XXII Sunday in OT:[A]: Jer 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16: 21-27

XXII Sunday in OT:[A]: Jer 20:7-9; Rom 12:1-2; Mt 16: 21-27

Introduction: In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples by surprise when, after Peter's great confession of faith, he announces that he “must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised." After correcting Peter’s protest, Jesus announces the three conditions of Christian discipleship: “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” All the readings for this Sunday remind us that Christian discipleship demands self-control (“Deny yourself”), the willingness to suffer (“take up your cross”), generosity (“to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God”).

Exegesis: The same Peter who proclaimed Christ as the Lord just last week is now been referred to as Satan. Why would Jesus speak to him so harshly, after extending the keys to the kingdom to Peter just a few verses before? The answer is quite simple! Peter does not yet understand that the mission of Jesus entails the act of the shepherd laying down and offering his life for his flock (John 10:11). Perhaps Peter’s thought was, why are you talking of dying when we have not fully conquered the Romans. I am disappointed in you! How can you speak that way, you are the Lord. We have not become governors, ministers, ambassadors in this new government you have formed, and I have not even enjoyed the benefits of the new position you just appointed me to. Peter must have been so disappointed that the “Lord and God” could utter such a word about himself.

Today “Peter and his advice” are the “obstacles” that Jesus had to overcome in order to offer himself wholly to God for our salvation. He therefore represents “sympathizers”. Usually, they do not mean “bad”, but they are very narrow-minded and shallow in their thinking and views. They see only “the-now”, but do not project or interpolate into the future to understand that the action of today has both geometric and exponential effect on the future. The poor Peter did not realize the necessity of Christ’s death – that: “It was necessary for one man to die so the many will live”. He represents in this contest, the college of bad special advisers and ignorant counselors in our social, economic, political, religious institutions; families, marriages, relationships, career etc. It may interest one to know that many world and institutional leaders or presidents are good people with wonderful intent for their people and organizations respectively. However, it is unfortunate to note that only about two to three percent of their so called special advisers are good. The result is poor governance, and oppression. This is because, rather than offer advices that will benefit the masses, like Peter, they prefer to give the ones that will stagnate the progress of the nation for their selfish gains and intentions.

Joke:  I have a joke to show how we can have self control in our life.

In the supermarket was a man pushing a cart that contained a screaming,
bellowing baby. The gentleman kept repeating softly, "Don't get excited, Albert;
don't scream, Albert; don't yell, Albert; keep calm Albert."

A woman standing next to him said, "You certainly are to be commended for trying to soothe your son Albert."

The man looked at her and said, "Lady, I'm Albert."

I am trying to comfort myself like prodigal son.

Practical Applications: 1) Our activities or suggestions should not be disappointing to others. Our actions should not down somebody’s or authorities plan. Working for Christ always presupposes far-sighted. Unnecessary assumptions on the people who are entrusted to be charge for and discouraging them with unhealthy criticism does not help in progress. Rather, make disaster on both. So think twice, act intelligibly if God is with you.

2: We need to ask these questions as we examine our conscience. A true disciple asks, "Am I willing to sacrifice something for the kingdom?"  How can I offer even the day-to-day sacrifices of my Faith that demand things I don't want to do?  Can I sacrifice some of my time in order to visit a homeless shelter or soup kitchen? Can I sacrifice my job security and refuse to "go along" with a policy that is unjust? Can I sacrifice my need to be in control and let Christ do with me whatever he may will? Can I refuse to let my children watch television programs filled with sex and violence or put restrictions on the use of their cell phones and Internet use? Can I insist on daily family prayer, take my whole family for Sunday Mass and enroll my younger children in Sunday school and my older children in parish youth programs and parish activities?

Twenty Second Sunday in OT: Introduction

Message: Following the Lord means nothing less than the cross. That means offering ourselves with Jesus as a living sacrifice and not conforming ourselves to this world.  Following him will entail derision and scorn, yet the Lord is our help.

Saints and Events I this week:  1 – First of September – Monday – Labor Day; 3 – Third – Wednesday – Saint Gregory the Great, pope, doctor of the Church;

XXI Sunday in OT:[A]: Is 22: 19-23; Rom 11: 33-36; Mt 16: 13-20

XXI Sunday in OT:[A]: Is 22: 19-23; Rom 11: 33-36; Mt 16: 13-20

Introduction: In the Gospel Reading from St. Matthew, we recall a high point in Jesus' relationship with his disciples. It represents a leap in their understanding of who he really is. It took them quite a while to come to this point. And even here, they still did not fully understand the implications of what they had just begun to realize. We will see a clear indication of this in next Sunday's Gospel Reading.

