Trinity Sunday:[2012]:Dt 4:32-34,39-40;Rom 8:14-17;Mt 28:16-20

Trinity Sunday:[2012]:Dt4:32-34,39-40;Rom8:14-17;Mt28:16-20

The doctrine of the “Holy Trinity” is very hard to understand. Is there a quick way to learn about this belief? You are not alone, because we are once again in the area of “mystery.” As you can see, these “mysteries” all seem to loom large right after Easter, the greatest mystery of all. It is our faith in that mystery of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection that enables us to walk once again in the sheer faith of our spiritual journey. So in rapid fashion after the Easter season, we celebrate the mysteries of Pentecost, the Most Holy Trinity, Corpus Christi (the Body and Blood of Christ), and the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The early Christians had a difficult “doctrinal transition” to make: from believing in the One God, to believing in this same One God as enfleshed in Jesus the Christ. So they developed “Trinitarian language” to preserve both of those truths, as well as a third truth: that the Spirit of Jesus kept the presence of God constantly in our midst. In fact, it is this Spirit of God who dwells within the believer through baptism.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus articulates this truth, when he commands his disciples to baptize and teach “in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:16-20). The early Church Fathers enshrined this dogmatic belief in “One God but Three Divine Persons in that One Godhead,” by encasing that belief in a dogmatic Creed. It still remains a “mystery,” and the poverty of our human understanding shows the gap between the Human and the Divine. So the answer to your question is “No, there is no quick way” to absorb this concept, except the way of faith.

What an incredible gift is the theological virtue of faith, the free assent of the believer to the whole truth that God has revealed (CCC #126, 142)! The mystery of the Trinity in itself is inaccessible to the human mind and is the object of faith only because it was revealed by Jesus Christ, the divine Son of the eternal Father. The faith of all Christians rests on the Trinity (CCC #232, 237).

Pentecost Sunday:2015:Acts2:1-11;ICor12:3-7,12-13;Jn20:19-23

Pentecost Sunday:2015:Acts2:1-11;ICor12:3-7,12-13;Jn20:19-23

Introduction:  Today is Pentecost Sunday, the great day of a fulfilled promise. The Greek word "pentecostes" means "fiftieth." After a period of fifty days of the resurrection of Christ, we have come to the definitive end of Easter Season. The Jewish Pentecost originally came to be associated with the giving of the Torah, the Law, to Moses, a post-harvest thanksgiving feast. Later, since the days of apostles and descend of the Holy Ghost, the implications have changed. It is often called ‘White Sunday’ from the practice of giving solemn Baptism on that day in early centuries, the candidates being attired in white baptismal robes." Pentecost is a feast which occupies a very important and prominent position in the Church’s history and liturgical calendar. This is because a great number of scholars have suggested that Pentecost marks the actual beginning of the church and, her missionary endeavors.

Exegesis:    Today’s Gospel relates how the risen Jesus gave his apostles a foretaste of Pentecost on the evening of Easter Sunday by appearing to them and inviting them  to carry on the mission given him by his Heavenly Father.  He then empowered them to do so by breathing upon them and saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”  On the day of Pentecost, Jesus fulfilled his promise to send the Advocate or Paraclete. The gift of the Spirit would enable them to fulfill Jesus’ commission to preach the Gospel to all nations as well.  Today’s Gospel passage also tells us how Jesus gave to the Apostles the power and authority to forgive sins.  “Receive the Holy Spirit.  For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.”  These wonderful words which bind together inseparably the presence of the Holy Spirit and the gift of forgiveness are referred to directly in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  But they have a much wider meaning.  Those words indicate the power we are all given of being the agents of forgiveness in the world of today, which is often fiercely judgmental and vengeful.  

The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are enumerated in Isaiah 11:2-3. They are present in their fullness in Jesus Christ but are found in all Christians who are in a state of grace. We receive them when we are infused with sanctifying grace, the life of God within us—as, for example, when we receive a sacrament worthily. As the current Catechism of the Catholic Church (para. 1831) notes, "They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them." Infused with His gifts, we respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit as if by instinct, the way Christ Himself would. The seven gifts are 1. Wisdom 2.Understanding 3. Counsel 4. Fortitude 5. Knowledge 6. Piety 7. Fear of the Lord.

Joke:  There is an old joke about a man who asked his pastor whether it was okay to smoke while he prayed. His pastor said, “Absolutely not! When you pray you should be completely devoted to prayer.” So the man went to another priest, but he changed his question, “Would it be okay to pray while I smoke?” “Yes, of course” was the answer.

