.” — Surely this also is to find life: to live with an overwhelming sense of the presence of the living Christ; to live in communion with a new and enlarged family; to know that Christ has created an unbreakable bond with and among those who serve him; to know that one is part of a vast circle of prayer and concern and care.

13) Modern-day Martyrs: Others after Jeremiah have also reached great heights of heroic action born of deep convictions. In the twentieth century alone, there are many examples. During the Second World War Maximilian Kolbe, the Polish Franciscan priest who refused to be intimidated by the Nazis, offered his life in exchange for a prisoner, a husband and father, one of the ten whom the commandant of the concentration camp had singled out for execution. Eleven year-old Maria Teresa Goretti in Italy refused to be intimidated by 20-year-old Alessandro Serenelli who threatened to kill her because she refused his sexual advances. And kill her he did on July 6th, 1902. Maria Goretti was declared a saint by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Her mother and Alessandro Serenelli, reconciled, were present together at her canonization. (Charles Miller in Sunday Preaching).

 14) Archbishop St. Oscar Romero: Canonized October 14, 2018 by Pope Francis, Archbishop Oscar Romero is an outstanding example of being a true witness of Christ. When he was made Archbishop of El Salvador in 1997 he was a conservative. But he soon changed when he saw what was happening. Every Sunday he preached at the Cathedral. His homilies so electrified the country that national affairs halted when he spoke from the altar. He made public the unspeakable crimes being committed by many agents of the government. He was under constant threat of death. Some of his best friends were murdered. And still he would not be silenced. Nor would he go into hiding or exile. “At the first sight of danger the shepherd cannot run and leave the sheep to fend for themselves. I will stay with my people,” he said. According to Romero, it didn’t take courage. All it took was the understanding that his enemies dwelt in fear, and that as he was not afraid of them, they would have no power over him. They might be able to kill his body, but they would not and could not kill his soul. There is also a story of a priest who during the genocide in Rwanda (1994) sheltered Tutsis in his house. When a mob arrived at his door and ordered him to release them, he refused to do so. They shot him and took the people away. — Even though we may not aspire such heights of heroism people like these are an inspiration to us. (Flor McCarthy in New Sunday & Holy Day Liturgies).

15) With or Without People? A second grader once asked his teacher how much the earth weighed. The teacher looked up the answer in an Encyclopedia. “Six thousand million, million tons,” she answered. The little boy thought for a minute and then asked, “Is that with or without people?”  — Viewed from one perspective, it might very well seem that people don’t really matter very much. After all, we are but microscopic inhabitants of a tiny planet orbiting a relatively obscure star in a small galaxy among the billions and billions of stars and galaxies that make up creation. Yet the God of creation has counted the very hairs of our heads. Wow! What a magnificent picture of God!  (King Duncan, “The Love of a Father,” http://www.Sermons.com)

16) “Keep them worried and anxious:” In C. S. Lewis’ book, The Screwtape Letters, “Screwtape” is a devil, a very accomplished tempter. Using any trickery, he can, Screwtape turns people away from God. By his letters, Screwtape gives advice to Wormwood, his young nephew and apprentice who is just learning the deceptive ways of devils. In one letter, Screwtape writes to Wormwood, “Keep them anxious, make certain they are worried about something.” — Remind people about their fears. Why this advice? Being a devil, Screwtape wants to get people so focused on their fears that they forget God.

7) “Yes ma’am.” The first reading today about Moses’ call by God from the burning bush when he was leading a comfortable family life in Midian reminds us of this funny story. The duke and the duchess who owned a country estate, and had a whole lot of servants who were maintaining the estate in their absence. One day the duchess went out there to talk to the servants, to get an accounting, see what all of them did. She called them into the room, one-by-one, and asked them what they did and how things were going. About an hour into the interview, an old man came into the room. The duchess said, “Let me see, you have been with us now twenty years?” “Yes ma’am.” “Your job is to walk the dog?” “Yes ma’am.” “But the dog has been dead for eighteen years?” The servant replied, “Yes, ma’am. Is there anything else you would like me to do, ma’am?” (Rev. Mark Trotter).

18) “Shoot Me First.” That’s what a courageous 13-year-old Amish girl said to the crazed man who broke into her school on Monday, October 2, 2006. “Shoot Me First.” He did shoot her, killing her along with five of her schoolmates, aged seven to thirteen. Then he killed himself. The shooter, Charles Carl Roberts, a 32-year-old milkman entered the humble one-room schoolhouse with the intent of killing as many students as possible. But one student, Marian Fisher, the oldest of the five Amish girls shot dead that day, tried to buy time for her schoolmates to escape. There were ten of them in all, all girls, five of whom survived. They may owe their lives to Marian who stepped forward and asked her killer to “Shoot me first.” What’s more, Fisher’s younger sister, Barbie, who survived the shooting, allegedly asked the gunman to, “Shoot me second.” —  It is a story of incredible courage. Maybe our Amish friends have some things to teach us about how to raise young people.  (Rev. King Duncan).

19) These shoes? One more person. There is a powerful scene in the movie Schindler’s List. In the beginning of the story a Czech business man, Oskar Schindler, builds a factory in occupied Poland using Jewish labor because, in those tragic days at the start of World War II, Jewish labor was cheap. As the war progresses, however, and he learns what is happening to the Jews under Adolph Hitler, Schindler’s motivations switch from profit to sympathy. He uses his factory as a refuge for Jews to protect them from the Nazis. As a result of his efforts, more than 1,100 Jews were saved from death in the gas chambers. You would think that Oskar Schindler would have felt quite pleased with himself, but at the end of the war Schindler stands in the midst of some of the Jews he has saved, breaks down in tears, takes off his gold ring and says, “My God, I could have bought back two more people [with this ring]. These shoes? One more person. My coat? Two more people. These cufflinks? Three more people.” There he stands, not gloating but weeping with regret that he had not done more. — I wonder if one day you and I as followers of Christ will ask ourselves, “Could I have done more? Have I truly borne the cross of Christ.” That is the first question on today’s test: is your faith sacrificial? Is it costing you something?

 20) “Sharing the cup of the Lord’s suffering” The diocese of Rome, Italy, is called the “apostolic see” because it was at Rome that Peter and Paul preached the Faith, and it was at Rome that they were martyred. “By sharing the cup of the Lord’s suffering,” says today’s entrance antiphon, “they became the friends of God.” Jesus had predicated Peter’s eventual capture and execution on the same day that He gave him charge over his sheep and lambs. “When you are old,” he told Peter, “you will stretch out your hands, and another will fasten your belt for you, and carry you whwere you do not wish to go” (Jn 21:18-19). History testifies to Peter’s death on a cross – a cross set upside down in the earth because Peter felt he did not deserve to die in exactly the same way his Master had.

In addition to a few pieces of historical evidence of St. Peter’s death, there are also some legends. Especially touching is the Quo Vadis legend, which dates from around 200 AD. According to this story, one of Peter’s Roman converts was Xantippe, wife of the pagan Roman magistrate Agrippa. Albinus, a friend of Emperor Nero, urged Agrippa to seize and execute Peter as leader of the hated Christians. Xantippe, learning of the proposal, hastened to warn Peter. She and other leading Roman Christians urged him to escape from Rome. “Shall we be put to flight, brother?” Peter asked sternly. Was he to play the coward? “No,” they insisted, “but that you maybe able still to serve the Lord.” Peter thought awhile and saw their point, But he would not allow them to accompany him. “Let no one of you depart with me, but I will go out alone, for I have changed my purpose.”

However, Peter had not got far outside Rome’s Appian gate when he suddenly saw Jesus walking the Appian Way towards Rome. “Lord,” cried Peter, “Where are you going?” (“Domine, quo vadis”?) Jesus answered, “I am going to Rome to be crucified.” “But, Lord,” Peter replied, “Were you not crucified once?” The Master replied, “I saw that you were fleeing from death, and I am willing to be crucified in your stead.”  Peter got the point. “Lord, I will go. I will do your bidding.” “Fear not,” Jesus reassured him, “for I am with you.” Then He vanished. Peter returned to Rome, no longer confused or fearful, but joyful. He knew that the time had come for Christ’s prophecy about him to be fulfilled. So, it was the cross for Peter. He who had fled from Christ’s Calvary found his own Calvary on Vatican Hill. (Father Robert F. McNamara).

21) Fr. Jerry Orbos, a Society of Divine Word priest told a story of a Buddhist, a Muslim and a Christian who were debating whose God is the greatest. To settle the issue once and for all, they decided to jump from a 20-storey building and find out whose God will save them. First, the Buddhist shouts, “Buddha!” jumps and lands on the ground dead in a few seconds. The Muslim shouts “Allah!” jumps and wonder of wonders carried by a wind and lands safely. It was the Christian’s turn. With all trust he shouts, “Jesus Christ, in you I entrust my life!” and jumps. As he was falling past the 6th, 5th and 4th floors and nothing was happening, he was last heard shouting “Allah! Allah! Allah!” – In today’s gospel Jesus says three times: “Do not be afraid…” of any one or anything except  “ the One Who can destroy both the soul and the body,” Either Satan/deceitefulness and hatred of God and us,  whom we must resist unto and through physical death, or, God Who loves us, is Merciful, and Just and so can and will give us eternal life in Hell if that is what we have chosen.  (Ignatius Study Bible, RSV2Catholic).

22) “Don’t be afraid! It is I”! According to Sharon Faelten and company in their book entitled Take Control of Your Life that fear is natural. There are some people who are afraid to walk through dark alleys late at night; others fear vicious dogs, killer bees or rabid bats. Still others are afraid to skydive… or stand under tall trees during thunderstorms. These are reasonable and appropriate fears. Faelten continues that a phobia, by contrast, is irrational and inappropriate. These include the dread of being trapped in a place or circumstance that would not upset most people. The most common phobia treated by therapists is agoraphobia or fear of venturing out into open spaces which includes fear of public places like stores, malls, restaurants, theaters or fear of public transportations especially when traveling alone and fear away from safe places, persons or objects. Other common phobias include social phobias such as fear of speaking, writing or eating in public. Animal phobias include fear of dogs, cats, birds, insects, spiders and snakes; fear of blood (hemophobia),  fear of medical procedures like getting an injection and others), fear of water (hydrophobia) and many more.

— If you are afraid, you are not alone because in the United States of America there are 13 millions of different cases of fears happened. If these fears are not healed those trapped in them may well suffer nervous breakdown, tension, stress and shame, and if a person lives in shame he lived in fear, according to the book by Faelten and company. (Fr. Bennett). L/23

  “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 39) 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

June 19- 24 weekday homilies

Homilies

June 19-24: Click on http://frtonyshomilies.comfor missed homilies.

