First Sunday of Advent: B: December 3, 2023

 WATCH AND PRAY (Preparing for the coming of the Lord)

First Reading: Isaiah 63:16-17 and 64: 1 and 3-8

Second Reading: 1Corinthians 1: 3-9

Gospel Reading: Mark 13: 33-37

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Isaiah. Isaiah laments over the sad state of the chosen people of God who had returned from the Babylonian exile. He recalls the past goodness of the Lord God to His people. The Prophet fervently prays that the heavens may rend open and the saviour may soon come among His people. This prayer of Isaiah finds its echo in the liturgy of the holy season of Advent.

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Corinthians. Paul thanks God for all the graces and blessings the Christian community at Corinth received in the past. He earnestly urges them to remain faithful and sinless as they await the return of  Lord Jesus. Paul assures them and all of us that as they/we await the coming of the Lord in glory, the Holy Spirit keeps them/us steadfast in bearing witness to Him.

Stay awake                                                                      Advent marks the beginning of our journey of a new liturgical year. It calls us to wake up and look at our relationship with Jesus our saviour and other humans. We are His servants in whom He has placed His trust.                                                                   Today's Gospel reading is from St. Mark. We have a short little parable for our reflection. It is about a householder who goes on a long journey. Before departure, he calls his servants and gives each one a job to do. He urges them to be responsible and not to fall asleep. He singles out the doorkeeper and tells him, "When I return, I want to find you awake". Christ's story ends there with that warning ringing in our ears. Let us take this story a little further, concentrating only on the doorkeeper. Perhaps, the greatest danger facing him is not so much that he may fall asleep on the job but rather, it will become just another job and nothing more. A person can get used to anything and complacency follows. It may happen in our lives too. Hence the need  to 'stay awake'. Advent invites us to wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Saviour Jesus Christ.

"Mark the season of Advent by loving  and serving the others with God's own love and concern." -St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"Into this world, this demented inn in which there is absolutely no room for him at all, Christ comes uninvited." -Thomas Merton  

Thirty-fourth Sunday of the Year: A: Feast of Christ the King: November 26, 2023

 JESUS CHRIST, THE KING OF THE UNIVERSE

First Reading: Ezekiel 34: 11-12 and 15-17Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 15: 20-26 and 28

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 31-46

   *First Reading is from the book of Prophet Ezekiel. Ezekiel portrays the Lord God as a shepherd who cares for the chosen people of God. The Lord God assures the people and us that He seeks the lost and takes care of the injured and the weak in the community. He is their protector and takes care of them from all types of dangers. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Corinthians. Paul explains to the Christian community at Corinth regarding the resurrection of Christ Jesus. He assures them and us that Christ is the conqueror of every authority and power in the world. At the end of times, He will hand-over the Kingdom to the Heavenly Father after destroying the last enemy, that is death. Paul affirms that Christ's resurrection is the proof and the guarantee of our own resurrection from the dead. 

Christ the universal King                                                                       Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The last judgement scene is described in great detail. On the judgement day, Jesus comes as a judge and separates the good and the evil. He tells those on His right hand -those who are blessed- 'as you did it to one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did it to me'. Those admitted to His kingdom are not people who have done anything special or spectacular in the eyes of the world. The requirements to be part of His Kingdom are very simple and do not go beyond the capacity of any ordinary person. For Christ, the simple human graciousness and charity are ground enough to be joyfully welcomed into the fullness of the Kingdom. Jesus looks upon every kindness done to a person in need, however lowly,  as a kindness done to Himself. Those who are excluded from His Kingdom - those cursed- have brought doom and misery upon themselves because they failed to respond to simple human needs. They stand eternally condemned not because of any violent and heinous crimes but because of their failure to act on the simple human needs of the poor and the needy. Hence, in order to honour our King and Lord, we have to stand with the least and the lost of His brothers and sisters and attend to their needs. 

"The biggest disease in the world today is not leprosy, TB or AIDS but the feeling of being unwanted and uncared for. The greatest evil in the world is lack of love, the terrible indifference towards one's neighbour. What the poor need even more than food, cloths and shelter is to be wanted." - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta. 

                                       

Thirty-third Sunday of the Year: A: November 19, 2023

 BEING FAITHFUL AND  INDUSTRIOUS IN ONE'S DUTY

First Reading: Proverbs 31:10-13, 19-20 and 30-31

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-6

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 14-30

   *First reading is from the book of Proverbs. An ideal wife's qualities are narrated. She is hard-working, a support to the husband and she is always charitable to the poor and the needy. Hence, such a person is more precious and valuable than any jewels that can be acquired. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to the Thessalonians. Paul exhorts the Christian community at Thessalonica to be always ready for the second coming of the Lord Jesus. It will be unexpected and sudden like that of the coming of a thief at night. He invites the Christians at Thessalonica and all of us that as children of the light, we are to keep awake for the coming of Jesus our Lord and Master. 

The parable of the talents                                                                         Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable of the talents is narrated and explained. In the parable, there are three servants and their Master. The Master gives certain amount of money -'talents'- to all three servants and he goes on a long journey. The first and the second servants are industrious and hard-working. However, the third servant is lazy and a man of excuses. On his return, the Master calls all three servants and asks for an account of the money he had entrusted to them. All of them told the Master how they utilized the money given to them. The Master praises the first and the second servant for their hard work and shrewdness as they multiplied their 'talents' and added returns to their Master. But the third servant is severely chastised for his laziness and lack of resourcefulness as he simply buried the 'talent' given to him and did not let it be productive. Jesus tells this parable to explain to us how we are to make use of our God-given abilities and talents in our daily lives. The parable is certainly not about making money or about accumulating wealth at any cost. Through this parable Jesus is explaining to us about using our precious time and God-given gifts and grow as children of God and as useful members of the society. It is by living that we discover our talents and it is by using them that we grow. In spite of some negative aspects, the parable has a lot of positive and encouraging aspects. Two out of the three servants heard those magic words from the Master: "Well done." To all who are doing their best- to live good lives- the Lord is speaking those same words of encouragement: "Well done, good and faithful servant". Hence, the parable reveals the trust, the confidence and the generosity of God towards each one of us. All of us are invited to respond to it whole-heartedly.

