Second Sunday of Lent Gospel C

Jesus took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. 

· Jesus, in his humanity, saw the need to go aside and pray even when people were demanding more of his ministry. How much time do we set aside each day for prayer?

       • Jesus has just revealed to the twelve that the Son of Man will have to suffer and die and rise from the dead. They didn’t want to hear this.

       • To give the three an affirmation of what he said and who he was, he allows them to share in this theophany from the Father.

While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. 

              In prayer Jesus is strengthened for his impending death on the cross for our salvation. When                have we been strengthened in prayer during a difficult moment of our life?

              The presence of Moses and Elijah is to remind the Apostles that Jesus is the fulfillment of the         Law and the Prophets.

Peter and his companions had been overcome by sleep, but becoming fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As they were about to part from him, Peter said to Jesus,  “Master, it is good that we are here; let us make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” But he did not know what he was saying.

     Peter was caught up in the glory of the moment but made no connection with the death of             Jesus. How often we want to experience the glory and joy but not see them connected to the              journey of the cross in our life? We fail to remember what Paul tells us: there is no Easter              without Good Friday.

 

While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.” 

           The word of the Father is to direct Peter and the others back to the word of Jesus concerning              the cross. The Father who identified Jesus at his baptism as the beloved Son does so once              more, not for Jesus’ sake, but for his Apostles.

           How well do we listen to Jesus in the scriptures, in prayer, in the inspirations of the moment?

           Can we discern the voice of the Lord from other voices?

After the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. They fell silent and did not at that time tell anyone what they had seen. 

          Have you ever had an experience so profound that you could not share it with others, because             you had not fully processed it yet?

          Reflect on the experience of the Transfiguration. What does it say to you at this point in your life?

 Psalms 6:7 I have labored in my groaning. Every night, with my tears, I will wash my bed and drench my blanket.

 

If the author of this psalm is David, he acknowledges his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the conceiving of a child outside of wedlock. As the child lay dying, the King begged for his life with tears and mourning. How have we sinned? Do we weep and mourn for our infidelity to God? Do we weep and mourn for the sins of others? Jesus said: “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be consoled.” Matthew5:5 Lent is a time of mourning for sins, even though forgiven, so that we can experience the consolation of Easter. When we mourn for sins, we are acknowledging the gratuitous mercy of our God.

 Psalm 6:6 “For there is no one in death who would be mindful of you. And who will confess to you in Hell?”

It was the Old Testament understanding that, once people died, they no longer praised God. The New Testament understanding is that, if we die in Christ, we will be in the presence of God, where praising him will be our joy. Those eternally separated from God will not praise God for their focus is themselves. We should praise God daily both by our words and deeds in anticipation of eternally glorifying God for his mercy and love. It is our privilege and our duty to praise God for all the good things he has done and given to us. How often do we praise God during the day? Eternal praise to you, O God!

 Homily First Sunday of Lent Year C

 

Reading 1: Why were the people required to bring a tithe of their crops as a gift of sacrifice to God each year? God did not need their crops for everything is his. It was a sacrifice of thanksgiving, acknowledging their dependency on God.  For when he brought and offered his sacrifice, he was to recall all that God had generously done for his ancestors and for him over the years.

 

Tracing his ancestry to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the Israelite would recall how God delivered his people from slavery in Egypt and let them to a land flowing with milk and honey.

 

Why have we come today and each Sunday? We come to worship the Lord and to give our tithe. God doesn’t need our tithe or our worship. But we need God; we need to be in relationship with God. We come to remember and make present the mystery of our salvation from sin’s eternal effects. Through Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross we have been set free and restored in our friendship with God, lost through the sin of Adam and Eve. We come each Sunday to give thanks to God for the gift of salvation and a share in his Divine life. We come to give thanks to God for his many blessings of this past week.  We come to hear the Word of God for us this week, not only to say “Thanks be to God”, but to put it into practice. We come to be renewed and strengthened in the Divine Life God gave us in Baptism through eating of his Body and Blood. As we say in the Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer: It is right and just that we do all this on this day.

 

Gospel: The Word of God became man in order to restore us to our lost relationship with God.  He was to do this by offering the perfect sacrifice, himself through his suffering and death by crucifixion. He embraced this mission through a public sign of baptism, symbolically plunging himself in the will of the Father. The Father affirmed his willingness to be the sacrificial lamb and affirmed him publicly by saying “You are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.” And the Spirit anointed Jesus for the mission ahead.

 

His mission was two-fold. Reconciling humanity and defeating the Devil, breaking his stronghold over humanity. Led by the Spirit, Jesus prepared himself for this mission by a period of prayer and fasting. Soon he will “be baptized in the fire of temptation.” Afterwards, he confronts the Father of lies, the deceiver who led Adam and Eve away from God. The Devil was curious to know who this person was, who was called the Beloved Son of God. He was successful in tempting Adam and Eve, now he tempts this person.

 

Each of the temptations copies the tactics he used with Adam and Eve. They were the son and daughter of God, sharing his divine life, the same divine life that the Devil lost with his prideful rebellion against God.  As he attacked their identity, so seeks to attack Jesus’ identity as the Son of God. He does not know that Jesus is true God and true Man. Through suggestion, delight and consent, he tempted Adam and Eve. He uses the same with Jesus. If you are the Son of God, satisfy your need to eat after your long fast. If you are the Son of God show your power for others to see. If you are the Son of God, worship me and I will give you the riches of the world. In other words, do what I tell you to do.

 

Jesus, in his humanity led by the Spirit, kept his eyes on the Father who called him the Beloved Son. His obedience was to the Father who loved him, not to the Father of lies, who wants to destroy him. Jesus used the Word of God, which Paul calls, the sword of the Spirit, to confront each temptation. Jesus could have easily turned the stones into bread and to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the Temple, but he chose to trust and depend on the Father. But when Satan tried to claim himself as God, Jesus had enough of him and told him to be gone.

 

In all this Jesus is our model. We have the gift of the Holy Spirit; we are temples of the Holy Spirit. When we are tempted, remember who you are and whose you are. Keep your eyes on the Father who loves you and be nourished by the Word of God.  Remember he who is in us is greater than he who is outside.

