XII Sunday in OT:2015: Job 38:1, 8-11; II Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41

XII Sunday in OT:2015: Job 38:1, 8-11; II Cor 5:14-17; Mk 4:35-41

Introduction: The role of God in calming the storms of life both in the history of the Church and in the lives of Christians is the central theme.  Christ is with us even in the midst of all the storms of this life. Therefore, this is a great cause for our life safety. And today is fathers Day.

Anecdote: I have heard a series of complaints that I often hear from some of our fathers. The responsibility of fathers makes them more nervous and complaints. It will be something like this: "You know, I would just like to have a few days without turmoil. Somebody in the family is usually in trouble. This Teen missed her curfew, that child lied to us, my wife is upset over something someone said to her, and somehow, beyond my knowledge, I get blamed for part if not all of it.  There's sickness, someone is always not feeling well and that is scary particularly when it is the children. There are the bills. I am not even going to go there. And then there are the relatives. I can't figure out whose family is crazier, mine or hers, but they are running a tight race. Then there is work which so help me I wouldn't do if they didn't pay me. I turn on the news. What a break that is. I'm not sure if we are going into global warming or global freezing, but somehow it's going to be bad. Between the politicians, the economy, and world events, every day it looks like everything is even worse than the day before. The world is in turmoil.” I am sure that everyone here, not just the dads, have had similar feelings. It's probably like we all wish we were back in kindergarten where we had no concern at all. They laugh most of the day, except when they are crying, and then a quick kiss from Mom and all is right with the world again. But we are not in kindergarten any more. We are in the real world. And the real world has turmoil.

Readings: The readings for this Sunday speak about turmoil. The first is from the Book of Job. This is the conclusion to the main section of Job. In the main section of Job, from the middle of chapter 2 to the beginning of chapter 42, Job questions God. Job had lost his livelihood. He had lost his children. He was in terrible physical pain. Chapter 3 begins, "Job opened his mouth and cursed his day.  But, “Out of the storm,” God reminds Job that He is in control.  Today’s Responsorial Psalm picks up the storm theme and tells us how the Lord saves the sailors caught up in the high waves of a tempest. Paul who "rode the storm" of rejection, from his former friends also experienced storms of violent hostility from the Jews who refused to believe that Jesus was the promised Messiah. So he explains in the second reading that Jesus died for us to make us a “new creation.”  In order to receive this gift, we have to respond to his love by living for him in all situations of our lives.  In the Gospel, St. Mark assures the first-century believers that nothing can harm the Church as long as the risen Lord is with them. He describes how, by a single commanding word, Jesus stilled a storm on the Sea of Galilee, returned the sea to its natural order and saved his followers from drowning. 

Exegesis: World life and our life in the world is turmoil. We need to make it calm. St. Paul says, if God is with us who can be against us. It is Christ who strengthens us. Therefore keep Jesus in our life’s boat and seek his help in the storms of life.  

Joke:  Being married for 25 years and intending to make their silver anniversary a memorable one, the wife asked her husband to describe her.  He looked at her slowly, and said – You are A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, ….. and I, J, K…..  The wife was puzzled and so she asked – Now what does that mean? So he said – Adorable, Beautiful, Cute, Delightful, Elegant, Foxy, Gorgeous, Hot.   The wife smiled and beamed and said – Oh you are such a sweet darling.  What about I, J, K?

He said – I’m Just Kidding!

Practical Applications:  We need to accommodate Jesus in the boat of our life.  We all experience different types of violent storms in our lives: physical storms, emotional storms, and spiritual storms.  We face storms of sorrow, doubt, anxiety, worry, temptation and passion.  Only Jesus can still these storms.

Introduction: Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: In the midst of adversity, we need to trust in the saving presence of God who triumphs over the waters of the sea.  In the midst of distress, let us turn to the Lord with faith, to him whom even the wind and the sea obey.  He died and rose for our sake that we might live and not perish.

