XVII Sunday in OT[C]: Gen18:20-32, Col 2: 12-14, Lk11:1-13

XVII Sunday in OT[C]: Gen18:20-32, Col 2: 12-14, Lk11:1-13

Introduction: The main themes of today’s Scripture readings are the power of intercessory prayer, the ideal prayer, the Our Father, and the necessity for persistence and perseverance in prayer, with trusting faith and boldness. In short, the readings teach us what to pray and how to pray. 

Joke: A businessman who needed millions of dollars to clinch an important deal went to church to pray for the money. By chance he knelt next to a man who was praying for $100 to pay an urgent debt. The businessman took out his wallet and pressed $100 into the other man’s hand. Overjoyed, the man got up and left the church. The businessman then closed his eyes and prayed, “And now, Lord, now that I have your undivided attention….”

Persistent in Prayer:  The thread tying together the Hebrew Testament reading and the Gospel reading is about being fearless in asking God for something.  In the first reading Abraham does not want God to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He pleads for these cities by talking directly to God and asking God to change his plans.  But he doesn’t just ask, he is persistent in asking, pushing for more and more mercy each time. It reminds me of a little child who keeps asking and asking until he breaks his parents down and gets what he wants.

The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is the sin of being inhospitable.  You may remember from past weeks that hospitality was one of the primary virtues of the Mediterranean person for many reasons.  Travel was difficult and could not be undertaken without a system of hospitality.  It was expected, and people were seen as virtuous who were hospitable. God sent two visitors to test the hospitality of the people, but only one person in the town was hospitable. So in the end, God saved the one person but destroyed the cities. Despite Abraham’s constant nagging and lowering the number of good people he must find to allow the cities to be saved, he was unable to find even ten hospitable people there. But, God kept listening to Abraham, and Abraham did manage to get it down from forty-five to ten.

Similarly in the Gospel, Jesus tells a story about a man who wants to be hospitable and is asking his neighbor to lend him some food to give his guests.  When he doesn’t get the response he wants from his neighbor, he asks again and again until he breaks the neighbor down and he does get what he wants. Jesus praises the man for his persistence in asking. The major lesson here then is to have persistence in asking God for what you want.  Jesus comfortingly tells us that if you ask it will be given to you because God is a loving parent, and like any parent, loves his or her child and listens to the needs of that child. Even parents with bad parenting skills do that, Jesus says.

Life Messages: 1) Be persistent in asking to God: Here is St. John Marie Vianney’s advice to a couple:  "Spend three minutes praising and thanking God for all you have. Spend three minutes asking God’s pardon for your sins and presenting your needs before Him. Spend three minutes reading the Bible and listening to God in silence. And do this every day."

2) Be hospitable to people who are in need. We should not wait for someone to compel us to be hospitable.  Neighbor means those who is in need. So try to be hospitable as Good Samaritan.

Introduction: XVII (Seventeenth) Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: In bargaining with God, Abraham demonstrates a real persistence in prayer.  Jesus invites us to persist in prayer as well, to “ask…. seek…. knock”.  May our prayer open us to God’s will, and so build up his strength within us.  In baptism we have died with Christ, and have been raised to life with him.

Saints and Events in this week: 29(Twenty-ninth) Monday-Saint Martha; 30(Thirtieth) Tuesday-Saint Peter Chrysologus, bishop, doctor of the church; 31(Thirty-first) Wednesday-Saint Ignatius of Loyola, priest; August 1(First) Thursday-Saint Alphonsus Liguori, bishop, doctor of the church; 2(Second) Friday-Saint Eusebius of Vercelli, bishop; Saint Peter Julian Eymard, priest;

XVI Sunday in OT[C]:Gen18:1-10a;Col1:24-28;Lk10:38-42

XVI Sunday in OT[C]:Gen18:1-10a;Col1:24-28;Lk10:38-42

Introduction: The first and last readings today are very interesting when read together.  They have so much in common.  Of utmost importance is the fact that they both revolve around hospitality and welcoming Christ as our guest and friend.  What strikes me right away is that the first reading is about the extraordinary hospitality Abraham offered to his guests, for which he was rewarded with the promise of an heir. Not a bad reward, especially in Jewish eyes! In the Gospel reading, however, Martha, who also offered considerable hospitality to Jesus, is dressed down by Jesus, for doing too much and worrying about all she needed to do in order to make Jesus comfortable.

