Thirty-first Sunday of the Year: C: All Souls' Day: November 2, 2025

 REMEMBERING THE DEAR DEPARTED

Introduction: Today we celebrate the memory of all the faithful who have been called to the presence of our heavenly Father. We bless God for the many ways they have enriched our families, our communities and our life of faith. We pray that as we remember their names before God this day, they will remember us. The faith and the love that bound us together with them in this life still bind us in their new and eternal life. 

First Reading: Isaiah 25: 6 to 7

Second Reading: Revelations 21: 1 to 7

Gospel Reading: John 6: 37 to 40

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah assures the people of Israel of a time where the Lord God will destroy death forever. He will wipe away the tears from everyone. There will be great gladness and rejoicing when the salvation of the Lord comes. 

   *Second reading is from the book of Revelations. St. John, in his vision, sees the passing away of the first heaven and the first earth. In his vision, he sees the new Jerusalem where there is neither sadness, nor pain, nor death. Christ is the Alpha and the Omega (the beginning and the end), who has made all things. He will make everything new. 

Eternal life through faith in Jesus                                                                    Today's Gospel reading is from St. John. Jesus promises the following: 1. He promises His disciples and us that those who believe in Him will have eternal life. 2. He promises that those who died in Christ will rise again on the last day. The celebration of All Souls' Day by the universal Church is based on our faith in Jesus and our faith in the resurrection of the dead. We pray for our dear departed, especially for those who are not in full communion with God, as due to the sins committed by them during their life on earth, they are in need of remission. The physical harms they might have done are still being present in the world. Today we pray for them and our prayers make sense to the extent that we are able to forgive their failures and shortcomings. We earnestly ask God to do the same. All Souls' Day is a day of mercy, of universal mercy, a day of forgiveness. We pray for our dear departed souls and remember them during the Holy Mass, the perfect sacrifice. We do believe that death is not the end, but a way that leads to eternal life as promised by the Lord. The celebration of All Souls' Day should remind us also of our own death which is inevitable. It must help us to be ever ready to meet the Lord when He calls us out of this earthly life. The book of Maccabeus says: "It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." (2Mac. 12:46) 

"May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God rest in peace." 

Conclusion: Death is not a door into the dark but it is a dark door to the light. Those we have loved and all the faithful departed have passed through that door. Today during the Eucharistic celebration we remember all of them. We pray that their prayers will support our own hope as we continue our journey in faith. Our journey is the road that will take us to eternal joy in heaven. St. Alphonse Ligouri says: "This earth is for us a battlefield where we have to fight and conquer in order to be saved. But when we reach heaven our state is changed. There will be no more toil, but rest, no more fear, but security, no more sadness or weariness, but gladness and Joy Eternal." Praised be Jesus!

May the Lord Jesus, who is the resurrection and the life, bless you and grant eternal life to the faithful departed. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, November 2, 2025." Thanks.)

 

Thirtieth Sunday of the Year: C: October 26, 2025

 THE HUMBLE SHALL BE EXALTED

Introduction: Today's liturgy invites us to reflect on the virtues of humility and honesty in our prayers and in our lives. The first reading from the book of Sirach tells us that God shows no partiality in the case of the poor and the underprivileged. In the Gospel today, we have a very thought provoking parable: The parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector. Both of them go to the temple to pray. The Pharisee is self-righteous and thinks that he is better placed than all others including the tax-collector. Whereas, the tax-collector, remains at a distance and acknowledges his sinfulness and unworthiness. Jesus commends the tax-collector for his honesty and humility. Whereas the Pharisee is condemned for his self-righteousness and pride. 

First Reading: Sirach 35: 15 to 17 and 20 to 22

Second Reading: 2Timothy 4: 6 to 8 and 16 to 18

Gospel Reading: Luke 18: 9 to 14

   *First reading is from the book of Sirach. The focus of the passage is on the justice of God. It tells us that the Lord God is not a respecter of persons. He shows no partiality to the rich and the powerful. He listens to the humble prayers of the just and the lowly. The Lord God hears the cry of the poor, the orphan and the widow. 

   *Second reading is from the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy. Paul is a prisoner in Rome. He feels that his death is drawing near. But he is very confident about the crowning glory that awaits him in heaven. Paul writes to Timothy that he has fought the good fight, finished the race, kept the faith and now awaits his final reward.

