Thirtieth Sunday of the Year: A: October 25, 2026

 THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT OF GOD

Introduction: The central theme of today's liturgy is the greatest commandment of God: To love God with our whole being and to express it in action by loving our neighbour. First reading from the book of Exodus gives the different expressions of the love of one's neighbour, especially the poor and the marginalised. In the second reading St. Paul praises the Christians in Thessalonica for their heroic witness by practising mutual love. In the Gospel Jesus combines the commandment to love God with the commandment to love one's neighbour and the resultant commandment is of supreme importance for His followers. 

First Reading: Exodus 22: 20 to 26

Second Reading: 1Thessalonians 1: 5 to 10

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 34 to 40

   *First reading is from the book of Exodus. The Lord God instructs the chosen people that there should not be any exploitation or discrimination of the weak and the marginalised in the community. He warns them of very severe consequences if they ignore His instructions: Punishments and even death if they do injustice to the weaker members of the community. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. Paul expresses his deep appreciation for the exemplary and praise-worthy behaviour of the Christian community at Thessalonica. They have accepted the Word of God in pain and in affliction. But they are great examples for everyone by always serving the living and true God. 

The love of God and the love of one's neighbour                                            Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus highlights the two great commandments of God: The love of God and the love of one's neighbour. Jesus explains to a lawyer the inseparable nature of these two commandments of God. When we say we love God, it should be seen in our daily lives by our love for our fellow humans. This message of Jesus is beautifully expressed by St. John in his letter: "Anyone who says 'I love God' and hates his brother is a liar."(1Jn 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 is God who loves us first and makes us capable of loving others. Jesus teaches us the following: 1.We are asked not just to believe in God but to love God. 2. We are asked not merely to respect our neighbour but to love our neighbour as we love ourselves. Once our life is governed and guided by the love of God and the love of our neighbour, all other laws and precepts are subsumed into the commandment of love. In this context St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta says: "I wouldn't touch a leper for a thousand pounds, yet I willingly cure him for the love of God." St. Theresa of Child Jesus says: "If we want to live a life of love of God, we must not fail in our love towards our neighbour." 

Conclusion: In Shishu Bhavan (Children's Home) in Calcutta founded by St. Mother Teresa, the  following words are inscribed on the wall with a title: LOVE THEM ANYWAY! If you do good, people will accuse you of selfish ulterior motive: DO GOOD ANYWAY. If you are successful, you win false friends and true enemies: SUCCEED ANYWAY. The good you do will be forgotten tomorrow: DO GOOD ANYWAY. People need help but may attack you if you help them: HELP PEOPLE ANYWAY.                                                                                                                            Jesus our Lord and Master has shown us how to live the total Gospel: Loving God and loving our neighbour. He is our model. We should always work for a better world, a world that takes care of Nature, a world that is fully and firmly based on God our heavenly Father and Jesus our Brother. 

May the Lord Jesus, who unconditionally loves everyone of us and gave His life for us, bless you and inspire you to love God and love your neighbour. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph on YouTube follows; Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version. Thanks.)

Twenty-ninth Sunday of the Year: A: October 18, 2026

 GIVING TO GOD AND TO CAESAR WHAT BELONGS TO THEM

Introduction: In today's liturgy Jesus invites us to render to God what belongs to Him. Through this exhortation Jesus teaches us that there is nothing that does not belong to God. God is the creator of the universe: Billions of Galaxies and each galaxy has billions of stars and everything in it - including Caesar and his kingdom. He does not need our gold, silver or money. Jesus tells us to remain focused in our service and worship of God and serving humans who are the image and likeness of God and surrender everything in this world to Him. 

First Reading: Isaiah 45: 1 and 4 to 6

Second Reading: Thessalonians 1: 1 to 5

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 15 to 21

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Cyrus, the King of Persia, liberates the people of Israel from their exile in Babylon. Isaiah envisages the return of the chosen people from their exile not only as a sign of the Lord God's love for them but also as a sign of His lordship over all 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 and praises the role of the Holy Spirit for the success of 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 Pharisees put a very tricky question to Jesus: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus cleverly answers this question (a trap) by exhibiting a Roman coin and asking them about the image and the inscription on the coin. The coin has the image and the inscription of Caesar. He tells them: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's." By His reply, Jesus clarifies the need to recognise the two-fold authority: The secular authority and the authority of God. Jesus makes a fine distinction between the two. In most of the countries in the world, there is complete separation between the religious domain and that of the state. Being a Christian, how to live in the world without having a conflict between 'Caesar and God' is the question we have to face. There are also so many little 'Caesars' we have to deal with in our daily lives: The company, local authorities, peer groups, friends and relatives, all vying for our loyalty and support. In all these various situations, we have to acknowledge and respect the legitimate secular authority and at the same time, keep God's authority in its rightful place.