"It is more important to be faithful than to be successful". - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Thirty-second Sunday of the Year: A: November 12, 2023

                     BEING WISE AND PRUDENT                                                            (To be part of the Kingdom of God)

First Reading : Wisdom 6: 12-16

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18

Gospel Reading: Matthew 25: 1-19

   *First reading is from the book of Wisdom. Wisdom is personified and praised. The Lord God instructs us that  Wisdom can be found by all those who seek her sincerely. And she is discerned by those who love her. Further, those who are worthy of  Wisdom will find her. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. Paul consoles the Christian community at Thessalonica who were worried about the fate of their loved ones who died. He assures them and us that God will raise them up as He raised up Jesus Christ. Paul speaks about the second coming of the Lord which will be sudden and unexpected. Only those who have been eagerly waiting for Him and are preparing themselves to meet Him will have the joy of His presence. 

The parable of the ten virgins                                                                         Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. The parable of the ten virgins is narrated and explained to us by Jesus for our reflection and action. A wedding celebration takes place where ten virgins(brides-maids) go to meet the bridegroom with their lamps (as was the custom of the Palestine at that time because the wedding takes place after sunset). Out of the ten, five are foolish who do not take extra oil for their lamps. However, the other five are wise and they take extra oil for their lamps. The bridegroom and party arrive late at night. When the bridegroom arrives, the foolish virgins could not light their lamps because they have no oil with them. As result, they are unable to join the wedding. On the other hand, the wise virgins light up the lamps with the oil they have carried along and they join the celebrations. 1.The parable warns us that there are certain things in the world which cannot be obtained at the last minute as it happened in the case of the foolish virgins.  2. It tells us that we should keep awake and be ready when the Lord comes into our lives - it may be at an unexpected hour. 3. The parable reminds us that there are certain things in life that we cannot borrow. The foolish virgins found it impossible to borrow oil when they needed it most. A person cannot borrow a relationship with God. A person cannot borrow a character. He or she must be clothed with it. Hence, the oil for our heavenly journey has to be acquired by each one. 

"A fool thinks himself to be wise, but a wise man knows himself to be a fool." - William Shakespeare

"Many receive advice, only the wise profit from it." - Harper Lee

"Do not be wise in words, be wise in deeds." - A Jewish Proverb

                                                          

Thirty-first Sunday of the Year: November 5, 2023

              THE VIRTUE OF HUMILITY

First Reading: Malachi 1: 14 to 2: 2 and 8-10

Second Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2: 7-9 and 13

Gospel Reading: Matthew 23: 1-12

   *First reading is from the book of Prophet Malachi. Malachi severely warns the priests of the land of Israel. He says that the Lord God intends 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 the Lord God and made void the covenant of the Lord God. They stand condemned for their favouritism and for causing divisions and distinctions among the people. 

   *Second reading is from the first letter of St. Paul to Thessalonians. Paul reminds the Christian community at Thessalonica of his great love and care for them. He tells them how hard he worked to bring good news to them. He thanks God for their openness to his preaching and instructions. 

Whoever humbles himself will be exalted                                                       Today's Gospel reading is from St. Matthew. Jesus criticizes the religious leaders: The Pharisees and the Scribes. He accuses them of double standards in their lives. They are pretending to be good but in reality they are far from it. They parade themselves in public; dressed in fancy robes to get the attention of the gullible people. They say long prayers and keep many man-made rules and precepts but fail in love and justice. They are hollow and empty inside. They take every effort to show off their importance and false piety. Jesus sees beneath the appearances and sees the real person as he/she is. A genuine person like Nathaniel is praised by Jesus. But he expresses his dislike for all falsehood and pretensions in people. The words Jesus speaks against the Scribes and the Pharisees are  a warning to us too. The moment we try to be what we are not, we become unreal persons and pretenders. A humble person never tries to be a pretender. That is why Jesus says, "Whoever humbles himself will be exalted".

"Humility is the beginning of wisdom" -Proverb

"If you are humble nothing will touch you, neither praise or disgrace, because you know what you are." - St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta

"We come nearest to the great when we are great in humility." - M. K. Gandhi

"The Lord called me by the way of simplicity and humility." - St. Francis of Assisi

Thirtieth Sunday of the Year: A: October 29, 2023

THE GREATEST COMMANDMENT

First Reading: Exodus 22: 20-26

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 seriously warns them of the consequences of ignoring His instruction -punishments, 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 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 all other Christian communities 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. The two great commandments of God: The love of God and the love of neighbour are discussed in detail. These two commandments are inseparable as explained by Jesus to a lawyer and all of us. When we love God, it should be seen in our daily lives through 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 make us capable of loving others. 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 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 become unnecessary and 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 22, 2023

           GIVE 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. Cyrus, the King of Persia, liberated the people of Israel from their exile in Babylon. Isaiah envisages the return of the chosen people from their exile not merely as a sign of the Lord God's love for His people 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 Holy Spirit  for all the success he has 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 Pharisees put a tricky question to Jesus: "Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" Jesus cleverly answers this question by showing them a Roman coin and 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 clarifies to us the need to recognize 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 a complete separation between the religious domain and that of the State. For us Christians, how to live in the world without having 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. There is the party, the company, the local community and the personal groups all vying for our loyalty and support. 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 (a Russian writer)