Saints and Events in this Week: 21 – Today – Fathers Day; 22 – Twenty Second – Monday – Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop; Saints John Fisher, Bishop and Thomas More, Martyrs; 24 – Twenty Fourth – The Nativity of John the Baptist; 27 – Twenty Seventh – Saturday – Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop, Doctor of the Church;

XII Sunday in OT:[2012]: Jer 1:4-10; 1Pet 1:8-12; Lk 1:5-17

XII Sunday in OT :2012: Jer 1:4-10; 1Pet 1:8-12; Lk 1:5-17

Introduction: We celebrate the feast of John the Baptist's birth (June 24), in place of the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time today because of his prominent role in the history of salvation as the forerunner of the Messiah.  It was he who prepared Israel to receive their long-awaited Messiah by preaching repentance.

Scripture lessons: Since John was the forerunner of Jesus who prepared Israel for their Messiah, the “Servant” Messianic prophecy of Isaiah is given as the first reading. The passage expresses important aspects of John’s career as a prophet to God’s people and a light to the nations who was named and sanctified from his mother’s womb. The second reading describes the mission of John the Baptist. It tells us how John the Baptist in all humility publicly acknowledged his role as being only the Messiah’s herald. His role was to prepare Israel to receive the Messiah by inviting the people to receive the baptism of repentance. Today’s gospel describes the birth of John the Baptist and his circumcision and naming ceremony on the eighth day. In the presence of friends and relatives, Zechariah miraculously regained his power speech after declaring in writing, “John is his name.” The name John means “God is gracious.” The remaining part of the chapter 1 in St. Luke’s gospel describes records Zechariah’s prophecy of the role his son is to take in the history of salvation.

Exegesis: 1)Two exceptional birthday celebrations: Ordinarily the Church observes the day of a saint's death as his feast, because that day marks his entrance into heaven. To this rule there are two notable exceptions, the birthdays of the Blessed Virgin Mary and of St. John the Baptist. All other persons were stained with original sin at birth, and hence, were displeasing to God. But Mary, was, from the moment of her conception, free from original sin (for which reason even her very conception is commemorated by a special feast). John was cleansed of original sin in the womb of his mother. When Mary visited Elizabeth , John recognized the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb and leaped for joy (Luke 1:41). This is the dogmatic justification for today's feast.

2)Parallels and contrast between John and Jesus in St. Luke’s infant narratives: Both births are miraculous. John was born of his aged parents and Jesus from a virgin. The births of both were announced by the angel: John’s in the Holy of Holies in the Temple and Jesus’ in a village house. The mission of John was to be the forerunner of the Messiah and the mission of Jesus was to be the saving Messiah. Luke highlights the greatness of Jesus and the subsidiary position of John as the precursor of the Messiah and the herald of God’s coming kingdom.

Joke:  Here is the story of two rival medieval French monasteries. Each claimed that it possessed the head of St. John the Baptist. The monks of the big monastery used to explain this uncomfortable fact to the critics saying that the big skull they had belonged to St. John as a man whereas the smaller skull kept by the other monastery belonged to St. John as a boy!

Anecdote: Be the finger of John the Baptist: Karl Barth the great 20^th century Calvinist theologian would wake up early in the morning, read the newspaper, and stare at a painting by Grunewald called Crucifixion. Jesus is hanging from the cross, apparently dead, while Mary and others morn. John the Baptist, holding the Scriptures and leaning away from Christ, is pointing to Jesus on the Cross. Before he would teach theology or write in his famous work Church Dogmatics, Karl Barth would meditate on this painting, particularly on John the Baptist. He said that, as a Christian (whether a theologian, pastor, teacher, mother, doctor, storekeeper, etc.), our job is to be the finger (and only the finger), of John the Baptist. The only thing we should do – indeed, the only thing we can do – is simply point to Jesus on the cross. This scene painted by Grunewald is the sum of all history, from Creation in the past to eternity. And we are that finger, and within that finger rest the weight of salvation.

