Today, we celebrate the feast of Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus. Martha's gift was that of hospitality to Jesus, Mary's was that of contemplation and focus on Jesus. Lazarus' gift was perhaps that of witness about the power and love of Jesus in raising him up. Their common focus was Jesus. Their common reward was to be with Jesus forever in glory, where they continue in doing what Mary did, contemplate the beauty and glory of God. While here on earth we are called to do what each of them did, to serve, to contemplate and to witness Jesus. Then, we may with them contemplate God forever in glory. The way of the saints is the way of the Lord, given to us to follow and live.

 What if this is your last day on earth, are  you ready to go and meet the Lord? This should not be a frightening thought for  us, if we are disciples of Jesus. The fact is that we need to live each day as  if it is our last in this life. If we do, whenever that inevitable moment is, we will be prepared to be welcomed into the loving arms of our Father. That is the message Jesus gives us in the Scriptures. "Watch and stay awake. You do not know the day or the hour the Master will return. Blessed are those whom he finds waiting and prepared." If we keep our eyes on the Lord as we journey, we will not be caught off guard to know our earthly journey has ended.

 

Homily Eighteenth Sunday Year C

 

Reading 1: The author is reflecting on why do we do what we do. How many people work their whole life and have nothing to show for it? How many have not work for what they have, since it was given to them? Why does the author say both are vain and useless? No matter have hard we may work, we cannot avoid the sorrow and grief of daily existence.

 

The farmer is dependent upon the elements of the weather; the laborer upon the strength of the economy; the politician on pleasing his constituents. In all this, what is missing? Why does the author say it is a waste of time and energy in the best scheme of things? What is missing is one’s relationship with God, whether I have or have not, whether I am successful or not, whether I am a failure in the eyes of others. My true worth and identity is in my relationship with God. So, in fact, what is my relationship with God in the present moment? How important is God in my life?

 

Gospel: Jesus sums up what the author of the first reading is hinting at. One’s life does not consist of possessions, but being rich in what matters to God. In the parable he uses to emphasize his point is to the point. People never seem satisfied with what they have. They want more, as if the more they possess will enhance their true worth. How much is enough?

 

When my worth is in my possession and not in my relationship with God, then I will never be satisfied. Jesus exposes this attitude for what it is worth. You fool, you slaved to increase your possessions. When you die, what do you take with you?

 

A famous French author, Leon Bloy, reflecting upon this reality in the world, said that at the end of his life when he dies, the saddest thing is not to die a saint. Or as Jesus says, not being rich in what matters to God.

 

When we were baptized, we were given the down payment of our inheritance as adopted sons and daughters of God. We were given a share in God’s own divine life. How much effort do we put in growing in this new life of God in comparison to the effort we put in obtaining more material possessions and comforts? To be rich in the what matters to God is to seek to be holy as God is holy. For the saddest thing is not to die a saint.

 

Reading 2: Paul develops this thought of Jesus. He says, seek what is above, where Christ is seated. In other words, seek to be with him, when you die. Think of your inheritance. Keep your eyes fixed on that prize, eternal life with God. In this way, when Christ appears at the end of your life, you will be able to appear with him in glory.

 

Then Paul becomes very specific about how are we to do this, between the time we are baptized until the time when our life ends. He says that we are to conform every semblance of sin in our life. Put to death everything that is earthly, namely what draws us away from God, namely sin, no matter what it is.

 

Jesus through his death and resurrection, experienced in baptism, has made us a new creation. Don’t put on the old self of sin with its practices. Rather, live the new self that we have become in baptism. Put on the mind of Christ, choosing the will of God, what is good, pleasing and perfect. In this we will reflect the unity that is ours in Christ.

  St. Paul says: "We likewise bring every thought into captivity to make it obedient to Christ."  We have many thoughts racing through our minds throughout the day. Some are good, some indifferent, some are detrimental to our walk with God.  Paul is aware of the source of the destructive thoughts, the law of  sin within each of us. Even though he knows that he can't stop the source of these thoughts, he can take control of them when they occur. When we become aware of these thoughts, we are to "bring every thought into captivity". What does that mean? Have a "Jesus filter". That is what he means "to make it obedient to Christ." Submit your thoughts to Christ, who is the Lord of your life. This will not be easy. Ask for strength from the Holy Spirit to be able to let Jesus be the filter of our thoughts. This will be a constant battle, but it is in battle that we have victory. In allowing these thoughts to control us, then we experience defeat and bondage.