 

Reading 2: Paul gives us another way to respond to God’s gift of salvation. Having heard the word of faith, the Good News of our salvation, we need to embrace the grace God gives us. Though Jesus has saved all, not all will be saved, because of their lack of response to the grace of God. What is the initial response? “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 

 

In other words, you will receive the grace of salvation. But this initial response must continue till death. I you acknowledge Jesus as Lord of your life and you live with him, following his ways and commands, then your embrace of salvation will be complete in Christ. As Jesus embrace the mission of the Father by doing the will of the Father even to the death on the cross, so we are called to do the will of the Father.

 

 Psalms 6:5 “Turn to me, Lord, and rescue my soul. Save me because of your mercy.”

 In Malachi 3-7 we read: “Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord.” But the truth is that God is always turned towards us, even when we have turned away because of sin. When we return to him, we will find him awaiting us, like the father of the Prodigal son. In his mercy God forgives and forgets our sins. He restores us to our rightful dignity as his own. He can only save us if we return to him. What is the sin I am holding on too?  Is it worth holding to? Is it not better to turn back to the Lord for the forgiveness of sin? Lord, Have mercy.

 First Sunday of Lent Gospel C

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. 

· The role of the Spirit in Jesus’ life is very important in Luke’s Gospel. In his humanity, Jesus needed the Spirit just as we, in our humanity, need the Spirit.

· Here it is the work of the Spirit to keep Jesus’ eyes on the Father and to trust fully in the Father. So too, the Spirit is present to us in times of temptations. How conscious are we of this presence and how quickly do we turn to the Spirit in temptations for strength and guidance?

He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” 

· The first temptation is to have Jesus question his dependency on God as his Father to provide for his needs. The temptation of Adam and Eve was also centered around food, not because they were hungry, but their need to be depended upon God. They could be equal to God.

· Where are we tempted to satisfy ourselves and not to believe that God can satisfy us fully?

Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” 

· The temptation of Adam and Eve was don’t they want to be like God, knowing good and evil? Don’t they want to have the same power and authority as God?

· For Jesus, the second temptation was touching on the human ambition for power and possessions. The price would be to substitute the true God for a pseudo-god.

· What are our vulnerabilities and areas of weaknesses which the evil one seeks to trip us up in? What are the false gods we reach out to rather than the true God?

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says: ’You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” 

· The temptation is to test God, not trusting in him as God, not respecting him as God. It is the temptation to have God prove himself to us. It denies the relationship of dependency upon God.

· In each of the temptations, Jesus depended upon the Word of God to counter the devil. The temptation is a lie; the Word of God is the truth.

· What do we learn from this passage that we can implement in our lives during this season of Lent?

· Do we need to study and reflect on the Word of God more?  Do we need to surrender our life to Jesus more? Do we need to call on the strength of the Spirit in the time of temptations?

When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

· There were many other subtle temptations for Jesus during his public ministry. The next biggest comes in the Garden of Olives and on the Cross.

· In our life, the devil is always looking for ways to separate us from God. Like Jesus we must keep our eyes on the Father and trust in his providential care.

 Psalm 6:2-3 “O Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor chastise me in your anger. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones have become disturbed,”

 

God chastises us not in anger but in love. Hebrews 12:6-7 “For whomever the Lord loves, he chastises. And every son whom he accepts, he scourges. Persevere in discipline. God presents you to himself as sons. But what son is there, whom his father does not correct?” In the Old Testament God chastised the Chosen People when they strayed far from him. He does the same with us. His chastisement has a corrective purpose, to bring us back to him. His chastisement is done in mercy now, so that he doesn’t have to chastise us in justice, which is eternal alienation from him. Lord, have mercy, for I have sinned.

 Psalms 6:2-3 “O Lord, do not rebuke me in your fury, nor chastise me in your anger. Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am weak. Heal me, Lord, for my bones have become disturbed,”

The Psalmist is aware of his sins. He knows that his sins separate him from God and that he deserves the wrath of God. He pleads for mercy, not judgment, for healing, not chastisement. As we begin this new Lenten journey, we need to confront our own sins through repentance and conversion of heart, so that we too can experience God’s mercy and not the justice we deserve. For God does not desire the death of the sinner, but that he returns to the Lord with sincere repentance. God desires us to live with him now and eternally. But sin blocks that. Lent is another grace time in our spiritual journey.

 

During the season of Lent, we will be reflecting on the seven Penitential Psalms. Each week we will reflect on one of the following psalms: 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143. As Lent is a time to uproot sin in our lives, these psalms reflect the cry and lamentation over personal and corporate sins and their consequences in our lives. I invite you to join me in this Lenten journey to the Pascal Mystery. I urge you to pray and reflect on these psalms as a way of entering into the prayer of the Psalmist, which is the prayer of the Church, making it our own prayer. May we have a graced-filled Lent. Lord, have mercy for I have sinned.

 "Be with him and listen. Listen to the One who invites you. Be quiet. Like a child dwells in the house with her mother and father. Just dwell. Play around. Be there. A half hour a day. Is it possible? Is it possible for half an hour? Just be there. Sit there and do nothing. Waste time with Jesus. That is what love does." Henri Nouwen

As you prepare for Lent, will conscious, quality time with the Lord be part of your regime? You may say that you are too busy, you have too much on your plate. Then, maybe you need to eliminate some things to give God his due in your life. You and I were so important to God, that he became Man and offer his life for our life, so that we might have real life. After all that, is it asking too much for us to show gratitude by spending this time with the Lord? "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's" How applicable is this saying of Jesus!

 This, then, is the third call to conversion: a call to hope, to trust in God and his great promise of eternal life. Let us ask ourselves: Am I convinced that the Lord forgives my sins? Or do I act as if I can save myself? Do I long for salvation and call upon God’s help to attain it? Do I concretely experience the hope that enables me to interpret the events of history and inspires in me a commitment to justice and fraternity, to care for our common home and in such a way that no one feels excluded? Pope Francis

As we prepare for the annual journey of Lent to celebration of the Paschal mysteries, we are called to uproot sin in our lives. Once we repent of sin and ask forgiveness, then in faith we believe that we have been freed. But sometimes people act as if they have to do something to be free and not receive the unmerited grace from God. We are called to remember our sins, not as if they are unforgiven and there is more we need to do, but to give praise and thanksgiving to God for his loving mercy. One of the traps of the Devil is to convince us that we have to earn salvation, we have to earn God's love, we have to placate an angry God. This is all a lie. Salvation is a gift. Love is a gift. Our God is a loving God, who loves us no matter what. Yes, he is a God of justice and mercy. Embrace his mercy and love, then his justice will be rewarding rather than condemning. 