June 19 Monday: (St. Romuald, Abbot): For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-romuald/

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

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

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

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

1)Turn to him the other cheek:Striking someone on the right cheek (with the right hand), requires striking with the back of one’s hand, and, according to Jewish concepts, the blow inflicts more insult than pain. Jesus instructs his followers to forgive the insult gracefully and convert the offender. 2) “Let him have your cloak as well.” Jesus instructs his followers that they should show more responsibility and a greater sense of duty than to fight over possessions. 3) “Go with him two miles.” A Christian has the duty of responding, even to seemingly unjust demands by helping or serving gracefully not grudgingly. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) LP/23

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

June 20 Tuesday: Mt 5:43-48: "You have heard that it was said, `You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? 47 And if you salute only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? 48 You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect

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

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

Life Messages: We are to try to be perfect, to be like God: 1) We become perfect when we fulfill God’s purpose in creating us: with His help, to become God-like. 2) We become perfect when, with His ongoing help, we try to love as God loves, to forgive as God forgives, and to show unconditional good will and universal benevolence as God does. Perfection means we are striving to live each and every moment doing God’s will, using or cooperating with the grace of God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) LP/23

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

June 21 Wednesday (St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious): For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-aloysius-gonzaga/

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

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

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

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

3) Prayer: Prayer is opening our connectionto Godby talking to Him and listening to Him, convinced of His all-pervading holy presence within us and all around us. a) By prayer we acknowledge our total dependence on God, draw from Him our daily spiritual strength, and recharge our spiritual batteries from God’s infinite power. b) But long, noisy, repetitious prayer performed in public solely for show as the Pharisees did is no prayer at all. It is hypocrisy. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

June 22 Thursday: (St. Paulinus of Nola, Bishop; For a short biography, click on: https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-paulinus-of-nola/

St. John Fisher, Bishop, Martyr; https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-john-fisher/

St. Thomas More, Martyr: (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-thomas-more/

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

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

“For Thine is the Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory, now and forever. Amen.”The manuscripts of the Gospel of Matthew do not contain this phrase, nor do any of the Catholic translations. Martin Luther added this doxology to the Our Father in his translation of Matthew’s Gospel, and the King James editions of the Biblekeep it. The doxology is actually taken from the Divine Liturgy or Catholic Mass. Known as the final doxology, it takes up the first three petitions to our Father. By the final "Amen," which means, "So be it", we ratify what is contained in the prayer that God has taught us. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22 For additional reflections, click on: https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections.

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

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

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

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

Life message: 1)Let usspend our lives here on earth doing good for otherswithout being blinded by pride and prejudiceThus, we will store up everlasting treasures in Heaven. 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.

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to pray for our parents and be thankful to them for the gift of life, the training, and discipline they have given us, and the love and affection they have lavished on us. Let us ask God’s pardon if we are, or were, ungrateful to them, do/did not take proper care of them in their illness or old age or ever inflicted pain on them. 2) We need to remember and pray for our godparents who sponsored us in Baptism, thus making us children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, heirs of Heaven, and members of Jesus’ Mystical Body, the Church. 3) We should have the courage of our Christian convictions as John the Baptist did, and we should become heralds of Christ as the Baptist was, by our transparent Christian lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

O. T. XI Sunday (June 18) homily

Homilies

OT XI [A] SUNDAY(June 18) (Eight-minute homily in one page) (L-23)

Introduction: The main theme of today’s readings is that we are commissioned or sent, to transform others with the “Good News” of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus His Son. 
Scripture lessons: The first reading gives Israel the good news that the God of Mount Sinai loves and cares for his people. God showed His continuing care for Israel by liberating the people from slavery in Egypt and by offering them a relationship in which they would be God’s “special possession,”-- “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Paul, in today’s second reading, reflects on how Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection made manifest God’s love and care for mankind. According to Paul, the greatest proof of God’s love and care for us is Jesus’ willingness to die on behalf of sinful mankind and so make possible a new and better relationship with God. Today’s Gospel is, in effect, a reminder from God to each one of us: “You have received grace and talents from Me without charge, and so you have to give without charge through your simple, responsible, sharing lives.” This is indeed the core of the priestly vocation and of the vocation of every Christian through his or her Baptism. Up to this point in the story, Jesus himself was the focus of the healing, teaching, and controversy. With the commissioning of his disciples, others began to assume some of the responsibility for the new movement that heralded the kingdom of God. That new movement was destined to grow later, with increasing diversity, as it extended beyond the borders of Galilee, into Gentile territory, becoming the Universal Christian Church.

Life Messages: 1) Be Jesus-Presenters: Jesus continues to be active in our lives through the Bible and the Sacraments. In addition, the Lord God gives us the Holy Spirit, the One Who teaches us, and reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us. We are invited to become one with God and Jesus, and to let the Holy Spirit work through us. We are asked to perform the works of Jesus, and through these works to reveal the power and character of God to the world. If we accept this invitation and live it out wholeheartedly, with God’s grace people will look at us and say, “Jesus”

2) Be healers in the modern world: People are sick in body as well as mind. As Christians sharing Jesus’ mission, we can bring healing and wholeness to people with whom we come into contact. Although we cannot raise the dead, we can help people to recover interest and a zest for living. People can be physically alive but dead in many other respects. “Cleansing the lepers” means rehabilitating and bringing back fully into our communities all those who, for one reason or another, are marginalized, rejected, despised, and ostracized on the basis of race, nationality, marital status, religion, gender or sexual orientation. We have to help casting out from our people the demons who possess them by means of addictions to alcohol, nicotine, drugs, pornography, sexual deviations, and the like, first by getting ourselves liberated and then helping others to get liberated from their evil addictions.

OT XI [A] SUNDAY (June 18) Ex 19 2-6; Rom 5:6-11; Mt 9:36-–10:8

Anecdotes: # 1: “You’ve come a long way, Baby“ is an expression used by a popular cigarette commercial. You are shown a 19th century girl who is hiding her smoking with embarrassment. In contrast there is a 20th century girl openly, proudly smoking a cigarette. Indeed, women smokers have come a long way from public displeasure to acceptance. — To become a saint, a sinner comes a long way, too. In June, 1977, the first American male was canonized a saint.  John Neumann came to this country as an immigrant from Bohemia. He was known for his work of helping immigrants to this country, establishing the Roman Catholic school system in America, and serving as bishop of Philadelphia for eight years prior to his death in 1860. After more than a century, Neumann was made a saint. —  Our text is a one-verse biography of a man who came a long way from sinner to saint – Matthew. He was a tax collector, a publican who in that day was considered a super-sinner because he was a traitor to his country by collecting taxes from the Jews to support the Roman government. Jesus came to him where he was and made him an apostle. Now the world knows him as Saint Matthew. It was a long way for Matthew, too, from being a sinner to becoming a saint.

# 2: “Association of Lincoln-Presenters.” Homer Sewell was given the “Lincoln of the Year” award in April of 1999. Total strangers tend to call him “Abe”  because Homer bears a striking resemblance to Abraham Lincoln appearance, dress, beard and speech. This all started about 30 years ago in Orlando, Florida, when Sewell grew a beard and schoolchildren suddenly began to call him “Abe.” He completed the effect by adding a black suit and stovepipe, and hat. Then he developed a show called Abe Lincoln’s America. Sewell has already made over 2,500 appearances as the 16th president, in which he has performed live before more than two million people. “As soon as I get my suit on and my hat,” he explains, “I become Abraham Lincoln.” Even without makeup you’ve got to admire his attention to details. The car he drives is a Lincoln, of course. Sewell is part of a group called the “Association of Lincoln Presenters,” a union of men and women dedicated to bringing Abraham and Mary Lincoln to life. There are currently 117 Abes and 32 Marys across the U.S. Together they form a group of passionate Lincoln-lovers, committed to presenting the former president and his wife to the world in costume and in words. — In today’s lesson from the Gospel of Matthew, it certainly seems that Jesus is laying the foundation for an “Association of Jesus- Presenters” by choosing his apostles and training them in their preaching and healing mission.

# 3: “Friend of the bride or the groom?” At a formal wedding, an usher usually asks, “Friend of the bride or the groom?” Then he seats the party on the appropriate side of the Church. An usher once asked a lady, “Friend of the bride or the groom?” She replied, “Both.” He explained, “I am sorry, lady. They did not tell me where to seat neutrals!”   — That is the way it is with Christ. There are no neutrals. If you make an affirmative decision, as Matthew did, your life is radically changed: “He rose and followed him.”

Introduction: The main theme of today’s readings is that we are commissioned or sent, to transform others with the “Good News” of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus His Son. Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading gives Israel the good news that the God of Mount Sinai loves and cares for his people. God showed His continuing care for Israel by liberating the people from slavery in Egypt and by offering them a relationship in which they would be God’s “special possession,” “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Paul, in today’s second reading, reflects on how Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection made manifest God’s love and care for mankind. According to Paul, the greatest proof of God’s love and care for us was Jesus’ willingness to die on behalf of sinful mankind and so make possible a new and better relationship with God. Today’s responsorial psalm is permeated by a strong sense of God’s loving care for His people as “the flock He tends.” The Psalm affirms that the Lord is good, and that His kindness endures forever. Today’s Gospel is, in effect, a reminder from God to each one of us, saying, “You have received grace and talents from Me without charge, and so you have to give without charge through your simple, responsible and sharing lives.” This, indeed, is  the core of the priestly vocation and of the vocation of every Christian through his or her Baptism. Today’s lesson marks a turning point in the establishment of the Christian Church as presented in the Gospels. Up to this point in the story, Jesus himself was the focus of the healing, teaching, and controversy. With the commissioning of his disciples, others began to assume some of the responsibility for the new movement that heralded the kingdom of God. That new movement was destined to grow later, with increasing diversity, as it extended beyond the borders of Galilee, into the Gentile world and became the  Universal Christian Church.  First reading, Ex 19:2-6, explained:  All ancient religions assumed that the gods were distant from and indifferent to humans. The best people could hope for was that a few members, their priestly class, could deal with the gods on their behalf. In today’s first reading God overturns that class distinction. In the instruction given to Moses, God wants all the members of His chosen people to be a kingdom of holy priests. God expects a whole holy nation to join in worship, not just a few holy members to perform sacred duties for the rest. God says that all His people are special, set apart, and holy, and that they should pay attention to their exalted position.  A religion in which all the members are to be holy was a stunning innovation. This teaching was last repeated for Catholics at Vatican II, in “The Constitution on the Church,” Chapter 5, “The Universal Call to Holiness in the Church,” paragraphs 39-42. Hence we have no right to divide ourselves into the holy group and the ordinary group and reserve holiness only to the priests and the religious.

The second reading: Rom 5:6-11, explained:  Paul eloquently reminds the gathered community of Romans that God has gone beyond all limits in loving them. Paul’s point is that we were quite unworthy of the gift God gave us in Christ. Notice all the expressions of this unworthiness: “helpless, ungodly, still sinners, enemies.” It’s the contrast between our unworthiness and God’s gracious generosity that is so remarkable. Paul argues that Jesus served and taught and healed and died for those who were sinners because they were essentially God’s people, God’s special ones, the holy nation, the ones set apart. As Jesus walked the streets and taught the crowds, he saw in each of them a sacred and holy child of God.

