XXVI Sunday in OT[C]:Amos 6:1,4-7;1Tim6:11-16;Lk16:19-31

XXVI Sunday in OT[C]:Amos 6:1,4-7;1Tim6:11-16;Lk16:19-31

Introduction:  The main theme of this Sunday is the warning that selfish and extravagant use of God’s blessings like wealth without sharing it with the poor and the needy is a serious sin deserving eternal punishment. Today’s readings stress the covenant responsibility of the rich for the poor reminding us the truth that wealth without active mercy for the poor is great wickedness.

Anecdote:  A nine year old child entered an ice-cream shop and asked how much is for a cup of ice-cream.   The waiter said: “fifteen dollars” Then the child took all his money from his pocket and counted.  Then asked again to the waiter: “how much is for a small cup ice-cream?”  The waiter lost patience and got angry and with a loud voice said: “Twelve Dollars.” Child ordered small cup. He sat, ate the ice-cream, paid the bill and left the shop.  As the waiter went to take the empty plate and cup at the child’s seat, his eyes filled with tears as he saw that the child has given 3dollars tip.  This is life.  Make others also happy with what you have.

Exegesis: People in Jesus’ time would dip into stew pots with bread, bite off what they wanted and just throw whatever was left onto the floor. Lazarus longed to eat the scraps that fell from the Rich Man’s table.  Lazarus wasn’t even given these scraps.  The dogs got them.  And then the dogs went outside and licked Lazarus’ sores.  The Rich Man never saw this.  He never saw Lazarus, as a fellow human being. His possessions made him blind to those around him.  The first time that the Rich Man really saw Lazarus as a person, not as an eyesore, was when it was too late.  From Hell the Rich Man looked up and saw Lazarus.

Amos in the first reading issues a powerful warning to those who seek wealth at the expense of the poor and who spend their time and their money on themselves. The angry prophet prophecies that those rich and unsympathetic people in the Southern kingdom of Judah will be punished by God with exile because they don’t care for their poor and suffering brothers in the North.  The Psalm praises Yahweh, who cares for the poor. In the second reading, Paul admonishes us to "pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience and gentleness" – noble goals in an age of disillusionment – rather than riches. In today’s gospel Jesus warns us pointing to the destiny of the rich man who neglected his duty to show mercy to poor Lazarus. The rich man's punishment was not for having riches, but for neglecting the Scriptures and what they taught and thereby the poor.

Joke:  The teacher said; “Take a pencil and paper, and write an essay with the title ‘If I Were a Millionaire.’”

Everyone but Joe, who leaned back with arms folded, began to write feverishly.
“What’s the matter,” the teacher asked. “Why don’t you begin?”

“I’m waiting for my secretary,” Joe replied.

Practical Applications: 1) We are all rich enough to share our blessings with others.  God has blessed each one of us with wealth or health or special talents or social power or political influence or a combination of many blessings. Share it.

2) Remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment: Matthew (25: 31ff) tells us that all the six questions to be asked to each one of us by Jesus who comes in glory as our judge are based on how we have shared our blessings from him  (food, drink, home, mercy and compassion), with others.

3) Do not pretend to be blind to poor and needy. Rich never saw Lazarus, as a fellow human being. His possessions made him blind to those around him.  The first time that the Rich Man really saw Lazarus as a person, not as an eyesore, was when it was too late. 

4) Our choices here determine the kind of eternity we will have. It has been put this way: "Where we go hereafter depends on what we go after, here." Where we will arrive depends on what road we travel. We get what we choose, what we live for. We are shaping our moral character to fit one of two places.

Introduction:  (XXVI)Twenty Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message:  Amos condemns the complacency of the rich who seek only their own comfort.  In his parable about the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus echoes Amos, exhorting those who have to share with those who have not.  Self-sufficiency must never blind us to the needs of others.  Only in this way do we keep God’s commandments in integrity and in truth.