 "And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it." Luke 12: 29

This is another way of saying live in the present moment, focusing on the move of God in our life and in things around us. God speaks to us in different ways through the different circumstances of the now and the different people in the now. How much have we missed in the past, because we were focused on ourselves or our future? When God says: Be still and know that I am the Lord, he is speaking about the present moment.  The I AM is here in the now both within us and with us. Be attentive and be responsive, less you missed the grace of the now that will prepare you for the grace of the future-now.

 

Homily: Eight Sunday Year C

 

Reading 1: One’s speech and words tell us much about a person, his character, his values, his motives and his true self. One uses a sieve or a strainer to separate the useful and the good from what will be discarded. As the reading says, “so too does none’s speech discloses the bent of one’s mind.” How conscious are we of our speech? How observant, controlled and filtered is our speech? Do we filter our thoughts before we verbalize them or do we speak whatever we think, regardless of the consequences? This Letter of St. James speaks of the important role our tongue has. Like the rudder of a boat or the steering wheel of a car, the person can direct the boat or car. James says: “the tongue is a small part but it moves great things. By our tongues we bless God and by our tongues we speak evil of others, who have been made in the likeness of God.  

 

Gospel: Jesus picks up the theme of the first reading. How easy is it for us to notice the faults of others but be blind to our own faults!  Not only do we notice the faults of others, we verbalize them in a judgmental and condemning way. Jesus calls this hypocrisy. He tells us to work on our own faults, clean our own closet from its skeletons. Then if you are led by God to encourage another to deal with a fault, do it out of love and in love.

 

As we enter into Lent, what better area to work on than our thought and our speech? What will happen to us, if we would spend Lent conscious of filtering our negative, judgmental, critical, angry, destructive thoughts? What if we would bring these thoughts to the Lord at the foot of the cross, before we speak them without filter? Would we then be putting into practice the admonition of St. Paul when we wrote: “Whatever you do in word or deed, do it in the name of Jesus, giving praise to Go God the Father through him.” Two things would be accomplished. We would be working on the junk within us and we would build up in love the other person. Yes, there is a law of sin without each of us, but there is also the grace of God to help us overcome this law of sin, if we so choose.

 

Reading 2: Death is inevitable for each person. As the scripture says, there is a time to be born and a time to die. The question is will death defeat us or will we by the grace of God defeat death? Paul tells us that through Jesus we have been given the victory over the second death, which is eternal alienation for God.

 

In faith we know that we will live eternally. Physical death is a brief moment in our life span. But if we die separated from God, our eternally will be a confirmation of the same. If we die in union with God because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, then we, by God’s grace and mercy, will live with God eternally. Therefore, how shall we live? Paul gives us the answer. “Be firm, steadfast and always devoted to the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”

 

 “You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely." Psalm 59: 17

What would our life be without God? That would be a life of being on our own for everything, a life of spiritual darkness, a life falling short of our destiny, a life forfeiting our eternal inheritance, a life of selfishness and of unfulfillment. But praise God for his fidelity to us, his everlasting love, his grace that gives us strength, reminding us of who we are and whose we are, why we are and where we are meant to be. Thus, we can choose a life with God or a life away from God. We can choose to depend on him or to depend solely on ourselves and others. It was the choice Joshua put before the Israelites. The decisions we make throughout our day will reflect our choice. "For me and my household, we will serve the Lord."

 The intimate relationship between the Father and the Son has a name. It is Spirit. Holy Spirit. “I want you to have my Spirit.” “Spirit” means “breath.” It comes from the ancient Greek word pneuma. “I want you to have my breathing. I want you to have that most intimate part of me so that the relationship that is between you and God is the same as between me and God, which is a divine relationship.” What you need to hear with your heart is that you are invited to dwell in the family of God. You are invited to be part of that intimate communion right now. Henri Nouwen

In creating us, God gave us the breath of life, which allows us to live freely each day. In recreating us in the waters of baptism, God gave us a share in his own divine life, allowing us to share with him intimately now and hopefully eternally. Like our human life-breath, which more often than not we are unaware of it, we can become unaware of the divine life-breath within us. Our human life-breath will cease one day. But our intimacy with God will continue, if we remain at one with God. Thank God for both, but especially for his divine life-breath. As we become more attentive to our intimacy with God, we will become responsive to his grace, which is preparing us for our full life with God eternally. 

 What is the desire of your heart? If it is not "we shall be like God, for we shall see him as he is", then our life will be a waste. "The entire life of a good Christian is in fact an exercise of holy desire. You do not yet see what you long for, but the very act of desiring prepares you, so that when he comes you may see and be utterly satisfied." (St. Augustine) We were created by God to be with God eternally. He is the beginning and end of every life. Keeping this goal before us, will help us to make the decisions necessary to be able to fulfill it by God's grace. Yes, the journey is long and difficult with many obstacles and false detouring signs to draw away from the goal. But our attitude needs to be that of St. Paul's: "This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind, and stretching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the prize to which I am called in the life above."  Bon voyage! 

 As Christian disciples of Jesus we are called to be a leader in the name of Jesus. Our Lord made it clear that our leadership needs to be modeled after his ministry. His ministry was that of service, laying down his life for the sake of others. It is a service of unconditional love. That is the only way we become important in the eyes of God. It is not the way of the world, but is the way of the Lord.  Do we have a servant's heart after the heart of Jesus? Even though he was God/Man, he washed the feet of his disciples and said: "As I have done, so you must do."  When we put others ahead of us, when we serve another in love, when we seek the good of others, then we are reflecting the heart of a servant, after the heart of Jesus.

 It is hard for us to really and fully be attentive and comfortable in the present moment of God's grace in our lives.  Some live more in the past. The past is now just memories, not present reality. Some live in fear,  waiting for the next shoe to drop. Some live in the future of what ifs. The future is only known by God. Each moment of our lives is a gift from God to be enjoyed. The wonder and awe of the present moment is rich with meaning. If we keep looking back to the past or too far ahead to the future, we can miss the precious gems of the present moment. God is not the God of the past or of the future, but the God of the present moment. Though he was and will be, God is now. Here is where we can meet him. Here is where he waits for us.

 Seventh Sunday Gospel C

Jesus said to his disciples: “To you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. To the person who strikes you on one cheek, offer the other one as well, and from the person who takes your cloak, do not withhold even your tunic. Give to everyone who asks of you, and from the one who takes what is yours do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. 

· How does the word of Jesus correspond or conflict with the learned behavior taught by the world today?