 

Interpretations: There have been many interpretations of this story of Mary and Martha over the years. It is obviously a story about contrasts between the doer and the listener. In the history of the church is has been interpreted sometimes that the contemplative life is superior to the active life. Martin Luther used this happening to prove that there was justification by faith rather than by works.  Some theologians have seen it as the difference between Judaism and Christianity – Judaism which stresses the active hospitality and Christianity which has often stressed the spiritual life. Feminists today often look at this story and see that Jesus was going against the work of women of his day, and encouraging them to a life of prayer and study.

Exegesis: In the first reading, Abraham saw his opportunity to have God under his roof and he did not let it pass him by. He insisted thus: “…if I find favour with you, kindly do not pass your servant by…that is why you have come to your servant’s direction.” His hospitality transcended mortals and extended to immortals. Not only did he welcome them under his roof, he equally paid attention to what they have to say to him, gave them a good share of his time, and attended to almost all their basic needs. Of course, he won their friendship instantly and this friendship brought blessings upon his household. Paul succinctly tells us that the “Mystery that God revealed to the world is Christ himself among us.” This Mystery of course is equally our guest and friend, and also our hope of glory. In other words, He comes to us as one friend visits the other. Welcoming this Mystery which is Christ as our guest and friend is a pre-requisite for establishing a long standing relationship with God.

The gospel of today presents us with a terrain that must be walked with caution, least we fall victims of the error of thinking that Jesus is against one carrying out necessary house-hold chores or attending to our material needs. Far be it from this! As we grow in life our priorities change, and it is actually supposed to become less mundane. Of greater importance is the fact that generally speaking there should be a paradigm shift in our priorities as maturity sets in. Therefore, Jesus’s address to Martha: “you are anxious and worried about many things.  There is need of only one thing”, is well founded and goes to all of us too who in one way or the other are so distracted by the pursuit of mundane things over and above spiritual ones. It goes to all of us who have misplaced our priorities in life as Christians and in the house of God. It is not an excuse for us not to be hospitable to strangers, our guests and friends. Rather, it is a radical call to each and every one of us to set our priorities right. Jesus perhaps feels that it was not enough for Martha to welcome him to her house, but that she should also pay attention to what he has to say first and then go ahead to take care of material things later. Both the spiritual and temporal are good, but they are when attended to in their right order. Hence Jesus says: “It is Mary who has chosen the better part…” Jesus wanted her as he wants us today to set her priorities right by doing the first and most important things first.

Joke: A person had been confined to a mental institute. After years of treatment it was decided that he was well enough to be discharged. So the psychiatrist approached his patient to congratulate him. "I have good news for you. The board has examined your case and they have decided that you are completely cured. You can go home." Seeing the resentful look on the face of the patient, the doctor said: "Why are you reacting in this way? Aren't you happy now that you are cured?" And the man ranted back, "I am cured, but I am not going home! When I came here I was Pope John Paul II. I was busy like Martha in the Bible story, blessing people, writing encyclicals and giving daily papal audience to all the inmates and visitors of this house. But I will be nobody at home!"

Practical applications: 1) Give priority to spiritual energy: We should put aside the work we do for the Lord in serving others and just spend some time being with Him, talking to Him and listening to Him, fully aware of His holy presence in our souls. We may also recharge our spiritual energy by means of our personal and family prayers, our meditative reading of the Bible and our participation in the celebration of the Holy Mass. 2) We need listening Marthas and serving Marys: Martha has become a symbol of action-oriented, responsible people who get the job done. Our world and our parish churches need such dynamic and generous men, women, boys and girls. We need them for different services.  And also we need to train them to listen to God first. 3)  We need to be good listeners like Mary at home and in the workplace. Active and busy as we are, we have to find time every day to listen to God, to our spouse, kids and neighbors. Listening and quiet caring are essential for the success of married life, of family life and of the rearing of children with love, affection and a sense of discipline. Human love begins at home, and it begins with listening.