Saints and Events in this week:  30-Monday-Saint Jerome, priest, doctor of the Church; 1-October-Tuesday-Saint Therese of the Child Jesus, Virgin, doctor; 2-Wednesday-The Holy Guardian Angels; 4-Friday-Saint Francis of Assisi

XXV Sunday in OT[C]: Am 8: 4-7; I Tm 2: 1-8; Lk 16: 1-13

XXV Sunday in OT[C]: Am 8: 4-7; I Tm 2: 1-8; Lk 16: 1-13

Introduction:  All three readings for today’s liturgy pertain to the subject of faithful stewardship. Condemning the crooked business practices of the 8^th century BC of Jewish merchants of Judea, the prophet Amos, in the first reading, reminds the Israelites to be faithful to their Covenant with Yahweh by practicing justice and mercy as God’s faithful stewards. He warns us against having the making of money by whatever means as the goal of our life. The second reading, from I Timothy, instructs the first-century Judeo-Christians to become true stewards of the gospel of Jesus, the only mediator between God and man, by preaching the “Good News” to the pagans and including them in intercessory prayers. Today’s Gospel challenges us to use our blessings -- time, talents, health and wealth -- wisely and shrewdly, so that they will serve for our good in eternity.  We are on the right road only if we use our earthly wealth to attain our heavenly goal.

Exegsis: The parable of the crooked steward or dishonest manager has shocked good Church people for centuries.   St. Augustine said, “I can’t believe that this story came from the lips of our Lord.” Jesus tells a paradoxical story about the steward (manager), of the estate of a rich absentee landlord. The steward was an out-and-out rascal. But his boss praised him for his rascality because he acted with foresight. Facing the coming return of his master and an audit of his accounts, the steward cleverly converted the debtors of his master into his own debtors.  He bought "friends" with his master’s money, and used these "friends” to secure a means of livelihood for the rapidly and certainly approaching point when he would be dismissed (for his previous embezzlement). In Luke’s account there are four morals drawn from the story to unfold its meaning.  The parable advises us to take inventory of the resources placed in our charge: time, talents, opportunities, health, intelligence, education, and other advantages.  It also challenges us to use these resources wisely so that they will serve for our good in eternity. 

Anecdote: Søren Kierkegaard, the Danish philosopher, once told about a make-believe country where only ducks lived. On Sunday morning all the ducks came into church, waddled down the aisle, waddled into their pews and squatted. Then the duck minister came in, took his place behind the pulpit, opened the Duck Bible and read, "Ducks! You have wings, and with wings you can fly like eagles. You can soar into the skies! Ducks! You have wings!" All the ducks yelled, "Amen!" and then they all waddled home. [Jim Burns, Radically Committed (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991).] No one flew or even tried. Friends, there’s just too much truth to that little fable. Using the parable of a rascally manager in today’s Gospel, Jesus challenges us to see that it is time for the children of light to quit waddling. It's time for us to soar by ingeniously using our God-given talents and blessings for the welfare of others, thus glorifying God and becoming eligible for our eternal reward. May we be the people that Jesus praises because we saw something that needed to be done and we did it.

Lessons of the parable as presented by Luke:  1. Let the children of light acquire the prudence of the children of this world (verse 8).  Christians should be as prudent and resourceful in acquiring goodness as the steward was in acquiring money and making his future safe.  2. Invest temporal goods to acquire eternal welfare.  A man can use his wealth not only to make life easier for himself, but also for his fellow-man.  3. Integrity and fidelity are the true yardsticks for promotion and eternal reward (verse 10).  How we treat what belongs to another is a test of our fitness to be entrusted with our own possessions.  4. "No servant can serve two masters" (verse 13).  We cannot serve God on a part-time basis.  Once a man chooses to serve God, every moment of his time and every atom of his energy belong to God.

Joke:  Abraham wanted a new suit, so he bought a nice piece of cloth and then tried to locate a tailor.  The first tailor he visited looked at the cloth and measured Abraham, then told him the cloth was not enough to make a suit. Abraham was unhappy with this opinion and sought another tailor.  This tailor measured Abraham, then measured the cloth, and then smiled and said, "There is enough cloth to make a pair of trousers, a coat and a vest, please come back in a week to take your suit." After a week Abraham came to take his new suit, and saw the tailor's son wearing trousers made of the same cloth.  Perplexed, he asked, "Just how could you make a full suit for me and trousers for your son, when the other tailor could not make a suit only?" "It's very simple," replied the tailor, "The other tailor has two sons."