· The way of a disciple of Jesus must be different than the way of the world. One leads to eternal life and the other the destruction of life and relationships. Which do you want to choose?

· How does God treat us? This is the way we are to treat others. God moves from justice to mercy and love. Do we expect God to treat us in any other way than we treat others?

· Jesus gives specific examples how we are to move from justice to mercy in our relationship to others. How do we measure against them?

For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do the same. If you lend money to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, and get back the same amount. But rather, love your enemies and do good to them, and lend expecting nothing back; then your reward will be great and you will be children of the Most High, for he himself is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked.

· The love Jesus is requiring of us is not an emotional feeling, but a decision to act for the good of the other because God has shown us this kind of love when we were undeserving of it. Is our love for others reflective of this command of Jesus? If not, what will we decide to do?

· If we think Jesus is asking too much of us, view him on the cross and see that he put into action what he asked of us.

· The basis of what we do as disciples is not the way of the world but the way of the Lord. Which way do we choose to follow?

 Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and gifts will be given to you; a good measure, packed together, shaken down, and overflowing, will be poured into your lap. For the measure with which you measure will in return be measured out to you.”

· What a sobering thought! The way we treat others is the way we are telling God to treat us. If we love others, forgive others, show kindness to others, then this is how God will judge us. But the opposite is also true. God has set the standard of mercy and love. But if we want the standard to be strict justice and non-forgiveness, so it will be.

· What needs to change in our life as a result of reflection on this passage?

· With Lent coming up what could be a good Lenten resolution as a result of this teaching of Jesus?

 In baptism we were anointed, consecrated and sealed with the Oil of Chrism as a disciple of Jesus Christ. A disciple is one who remains in the company of Jesus, so as to be formed and informed. Having had an encounter with the Lord, the disciple wants to grow in relationship with Jesus. That growth involves reading, reflecting and embracing the words of Scripture in our life style .  In confirmation we were once more anointed, consecrated and sealed with the Oil of Chrism as a witness of Jesus. Having spent time with Jesus to be formed and informed, now we are commissioned by Jesus to go and share the Good News of our salvation and of God's love with others. What kind of disciple/witness are we. As a disciple, we worship the Lord in the Eucharist. As a witness we invite and bring others with us to the celebration of the Eucharist. As a disciple, we study the word of God. As a witness, we invite others to study the word with us. As a disciple, we saw and learned how Jesus dealt with divine appointments. As a witness, we consciously are open to the divine appointments God has for us to share his love with others.

 All is grace. It is so easy for us to forget this truth. It is grace that I exist, that I have been redeemed, that I have been sanctified and anointed, that prayers are answered. The blessings I receive each day are signs of God's favor, not because I am worthy, but because of who God is.  I build upon the grace of God to me. How can I respond to his many favors of love to me? First, be mindful and grateful. Second, be the person you are called to be in the eyes of God. Third, use the grace moments given to you to make a difference in the lives of others. Fourth, let the seeds of grace bear a hundred fold for the glory of God.

 On this, Valentine's day, God desires to restate his personal and real love for each of us. It is easy to read about his love. But sometimes it is hard to allow that love to penetrate the surface of our heart. Maybe it is because we have been hurt before by those who said they loved us or should have loved us. We can't trust God's love because our experience of love is painful not comforting. We have a deep desire to be loved for the person that we are and not for what we do. As much as God loves us, he will not violate our space nor our will. Instead, he patiently knocks at the door of our heart, calling us by name, speaking his tender words of love, while waiting for us to open the door even slightly. He will not go away, because he loves us as his beloved son or daughter. Trust in the desire of your heart. 

 Someone has said: "I am who I am in the eyes of God, nothing more, nothing less."  My identity is not in my career, not in my accomplishments, not defined by others, nor by myself. God gives me my identity and with that my destiny. My identity is in Christ. I am by God's grace an adopted son of God, sharing in his divine life so that I can be with him eternally. As an adopted son of the Father, I am an heir in Christ. My inheritance is not material and temporal, but spiritual and eternal. The pledge and first down payment of my inheritance is the Holy Spirit. The Prodigal son squandered his inheritance; the elder son felt he was owed his inheritance. My response is to accept and live my identity in Christ, so that I can claim the gift of my inheritance as the grace from God that it is. 

 

Homily Sixth Sunday Year C

 

Reading 1: Jeremiah has been sent to call the people of Israel back to the Lord. Externally, they were going through the motions, but internally and relationally they were not in right order. Instead of trusting in the Lord, who had shown them his providential care in many ways, they sought to align themselves with other nations and kingdoms for their protection.

 

So Jeremiah spoke the word of God to them. “Cursed are those who trust in other human beings and not in God. You will be like a fruitless tree in the desert.” On the other hand, those who put their trust primarily in God’s providential care will be like a fruitful tree.

 

In a sense, we are like the Israelites. Though on our currency we say “In God we trust”, but in fact do we truly trust in God? There are some in our nation who want to remove God from all public awareness and relegate God to a private, personal experience. In our personal lives do we truly trust in God primarily or do we put our trust in ourselves and others? Is our trust in God merely verbal or is actually what sustains us in our daily life? Because the people of Jeremiah’s day refused to heed God’s word, they experienced the curse of defeat and exile.

 

Gospel: The first reading stressed the difference between those who trust in the Lord and those who did not. The first are blessed and the later are cursed. Jesus uses the same idea in the Gospel. Blessed vs woe. Underlying the four groups of people whom Jesus calls blessed are those who trust in the Lord, even though they are poor materially, go about hungry, weep over the sins of the times, and are persecuted on account of their relationship with Jesus. In spite of their situation, they put their trust in God to provide for them.

 

In contrast are those who are called woe, not because they are rich, or satisfied, or laughing or spoken well of. They do not put their trust in God, but in themselves and others.  It would be wrong to think that Jesus despised the rich or those have sufficient food to eat, or know how to enjoy life. The contrast Jesus makes here is the same he makes in the parable of the unnamed rich man and the beggar Lazarus. The rich man was indifferent about the plight of the beggar. His focus was his own satisfaction, forgetting that he was a beggar before the Lord and a steward of the Lord’s provisions for him. On the other hand, Lazarus put his hope and trust in God to provide for him.

 

Do we trust in the Lord? Paul himself said that whether he had or did not have, he put his trust in the Lord to provide for his needs.

