Fifth Sunday of Easter :B

"I AM THE VINE , YOU ARE THE BRANCHES"

First Reading: Acts 9:26-31
Second Reading : 1 Jn 3:18-24
Gospel Reading: Jn 15:1-8

   * First Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. It gives an account of how Paul is among the Christians whom he had persecuted. Paul was a known persecutor of the Church at Jerusalem and he was feared by Christians. After his conversion he tried to join the Christian community and try to preach the word but he was rejected by them. But Barnabas , a man of standing in the church in Jerusalem was convinced that Saul has truely accepted Christ. He therefore introduced him to the Apostles telling them about Saul's on the road to Damascus and how he boldly preached the Risen Lord.

   * Second readng is from the first letter of St. John . The beloved disciple John urges Christians to believe firmly in Jesus Christ the Son of God . Their love of neighbour should be a practical demonstration of their faith in Jesus. He exhorts them that if we wish to live as God wants, we must keep his commandments, especially the commandment to love one another.

Today's Gospel speaks of the vine and branches in the context of fruitfulness of being a disciple of Jesus. This in the background of Jesus' last days in this world. Jesus compares his relationsip with disciples to that of a Vine and its branches. Unless the branches are united with the Vine, the cannot produce fruits. The branches receive nourishment from the Vine. If the branches are cut off from the Vine, they dry up. So also the disciples have to united with Jesus to be fruitful. Without his help we cannot produce the fruits for that we have to keep his commandments especially the commandment of Love.
This Gospel passage also gives us the message of tremendous intimacy between Jesus and disciples. Our relationship wit te Lord is deeper than mere professing that Jesus is our saviour and Lord. He lives in us and we live in him. The poof that we are living in him and he is living in us is that he has given us a share in his Spirit , wh is the bond of union between us and Jesus.
Jesus wants us that we are branches of the Vine and that we should live in a community of love. We need to love and care for one another.

Fourth Sunday of Easter

"I AM THE GOOD SHEPHERD"

First Reading: Acts 4: 8-12
Second Reading 1 Jn 3:1-2
Gospel Reading  Jn.. 10: 11-18

*First Reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. When Peter healed a crippled man, people looked at him with awe. Peter courageously tells the people that the cure of the cripple from birth was not done by his own power or ability. But through the power of Jesus who the Jews had crucified . But God raised him Peter also asserts that Christ has become the cornerstone which would bring salvation to all.

* Second reading is from the first letter of St. John . John puts before us the basic effects of incarnation that is we are called children of God. Hence we shall see him as he is in future life. Christ has united all of us in a special relationship with God the Father.

"The Good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep"

Today's Gospel reading is from St. John where Jesus speaks of himself as the Good Shepherd. Of all the images we have of Christ the one which is dearest to us and with which we are most familiar is probably that of the Good Shepherd. It is such a lovely image and is deeply rooted in the Bible. We can say that the Good Shepherd gives his life for the sheep; the voiceless and powerless in the society. He watches over them and not one is lost. He still continues to do the same. At the end of his life on earth, he gave his precious body and blood to his beloved sheep, so that all of them may be redeemed.

When Jesus spoke of the tender loving care of God, he told the people the parable of the Good Shepherd. The Shepherd when one of his sheep is lost, he leaves the other ninetynine on the hillside and goes of in search of the lost one. He searches for the lost sheep untill he finds it. And then taking it on his shoulders he returns to share his joy with his neighbours. Jesus continues to search until he finds the lost one.
The Good Shepherd challenges us .. I have come to seek out and save the lost.

Second Sunday of Easter

"DIVINE MERCY SUNDAY"

First Reading: Acts. 4:32-35
Second Reading: 1Jn. 5:1-6
Gospel Reading: Jn . 20:19-31

*First Reading is from the book of Acts of the Apostles. It gives a vivid account of the early Christian community. The risen Christ had a decisive influence in the lives of his followers. Their unity of heart and mind is praise worthy. It is a community ideally faithful to the Gospel message where believers shared faith and shared their possessions.

* Second reading is from the first letter of St. John . John exhorts the Christians to live a life of Love. The Christian is a child of God. Hence he should show his love for God by keeping God's commandments.

"Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe"

Gospel reading is from the Gospel of St. John. The disciple at the centre of today's Gospel, Thomas was a deeply wounded man. When Christ his Master and friend was put to a horrible death, he was in deep pain and left the company of other disciples. Thus he missed the Risen Lord when he appeared to other disciples. He came to know about it and he was deeply hurt. First thing when Christ appeared was to show him his wounds. They were the proof of his love for his disciples. Then he invited Thomas to touch those wounds. Thus it was by touching and being touched that he was healed of his unbelief and his grief and pain. What Jesus told to Thomas is very relevant. "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe".
World today is full of doubting Thomases. Many do not believe that Christ is risen and that we can have the experience of the risen Lord in our lives. They will not be convinced unless they can touch his wounds and see the radiance of his face. But this can happen only if the risen Lord is seen in his followers. For that we ourselves need to experience the presence of the Lord in our own lives.

Seventh Sunday of the Year : B

"MY SON YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN"

First Reading: Is. 43:18-19,21-22,24b-25
Second Reading: 2 Cor.1:18-22
Gospel Reading: Mk 2:1-12
* First Reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. The Prophet invites the people of Israel to a new begining from the Babylonian exile. Though such a renewal was extremely difficult for Israelites, due to their shattered and broken lives during exile, the prophet assures them that God is going to give them a fresh demonstration of his love and care. He will blot out all their past sins and he will forgive their sins.