Practical Applications: 1) We need to be faithful in little things of life: As Blessed Mother Teresa used to recommend, “Do little things with great love.”

2) We need to act shrewdly, trusting in the power and assistance of God.  The manager in Jesus’ story used all his resources to secure his future.  At our disposal we have hope in God’s justice, faith in God’s assistance, and trust in God’s grace. We have the Holy Mass and the seven sacraments as sources of divine grace, the holy Bible as the word of God for daily meditation and practice, and the Spirit-guided Church to direct us. These are the best possible resources; we need to use them in such a way that it will be said of us,"And the master commended them because they acted so shrewdly."

Introduction:  (XXV)Twenty Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message:  Amos cries out against those who exploit the poor for the sake of extortion and greed.  They seek to serve only themselves rather than the Lord.  By giving ourselves to God rather than money, we can truly pray with blameless hands for all those in need, especially the poor whom the Lord will raise up.

Saints and Events in this week:  23-Monday-Saint Pius of Pietrelcina, priest also known as Padre Pio; 26-Thursday-Saints Cosmas and Damian, martyrs; 27-Friday-Saint Vincent de Paul, priest; 28- Saturday-Saint Wenceslaus, martyr; Saint Lawrence Ruiz and companions, martyrs;

XXIV Sunday in OT[C]:Ex 32:7-11,13,14; I Tm1:12-17;Lk 15:1-32

XXIV Sunday in OT[C]:Ex 32:7-11,13,14; I Tm1:12-17;Lk 15:1-32

Introduction:  The Good News Jesus preached was that God is our loving and forgiving heavenly Father Who wants to save everyone through His Son, and not a cruel, judging and punishing God. He is always in search of His lost and straying children as Jesus explains, using three parables, in today’s Gospel.  In today’s first reading, from Exodus, Moses is imploring a forgiving God to have mercy on the sinful people who abandoned Him and turned to idol-worship, reminding God of His promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. In today’s second reading, Paul tells Timothy that, although   he, Paul, had been the greatest of sinners as the former persecutor of the Church, God has shown great mercy towards him.

Exegsis: In the parable of today, there are clearly three main characters: the elder son, the younger son, and the father. Who do you think is the hero, who is the anti-hero, and who is the supporting character?  Often this story is called the parable of ‘the prodigal son,’ creating the impression that the younger son, who “left for a distant country” (Lk 15:13), is the hero of the story.  Some suggest that this story be called, the parable of “the prodigal father” or “the parable of the good boy and the bad boy”.  These seem meaningful.  Most versions of the Bible entitle this story as “the parable of the lost son” (GNB, NIV) – suggesting that even the elder boy could be the lost son.  To resolve this dilemma, I think, we should look at the whole chapter 15 of the Gospel of Luke.

The chapter begins this way (Luke 15:1-3): “The tax collectors and the sinners were all seeking the company of Jesus to hear what he had to say, and the Pharisees and scribes complained, ‘This man’, they said, ‘welcomes sinners and eats with them.’ So he spoke this parable to them.”  Though it is not explicit, we can assume that Jesus spoke this parable to the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus is with sinners because they sought his company; now Jesus tries to seek also the company of the Pharisees and scribes, as he tells them this parable.   Actually Jesus tells them three parables: the story of the lost sheep (Lk 15:4-7), the story of the lost coin (Lk 15:8-10), and the story of the lost son (Lk 15:11-32).  In the case of the first two stories the heroes are clear: the man who lost his sheep, and the woman who lost her silver coin.  It follows then that the hero of the third story is the father.

Who is the anti-hero in this story?  It is important not to lose the final twist in Luke’s stories.  We can easily think that it is the younger son, the so-called ‘prodigal son’, who is the anti-hero.  I don’t think so, because he was lost but was found.  He is like the sinners, in the beginning of the chapter, who sought Jesus. On the other hand, the elder son – the dutiful son – is the one who is still outside the home, out of the celebration, unable to respond to the love of the father.