Exegesis: The Gospel passage begins with Jesus asking his disciples, “Who do the people say that the Son of Man is?” The incident takes place at Caesarea Philippi. Now, Caesarea Philppi was the place known for its temples and particularly outstanding was the great marble temple dedicated to the godhead of Caesar. This was understood as a place where many religions met. Again, here Jesus calls himself 'Son of Man,' thus identifying himself with the Messianic figure mentioned in the Book of Daniel.

In response to Jesus' inquiry, the disciples tell him that some people think he is John the Baptist, executed recently by Herod and raised to life. Others think him to be the Prophet Elijah who went to heaven in a fiery chariot without tasting death and was expected to return as a sign of the imminent coming of the Messiah. Still others think him to be the Prophet Jeremiah, who had hidden the Ark of the Covenant and was expected to show it before the coming of the Messiah. What is clear is that Jesus is seen by the people as a prophet, a spokesperson for God, and no more than that. Each of these was an honorable status, so perhaps Jesus didn’t mind if the people thought of these identifications about him.

But Jesus was more interested in what the disciples themselves had to say. So, second question, “But who do you say that I am?” It could have been an invitation to disclose their intimate thoughts, though perhaps it was a question about the way they spoke of Jesus to others, how they described him when they were away from the presence of Jesus.  On the first glance this question of Jesus appears quite simple, but it is a tricky one, as it knocks at the ground of one's very faith. Of course it is a personal question and it demands a personal answer too.  Then Peter, assuming his recognized leadership role in the group, replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That was an immediate identification with the Messiah, who would lead the people and overcome all nations. Jesus was very clear about his own identity and the fact that he was the Messiah. But he was not ready yet to let others know about it; so, he ordered his disciples to keep the secret, because their idea of a Messiah was different than the actual one and he might not be able to do what he needed to do with the wrong expectations about him.

Jesus praised Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.” Hearing these words of Jesus, Peter must have glowed with pride. Only faith could have led Peter to say what he did. It needed faith to recognize the Messiah in the human figure standing before him.  And it is different from the images that most Jews would have had of their long-expected, all-conquering and nation-liberating leader. Only with God's enlightenment could they see God's presence in this carpenter from Galilee, Jesus.

In response to Peter's declaration of faith, Jesus now says, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church.” Peter is the rock, the foundation of the community which will carry the name and the authority of Jesus to the whole world. On him, together with his Apostolic companions as the faithful communicators of Jesus' life and message, will be built the Church, the assembly of God's people.  Peter is then given a special stewardship and responsibility for the community: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” The keys are a sign that Jesus entrusts Peter the care of his Church. Here we see the parallelism with today's First Reading, where Eliakim is given the authority and power in a similar manner.

Joke:  “The Principal is a dummy!” said a boy to a girl.  “Well, do you know who I am?” asked the girl.  “No.” replied the boy.  “I’m the principal’s daughter,” said the girl.  “And do you know who I am?” asked the boy.  “No,” she replied.  “Thank goodness!” said the boy with a sign of relief.

Practical Applications: 1) Jesus calls us to live together as a family, a family that He calls His Church, a family of faith. He called it “my church”, and He declared that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Hell vanishes in the face of love; the devils flee in the face of trusting, forgiving, believing, and hoping love. Jesus knows that we can’t be our best all alone, all by ourselves. The best within us is always brought out in loving relationships with others. No amount of evil can ever overcome any amount of love. That’s why the gates of hell are powerless in the face of it. Have faith and thus love.

2) Who is Jesus for me? It is a personal question. Do you have a personal answer? The personal answer of love and faith can be found only in prayer, only in presence of Jesus. And again, if you have a personal answer with always being faithful to him, then again another responsibility is on your shoulder. What did you do in building up his Church.

Twenty First Sunday in OT: Introduction

Message: As Eliakim is given authority as master of the palace, so does Jesus confer upon Peter authority to bind and loose.  To Jesus, who promised to be with his Church for all time, be glory for ever and ever.

Saints and Events I this week:  25 – Twenty Fifth – Monday – Saint Louis; Saint Joseph Calasanz, priest; 27 – Twenty Seventh – Wednesday – Saint Monica; 28 – Twenty Eighth – Thursday – Saint Augustine, bishop, doctor of the Church; 29 – Twenty Ninth – Friday – The Passion of Saint John the Baptist;

XX Sunday in OT:[A]: 1 Kg 19:9, 11-13; Rom 9:1-5; Matt 14:22-33

XX Sunday in OT:[A]: 1 Kg 19:9, 11-13; Rom 9:1-5; Matt 14:22-33

Introduction:  The universal nature of God’s salvation is that it is not limited to the Jews only, His chosen people, but also extends to the gentiles & foreigners. God is the God of all nations and He breaks the fence to include all people.