The parable of the Pharisee and the Tax-collector                                       St. Luke's Gospel has several narratives involving tax-collectors and Pharisees. The Pharisees are often depicted as grumbling, arrogant and suspicious about Jesus' teachings. Tax-collectors are often depicted as receptive and looking for redemption. In the parable, Jesus contrasts the behaviour of two persons: A Pharisee, who is conscious of his own righteousness and a tax-collector, who is conscious of his own sinfulness and pleads for divine mercy. The Pharisee and the tax-collector represent two types of persons: How they consider themselves before God. The way they pray illustrates two manners of prayer. The tax-collector truly prays for divine mercy, while the Pharisee does not, since the gratitude he expresses to God is nothing but self-glorification and self-assurance before God, whose grace he does not seem to need. The tax-collector represents  a sinner who truly repents and is humble. The tax-collector stands far off. He has no annual returns to boast of: His percentage is stolen from the people. He tells the simple truth about himself: "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." He does not beat about the bush but beats his breast instead. He has nothing to offer God but his own wrong-doings and brokenness. Jesus comments on the parable: "But I tell you, this man (tax-collector) went down to his home justified rather than the other (Pharisee)". With those words, Jesus is challenging the world order of that time. He declares that the tax-collector goes home justified while the Pharisee does not. The tax-collector prayed for mercy but he is now justified. In the eyes of Jesus, values of the world are turned upside down. The tax-collector's prayer "pierced the clouds" whereas the Pharisee's prayer reached its destination: himself (Seasons of the Word). 

Conclusion: Today's parable challenges our attitude towards our fellow humans and our attitude towards God. Sometimes we are found in the company of the Pharisee: self-righteous and proud. It is no secret that many of us have a little Pharisee lurking in us. We often parade our good deeds before God and others. We may not do so in so many words but we think it. It is time to have a change of attitudes. Remember the words of Jesus about the tax-collector: "This man went home justified rather than the other." 

May the Lord Jesus, who teaches us today the need to be honest and humble in our prayers and life,  bless you with His manifold blessings, and may you be a blessing to others. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, October 26, 2025." Thanks.)

Twenty-ninth Sunday of the Year: C: October 19, 2025 Mission Sunday

                                 PERSEVERANCE IN PRAYER

Introduction: Church celebrates Mission Sunday today. We remember all missionaries all over world. All the members are encouraged to support various missionary activities of the Church and contribute to the welfare of missions at large. More than material contributions, we have to constantly pray for the mission of the Church. Many of us have doubts about the effectiveness of our prayers. Today's liturgy invites us to pray incessantly. The Israelites trust in the prayer of Moses, not as an excuse for doing nothing but as a spur to action. Jesus urges us not to grow weary but to keep on praying. We may not always get what we want from God but then do we always know what we want or even what is good for us? St. James says: "When you pray and don't get what you ask for, it is because you haven't prayed properly, you have prayed for something to indulge in your own desires." (4:3) We should then pray, not for what we want, but for what we need. Our prayer will sustain our faith. It will help us to persevere in our struggles. Prayer puts us in touch with the Holy Spirit who directs our attention to the needs of others instead of our own. 

First Reading: Exodus 17: 8 to 13

Second Reading: 2Timothy 3: 14 to 14: 2

Gospel Reading: Luke 18: 1 to 8

   *First reading is from the book of Exodus. It is a description about the first battle fought by the Israelites after their deliverance from Egypt. Joshua and the men of Israel are at war with Amalek. During the time of war, Moses, Aron and Hur pray for the victory of Israel. Moses prays to the Lord God with outstretched hands. Aron and Hur support Moses to pray with persistence and eventually Joshua wins the war. Hence, the persistent prayer of Moses plays a key role in the victory of Israel. 

   *Second reading is from the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy. Paul instructs Timothy that all Scripture is inspired by God and to be used profitably for teaching, reproof, for correction and for training. He urges Timothy to preach the Word of God in season and out of season and to be always zealous in preaching the message of Jesus. 