Joke:  Mr. & Mrs. Davis invited their pastor for the dinner hosted in honor of the return of their son after long years of his wandering life. As Mrs. Davis busied herself preparing food she asked her little daughter to set the table. When the pastor started the prayer before the meals, Mrs. Davis noticed that her daughter forgot to place silverware for the pastor. Embarrassed at the oversight, Mrs. Davis asked her little girl why she had not placed silverware for the pastor. “Because, Mom, I have heard Papa saying that our pastor eats like a horse!”

Practical Applications:  1) Have a broad outlook to include everyone in your company, in your effort, in your work like prodigal father in the parable. Never exclude anyone thinking or basing on the color, race, nationality, richness and knowledge level etc.  What we do towards other fellowmen will be what we get in heaven.

2) This can be for us a Sunday of self-reflection, assessment and correction.   If we have been in sin, God, in His mercy, is ready to receive and welcome us back, no less than Jesus welcomed sinners in his time.   Let us pray today that we will allow God’s love and forgiveness into our lives.   Let us also ask God for the courage to extend this forgiveness to others who have offended us.  Let us confess our sins and regain peace and God’s friendship.

Introduction:  (XXIV)Twenty Forth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message:  Moses intercedes on behalf of the people who had turned away from the covenant.  The Lord delights not in sin, but in turning back to him, for a contrite and humbled heart God will never spurn.  He sent his Son into the world not to condemn but to save sinners.

Saints and Events in this week:  16-Sixteenth-Monday-Saints Cornelius, pope, and Cyprian, bishop, martyrs; 17-Seventeenth-Tuesday-Saint Robert Bellarmine, bishop, doctor; 19-Nineteenth-Thursday-Saint Januarius, bishop, martyr; 20-Twentieth-Friday-Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, priest, and Paul Chong Ha-sang, and companions, martyrs; 21-Twenty First-September-Saint Mathew, Apostle, Evangelist. 

XXIII Sunday in OT[C]: Wis 9:13-18b; Phlm 9-10, 12-17; Lk 14: 25–33

 

Introduction: Today’s readings challenge us to the true Christian discipleship of total commitment to the will of God, putting God first in our lives.

Background: To understand our second reading, I need to explain something about slavery in the Roman Empire in the first century.  It was in many ways different than our experience of slavery before the Civil War.  Slavery was common in the first century but slaves came from nations and peoples that Rome had conquered.  Most slaves would have been educated and would have worked as musicians, scribes, craftsmen, teachers and even doctors.  A slave might eventually be set free by his or her owner or buy their own way to freedom.  Today’s second reading is about a slave named Onesimus (a name which means “useful”).  Onesimus escaped from his owner. The Greek word for an owner of slaves is “despota.”  The owner was named Philemon (a name which means “loving”).  By Roman law, a runaway slave could be punished buy death.  Onesimus had known Paul, for Paul converted his master Philemon, to Christ.  So, in fear for his life, Onesimus ran to Paul, who was in prison at the time.  Unlike today, where prisoners receive good care, the Romans locked a person up temporarily until a trial was held.  It helps to know that in those days a prison was just a place where an accused person was held until their case was determined: whether they would be executed, sent into exile, have their property confiscated, or be set free.  The Romans never considered it a punishment to lock up a criminal.  Often prisoners needed friends or family to provide for their basic needs and apparently, Onesimus did that for Paul.  For Paul Onesimus lived up to his name: useful.  In the process Paul converted him to Christ.  Paul thus refers to Onesimus as his own child for he has led him to rebirth in Christ.  Paul would have liked to keep Onesimus with him to help him, but he felt an obligation to send him back to Philemon.  He didn’t feel right benefiting from a gift that had not been given to him.  Paul asked Philemon in the letter we hear in today’s second reading to receive Onesimus back, not as property he might own, but as a brother in the Lord.  Christianity transcends all of our relationships.

