Galatians 3:22-29 / Luke 11:27-28 (2020)
In the Mass as well as in devotions, there are always hymns of praise.
These hymns are sung to praise and thank the Lord and they are usually sung with feeling and emotion.
Also dynamic and emotive hymns are preferred in order to appeal to the emotions of the people and also to elicit a more fervent response from them.
But where the emotions and the feeling fade off, that is where the real action begins.
Our hymns of praise must also be translated into acts of love for God and neighbour.
That was why in response to the acclamation of praise, Jesus sobered down the emotions to focus on doing the will of God.
As we offer this Mass in honour of our Lady, let us remember that she heard the Word of God, pondered on it and did the will of God in her life.
May we who honour her also learn from her and do God's will in our lives.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Thursday, October 7, 2010
27th Week, Ordinary Time, Friday, 08-10-10
Galatians 3:7-14 / Luke 11:15-26
Very often, life is like a paradox; it can be filled with so many strange contradictions.
We might think that when something good is done, people would be simply happy and even rejoice and celebrate.
But yet for every good that is done, there are criticisms and even slanderous remarks that are made that leaves a sour and bitter taste in the mouth.
But that should not be very surprising to us, isn't it?
Because it happened to Jesus. He was doing something good by casting out demons.
Yet some people could even say that He was in cahoots with the devil. Absurd, isn't it?
Maybe it can be said that the most difficult demons to cast out are those that like to criticize, to find fault, to argue regardless of the facts or the truth.
That kind of demonic behaviour exists in each of us.
In this Eucharist, let us ask Jesus to cast out that kind of demonic behaviour in us.
Let us ask Him to cleanse the temple of the Spirit that is within us.
And with Jesus in our hearts, let us gather people into the unity of the Spirit.
Very often, life is like a paradox; it can be filled with so many strange contradictions.
We might think that when something good is done, people would be simply happy and even rejoice and celebrate.
But yet for every good that is done, there are criticisms and even slanderous remarks that are made that leaves a sour and bitter taste in the mouth.
But that should not be very surprising to us, isn't it?
Because it happened to Jesus. He was doing something good by casting out demons.
Yet some people could even say that He was in cahoots with the devil. Absurd, isn't it?
Maybe it can be said that the most difficult demons to cast out are those that like to criticize, to find fault, to argue regardless of the facts or the truth.
That kind of demonic behaviour exists in each of us.
In this Eucharist, let us ask Jesus to cast out that kind of demonic behaviour in us.
Let us ask Him to cleanse the temple of the Spirit that is within us.
And with Jesus in our hearts, let us gather people into the unity of the Spirit.
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, Thursday, 07-10-10
Acts 1:12-14 / Luke 1:26-38
The feast of the Holy Rosary was established by Saint Pius V on the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at Lepanto, October 7, 1571. The victory was attributed to the intercession of the holy Mother of God whose aid was invoked through praying the Rosary.
The celebration of this day invites all to mediate upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so deeply associated with the incarnation, passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God.
It is believed that God has on many occasions rewarded the faith of those who had recourse to this devotion in times of grave danger.
So besides the naval victory at Lepanto in 1571, there were many other occasions like plagues, disasters, disunity and schisms, where the Church has recourse to the prayer of the Rosary.
The original title was "Our Lady of Victory" but it was changed to the present title to give the devotion and the prayers a wider scope and appeal.
Still we are assured that when we stand by God we need have no fear because God will always be victorious.
And if God is for us, then who and what can be against us. For nothing can ever separate us from the love of God.
The feast of the Holy Rosary was established by Saint Pius V on the anniversary of the naval victory won by the Christian fleet at Lepanto, October 7, 1571. The victory was attributed to the intercession of the holy Mother of God whose aid was invoked through praying the Rosary.
The celebration of this day invites all to mediate upon the mysteries of Christ, following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mary who was so deeply associated with the incarnation, passion and glorious resurrection of the Son of God.
It is believed that God has on many occasions rewarded the faith of those who had recourse to this devotion in times of grave danger.
So besides the naval victory at Lepanto in 1571, there were many other occasions like plagues, disasters, disunity and schisms, where the Church has recourse to the prayer of the Rosary.
The original title was "Our Lady of Victory" but it was changed to the present title to give the devotion and the prayers a wider scope and appeal.
Still we are assured that when we stand by God we need have no fear because God will always be victorious.
And if God is for us, then who and what can be against us. For nothing can ever separate us from the love of God.
Excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI – Angelus Message 10/2/05 …“The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, the unique contemplative prayer through which, guided by the Lord’s Heavenly Mother, we fix our gaze on the face of the Redeemer in order to be conformed to his joyful, light-filled, sorrowful and glorious mysteries."
So despite its repetitive form, the Rosary invites us to join our Blessed Mother to look at Jesus and to pour out our love for Him.
We can also be assured that like Mary, we too will be filled with grace and that God will work marvels for us and through us.
Let us always remember that with God, nothing is impossible.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
27th Week, Ordinary Time, Wednesday, 06-10-10
Galatians 2:1-2, 7-14 / Luke 11:1-4
One of the sports that is really amazing is gymnastics.
The graceful and yet gravity-defying movements are really astonishing and wonderful to see.
We will certainly admire the gymnasts for what they can do on the exercise floor, the parallel bars and the roman rings.
Yet we can also be sure that they have put in many hours of practice, many hours of sweat and pain.
All that just for the sake of sports and maybe for a medal.
Jesus was looked upon by people as a teacher with authority, a healer, a miracle-worker and some may even see the divinity in Him.
More than that, when the disciples saw Him praying, they also knew that the wonderful work He was doing flowed from His prayer.
They too wanted to feel that power and hence they also wanted to learn how to pray and what prayer He used.
Jesus taught them the prayer of the "Our Father" or the "Lord's Prayer".
That is the heart of all the Church's prayer. Obviously it is not meant to be said occasionally or sporadically.
We have to "practice" that prayer constantly - we have to pray it. And it has to go from just saying that prayer to living out that prayer.
We will have to have rigours of "practice" - the monotony, the boredom, the frustration, the doubt.
But when we are faithful to it, we too will experience power flowing out of our prayer, the power of love that flows through our lives towards God and others.
One of the sports that is really amazing is gymnastics.
The graceful and yet gravity-defying movements are really astonishing and wonderful to see.
We will certainly admire the gymnasts for what they can do on the exercise floor, the parallel bars and the roman rings.
Yet we can also be sure that they have put in many hours of practice, many hours of sweat and pain.
All that just for the sake of sports and maybe for a medal.
Jesus was looked upon by people as a teacher with authority, a healer, a miracle-worker and some may even see the divinity in Him.
More than that, when the disciples saw Him praying, they also knew that the wonderful work He was doing flowed from His prayer.
They too wanted to feel that power and hence they also wanted to learn how to pray and what prayer He used.
Jesus taught them the prayer of the "Our Father" or the "Lord's Prayer".
That is the heart of all the Church's prayer. Obviously it is not meant to be said occasionally or sporadically.
We have to "practice" that prayer constantly - we have to pray it. And it has to go from just saying that prayer to living out that prayer.
We will have to have rigours of "practice" - the monotony, the boredom, the frustration, the doubt.
But when we are faithful to it, we too will experience power flowing out of our prayer, the power of love that flows through our lives towards God and others.
Monday, October 4, 2010
27th Week, Ordinary Time, Tuesday, 05-10-10
Galatians 1:13-24 / Luke 10:38-42
One of the causes of dissatisfaction and discontentment in our lives is that we look away from our own turf and we begin to envy the seemingly greener pastures that other people are in.
We begin to look at others and start to dream about their cushy lives, their exciting jobs, the nice things they have, their happy families, etc.
We allow these distractions to come in because we think that who we are and what we are doing is insignificant, boring, frustrating, unrewarding and unrecognized.
That is simply because we are dissatisfied and unhappy with what we are doing.
In the gospel, Martha complained about her sister, maybe because she was unhappy about not getting any recognition and attention.
She was simply distracted from what she was doing.
Jesus was not saying that sitting around and listening to Him is more important than cooking and cleaning.
Jesus is saying that whatever we are doing, we just have to be focused and count our blessings and give thanks to God.
That is the one thing that is important and that is also the one thing that is needed in our lives.
Because that is also the one thing that will bring out satisfaction and happiness in our lives.
One of the causes of dissatisfaction and discontentment in our lives is that we look away from our own turf and we begin to envy the seemingly greener pastures that other people are in.
We begin to look at others and start to dream about their cushy lives, their exciting jobs, the nice things they have, their happy families, etc.
We allow these distractions to come in because we think that who we are and what we are doing is insignificant, boring, frustrating, unrewarding and unrecognized.
That is simply because we are dissatisfied and unhappy with what we are doing.