Conclusion: In His conversation with the Pharisees, Jesus tells them: "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God." In other words, give to God what carries God's face: Give to God what is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis, Ch.1) With that answer, Jesus opens up a whole new world. What is created in God's image? What is imprinted with God's face? What does God expect us to give Him? Not gold or silver or precious items of the world, not prayers and hymns in His honour, not religious structures made of perishable materials of this world. They are all helpful and necessary. But what God wants from us is to give Him God's image in its fullness. That is the worship He wants. That is the tax we have to pay to belong to His Kingdom. As long as there are starving children, unborn children who are denied their right to be born, the sick and the unwanted who are not taken care of, the poor who have no shelter, food and education, when people are denied their basic human rights, we are not rendering to God what He wants from us. This is the face of God St. Francis of Assisi, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta and numerous saints tried to develop and render to God. Now it is our turn to do the same. 

May the Lord Jesus, who distinguishes between the secular authority and God's authority, bless you and help you to keep this distinction between the two in your lives. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph on YouTube follows. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version. Thanks.)

Twenty-eighth Sunday of the Year: A: October 11, 2026

 AN INVITATION TO THE LORD'S BANQUET

Introduction: Today's liturgy speaks about the heavenly banquet God prepares for all people. First reading  from the book of Prophet Isaiah speaks of the great banquet prepared for God's people on the mountain of the Lord. In the Gospel we have the parable of the wedding feast of a King's son, where people from all walks of life are invited. Some of the invited guests refuse to come for the feast. God in His goodness and mercy calls everyone to experience the joy of His heavenly banquet. We refuse to accept His loving invitation on flimsy pretexts. Yet God, with great forbearance, continues to invite us to the heavenly banquet. 

First Reading: Isaiah 25: 6 to 10

Second Reading: Philippians 4: 12 to 14 and 19 to 20

Gospel Reading: Matthew 22: 1 to 14

  *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah speaks about a great banquet prepared by the Lord God on the mountain of the Lord. The imagery of the banquet describes the great and wonderful blessings that the Lord God has in store for the people of Israel and for all nations. It is a pre-figuration of the many blessings that will be brought about by the Messianic Kingdom through the coming of Jesus Christ. 

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

The parable of the wedding feast                                                          Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. It is a strange story about a King who invites various types of people for his son's wedding. We meet four different types of people in the parable: 1. Those who make light of the King's invitation and do not go to the banquet due to various reasons. They are busy with matters of their own. Eventually, they do not respond to the invitation of the King. 2. There are some who treat the servants of the King shamefully and even kill some of them. These are the evil people who try to do away with the reign of God. 3. Those who are called from the by-lanes. These are the people who represent all nations and are willing to accept the Kingdom of God. They are admitted to His Kingdom without going into their antecedents. 4. After being admitted, those who refuse to wear the wedding garment at the banquet. Those are the people who accept the invitation of the King but are unwilling to be part of the wedding due to their refusal to follow the rules of the wedding.  The wedding feast symbolises the heavenly banquet prepared by God for all humans. In the world today, we meet all these four types of people. Matthew 8: 11-12 says: "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." 

Conclusion: God is very generous in inviting all of us to His banquet. Maybe we have many reasons to make light of it, totally reject it or accept it with an open heart. We may have many excuses for not accepting God's invitation. The people who refused the King's invitation did so not from any evil motives but apparently good and reasonable ones. One man wanted to attend to his land, another to his business and so on. All perfectly good occupations in themselves. But this is precisely what makes them dangerous. The greatest danger facing us is not that we might abandon God and turn to evil, but rather that we might ignore His invitation and go our own way. When we accept His invitation wholeheartedly and unconditionally, we can receive abundant blessings that only the Almighty can dispense with. 

May the heavenly Father, who invites you to His Son's wedding feast, bless you with His abundant blessings. Amen. 

(Kindly note: Sunday Reflections with Fr. Joy Joseph on YouTube follows. Please view, like, share and subscribe to the video version. Thanks.)