St. Paul teaches that people should remain in the same social condition in which God called them and that slaves should not seek their freedom (1 Corinthians 7:20-21). It is not that St. Paul is endorsing slavery. Yet the same Paul says that “There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

Exegesis: Being a Christian was and is infinitely more important than social status, even if that status is slavery.  We are all slaves in the world, but we are free in Christ.  There are many things that enslave us.  Some are sinful, some are temptations, some are breaks in relationships, all are nuisances.  We are all enslaved by our own selfishness and pride.  We want to put ourselves first.  Our very society drills us to “take care of number one.”  But Christ frees us from that.  He tells us to love God first, and then others as ourselves.

We come to Mass today seeking to grow in our relationship with Christ who is the way, for this task of following him and putting him above everything else in our lives in an on-going process and with his guidance and with his help we will succeed.  The relationship with Christ reflects in the relationship with others. Heaven is the happiness of surrendering ourselves to the greatest love in the universe.

Joke: One morning Rev. Desmond went to the front door of his rectory to get his newspaper and found a dead mule on the street.  He quickly called the city health department and asked to have the mule disposed of.  The smart secretary on duty said, “Hey, Reverend Pastor, I always heard that you pastors buried your own dead even if they are not practicing Christian disciples”.  “Yes, we do”, the pastor replied. “But not in all cases.  In this case, I would like to meet the deceased’s close relatives in the Health Department in person to offer my condolences and to give a special blessing!

Practical Applications: 1) We need to accept the challenge of Christian discipleship with heroic commitment and practice it. We do so: 1) by daily recharging our spiritual batteries through prayer, i.e., by talking to God, and by listening to Him through the meditative reading and study of the Bible; 2) by sharing in God’s life through frequent and active participation in the Eucharistic celebration; 3) by practicing the spirit of detachment and the renunciation of evil habits; 4) by giving our time, talents, and resources generously, for the Lord’s work in our parish community, relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, 5) by loving all God’s children, especially the less fortunate ones, through humble and selfless acts of kindness, mercy, forgiveness and service; 6) by showing true commitment to the obligations and duties entrusted to us by our vocation in life and our profession, like fidelity in marriage and firm adherence to justice in our living and profession.

Twenty third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: Who can comprehend the Lord’s ways or conceive what the Lord intends?  True wisdom leads us to acknowledge our limitations (a matter of “calculation”) and our idols of materialism as we seek to follow the Lord without reservation.  True discipleship calls us to forgive those who have wronged us.  May we gain the wisdom of heart to discern more fully our call to take up the cross of Jesus.

Saints and Events in this week:  Ninth(9)- Monday-Saint Peter Claver, priest(USA); Twelve(12)-Thursday- The Most Holy Name of Mary; Thirteenth(13)-Friday- Saint John Chrysostom, bishop, doctor of the Church; Fourteenth(14)-Saturday-The Exaltation of the Holy Cross.

XXII Sunday in OT[C]:Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29;Heb12:18-19,22-24a;Lk14:1,7-14

XXII Sunday in OT[C]:Sir 3:17-18,20,28-29;Heb12:18-19,22-24a;Lk14:1,7-14

Introduction:  First reading from the Book of Sirach, sometimes called Ecclesiasticus or Wisdom, places great emphasis on the virtue of humility and shows great sympathy to poor people and the oppressed. The second reading, from Hebrews, gives another reason for us to be humble.  Jesus was humble, so his followers are expected to be humble, trying to imitate his humility.

Exegesis:   Today's Gospel contains two teachings of similar styles.  Both start with when, "When you go to a banquet" and " When you give a banquet." Both have a cautioning phrase, don’t.  "Don't sit at a high place, lest you be put down," and  "Don't put out a spread for the rich to impress them, lest you already receive your reward." And both have the teaching, but, "But when you go to a banquet" and “But when you give a banquet.”  He is teaching us the proper way to view ourselves and others.  He is teaching us about honor, respect, and, particularly, about humility. Jesus explains the practical benefits of humility, connecting it with the common wisdom about dining etiquette. Jesus advises the guests to go to the lowest place instead of seeking places of honor, so that the host may give them the place they really deserve. Jesus’ words concerning the seating of guests at a wedding banquet should prompt us to honor those whom others ignore, because if we are generous and just in our dealings with those in need, we can be confident of the Lord’s blessings.