Readings: In the First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, the prophet Isaiah depicts the beautiful vision of 'a house of prayer for all peoples.' Foreigners who love and serve the Lord, keeping faithfully his commands, will be brought joyfully into the Lord’s holy mountain. They too will join the chosen people Israel in divine worship. In the Second Reading from his Letter to the Romans, St. Paul rejoices in his ministry to the gentiles. He trusts that the conversion of the gentiles will prompt the Jews to conversion and he looks forward to the day when the Jews will embrace the saving mercy of God.  In the Gospel Reading from St. Matthew, we have the healing of the daughter of the Canaanite woman and Jesus praises the faith of the pagan woman and cures her daughter. We are presented with his apparent hesitation to heal her daughter until her persistence demonstrates her great faith.

Exegesis:  Actually, shocking to our ears, in perhaps the toughest language used by Jesus in the Gospels, he tells the Canaanite woman that his mission is only to the Jews - “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” and that it cannot be shared with dogs, which is how the Jews regarded the Canaanites - “It is not right to take the food of the children and throw it to the dogs.” These words can be taken in a humorous sense. She knew very well that the Jews called the Gentiles 'dogs.' It was, of course, a term of contempt. Dogs are known as scavengers; they will eat anything they find on the ground. The Gentiles were seen as people who were ready to eat anything, including unclean foods like pork. Gentiles would have known very well that Jews used this term about them and were used to hearing it.

Now, this is one of the very rare occasions when Jesus seems to be very uninterested, even hostile to what seems like a perfectly reasonable request from this Canaanite woman. Right away it seems like Jesus is rejecting her because of who she is - a woman belonging to the people who were driven out of the land of Canaan by the people of Israel. She had a sick youngster whom she deeply loved and was willing to swallow insults of any sort. She hits right between his eyes with her famous reply, “Please, Lord, for even dogs eat the scraps that fall from the table of their masters.”

Jesus was charmed by her reply. She had bested him at word game, of which he was allegedly the master. She receives from him his highest praise - “O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” Jesus holds up the woman's faith as reason for her healing. Her persistence and astuteness is rewarded by Jesus. The act of healing in the gospels is always a sign that the Messianic era has been inaugurated in the person of Jesus. So, the healing of the Canaanite woman proclaims that the era of the Messiah has finally dawned in Jesus, with the full implications of a prophetic word that offered salvation indiscriminately to all.

Joke: 1) A preacher was completing a temperance sermon: with great expression he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." And then finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." He sat down. The song leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn # 365: "Shall We Gather at the River."

Practical Applications: 1) Salvation is not exclusive: All the three Scripture Readings of today tell us that God intends salvation to be available for all. It is a truth of the Catholic faith that Jesus Christ, as God made man, offers through his teaching and through his death and resurrection the way to salvation for all peoples.

2) Let us be accommodating: Though limited in historical time, his teaching, life, death and resurrection have a universal effectiveness and application. He moves the fence and includes all and invites us to do the same. He does not make distinction based on ethnicity, religion, gender, social class, or economic standing. What really matters is ‘believing in Him and obeying His commandments’. 

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Introduction

Message: All peoples are invited to worship the Lord and to know his ways.  God’s gifts and his call are to Jew and Gentile alike.  Jesus comes to recognize the universality of God’s call in granting the request of the Canaanite woman.

Saints and Events in this Week: 19 – Nineteenth – Tuesday – Saint John Eudes, Priest; 20 – Twentieth – Wednesday – Saint Bernard, abbot, Doctor of the church; 21 – Twenty-first – Thursday – Saint Pius X, Pope; 22 – Twenty Second – Friday – The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary; 23 – Twenty Third – Saturday – Saint Rose of Lima, Virgin;

XIX Sunday in OT:[A]: 1 Kg 19:9, 11-13; Rom 9:1-5; Matt 14:22-33

XIX Sunday in OT:[A]: 1 Kg 19:9, 11-13; Rom 9:1-5; Matt 14:22-33

Introduction:  There is never any need for fear and anxiety, for God is always close to us. He is there stretching out his comforting and saving hand so that we may not sink in our storms of life.  Today's three readings share one common theme, “Lord save me”.