Life messages:  1) We need to pray for our parents and be thankful to them for the gift of life, the training 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, by baptism, brought us to the Church to be made children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus, heirs of heaven and members of the Church. 

3) We need to have the courage of our Christian convictions as John the Baptist did, and we should become heralds of Christ as John was, by our transparent Christian lives.

Introduction : XII Sunday in Ordinary Time; The nativity of Saint John the Baptist

Message: Called from birth by the Lord, John matured in the Spirit and heralded the advent of the Messiah.

Saints in this week: 27 Wed: Saint Cyril of Alexandria, bishop, doctor of the church; 28 Thu: Saint Irenaeus, bishop, martyr; 29 Fri: Saints Peter and Paul; 30 Sat: First martyrs of the Holy Roman Church

XI Sunday in OT:2015: Ez 17: 22-24; II Cor 5: 6-10; Mk 4: 26-34

XI Sunday in OT:2015: Ez 17: 22-24; II Cor 5: 6-10; Mk 4: 26-34

Introduction: Today’s readings are about the birth and growth of the reign or rule of the Kingdom of God, in human lives and about the gigantic growth of the Church from very humble beginnings.  The Gospel account has two brief parables, both about tiny things – little seeds. The first is apparently about wheat and the second about mustard seeds, the smallest of all seeds. Both growths are slow and mysterious, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Exegesis: In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches the meaning of the reign or kingdom of God by way of two parables. In the first comparison, the reign of God is like seeds that a man plants in the soil. It is not the man, however, but the soil that makes the seeds sprout and grow in a way the man does not understand. In the second comparison, the reign of God is like the smallest of all seeds. Yet, once it has completed its growth, it is so large that birds can build nests in its shade. Mark mentions that Jesus further explained the meaning of parables to his disciples.

A man walked into a store. He found Christ behind the counter. He asked, "What do you sell here?" Christ replied, "You name it." "I want food for all, good health for kids, adequate housing for everyone, and abortion to cease." Gently Jesus answered, "Friend, I do not sell finished products here, only seeds. You must plant them and water them. I will do the rest." When Jesus told this parable of the smallest seed in the world, His disciples were in a disappointment. They had worked so hard and so little had happened. Jesus teaches them that we have to be like farmers. Farmers have to depend upon nature. They have to be patient. Farmers also have to recognize that they really can't do things themselves.

In the comparison of the Kingdom of God to smallest seed we are hearing a warning, a warning that tells us that we ought not to confuse size with importance. Bigger is sometimes not better. Events attracting large crowds are not necessarily good events. Crowds have often been quite wrong. Public opinion polls are not necessarily gauges of what is right or what is wrong as the media seems to suggest. For example, at one time slavery was practiced by a majority of people in our American democracy. They were dreadfully wrong.  In spite of appearances, in spite of what a secularized world wants us to believe, God has not abandoned His world. God is at work in ways we cannot directly see. The way things look is not necessarily the way things are. There is a phrase used throughout the Middle East that we should pay some attention to: “Things are never as they appear.”

Joke:  The 98 year old Grandfather from Ireland was dying. His children and grand-children gathered around his bed trying to make him last journey comfortable. They gave him some warm milk to drink but he refused. Then one of his children took the glass back to the kitchen. Remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey received as a gift the previous Christmas, he opened and poured a generous amount into the warm milk. Back at Grandpa’s bed, he held the glass to his lips. Grandpa drank a little, then a little more and before they knew it, he had drunk the whole glass down to the last drop. "Grandpa," the children asked with earnest, "please give us some wisdom before you die."

He raised himself up in bed and with a pious look on his face said, "Don't sell that cow.

Practical Applications:  1) The Kingdom of God is the growth of God’s rule in human hearts that occurs when man does the will of God and surrenders his life to God. We need to cooperate in the growth of God’s kingdom.  The seed of faith lies dormant within each of us. When we permit the Holy Spirit to nurture it with tender loving care, it grows miraculously into gigantic proportions. The growth is slow in the beginning. But the seed grows by using the power of the Holy Spirit.