Introduction: Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: Abraham, the just and upright man, graciously hosts three visitors.  As Mary and Martha host Jesus, he speaks of only one thing as necessary for us who follow him; being open to receive the message and person of Jesus, and being receptive to “the mystery of Christ” as he comes to us through one another.

Saints and Events in this Week: 22-Monday-Saint Mary Magdalene; 23-Tuesday- Saint Bridget, religious; 24-Wednesday-Saint Sharbel Makhlaf, priest; 25-Thursday-Saint James, Apostle; 27-Friday-Saints Joachim and Anne, parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

XV Sunday in OT: [C]; Deut30:10-14;Col1:15-20;Lk10:25-37

XV Sunday in OT: [C]; Deut30:10-14;Col1:15-20;Lk10:25-37

Introduction: The lawyer, a Scribe, in today's gospel is not to be confused with the lawyers of our day. He was a student of the Torah--a word which is more properly translated as "instruction" or "revelation." Today, he would be called a theologian. And he asks the question that is primary in the mind of every theologian, namely, how do we human beings achieve the fulfillment intended by our creator? Jesus gives the classic answer from Deuteronomy: 6:5 (love of God) and Leviticus: 19:18 (love of neighbor). Everything else is secondary.

Exegesis: However, to the scribe, the word “neighbor” meant another Scribe or Pharisee – never a Samaritan or a Gentile. Hence, the Scribe insisted on a clarification of the word “neighbor.” So Jesus told him the parable of the Good Samaritan. The parable clearly indicates that a “neighbor” is anyone who needs help. Thus, the correct approach is not to ask the question “Who is my neighbor?” but rather to ask, “Am I a good neighbor to others?”

The Golden Rule, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27) which we hear in today’s gospel is not just a Christian thing. Every conceivable religion and culture in the world has the Golden Rule in one form or another. Here is a sampling:  Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow man. That is the law: all the rest is commentary.”  Islam: “No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”   Hinduism: “This is the sum of duty: do naught unto others which would cause you pain if done to you.”   Buddhism: “Hurt not others in ways that you yourself would find hurtful.”   Confucianism: “Do not unto others what you would not have them do unto you.”     Though this golden rule was popular, Jesus brought a completely new understanding to the commandment.

Jesus moves quickly then to illustrate the practical implications of these commands in the story of the Good Samaritan. The contrast drawn is dramatic: the priest and Levite belong to the class of professional men of religion whereas the Samaritan is a member of that generally despised and uneducated group of Jews who were left in Palestine during the Exile and whose religious "purity" was highly suspect.

According to the Jesus' story, however, it is this religious outcast who has understood the real meaning of the Torah while the professional practitioners of religion seem concerned only about the external, ritual elements of Judaism. As in the case of the Publican and the Pharisee, Jesus is not suggesting that one should become a Publican or a Samaritan. Rather, he insists that we should be authentic persons who know how to observe the spirit of our religion and not just its externals.

Joke:  A little boy returned home from Sunday School, and his mother asked him what lesson the teacher taught. He said, "It was about two preachers who saw a man in a ditch, but they didn't stop because he had already been robbed."

Life messages: 1) Know the spirit of showing mercy towards others.  And exercise it without conditions or motives. Check ourselves and see if we are good neighbors. 2) We may find our spouse, children or parents lying “wounded” by bitter words or scathing criticism or by other more blatant forms of verbal, emotional or physical abuse. Hence, Jesus invites us to show our love to others, in our own home, in school, in the work place, and in the neighborhood, as the Good Samaritan did. 3) Let us accept the invitation to be loving and merciful to our enemies.   This means people we hate, as well as those who hate us.  It is an invitation for people of all times to love their enemies--to love those they have previously hated.