Practical Applications: 1) Let the Holy Spirit take control of our lives. How do we do that? Pray for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit so that we may fight against our temptations and control our evil tendencies, evil habits and addictions. 2) Remembering His holy presence will help us to practice love, mercy and forgiveness. And thus we become holy.

Introduction: Pentacost Sunday

Message:  All of us have been baptized into one and the same Spirit; let us live, then, by the Spirit!  That same Spirit, the Advocate, who “renews the face of the earth”, was given as gift to the disciples to strengthen them to go forth in the name of the Lord, and to obtain forgiveness of sins.

Saints and events in this Week:  25 – Twenty fifth – Monday – Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest, Doctor of the Church; Saint Gregory VII, Pope; Saint Mary Magdalene de’Pazzi, virgin; 26 – Twenty Sixth – Tuesday – Saint Philip Neri, Priest; 27 – Twenty Seventh – Wednesday – Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop; 

Pentecost Sunday:2012:[B]:Acts2:1-11;1Cori 12:3-7,12-13;Jn20:19-23

Pentecost Sunday:2012:[B]:Acts2:1-11;1Cori 12:3-7,12-13;Jn20:19-23

"Do you understand this Pentecost event of being “filled with the Holy Spirit”?(Acts 2:1-11).

A friend once told me that life isn't about understanding the mystery of God. It is about experiencing it. Jesus taught us that when he said the Kingdom of God is “within” us (Lk 17). Baptism brings us one of the most awesome gifts that Jesus promised to us and gave to us, the gift of the Holy Spirit (which we celebrate in a special way every Pentecost). It is the Holy Spirit that leads us to truth, by opening our eyes to ourselves, our world, and Jesus. It is intended by God that we experience his presence right now.

Too often we are worrying about the future, or even the past. When we complicate our life with such undue concerns, it makes it almost impossible to live in the present. Many of us have a favorite way to reduce the stressful demands on us. That usually means waiting for “later,” such as going to the beach or mountains to relax. Or maybe you have an occasional hobby such as gardening or visiting museums. All of these are helpful. But we also need ways to relax and experience the presence of God during the immediate demands and stresses of the day.

First of all, we need to focus on God. Do we deliberately look for his fingerprints in all of the things that he has created in nature? Can I see Jesus in my neighbor, and can he see Jesus in me? After all, if we are truly living the Christian life to the fullest, then we should be a mirror image of Jesus. If that mirror-image is not there, what can I do about that? Do I really act like I believe that the Spirit of God dwells within me?

It is vital to remember that on that first Pentecost the believers were all gathered in one place, and as usual were praying; their focus was on the Lord, who had promised them an outpouring of the Holy Spirit (CCC #2623; 1287). This special mystery of God is experienced with the eyes of faith, a gift that enables us to believe in his presence within us. 

VII Sunday of Easter:Ascension:2015:Acts1:1-11,20-26;Eph 4:1-13;Mk16:15-20

VII Sunday of Easter:Ascension:2015:Acts1:1-11,20-26;Eph 4:1-13;Mk16:15-20

Introduction:  Today is one of those days when across the globe, in the Catholic Church, people may not be listening to the same readings.  In many countries, on this day we celebrate the feast of the Ascension of the Lord.  In some other countries, however, this feast might have been already celebrated last Thursday, marking the 40^th day after Easter.  As we heard in the first reading of today, Luke tells us in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:3) that Jesus was seen in his risen form for forty days.  After those forty days, Jesus was no more seen in his risen body.  The feast of today marks this stage of transition in the story of incarnation and resurrection – that Jesus is no more seen in his earthly body.  Luke describes this “withdrawal” of Jesus (Lk 24:51) in terms of being “lifted up” (Acts 1:9).  And Mark describes it in terms of “being taken up into heaven” (Mk 16:19). Hence, “the ascension” of the Lord!  The most important message of today is the parting message of Jesus to his apostles, as we heard in the gospel reading of today, which is also similar in all the synoptic gospels (Mt 28:18-20; Mk 16:15-18; Lk 24:46-49).

Exegesis: Matthew, Mark and Acts record Jesus’ last words differently: 1) “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  2) “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19).  3) “Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation” (Mark.16:15).  All are in agreement that (a) Jesus gave his disciples a mission of bearing witness to him by preaching and living the good news.  They are to tell and re-tell the story of Jesus' life, suffering, death and Resurrection.  (b) He assured them of the Divine assistance of his Holy Spirit in the carrying out of this mission.