2) Since the acceptance God’s rule by human beings is a very slow process, there is the danger of discouragement and hopelessness among preachers, evangelizers and believers. We need not get discouraged.  The conviction that growth of the kingdom of God is the work of the Holy Spirit with our humble co-operation should make us optimistic in continuing our work of witnessing. We should continue sowing tiny seeds in the form of words of love, acts of encouragement, and deeds of charity.

Introduction: Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which springs up and becomes the largest of plants, like a tender shoot from the cedar which will bear fruit and become a majestic cedar.  So shall the just one flourish, like a cedar. As we walk by faith and not by sight, may our lives bear fruit in abundance.

Saints and Events in this Week: 19 – Nineteenth – Friday – Saint Romuald, Abbot;

XI Sunday in OT :[2012]: Eze 17:22-24, 2Cori 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34

XI Sunday in OT : Eze 17:22-24, 2Cori 5:6-10; Mk 4:26-34

Do you know what happened to the tiny seed Rita Rizzo planted? You probably don't recognize the name, Rita Antoinette Rizzo. Rita was born on April 20, 1923. She had a rough childhood which she spent mostly in poverty. When she was a young woman Rita decided to become a nun. At 21 she entered the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, a Franciscan religious order for women. She believed that God was calling her into television ministry. At the time she didn't know anything about television except how to turn one on. But she prayed about it and decided to go ahead with the project, believing that everything would fall into place. With only two hundred dollars and a handful of other sisters, she became the only woman in religious broadcasting to own a network. She went on to found a new house for the order in 1962 in Irondale, Alabama, where the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), is headquartered. In 1996 she initiated the building of the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady of the Angels monastery in Hanceville, Alabama. Today this sister, Mother Mary Angelica of the Annunciation, is seen by millions of people on her prerecorded twice weekly program, "Mother Angelica Live." Her network, EWTN, is available 24 hours a day everywhere in the world. Whoever would have thought that from such a tiny seed would develop such a large shrub? That is the way the kingdom of God works.

Today's readings are about the birth and growth of the reign or rule of God (Kingdom of God), in human lives and about the gigantic growth of the Church from very humble beginnings. Both growths are slow and mysterious, guided by the power of the Holy Spirit.

The first reading, taken from Ezekiel 17:22-24, is a messianic prophecy. The prophet tells us how the Lord God of Israel will allow a descendant of King David to become the Messiah and savior of the world.  In contrast with the parable of tiny the mustard   seed   in   today's   gospel,   Ezekiel   sees   the   Messiah    originating in a royal family (lofty Cedar, David). In the second reading, St. Paul teaches the Corinthian Christians that they are to please God by doing His will (thus advancing the growth of God's kingdom and His rule in their lives), so that they may be amply rewarded in the final judgment. In today's gospel, Jesus compares the growth of the kingdom of God to the germination of a wheat seed and that of a tiny mustard seed. Both have very small beginnings. The wheat seeds, by gradual but steady growth help the farmer to get a bumper crop. In the same way, the life principle in a tiny mustard seed enables it to grow into a large bush. The reign of God in human hearts and the growth of the Church in the world also have small beginnings. But the Source of all life, God the Holy Spirit, gives to both a steady, persistent and gigantic growth. Jesus' use of a mustard plant instead of a great cedar continues the image of humble beginnings for the great power that is to come.  Mark’s community would have recognized the mustard plant as appropriate for Jesus' own earthly ministry.   The Messiah came as an itinerant teacher/rabbi who gathered a few ordinary people to be his disciples. Jesus' incarnational presence was like that of a mustard plant, not an imposing cedar. He was not a Messiah of towering strength with great political, financial and military power.  Yet the  divinely ordained growth of that small beginning resulted in the same kind of exponential growth and presence — inviting all the "birds of the air" to make their nests within its branches.