 

Reading 2: Paul was dealing with those in the Corinthian community who questioned life after death and therefore the resurrection of the body. Paul’s response is “do you trust in the word of God or do you trust in your own thinking?” Paul then turns to the word of God, reminding them of the central mystery of our faith, namely the death and resurrection of Jesus from the dead. If we believe in the mystery of Jesus’ resurrection; if we believe that he has come to give us eternal life; if we believe that he said that when he will be with him, then we need to accept in faith that one day, though our bodies may turn to dust in the grave, nothing is impossible to God.

 

If God can create the first human being out of the clay of the earth, then he can raise our bodies up either to glory or to condemnation.  Each Sunday in the Creed, we profess this truth of revelation, namely, that, one day, God will raise our bodies to eternal life with him or eternal life alienated from him.

 There is a inner desire in our hearts to achieve. Some seek to achieve success or wealth or power or recognition, all of which is like dust in the graves of the deceased. There is only one thing worth striving for that is eternal life of glory and peace. God places that desire in our hearts. But Satan sows the weeds that look like wheat but is not. Instead of  embracing the gift of God, many times we allow the web of fool's gold to entice us on the wrong journey. But God in his goodness gives us many grace moments to recognize the difference and to choose what will truly make us happy. One road leads to destruction. The other to eternal fulfillment. It is our choice.

 Sixth Sunday Gospel C

Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. 

· Luke tells us that Gentiles from Tyre and Sidon as well as Jews from Judea and Jerusalem were going out to hear Jesus and experience his miraculous powers.

· What comes before this passage in Luke is the relating that Jesus spent the night on the mountain side in prayer and followed this by naming the twelve apostles. Thus he came down with the twelve.

· What we have is Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount found in Matthew’s Gospel.

· Luke’s version is shorter because, though he is dependent on Matthew for one of his sources, his audience is different from Matthew. Matthew is predominately speaking to Jewish converts; Luke to Gentile converts.

And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. 

· Luke addresses the economically and socially poor and calls them blessed.  Matthew focuses on the religious and spiritual poor who depend on the Lord for all.

Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. 

· Again the same distinction is made by Luke and Matthew: Luke is concerned about the people in his community who are without proper amount of food and calls them blessed. While they may suffer now, they will be blessed. Matthew looks at those who are hungry and thirsty for justice and righteousness.

Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. 

· Luke is addressing the physically sad; Matthew blesses those who mourn because of sin.

Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way

· Do we experience some of this in our life because we try to follow Jesus? If so, we should be happy to know that we will be blessed, not now but in heaven.

But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.

· Luke provides four “beatitudes”; Matthew gives eight.

· Luke balances the picture by adding some negative contrasts: four woes. These are absent from Matthew.

· Luke addresses those who are financially rich but who do not share their blessings with those who are poor.

Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. 

· In contrast to those above who are hungry now and who will be satisfied later, Luke  tells those who are physically filled now that they will be hungry because they did not share with others.

Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. 

· Luke reminds those who enjoy their lives without concern for others or at the expense of others that the day will come when their situation will become reversed.

· Recall the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the poor man. (Lk 16:19-31)

Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

· Notice all four woes are in contrast to the four blessings. Luke seeks to warn those in his community what true discipleship is all about.

· What application can you make in your own life from this passage?

"Patience means to remain close to the moment and to fully taste where you are so that the seeds that are sown in the moment can grow and lead you to the future. The future is hidden in the present as a seed in fertile ground. By nurturing and tending the soil in which we stand we come in touch with the promise." Henri Nouwen

Sometimes we try to rush the process of life, even our spiritual life, because we want to pass the present moment and quickly fast forward into the future. But the seed of God's grace of the present moment is like the seed the farmer plants in the ground that he cultivated. If he goes every moment to see growth, he will be disappointed. But if he lived in the present moment, allowing the seed to go through the natural process of fermentation, then in time, not only will he see a plant but the fruit of that plant. We are impatient with ourselves. We expect that once we give our lives to Jesus, we would be transformed into a saint overnight. The spiritual journey is like that seed. Be attentive to what God is saying to you in the present moment, follow his direction and at the end of life enjoy the fruit of the spiritual life, life in Christ.

 Have you ever thought that God is our home. This is an image frequent in the scriptures. He is not only our final resting place, to be with him eternally, but he is our place of refuge in the present moment. God makes us a place of his dwelling, sharing his divine life, so that we may make him our eternal dwelling. The home is a place of love, a place of comfort and security, a place of rest. If we are resting in the Lord now, if we are finding comfort in the Lord now, if we are not resting in the Lord now, how can we expect to be with him after this life? When God becomes our place of return after our labors, then we will find true refreshment from our labors. Did not Jesus invite us to come to him in the midst of our labors and difficulties and find the grace of the moment? Make God our home and he will make his home ours.

 Do you believe that God has a plan for you? Do you believe that what look like obstacles are really bumps on the road of life? God may use these obstacles to prepare us for what he really want us to experience in our fidelity to him. God may also use these blocks or difficult experiences to draw us closer to himself. When St. Paul cried out to the Lord because of the "thorn in his side", God showed him that this was an opportunity to depend more on God's grace. It was a teaching moment in Paul's life and understanding of God's plan for him. He learned not to be overcome by the blocks or difficulties but to use them as a stepping stones to holiness. 

 

Homily Fifth Sunday Year C

 

Reading 1: Last Sunday we heard the call of Jeremiah to be a prophet. In today’s readings we heard the call of Isaiah, Paul and Peter. Like Jeremiah, Isaiah experiences through a vision God’s call to be a prophet. Isaiah sees the glory of God and hears the song of the angels crying out “Holy, Holy, Holy!” His first response was the acknowledgment of his sinful state.

 

God’s response was to symbolically purify him. Then God shares with him the reason for the vision. Will he accept the role of prophet and go to the Israelites with God’ message? Unlike Jeremiah, Isaiah didn’t hesitate to say “Yes, send me.”

 

Let’s look at the process. Whenever there is an encounter with the Divine, there is always a feeling of unworthiness on the side of the human. Isaiah experienced this unworthiness and considered himself doomed and lost for encountering the Divine. But God’s purpose is to prepare him for a greater mission and purpose.

 

If we have had an encounter with God, maybe not as dramatic as Isaiah, we have also experienced our unworthiness. But what God is seeking from us is the readiness response to him like Isaiah: to do the will of God no matter the cost. Like other prophets, Isaiah suffered mainly because he spoke the Word of God yet the people did not receive it nor respond to it. In spite of that, he continued to speak the Word of God.