 Eighteenth Sunday  Gospel C

Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” 

· The Book of Deuteronomy specified how a father’s inheritance should be divided up. The eldest son always got the larger portion. Maybe this son was asking for more of an equal division of the inheritance. That was not what Jesus was about.

He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?”  Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” 

· Jesus makes a distinction between having possessions and being owned by them. The question is not that a person may be rich. Rather it is, does he see himself as a steward of God’s gifts or as a possessor of these for his own use?

·        He also tells him that one’s true value is not based on how much one possess, but on how one         lives his life.

Then he told them a parable.  “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.  He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.  There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ 

· Notice the absorption of the man with himself. He uses “I” six times and “my” five times. His success is seen for his own use and not in relationship to anyone else.

· What is our idea towards our possessions? Do we sense an area of greed in us? We are never satisfied with what we have, we want more and more?

· Jesus teaches that material possessions will never fully satisfy us.  No matter how much we have, we will always want more. That is the situation of our fallen human nature.

· Reflect on other related teachings of Jesus:

“One does not live by bread alone " (Lk 4:4).

       "What does it profit them if they gain the whole world, but lose or forfeit themselves?"                              

       (:Lk 9:25)

      "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat, or about your body,     

       what you will wear. For life is more than food, and the body more than clothing" (Lk 12:22-

              23).

             See the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Lk 16:19-31).

             "How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God!" (Lk 18:24).

Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”

· What is the issue here? What does it mean to you to be “rich in what matters to God?”

· What is God saying to you in this passage? 

 

As we look at the state of the present world  in which we live, we can become very depressed and despondent. I like this reflection from Henri Nouwen: "The state of the world suggests to me the urgent need for a spirituality that takes the end things very seriously, not a spirituality of withdrawal, nor of blindness to the powers of the world, but a spirituality that allows us to live in this world without belonging to it, a spirituality that allows us to take the joy and peace of the divine life even when we are surrounded by the powers and principalities of evil, death, and destruction."

What we need is a spirituality of hope, which is based on our personal relationship with God, who calls us to keep our eyes on him as we traverse through the destructive behaviors of human beings. It is a hope that says: "This too shall pass." For we believe that those who persevere will be blessed in the presence of God. It is the spirituality of hope we find in the words of the prophet Habakkuk: "For though the fig tree does not blossom, and no fruit appears on the vine, Though the yield of the olive fails and the terraces produce no nourishment, Though the flocks disappear from the fold and there is no herd in the stalls, Yet I will rejoice in the LORD and exult in my saving God." (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

 “ My past, O Lord, to Your mercy; my present, to Your love; my future to Your providence.” (St. Padre Pio)

 

What a great attitude! My past with all the good and bad I have done is gone. I can’t change it, but I can pray for God’s mercy and forgiveness.  In each present moment I am called by God to receive his love and to respond to his love. My future is not here, but I have no control over it. I trust that God will be there with me showing me what to do and that I do only that. If I fully embrace this attitude and approach to life, how freer and richer will my life be! When I don’t, how more anxious I am. Lord, with your grace help me to live freer and richer in you.

 “When I found your words, I devoured them; they became my joy and the happiness of my heart, Sing for joy, God’s chosen ones, give him the praise that is due. (Jeremiah 15:16)

 

Jeremiah gives us two ways to have the joy of the Lord in our hearts as something real and fulfilling. The first is the word of the Lord in the scriptures.  Not only does he say we should read the word of the Lord but we need to devoured them. What does that mean? We need to hear, reflect and act on the word of God for it to bring the joy of the Lord to us. For the word of God is given to us to bring us closer to the Lord. Secondly, he says we need to praise God with song from the heart. We find this mentioned so often in the Psalms. When we sing the praises of the heart to the Lord can we be less than joyful? Our focus again is the Lord, who is the source of our joy.  God wants us to have a joyful heart.

 

Homily: Seventeenth Sunday Year C

 

Reading 1: Background. Sodom and Gomorrah are cities in which sin is rampant, especially the sin of sodomy. But living in the city of Sodom is Abraham’s nephew, Lot, and his family. God is angry with the inhabitants of these cities and tells Abraham that he intends to destroy them.

 

Abraham, mainly because of his nephew and family, intercedes with God persistently for mercy upon the inhabitants. He basically bargains with God. That is how his persistent prayer is se seen by the author. Knowing the extent of sin present, Abraham pleads with God to spare the cities, if at least 10 righteous persons are found there.