Introduction: Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: The great commandment of love is not something “mysterious” or “remote.”  Indeed, it is “very near” to us.  Yet how difficult it is to fulfill, being neighbor to whomever is in need.  But if we seek God, we must “go and do the same”, for we have been created in, for, and through Christ.

Saints and events in this week: 15-Monday-Saint Bonaventure, bishop, doctor of the church; 16-Tuesday- Our Lady of Mount Carmel; 18-Thursday-Saint Camillus de Lellis, priest, from USA ; 20-Saturday-Saint Apollinaris, bishop, martyr.

XIV Sunday in OT:[C]: Is 66:10-14; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

XIV Sunday in OT:[C]: Is 66:10-14; Gal 6:14-18; Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

Exegesis:  Luke’s Gospel has two stories of Jesus sending out his followers to go and spread the Good News. In chapter 9 Jesus sends the Twelve apostles and in chapter 10 he sends seventy-two disciples. Matthew’s Gospel has only one: the sending of the Twelve. Scholars believe that Luke’s story of the sending out of the Seventy-two is his way of emphasizing the universal scope of the message of Christ. The mission of the Twelve, according to Matthew, was limited to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 10:6). The mission of the Seventy-two has no such limitation. According to Jewish tradition there are twelve tribes of Israel and seventy-two nations of the earth. The sending of the seventy-two disciples, therefore, symbolises the sending of the message of Christ to the whole world.

Event: A preacher was speaking at an open-air crusade in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Billy Graham was to speak the following night. But he arrived a day early. He came unannounced and sat on the grass with the crowd. In front of him sat an elderly gentleman who seemed to be listening attentively to the preaching. When the call came for people to come forward and make a commitment to the Lord, the gentleman did not move. Dr Graham tapped the man on the shoulder and asked, “Would you like to accept Christ? I’ll be glad to walk down with you if you want to.” The old man looked him up and down, shook his head and said, “No, I think I’ll just wait till the big gun shows up tomorrow night.” In the thinking of this man and in the thinking of many people, winning souls for Christ is something that should be reserved for the “big guns.” Today’s gospel story, however, shows us that mission is for everyone, big guns and little shots alike, the clergy as well as the laity.

Christian tradition identifies the Twelve apostles with ordained ministry in the church. When at the Last Supper Jesus commissioned his followers to “do this in memory of me” he was addressing the Twelve, the clergy. If this is so, then the Seventy-two who are sent out on mission in today’s gospel must be understood as lay people. Today’s gospel, therefore, is the commissioning of lay ministry. This way we can read the two missions in the Gospel of Luke, the mission of the Twelve and the mission of the Seventy-two, as the mission of the clergy and the mission of the laity. By including the two accounts Luke, unlike Matthew, is saying, therefore, that mission is not only for the clergy, mission is not only for the “big guns,” mission is for us all, ordained and non-ordained followers of Christ alike.

What is the reason for lay involvement in the spreading of the gospel?  “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” (Luke 10:2). This is as true today as it was in the days of Jesus. What roles are the laity supposed to play in fulfilling the mission of Christ? The role of the laity is twofold: “Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (verse 2), i.e. prayer, and “Go on your way. See, I am sending you” (verse 3), i.e. active involvement. It is not a question of doing either the one or the other. Every Christian is called to participate in the spreading of the message of Christ through a commitment to prayer and a commitment to action. Pray as if everything depends on God, work as if everything depends on you. Jesus goes on to detail the disposition we should bring to the work of evangelization: a spirit of meekness and vulnerability, a spirit of politeness and adaptability to the changing and challenging local situations in which we find ourselves in the course of mission work.

Joke:  A man who is said to be Christian, full of tattoos, seemed to be good looking but without prayer and charity, died and reached at the pearly gate.  St. Peter at the pearly gate got confused of his situation went and asked God, what to do. Let him in or not. God said we are always forgiving. Let him in. When St. Peter reached back to let him in, he could not see the man and even the pearly gate. Oh God, he has stolen the gate.