 

Reading 2: St Paul discusses the mission he received from Christ to be an Apostle to the nations. Paul’s encounter with the Divine took place on his way to Damascus to persecute the followers of Christ. Years later, as he looked back on that event, Paul experienced the same unworthiness and considered himself unfit to be called an Apostle. But by God’s grace he was. It was the same grace/favor of God that called Isaiah, Peter, Andrew, James and John. Paul was a zealot in preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which has the power to save.

 

It is the grace of God that has saved us through Jesus’ death and resurrection and calls us to follow him in spite of our sinfulness. What are we called to be and do? We are called to be disciple/witnesses who preach by our words and life the good news of God’s love and mercy.

 

Gospel: We have here the call of the first disciples by Jesus. Jesus encounters Peter, Andrew, James and John. He has already met Andrew and John at the Jordan after being baptized. He has already met Peter, who was brought to Jesus by Andrew. However, those encounters did not galvanized them as disciples.

 

It is this event of the miraculous catch of fish that became the tipping point for them. They had been fishing all night and had caught nothing. So you can imagine the initial hesitation but eventual agreement of Peter to be obedient to Jesus when he said to put out into the deep. Was he just humoring Jesus who is not a fisherman? Expert fishermen knew you don’t expect to catch much around noon.

 

But when they lowered their nets at the spot Jesus indicated and caught the enormous amount of fish, they were overwhelmed. Peter’s disbelief turned into astonishment and then to unworthiness. But Jesus’ response is the same as God’s to Isaiah. As God called Isaiah to be his prophet in spite of his sinfulness, Jesus invites Peter and the others to be his disciples. “Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” Like Isaiah, they left everything to follow him.

 

Today’s Gospel marks the official beginning point in the relationship between Jesus and Peter. This is also the beginning of the leadership role that Peter will have within the community of disciples. Peter was chosen for this role.

 

God encounters us not just once but at different times but the process is always the same. We experience something beyond us; we recognize our sinfulness; we are called to repent and be open to the more God wants to reveal. These encounters have a twofold purpose: greater intimacy and growth in holiness in order to have a more effective ministry.

 

 

 One of the promises Jesus has made us is that he will be within us and with us always. This is not a feeling but a faith awareness and a faith conviction. He shares his divine life with us as a means of being with us in an intimate way. When we take time to pray and share with him, we are making his presence a conscious reality. Awareness of his presence is what made the lives of the saints in the midst of their struggles meaningful. They knew they were never alone. They knew in faith that Jesus was with them, walking alongside of them on their journey. We are never alone. As Paul dealt with the "thorn in his side", he was reminded that God's grace was also present to him. With confidence Paul could proclaim that in Christ he can do all things. Never forget the promise of Jesus and you will never be alone.

 Fifth Sunday Gospel C

While the crowd was pressing in on Jesus and listening to the word of God, he was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret. He saw two boats there alongside the lake; the fishermen had disembarked and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, he asked him to put out a short distance from the shore. Then he sat down and taught the crowds from the boat. 

· There is a pattern to Jesus’ ministry. He teaches and then confirms his message with a miraculous sign. Or he performs a sign and, having gotten their attention, then teaches. Both sign and word are messages.

· In this case, the message was for Simon and his friends as well. What he taught we do not know but it could have been a preparation for the invitation to Simon and companions to become his disciples and follow him.

· It was not by accident that he chose Simon’s boat. This was not the first time that Jesus and Simon have met. In John’s Gospel we are told of an initial or preparatory encounter prior to this event.

After he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water and lower your nets for a catch.” Simon said in reply, “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” 

· Sometimes we are more comfortable on the shores of life—in our comfort zone. But God calls us to put out into the deep.  What is the area in your life that God is calling you to put out into the deep and move away from your comfort zone?

· Simon had no clue what was about to happen would be life changing for him. Has God done something in your life that was also life-changing, which you were not prepared for?

· What was the first step for Simon and for us? Do what he tells us, even though we do not understand.

When they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their nets were tearing. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come to help them.  They came and filled both boats so that the boats were in danger of sinking. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at the knees of Jesus and said, “Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment at the catch of fish they had made seized him and all those with him, and likewise James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon.

· What is the second step for Simon and for us? Recognizing our sinfulness and unworthiness and repent.

· Peter’s own unworthiness and sinfulness was a block to going deeper in his own life. What is the block in our lives? Can we like Peter acknowledge the block, the area of sin and like Peter not let it be a block any longer?

 Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.” When they brought their boats to the shore, they left everything and followed him. 

· What is the third step?  What is an apparent block to us is not an obstacle for Jesus to overcome. This was not the end of the story for Peter or for us.

· The miracle was a preview of what Jesus wanted to do it their lives. But they had to be willing to let go their comfort zone and trust in Jesus and follow him no matter the cost. This is what it means to put out into the deep.

· Peter and his companions were not perfect when they responded to Jesus’ invitation. They grew in relationship as they spent time with Jesus.

· What is the fourth step? We must be willing to surrender and follow the path the Jesus begins to show us in our life.

· What is God saying to you as you reflect on this passage? 

 "To see God, to be like God: this is our hope. And today… we need to think a little about this hope: this hope that accompanies us in life. The first Christians depicted hope with an anchor, as though life were an anchor cast on Heaven’s shores and all of us journeying to that shore, clinging to the anchor’s rope. This is a beautiful image of hope: to have our hearts anchored there, where our beloved predecessors are, where the Saints are, where Jesus is, where God is. This is the hope that does not disappoint; today and tomorrow are days of hope.” Pope Francis

If we don't have this hope of seeing God face to face one day and being with him eternally, then what do we  hope for that is greater or more lasting? Seeing God one day in all his glory is the fulfillment of our destiny for existence. It is not a pie-in-the-sky panacea, like fool's gold. This is the desire God has put in the heart of each one who is truly seeking the truth. This is the hope that has strengthened and sustained millions of believers over the centuries. Without this active hope we will not be able to make sense of the darkness and pain all around us. Ask the Holy Spirit to stir this gift of hope in your heart, so that like a sure light you can reach the goal of your hope, God.