Jesus ascended to Heaven after giving his final blessing and missionary command to his disciples. The command was to “proclaim the Good News to the whole creation,” “to be his witnesses," and “to make disciples of all nations.” This commissioning of Jesus in the words of Mark, invites us to realize that we are embodied.  We are part of creation.  We experience the love of God in our embodied nature.  Underlying our own experience of salvation, there lies the task of integrating our whole self – body, mind and spirit.

And also, the proclamation of the Good News to all creation, reminds us of what St Paul talks about in his letter to the Romans (8:19-24) that the whole creation is waiting and groaning. There is a movement in creation towards perfection in God. This perfection has been personified in Jesus, because in Jesus of Nazareth God became part of creation. In Jesus, the Creator God becomes part of creation.  In Jesus, we see what we will really be. In Jesus, we see the fulfillment of the purpose of creation.  The proclamation of the Good News, therefore, reminds us and the rest of creation of that journey towards perfection, for which we are waiting in hope (Rom 8:24).  And as the Book of Revelation promises us, we are journeying towards that time – the Kairos – when all will be made new.  This is the work of the Spirit of the Risen Lord – whose feast we will celebrate next Sunday: “Look, I am making the whole of creation new” (Rev 21:5)

Joke: 1) Question: How many Zen buddhists does it take to change a light bulb?   

The answer is “Three” -- one to change it, one to not-change it and one to both change- and not-change it.

2) Zen Master Has A Hotdog.  So the Zen master steps up to the hot dog cart and says: "Make me one with everything."  The hot dog vendor fixes a hot dog and hands it to the Zen master, who pays with a $20 bill.  The hot dog vendor puts the bill in the cash drawer and closes the drawer.  "Where's my change?" asks the Zen master.  The hot dog vendor responds: "Change must come from within."

Practical Applications: 1) We need to be proclaimers and evangelizers: To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer.  There is a difference between preaching and proclaiming.  We preach with words but we proclaim with our lives.  Let us ask the guidance of the Spirit of God to bear witness to Jesus by our transparent Christian lives.

Introduction: Ascension Sunday

Message: Jesus commissions his disciples to baptize in his name, reminding them that he is always present through his Spirit.  Having ascended to his Father amid cries of gladness, we are to be his witnesses for we have been gifted with his Spirit of wisdom and revelation.  Let us, therefore, live in a manner worthy of the call we have received.

Saints and events in this week:  18 – Eighteenth – Monday – Saint John I, Pope, Martyr; 20 – Twentieth – Wednesday – Saint Bernadine of Siena, Priest; 21 – Twenty First – Thursday – Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest,  and Companions, Martyrs; 22 – Twenty Second – Friday – Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious; 24- Twenty Forth – Pentacost Sunday.

VII Sunday of Easter: 2012: Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; 1 John 4:11-16; John 17:11-19

VII Sunday of Easter : Acts 1:15-17, 20-26; 1 John 4:11-16; John 17:11-19

Holiness and Service: The Salvation Army, compared to other churches, emphasizes the selfless nature of true religion without forgetting the importance of personal holiness. Its founder, General Booth, once said, "Without any boast, without any vanity, I can assure you that when I gave myself to God I did so more to save others than to save myself." That may sound strange to many of us who take it for granted that the primary, if not the only, purpose of being a Christian is to save one's soul. If that is so, then what we read in today's gospel will also sound strange to us. Jesus declares: "For their sake I sanctify myself" (John 17:19). We shall take a closer look at this profound statement.

"For their sake:" The man Jesus was totally committed to the welfare of others. When he stated the purpose of his life he said, “I came that they [i.e. others] may have life, and have it more abundantly” (John 10:10). Jesus had miraculous powers but he used those powers more to help others than to help himself. When people were hungry in a deserted place he multiplied bread to feed them, but when he was hungry in the desert he would not turn stones into bread to feed himself. Once he was tired and needed some rest. He took off in a boat to a place of retreat but on arriving there he found that the people had arrived before him looking for him. Seeing how these people looked like sheep without a shepherd, he immediately shelved his planned rest and began to minister to them. Concern for others was the hallmark of his life and ministry.

The understanding that the gospel demands that Christians be actively concerned for the material and spiritual well-being of the less fortunate of the world has given rise to what is called the social gospel. People who are involved in efforts to eradicate poverty and disease in their cities and in other parts of the world reflect the spirit of compassion and selfless interest in others that we see in Jesus. The first half of the statement: "For their sake I sanctify myself," underlines the fact that concern for others is at the very heart of the Christian gospel.