Role Model: Joseph de Veuster was a Belgian missionary priest working among the islanders of Honolulu. His bishop had trouble finding a priest to work in the leper settlement of Molokai. Joseph, better known as Father Damien, volunteered to go and work in the "living graveyard that was Molokai." His solidarity with the lepers was so complete that he contracted the disease himself and died at the age of forty-nine in service to the poorest and most abandoned. Some of his contemporaries accused him of imprudence and foolhardiness. Today, however, he is recognized worldwide as a hero of the faith: Damien the Leper.

Joke:  When Christian Herter was governor of Massachusetts , he was running hard for a second term in office. One day, after a busy morning chasing votes (without lunch), he arrived at a church barbecue. It was late afternoon and Herter was famished. As Herter moved down the serving line, he held out his plate to the woman serving chicken. She put a piece on his plate and turned to the next person in line.

"'Excuse me,” Governor Herter said, “do you mind if I have another piece of chicken?”

"'Sorry,” the woman told him. “I'm supposed to give one piece of chicken to each person because you are going to get other food items also from other servers.”

"'But I'm starved and I love chicken,” the governor said.

"'Sorry,” the woman said again. “Only one to a customer.”

Governor Herter was a modest and unassuming man, but he decided that this time he would throw a little weight around. "'Do you know who I am?” he said. “I am the governor of this state!”

"'Do you know who I am?” the woman retorted. “I'm the lady in charge of the chicken. Move along, mister.”

Practical Applications: 1) The two dinner instructions remind us that we are not the center of the world.  God is.  Our value does not come from how others view us.  Our success is not due to what others can do for us.  Our value, our success comes from our relationship to our Center, our God.  That is humility.

2) We need to practice humility in personal and social life.  Humility is based on the psychological awareness that everything I have is a gift from God and, therefore, I have no reason to elevate myself above others.

3) We celebrate that coming Banquet Feast in heaven every time we come together for Our Lord's Supper in Holy Mass. We need to remember that we are the invited guests.  We are the (spiritually) poor, crippled, lame, and blind that Christ calls to himself. Our place is assured.

Introduction: XXII Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: Humility and self-knowledge go hand in hand.  Those who conduct their affairs with humility shall be exalted, while those who exalt themselves shall be humbled.  The humble shall rejoice and exalt before God in the assembly of the heavenly Jerusalem.

Saints and events in this week: September Second-Monday-Labor Day; Third-Tuesday-Saint Gregory the Great, pope, doctor of the Church;

XXI Sunday in OT:[C]:Is66:18-21,Heb12: 5-7,11-13;Lk13: 22-30

XXI Sunday in OT:[C]:Is66:18-21,Heb12: 5-7,11-13;Lk13: 22-30

Introduction:  As he continues his fateful journey to Jerusalem, Jesus answers the question as to how many will be saved by answering four presumed questions: Who will be saved? How? Why? When?

Exegesis: When the questioner asked Jesus “How many will be saved?” he was assuming that the salvation of God's Chosen People was virtually guaranteed, provided they kept the Law. In other words, the kingdom of God was reserved for the Jews alone, and Gentiles would be shut out.  The Jewish catechism, Mishnah, taught: “All Israelites have a share in the world to come.” But the author of the Apocalypse of Ezra declared, “this age the Most High has made for the many, but the age to come for a few” (4 Ezra 8:1). Hence, Jesus' answer must have come as a shock. Jesus affirms that God wants all persons to enjoy eternal life with Him. But he stresses the need for constant fidelity and vigilance throughout our lives. Thus, Jesus reminds us that, even though God wants all of us to be saved, we all need to work at it. Entry into God’s kingdom is not automatically granted, based purely on religious faith or nationality, so we cannot presume on God’s mercy and do nothing by way of response to God’s invitation.

Anecdote:  Thousands upon thousands of young boys grow up bouncing basketballs and dreaming of a life in the National Basketball Association - the professional ranks. But only a handful is chosen each year. Woe to the young man or young woman who is talented at sports but neglects his or her education! Thousands upon thousands of new businesses are started each year, but only a small number of people in our society become super-successful in material terms. The higher you go up the scale, the smaller the numbers become. Thousands upon thousands of young couples each year stand at the altars of churches and pledge their love to one another, but life becomes harder and marriages will end in divorce. Many couples will stay together only for convenience, for appearances or for the children. The door to any kind of successful living is a narrow one. That is why Jesus reminds us in today’s gospel: "Strive to enter by the narrow door, for many I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able." Successful living requires making hard choices. It requires dedication and sacrifice. How can Christian faith demand any less?