Life Messages: 1) We need to continue the preaching mission: Just as Jesus, in today’s gospel, gave instructions to the seventy-two missionaries, he also gives each one of us a mission to carry out. As faithful Christians, we should attract others to our faith by prayer and leading exemplary lives. 

2)  We need to avoid giving the counter-witness of practicing the “supermarket Catholicism” of our politicians who publicly proclaim their “Catholicism” and yet support abortion, gay marriage, human cloning and experimentation with human embryos. Nor should we be “armchair Catholics,” “cafeteria Catholics” or “Sunday Catholics” who bear counter-witness to Christ through our lives.  

3) Let us start preaching the gospel in our families by leading exemplary Christian lives, and family prayer.

Introduction: Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: Let us boast of nothing but the cross of Christ.  Through it his grace and power are made known to his servants.  Tremendous deeds shall be performed in his name: the reign of God is proclaimed, peace is given as gift, and the forces of sin are overcome.

Saints and Events in this week:  9-Tuesday-Saint Augustine Zhao Rong, priest, and companions, martyrs; 11-Thursday-Saint Benedict, abbot; 13-Saturday-Saint Henry

XIII Sunday in OT:[C]: I Kg 19, 16-21; Gal 5, 1.13-18; Lk 9, 51-62

XIII Sunday in OT:[C]: I Kg 19, 16-21; Gal 5, 1.13-18;  Lk 9, 51-62

On this 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time, the Church encourages us to: “Acclaim Jesus Christ who is more to us than the entire world, and whose Spirit has made us resolve to follow him wherever he leads us.” In the readings of today, one would at a close glance find themes like: Calling, Following Christ, Commitment, etc. All of these point to one central theme – Total Commitment in Serving the Lord.

 

Eleven year old Yadu disturbed his uncle (a priest) so much about going to spend his next long vacation in his parish. Knowing the solitary nature of the parish house and his busy schedule, his uncle tried to dissuade him but to no avail. Eventually, his uncle caved in to his demand and asked his mother to bring him. Yadu arrived on Friday, spent the weekend, and by Mondaymorning he has packed his bag ready to end his vacation. He went to his uncle and asked him to take him home immediately. His uncle knew his problem. Yadu could not cope with the solitude of the Parish house in spite of the food and TV channels at his beck and call. He was asked to wait till the weekend for his mother to come and pick him. Reluctantly, he agreed and waited for Friday to come. Very early on Friday morning Yadu picked up his bag and told his uncle: “I am going home whether Mummy comes or not!” Most Christians are like Yadu, quick to follow but without much commitment. God calls us to do things, to embrace a particular life, and it may not be in quite the way we expect it to be or even want it to be.

Our first reading today begins with God’s selection of a young man named Elisha to be the successor of the very famous prophet Elijah. God speaks to Elijah and tells him to go find a young farmer named Elisha and anoint him as a prophet and successor. Elisha acts somewhat strangely by our standards and simply finds the boy in a field and throws a cloak over him and walks away. For whatever reason Elisha seems to know what Elijah and God are asking him, so he asks if he can say goodbye to his parents, and as a symbol of leaving everything behind, he kills all his oxen and gives them as food. He “killed everything” that could constitute a distraction to serving God. He has nothing left of his own, so he goes and follows Elijah as his servant.  And he stays his servant and  lives in Elijah’s shadow for eight years. Eventually he does become a successor and a prophet of Israel, but he always remains in the shadow of Elijah who was one of the most famous of Israel’s prophets.  Elisha is noted for hearing the call of God and following it without question. He had been a farmer, but lowered himself to a servant in the process. He left his parents and his life to do God’s will.

Is it not baffling today that Christians are not committed to Christ in spite of our Baptismal, Religious and even Marital vows to follow Christ? This is because, our Oxen still lives. We must “slaughter” them as a sign of total commitment to Jesus Christ or, our attention will continue to be divided because: “You cannot serve God and Marmon at the same time” (Lk 16, 13).