The Kingdom of God is the growth of God's rule in human hearts that occurs when man does the will of God and surrenders his life to God. The seed of faith lies dormant within each of us. When we permit the Holy Spirit to nurture it, it grows miraculously into gigantic proportions. The growth is slow and microscopic in the beginning. But this seed grows by using the power of the Holy Spirit, given to us through the word of God, the Mass, the sacraments and prayers. As we learn God's will from His words and try to put these words into practice, we participate in the growth of God's kingdom on earth which will be completed in our heavenly life.

We can all plant tiny seeds in the form of words of love and encouragement,   acts of charity,   mercy and forgiveness.  The Holy Spirit will touch the hearts of the recipients of these seeds sown by us and will effect growth of the kingdom in their souls and lives. As the apostle Paul once said of his ministry, "Neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only god who gives the growth” (Corinthians 3:7).

One morning Johnny told his mother "Mom, I am not happy in this house, Dad never smiles, I can't make him happy. He seems like a monster to me. The only thing that is important to him are rules and duties. I don't know how you have put up with him all these years? Rita being a loving woman of faith was sad to hear these words from her son. In the evening as Johnny entered the house he heard his parents talking, his mother Rita said "Johnny is very angry with you. He is afraid of you. I am worried about what he might do?” Bobby replied “My sweet darling, I love my son more than you can even imagine. I have tried to provide for him in the best way I know how; I have saved money for his studies; and plan to buy him a car soon, I have been working to find him the best University to attend. You give him love and I give him discipline for life. He needs both to survive and so that our son will be his best. What Johnny could do was weeping of love towards his father. Dear children, mothers – Understand the strain of fathers.

Dear Fathers in Christ, let us remember “Great things are not done on impulse, but by a series of small steps taken over a period of time.  Our lives are made up of little tings-little deeds, little happenings, and so on.  If there is something which we want to do, let us not hesitate and think too much.  Let us make a start, however small.  Let us take one step.  Let us plant one seed. “Happy Fathers Day!”

X Sunday in OT:2015: Ex 24: 3-8, Heb 9: 11-15, Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

X Sunday in OT:2015: Ex 24: 3-8, Heb 9: 11-15, Mk 14:12-16, 22-26

Introduction: Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ popularly known as Corpus Christi. It was introduced in the late 13th century to encourage the faithful to give special honor to the Holy Eucharist. It was extended to the entire Latin Church by Urban IV in 1264 and, became a mandatory feast of the Church in 1312. Officially, the solemnity is celebrated on Thursday after Trinity Sunday. However, where it is not a day of obligation, it is celebrated on the Sunday following Trinity Sunday.

Exegesis: As we celebrate Corpus Christi today, both our first and second reading talks about covenant, sacrifice, and blood. According to the first reading, the old covenant was sealed with the blood of animal sacrifice which Moses sprinkled on the people. On the contrary, the second reading reminds us that the new covenant was sealed with the blood of Christ. This is what makes the functional difference. While the first covenant never guaranteed eternal life, the new does because it was sealed with a costly blood through a perfect sacrifice offered once and for all. In the gospel, Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist. Here he was both the priest and the victim. This is another difference between the new and the old covenant. Christ as the priest offered himself to God for our salvation. In order words, it is important to note here that whenever we celebrate the Holy Eucharist, Christ is fully present both as the priest and as the victim. He accomplishes his priesthood through the actions of the human priest who as Alter Christus (another Christ) and acts “in persona Christi (in the person of Christ).” On the other hand, he accomplishes his role as a victim in the form of bread and wine. All these put together is what we refer to as an “action of grace.”