 

We know what happened. The cities are destroyed because of the lack of even ten. But because of the persistent prayer of Abraham, Lot and his family were rescued and spared before the destruction.

 

Abraham shows boldness and persistency in prayer before God. He became a model for generations afterwards. Moses interceded before God for the Chosen People, who sinned continually against God during the Exodus journey. The prophets interceded for the people who broke the covenant, while expecting God to look the other way. Jesus teaches, as we see in the Gospel, the necessity of prayer but also to pray with persistency and certainty.

 

Gospel: Last week in the story of Martha and Mary, we saw a glimpse of contemplative prayer: Mary sitting at the feet of Jesus, gazing at him and listening to him. In today’s Gospel, Jesus gives us specifics on prayer, based on his own personal prayer. He was a man of prayer.

 

The Lord’s Prayer we heard was different from what we are accustomed to, but Luke’s version has the same basic elements. Jesus says to begin our prayer not with petition but adoration, praise and thanksgiving for who God is and all that he has already done in our life. Then, as if by the way, bring our petitions and intercessions for ourselves and others.

 

Then Jesus shows that one’s prayer should be spoken with confidence that God wants the best for us. Therefore, we need to be bold and persistent. He expresses these aspects in the parable and in the teaching that follows.

 

In the midst of our persistent prayer we realize that what we ask for might seem best for us in the moment, but there may be a higher good that God desires to give us. This greater good is the gift of the Holy Spirit, who is given to us to dwell within us, to reveal the love of God to us, to lead us to the truth, to be our advocate, to sanctify us and to empower us as witnesses of Jesus Christ.

 

This gift of the Holy Spirit must be activated by us, first by being aware of his presence and purpose and then yielding ourselves, by following his lead and the movement of his grace within. Just as we have been given muscles at birth, if we do not develop them and use them properly, what good are they? So too with the gift of the Holy Spirit. Not only are we to ask for a fresh awareness of the Holy Spirit, but we are to exercise the gifts he has given us.

 

Reading 2: Besides prayer of intercession, there is also the need to pray in thanksgiving for what God has done for us. Paul reminds us of the mercy we have already received from God through the death and resurrection of Jesus. When we were dead because of our alienation from God as a result of original sin, we experienced reconciliation and redemption in the waters of baptism through faith in the power of God.

 

And when we returned to sin afterwards, he reconciled us and forgave us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. On the cross Jesus showed us mercy. In legal terms he paid the debt due to our sins; he tore up the bond against us; he removed the barrier between us and God by embracing the cross. For all this and more we should give thanks to God.

 

"Like the Apostles we are on a journey seeking to deepen our relationship with the Lord. It is a journey in the knowledge of the Lord, in intimacy with the Lord: in familiarity with the Lord....This Christian familiarity with the Lord,  is always communal. Yes, it is intimate, it is personal, but in community. A familiarity without community, a familiarity without bread, a familiarity without the Church, without the people, without the sacraments is dangerous. It can become a 'gnostic' familiarity - so to say, a familiarity for me alone, detached from the People of God.” (Pope Francis)

We are, a pilgrim from the time we are born till we die. We are on a journey to God. We came from him and we are to return to him. As such we are to grow in intimacy with the Lord, so that by the time of our death our intimacy is complete: we will be one with the Lord. But  our journey is not to be alone. Not only do we journey with others but we are to bring others with us on this journey to the Lord. Our journey includes manifesting to others the Lord who loves us beyond measure. As such we are to be that light and salt, which Jesus  speaks of. For when we come to the Lord in judgement, he will be asking us whom did we bring with us to him. It is good to be with him. It is better to be with him and the others we brought to him.

 Seventeenth Sunday Gospel C

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”  He said to them, “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” 

· Matthew gives us a slightly longer version of the Our Father in the Sermon on the Mount. (Mt.6:9-15). Read and compare the two.

· In the prayer Jesus stresses the Fatherhood of God and his due. He also reminds us that God is the source of our sustenance, the source of forgiveness and the source of protection and deliverance in the time of trials.

· As you pray the Our Father slowly reflect on the phrases you are saying and explore what each means to you.

· Luke gives us two petitions that relate to who God is and three petitions that impact our relationship to God.

And he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,’ and he says in reply from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed.  I cannot get up to give you anything.’ I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. 