"I sanctify myself:" The second part of the statement, on the other hand, underlines the fact that personal sanctification is an essential element in the whole business of being a Christian. It counterbalances the first. Jesus was always there for other people, yet he did not forget to sanctify himself. People who are so involved in helping others that they forget their own inner life with God see only one side of the coin. How can one be doing the work of the Lord and forget the Lord of the work? People who are actively involved in efforts to help other people must also cultivate an interior relationship with the Lord for their personal sanctification lest they get lost in activism. The social gospel, rightly understood, therefore, presumes the personal gospel of intimacy with the Lord.

Now, when we look around us what do we see? We see so many Christians who are so involved with their own personal salvation and holiness that they forget to show practical concern for the less privileged. Such Christians subscribe to the personal gospel while neglecting the social gospel. They are looking only at one side of the coin. We also know people who are involved in efforts for social justice and peace, who consider it a waste of time to pray or go to church. These subscribe to the social gospel and ignored the personal gospel.

Which of the two is better, social gospel or personal gospel? Taken in isolation none of them is better. It is not a question of either-or but of both one and the other. For us, regular church going Christians the danger lies more in focussing too much on our own personal salvation and holiness to the neglect of active concern for others. To us, therefore, these words of Henry van Dyke are addressed:

Who seeks for heaven alone to save his soul,
May keep the path, he will not reach his goal;
While he who walks in love may wander far,
But God will bring him where the blessed are.

VI Sunday Easter:2015:Acts10:25-26,34-35,44-48;1Jn4:7-10;Jn 15:9-17

VI Sunday Easter:2015:Acts10:25-26,34-35,44-48;1Jn4:7-10;Jn 15:9-17

Introduction:  Today’s Scripture passages declare the profound truth that those who believe in Christ are to obey his commandment of love – “Love others as I have loved you.” As we celebrate Mother’s Day in the United States let us remember with gratitude that it is generally our mothers who practice the agápe love of Jesus. 

Event: In 1941, the German army began to round up Jewish people in Lithuania. Thousands of Jews were murdered. But one German soldier objected to their murder. He was Sergeant Anton Schmid. Through his assistance, at least 250 Jews were spared their lives. He managed to hide them, find food, and supply them with forged papers. Schmid himself was arrested in early 1942 for saving these lives. He was tried and executed in 1942. It took Germany almost sixty years to honor the memory of this man Schmid. Said Germany's Defense Minister in 2000 in saluting him, "Too many bowed to the threats and temptations of the dictator Hitler, and too few found the strength to resist. But Sergeant Anton Schmid did resist." Name a person who better obeyed the admonition of the Christ in today's Gospel. "No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends."

Exegesis: After telling the parable of the vine and branches, Jesus, in today’s Gospel, explains precisely how the disciples are to obey his commandment of love, just as he has obeyed his Heavenly Father’s will by fulfilling His commandments and remaining inseparably bonded with his Father.  Jesus’ unconditional, forgiving, selfless, sacrificial love for us must be the criterion of our love for others.  The highest expression of this love is our willingness to lay down our lives as Jesus did, for people who don’t deserve it. The goal and result of our abiding in love, in God, will be perfect joy. Jesus calls us friends. He tells us that he has chosen us, and that, if we use his name, we can ask the Father for anything. Rethink our relationship with Christ because, evidently, Christ himself prefers to relate with his disciples as friend to friend rather than as master to servant: "I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends" (John 15:15).

True love is a choice that demands sacrifice. People who fall in and out of love have not made a choice that demands sacrifice.  There is always a lot of talk about love when people are getting married. But, sadly, some of them don't see the Lord as the center of their love. So they want weddings with beautiful backgrounds, but not necessarily with the sacrament of marriage. Perhaps some of them do not even want the sacramental blessing in their living together. Perhaps they are not ready for true love. Perhaps they are not ready for a choice that demands sacrifice. Perhaps they really do not want Christ's love in their marriage. That costs too much.

Joke: These are few examples of our love, just to understand the motivations of love.

1) "Dearest Jimmy, No words could ever express the great unhappiness I’ve felt since breaking our engagement.  Please say you’ll take me back.  No one could ever take your place in my heart, so please forgive me.  I love you, I love you, I love you!  Yours forever, Maarie...  P.S. And congratulations on willing the 20 million state lottery

2) A young man wrote this to his girlfriend. “Sweetheart, if this world was as hot as the Sahara desert, I would crawl on my knees through the burning sand to come to you.  If the world would be like the Atlantic Ocean, I would swim through shark-infested waters to come to you.  I would fight the fiercest dragon to be by your side.  I will see you on Thursday if it does not rain.”  