Gospel Exegesis:  Matthew has just told us of ten miracles Jesus performed; he has cured people both physically and spiritually. Jesus has “compassion” (9:36) on the “crowds” in their leaderless state, “like sheep without a shepherd”; he has announced that the completion of God’s plan, his “harvest” (9:37), to return all to godliness, is about to begin. Now he instructs and commissions his disciples. The message of today’s Scriptures is rather simple and to the point. God has moved toward us – and has loved us. God has reached out to nurture us, free us, and heal us through Jesus. We are lovable and good because God loves us and has chosen us as Jesus chose his apostles. Since Jesus loves the leaderless people, he chooses and sends the twelve apostles to awaken the people. He reminds the apostles that the harvest is very plentiful but the laborers are few. He instructs them to pray that the Lord will send laborers into His harvest.

Demonstration of God’s mercy and compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion at the world’s pain and suffering, sorrow and grief, physical and spiritual hunger, isolation and loneliness, bewilderment and confusion. The Greek word used, esplanchnithe, expresses a compassion that springs from the deepest part of one’s being, heartfelt compassion. Jesus’ compassion for the crowds was based on his perception that they were “harassed and helpless.” Jesus uses two images to describe the common people of those days, namely, sheep without a shepherd and an abundant harvest in need of workers. The Pharisees saw the common people as chaff to be destroyed and burned up.  But Jesus saw them as a harvest to be reaped and saved.  He realized that volunteers were needed to teach and heal the people because “The harvest is great, but the workers are few.” and the people were “bewildered and dejected, like sheep who have no shepherd.” (I Kgs 22:17; Jer 23:1-6; Ez 34:1-10; Mi 5:2-4).  Jesus calls us to pray for common laborers in his Church.  While God can use talented people, most kingdom-work is done by ordinary, nearly anonymous, behind-the-scenes disciples. The “sheep without a shepherd” are called the “the lost sheep of Israel,” a phrase used by Moses when he transferred his authority to Joshua. This was a common image for Israel in the Old Testament (eg. Nm 27:17, 2 Chr 18:6). Priority was given to Jewish evangelization because Jesus realized that the most effective evangelistic strategy was first to try to reach those with whom the evangelizer already had something in common.

The selection of the messengers and special instructions: Jesus prayed before he chose the twelve apostles from among his disciples asking his heavenly Father, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” (Is 6:8). Then Jesus chose them, called them apostles, appointed them to be with him and sent them to villages and towns before he visited them as heralds to prepare them to receive his “good news.”  They were given his authority to love which included involvement in liberating people from the powers which oppressed them, whether physical or spiritual. The first instruction was: “Do not go out on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans.” This meant that they could not go north into Syria, east into the largely gentile Decapolis, or to south into Samaria. God wanted His Chosen people to hear the Gospel first. Besides, the apostles were not well-trained for preaching to the Gentiles. Thirdly, as a wise commander Jesus limited his objectives and refused to diffuse and dissipate his forces.

The message to be preached.1) The preaching mission: “As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The Kingdom of God is intended to be a society on earth, where God’s will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven. Since Jesus was, and is, the only person who ever perfectly did, and obeyed, and fulfilled God’s will as it is done in heaven, the apostles were to invite people to see how their long expected “kingdom of God” was made visible and tangible in Jesus of Nazareth.

2) The healing mission: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons.”  The Apostles have to convince the people that Christ came to give physical healing of bodies from diseases and spiritual healing of souls from sins. The spiritually dead are resurrected and revitalized by the Good News preached to them. Cleansing the lepers includes the actual healing of leprosy, as well as the cleansing the polluting influence of sins from minds and heart. Casting out demons also included liberating people from their evil habits and addictions which led them to sin.

Free use of the God-given talents: “Freely you have received;” says Jesus, “freely give.” A Rabbi was bound by law to give his teaching freely and for nothing. The Rabbi was absolutely forbidden to take money for teaching the Law which Moses had received without cost from God. Jesus’ instructions mean that the man of God must show by his attitude to material things that his first interest is God. But Jesus adds that the workman deserves his sustenance.  Although a Jewish rabbi was not expected to accept payment, it was considered at once a privilege and an obligation to support a Rabbi, if he were truly a man of God. What Jesus really means is that a man of God must never be overly concerned with material things. At the same time the people of God must never fail in their duty to see that the man of God receives a reasonable support. Missionaries are to depend on the local hospitality of “worthy” (10:11) people, i.e., those in favor with God, and to “greet” (10:12) them with the peace of God.

Life Messages: 1) Be Jesus-Presenters:  Like Homer Sewell who presents Abraham Lincoln, we also have an “association” of Jesus-Presenters which we call the Church. From this Body we each get guidance, encouragement, discipline, and inspiration to project the same person — Christ Jesus and his “Good News,” not in costume but in living out the Faith God has given us.    Jesus continues to be active in our lives through the Bible and the Sacraments. He has promised that he will do whatever we ask in his name, meaning that he will answer us when we ask for help in revealing the power and character of God. In addition, the Lord God gives us the Holy Spirit, the One Who teaches us, and reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us. We are invited to become one with God and Jesus, and to let the Holy Spirit work through us. We are asked to perform the works of Jesus, and through these works to reveal the power and character of God to the world. If we accept this invitation and act on it, with God’s grace people will look at us and say, “Jesus”

2) Be healers in the modern world:  People can be sick in body as well as in mind. As Christian’s sharing Jesus’ mission, we can bring healing and wholeness to people with whom we come into contact.  Although we cannot raise the dead, we can help people to recover interest and a zest for living.  People can be physically alive but dead in many other respects. Cleansing the lepers means rehabilitating and bringing back fully into our communities all those who, for one reason or another, are marginalized, rejected, despised — ostracized on the basis of race, nationality, marital status, religion, gender, or sexual orientation.   In our day, demons act through all those suffocating and enslaving forces which dominate, manipulate, and restrict our freedom to live in truth and love.  They include many elements of our contemporary society: the pressures to conform to what is in fashion, whether it be in clothes, activities,  food, or drugs of all kinds, both prescribed and non-prescribed, and to bend to the active and attractive tendencies to hedonism, extreme individualism, greed, addictions, and violence of all kinds which mark the modern world,  particularly in the West.  Our abortion/euthanasia/divorce/litigation culture of death is simply one of the symptoms and effects of all this.  We have to start by casting out these demons from our own hearts first before helping others to true liberation.

3) “You received without payment; give without payment.”  Every thing we have is a gift of God.   God’s gifts to us are literally priceless, and the rest of these is Faith. All these gifts are meant to be used freely and liberally for the benefit of all.  We are not in the business of sharing our Faith for the money or the admiration it brings.  To paraphrase President John Kennedy: “Ask not what others can do for you; but what you can do for others.” But God’s freely given gifts must be used with care and responsibility. Exercised wisely, they can bring great joy and peace in life. They can be a means to care for others. We must always remember that our good works, the things in which we take pride, ultimately find their source in Christ, not in us. What gifts, both material and spiritual, have we received from God? How have we passed those gifts onto others? How have we thanked God and given Him the glory for those gifts? The passages from Matthew’s Gospel present us with a challenge: to pass along the graces we have received. Jesus gave his followers this key to evangelization. (For details confer  CCC #2006-2011)

4) Pray for priests who carry God’s people on “eagle’s wings.’ Priests are with us at all the most important moments in our lives —  Baptism, marriage, forgiveness of sins, celebration of the Eucharist, sickness, death.  Every priest could tell you personal stories of times when he prayed with the sick and they improved, or the times when he anointed the sick and they received new strength.  Every priest could tell you many personal stories about the many people he helped when they were going through a difficult time.  Every priest has helped to heal broken lives and has given encouragement.  Every priest has been surprised to see the power of Jesus work mysteriously through him. Hence Bishops, priests, and deacons are in need of  our prayer because they, too, have the same human limitations and weaknesses and temptations as everyone. When was the last time we prayed for Bishops, priests, or deacons?  If we don’t pray for them, why are we surprised if there are scandals?  Bishops, priests, and deacons cannot survive without our prayers. Here are Bishop Sheen’s words to priests, “You have souls at your fingertips.” It is a question of praying to the Lord to give the Bishops, priests, and deacons the energy and enthusiasm to bring them in. We need to pray also for future priests as instructed by Jesus in today’s Gospel by praying for an increase in the quality and quantity of those responding to the Holy Spirit’s vocational call to priesthood and the religious life.

JOKES OF THE WEEK

“But now he caries it under his coat.” Zeke, a mountaineer, went to a revival and was “converted.” Later his wife was asked if she noticed any change in Zeke since he supposedly got religion. She said, “Well, before he carried his jug of whiskey on his shoulder when he walked down town, but now he caries it under his coat.”

God’s Missionary People: “At a Pentecostal revival in Sevierville, Tennessee, a barber was ‘saved.’ The preacher told him that since he was a barber and got to meet a lot of people, he could do a great work for the Lord if he would talk to them about religion and salvation. When he asked how he could get into a conversation like that with his customers, the preacher said, ‘Just do it casually. Talk to them about their soul, ask if their house is in order, if they are prepared to die, and so on.’ “The first man to come in the next day wanted a shave; so the barber put a hot towel over him, talking about the weather and what-not, and then after he had lathered the man up good, he figured it was time to get down to the religion part. He grabbed up his razor, stropped it a few times, pointed at the man, and said bluntly, ‘Brother, are you prepared to die?’ “The man jumped up and ran out of the barbershop with the lather still on his face.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

11- Additional anecdotes:

1) Commissioned by Christ to reach out: A young mother was taking a course in sociology. The class was assigned to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. The next day she and her family were in a McDonald’s on a cold, clear morning. She writes, “We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch. As I turned around, I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor, homeless men. One of them smiled up at me, looking for acceptance. The second man fumbled with his hands, obviously mentally deficient and totally dependent on his friend. They had a handful of coins and bought only coffee because that was all they could afford. They had to buy something in order to sit down where it was             warm. Acting on impulse, I bought two extra breakfasts and took them to the table where the men sat. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, ‘Thank you.’ I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, ‘I did not do this for you; God is here working through me to give you hope.’”  (Coy Wylie, “Stewardship … Laborers or Loafers?”). Here is a Christian lady commissioned by Christ to reach out “the sheep without shepherds” as Jesus sent his apostles to the shepherdless sheep with teaching and healing authority as described in today’s Gospel.

2) All about taxes: It was a simple statement but still it hurt. “See, this man eats with sinners and tax collectors.” They hurt because I was one of those tax-collectors. Tax collectors are never popular. “Adopt a flat tax,” said Steve Forbes in the primary campaigns, “and dismantle the Internal Revenue Service.” “I’m proud to be paying taxes in the United States,” said Arthur Godfrey. “The only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money.” “President Clinton says he looks forward to the day a citizen can call the IRS and get the right answer to a question,” says Jay Leno. “I look forward to the day I can call the IRS and get a voice that says, “Sorry, that number has been disconnected.'” And there was that famous reply that boxer Joe Louis gave when a sportswriter asked, “Who hit you the hardest during your ring career?” His reply: “Uncle Sam.” — People don’t like tax collectors. Things haven’t changed as much as you think. Archeologists uncovered a 3,000-year tablet in Iraq. It had on it this inscription: “You can have a Lord, you can have a King, but the man to fear is the tax collector.” (SALES UPBEAT, June 24, 1993, p. 5.)