· Not only does Jesus share his own prayer with the apostles, but he teaches them the need to persevere in prayer. This perseverance is not only in asking again and again but coming back to God again and again. Perseverance of presence as well as need.

· This persistency is based on a conviction of trust in the love of the person of God.

· How much time do we spend in prayer before the Lord?

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.  

· There is a sense of certainty that God will respond. Maybe not the way we desire, but in a way that is good for us.

What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish?  Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?  If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?”

· That persistency and certainty in prayer are based on the person of God, who is Father, and on the love of God for his own.

· The person and work of the Holy Spirit are important themes in Luke’s Gospel.

· The person of the Holy Spirit is the perfect love between the Father and the Son and is the greatest gift God desires to give to us, namely himself. When the Father loves the Son and the Son the Father, they are giving of their total self one to the other, that is the Holy Spirit. The same is true with God to us.

· How are we to receive this gift? Pray and ask God to pour out his Spirit in a fresh new way into our lives. Pray with the assurance of certitude in the love God has for you.

· What does this passage say to you about your prayer life? What does it say about your relationship to the Holy Spirit?

 

“What is important in the Christian life is not to rush into a multitude of

exterior works but to discover and to practice the attitudes and behaviors

that open us up to the work of the Spirit...The spiritual life is not so much

about doing as letting be done, letting God act in us, work through us.”

 

“The merit doesn’t consist in doing nor in giving a lot, but rather in

receiving, in loving a lot”. (Thérèse of Lisieux)

 

“We need to learn to receive. This is the most important, yet also sometimes

the most difficult, part of the Christian existence.”

 

We are more comfortable in doing than in being, in giving than in receiving. This

allows us to be in control. But at the same time it hampers what God wants to do in

our lives, which is greater than we can do. In letting God act in us requires an act

of surrender to the will of God, which leaves us vulnerable to his grace. Where will

he lead me? What will he ask of me? It is a matter of flowing with the current

rather than against it. It is a call to trust in his love for us, which desires our

ultimate fulfillment in him.

 

To be Christian is not above all about fulfilling a task, a list of things to do. It is

about welcoming, though faith (a faith entwined with hope and love), the immense

gift offered freely to us. To live the gospel means learning to receive in our human

heart, with its limits and weaknesses, all the richness of the Father’s merciful love,

letting ourselves be transformed by it day after day, responding freely and

generously to it, and sharing it with those whom the Lord places on our path. (Fr.

Jacques Philippe)

To be a Christian means to be in relationship with the one Person who has changed our

lives for the best. We would not be who we are if we were not created in the image and

likeness of God, if the Son had not become man and had not given his life for us, if the

Spirit had not share God's divine life with us. To be a Christian is spend our lives

responding to all that God has and is doing in our lives, knowing that our response will

always be inadequate in comparison to what we have received. To be a Christian is do

what we have been commissioned to do: to share with others the Good News of God's

love with others. In other words, to be a Christian is not an obligation and a task but a

response and a joy that is obvious to all around. Rejoice, O Christian!

 

Cardinal Ratzinger said, referring to the dark night of faith St. Therese endured in the last months of her life: “When you sense God is absent, it is not that He has withdrawn His presence from you. It is, rather, that He is present to you now in a new form: under the form of yearning. And yearning stretches your capacity for love.”

Pray for this grace of yearning that leads to greater love, when you experience the sense of God's absence. God is never absent, because he loves us so much. But he allows us to experience a sense of absence, so that our desire for him can grow in a deeper and more fulfilling way. It is the yearning of the heart that seeks the good, the perfect and the beautiful. Things can't fulfill this deeper longing, only the source of life and love can. God doesn't want us to settle for the less when we can have the more. It was only the love for the Father that enable Jesus to endure the cruel sufferings of crucifixion for our sake. His cry: "I thirst" was an expression of this yearning for the Father. Thirst for the Lord. Seek the Lord with your whole heart until the moment you will see him face to face. Then your yearnings will be fulfilled.

 Jesus said: "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you res. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Mt.11:28-30)

Each of us has our own struggles and burdens in life, some greater than others. At times, we are overwhelmed by the heaviness of the weight upon us. Jesus knows the burdens of human life, for he was like us in all things but sin. He gives us a plan of action. First, come to him. Be in relationship with him. Seek him. Second, instead of carrying the load on our own, as we have been doing unsuccessfully, he invites us to share our burdens with him by yoking ourselves to him. In doing so, he doesn't promise to take our burdens away from us, but to share with us his strength and love as together we carry the cross (like Simon of Cyrene). What he does promise is to bring us an inner peace and resolve, for we know that we are not alone and that Jesus, whose grace is sufficient, is with us. We don't need to prove anything to anyone. We don't need to remain independent, struggling under the weight of our cross. But united with Christ and dependent upon his grace, we can walk our personal Way of the Cross. 