In the second reading Paul reminds us of the freedom we have in Christ. This freedom like the one Elisha got from his service to his oxen is for a purpose. This freedom enables us to be free from other commitments that enslave us in order to be totally committed to Christ. Therefore, it is freedom not to be wasted on frivolities of life. That is what Paul describes as “self indulgence.” It is not freedom to become busy-bodies or a mediocre. Instead, it is freedom to follow and serve the Lord closely. Jean Jacques Rousseau in one of his philosophical thesis writes: “Man is free, but everywhere in chains.” Therefore ours is a freedom that also binds us to Christ and Charity towards others. This is why Paul says: “I am in chains because of Christ” (Phil 1, 13). Yes, even though he was saved from the perils of the world, he remained “a slave” for a worthy course. In short, ours is a freedom that helps us commit our entire life’s endeavour to Christ and his course: “But once I found Christ, all those things that I might count as profit, I reckon as loss” (Phil 3, 7-8). Yes, we have freedom but it is for the sake of serving Christ.

Joke:  A visitor preacher gave his hat to the ushers so they could pass it around for a goodwill offering.  When it came back to the preacher, it was nearly empty.                   But the preacher didn’t flinch.  He raised the hat to heaven and said, “I thank you, lord that I got my hat back from this congregation!”     Note: It happened not here, but elsewhere.

The gospel brings us to the zenith of this total commitment to the Lord. In it, Christ himself saw the lopsided nature of the commitment of the young men wishing to follow him. Having addressed their individual situations and complains, He makes a categorical statement: “Once the hand is laid on the plough, no one who looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Of course, we know the consequences of looking back. It turned Lot’s wife into a pillar of salt (Gen 19, 26). What Christ means and wants here is total commitment! This is not neglecting the fact that occasionally we might go off the track. However, when we do, we must as a matter of urgency return to the Lord. “Looking back” is therefore a dangerous venture in our Christian journey.

Like Elisha, we must “slaughter” or “kill” all the forces, obstacles and vices like: selfishness, materialism, greed, pride, laziness, immorality, cheating, backbiting, gossiping avarice, nepotism, tribalism, etcetera, that prevent us from serving the Lord well. This is the only way we can cry out and say: “O Lord, you are my portion and cup.” If we are totally committed to the Lord, He will definitely show us the part of life and true freedom in this world and beyond.

Introduction: Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: Elisha is summoned to follow the prophet Elijah and to succeed him.  Jesus insists that those who follow him must abandon all material or psychological securities, walking ever forward without looking back.  Paul distinguishes between true freedom and license.

Saints and events in this week: 1-Monday-Blessed Junipero Serra, priest from USA; 3-Wednesday-Saint Thomas, Apostle; 5-Friday-Saint Anthony Zaccaria, priest; Saint Elizabeth of Portugal from USA; 6-Saturday-Saint Maria Goretti, virgin, martyr

XII Sunday in OT: [C]: Zech 12:10-11; Gal 3:23-29; Lk9:18-22

XII Sunday in OT: [C]: Zech 12:10-11; Gal 3:23-29; Lk9:18-22

 

Introduction:   Jesus asks his disciples what the crowds were saying about him.  Then he asked his disciples, “But who do you say I am?”  Peter replies, “The Christ of God.”  Thereupon Jesus says, “The Son of Man must suffer greatly ….be killed and on the third day be raised.”  Then Jesus says that anyone who wishes to follow him as a disciple must also be ready to give up his life for his sake.

 

Peter, speaking for disciples and also for himself, rightly confesses his faith in Jesus as the long expected Messiah.  When Jesus reveals to him and the disciples the implications of his being Messiah, they begin to draw back.  By confessing Jesus as the Messiah the disciples show that they have gone above the level of “people” who take Jesus to be nothing more than a prophet.  Jesus then proceeds to tell them the implications of what they had just said: “The Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.” (Luke 9:22)

 

Exegesis:  Jesus’ questions are the same, and the question pertaining to are also the same.  The opinions on the issue may be different.  The opinions of the people who are following Jesus at a distance and the disciples who follow close to Jesus are different.  Following Jesus closely gets the correct knowledge about Jesus.  One can achieve that by reading books, listening to the radio, watching the television and surfing the Internet.  Over and above that, disciples must then, in light of Christian faith and revelation, make up their minds on the issue.