3)  Saint sheep thief: Years ago, there was a man in the West who was caught stealing sheep. They branded him on the forehead with the letters ST, “sheep thief.” Later his life changed and he became a model for all. People forgot that ST stood for “sheep thief” and thought it symbolized “saint.” –This is what Jesus wants to happen in every person’s life, including yours and mine. He associated with sinners, had dinner with them, and once explained to his enemies that he came to call sinners that they might become saints of God. How can we cover the long distance from sinner to saint? In our text we have an example in Matthew.

4) Personal confrontation with Jesus: Every person who has begun his mission from sinner to saint has had a real, personal confrontation with Christ. It may have come in different ways, but it always takes place. For Paul it happened on the Damascus Road. For Augustine it was a voice. While meditating in his garden, he heard the words, “take and read.” He went to an open Bible and read, “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ …”, and Christ became a reality to him. St. Francis met Christ at a wayside shrine where as he was looking at a crucifix; he heard Christ say, “Build My House, for it is falling down!”

5) Where can I find water? There is a legend about a little fish who overheard fishermen say that a fish needed water to live. The little fish became worried and started hunting for water. He swam from creek to river to the seven seas. Finally, he met a big, old fish who saw how worried the little fish was and asked what the trouble was. The little fish explained that he was looking for water because he heard the fishermen say that a fish cannot live without water. The big fish laughed and said, “O little fish, why are you worried? Don’t you know that you are in the water all the time?” — It is time for us who have been on the Church rolls from infancy to wake up and realize Whose we are. Then we will know who we are and in Whom we have our being. We need to awaken to the fact that we are children of God by grace through Baptism, and as children of God we have a mission in life.

6) Conversion of Chuck Colson: Charles Colson, author of Born Again, was deeply involved in the Watergate scandal. It was said he was so ruthless that to accomplish his goal he would run over even his grandmother. — Now, he tells about the love of God that turned him around.

7) “Margie needs that treatment.” Some years ago, a farmer went to a big city and stepped into a hotel lobby where there was an elevator. He watched how people walked into the elevator, doors closed, and then an indicator like a hand of a clock pointed to the number of the floor where the elevator was. He noticed how people got on the elevator and shortly they stepped off it. He saw an overweight woman get on and soon there stepped off the same elevator a slender lady. Seeing that, he took off his hat, scratched his head, and was heard to say to himself, “I wish I had brought Margie with me. She needs that treatment.”– It is not an external change that is necessarily made, but an internal one: a new spirit, a change of attitude, love instead of hatred, an about-face in values, that we all need.

8) Happy Hypocrite:  In Max Beerbohm’s Happy Hypocrite a wicked man wore a mask of a saint in order to woo a saintly woman he loved. Years later a woman he had cast off discovered his trick and challenged him to take off his mask in front of his sweetheart that she might know the truth about him. He did it only, to find that behind the mask of a saint there was his true face which had become that of a saint. — As we live for Christ, as we daily practice doing good, as we spend time constantly with Christ, eventually and gradually we become like Christ, a changed          person.

9) Conversion of a gang member: Many years ago, journalist Lee Strobel investigated a story about a hardened gang member named Ron Bronski. Bronski found God in prison. As an atheist, Lee Strobel was skeptical of Bronski’s story. In fact, he expected to use his journalistic skills to expose Bronski as a fraud. After all, this was the young man that police officers referred to as a “sociopath” or as “garbage.” However, Lee heard a different story when he spoke to a pastor who met Bronski after his conversion. This man referred to the former gang member as “one of the most beautiful, loving people I know.” In fact, when Ron Bronski was brought to trial for his crimes, the police officers, prosecutors, and the judge who had gotten to know him were so convinced that the former gang member was a new man that they set him free. — Today, Ron Bronski runs an inner-city ministry for street kids. (Lee Strobel, the Case for Faith (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), pp. 223-225.)

10) “Follow me.” Rebecca Barlow Jordan tells a hilarious story about a friend of hers, named Neel. Neel had just finished picking up his prescriptions at the drug store. As he drove home, he noticed a little Volkswagen Bug following closely behind him. To his surprise, the little car followed him right into his own driveway. Neel got out to confront the driver. Another surprise–there was no driver. It seems Neel had accidentally backed into this little car at the drug store and locked bumpers with it. The lightweight little car stayed stuck to his bumper for the whole drive home! Neel called the drug store just moments after the Volkswagen owner had called the police and reported his car stolen. (Becky Freeman, Susan Duke, Rebecca Barlow Jordan, Gracie Malone, Fran Caffey Sandin. Eggstra Courage for the Chicken-Hearted (Tulsa, OK: Honor Books, 1999), pp. 64-65.) — In the same way that the little Volkswagen Bug locked on to Neel’s car, Matthew “locked on” to Jesus. Scripture says that Jesus said, “Follow me,” and, just like that, Matthew rose and followed him.

11) A life of luxury and a life of service: There is an interesting story about the Queen Mary, one of the most luxurious ocean liners in the world back in the 1930s and ’40s. The tables of this great liner bore the finest china and silver. Its private berths were spacious and well-decorated. But during World War II, the Queen Mary was commissioned to serve as a troop transport ship. All of its luxuries were stripped away to prepare it for war. The fine china was replaced by dented metal dinner trays. The spacious compartments were crammed to the ceiling with bunk beds. Today, the Queen Mary serves as a floating museum. One half of the ship is decorated to look exactly like a luxury liner of the 1930s. The other half of the ships is decorated to look like a World War II troop ship. Visitors to the ship confront the radical difference between a life of luxury and a life of service. (Ralph Winter, “Reconsecration to a Wartime, Not a Peacetime, Lifestyle,” in Perspectives on The World Christian Movement, ed. R. Winter and S. Hawthorne (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1981), p. 814.)  — Jesus was calling Matthew to a life of service. He was calling Matthew to follow him–to go where he went. To live as he lived. To love as he loved. This is a tough assignment for anyone. L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 37) 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

June 12-17 weekday homilies

Homilies

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

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

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

Life messages: 1) We need to respond to the challenge of the Beatitudes in daily life. The Beatitudes propose to us a way of life, inviting us to identify with the poor, those who mourn, who are meek, and who hunger and thirst after justice. 2) They challenge us to become compassionate people, to become men and women who are pure in heart, and to become peacemakers in our dealings with one another, in our families and in the society at large, even when this approach to things exposes us to ridicule and persecution. 3) Let us remember that each time we reach out to help the needy, the sick and the oppressed, we share with them a foretaste of the promises of the Beatitudes here and now. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

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

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

June 14 Wednesday: Mt 5: 17-19: 17 "Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Whoever then relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but he who does them and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

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

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

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

June 15 Thursday: Mt 5:20-26: 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 21 "You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift

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

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

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

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

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

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

Life messages: 1)Let us try to forgive,forget, and move toward reconciliation as soon as possible. St. Paul advises us “Be angry (righteous anger), but do not sin” (Eph 4:26). 2) When we keep anger in our mind, we are inviting physical illnesses like hypertension, and mental illnesses like depression. 3) Let us relax and keep silence when we are angry and pray for God’s strength for self-control , and for the grace, first to desire to forgive, and then actually to forgive, those who have injured us Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

June 16 Friday: (Most Sacred Heart of Jesus): For a short account, click onhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/franciscan-spirit-blog/the-sacred-heart-of-jesus/ Mt 11:25-30:Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is the second most popular Catholic devotion (the first being the Rosary). The other devotions are morning and evening prayers, prayers before and after meals, the Angelus, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, making the Sign of the Cross praising the Holy Trinity, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, novenas, the Stations of the Cross, Litanies, etc. The “Holy Hour,” the "Litany of the Sacred Heart," "The Act of Consecration of the Family and the Human Race to the Sacred Heart,” the “First Friday Devotion” and the “Novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus” are different forms of this devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: The infinite love and mercy of God is shown in many different metaphors and symbols. First of all, his undeserved mercy is shown in the fact of the Incarnation symbolized by the image of baby Jesus in the manger: God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son who became one of us. The early Church expressed the love of Christ in the symbol of the Good Shepherd who laid down his life for his sheep. The symbols of this love vary from age to age. The Medieval Period used the symbol of the crucifix which showed the tortured body of Jesus. In the seventeenth Century, the symbol of the Sacred Heart of Jesus began to be used. The Sunday after Easter has been designated by Pope John Paul II as Divine Mercy Sunday: This commemorates the lavish and undeserved love of God for all of us.

History: The devotion to the sacred Heart is based on the apparitions of Our Lord from 1673 to 1675 to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Visitation Convent at Paray-le-Monial in France. In her mystical experiences, Jesus revealed to St. Margaret Mary the great mystery of his infinite love for us, represented by his flaming Sacred Heart. Jesus asked that homes be consecrated to his Sacred Heart as a sign of his living presence with us in the Church, especially through the Holy Eucharist. The Gospel passage, "They shall look on him whom they have pierced" (Jn 19:35-37) is at the foundation of the whole tradition of devotion to the Divine Heart. The practices of the “Enthronement of the Sacred Heart of Jesus” in the home and the consecration and dedication of the family to the Sacred Heart were begun by Father Mateo Crawley-Boevey of the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. His work was first confirmed and blessed by Pope St. Pius X and then by every later Pope. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, quoting Pope Pius XII’s beautiful encyclical Haurietis Aquas (1956), states, "[Jesus] has loved us all with a human heart. For this reason, the Sacred Heart of Jesus, pierced by our sins and for our salvation, ‘is quite rightly considered the chief sign and symbol of that…love…." (no. 478).

The objectives of this devotion and the aims of “enthronement” of the picture of the Sacred Heart in a prominent place in the house are:

a) "Official and social recognition of the rule of Jesus over the Christian family" (Mateo Crawley-Boevey). b) The Enthronement is a way of life, the acceptance of Christ as King of our hearts, as our constant Companion, as our Brother, and as our Friend, helping us and guiding us in the small and big matters of daily life. c) The Enthronement daily reminds each member of the family to follow in Christ’s royal way by making reparation for sins committed and by striving to serve God and neighbor more lovingly. d) The Enthronement gives every member of the family an occasion daily, and perhaps, many times daily, to gaze upon the Face of Christ and to have Christ gaze upon his/her face, thus reminding him/her that s/he is under the protection of Jesus. e) The Enthronement is a source of special blessings to the members of the family from the Lord. f) The essence of this devotion is to create awareness in us of the merciful love of Christ, a love he offers to all who come to him with Faith and the willingness to obey his teaching.