 

"Is our faith unconditional or conditional, total or partial? Is our faith based on conditions. Are we like Christians who say 'I am Christian but on the condition that things are done this way'. Am I a smorgasbord Christian, picking and choosing what I will believe and passing over what I do not accept? Is my faith in God or in myself? These Christians are afraid to grow, are afraid of life’s challenges, are afraid of the Lord’s challenges.” (Pope Francis)

Our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is based on his revelations and the truth he has revealed. Even though I am free, I can't call myself a Christian, a follower of Jesus the Christ, if I don't accept what he and his Church, through the Holy Spirit, has revealed to us about what is morally right or morally wrong. It is better for those who can't believe in what is revealed to walk away than to become a false disciple.  The smorgasbord Christian is walking on the wide road; the faithful Christian choses the narrow road. A sin is a sin. We have no right to determine the rightness or wrongness of an action. We are not God. The commands of the Lord are clear. We are called to follow his commands, not choose what we will follow or not. 

 Sixteenth Sunday Gospel C

Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. 

· Martha, Mary and Lazarus were close friends of Jesus. They lived in Bethany outside of Jerusalem. This is probably where Jesus and the disciples stayed when they went to Jerusalem.

· Mary assumes the position of a disciple, sitting beside Jesus at his feet and listening to him. It indicates that Jesus had both men and women disciples.

Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.” 

· Trying to feed a group of more than fifteen people was a major task for one person. Martha feels that her sister should share the load.

The Lord said to her in reply, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

· Jesus reminds her and us that there is a priority in life: Listening to the word of God because there is a great hunger in one’s heart for the truth is prior to sharing in the preparation of a meal. Both are good but one is greater.

· What causes us anxiety? What is the real issue underlying our anxiety? What was it for Martha?

· What is our priority in our daily life? How much quality time do we spend listening to the Lord? How much time do we spend doing things, even for the Lord?

· What message do we take and apply in our lives from reflecting on this passage?

 

When St. Teresa of Avila was 9 years old, she briefly ran away from home looking to be martyred by the Moors. When her parents returned her home and demanded an explanation, she explained her motive: “I want to see God.”

She, in her innocence and deep faith, wanted to be martyred, so she could be with God and see him. She captured in her youth the ultimate purpose of her life: God. For this she was created. Naively, she wanted to skip the steps of life and go directly to the end. She came to realize that before she could see God in eternity, she had to grow in relationship with him in time. Her love for God grew through many sufferings and struggles. The way to the top of the mountain was difficult. But she persevered, because she knew that being and seeing God was worth whatever she had to die to. How strong is our desire to see and be with God? What are we willing to die to, to let go of, so that we can reach the top of our mountain? The climb is slow and laboriously, but the vista is worth it.

 In today's Gospel we read: "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me." God is not asking us not to love our parents or our children. That would be contrary to the Fourth Commandment: "Honor your father and mother." This is a natural, God-made bond. But it must yield to a greater bond, that between God and us. God made us in his own image and likeness, while our parents brought us into life. Our parents gave us the opportunity to live an earthly life. God gives us the grace to live eternally with him. God wants us to love him first, not because he needs our love. We need him. "Our hearts are restless unless they rest in you, my God." (St. Augustin) 

It is because of our need to love God first that we are called to love our parents or our children or others, secondly. It does not take away from the love of others, but only gives our love its true priority and worth. It is because I love God first that I choose to love others as well. What Jesus is reminding us of is the great Schema in the Old Testament. "Hear, O Israel. You shall love God with all your heart, with all your mind and with all your strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself." Is our priority in right order?

 

"We should see our sin, no matter how grave or how small, as a little twig.  And then we should see a huge and blazing fire.  If you were to throw that twig into the fire it would immediately be consumed.  The twig is our sin and God’s Mercy is so powerful that it can easily and quickly consume it.  We only need to be willing to admit our sins and throw them into that burning fire of Divine Mercy" (St. Faustina, Diary #178).