 For centuries the world has tried to live without God. Yet, "loneliness, isolation, lack of friendship and intimacy, broken relationships, boredom, feelings of emptiness and depression, and a deep sense of uselessness" still plague humanity in spite of its scientific advances. Each century, each decade, each day, the world needs not intellectual prophets but God-led prophets, who cry out "return to the Lord, with all your heart."  By virtue of Baptism and Confirmation each of us is gifted, anointed and empowered to be that witness needed by the people around us, who are in need of God's love and compassion, mercy and forgiveness, healing and hope. Be open and pray each day to be available to God in whatever way he desires to minister through you. Then, watch God at work

  "Act today in such a way that you need not blush tomorrow." St. John Bosco

This is another way of saying that our actions have consequences, some eternal. Adam and Eve sought the temporary satisfaction of eating the fruit of knowing good and evil. The eternal consequences were devastating: lost relationship with God. How often we act without thinking of the real effects of our actions! The saints teach us to keep the final judgment in mind when we act, so that this present decision will receive the rewards of eternal life and not the condemnation of eternal alienation from God. In other words, keep eternity before you, rather than just the present moment. 

 

Joseph, in all of this, does not utter a word, but he believes, hopes and loves. He does not express himself with “idle words”, but with concrete deeds. He belongs to the lineage of those who, according to the apostle James, “put the Word into practice” (cf. James 1:22), translating it into deeds, flesh, life. Joseph trusts in God and obeys: “His inner watchfulness for God … leads quite spontaneously to obedience” (Benedict XVI, The Infancy Narratives, Milan-Vatican City 2012, 57).

Sisters, brothers, let us, too, ask the Lord for the grace to listen more than we speak, the grace to dream God’s dreams and to welcome responsibly the Christ who, from the moment of our baptism, lives and grows in our life.  Pope Francis

For most of us, we speak more than listen, especially to God. We fail to realize that God has given us two ears and only one mouth for a purpose. There are times God speaks loudly and clearly, directly and forcefully. But more often than not, God speaks in the silence of a whisper and in our inner stillness. As ones who want instant results, it is hard for us to enter into the quite and just wait upon the Lord. It is a challenge that comes with patient practice and endurance. It is a grace that God desires to give to those who are open to it. Ask for that grace and then wait upon the Lord.

 Jesus doesn't say, “Come into my world.” He doesn't say, “Come, I will change you.” He doesn't say, “Become my disciples,” “Listen to me,” “Do what I tell you,” “Take up your cross.” No. He says, “Come and see. Look around. Get to know me.” That is the invitation. Henri Nouwen

It sounds so simple but it is so profound at the same time. How can we follow and commit ourselves to another person without first coming to know them. If all we know is about another, we don't really personally know that person. In marriage, a person has to truly get to know the other before committing themselves to a life-long covenant. This means spending quality time with the other to know beyond the surface. Jesus invites us to spend quality time with him to get to know him as he is and not just on the surface. It is then we can truly commit ourselves to him as a disciple, desiring to have a deeper relationship with him. 

Let us take a look at our world from a distance, not from the physical distance of a plane or space vehicle, but from the spiritual distance of our faith. Let us look at ourselves, at our humanity, from above and with the eyes of God. Jesus always looked at the human condition from above and tried to teach us to look as he did. “I come from above,” he said, “and I want you to be reborn from above so that you will be able to see with new eyes.”  Henri Nouwen

What does it mean to see with the eyes of Jesus? How did Jesus see the people of his day? He saw them as sheep without a shepherd, hungering for the truth that would set them free. He saw beyond the physical, seeing the faith of those who sought his assistance. He saw with compassions and mercy those who were seen as sinners. He saw with a heart of love those who were in need of acceptance and meaning. Do we try to have the eyes of Jesus in our relationships with others whom God sends to us? When we see with the eyes of Jesus we begin to see how God sees the other and what God wants us to do for the other. Pray for this gift and act on it when it comes, as it will come.

 

“It is a hope that leaves peace and joy inside, regardless of what happens outside. It is a hope that has strong roots, which no storm of life can uproot. It is a hope that, says St. Paul, 'does not disappoint' – hope does not disappoint! – which gives the strength to overcome all tribulations." Pope Francis

 

Without this hope life’s difficulties can be unbearable. But with hope our life is anchored in Christ during the worse storm. Without hope we are rudderless and adrift, left on our own. But with hope we are in the hands of a loving God. Our hope will be tested by the Father of liars. But as long as we keep our eyes on the Lord, these rests will be deflected

 Hope is also a task that Christians have a duty to cultivate and put to good use for the sake of all their brothers and sisters. The task is to remain faithful to the gift received, as rightly pointed out by Madeleine Delbrêl, a 20th-century French woman who was able to bring the Gospel to the geographical and existential peripheries of mid-century Paris, marked by de-Christianization. Madeleine Delbrêl wrote: “The place that Christian hope assigns us is that narrow ridge, that borderline at which our vocation requires that we choose, every day and every hour, to be faithful to God’s faithfulness to us”. God is faithful to us; our task is to respond to this faithfulness. But take care: it is not we who generate this faithfulness; it is a gift from God that works in us if we allow ourselves to be molded by His power of love, the Holy Spirit Who acts as a breath of inspiration in our hearts. It is up to us, then, to invoke this gift: “Lord, grant me to be faithful to you in hope!” Pope Francis

God is always faithful to us. His very nature will not allow him to do otherwise. He is faithful to us, even when we are unfaithful. If our hope is in the faithful promises of God and in their fulfillment, then our life is to be a witness of this hope to others. In the admonition of St. Peter: "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,  but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience clear." (1 Peter 3:15-16) If the reason of our hope is the promises of God, then our life should always be a sign of this hope to others, especially in difficult times.

 

Homily Third Sunday Year C

 

Reading 1: What is the background to this reading? People have returned to Jerusalem after their exile into Babylonia. They began, following the command of God, to rebuild first the city, then the Temple which were destroyed. In the process of restoration, Ezra the priest found scrolls which were hidden at the time of the exile. The scrolls were the Book of the Law, the Torah.

 

Once he realized what he had found, namely its significance, he told Nehemiah the Governor. They decided that the people needed to hear this Word of the Lord which would explain their relationship to God as his chosen people, the necessity of living as a Covenant people and how their ancestors were sent into exile because they had broken the Covenant.

 

As Ezra read from the Word of God the people began to weep before the Lord. But Ezra reminded them that this was not a time to weep over the past but a time of rejoicing. Why? They have found the source of their history and the recollection of God’s love for his chosen people. He proclaimed that since they are the people chosen by God they should rejoice for the Lord is their strength.