Event: Imagine it’s a Post Thanksgiving Day Sale [Sales Promotion Day] and you have been wanting a new piece of technical equipment for your computer and Best Buy [Shop] is having a sale on it.  Not only that - you have a good friend who works for Best Buy/Shop and may be able to get you an even better deal.  The store opens at 5 am.  You could line up with the many other people at 4 am, but you decide that you have had a full Thanksgiving day[day of celebration] and sleep is important and so you roll over and show up at 7 am.  There is still a line, so you have to wait a bit, but finally you get to the door. Suddenly as you are about to go through the door, finally, you are told that they are sold out and that there aren’t any more.  You see your good friend, but he has no choice but to bolt the door and put up the SOLD OUT sign. You say to your good friend – couldn’t you just squeeze me in, but he shakes his head sadly, and walks away.  We need to work hard for our choices to happen through.

Joke:   It seems that there was a little old church out in the countryside: painted white and with a high steeple.

One Sunday, the pastor noticed that his church needed painting. He checked out the Sunday ads and found a paint sale. The next day, he went into town and bought a gallon of white paint. He went back out to the church and began the job.

He got done with the first side. It was looking great. But he noticed he had already used a half gallon. He didn't want to run back in town and being the creative person that he was, he found a gallon of thinner in the shed out back, and began to thin his paint.

It worked out great. He finished the remaining three sides with that last half gallon of paint.

That night, it rained: it rained hard. The next morning when he stepped outside of the parsonage to admire his work, he saw that the first side was looking great, but that the paint on the other three sides had washed away.

The pastor looked up in sky in anguish and cried out, "What shall I do?"

A voice came back from the heavens saying, "Repaint, and thin no more!"

Practical Applications:  1) We should be rejoicing that Jesus has saved us all, but not get self-satisfied in our daily lives. 

2) We need to discipline ourselves, use the things that happen to us to help us grow, rather than get us down. We need to remember that the tested people, the people with the most problems, the last people, may be the ones who get in the door first.

3) And most of all, we need to remember to repent, to turn around, to look at what we are doing.  Those are the people that will easily slip through the narrow door.

Introduction:  XXI Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message:  No one is to be excluded from the kingdom for all peoples are called to proclaim the praises of the Lord and confess his holy name.  No ethnic or religious group possesses exclusive rights to the kingdom.  Suffering and pain are part of the human condition.

Saints and Events in this Week: Twenty Seventh (27)-Tuesday- Saint Monica; Twenty Eighth (28)-Wednesday-Saint Augustine, bishop, doctor of the Church; Twenty Ninth (29)-Thursday-The passion of Saint John the Baptist;

XX Sunday in OT[C]: Jere38:1-2,4-6,8-10; Heb12:1-4; Lk12:49-53

XX Sunday in OT[C]: Jere38:1-2,4-6,8-10; Heb12:1-4; Lk12:49-53

Introduction:   Today, the 20^th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Church encourages us, and raises our morale to fight against evil following the footsteps of Christ our Lord, who came to bring “fire” upon the earth in order to communicate to us something of his tremendous zeal. Jesus comes to purify, transform, and save us, our families and society from the perils that afflict us.

Exegesis: Jeremiah, in our First Reading, is presented as experiencing the consequences of the burning word of God within him. After speaking about the cloud of witnesses, Hebrews tells us to have our eyes fixed on Jesus. And what does Jesus want? In the Gospel he says he wants to set the earth on fire. It's the fire of love - of immersion in the Holy Trinity through baptism and Eucharist.