The persistence of a widow                                                           Today's Gospel reading is from St. Luke. Jesus explains to His disciples and to us the need to be persevering in our prayers. He teaches us through a parable: The parable of the unjust Judge and a poor widow. This woman approaches the Judge on several occasions for justice against her adversary. The Judge refused to listen to her and to do anything about her complaints. But due to her persistence, the Judge finally decides to give her justice. Using this parable, Jesus teaches us that we are not to lose heart when we pray to God and do not receive what we ask for. We have to be persistent in our plea to God. He assures us that God will certainly give justice to His elect who cry to Him day and night. We should try to conclude all our prayers with the perfect prayer: Let thy will be done. Let us continue to pray but leave the result to God. In this context, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta says: "Prayer is the oil that keeps the lamp of faith burning brightly." Fr. Walter Ciszek SJ (a priest who spent 23 years in a concentration camp in Siberia) says: "Prayer helped me through every crisis. But I had to purify my prayer and remove from it all elements of self-seeking. I learned even to pray for my interrogators."

Conclusion: Jesus makes it clear that in all circumstances in life, we have to pray continuously with total faith in God as He Himself taught the perfect prayer to His disciples. Prayer is not working on God to manipulate him into granting a request as if He is some kind of Aladdin's lamp. Rather, it is a surrender to God in faith, to experience His presence even  without His 'presents'. We have to persist in prayer, not to persuade God to give us some gift, but to prepare our hearts to receive Him who is the giver of all gifts. We need to persevere in prayer, not because God is hard to reach, but because we are. Probably, we have to 'raise' our hands high enough and long enough, praying for justice, peace, unity and love.

May the Lord Jesus, who taught His disciples and us  to pray persistently for all our needs, bless you with His heavenly blessings that we may never be found wanting in trusting in the providence of God. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, October 19, 2025." Thanks.)

Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year: C: October 12, 2025

     THE GREAT VIRTUE OF GRATITUDE

Introduction: Gratitude is the theme of today's liturgy.  In the first reading from the second book of Kings, we meet the Syrian commander Naaman, who comes to prophet Elisha to be healed of his leprosy. After being healed, he comes back with gifts to thank prophet Elisha and the Lord God. In the Gospel, Jesus cures ten lepers. But only one of the ten returns to thank and praise Him, and this man was a Samaritan. Jesus commends the faith of the one who came back to thank. The Interpreter's Bible remarks that gratitude is an instinctive human response. Humans give thanks for the same reason that birds sing. Children are taught to say 'Thank you'. Even nations dedicate special day/s for giving thanks. The Israelites instituted the feast of Pentecost to thank the Lord God for the blessings of a good harvest. Showing gratitude provides occasions not only to recognize our gifts from others, but also to appreciate and value these gifts in a deeper sense as signs of their love for us.

First Reading: 2Kings 5: 14 to 17

Second Reading: 2Timothy 2: 8 to 13

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 11 to 19

   *First reading is from the second book of Kings. We have the story of Naaman the commander of the Syrian Army who was a leper. He comes to know from his servant girl that there is a great prophet in Israel who can heal him from his leprosy. He comes to prophet Elisha to be healed from his ailment. Elisha instructs Naaman to wash himself seven times in the river Jordan. After some hesitation and much persuasion from his servants, he washes himself in Jordan and he is healed from his leprosy by the mighty power of the Lord God of Israel. Naaman expresses his deep faith in the Lord God. He is full of gratitude to prophet Elisha and the Lord God. Through this miracle, the Lord God extends His healing touch to the people of other religious traditions. 

   *Second reading is from the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy. Paul exhorts Timothy to carry on the mission entrusted to him for the sake of the Gospel and for Jesus Christ. Timothy is warned that preaching the Gospel will not be easy. It will bring much hardships, opposition and manifold persecutions.  

Gratitude of the Samaritan leper                                                     Today's Gospel reading is from St. Luke. Jesus healing ten lepers is narrated in detail. Ten lepers approach the Lord to be healed of their leprosy. Jesus heals all of them. After being healed by the Lord, only one man, a Samaritan returns to thank Jesus. Jesus is surprised by their response. So He enquires of the one who came back: "Were not ten healed? Where are the other nine?" In fact, all the ten are healed. But except this Samaritan, none of the others  returns to thank Him. We do not know the reason why the other nine failed to show their gratitude to the Lord. This incident, which happened during the public life of Jesus, should help us to look into our own lives and ask why we are often found wanting to thank the Lord for the many blessings we have received from Him. We should also reflect over our numerous failures to thank someone who did a favour to us in the past. Expressing gratitude and being thankful is a great virtue and should be practised consciously. Whatever may be the reasons for our lack of gratitude, it diminishes us and those who help us. As someone said: "Ingratitude makes the bill for helping people hard to pick up." THANK YOU LORD, FOR ALL YOUR BOUNDLESS BLESSINGS. In this context G.K. Chesterton says: "When it comes to life, the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude." M.T. Cicero says: "Gratitude is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all virtues." Dietrich Bonhoeffer says: "In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich."