Sometimes, instead of casting our sin into the fire of God's mercy, we place one sin upon another until the stack seems too much for us to bear. Even then, instead of trusting in the mercy of God we remain in sin. But the good news is very clear, even then, God's mercy is consuming, if we but sincerely repent and ask forgiveness. Yet, how easier it would be if we cast our initial sins regularly and quickly in faith. The ploy of the Evil One is to keep us in bondage. The grace of God offers us real freedom. Choice.

 A story is told of a blind boy who was flying a kite. He enjoyed this pastime along with others of his own age. A passer-by, knowing him and wanting to mildly tease the blind-fellow, said: ‘Hey, boy! Do you know where is your kite? You don’t know whether it is on the ground or up in the sky, do you?’ ‘Oh yes,’ said the blind lad, ‘I do know! It is now quite a fair height up in the air.’ How do you know that?’ asked the passer-by, ‘you surely can’t see it.’ The boy replied, ‘I can’t see it, it is true, but I can feel the tug of the string!’ The ‘tug’ of the string help the boy to realize the presence of the kite and to sense its height in the air!

How attentive are we to the "tug" of the grace of God on our hearts, which we call the move of the Holy Spirit? We don't see his grace, but we can become sensitive to the grace of the moment. That grace may be someone's name that comes to our mind or it may be a "chance" encounter with someone we haven't seen for a while. In God's plan there is nothing "by chance". Everything has a purpose and timing. So that we can become more attuned to the "tug" of the Spirit, we need to pray everyday for the grace of awareness to know when the Spirit is moving in us and what the Spirit is calling us to do in a given situation. How many opportunities have we missed? Lord, help me to be attentive to the move of your Spirit within me.

 

NOVENA TO OUR LADY OF MOUNT CARMEL

July 7-15, 2022

Blessed and Immaculate Virgin, splendid beauty of Carmel, you look with love on all who wear your blessed habit; look kindly on me and spread the mantle of your loving protection over all mankind.

By the power of your intercession strengthen my weakness, and by your wisdom light up the darkness of my mind.

Increase in me those virtues in which you excelled — faith, hope and love; adorn my soul with such graces and virtues that it may ever be pleasing to your divine Son.

Assist me in all the activities of life, and, by your presence console me at the time of my death.

In that hour present me to the Blessed Trinity as your child redeemed by the blood of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord.

O Beautiful Flower of Carmel, most fruitful vine, splendor of heaven, holy and singular, who brought forth the Son of God, still ever remaining a pure virgin, assist us in our necessity! O Star of the Sea, help and protect us!

We present to you our petition:  (Mention your request here)

Our Father....
Hail Mary....
Glory Be....
Our Lady of Mount Carmel, pray for us.

Homily Fifteenth Sunday Year C 

Reading 1: What was the great commandment for the Israelites? It was summed up in these words: There is no other God. God alone is our God. You shall love God with all your heart, mind and strength. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. They would recite this at least three times a day.  Moses here is reminding the people after one of their rebellious actions against God of the command of God which they previously said yes to. Even though they had sinned, they were invited to return to the Lord with all their heart and soul.

 

Once more Moses enjoins them to embrace and live what is already on their hearts and in their mouths. But to know something is not enough. To speak the truth is not enough. It must be acted on. How often we know what is right but do not do it? Paul calls this the law of sin within us. He says: I do what I don’t want to do and I don’t do what I want to do. Woe is me, I am a wretch, he says. Only in Jesus, who has saved me, do I have the grace to overcome this law of sin within.

 

If we were conscious of our relationship with God would we choose to sin? If a man or woman really loves their spouse, would either one be unfaithful even in the heart? Sin is the opposite of love. The reason the Israelites repeated the great Schema was to keep the Lord ever before them and to choose the way of the Lord, rather than offend the Lord through sin.

 

Reading 2: Paul talks about the centrality of Jesus as the God/Man. Without saying it directly, he is proclaiming that Jesus is truly God and Man. How does he say it in different ways? He is the first born of all creation, reflecting his humanity.  He is the image of the invisible God, reflecting his divinity.  Jesus said he who sees me sees the Father for the Father and I are one.

 

Being the first born of all creation, he is the pattern of all creation. All things were created for him, through him and in him. Yet He is God. He is before all things and all things are sustained in existence through him.

 

Do we hear the foundation of our Creed which we proclaim each Sunday? He is God. He is the beginning, the first-born of the dead through his resurrection. He is preeminent. In him all fullness dwells in him as God. Through his death and resurrection he has reconciled us to the Father, bringing peace and healing.

