Aug 30 Monday:
Today’s Gospel presents the reaction of Jesus’ fellow-townsmen, to the “Inaugural Address” offered them at a synagogue in Nazareth when Jesus visited the town as a rabbi with a band of disciples. The reading shows us how Jesus faced scepticism and criticism with prophetic courage.
The incident reminds us that we should have and show the courage of our Christian convictions daily as we live in our communities, especially when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian Faith and its practiceAmazement turns to hatred. The first reaction of the people in the synagogue to Jesus’ words was astonishment. They were amazed that one of their fellow villagers could speak with such grace, eloquence and authority. But their amazement turned into displeasure when Jesus speaking as a prophet, (different from the image of the miracle-worker that people wished to see), claimed identity with the Messiah described by Isaiah. That claim turned Jesus’ fellow-townsman's displeasure into anger, then hatred. They challenged Jesus’ Messianic claim, asking, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” They could not understand how a mere carpenter from their hometown Nazareth could be the Messiah, who would liberate them from Roman rule and re-establish the Davidic kingdom. Jesus’ reaction to His people’s scepticism: Jesus reacted to their negative attitude with the comment, “No prophet is accepted in his native place.” Next, he referred to the Biblical stories of how God had blessed two Gentiles, while rejecting the many Jews in similar situations, precisely because those Gentiles were more open to the prophets than the Jewish people. Jesus reminded them of the Gentile widow of Zarephath, in Lebanon (1 Kgs 17:7-24). The Prophet Elijah stayed with her and her son during the three-and-a-half-year drought, fed them miraculously and, later, raised her son from death. Then Jesus described how Naaman, the pagan military general of Syria, was healed of leprosy by Elisha, the prophet.
Life messages: 1) We need to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism, when we experience the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect, or abuse from our friends, families, or childhood companions. 2) Let us not, like the people in Jesus’ hometown, reject God in our lives. Are we unwilling to be helped by God, or by others? Does our pride prevent us from recognizing God’s direction, help, and support in our lives through His words in the Bible, through the teachings of the Church and through the advice and examples of others? 3) We must have the prophetic courage of our convictions. This passage challenges us to have the courage of our Christian convictions in our day-to-day lives in our communities, when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian Faith. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
August 30: Feast of St. Jeanne Jugan (October 25, 1792-August 29, 1879) foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor: Charles Dickens, the great English novelist and writer, a contemporary of Jeanne Jugan, said of her: “There is in this woman something so calm, and so holy, that in seeing her I know myself to be in the presence of a superior being. Her words went straight to my heart, so that my eyes, I know not how, filled with tears.”
Sr. Mary of the Cross, canonized under her baptismal name as St. Jeanne Jugan, Foundress of the Little Sisters of the Poor, was born into a poor family in Brittany, France on October 25, 1792. She lived a heroic life, spent sacrificially in the care of the elderly poor. She died a saintly death on August 29, 1879 at the age of 86. This year (2020) marks her 141st birthday in Heaven and the 152nd anniversary of the arrival of her Little Sisters in the United States. We are celebrating these anniversaries by offering all of her Little Sisters on the altar and presenting all the Residents and Caregivers of this Home before the Lord.
Although she was born into a poor family, Jeanne’s widowed mother trained her in the Catholic Faith and in its practice. She learned the meaning of hard work, first by working as a shepherd girl, and then becoming a kitchen maid at 16. Her mistress was a kind-hearted woman who took young Jeanne on visits to the sick and the poor. Over time, Jeanne developed a special love for the aged, particularly for poor widows. At age 25, the young woman became a member of the third Order of the Admirable Mother, founded by St. John Eudes (Eudists). Jeanne did hospital work as a nursing assistant and domestic service for years until she was 47.