The concept of “covenants” has been at the core of both Jewish and Christian faiths from very early on in history. Such covenants are usually seen as agreements between God and the covenanted party. The first covenant was made with Adam and Eve which was broken when they ate of the fruit of the tree, and yet there was a promise of God that the serpent would be crushed.  The second covenant was with Noah and its conditions involved blood. God said he would never destroy the world again by flood, and they we’re never to drink the blood of animals or shed human blood. As a sign he sent the rainbow for them to remember the covenant. A third covenant was made with Abram in which God promised land and posterity. The condition of this promise was that they be circumcised – blood again was involved.  Following this was the Mosaic covenant where God promised that the Israelites would be God’s chosen ones with a Promised land as long as they kept God’s laws and the Ten commandments. The sign of this was the Passover which again involved blood. The blood of the Passover lamb was spread on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not visit their homes. Afterwards, as we read today, Moses took the blood from the offerings and splashed the altar, and then splashed it on the people as a sign of the blood covenant they had made with God. The fifth covenant with the Jews was made with King David who promised David that he would become a Father to the Jewish people, but a father who would use the rod on his children to discipline them if necessary – again, some blood involvement. The last of the Old Testament covenants was made to the prophet Jeremiah when God promises that his Law would not just be on stone but would be written on the hearts of his people, and all who believed in their hearts would become the new chosen.

In the New Testament we see this last covenant fulfilled in the life of God’s son, Jesus. That we have become the new chosen who believe in Jesus and who carry Christ’s law in our hearts. As part of this covenant there is also blood as we see in the Gospel today when Jesus says “This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.” The sign of this covenant is the Eucharist which we celebrate today.

Joke: A man and a friend are playing golf one day at their local golf course. One of the guys is about to chip onto the green when he sees a long funeral procession on the road next to the course. He stops in mid-swing, takes off his golf cap, closes his eyes, and bows down in prayer. 

His friend says: “Wow, that is the most thoughtful and touching thing I have ever seen. You truly are a kind man.” 

The man then replies: “Yeah, well we were married 35 years.”  

Marriage is a covenant. Only those who are faithful to the marriage covenant be eligible to be partakers of the Eucharistic covenant.

Practical Applications: 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.  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 and presenting our needs and petitions on the altar.

Introduction : X Sunday in Ordinary Time – Corpus Christi

Message: Moses ratifies the covenant by offering a thanksgiving sacrifice and by sprinkling blood over the people. The new covenant, the law’s oblation, is ratified in the blood of Christ, the unblemished offering poured out for us.

Saints and Events in this Week:  9 – Ninth – Tuesday – Saint Ephrem, Deacon, Doctor of the Church; 11 – Eleventh – Thursday – Saint Barnabas, Apostle; 12 – Twelfth – Friday – The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus; 13 – Thirteenth – Saturday – The immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary; Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest, Doctor of the church

Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ:[2012]

Solemnity of The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

History tells that, in an earlier age before Israel became a nation, men would create a special bond, becoming “blood brothers,” and the bond was ratified by drinking each other’s blood. Later on, substitutes for this “bonding ritual” were created, such as eating a sacrificial meal or sprinkling the blood of a sacrificed animal on the parties to the ritual. In our recent history, we see traces of other substitutes, such as in the frontier days of cowboys and Indians (two men would make an incision on their arms, then clasp them together, becoming “blood brothers”).

In effect, we are talking about creating a “community of life,” whether of individuals or a nation. The Mosaic Covenant was the creation of a new community of life, a bond between the Israelites and the Life-Giver, Yahweh. This bonding ritual was ratified by sprinkling the blood of sacrificed animals on the people. Our ancestors understood this ritual, which was a part of their culture, so it would not have been an unpleasant experience for them.

But Jesus gave us a New Covenant at the Last Supper (Mark 14:22-24). This ritual also created a “community of life” and it was ratified when Jesus sacrificed his own body and shed his own blood for our redemption. Those who believe in the Real Presence recognize and understand by faith that in this new way, Jesus is giving us new life. It looks like bread and wine to our senses, but it is truly the precious Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in sacramental form.

Especially on Sundays we are invited to renew our bonding ritual, the New Covenant, by receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus and uniting ourselves to him at this sacrificial meal (CCC #1331). By celebrating this Eucharist, we give thanks to God for his works of creation, redemption, and sanctification (CCC #1328).