Exegesis:  During the First Reading from the First Book of Kings, [1 Kings 19:9, 11-13] we heard that Elijah had gone to a cave at Horeb/Sinai, the mount of God, where he stayed for 40 days. Why was Elijah at the cave? He was hiding there because Jezebel, the wife of Ahab, had sent a messenger to inform him of her intent to kill him.  During the Second Reading, [Rom. 9:1-5] we heard how Saint Paul was saddened by Israel's unbelief and rejection of the Lord. Expressing the great love that he had for his own countrymen, Saint Paul was willing to undergo the worst possible fate, being cut off from Christ, if such could possibly save those that he loved.

During the reading from the Gospel of Matthew, [Mt. 14:22-33] we heard that when St. Peter started walking on the water towards Jesus, he became frightened and began to sink. Consequently, he called out to Jesus, "Lord, save me!" [Mt. 14:30] At that moment, Jesus must have been amused at the ever changeable Peter. He reproaches Peter's lack of faith, takes him by his hand and saves him. In Peter’s walk on the water and desperate grasp of Jesus' hand, we are presented here a stunning image of how important it is to reach out in faith to Jesus. Again, “Lord, save me!” is the cry, a cry echoed by Christians all down the ages who have felt that the world was ready to crush them.

When they got into the boat, the wind died down and there was calm. Experiencing calmness in the presence of Jesus, in the midst of storm makes the disciples to recognize the presence of God in Jesus and they profess their faith in Jesus saying - “Truly, you are the Son of God.” In the dark of that stormy night, the person of Jesus is revealed as the cosmic Lord, able to subdue the forces of chaos represented by the raging sea. Here Jesus manifests his divine identity by calming the stormy waters just as in the beginning God brought order out of Chaos of the raging waters.

Joke: 1) A lawyer's dog, running around town unleashed, heads for a butcher shop and steals a roast. The butcher goes to the lawyer's office and asks, "If a dog running unleashed steals a piece of meat from my store, do I have a right to demand payment for the meat from the dog's owner?" The lawyer answers, "Absolutely." "Then you owe me $8.50. Your dog was loose and stole a roast from me today." The lawyer, without a word, writes the butcher a check for $8.50. The butcher, with a feeling of satisfaction, leaves. Three days later, the butcher finds a bill from the lawyer for $100-- for consultation.

Practical Applications: 1) Approach Jesus with strong faith for he calms our storms in life. No matter what may be happening in and around us, his peace is there for us to share. We live in this stormy world - there are many difficulties & problems, anxieties & worries, sufferings & pains, failures & losses and so on – they threaten us and make us frightened. In the midst of them we cry for help. God does come to our help as He came to help Elijah during his stormy life; Jesus too comes to save us as he approached his disciples walking on the sea and calmed the storm. Let us approach Jesus with strong faith in his ability and availability to calm the storms in the life of the Church and in our lives.

2) We often fail to recognize God when He comes, because often-time He comes as we do not expect. We need to conform to God, rather than God conform to us. Today let us ask then for the gift of faith that we may be able to recognize Him in the ordinary situations of our lives. There are those who would refuse to believe that God is present in the murderer sitting on death row, in those who are marginalized by our society: the inefficient, the addict, the person living with AIDS, the illegal alien, the handicapped. It is in situations like these that we have to get out of the boat, surprise others and show them the reflection of God in such people.  And we humbly pray to Him saying, “Lord, let us see your Kindness, and grant us your salvation.” 

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Introduction

Message: In the midst of trials and tribulations, the Lord extends his hands to us and saves us.  He calms our frightened hearts through his quiet presence.  May our faith in the Lord draw God’s chosen people to the new covenant in Christ.

Saints and Events in this Week: 11 – Eleventh – Monday – Saint Clare, virgin; 12 – Twelfth – Tuesday – Saint Jane Frances de Chantal, religious; 13 – Thirteenth – Wednesday – Saints Pontian, Pope, and Hippolytus, priest, martyrs; 14 – Fourteenth – Thursday – Saint Maximilian Kolbe, priest, martyr; 15 – Fifteenth – Friday – The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Holy Day of Obligation; 16 – Sixteenth – Saturday – Saint Stephen of Hungary;  

XVIII Sunday in OT:[A]: Is 55:1-3; Rom 8:35, 37-39; Mat 14: 13-21

XVIII Sunday in OT:[A]: Is 55:1-3; Rom 8:35, 37-39; Mat 14: 13-21

Introduction:  All of today’s Scripture Readings, one way or another, emphasize the provident goodness of God, who feeds all of creation and satisfies the desire of every living creature. From the First Reading we hear the voice of a hospitable God who invites all to a banquet where the hungry, the thirsty and the poor could feast freely and richly. It is an offer of abundant life as well as a call to listen to His word. St. Paul teaches us through his letter to the Romans that nothing in this world will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.  In the Gospel Reading from St. Matthew, Jesus miraculously feeds five thousand people in a deserted place with five loaves and two fish. He shows his great concern towards people who had left everything and stayed with him to listen to his word.