Practical Applications: 1) We need to cultivate an abiding and loving friendship with Jesus and to express it in our relationships with others by loving them and showing them trust, faithfulness, equality, forgiveness, joy and sacrifice.

2) Today our mothers may receive Trinitarian Blessings in the church. But in our family life we should let our mothers bless us.  Commandments are summarized or divided into two: Love of God and Love of neighbors. In the second category of loving neighbors, priority is given to “honor your father and mother”. Getting a blessing from them is great expression of blessedness.

Introduction: Sixth Sunday of Easter; Mothers Day

Message: Let us love one another as Christ has loved us by offering himself for our sins.  His love is to be revealed to all the world, as Peter himself taught.

Saints and Events in this Week:  12 – Twelfth – Tuesday – Saints Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Saint Pancras, Martyr; 13 – Thirteenth – Wednesday - Our Lady of Fathima; 14 – Forteenth – Thursday – Saint Matthias, Apostle; 15 – Fifteenth – Friday – Saint Isidore; 17 – Seventeenth – Sunday – Ascension of the Lord.

VI Sunday Easter:2012:Acts10:25-26,34-35,44-485;1Jn4:7-10;Jn 15:9-17

VI Sunday Easter:2012:Acts10:25-26,34-35,44-485;1Jn4:7-10;Jn 15:9-17

Servants or Friends:

I once met a man who told me he had declared war on his pastor because he allows people to receive communion in the hand standing rather than on the tongue kneeling. "They are denying the real presence," he argued, "If they knew that they are actually receiving Christ, they would kneel to receive." In reply I asked him a revealing question, "What would you do if Jesus appeared to you?"

"Oh!" he replied, "I would immediately fall on my knees."

"Good," I said, "But there are people who would simply throw themselves on him out of sheer joy and love for him. Would you say that such people are irreverent?" He kept quiet for a moment as he began to see that it was probably less a question of discerning the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and more a question of one's personal relationship and faith approach to Jesus.

Today's gospel gives us two models of personal relationship to Jesus: as a servant (in Greek doulos means "slave") or as a friend. At any given point in our faith journey one of these two models is dominant. Either we see our relationship to Christ mainly in terms of master-servant or in terms of friend-friend. With the exception of mystics, traditional lay spirituality in the church has usually followed the master-servant model. Jesus is seen more as a master to be feared, respected and obeyed than as a friend to love in intimacy and familiarity. Today's gospel challenges us to rethink our relationship with Christ because, evidently, Christ himself prefers to relate with his disciples as friend to friend rather than as master to servant: "I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends" (John 15:15).

Jesus says that he would no longer call his disciples servants. This seems to indicate that he called them servants until then. Our relationship with Christ goes through different stages. First it starts off as a master-servant relationship when we are new to the faith, but then as our relationship with Christ deepens it changes into a less formal friend-friend type of relationship. Why, then, do so many of us stick to the master-servant way of relating to Christ as if it were the only way? Today's gospel is a call for us to move beyond the infant stage, the servant-master relationship, and go over to the adult stage, the friend-friend way of relating to Christ. This will change the way we pray and the way we live. We shall begin to pray better (John 15:7) and to experience more peace and joy in our lives, as people do who are in love.

One objection that is often raised by those who promote the master-servant model of relating to Christ is the concern that we are unworthy. Sure enough, we are not worthy. But Jesus has already taken that into consideration. He reminds us that "You did not choose me but I chose you" (John 15:16). If he has decided to chose us in our unworthiness and to love and accept us as we are, then we should not fix our gaze on ourselves and ask, "Who am I, Lord, that you should love me?" Rather we should fix our gaze on him and ask, "Who are you, Lord, that you love me so?"

How can we tell the difference between the irreverence and disrespect shown by those who have no serious relationship with the Lord and true familiarity which grows out of a loving relationship with Him? The key is keeping the Lord's commandments. Yes, God loves and accepts us as we are, but God loves us too much to leave us as we are. We love babies as they are, yet we want them to grow up. God expects us, similarly, to grow in His love. The Lord's offer to us of friendship and intimacy with him should not be an excuse for callousness and indifference. Just as God showed His love for us in deed by sending his Son to die for us, so is true love for God always shown in deed by the way we keep the twin commandments of love of God and neighbour. By this we can know if we are truly Christ's friends, because, "You are my friends if you do what I command you" (John 15: 14).