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

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

c) An invitation to pray: First, let us pray for all suffering from, and killed by Covid-19. Then, let us continue to pray for the grace of healing for those who have been the victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, as the Church expresses its sorrow and seeks forgiveness from these victims. Let us also pray that these victims may, in turn, accept the grace to forgive those who have harmed and betrayed them. Next, let us pray for the grace of courage for our bishops to be true shepherds in caring for their flocks; in restoring restore discipline in clerical and religious life and in ending the dissent that has undermined the Magisterium. Finally, let us pray for the grace of perseverance, that clergy and laity alike will keep the Faith and not lose hope in this difficult time of purification. 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

June 17 Saturday: (The Immaculate heart of Blessed Virgin Mary): For a short account, click on https://www.ewtn.com/catholicism/seasons-and-feast-days/immaculate-heart-of-mary-14358

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

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

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

Life message: Let us take Mary as our role model and practice her virtues of trusting Faith, serving humility and readiness to do God’s will in our daily lives, thus becoming immaculate children of an Immaculate Heavenly Mother. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

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

Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus (A) June 11, 2023

Homilies

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ[A] (June 11, 2023)- in1 page

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

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

We explain the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by: the Aristotelian philosophical term “transubstantiation” which means that the substance of the consecrated bread and wine is changed, by the action of the Holy Spirit through the words of the priest, into the substance of the risen Jesus’ risen glorified Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, while its accidents (like color, shape, taste etc.), remain the same.

Scripture lessons: 1)In the first reading, Deut 8: 2-3, 14b-16a, Moses instructs the Israelites to “remember and not forget” the miraculous provision of food in the manna given to them. The Church, through the Holy Mass, remembers and reenacts the Sacramental meal (Last Supper) and the Calvary sacrifice of Jesus. In the second reading, Paul reminds the Corinthians that the Bread they share is the real Body of Christ which makes their community also the Body of the risen Christ. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus identifies himself as “the living bread that came down from heaven,” thus linking himself with the manna in the wilderness, while assuring his disciples that, unlike those who ate manna, “One who eats this Bread will live for ever.”

A Sacrament and a sacrifice: Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist both as a sacramental banquet and a sacrificial offering.1) As a Sacrament: a) the Eucharist is a visible sign that gives us God’s grace and His life and, b) as a meal, it nourishes our souls. 2) As a sacrifice: a) the Eucharistic celebration is a re-presentation or re-enactment of Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary, completed in His Resurrection. b) We offer Jesus’ sacrifice to God the Father for the remission of our sins, using signs and symbols.

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

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

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

THE MOST HOLY BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST [A] (CORPUS CHRISTI) (June 11)   Dt 8:2-3,14b-16a; I Cor 10:16-17; Jn 6:51-58)

Homily starter anecdotes: # 1: Rocket scientists and Real Presence: We used to hear the statement; “this is not rocket-science for to you to understand” It means that rocket science is a very tough science to learn. It follows that the testimonies of two internationally famous rocket scientists and astronauts about the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist have real witnessing value. The first one is Buzz Aldrin, the NASA Astronaut, who walked on the moon on July 20, 1969, for the first time in human history, after his captain Neil Armstrong finished his moon walk. He did his walk on the moon after receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, whom he carried in small pix, supplied by his pastor with his bishop’s permission. The second astronaut was Astronaut Mike Hopkins who was selected to spent six months on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013.   Facing the prospect of being off the earth for half a year, he decided that he had to find out if Jesus could travel with him. He said later, “I went to Mass one last time, and the priest [with permission from his bishop] consecrated six wafers into the Body of Christ, and I was able to take Jesus in a pyx with me.” He had a Holy Communion each month, experiencing the real presence of Jesus with him for six months. It is the feast of this “Real Presence” of Jesus we celebrate today, on this Corpus Christi feast day.

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

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

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

The historical development: Today’s celebration of the Body and Blood of the Lord originated in the Diocese of Liege in 1246 as the feast of Corpus Christi.  In the reforms of Vatican II, Corpus Christi was joined with the feast of the Precious Blood (July 1) to become the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of the Lord. We celebrate today Christ’s gift to us of the Eucharist, the “source and summit” (Lumen Gentium, 11; CCB #1324), of our life together as the Church.  The Council of Trent (1545 to 1563), declared that we must honor Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist publicly so that those who observe the faith of Catholics in the Most Holy Eucharist may be attracted to the Eucharistic Lord and believe in the Divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, present in this great Sacrament. “The Catholic Church teaches that in the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the Godman are really, truly, substantially, and abidingly present together with his soul and divinity by reason of the Transubstantiation of the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.  This takes place in the unbloody sacrifice of the Mass.”

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

Scripture readings explained: The first reading (Dt 8: 2-3, 14-16): The setting of today’s first reading is near the end of the exodus from Egypt when the people are at last becoming accustomed to their long-promised new homeland. Moses realizes that the sudden change from hardship to comfort and security may dull the people and make them forgetful of the Lord on whom they depend.   Therefore, he tells them “Remember,” and “Do not forget,” referring to the manna that the Lord had miraculously provided for them earlier.  The Church chooses this reading for today because we see in the manna a prototype of the Eucharist.  But we do not read directly from this “manna narrative” (Exodus 16), for today’s feast.  Rather, we are enjoined “not to forget,” and “to remember.”  That is what we do when we celebrate the Eucharist.  We remember Jesus’ self-gift at the Last Supper and on the Cross.  God has endowed this act with the power to make the remembered events present to us again.  In the responsorial psalm, the Psalmist takes up the theme of God’s providential care and His close association with His people.

The second reading: (1 Cor 10:16-17): The Corinthian Christians were apparently ill-mannered and rude in their celebration of the Lord’s Supper.  So Paul was trying to make them behave more politely.  Paul was also clearly distinguishing the Eucharist from the ritual meals of some pagan groups known to the Corinthians.  For Paul, the Body of Christ can have two meanings: the Body of Christ that we share in the Eucharist, and the Body of Christ that we form as the community of believers united with the risen Christ.  Paul extended this union with Jesus to include union with all believers.  As Paul says, “the cup of blessing is a sharing in the Blood of Christ, and the bread we break is a sharing in the Body of Christ.”  The language is mystical, but it carries the meaning of the union of all believers with Jesus and thus with one another.  “Because there is one Bread, we who are many are one Body because we all partake of the one Bread” (1 Cor 10: -17).

Today’s Gospel passage (Jn 6: 51-58) is situated in the context of what is sometimes called Jesus’ Eucharistic discourse.  These verses constitute the ending of the “Bread of Life Discourse” (John 6: 22-58), given at the synagogue in Capernaum where Jesus identified himself as “the living Bread that came down from heaven,” thus linking himself with the manna in the wilderness.  The Eucharistic discourse is a teaching about the Lord’s providential care for his faithful followers, describing Jesus’ promises to the Jewish crowd that He would give them his Body and Blood as their spiritual food and drink.  The reference in today’s passage to the manna in the desert alludes to the care of God for His people during the years of their desert wandering.  The manna God provided and the water He gave sustained their natural life at the time.  Eventually, however, they died.   But Jesus claimed that he was the true Bread come down from Heaven to give everlasting life.  “One who eats this Bread will live forever” (John 6:58).  Our participation in the Eucharist concretizes and energizes our relationships with Christ and one another.  The process of eating and ingesting the Bread is the sign of our belief in the Word Who thus gives Himself to us, and through Whom we thus receive eternal life.  The separate mention of “flesh” and “blood” symbolizes theologically Jesus’ redemptive death for all people.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

32 -Additional anecdotes

1) # 3: Communion on the moon: The Lord’s Supper ensures that we can remember Jesus from any place. Apollo 11 landed on the moon on Sunday, July 20, 1969. Most remember astronaut Neil Armstrong’s first words as he stepped onto the moon’s surface: “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But few know about the first meal eaten on the moon. Dennis Fisher reports that Buzz Aldrin, the NASA Astronaut had taken aboard the spacecraft a tiny pyx provided by his Catholic pastor. Aldrin sent a radio broadcast to Earth asking listeners to contemplate the events of the day and give thanks. Then, blacking out the broadcast for privacy, Aldrin read, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit.” Then, silently, he gave thanks for their successful journey to the moon and received Jesus in the Holy Eucharist surrendering moon to Jesus. Next, he descended on the moon and walked on it with Neil Armstrong. (Dan Gulley: “Communion on the Moon”: Our Daily Bread: June/July/August 2007). – Aldrin’s actions remind us that in the Lord’s Supper, God’s children can share the life of Jesus from any place on Earth, and even from the moon. God is everywhere, and our worship should reflect this reality. In Psalm 139 we are told that wherever we go, God is intimately present with us. Buzz Aldrin celebrated that experience on the surface of the moon. Thousands of miles from earth, he took time to commune with the One who created, redeemed, and established fellowship with him. (Dennis Fisher) (http://www.smithvillechurch.org/html/body_remembering_jesus_on_the_moon.html) &(https://www.rbc.org/devotionals/our-daily-bread/2007/07/20/devotion.aspx)

(Email dated June 9, 2012: Dear Fr. Tony,

I read your anecdote ‘Communion on the Moon’ with some amusement. Buzz Aldrin was Roman Catholic. He was an altar server to an uncle of mine, Fr. Dennis Barry, in St. Martin’s Church, La Mesa, California. My uncle said Mass in his hotel room with Buzz as the altar server the day before his trip to the Moon, and I have photographs of that Mass with Buzz holding the wine and water at the Offertory. My uncle gave Buzz the Body of Christ to take to the Moon with him and that was his first ‘meal on the moon.’ I later met Buzz Aldrin at my uncle’s funeral in La Mesa in 1986. So, Buzz was not a Presbyterian. Thank you for your splendid service and keep up the good work.  God Bless. Fr. Eddie Collins. eddiecollins@eircom.net)) Fr. Tony’s comment:  Probably Aldrin joined the Presbyterian Church following his remarriage after a divorce. You may check check http://www.snopes.com/glurge/communion.asp for a different version.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9) Other Eucharistic miracle: A famous Eucharistic miracle that of Lanciano, also in Italy, which took place in the year 700. A monk who feared he was losing his vocation was celebrating Mass, and during the consecration the host turned into flesh and the wine turned into blood Despite the fact that the miracle took place almost 1300 years ago, you may still see the flesh in a monstrance which is exposed every day and the blood in a glass chalice. (The glass chalice is beneath the monstrance on the right.) I also had the privilege of seeing that Eucharistic miracle during my time in Italy. The blood has congealed and is now in five clots in the glass chalice. In 1971 and 1981 a hospital laboratory tested the flesh and blood and discovered that the flesh is myocardium, which is heart muscular tissue, so we could say it is the heart of Jesus, the Sacred Heart, and the blood is of the blood group AB. [In 1978 NASA scientists tested the blood on the Turin Shroud and interestingly also discovered that it is of the blood group AB. The Sudarium (Face Cloth of Christ  — Jn 20:6), is also of the blood group AB.] Despite the fact that human flesh and blood should not have remained preserved for 1300 years, the hospital lab tests found no trace of any preservatives. One final interesting point about the five blood clots in the chalice is that when one of them is weighed, it is the same weight as all five together; two of them together weigh the same as all five. In fact, no matter which  way the blood clots are weighed,  individually or grouped, they always weigh the same.  (This shows that the full Jesus is present in a particle of the Eucharist no matter how small.) These are two Eucharistic miracles I have seen and which have been authenticated by the Church after investigation. (Fr. Tommy Lane). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stay with me, Lord, for as poor as my soul is, I want it to be a place of consolation for You, a nest of love.

Stay with me, Jesus, for it is getting late, the day is coming to a close, and life passes; death, judgment, eternity approach. It is necessary to renew my strength. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/).