In the gospel, Martha complained about her sister, maybe because she was unhappy about not getting any recognition and attention.
She was simply distracted from what she was doing.
Jesus was not saying that sitting around and listening to Him is more important than cooking and cleaning.
Jesus is saying that whatever we are doing, we just have to be focused and count our blessings and give thanks to God.
That is the one thing that is important and that is also the one thing that is needed in our lives.
Because that is also the one thing that will bring out satisfaction and happiness in our lives.
Sunday, October 3, 2010
27th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, 04-10-10
Galatians 1:6-12 / Luke 10:25-37
When all is said and done, usually what really happens is that more is said than done.
In the case of the lawyer in the gospel passage, even at the end when Jesus asked him which of the three persons in the parable proved to be a neighbour, he could only answer "The one who took pity on him".
He couldn't even bring himself to say "the Samaritan".
Of course, the animosity between the Jews and Samaritans at that time was understandable.
Yet, in spite of the parable of Jesus, nothing much has changed for the lawyer.
He knew all the right answers. It was more a question of putting those answers into actions.
Today we also honour St. Francis of Assisi. He put the answer to eternal life in a manner that is quite astonishing.
His neighbours were not only the people around him. He even had an affinity to the whole of creation. He would address them as "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon".
He loved all that God had created because all that God created is good.
That is what eternal life is all about.
When we can look at another person and see that person as a sister or brother, then eternal life has already begun in us.
When all is said and done, usually what really happens is that more is said than done.
In the case of the lawyer in the gospel passage, even at the end when Jesus asked him which of the three persons in the parable proved to be a neighbour, he could only answer "The one who took pity on him".
He couldn't even bring himself to say "the Samaritan".
Of course, the animosity between the Jews and Samaritans at that time was understandable.
Yet, in spite of the parable of Jesus, nothing much has changed for the lawyer.
He knew all the right answers. It was more a question of putting those answers into actions.
Today we also honour St. Francis of Assisi. He put the answer to eternal life in a manner that is quite astonishing.
His neighbours were not only the people around him. He even had an affinity to the whole of creation. He would address them as "Brother Sun" and "Sister Moon".
He loved all that God had created because all that God created is good.
That is what eternal life is all about.
When we can look at another person and see that person as a sister or brother, then eternal life has already begun in us.
Friday, October 1, 2010
The Holy Guardian Angels, Saturday, 02-10-10
Exodus 23:20-23 / Matthew 18:1-5, 10 (2019 / 2023)
We are very familiar with the material world, the world that is experienced by our senses and comprehended by our knowledge and rationale.
Yet as Catholics, we profess in one part of the Creed the existence of the seen and unseen.
There is the existence of the unseen, the spiritual world, and it is on this spiritual world that we reflect about angels and guardian angels.
Generally, angels are understood to be messengers of God. Other roles include the protecting and guiding of human beings and carrying out God's tasks.
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person.
The belief is that guardian angels serve to protect whichever person God assigns them to, and present prayer to God on that person's behalf.
We come to this belief from what Jesus said in the gospel that even the children have guardian angels who are always in the presence of God.
The 1st reading also affirms that God sends His angels to guard us and to bring us to the place that He has prepared for us, i.e. to be with God in heaven eternally.
May we always be aware of the existence of the spiritual world and especially our guardian angel who is always by our side.
Let us also remember the traditional Catholic prayer to one's guardian angel :
We are very familiar with the material world, the world that is experienced by our senses and comprehended by our knowledge and rationale.
Yet as Catholics, we profess in one part of the Creed the existence of the seen and unseen.
There is the existence of the unseen, the spiritual world, and it is on this spiritual world that we reflect about angels and guardian angels.
Generally, angels are understood to be messengers of God. Other roles include the protecting and guiding of human beings and carrying out God's tasks.
A guardian angel is an angel assigned to protect and guide a particular person.
The belief is that guardian angels serve to protect whichever person God assigns them to, and present prayer to God on that person's behalf.
We come to this belief from what Jesus said in the gospel that even the children have guardian angels who are always in the presence of God.
The 1st reading also affirms that God sends His angels to guard us and to bring us to the place that He has prepared for us, i.e. to be with God in heaven eternally.
May we always be aware of the existence of the spiritual world and especially our guardian angel who is always by our side.
Let us also remember the traditional Catholic prayer to one's guardian angel :
Angel of God, my guardian dear
to whom God's love commits me here.
Ever this day be at my side
to light, to guard, to rule and guide.
Amen
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)