In 1837, Jeanne began to share a modest second floor apartment with an older woman, Francoise Aubert (65) and a 17-year-old orphan, Virginie Trédaniel. Two years later, in the winter of 1839, with the permission of her housemates, Jeanne carried home a blind, paralyzed, impoverished old woman, Anne Chauvin and placed the lady in her own bed. Jeanne slept in the attic from then on. As much as they were able, Virginie and Françoise helped Jeanne to care for Anne.
These three women then formed a Catholic community of prayer, devoted to assisting the elderly poor. Soon several other women joined her good work of caring for the sick and elderly by moving into her house. They became an informal prayer community and eventually elected Jeanne as superior, and she took the name Sr. Mary of the Cross. They supported themselves through domestic work. Over time, the community came to be known, first as “the Servants of the Poor” and later as the Little Sisters of the Poor. Their members, who begged for the needs of the elderly in their care, took vows of chastity, poverty, obedience, and hospitality. A benefactor provided the growing community of women with a larger house, a former convent. Since Sr. Mary of the Cross was a talented fundraiser and organizer, other houses were soon established. The Sisters begged for the needs of the elderly in their care and ate only leftovers.
In 1843, Sr. Mary of the Cross was forced out of her leadership role by Father Auguste Le Pailleur, the power-crazy priest who had been appointed Spiritual Father of the small community by the local bishop. Ignoring the election of Jeanne Jugan as their Mother Superior by the Sisters, the spiritual director appointed his protegée, Sister Marie Jamet, as the Mother General and instructed Jeanne Jugan to “live a hidden life behind the walls of the motherhouse with no contact with any of her former benefactors.” She gladly accepted this demotion in great humility for 27 years, helping and encouraging the aspirants, postulants, and novices, without telling anyone that she had started the Congregation. She rejoiced to see the 1879 approval of the Constitution of the Little Sisters of the Poor by Pope Leo XIII. At her death, August 29, 1879, her congregation had spread to other countries. The autocratic spiritual director, Father Le Pailleur, however, was investigated and dismissed in 1890. It took until 1902 for Jeanne Jugan to be recognized, not simply as “the third Little Sister,” but as the foundress of the Little Sisters. God blessed the congregation with growth, establishing over 160 houses in the world in the 178 years since its founding, 26 of them in the United States.
Miracles leading to Jeanne Jugan’s canonization: The medically inexplicable and sudden cure of Mr. Antoine Schlatter, a Resident of the Little Sisters of the Poor Home in Toulon, France in 1982, was recognized as the miracle necessary for the beatification. When Pope John Paul II beatified her on October 3, 1982, he said: “God could glorify no more humble a servant than Jeanne Jugan”. In early March, 2002, Mrs. Jeanne Gatz of Omaha, Nebraska called the Superior of the Little Sisters Home in Kansas City, Missouri and told Sister that her husband had been cured of cancer in 1989, through the intercession of Blessed Jeanne Jugan. On December 6, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree approving the miraculous cure of Dr. Edward Gatz through the intercession of Blessed Jeanne Jugan, clearing the way for her canonization. That same Pope canonized her as a saint of the universal Church on October 11, 2009, along with Blessed Damien of Molokai and three other Blesseds!
Pope Benedict XVI, in his canonization sermon, said: “St. Jeanne’s canonization would show once again, how a living faith is prodigious in good works and how sanctity is a healing balm for the wound of humankind. ‘Come, follow Me.’ This is the Christian vocation which is born from the Lord’s proposal of love and can only be fulfilled in our loving response. Saints accept this demanding invitation and set out with humble docility in the following of the Crucified and Risen Christ . . .”
Life message: 1) We need to imitate St. Jeanne Jugan in seeing Jesus in everyone around us and offering everyone corporal and spiritual works of charity, realizing the truth that our eternal destiny with God depends on our answer to six questions Jesus the judge is going to ask us on the Day of Last Judgement. These questions, found in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 25:31-36 , are: “I was hungry, I was thirsty: what did you do? I was naked, I was homeless: Did you do anything? I was sick, I was in prison: what did you do?” The Holy Bible, the seven Sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and the Six Precepts of the Church are all meant to help us to practice these corporal and spiritual acts of charity (mercy), in this life, with humble hearts filled with sacrificial and selfless agape love so that we may become eligible to receive God’s loving and eternal reward of Heavenly bliss.