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

30) Jesus, Bread of Life: Brennan Manning, an American Franciscan priest, tells this story of his mother, a lady in her mid-seventies in Brooklyn. Mrs. Manning’s day centered on her daily Eucharist. Because she began her voluntary stint at a drug detoxification center each morning at 7.30 AM, the only Mass she could attend was at 5.30 AM. Across the road from her lived a very successful lawyer, mid-thirties, married with two children. The man had no religion and was particularly critical of daily Churchgoers. Driving home from a late party at 5 am one January morning, the roads glassy with ice, he said to his wife: “I bet that old hag won’t be out this morning”, referring to Mrs. Manning. But to his shock, there she was on hands and knees negotiating the hill up to the church. He went home, tried to sleep, but could not. Around 9 am he rose, went to the local presbytery and asked to see a priest. “Padre,” he said, “I am not one of yours. I have no religion. But could you tell me what you have there that can make an old woman crawl on hands and knees on an icy morning?” Thus, began his conversion along with his wife and family. — Mrs. Manning was one of those people who never studied deep religious books, never knew the big theological words, but she knew what it is to meet Jesus in Holy Communion. Jesus Christ is the bread of life. What more could we want? (Sylvester O’Flynn in The Good News of Mark’s Year; quoted by Fr. Kayala). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

31) Film – Eat Drink Man Woman A retired master chef, affectionately called Uncle Chu, lives with his three daughters and has lost his sense of taste. He is a widower of sixteen years and enjoys cooking for his family. There is a crisis at the restaurant where he worked, and he is called back to supervise a major banquet before it becomes a disaster. He saves the day but will not return to work full-time. Eat Drink Man Woman is a story of a family and its strained relationships. The recurring images of food and cooking give it a sensual texture that brings the emotional issues down to earth. It also celebrates the exquisite nature of food and love that goes into its preparation. Those who sit at the Taipei table at the special meal respect the daughter and her new husband, who is a Christian, and she leads them in a prayer of blessing. These are people, like people everywhere, who are seeking their place in the kingdom of God. The Chu family lives amid tension and their relationships are at various times estranged. They, like so many families the world over, are like the crowds in the Gospel because they need healing. The numerous cooking and eating sequences of the film remind us that food is a blessing. Jesus blessed food and while he gave only loaves and fish to feed the crowds, “they all ate and were satisfied.” (Peter Malone in ‘Lights, Camera, Faith!‘ Quoted by Fr. Botelho.) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

32) Solemn Eucharistic procession on Corpus Christi Sunday: Among the countless blessings that have enriched my life are the years I spent teaching Scripture at a College in East Africa. Among my most poignant memories of those years are the celebratory processions in honor of the Body and Blood of Christ. For days in advance of the feast, members of the local congregations gathered brilliantly colored flowers. The fuchsias, reds, whites and violets of the bougainvillea, the yellows and golds of the frangipani, along with an array of colored sands, palm branches, aromatic herbs and green leaves were artfully arranged in eucharistic designs and arranged on the dirt footpath over which the procession would travel. Chalices and crosses, baskets of bread, grapes and wheat sheaves bore silent but fragrant and colorful witness to the Faith of the people. Bordering the pathway on both sides were young, verdant matoke plants, about eight feet in height. Steamed matoke or plantains are the main staple diet in many regions of East Africa. These had been cut down and posted along the procession route in honor of the one who had given himself to become the staff of life for the world. On the day of the feast, the entire congregation assembled, dressed in their best clothes; with one voice they sang their gratitude and praise while a band of drummers offered loud and lively accompaniment. Across the hills, each congregation could hear the echoes of its neighbors, similarly engaged in prayerful procession. — In his commentary on today’s feast, Karl Rahner (The Great Church Year, Crossroad Publishing Co., New York: 1994) suggested that the procession is both the most external element associated with Corpus Christi as well as its most distinguishing factor. (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

33) Melchizedek offering bread and wine: Although he is featured rarely in the Scriptures (this text, Psalm 110:4; Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20-7:22), Melchizedek has been frequently memorialized throughout many centuries of Christian art. Represented as both an historical and as a symbolic or typological figure, images of Melchizedek continue to grace the mosaics of St. Mary Major in Rome and in Saint Vitale in Ravenna, as well as the frescoes in the Vatican and the altarpiece in the monastery of Klosterneuberg. Historically, Melchizedek, the king-priest of Salem (Jerusalem), whose name means “my king is justice,” is usually portrayed as blessing Abram after his return from battle with the kings who had kidnapped his nephew, Lot. Symbolically and because of the Genesis author’s observation that he “brought out bread and wine” (v. 10), Melchizedek’s action was understood as a prefigurement of the Eucharist. For that reason, artists have portrayed him, dressed in priestly robes, with a miter and a crown, offering up wine and bread to God, even at times in the form of the eucharistic host. The belief that Melchizedek has been the king-priest of the ancient Jebusite city, Salem (Jerusalem), served to legitimize David chosen capital. Many scholars also regard this passage as an effort to lend support to the priesthood of Zadok which David initiated. Chosen by David to preside over the Jerusalem shrine (2 Sml 8:17), Zadok was probably a member of an ancient Jebusite dynasty; therefore, it could be said of him that he was a priest “according to the order of Melchizedek” (Psalm 110:1-4).  (Patricia Datchuck Sánchez). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No 36) 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

Holy Trinity Sunday, June 4, 2023

Homilies

HOLY TRINITY SUNDAY [A] (June 4)- Eight- minute homily in1-page (L-23).

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

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

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

1) At the Annunciation, God the Father sends His angel to Mary, God the Holy Spirit comes upon her, the Power of the Most High overshadows her, and God the Son becomes Incarnate in her womb.

2) At the baptism of Jesus, when the Son receives baptism from John the Baptist, the Father’s Voice is heard, and the Holy Spirit appears as a Dove and descends upon Jesus.

3) At the Ascension, Jesus gives the missionary command to his disciples to baptize those who believe, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

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

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

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

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

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

HOLY TRINITY: Ex 34:4b-6, 8-9; II Cor 13:11-13; Jn 3:16-18

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

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

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

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

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

The first reading explained: Today’s first reading , taken from the book of Exodus, describes how God revealed His name to Moses as “Yahweh,” which means, “I am Who am.”  But Orthodox Jews in absolute reverence, never used that most sacred Name name.  They addressed God by calling Him, Elohim (God, the common name)  or Lord (Adonai).  The passage is also as close as the Bible comes to giving a definition of God. The Lord God says of Himself, “The Lord, the Lord [is] a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity.” Every part of that statement stresses God in relationship to humankind, and it emphasizes especially God’s great love for us. The revelation of God’s nature as Triune was made by Jesus.  In fact, the very word “Trinity,” referring to Three Persons in One God — one in Godhead yet distinct in Person — is not explicitly spelled out in the Bible, although the doctrine on Trinity is mentioned about forty times in the New Testament, but without using the term “Trinity.”  Rather, the early Church arrived at the doctrine of the Trinity when, guided by the Holy Spirit, she reflected on the Revelation which she had received from Jesus in Faith.

Today’s second reading explained: Taken from St. Paul’s second Letter to the Corinthians, today’s second reading contains the ancient apostolic blessing in the name of the Holy Trinity: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.”  Paul reminds the people of the Father’s love, the grace that comes through Jesus Christ and the fellowship or the unifying power of the Holy Spirit. The word “grace” in a theological context refers to Divine favor. In Christ, God has shown favor toward us humans, a special care for us, and a desire that through Jesus’ life, death and Resurrection we might find and enjoy a right relationship with God. We often use the phrase “the love of God” to describe our response to God and our duty to love God. That is both correct and appropriate. But what comes first is God’s love for us. The Scriptures emphasize that God has loved us first and that our love for God is only a fitting response. And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit: The Holy Spirit shapes and animates the life of the Christian community. In other words, we live our Christian lives in the fellowship, or koinonia, formed by the Holy Spirit because it is He who guides, empowers and teaches us in Christ’s place and brings us together in Faith, Love, and Hope. In the story of salvation, we usually attribute Creation to the Father, Redemption to the Son, and Sanctification to the Holy Spirit. Nevertheless, though they are distinct as Persons, neither the Father nor the Son nor the Holy Spirit ever exists in separation or acts in isolation from the other Two Persons of the Godhead.  The inner relationship of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit is such that each of them is fully God, yet These Divine Persons are not three Gods but One.  This is not comprehendible by the human mind.  It is a Mystery.

Today’s Gospel comes from the story of Jesus’ encounter with Nicodemus.  Jesus speaks about the Father who has sent him (the Son), and after the Last Supper, He speaks about the Holy Spirit Whom he will send.  He says that the Father has given him (the Son) all that He has and that Jesus, in turn, has given to the Holy Spirit all that he has received from the Father.  In this we see the unity of purpose among the Three Persons of the Trinity.

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

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

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

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

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


3) Clear doctrine of the Trinity in the New Testament.

  1. The Annunciation (Lk 1: 26-38), describes how God the Father sends the Archangel Gabriel to Mary to announce to her that God the Holy Spirit, will “come upon” her, that “the power the Most High will overshadow” her, that the Son will be made flesh in her womb: “Therefore, the Child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
  2. b) During the baptism of Jesus (Mt 3:16-17), the Holy Spirit is shown descending on Jesus in the form of a Dove, while the Voice of God the Father is heard from the clouds, saying, “You are My Beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased” (Lk 4:22).
  3. c) John (Chapters 15 through 18) presents the detailed teaching of Jesus on the Persons of the Holy Trinity.
  4. d) In the preaching mission given by the risen Lord to the disciples, Jesus commands them to baptize people “in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”(Confer also Mt 28:19; Jn 10:30).

Trintarian heresies: It became necessary for the Church to define the mystery of th the Holy Trinity more fully to counter certain heresies like the belief in three gods (tritheism) or that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit referred not to real distinction within the Godhead but to different ways in which God relates to us (the heresies of Monarchianism, Sabellianism, Atripassianism and Modalism).  The most grievous heresy that threatened the Church was Arianism, the view that only the Father is God while Jesus is a  human creature, who,  although superior to other humans in a relationship with the Father, was inferior to the Father.  The Church called 4th century Councils of Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) to combat the Arian heresy and to produce creeds that defined the nature and relationship of the Trinity.  We affirm our belief in the Trinity in the Creed of Nicaea-Constantinople which the congregation professes aloud just after the Gospel and Homily, in the liturgy of the Sunday Mass.

The dogma of the Trinity, as defined by the Catholic Church, is composed of three crucial elements: 1) God is one substance or being and three Persons. 2) The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three distinct Persons within the Godhead. With regard to the Trinity, the word “Person” is a technical term that designates the three distinct subsistent relations within the Trinity: the Father (paternity), the Son (filiation), and the Holy Spirit (passive spiration).  These three relations are rooted in the two “processions” of the inner life of the Trinity: The Father eternally begets the Son and The Holy Spirit proceeds (spirates) from the Father and the Son. The conclusion is that the three Persons of the Trinity are, therefore, differentiated from one another by virtue of the different relations they have to one another.  (See CCC 232, 234, 244, 237-38, 251, 261, 684, 732 and the www.agapebiblestudy.com document “Monotheism and the Mystery of the Triune God).