 

Gospel: The first thing we notice is this is another attempt to test Jesus and to discredit him as a teacher. The question is legitimate. What must I do to inherit eternal life? It is the same question another person, the rich young man, also asked Jesus.

 

In his response, Jesus quotes the great schema that Moses referred to in the first reading. Notice Jesus responded with a question. When the scribe answered correctly, Jesus responds with the words of Moses: Do this and you will live.

 

The man is not satisfied. He questioned Jesus further, not because he was really interested, but to justify himself. Jesus knows the animosity between the Jews and the Samaritans. He knows the ritual laws of purity and cleanness that the scribes would follow. So he chooses an illustration that will throw light on the law of legality and the law of love.

 

When the scribe affirms the truth of love, Jesus pushes him further by saying it is one thing to know the truth but it must be lived and acted on to make a difference. Do we go out of our comfort zone to help others or do we put barriers between ourselves and others? Do we just know what is right and wrong or do we act on what we know is true?

 "Do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, pleasing and perfect." (Rom 12:2)

When St. Paul mentions not "to be conformed to this age", we can very easily apply his words to our present situation. The evils around us want to be all consuming. But the same can be said of every age before us and after us. The evils may be different but the response will always be the same for those who truly follow the Lord. It is a choice before us: the way of this age or the way of the Lord, the wide road, leading to eternal destruction or the narrow road, leading to eternal life. Joshua and the Chosen People had the same choice.  The choice is easy even though the living out of that choice will be demanding. Like Joshua we are called to proclaim and live out the choice. For me and my household, we will follow the Lord.

 Fifteenth Sunday Gospel C

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

• The key phrase  here is “to test him”.  Was he really interested in the truth? It is Jesus who in turn will test him. 

 Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law?  How do you read it?"  He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself."

• As a scholar of the law he knew the answer before he asked the question. 

He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live." 

• Jesus gives him the real answer to his question. Knowing the truth is not enough. One must act on the truth.

But because he wished to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" 

• He continues to test Jesus. But his understanding of the scope of the command of God is limited. Jesus stretches his tent pegs. Jesus says your neighbor includes the one you most despise.

Jesus replied, "A man fell victim to robbers as he went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. They stripped and beat him and went off leaving him half-dead.  A priest happened to be going down that road, but when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.  Likewise a Levite came to the place, and when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side. 

• The presumption is that this person is a fellow Jew and to the priest and Levite he is dead. 

• The priest and the Levite observed the ritual laws of purification, which forbade them to touch the corpses of anyone other than family members. They were probably on the way back from the Temple and did not want to become ritually unclean.

• Who is that person we try to avoid at all means? 

But a Samaritan traveler who came upon him was moved with compassion at the sight.  He approached the victim, poured oil and wine over his wounds and bandaged them.  Then he lifted him up on his own animal, took him to an inn, and cared for him. 

• Jesus specifically chooses to use a Samaritan in his story because of the animosity between Jews and Samaritans. Neither would have anything to do with the other. 

• Yet this Samaritan risks his life for his “enemy”.  He is moved with compassion. He goes out of his way to minister to the man.

The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper with the instruction, 'Take care of him.  If you spend more than what I have given you, I shall repay you on my way back.' Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers' victim?"  He answered, "The one who treated him with mercy."  Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."

• The Fathers of the Church saw this parable as an allegory. It signifies “Christ’s restoration of mankind. Adam is the man attacked by Satan and his legions; he is stripped of his immortality and left dead in sin. The priest and the Levite represent the Old Covenant and its inability to restore man to new life. Jesus comes as the Good Samaritan to rescue man from death and brings him to the inn of the Church for refreshment and healing through the sacrament.”

• In this parable Jesus teaches how a true disciple of his should act towards others. 

• Jesus compares the failure of the ministers of God with the unselfishness of the hated Samaritan. 

• The Samaritan does not have the scribe’s learning. He does not have the concern for security and fear of ritual uncleanness.  He had spontaneous love. 

• As God has been merciful to us, so we are called to merciful to others, even the least.

 "Gratitude...goes beyond the “mine” and “thine” and claims the truth that all of life is a pure gift. In the past I always thought of gratitude as a spontaneous response to the awareness of gifts received, but now I realize that gratitude can also be lived as a discipline. The discipline of gratitude is the explicit effort to acknowledge that all I am and have is given to me as a gift of love, a gift to be celebrated with joy.