Anecdote: A story is told of a farmer whose farms were full of corn. Every morning on waking up, he prayed aloud to God that the needy would also be supplied with corn. But when anyone in need asked for a little of his corn, he would always say that he had none to spare.  One day after hearing his father pray for the poor and the needy, his little son said to him, “Father, I wish I had your corn.”   “What would you do with it?” asked the father.   The child replied, “I would answer your prayer.” The farmer had compassion for the needy. He prayed that their needs be supplied. But his compassion was without corresponding action. It took his son to point out the in-congruence of his situation and thus his prayer.

Exegesis:  Today, we have the account of the event from Ch 14 of St. Matthew, but there is another account of what is essentially the same miracle in Ch 15. In today's version there are five thousand men with five loaves and two fish and in Ch 15 we find four thousand men with seven loaves and a few fish. Considering today's reading in St. Matthew's context we find that Ch 14 begins with his account of the banquet at which John the Baptist was executed. This was an old-style royal banquet of the worst kind. Herod is there with his cronies/buddies enjoying the best food and drink his kingdom has to offer. There is wickedness, arrogance, rivalry and scheming; and the upshot of all this is that the head of John the Baptist is triumphantly brought in on a plate.

St. Matthew sets these two banquets beside each other precisely in order to make this contrast between a banquet offered by a worldly, brutal & selfish king and the banquet of a loving & generous Savior to which the poor are invited. He is deliberately making a direct contrast between the values of this world and the values of the Kingdom of Heaven. Herod's squalid banquet does nothing for anyone, least of all Herod who comes out of it with a guilty conscience. All who participate in that banquet come out the worse for it; except perhaps the one reluctant guest, John the Baptist. For him it meant the crown of martyrdom. It meant the fulfillment of his role. He died knowing that he had completed his task and paved the way for the Savior of the world.

Joke: 1) A nervous young Minister, concluding his first sermon, told the flock,
"For my text next Sunday, I will take the words, “And they fed five
men with five thousand loaves of bread and two thousand fishes." A member of the flock raised his hand and said, "That's not much of a trick. I could do that." The priest didn't respond. However, the next Sunday he decided to repeat the text. This time he did it properly, "And they fed five thousand men with five loaves of bread and two fishes." Smiling, the priest said to the noisy man, "Could you do that, Mr. Perkins?" The member of the flock said, "I sure could." "How would you do it?" asked the minister.  "With all the food I had left over from last Sunday!"

Banquet of Jesus is always attached with prayer. “.. looking up to heaven, he said the blessing, broke the loaves, and gave them to the disciples, who in turn gave them to the crowds.”  Prayer and actions should correspond for better spiritual life. Compassion to the poor expressing in words should reflect in the action out-reaching to the poor.

Practical Applications: 1) We need to be “Eucharistic ministers”: We too, can perform miracles in our own time and place, by imitating the four "Eucharistic actions” of Jesus:  take humbly and generously what God gives us, bless it by offering it to others in God’s love, break away from our own needs and selfish interests for the sake of others, and give with joy-filled gratitude to God who has blessed us with so much and to others.  2) We need to be generous in sharing God’s blessings: We need to share our blessings with others around us generously and sacrificially in order to alleviate their spiritual and physical hunger. God lavishly blesses the large-hearted who generously and sacrificially share their resources with others.

Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Introduction

Message: Jesus has pity on the crowd and miraculously feeds them.  In his compassion, the Lord answers all our needs, thus renewing his covenant of love with us.  Nothing can ever separate us from the love of Christ.

Saints and Events in this Week: 4-Fourth-Monday-Saint John Vianney, priest; 5-Fifth-Tuesday-The Dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary Major; 6-Sixth-Wednesday-The Transfiguration of the Lord; 7-Seventh-Thursday-Saint Sixtus II, Pope, and his Companion, martys; and Saint Cajetan, priest; 8-Eighth-Friday-Saint Dominic, priest; 9-Ninth-Saturday-Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, virgin, martyr