Aug 31 Tuesday:
The context: After his sad experience with fellow-townsmen in, Nazareth, Jesus made the city of Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, the center of the fishing business a base for a Messianic preaching and healing mission. The people were impressed by the authority with which Jesus taught. The Old Testament prophets had taught using God’s delegated authority, and the scribes and Pharisees taught quoting Moses, the prophets and the great rabbis. But Jesus taught using His own authority and knowledge as God. Perfect knowledge of God, His Father, perfect obedience to God His Father’s will, and absolute confidence in God, His Father, were the sources of Jesus’ authority. The second part of today’s Gospel describes a healing by exorcism, which Jesus performed in the synagogue. We are told how, using His authority as God, cast out the devil by just one command: “Be silent, and come out of him!” The demon obeyed at once, throwing the man it had possessed to the floor in the midst of the people in the synagogue on its departure. The people were impressed with Jesus’ power and authority that could command even evil spirits.
Life messages: 1) Our Faith is based on the Divinity of Christ, demonstrated by Jesus’ miracles, which in turn give authority and validity to Jesus’ teaching and promises. Hence, let us accept Jesus’ teachings, even if some of them are mysteries beyond our understanding 2) Let us read the authoritative word of God every day and assimilate it into our lives. 3) In our illnesses, let us confidently approach Jesus the healer with trusting Faith first, then go to the doctors who are the ordinary instruments of Jesus’ healing ministry in our midst. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
Sept 1 Wednesday:
The context: Today’s Gospel tells us that preaching the Good News of God’s love, mercy and salvation, and healing the sick were the means Jesus used to build up the Kingdom of God. By preaching and healing, Jesus drew listeners to belief in a loving and providing God and to loving obedience to His will. We are told that Jesus drew renewed spiritual streigth from God, His Father, every day by talking with and listening to Him, often in a desolate place at night.
Healing mission: Jesus never tired of healing the sick, thus demonstrating the mercy and compassion of His Heavenly Father to every sick person who approached with trusting Faith. Having finished the day’s preaching in the synagogue on one Sabbath, Jesus went to Simon’s home and healed Simon’s mother-in-law of a fever. In the evening, when the Sabbath rest was over, people brought all their sick dear ones to Jesus for healing and exorcism. Jesus either concluded the day or, here, began the new day, by spending time with the Father in prayer in a lonely place.
Life messages: 1) We are called to continue Jesus’ preaching mission primarily by bearing witness to Christ through our day-to-day lives, radiating Christ’s mercy, love, forgiveness and spirit of humble service to all around us. 2) We can participate in Jesus’ healing mission by praying for the sick and by visiting, helping, and encouraging the sick and shut-ins. 3) We, too, need to have our spiritual batteries recharged by prayer every day, as Jesus did. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
Sept 2 Thursday:
The context: The scene is the Sea of Galilee (Gennesaret in Greek and Tiberius in Latin). The story of the miraculous catch of fish described in today’s Gospel is similar to the post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus recounted in John 21:4-14. It is one of the “epiphany-call stories” which direct our attention to the fact that Jesus had distinct criteria for selecting people to be apostles. The reading challenges us to examine our own personal calls to conversion and discipleship.
The miraculous catch followed by the call: After teaching the crowd from a seat in the boat of Simon, Jesus said to him “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Simon and his companions were stunned by the biggest catch of their lives. This event led Simon to acknowledge his unworthiness, as a sinner, even to stand before the Divine Presence of Jesus. Impressed by Simon’s obedience and confession of unworthiness, Jesus immediately invited Simon, Andrew, James and John to become close disciples and so to “catch men” instead of fish.