Conclusion: A prayer of thanks: "Thank you Lord that I can see, so many are blind. Thank you Lord that I can hear, so many are deaf. Thank you Lord that I can walk, so many are crippled. Thank you Lord that I have food, so many are hungry. Thank you Lord that I have shelter, so many are homeless. Thank you Lord for the friendship, so many are lonely. Help me Lord always to be grateful." (Fr. F. McCarthy)

May the Lord Jesus, who healed the ten lepers and brought new life to them, bless you and help you to be always grateful for all the blessings you receive from God and fellow humans. Amen.  

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, October 12, 2025." Thanks.)

Twenty-seventh Sunday of the Year: C: October 5, 2025

                     PRAYING FOR FAITH

Introduction: In today's liturgy, we listen to various details about the necessity of having faith in our relationship with God, in our relationship with our neighbour, and in our relationship with nature. When the apostles ask Jesus to increase their faith, the Lord seems to say: "I'm glad you asked for an increase of faith. Because, if you had faith even the size of a tiny mustard seed, you would have power to command trees to be uprooted and transplanted into the sea." The Jerome Biblical commentary explains our Lord's words as an acknowledgement that faith is indeed a key factor in our lives, but also as a caution that it is the quality rather than the quantity of faith that needs to be increased.

First Reading: Habakkuk 1: 2 to 3 and 2: 2 to 4

Second Reading: 2 Timothy 1: 6 to 8 and 12 to 14

Gospel Reading: Luke 17: 5 to 10

   *First reading is from the book of prophet Habakkuk. Habakkuk begins with a protest about human violence and misery. He is desperate and pleads with the Lord God. He is faced with political insecurity on the one hand and widespread idolatry on the other hand. The Lord God responds by promising him that He will save those who trust in Him. He gives him courage and strength to face the imminent trials. The Lord God assures him that the righteous person will live by his faith.

   *Second reading is from the second letter of St. Paul to Timothy. Paul urges Timothy to continue to preach and persevere in the faith that he received from God. Timothy is asked to accept his share of sufferings for the Gospel. Paul instructs Timothy and us that we should never be afraid or be ashamed of bearing witness to Christ who has strengthened us by His Holy Spirit. 

'Lord, increase our faith'                                                                       Today's Gospel reading is from St. Luke. The Apostles realize their own lack of faith. Consequently, they request Jesus to increase their faith. Jesus gives two teachings in this context. In the first part, Jesus explains to them about faith as small as a mustard seed. Such a faith, He says, is powerful enough to uproot even a sycamore tree and plant it in the sea. Transplanting a tree in the ocean is nothing short of a spectacular miracle and in human terms practically impossible. In the second part of the Gospel, Jesus reminds us that to have faith in God is to carry out our responsibilities in life quietly and with total dedication. In His own life, Jesus puts His faith into His daily activities. As a result, He feeds the five thousand with five loaves and two small fish. He  heals many who were affected by dreaded diseases and evil powers. He cures the blind and the deaf and even raises the dead to life. By His own examples, Jesus makes the Apostles realize what faith can accomplish in their lives. Today, Jesus is inviting all of us to have faith in God in all challenging situations in life. Then, we too will be able to do many mighty works in our lives and in the lives of others. Like the Apostles, we too need to pray for and increase in faith. In this context St. Augustine says: "Faith is to believe what you do not see, the reward of faith is to see what you believe." St. Thomas Aquinas says: "To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible."  

Conclusion: Jesus Himself never defined 'faith' in the Gospels. But from all He said about it, we might define it as an unconditional acceptance of Jesus as the Son of God. If we have faith, then we believe in the words Jesus spoke, and in the power He possesses. It does not always follow that faith will give us power to literally move trees. But faith will give us power to cope with difficulties, overcome obstacles and attempt great things for the Lord. 

May the Lord Jesus bless you and grant you a living faith, so that even though  it be like a tiny mustard seed, its power will penetrate your whole being and through you permeate the whole world. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph is available on YouTube. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version on YouTube. "YouTube/Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph, October 5, 2025." Thanks.)