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

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

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

4) We are called to become more like the Triune God through all our relationships.  We are made in God’s image and likeness.  Just as God is God only in a Trinitarian relationship, so we can be fully human only as one member of a relationship of three partners.  The self needs to be in a horizontal relationship with all other people and in a vertical relationship with God.  In that way our life becomes Trinitarian like that of God.  Modern society follows the so-called “I-and-I” principle of unbridled individualism and the resulting consumerism.  But the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity challenges us to adopt an “I-and-God-and-neighbor” principle:  “I am a Christian insofar as I live in a relationship of love with God and other people.”  Like God the Father, we are called upon to be productive and creative persons by contributing to the building up of the fabric of life and love in our family, our Church, our community, and our nation.  Like God the Son, we are called to a life of sacrificial love and service so that we  may help Him to reconcile others to Him, to be peacemakers among our families, in our workplaces, our communities and our schools, to put back together that which has been broken, and to restore what has been shattered.  Like God the Holy Spirit, we are called, with His help, to uncover and teach Truth and to dispel ignorance not in anger but in love. (Trinitarian spirituality: The doctrine of the Trinity affirms that it belongs to God’s very Nature to be committed to humanity and its history, that God’s Covenant with us is irrevocable, that God’s Face is immutably turned toward us in love, that God’s Presence to us is utterly reliable and constant…. Trinitarian spirituality is one of solidarity between and among persons. It is a way of living the Gospel attentive to the requirements of justice, understood as rightly ordered relationships between and among persons.” Dictionary of Spirituality)

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

JOKES OF THE WEEK:     

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

10)Virtual tour of Sistine chapel, Vatcan: http://www.vatican.va/various/cappelle/sistina_vr/index.html?utm_source=Twitter

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

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

30 Additional anecdotes:

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

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

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

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

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

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

7) “Bad things always come in threes.” An old adage warns, “Bad things always come in threes.” Have you found this true in your own experience? That bad things (and good things), like to happen in community, in bunches? You say: we invent this connection by suddenly realizing that we got a flat tire on the same day that a computer glitch devoured our hard drive, shortly after our last contact lens just slid down the drain.  I say: there seems to be something significant about the power of three. – On this Sunday, “Trinity Sunday,” the Church celebrates the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, affirming the Truth that good things also come in threes. We recognize God as Creator (the Father), God as Redeemer (the Son), and God as Sanctifier (the Holy Spirit). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) 8) “But the machine can’t ask me about my arthritis.” This true story is told of a woman named Mamie who made frequent trips to the branch post office. One day she confronted a long line of people who were waiting for service from the postal clerk. Mamie only needed stamps, so a helpful observer asked her, “Why don’t you just use the stamp machine? You can get all the stamps you need and you won’t have to wait in line.” Mamie said, “I know, but the machine can’t ask me about my arthritis.” — That’s part of the wisdom of Christ’s coming to our earth to live among us as described in John’s Gospel (Jn 3: 16-18).  He can relate to us in all of our daily needs. As we try to walk in Jesus’ steps, we might do well to pray the ancient Irish poem set to an Irish ballad tune, which says,

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;

I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;

Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

17) Exploring the mystery of Holy Trinity: Explorers and the pioneer families did solve the mystery of what was out there beyond the coastal strip. In fact, people have been exploring the mysteries of our world on many fronts – medicine, technology, and what is out there in space. Where there is any kind of a mystery, people will try to solve it. But there are some Mysteries that will always be Mysteries. Today, Trinity Sunday, we come up against one of those Mysteries – God.  Who is God? Where is God? What is God? I can’t touch Him. I can’t say how big He is. I can’t see Him. The early Christians started talking about a Triune God. This wasn’t to make God more logical and understandable and acceptable to human ways of thinking. In fact, the idea of the Trinity intensified the Mystery and awesomeness of God. They observed that Jesus had a unique relationship with the Father and that the Holy Spirit had a unique relationship with the Father and the Son. Against all sorts of odds, against all human logic, and in the face of mounting opposition, the Church maintained that Jesus Christ is true God, equal with the Father, and that the Holy Spirit is God, equal with the Father and the Son. Who is God? He is our Heavenly Father Who made us, takes cares of us and calls us His dear children. Who is God? He is Jesus Christ Who gave His life on the cross to re-establish our relationship with God. He reveals the way to God and to eternal life. Who is God? God is the Holy Spirit in us giving us Faith in God and guiding us in our daily walk as a Christian. — Faith in the Triune God acknowledges the might and majesty of God but, at the same time, trusts in His care and intimate knowledge of our needs and of what is happening in our lives. “O LORD, our Lord, the majesty of Your Name fills the earth! Your glory is higher than the heavens”(Ps 8:1). Let us make this our prayer: “Lord God, in spite of our unbelief and lack of understanding of Who You are, show us Your new way of living. Amen.”  (Rev. Gerhardy). Fr. Tony  (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

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

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

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

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

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

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

Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty!

Early in the morning our song shall rise to Thee;

Holy, Holy, holy, merciful and mighty,

God in Three Persons, blessed Trinity.

Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)

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

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

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

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

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

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

28)  Icon of the Trinity by Andrei Rublev:  In 1425 AD,  Andrew Rublev, a Russian monk, painted an icon of the Trinity in which three angelic figures are seated around a small table, engaged in intimate conversation. On the table is a chalice, in the background is a tree. The trio of figures and the tree are reminiscent of the visit which angelic messengers paid to Sarah and Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. As they enjoyed the generous welcome of Sarah and Abraham, the messengers announced the unexpected birth of Isaac (Gn 18) whom Abraham would later be willing to sacrifice if God willed it (Gn 22). — From his knowledge of iconography, Henri Nouwen has suggested that Rublev intended this angelic appearance to prefigure the Divine Incarnation by which God sends the unexpected gift of His Son, who sacrifices himself for sin and gives new life through the Spirit. Rublev wished that his icon would offer his fellow monks a way to keep their hearts centered on God, Father, Son and Spirit, despite the chaotic world of political unrest in which they lived. (Sanchez Archives). Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)   L/21

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

30) “Encourage one another” Richard G. E. Beemer, in a recent article on the International Special Olympics, told a touching story about the power of encouragement. The “Special Olympics,” of course, are athletic contests for people old and young who are physically or mentally handicapped. It was Eunice Kennedy Shriver, the sister of President John F. Kennedy, who launched these “Olympic” contests in 1963 as a builder of morale among the disadvantaged. Perhaps many people are unaware that one of the late President’s sisters suffered a mental handicap. Hence, Mrs. Shriver’s particular interest.) In 1979, the Special Olympics, previously participated in only by Americans, were declared international. Held that year at Brockport, New York, they attracted contestants and “fans” from several nations. In these contests, as in earlier ones, winning was not the aim; finishing was. Everybody who finished was cheered and hugged just for making the effort. One of the events at Brockport was a wheelchair race. A thunderstorm broke out during the race, but the racers reached their goal anyhow. With one exception. The slowest of the “wheelers” had an accident. He hit some wet ground and fell out of his chair. What did the audience do? “No one went to his aid,” Beemer reported. ”Instead, the crowd cheered wildly for him to get back into his wheelchair, and after what seemed a very long time, he finally struggled back onto the wheelchair and finished the race.”One of the spectators noticed that a coach sitting in the sidelines was crying. “Are you all right?” he asked him. The trainer answered wiping away his tears, “I’ve been coaching and working with that boy for over two years, trying to teach him to climb back onto his chair should he ever fall out. This is the first time he’s ever made it.” The coach was crying for joy, not for sorrow. Encouragement had turned the trick. Father George Farrell, a Jesuit priest who took part in the Baton Rouge I.S.O. of 1983, had this comment: “These kids need the sense of accomplishment, the sense of self-worth. It gives you a great thrill knowing you’ve helped them to do something important.” — When St. Paul told the Corinthians to “encourage one another,” (today’s second reading), he did not have only “special” people in mind. Specials are not the only ones helped by cheering. All of us need a pat on the back. All of us “love to be loved.” -Father Robert F. McNamara.

31) Holy Trinity in art: The earliest known representation of the Trinity is preserved on the “Dogmatic Sarcophagus”, an art work from the mid-fourth century C.E. which can now be seen in the Lateran Museum in Rome. The three persons of the Trinity are portrayed as three bearded males, in the act of creating Eve while Adam lies nearby in a deep sleep.

Paintings from the early tenth century C.E. depict the popular legend that Patrick, apostle to Ireland (ca 389 C.E.- ca. 461 C.E.), used a shamrock in order to teach the Trinity to those he proselytized.

A tenth century artist rendered the Trinity as three virtually identical figures, each wearing a cruciform nimbus. This work is on display in the Bibliotèque Nationale in Paris whereas another late fifteenth century C.E. painting exhibited in the Louvre Museum in Paris images the Father as an elderly figure, the Son as the risen Christ, emerging from the tomb, with the Spirit being breathed forth from their lips as a dove.

Rarely represented in North American folk art, the triune persons of the One God were depicted by David Bixler (1828 C.E.) as present and active in the heart of a pious person.

In 1425 C.E., Andrew Rublev, a Russian monk painted an icon of the Trinity in which three angelic figures are seated around a small table, engaged in intimate conversation. On the table is a chalice, in the background is a tree. The trio of figures and the tree are reminiscent of the visit which angelic messengers paid to Sarah and Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. As they enjoyed the generous welcome of Sarah and Abraham, the messengers announced the unexpected birth of Isaac (Genesis 18) whom Abraham would later be willing to sacrifice if God willed it (Genesis 22). From his knowledge of iconography, Henri Nouwen has suggested that Rublev intended this angelic appearance to prefigure the Divine Incarnation by which God sends us the unexpected gift of his son, who sacrifices himself for sin and gives new life through the Spirit. Rublev wished that his icon would offer his fellow monks a way to keep their hearts centered on God, Father , Son and Spirit, despite the chaotic world of political unrest in which they lived. He wished that those who contemplated his icon would hear its gentle invitation to join the Holy Trio in their intimate conversation and to recognize that “the movement from the Father toward the Son and the movement of both Son and Spirit toward the Father becomes a movement in which the one who prays is lifted up and held secure.” (Henri Nouwen, Behold the Beauty of the Lord, Praying With Jesus, Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Indiana: 1988). –Underlying each of these pictorial renderings of the Trinity is one common factor: the human experience of the mystery of God who has chosen to reveal himself as triune.  (Sanchez Files). L/23

 “Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A(No. 35) 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

May 29- June 3 weekday homilies

Homilies

May 29- June 3: May 29 Monday: (Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church): NC Register: https://www.ncregister.com/blog/mfenelon/why-the-new-memorial-of-mary-mother-of-the-church-is-so-remarkable ( Gen 3:9-15, 20; Acts 1:12-14; Jn 19:25-34): https://youtu.be/9ymyPDzzBOQ?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DAlWO6X2kAG00Pyg_VQd3RD One of the most recent architectural additions to Saint Peter’s Square is the mosaic of Mary “Mother of the Church,” with the inscription Totus Tuus, yet another sign of Pope St. John Paul II’s great love for Our Lady. On Saturday, March 3, 2018, Pope Francis declared that, thenceforward, the Monday after Pentecost Sunday would be celebrated as the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church. The Memorial was to be observed annually. It has been added to the General Roman Calendar, the Roman Missal, and the Liturgy of the Hours with the Holy Father’s wish that this new feast day foster Marian piety and the maternal sense of the Church. Pentecost was the birth of the Church – the Mystical Body of Christ. As Mother of Christ, the Head of the Church, Mary is also the Mother of the Church, for she was with the apostles for that great event. In Catholic Mariology, Mother of the Church (Mater Ecclesiae) is a title officially given to Mary at the closing of the Second Vatican Council, by Pope St. Paul VI. The title was first used in the 4th century by Saint Ambrose of Milan. The same title was used by Pope Benedict IV in 1748 and then by Pope Leo XIII in 1885. Pope St. Paul VI made the pronouncement of the title Mother of the Church during his speech upon the closing of the third session of the Second Vatican Council on November 21, 1964: “For the glory of the Virgin and our consolation, we proclaim Mary the Most Holy Mother of the Church, that is, the Mother of the whole People of God, both the faithful and the pastors.” Later, the title was used by Pope St. John Paul II, and is also found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church which states that Mary joined in bringing about the birth of believers in the Church, who are members of its Head.” (CCC #963). “At once virgin and mother, Mary is the symbol and the most perfect realization of the Church.” (CCC # 507).