 

As the disciples are expected to know the people, Christians are expected to know the voice of the people.  But they must not allow themselves to internalize the voice of the “people” such that the voice of the “people” becomes the voice of their conscience.  This is what Paul is telling us in Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God – What is good and acceptable and perfect.”

 

Joke:  After Sunday school one morning, one of the parents invited the teacher over for dinner along with several other families from the church.  At the table, she asked her six-year-old daughter to say the blessing for the meal.

“I don’t know what to say,” she replied.

“Just say what you hear Mommy say,” her mother said.

The little girl bowed her head and said, “Dear Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”

 

Jesus identifies himself as the Son of Man.  Jesus is the Human created in the divine image as the beginning of a New Genesis.  In the gospel narratives we now are able to see in Jesus what authentic human existence looks like.  Jesus faithfully lives in a relation of covenant love as Son with his Heavenly Father.  He overcomes every temptation.  He acts in complete union with the Father’s love for all of the human family, estranged in exile.

 

Practical Applications: 1) Know the sheep so that shepherding will be easy.  Know the people around us so that Christians can reach out and live a godly life in this world.

2) Thirst for divine information through available means around us.

3) Understand that the Christian life is taking up the cross for others.

 

Introduction:  XII Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: We believe the prophecy of Zechariah to be fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah, who had to endure suffering and death on a cross.  By being baptized into his death, we are called to take up his cross and follow in his steps, and to seek the God for whom we long.

Saints and Events in this week: 24-Monday-The Nativity of Saint John the Baptist.  27-Thursday-Saint Cyril ofAlexandria, bishop, doctor of the church.  28-Friday-Saint Irenaeus, bishop, martyr.  29-Saturday-Saint Peter and Paul, Apostles

XI Sunday in OT[C]; 2 Sam12:7-10,13;Gal2:15-16,19-20;Lk 7:36-8:3

XI Sunday in OT[C]; 2 Sam12:7-10,13;Gal2:15-16,19-20;Lk 7:36-8:3

Introduction: "There are two types of people in the world. The first are those who bounce into a room and shout, 'Rejoice, I am here.' The second are those who come into the same room and exclaim, 'Ah, there you are." So has a pundit written correctly about us. Simon the Pharisee is the former. The woman sinner is the latter.

Exegesis:  Jesus was one of the guests at a feast thrown by the Pharisee, Simon.  I would like to think that Jesus was not the only guest, and perhaps was even least of the guests.  If he were the only guest, he would have been better cared for by his host – with washing of the feet, anointing of the head and with a kiss of welcome! And I suppose, the guests were reclining on cushion with their feet outstretched while sharing food in smaller groups from the common plate (sinia). A woman comes in.  She has a bad reputation.  It is her presence that forces the attention of Simon on Jesus. The rituals that she performs on the feet of Jesus are perhaps part of her profession! But surely when done in public, that too in the house of a Pharisee, and to the feet of a rabbi, it is simply scandalizing!  She washes the unwashed feet of Jesus with her tears; she massages his feet with oil; she ‘tickles’ his feet with her long oriental hair.  For the woman, perhaps these were signs of surrender and renunciation.  How women love their hair! (No wonder, when St Claire wanted to follow the simplicity of St Francis of Assisi, she would cut her hair!)  But in the culture in which Jesus was born, for a woman to let her hair loose in front of strangers did not speak well of that woman, as it is even in my own culture up to this day.  And Jesus lets her do it. God allows us to be ourselves in his presence. This is simply scandalizing.  Therefore, Simon has to call for order. He cannot let his home become defiled by an unholy ritual and the contact with an unholy woman.