 

Eventually, he will call them to renew their covenant with God publicly. The Word of God was proclaimed; its truth was revealed, interpreted and received with rejoicing. Each Sunday we gather to hear the Word of God, our Salvation History. We are reminded how God has truly loved us and has redeemed us, so that we may be truly his people in whom we find our strength.

 

Reading 2: Paul reminds us who we are in relationship to God. We are the Body of Christ. He reminds us also who we are in relationship to one another. We are members of the one Body. He reminds us that in Baptism we entered into a new relationship with God and filled with the Holy Spirit. He tells us that because we are one in Christ there should be no division on antipathy between us.

 

Each member is unique and has a unique role in the Body of Christ. As such each is to be in harmony with the other. Our importance is not in who we are in ourselves, but who we are in Christ. Therefore, Paul says if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one is honored all the members are to be joyful. We are to understand our role and how we have been gifted by the Holy Spirit and exercise that gift for the good of others.

 

Gospel: We begin with the first four verses of Luke’s Gospel where he states that he wants to write down in an orderly sequence the life and teachings of Jesus. This he has received from an eyewitness. Then we jump to the fourth chapter of Luke, which begins the public ministry of Jesus.

 

According to Luke, immediately after the Baptism of the Lord, which we celebrated two Sundays ago, Jesus began to teach and preach in such a way that people were amazed. His reputation spread throughout the region of Galilee. Now he returns to Nazareth, maybe to visit Mary.

 

Since he is a covenant observer, faithful to the Law, he goes with Mary to the synagogue on the Sabbath to praise God and to hear the Word of God. He had just had a powerful affirmation of the Father’s love for him. He was anointed by the Holy Spirit so that his ministry would be confirmed with signs and wonders.

 

Because he is somewhat of a hometown celebrity already, they ask him to read the Word of God and interpret it for them. Providentially they gave him the scroll of Isaiah the prophet. Jesus unrolled it to where Isaiah had prophesied what Jesus had experienced at his Baptism. It identified his mission as the One promised and sent by God. After reading the passage he concluded by saying: “Today, this passage has been fulfilled in your midst.” In other words, I am the one Isaiah is speaking about. I have experienced the outpouring of the Holy Spirit and know the plan God has for me. At first the people were amazed, but as Jesus continued to explain, they turned against him and wanted to kill him.

 

In the first reading the people heard the Word of God, wept and then rejoiced at what God had revealed. In the Gospel the people heard the Word of God, were amazed but then rejected the interpretation. We have heard the Word of God. How do we receive it? How do we respond to it? Do we allow it to root in our hearts and bring about growth and bear fruit? Or do we stifle the Word of God by ignoring it and not acting on it?

 "Hope is a gift and a task for every Christian. It is a gift because it is God who offers it to us. Hoping, in fact, is not a mere act of optimism, like when we sometimes hope to pass an exam at university…No, hoping is waiting for something that has already been given to us: salvation in God's eternal and infinite love. That love, that salvation that gives flavor to our lives and that constitutes the hinge on which the world remains standing, despite all the wickedness and nefariousness caused by our sins as men and women. To hope, then, is to welcome this gift that God offers us every day. To hope is to savor the wonder of being loved, sought, desired by a God who has not shut Himself away in His impenetrable heavens but has made Himself flesh and blood, history and days, to share our lot.”  Pope Francis

Without hope we have no reason to live. Without hope life is a drudgery. God gives us the gift of hope, the grace of hope, so that we would have something to keep our hearts rooted in as we seek to live a better life. Our hope is, as sons and daughters of God, if we continue to live in him and die in him, we will see and be with God eternally. That was the hope that impelled the thousands of missionaries to evangelize the world. It is the very hope and promise that motivated and strengthened the many men and women martyrs to remain faithful even to the point of death. This is the hope we need to keep alive in our hearts. His promises are true and will be fulfilled.

 Third Sunday Gospel C

Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as those who were eyewitnesses from the beginning and ministers of the word have handed them down to us, I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received.

· Theophilus means “friend of God” We don’t know much about him, except that he is a convert to Christianity who has already received some instructions. Luke wants to elaborate on these teachings by placing the Gospel message in an orderly fashion.

· Luke will begin with the annunciation and birth of John the Baptism; the annunciation of birth of Jesus; Jesus’ presentation in the Temple after his circumcision; Jesus returning and remaining in the temple when he was twelve years old.

o He adds material that neither Matthew nor Mark has in their Gospel narratives.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all. 

· What is not stated in today’s reading is the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan by John the Baptist and the affirmation of the Father as well as the pouring of the Holy Spirit upon Jesus in his humanity. Following that pivotal moment in Jesus’ life there is the first confrontation with the Devil in the Temptation story. Luke’s narrative now continues.

· The role of the Spirit in Jesus’ personal life and public ministry is a strong emphasis in Luke’s Gospel. Luke wants to teach that Jesus in his humanity, anointed by the Spirit, was able to teach in a way that amazed the people. They knew that there was something different about Jesus and his ministry.

He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. 

· Can you imagine the excitement in Nazareth when Jesus returns? Obviously, they had heard about what happened to him at the Jordan and what people were saying about his teachings.

· Jesus is a faithful adherent to the covenant, so he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, probably along with Mary, his mother.

He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.  

· Luke sees this passage as a confirmation that Jesus was aware of what happened to him at the Jordan after he was baptized. The Spirit of God fell upon him and anointed him for the work he was called to do in proclaiming the message of the Kingdom of God.

· It was a custom that, if an important person came into the synagogue, to honor that person by asking them to do the reading and give a reflection.

· These signs—bring glad tidings to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives, recovery of sight to the blind, etc—were signs foretold by Isaiah and other OT prophets of the coming of the Kingdom of God.

· Noticed that Jesus deliberately chose the reading from Isaiah, which he was very familiar with from his childhood upbringing.

· How aware are we of the Spirit and his gifts in our life? How open are we to allowing the Spirit lead us?

Rolling up the scroll, he handed it back to the attendant and sat down, and the eyes of all in the synagogue looked intently at him. He said to them, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

· His interpretation was very brief and to the point. Isaiah was stating a sign of the coming of the Messiah in this passage. Jesus, without saying he was the Messiah, says today this passage is fulfilled in him.

· The reactions of the people moved from amazement, to question and finally anger and rejection. They remembered Jesus growing up in their small village. They could not accept him to be any other than what they remembered.

· This rejection by his neighbors and family members is the prelude to the rejections from others that Jesus will experience.

· What application can we make from this passage in our life?