Life Messages: 1) Our encounter with the holiness of God needs to lead us to recognize our sinfulness. The Good News of today’s Gospel is that our sinfulness — our pride and self-centeredness – does not repel God. That is why we offer this Mass asking God’s pardon and forgiveness, and why we receive Jesus in Holy Communion only after acknowledging our unworthiness.
2) With Jesus, the seemingly impossible becomes possible. Today’s Gospel passage tells us an important truth about how God works in and through us for His glory. God chooses ordinary people – people like you and me – as His ambassadors. He uses the ordinary circumstances of our daily lives and our responses. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
Sept 3 Friday: (St. Gregory the great, Pope & Doctor of the Church):
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ reply to the question asked by a few disciples of John the Baptist about fasting and feasting. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving were three cardinal works of Jewish religious life. Hence, John’s disciples wanted to know why they and the Pharisees fasted while Jesus’ disciples were seen feasting with him and never fasting.
Jesus’ reply: Jesus responds to their sincere question using three metaphors: the metaphor of the “children of the bridal chamber,” the metaphor of patching torn cloth, and the metaphor of wineskins. First, Jesus compares the apostles with the children of the bridal chamber, the selected friends of the bride and groom who feasted in the company of bride and groom during a week of honeymoon. Nobody expected them to fast. Jesus explains that the apostles will fast when Jesus, the bridegroom, has been taken away from them. In the same way, we are to welcome both the joys of Christian life and the crosses it offers us. Jesus uses the comparisons of the danger of using new, unshrunken cloth to make a patch for an old garment and of using old wineskins to store freshly fermented wine, to tell the questioners that they must have more elastic and open minds and larger hearts to understand and follow the new ideas they are hearing, which are in many cases different from the traditional Jewish teachings.
Life messages: 1) We need to be adjustable Christians with open and elastic minds: The Holy Spirit, working actively in the Church and guiding the Church’s teaching authority, enables the Church to have new visions, new ideas and new adaptations and to replace old ways of worship with new. So, we should have the generosity and good will to follow the teachings of the Church. 2) At the same time, we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit, Who works through the Church’s magisterium to interpret and apply Scripture – the Old Testament revelations and the New Testament teachings — and Sacred Tradition to our daily lives. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L21
Sept 4 Saturday:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ teaching on the purpose of the Sabbath and on its proper observance. This was Jesus’ response to a criticism and a silly accusation made by some Pharisees against the apostles who, to satisfy their hunger on a Sabbath, had plucked ears of grain from a field for their snack, removed the husks by rubbing the grain between their palms and blowing away the chaff. The Pharisees accused them of violating Sabbath laws by performing three items of work forbidden on Sabbath, namely, harvesting, threshing and winnowing.
Counterarguments: Jesus gives three counterarguments from Holy Scripture defending the apostles. (1) Basic human needs, like hunger, take precedence over Divine worship and Sabbath observance. Jesus cites from Scripture the example of the hungry David and his selected soldiers. They approached Abimelech, the priest of Nob, who gave them for food the “offering bread” which only the priests were allowed to eat (Samuel 21:1-6). (2) No law can stand against Divine worship. That is why the priests are not considered as violating Sabbath laws, although they do the work of preparing two rams for sacrifice in the Temple (Numbers 28:9-10). (3) Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea to remind the accusers of God’s words: “I want mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6). Further augmenting the counterarguments, Jesus, as Son of Man (a Messianic title), claims Lordship over the Sabbath itself.
Life messages: Like the Jewish Sabbath, the Christian Sunday is to be 1) a day of rest and refreshment with members of the family; 2) a day for thanksgiving and the recharging of spiritual batteries, (through participation in the Eucharistic celebration, for Catholics); 3) a day for parents to teach religious Faith and the Bible to their children; 4) a day to do works of charity in the neighborhood and in the parish and 5) a day for socializing with family members, neighbors and fellow-parishioners. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