Jesus wants to give a piece of his mind to Simon: for being impolite to Jesus – this controversial Rabbi – by not welcoming him properly, for being insensitive to a fellow human person – this sinner woman – who is turning to God, and for not being open to the presence of God – in Jesus. Jesus wants to be very polite to Simon, compassionate to the woman, and truthful as the Son of God.  He tells Simon a parable: about two people who had huge debts – one, fifty days’ wage, and the other, five hundred days’ wage.  Both are forgiven.  But one loved much, hence enjoys salvation.

Reflections:  In scriptural understanding, a prophet is one who warns people and calls them for conversion, like what Prophet Nathan does to David in the first reading of today. So Simon’s assumption is that Jesus being a prophet, as Simon perceives Jesus to be, should warn this woman and call her for conversion.  But the reality is, Jesus is not a prophet. He is the Son of God.  He does not condemn, nor does he condone; he does acknowledge that “her sins are many” (Lk 7:47); but he forgives. He forgives because the woman has loved much. Actually one who needs the invitation to conversion is Simon.  That is why Jesus speaks up to Simon.  Simon has strong sense of justice, like King David in the first reading of today, but that does not make him justified (saved) in the eyes of God.  Therefore Simon stands in need of the experience of the love of God. And that is Jesus’ invitation to Simon.

The woman has experienced the love of God in Jesus.  She stands in need of forgiveness. Jesus utters two sentences to this woman.  “Your sins are forgiven” (Lk 7:48). “Your faith has saved you; go in peace” (Lk 7:50). First is an experience of being forgiven. And the second, the experience of salvation.  The first sentence is an experience of what Spiritual writers have called, ‘the Purgative stage’ in the experience of God.  The second sentence could be an experience of what Spiritual writers have called, ‘the Unitive stage’. In between the two is the illuminative stage where there is a better understanding of the nature of God and the spiritual journey itself. The sinner woman goes home, renewed with a new lease of life, having experienced God.   

Joke:  A woman bought a parrot for a pet. All the parrot did was treat her bad. It insulted her and every time she tried to pick it up, it would peck at her arm.  One day she got fed up with the parrot and as it was insulting her she picked it up, it continued with the insults. "You’re ugly! I can't stand you!" and it pecked at her arm as she carried it. She opened the freezer door and threw him in and closed the door. From inside, the parrot was still going on for about 5 seconds and then it was suddenly quiet.  She thought, "Oh no, I killed it!" She opens the door and the parrot just looked at her. She picked it up. Then the parrot said:  "I'm very sorry. I apologize for my bad behavior and promise you there will be no more of that. From now on, I will be a respectful, obedient parrot."

"Well OK" she said. "Apology accepted". The parrot said "Thank you". Then he said,

"Can I ask you something?" She said, "Yes, What?"

And the parrot looked at the freezer and asked, "What did the Chicken do?"

Parallels in Bible:  I could not but see parallels between this passage (Lk 7:36-50), and what Jesus is going to tell us in the parable of the Prodigal Son (Lk 15:11-32). The woman is like the younger son who has come home, she has experienced forgiveness and salvation. Whereas, Simon the Pharisee is, like the elder son still at the threshold of the home.  And Jesus is between these two people (cf. Lk 15:1-3; 28) lovingly inviting them both to join the celebration of life – salvation.  Also see the parallels between the story in today’s gospel (Lk 7:36-50), and what Jesus is going to tell us in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican who went to the temple to pray (Lk 18:11-32).  The woman is like the Publican, she goes home justified; and the Pharisee remains untouched even by the presence of Jesus in his home. 

Conclusion:  Today’s gospel then invites us to surrender ourselves at the feet of Jesus in an act of humility and repentance.  It invites us to open ourselves to be loved by God.  It invites us to be saved by the loving presence of God.

Introduction:  XI Sunday in Ordinary Time

Message: David acknowledges his sin and experiences the Lord’s forgiveness.  The sinful woman is forgiven by Jesus because of her great love.  He loves us and gave himself up for us.

Saints and Events in this week:  Today is Fathers day; 19-Wednesday-Saint Romuald, abbot; 21-Friday-Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, religious; 22-Saturday-Saint Paulinus of Nola, bishop; Saints John Fisher; bishop, and Thomas More, martyrs;