In the Bible, fire is sometimes symbolic of purification (for example, Num 31:23; Ezek 22:19-22), and, more often, is associated with God’s judgment (for example, Judith 16:17; Isaiah 66:16; Amos 7:4; 2 Pet 3:7).  The image of fire is also used to symbolize God's glory (Ezekiel 1:4, 13), His protective presence (2 Kings 6:17), His holiness (Deut. 4:24), His righteous judgment (Zechariah 13:9), and His wrath against sin (Isaiah 66:15-16).  The image of fire is also used of the Holy Spirit (Matt. 3:11 and Acts 2:3).  Fire has many characteristics: it warms, purifies, refines, transforms, and burns.  As a purifying force, fire burns up what is useless and refines what is impure besides giving warmth and energy.  Elijah brought the fire of judgment on the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36-40) and the soldiers of King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:10-14).  John the Baptist promises that Jesus "will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire"(Matt 3: 11), and that promise was fulfilled at Pentecost.  James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven upon the Samaritans who rejected Jesus, but Jesus would not permit it (Luke 9:54).  We are also reminded of the prophet's words, "For he is like a refiner's fire…" (Mal 3:2).  The fire burns hot, removing impurities and leaving only that which is desirable.  These meanings suggest that the fire which Jesus brings will consume or purify the world.  However, it is also possible that he means that his baptism will be a baptism of fire.  In the Aramaic language the word translated as “earth” can also mean “earth-oven,” the common stove in Mediterranean villages, heated by burning dried and salted camel-dung patties.  The salt in the dried camel dung acted as a catalyst keeping fire burning for a long time.  In that sense, Jesus acts as a catalyst in his believers’ life

Event:  In the 1920s, an English adventurer named Mallory led an expedition to conquer Mount Everest. His first, second and even his third attempt with an experienced team met with failure. Upon his return to England, the few who had survived held a banquet to salute Mallory and those who had perished. As he stood up to speak he looked around he saw picture frames of himself and those who had died. Then he turned his back on the crowd and faced a large picture of Mount Everest looming large like an unbeatable giant. With tears streaming down his face, he spoke to the mountain on behalf of his dead friends. “I speak to you Mt. Everest, in the name of all brave men living, and those yet unborn. Mt. Everest, you defeated us once, you defeated us twice; you defeated us three times. But Mt. Everest, we shall someday defeat you, because you can’t get any bigger, but we can.” Today’s scripture challenges us to confront the world with prophetic courage of our Christian convictions (John Rose in John’s Sunday Homilies).

Joke:  A man was getting on a bus. Somehow his shoe came off and fell into the street. Since he could not retrieve it, he took off the second one. While seated he threw it out the window in the direction of the other one. To a puzzled looking passenger, he said, "The fellow who finds the first shoe now will have a good pair to walk about in."  The bus moved on. Shockingly, another passenger who got into the bus at last, seeing the lost shoe, took it and extends his shoe to him with pleasing and helpful mind. 

Practical Application: 1) We should have fire in our hearts: On the day of our Baptism, we received the light of Christ and were instructed to keep that torch burning brightly until the return of Christ Jesus. In addition, the Holy Spirit was sent into our hearts at Confirmation to help set us on fire. “He who is on fire cannot sit on a chair.” So, as Christians on fire, we have to inflame people to care, to serve, and to bless one another with all the gifts of faith. We should allow that fire to burn off the impurities in us and to bring out the purity of the gold and silver within us.

2) I invite you, I encourage you, I beg you to run the race - keep participating in the sacraments, especially Holy Mass. With that great cloud of witnesses cheering us on, let's rid ourselves of every burden and sin - and persevere in running the race, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.

Introduction:  Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message:  The Lord came to the aid of Jeremiah whose preaching brought upon him rejection and ill treatment.  For those who take the gospel seriously, misunderstanding and division must likewise be expected.  Like Christ, we must never grow despondent or abandon the struggle to proclaim and live the truth.

Saints and Events in this week:   Nineteenth(19)-Monday-Saint John Eudes, priest; Twentieth(20)-Tuesday-Saint Bernard, abbot, doctor of the Church; Twenty-first(21)-Wednesday-Saint Pius X, pope;  Twenty-second(22)-Thursday-The Queenship of Mary; Twenty Third(23)-Friday-Saint Rose of Lima, virgin;  Twenty Forth(24)-Saturday-Saint Bartholomew, Apostle.