FEARLESS IN PERSECUTIONJeremiah 20:10-13; Romans 5:12-15; Matthew 10:26-33 On 22 May this year, a Catholic priest, Reverend Javier García, was killed in Michoacan, Mexico, the ninth slain in the country in the past four years. According to Agenzia Fides, 18 missionaries were killed worldwide last year: 12 priests, four religious, one seminarian, and one lay person. Today, as always, those who proclaim the Gospel and its values, those who stand for justice and truth, are ill-treated and persecuted. Some give up; most fight on. What sustains them? Today’s liturgy gives us an indication! The first reading describes Jeremiah’s difficult mission:
Every evening at the Oratory at Don Bosco Matunga (Mumbai), the kids play for a while before they study. I watch them as the captains choose their teams for basketball or cricket. The younger ones have their heads down and shuffle their feet as they hear the captains call the names of the older kids or the better players. Sometimes, a captain does not see an older or stronger player and calls the name of a younger kid. The joy on his/her face is a sight to behold.Human elections everywhere – whether in politics or business or sports – is
In the depths of faith’s embrace, behold,The Sacred Heart, a story to be told.A symbol of love that knows no bounds,In grace and mercy, eternal it resounds. Within that heart, a flame divine,A beacon of hope that will forever shine.A heart that beats with compassion’s art,Guiding us through life’s intricate chart. Oh, Sacred Heart, ablaze with love’s fire,A sanctuary in which souls aspire.In your embrace, we find solace and peace,A refuge where earthly worries cease. With wounded hands outstretched so wide,A testament to love’s ultimate stride.They bear the scars of sacrifice untold,Redemption’s story forever unfold. Your eyes, a mirror of
WE BECOME WHAT WE EATDeuteronomy 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Corinthians 10:16-17; John 6:51-58 We give a lot of thought to the food we eat. And that’s good because our diets significantly affect our lives and the planet. In many ways, we become what we eat.We need to pay attention to our spiritual diets because these affect us even more. Our minds gnaw at the stressors in our lives and soon we find we’re consumed by them. The media constantly bombards us with quick-fix ads, hateful speech, and violent entertainment; social media could give us even more negativity. It’s so easy for
GOD LOVES AND FORGIVESExodus 34:4b-6, 8-9; Daniel 3:52-56; John 3:16-18 Thomas Edison was working on his crazy contraption: the “light bulb”. It took his team twenty-four hours to put together each bulb. Once, after the team finished crafting a bulb, Edison gave it to a boy to carry up to the storeroom. The youngster took each step with extreme and watchful caution. At the top of the stairs, he dropped the priceless piece of work. When the team finished the second bulb, after twenty-four hours of work, and it had to be carried upstairs to the storeroom, Edison gave it
CELEBRATE-IMITATE OUR 3-IN-1 GODDeuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40; Romans 8:14-17; Matthew 28:16-20 Multi-tasking is a way of life today… with many multi-function devices to help us! Think about the 3-in-1 stylus-laser pointer-pen. AIO printers print-copy-scan-fax. Today’s smartphones do virtually everything! With all these multi-functioning devices, it shouldn’t be difficult to accept the notion that one God can exist as three persons! Our God is “multi-function” (though we ought not to reduce God to function)! It is proper to attribute the work of creation to the Father; the work of healing and redemption to the Son; and the work of guidance to the
SHAPED BY THE WIND OF GODActs 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23 A parish priest narrates a conversation he had with a funeral director about the effect the wind has on things! The director said that, over time, trees that stand out in the open become shaped in the direction the wind is blowing. Unless there are other trees around to block it, a tree will eventually be shaped by the force and direction of the wind. Then, the funeral director began to point out tree after tree that had been shaped in this way; the cemetery was filled
THE ASCENSIONPASSING THE BATONActs 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23 or 4:1-13; Mark 16:15-20 The 4×100 relay is thrilling. The most exciting/important time is the baton exchange; many a race has been lost because of poor baton exchange. Since 1988, US quartets have been disqualified or haven’t finished the event nine times at the World Championships and the Olympics – even though they had the fastest runners – because of foul ups at baton exchanges. The Ascension is Jesus passing the baton to his disciples in the great human and Christian race. He has prepared them over three years and especially over the
TOTAL SELF-GIFTActs 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48; 1 John 4:7-10; John 15:9-17 In his book “Love is a Costly Thing”, Dick Hillis describes a mother he encountered during a trip to Africa: “She was lying on the ground, holding a tiny baby in her arms. I put a cooked sweet potato into her hand; it was all I had. Her strength was almost gone, but her tired eyes acknowledged my gift. Taking a bite, she chewed it carefully. Then, placing her mouth over her baby’s mouth, she forced the soft warm food into the tiny throat. Although she was starving, she used
Readings: 1 Cor 3:18-23 and Lk 5:1-11Memory of St. Gregory the GreatThe Great catch! “Because of Your Word I will cast the nets”. These words were the meaningful reply of Peter to Jesus in the Gospel of today. But what word? And with what authority? This reminds me of a Priest, who was well known for his pastoral work in the field of family counselling, was asked by a little boy: Father, how can a priest, not married, can give so much of advice to couples without the experience of married life. This is quite similar to the Gospel narration
