Thirty First Sunday of the Year :A: November 1, 2020 : Feast of All Saints

 WHEN ALL THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN

Throughout the year the Catholic Church celebrates the Feasts of all the holy men and women canonised as Saints. Today we honour all those men and women who are not officially canonised by the Church although they lived a holy and blessed life and are no more with us. Some of them are known to us as saintly persons. Although they are unrecognized and unknown, today in a special way we remember all of them. 

First Reading: Revelations 7: 2-4 and 9-14

Second Reading: 1 John 3: 1-3

Gospel Reading: Matthew 5: 1-12

   *First reading is from the book of Revelations. It speaks of a huge crowd, innumerable standing before the throne of God. They were from every race, tribe, nation and language. These are men and women who lived a holy life, enduring trials of every kind and purified themselves in the blood of the lamb- Jesus. They are the Saints - blessed in the presence of God. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. John. It expresses the great love of the Heavenly Father for each one of us. We are God's children and we should purify ourselves so that we are as pure as God is. In order to attain this vision of God the Father, we must live like Christ Jesus. 

"Rejoice and be glad for your reward is great in heaven."                                             Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew which gives us a summary of Jesus' teaching through His explanation of the beatitudes. Jesus recognizes as blessed a wide range of people from those who are poor in spirit to those persecuted for their faith in the Lord. He graphically explains to us the qualities of  those who can be called  blessed in His eyes. Those who are absolutely poor; those who have no access to power and influence are blessed in the eyes of God. The gentle and the humble are the people who shall inherit the earth. Those who mourn, those who grieve for their sins, those who are moved by the pain and sufferings of others will be comforted. Those who hunger and thirst for justice and right will find satisfaction in the kingdom of God. Those who show mercy and are not revengeful will be rewarded with mercy and kindness in His kingdom. Those who are pure and unblemished in heart will be the privileged ones who see the face of God. And those who promote peace will be like their heavenly Father. Finally those who suffer persecutions will find peace in the kingdom of God. These are the men and women Jesus counts as blessed in His kingdom and they are truly His disciples. They are the Saints whose feast we celebrate today. 

"I am not a saint, unless you think of a saint as a sinner who keeps on trying." - Nelson Mandela.

"God creates out of nothing. Wonderful you say. Yes to be sure, but he does what is still more wonderful: he makes saints out of sinners." - Soren Kierkegard.

Thirtieth Sunday of the Year: A:October 25, 2020

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

First Reading: Exodus 22: 21-27

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1: 5-10

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 34-40

   *First reading is from the book of Exodus. The Lord God instructs the people of Israel that there should not be any exploitation and discrimination of the weak and the marginalized in the community. The Lord God further warns them of the consequences of ignoring His instructions- even death if they do injustice to the weaker members of the community. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. Paul expresses his deep appreciation for the exemplary and praiseworthy behaviour of the Christian community at Thessalonica. They accepted the word of God in pain and affliction but they became great examples for all other Christian communities by serving the living and true God.

Love of God and love of neighbour.                                     Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The two great commandments of God: love of God and love of neighbour are discussed in detail. These two commandments are inseparable as explained by Jesus to a lawyer. When we love God, it should naturally be seen in our daily lives through our love for our fellow humans. This message of Jesus is beautifully put by St. John, "Anyone who says , 'I love God' and hates his brother is a liar." (1 Jn.4: 20) Hence our love for others must flow from the divine fountain - that is God's love for us. We are enabled to love others because it was God who loved us first and made us capable of loving others. Through this teaching Jesus gives us the following messages: 1. We are asked not just to believe in God but to love God. 2. We are asked not just to respect our neighbour but to love our neighbour. Once our life is governed by love of God and of one another, all other laws become irrelevant.

"I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds, yet I willingly cure him for the love of God." - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

"If we want to live a life of love of God, we must not fail in our love towards our neighbour". - St. Theresa of Child Jesus.

"I am just a little pencil in the hand of God sending a love letter to the world." - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

Twenty Ninth Sunday of the Year: A: October 18, 2020

                      TO GOD AND TO CAESAR

First Reading: Isaiah 45: 1 and 4-5

Second Reading: Thessalonians 1: 1-5

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 15-23

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. King Cyrus the King of Persia liberated the people of Israel from their exile in Babylon. Isaiah envisages the return of the chosen people from exile not merely as a sign of the Lord God's love for His people but also of His lordship over all the nations. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. In his opening lines  to the Christian community at Thessalonica Paul expresses his deep love and concern for them. He acknowledges the Holy Spirit the success in His preaching ministry. 

"Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."  Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The question put by Pharisees to Jesus on that day was : "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus cleverly answers this question by taking a Roman coin and subsequently asking them about the image and the inscription on the coin. By His answer, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's", Jesus tells us the need to recognize the two fold authority - namely the secular authority, at the same time that of God's authority. Jesus makes a fine distinction between the two. In many of the countries in the world there is complete separation between the Church and the State. For us Christians, how to live in the world without having conflicts between 'Caesar and God' is the question. There are also so many little 'Caesars' we have to deal with in our daily lives. There is the party, the company, the local community and personal groups all vying for loyalty and support from us. In all these situations we have to acknowledge and respect the legitimate secular authority at the same time keeping God's authority in its rightful place. 

"The main problem of the twentieth Century : Is it permissible to commit one's conscience to someone else's keeping?" - Solzhenitsyn.

Twenty Eighth Sunday of the Year:A: October 11, 2020

 COME TO THE BANQUET OF THE LORD

First Reading: Isaiah 25: 6-10

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 12-14,19-20

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 1-14

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah speaks of a great banquet prepared for the people of the Lord God on the mountain of the Lord. The imagery of the banquet is used to describe the great blessings that the Lord God has in store not only for the people of Israel but for all nations. It prefigures the blessings that will be be brought about by the messianic kingdom through Jesus.

   *Second reading is from the letter of St. Paul to Philippians. Paul describes his own contentment in all situations of life. While thanking the Christian community at Philippi for supporting him, Paul expresses his total and unquestioned trust in the Lord Jesus who always strengthens him.

The parable of the wedding feast                                                    Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable of the wedding feast is narrated in great detail. It is a rather strange story. It is about a great wedding feast given by a King. The King invites all types of people for his son's wedding. But not all are responsive to the invitation. We meet four different groups of people in the parable. 1. Those who made light of the King's invitation and did not go for the banquet on various pretexts. They had their own affairs to be busy with and they did not respond to the invitation of the king. 2. Those who treated the King's servants shamefully and even killed some of them. They are the evil forces who do not accept God's reign and are trying to do away with it at all cost. 3. Those who are called from the street corners and byways - they respond to the invitation of the King. These are the people who are from all nations and are willing to accept God's kingdom. God is willing to accept any person to His kingdom without looking at his/her antecedents. 4. Those who refused to wear the wedding garment at the banquet. These are the people who after accepting the invitation of God are not willing to be part of the privilege they received. It shows their unrepentant way of life. The wedding feast symbolizes the heavenly banquet prepared by God for everyone. Not surprisingly we meet all these types of people in the world today. God is very generous in inviting all of us to His banquet. Maybe we have different reasons to make light of it; totally reject it; or accept it with an open heart. If we accept God's invitation wholeheartedly and unconditionally, we will receive great blessings that only the Almighty can dispense with.

"I say to you that many will come from east and west and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth." - Matthew 8: 11-12

Twenty Seventh Sunday of the Year :A: October 4, 2020

 PUNISHMENT FOR THE WICKED AND THE UNFAITHFUL

First Reading : Isaiah 5: 1-7

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 6-9

Gospel Reading: Matthew 21: 33-43

   * First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah compares Israel to a vineyard which failed to produce the desired fruits in spite of the fact that the vineyard owner (the Lord God) lavished His care and attention on it. Sadly, it is destined to become a wilderness. Like this vineyard the Lord God took care of His chosen people Israel with utmost diligence and care. Unfortunately they produced evil fruits and as a result the Lord God rejected them.

   * Second reading is from St. Paul's letter to Philippians.  Paul gives examples of the kind of fruits we should produce in the vineyard of the Lord. To enjoy the peace that God has promised in every type of anxiety we need to turn  to God in prayer of thanksgiving and petition.

The parable of the wicked tenants                                         Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. This parable vividly describes the unfaithfulness and the wickedness  of the chosen people of God - Israel. Jesus spoke this parable in the context of the unfaithfulness of Israel and its leaders. Not only they rejected the commandments of God but had the audacity of rejecting Jesus Son of God.                                                                                                                   The vineyard owner entrusted his vineyard to tenants. He had equipped the vineyard with every available facility - hedge, winepress and a tower- everything that would make their task easy and light. After handing over the vineyard to the tenants the owner went on a long journey. When he returned and the season for the fruits arrived the owner sent his servants to get his share of the produce. But these wicked men ill treated them and sent them back empty handed. Finally he sent his beloved son to them hoping that these men would respect him. Instead they killed him and took possession of the vineyard. At last the owner of the vineyard had no option other than to drive these wicked men out of the vineyard and handover the vineyard to other tenants.                                                                            This parable has a deep significance in our lives too. In spite of God's great love and concern for each of us we have been often unfaithful and wicked in our relationship with God and others. The following messages are implied in this parable: 1. The destructive effects of greed and resultant violence against the rights of other humans. 2. The vineyard is the image of God's people. The question we have to ask is - are we good/bad tenants? 3. Everyone without fail is finally answerable to the owner (God).