* Second reading is from the second letter of St. Paul to Corinthians. Paul exhorts the Corinthian community to remain loyal to the word of God that has been given to them. He declares himself to be a man of his word. Paul tells them that he represents Christ who is always faithful.

"Rise, take up your pallet and go home"

In the Gospel today we have the healing of a paralytic. After his tours of towns and villages, Jesus returned to Capernaum and was teaching in a house. Then something dramatic took place. Four men arrived there carrying their paralysed friend. Some of the people tell them that it is not possible to go near Jesus. The crowd did not allow them to get in. But these men were determined. They took the paralytic over the roof and they made an opening and lowered the paralytic at the feet of Jesus. Jesus seeing their faith and concern for their friend, immediately rewarded them. The paralytic is told by Jesus, "Your sins are forgiven; stand up , pick up your mat and go home".
The healing is both internal and external with these words of Jesus. Healing power of God flowed through the paralytic , freeing him of spiritual paralysis as well as bodily weakness. It is a moment of supreme grace. It is now recognised that many of our sins and wrongs do affect us mentally and physically . Hence forgiveness of sins is an essential part of any healing process. Jesus invites us today to experience his healing touch.

ThirtyFirst Sunday of the Year:A

"WHOEVER HUMBLES WILL BE EXALTED"
First Reading: Mal. 1: 14-2:2,8-10
Second Reading: 1 The 2: 7-9 ,13
Gospel Reading: Mt : 23: 1-12

* First Reading is from the book of Prophet Malachi. The prophet gives a warning to Priests, that God intend to humble and punish the proud priests for their empty piety, for straying from the true path and for spreading false doctrines. They have turned away from God and made void the Covenant. They are condemned for their favouritism and causing distinctions and divisions among God's people
* Second Reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. Paul reminds them of his love and care for them and how hard he worked to bring the good news to them. He also gives thanks to God for their openness to his preaching.

*Gospel reading is from St. Mathew . Jesus severely criticises the religious leaders- Pharisees and scribes. But what he says is relevant for us too.
Jesus accused Scribes and Pharisees of double standards. They were only pretending to be good. But in reality they were not so. They paraded themselves in public , dressed in fancy robes. They said long prayers and kept rules that were man made. But inside they were hallow and empty. They took every effort to show off their importance and false piety.
Jesus was able to see beneath the appearences and see the real person. What joy it was for him to find a genuine person like Nathaniel. But he disliked false persons.
The moment we try to be what we are not, we become unreal persons. A humble person never tries to be pretender. That is why Jesus says, "whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Feast of Ascension :A

" AS THEY WERE LOOKING ON, HE WAS LIFTED UP, AND A CLOUD TOOK HIM OUT OF THEIR SIGHT"

First Reading : Acts 1:1-11
Second Reading : Eph. 1:17-23
Gospel Reading: Mt 28:16-20

* First reading is from the Acts of the Apostles. St. Luke gives a brief description of Jesus' appearence to his disciples after his resurrection. Jesus instructed them to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit and later they were to witness in Jerusalem, Judea , Samaria and to the end of the world.
After this, as they were talking to Him, Jesus was lifted up to heaven and a cloud took Him out of their sight. This description of Jesus' ascension is to strengthen our faith in the risen Lord.

* In the second reading from the letter of St. Paul to Ephesians, Paul gives us the meaning of Ascension of Jesus. That God by raising Jesus from the dead, he has given Him authority and power to rule over the whole world. Now he is the head of the Church and everything in this world. Those who believe in Him will accomplish great things.

Today's Gospel reading is from St. Mathew. On a mountain in Galilee, Jesus gives instruction to his disciples. He told them that all authority in heaven and earth is given to him by God the Father. He also told them to go to the whole world and make disciples. They were to baptize people in the name of Father , Son and the Holy Spirit. He promised them that he will be with them till the end of the world. Thus the Ascension of Jesus is the assurance that Jesus is with his disciples always, till the end of times.
Feast of Ascension should give us hope of life after death and strengthen us by the abiding presence of Jesus among his disciples.

Ninth Sunday of the Year :A

"WISE MAN ... FOOLISH MAN"

First Reading: Deu. 11-18, 26-28
Second Reading : Rom . 3: 21-25,28
Gospel Reading: Mt. 7: 21=27

* First Reading is from the book of Deuteronomy. Moses exhorts the Israelites to follow the commandments of God. They will receive blessings if they obey God's commandments. But if they disobey them and go after other gods they will be punished.

*Second Reading is from St. Paul's letter to the Romans. Paul tells the Romans that they are justified by faith in Jesus. That they have received it through the grace of God rather than through their own efforts (works of law). And this redemption they received is through Jesus Christ.

"Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter the kingdom of heaven"

Today's Gospel reading is from St. Mathew. Jesus tells his disciples and us that by merely saying Lord, Lord, we cannot enter the kingdom of God. Our words and actions should match . Jesus gives us the example of two persons. One a wise man who built his house on solid foundation, when the extreme weather battered that house, it stood firm because , it had solid foundation. So also a person who follows the teachings of Jesus and put them in to practice will be like that wise man. He also gives the example of a foolish man who built his house on sand- poor foundation. When the extreme weather battered on it, it fell, because it did not have solid foundation.
Those who listen to Jesus' teaching but does not follow them in their lives are that foolish man. We are invited to be like the wise man and secure our eternal life not by words but by action- following the will of the heavenly father.