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

As St. Augustine once said: “Mary is more blessed because she embraces Faith in Christ than because she conceives the flesh of Christ.” As St. Ambrose taught, “The Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of Faith, Charity, and the perfect union with Christ.” She serves as the ultimate role model for all Christians in her willingness to cooperate with God’s will. So, while we rightfully acknowledge her as the Mother of God, the Theotokos, we also acknowledge her sanctity and her willingness to do God’s will. This is why another ancient name attributed to her now appears on the Church’s calendar. “The Cross, the Eucharist, and the Mother of God are three mysteries that God gave to the world in order to structure, fructify, and sanctify our interior life and lead us to Jesus.” (Robert, Cardinal Sarah, Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments; retired February 20, 2021). Let us honor Mary the Mother of the Church by imitating her virtues of faith, humility, and total surrender. Additional reflections: Click on https://bible.usccb.org/podcasts/video; https://catholic-daily-reflections.com/daily-reflections/; https://www.epriest.com/reflections(Copy and paste these web addresses on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)L/ 23

Note:(In the U.S. May 29th, 2023 is Memorial Day. Homily ids given on next page

  • May 29th, 2023: Memorial Day (in the U.S).Memorial Day is a United States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 29 in 2023), honoring those who gave their lives in the Armed Services. Formerly it was known as Decoration Day from the custom of decorating the tombs and gravesites of thousands of men who died in the Civil War and of one’s own family members. Today we remember with pride and gratitude all the U.S. men and women who died while in the military service.
  • Memorial Day was first established to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War. Later, after World War I, it was expanded to include American casualties of any war or military action. Many people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m., Eastern Time. Another tradition is to fly the flag of the United States at half-staff from dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each gravesite at National Cemeteries. Many Americans also use Memorial Day to honor other people who have died after fighting their life’s battle and gone for their eternal reward. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4: 7).
  • Memorial Day is a day to remember the promises made and kept by our national heroes. They promised to keep the unity and integrity of our nation and freedom of other nations. They kept their promise by shedding their blood. They believed in Jesus who praised the willingness to lay down one’s life for others as the quintessence of true love: “No one has greater love than this, than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”
  • Every Holy Mass is a Memorial Day Mass because at consecration, the priest repeats Jesus’ command, “Do this in memory of me” (1 Cor 11:24), remembering the sacrifice he offered for us. So, at this Holy Mass, we pay tribute to all those who fought in the wars of this country and gave their lives for the freedom of friends they would never meet. We pray for the eternal repose of their souls. We also believe in Jesus’ promise at the tomb of Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me will live even though he dies” We pray that Jesus may grant eternal rest and heavenly reward for all our fallen heroes. But we don’t just memorialize and remember; we also hope and pray for a better world where no human sacrifice need be made for the fundamental dignity that God wishes for all of us. (Fr. Tony) L/23

May 30 Tuesday: Mk 10:28-31: 28 Peter began to say to him, “Lo, we have left everything and followed you.” 29 Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or lands, for my sake and for the gospel, 30 who will not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many that are first will be last, and the last first.”

The context: A rich young man approached Jesus asking how to gain eternal life. Jesus asked him to sell his possessions share the money with the poor and then become his disciple. But the rich man went away sad, unable to accept Jesus’ terms and conditions. Watching this scene, Peter declares that he and his fellow Apostles, all Jesus’ followers, have left everything and followed Jesus, and he asks what their reward will be.

 Jesus’ warning and promise: Jesus wants every Christian to embrace the virtue of poverty of spirit by practicing real and effective austerity in the possession and use of material things. But those who are specially called to Christian ministry, particularly the Apostles and their successors in priestly and religious ministry, should practice absolute detachment from property, time, family, etc. so that they can be fully available to everyone, imitating Jesus himself. Such detachment gives them lordship over all things. They are no longer the slaves of things and the burden things involve. They will be able to share St. Paul’s attitude and live, "As having nothing, and yet possessing everything" (2 Cor 6:10). Jesus also considers persecutions and troubles as rewards because they help us to give powerful witness to the Good News and offer us opportunities to grow in maturity and responsibility. Jesus assures Peter and the Apostles (and us), that anyone who has generously left behind his possessions will be rewarded a hundred times over in this life and will have eternal bliss in the next life. By shedding their selfishness in this way, they will acquire charity, and, having charity, they will gain everything. In place of material wealth, Jesus promises all his disciples the blessing and joy of rich fellowship with the community of believers. These words of our Lord particularly apply to those who by Divine vocation embrace celibacy, giving up their right to form a family. They will become members of every family, and they will have many brothers, sisters and spiritual children.

Life message: 1) Let us try to become true disciples of Jesus by sacrificially sharing our blessings with those around us, thereby inheriting additional blessings from a generous God. Let us not refuse anything to him or hold back anything from him. 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)

May 31 Wednesday: The Visitation of Blessed Virgin Mary: For a short account, click on https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/visitation-of-the-blessed-virgin-maryLk 1:39-56: Visitation: 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, …45

The context: The mystery of the Incarnation comes to ordinary people living ordinary lives, who have the willingness to respond to God’s call and the openness and generosity to do God’s will. Luke, in today’s Gospel, tells us how two seemingly insignificant women met to celebrate the kindness and fidelity of God. In the Gospel, one definition of discipleship is to listen to God’s word and then carry it out. Mary did both, to become the most perfect disciple. The incident also shows us how sensitive Mary was to the needs of Elizabeth, her older cousin, who had miraculously become pregnant in her old age.

Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. There is a saying, “One who is on fire cannot sit on a chair.” Mary, carrying Jesus and filled with the empowering fire of the Holy Spirit, hurried to the mountain country, a distance of perhaps 100 miles, where Elizabeth lived, thereby conveying the Holy Spirit to her cousin and her child. Like all good Jews, Mary was prompted in everything she did by her commitment to God’s word in her life.

The paradox of blessedness. Blessedness confers on a person both the greatest joy and the greatest task in the world. Nowhere can we see the paradox better illustrated than in Mary’s life. Mary was granted the blessedness and privilege of being the mother of the Son of God. Yet, that very blessedness was to be a sword to pierce her heart: one day she would see her Son hanging on a cross. So, to be chosen by God is often both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. God does not choose us to give us a life of ease and comfort, but in order that we may respond to His love by accomplishing His purposes.

Life messages:1) We should recognize the real presence of Emmanuel (God Is with Us) and say “yes” to Him: The Visitation of Mary reminds us that, through his holy ministry, Christ continues to be present among his people. Let us recognize and appreciate the truth that the same Christ “dwells among us” in the Bible, in the Sacraments, in the praying community, and in our souls. 2) We should convey Jesus to others as Mary did to Elizabeth. We can make a real difference in the lives of others today by carrying Jesus to them. For that, we must be filled with the spirit of Christ, allowing his rebirth within us. Then Jesus will enable us to share his love with all whom we encounter, offering them humble and committed service, unconditional forgiveness, and compassionate caring service. 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

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

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

June 2 Friday(Saints Marcellinus & Peter, Martyrs) For a short biography, click onhttps://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saints-marcellinus-and-peter/ Mk 11:11-26: 11 And he entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple; and when he had looked round at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve. 12 On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. 13 And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 15 And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of those who sold pigeons; 16 and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. 17 And he taught, and said to them, “Is it not written, `My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” 18-26

The context: Today’s Gospel gives us the dramatic account of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem after symbolically drying out a fruitless fig tree, which represented the sterility of Israel and its infidelity to God. He drove out the merchants and money-changers with moral indignation at their unjust commercialization of God’s House of Prayer and at their exploitation of poor pilgrims in the name of religion. The merchants sold animals for sacrifices at exorbitant prices, 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 finally renovated by King Herod the Great starting in 20 BC. The abuses which infuriated Jesus were 1) the conversion of God’s place of prayer to a noisy marketplace, and 2) the unjust business practices of animal merchants and money-changers encouraged by the Temple authorities. Hence, Jesus made a whip of cords and drove away the animals and the money-changers, and, as He did so, quoting the prophet Jeremiah, commanding, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace”(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 a child to his parent, with no thought of loss or gain, but only of mutual love, respect and the common good. 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 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

June 3 Saturday (St. Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-charles-lwanga-and-companions/Mk 11:27-33 27 And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, 28 and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” 29 Jesus said to them, “I will ask you a question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer me.” 31 And they argued with one another, “If we say, `From heaven,’ he will say, `Why then did you not believe him?’ 32 But shall we say, `From men’?” — they were afraid of the people, for all held that John was a real prophet. 33 So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” (Mk 11: 27-33).

The context: After casting out animal merchants and money- changers from the Temple immediately after the Palm Sunday procession, Jesus started teaching in the Temple courts. Hence, the chief priests and elders of the people approached Jesus questioning his authority for entering the city in a triumphal procession, for allowing the children to acclaim him, for curing the sick, for casting out merchants and moneychangers, and for teaching in the Temple area. This was a trap. If Jesus claimed that his authority was Divine as the Messiah, they would arrest him as a blasphemer. If he claimed that his authority was human, he would be arrested as a mad zealot damaging the people’s simple Faith in the Temple and what it stood for. Since Jesus did not want to risk his life and mission a few days ahead of time, he silenced them by asking a challenging counter-question about John the Baptist and his message – was this from God or man? Was this Divine or human?

If they answered that it was Divine, the questioners would be asked to explain why they did not accept John’s message and his witness-bearing that Jesus was the Messiah. If they answered that it was human, they would have to face the anger of the crowd who had accepted John as a prophet. Hence, they kept silent opting for a shameful self-humiliation.

Life message: In religious matters we should not ask whether our stand for Christ is safe or useful. Instead, we need to stand for Truth with the courage of our Christian convictions even if it costs our life. 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