2nd Week of Lent: March 14-19
March 14 Monday:
The context: In today’s passage, taken from the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus instructs his followers to be merciful, non-judgmental, forgiving, and generous. He condemns our careless, malicious, and rash judgments about another person’s behavior, feelings, motives, or actions. St. Augustine explains it thus: “What do you want from the Lord? Mercy? Give it, and it shall be given to you. What do you want from the Lord? Forgiveness? “Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”Reasons why we should not judge others: 1) No
one except God is good enough to judge others because only God sees the whole
truth, and only He can read the human heart; hence, only He has the right and
authority to judge us.
2) We are often prejudiced in our judgment of
others, and total fairness cannot be expected from us.
3) We do not see all the facts, the
circumstances, or the power of the temptation which may have led a person to do
something evil.
4) We have no right to judge others because we
have the same fault as, and often to a more serious degree than, the one we are
judging (remember Jesus’ funny example of a man with a wooden beam in his eye,
trying to remove the dust particle from another’s eye?) St. Philip Neri
commented, watching the misbehavior of a drunkard: “There goes Philip but for
the grace of God.”
Life message: 1) We should leave all judgment to
God and practice mercy and forgiveness, remembering the advice of
saints: “When you point one finger of accusation at another, three of your
fingers point at you.” Let us pay attention to the Jewish rabbi’s advice: “He
who judges others favorably will be judged favorably by God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22
March 15 Tuesday:
The context: For Jesus, it was the third day of
the very first “Holy Week” in Jerusalem, a day of controversy and personal
attacks. Jesus was under attack by the religious leaders of Israel for rejecting
Him as the Messiah. To awaken them to their own blindness, he pronounced eight
woes against these religious leaders, calling them hypocrites and publicly
humiliating them because they were more concerned about self-promotion than
serving others,
Three sins of the Scribes and Pharisees: Jesus
raises three objections to the Pharisees:
(1) “They do not practice what they teach” (v 3). They lack
integrity of life and fail to practice what they preach, namely, justice,
mercy, and charity.
(2) They overburden the ordinary people (v 4). The scribes
and the Pharisees, in their excessive zeal for God’s laws, split the 613 laws
of the Torah into thousands of rules and regulations affecting every movement
of the people, thus making God’s laws a heavy burden.
(3) “They do all their deeds to be seen by others” (v 5).
Jesus accuses the scribes and Pharisees of seeking the glory that rightly
belongs to God. They express their love of honor in several ways, thereby
converting Judaism into a religion of ostentation: (a) “They make their
phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (v 5). b) They “love to have the
place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues” (v 6). (c)
They “love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to have people
call them rabbi” (v 7).
Life messages: 1) We need servant-leaders in a
serving community: The Church is a servant-community in which those who hunger,
and thirst are to be satisfied; the ignorant are to be taught; the homeless are
to receive shelter; the sick are to be cared for; the distressed are to be
consoled; and the oppressed are to be set free. Hence, leaders should have a
spirit of humble service in thought, word, and deed.
2) We need to live the Faith we profess. Our Faith tells us
that we are all brothers and sisters, children of the same Heavenly Father.
Hence, we should always pray for each other. Instead of judging the poor, we
should be serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of
economic justice. Instead of criticizing those of other races, we should be
serving them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of racial justice.
Instead of ignoring the homeless, we should treat them as human beings, our
brothers and sisters, then serve them through efforts to supply them
with adequate housing.
3) We need to accept the responsibilities which go with our
titles. Titles and polite forms exist to remind each of us of our specific
responsibilities in society. Hence, let us use everything we are and have in a
way that brings glory to God, by serving His children. Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
March 16 Wednesday:
The context: We celebrate the feast of St. James
the apostle on July 25th. James was the son of Zebedee the fisherman and
Salome, Mary’s sister (Mt 27:56). John the apostle was his brother. The two,
with Simon Peter, made up Jesus’ inner circle of disciples who were given the
privilege of witnessing the Transfiguration, the raising to
life of the daughter of Jairus, and Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane. Jesus called
James and John “sons of thunder,” probably because of their
volatile character and high ambitions. Later, James was known as James the
Greater to distinguish him from James the Less who
wrote the epistles and led the Jerusalem Church community. James the Greater
was probably the first apostle to suffer martyrdom. It ws Herod Antipas who
ordered the arrest and condemnation, probably in an attempt to please the Jews
(Acts 12:1-3).
The Gospel episode: The incident in today’s Gospel
describes how ambitious, far-sighted, and power-crazy James and his brother
John were in their youth. They sought the help of their mother to recommend
them to Jesus in their desire to be chosen as the two cabinet ministers closest
to him when he established his Messianic kingdom after ousting the Romans. But
they had picked the most inappropriate of moments to make this request — Jesus
had just predicted his passion and death for a third time.
Jesus’ response: Jesus told them that it was the
spirit of service which would make his disciples great because he himself had
come, ”not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many.”
Life message: 1: The leaders in Jesus’ Church
must be the servants of all as Mary was (“Behold the handmaid of the
Lord”). That is why the Pope is called “the servant of the servants of
God.” The priesthood of the ordained is called the ministerial
priesthood because the duty of ordained priests is to provide
spiritual service to the people of God who share in the royal priesthood of
Christ by their Baptism (Rv 1:6; cf. 1 Pt 2:5,9). Church leaders must be ready
to serve others sacrificially with agape love in all humility.
In other words, leaders among Christians must be humble, loving, selfless and
“the servants of all.” Fr. Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22
March 17 Thursday: (St. Patrick’s Day) St. Patrick
was born to Roman parents in Banwen in Wales, so he called himself both a Roman
and a Briton. He was the son of a deacon named Calpornius; his mother was named
Conchessa. Patrick was taken captive by Irish marauders at about the age of 16.
While in captivity for six years, he learned Irish (Gaelic), which would be
essential for his later mission in Ireland. Since his master was a high priest
of the Druids, Patrick had access to information about this religion from him,
which might have proved very useful to him in his later mission, converting the
Irish to Christianity. While Patrick was working as a shepherd in Ireland, he
underwent a conversion experience and became a man of deep prayer. He managed
to escape his captivity, return to his native England, then make his way to
France for training as a missionary. A few years after his ordination, Fr.
Patrick was consecrated bishop at the age of 43, and the ecclesiastical
authorities sent him to Ireland, probably in 432.
Before Patrick came to Ireland, the people strongly believed
in all kinds of gods, including the sun. Patrick tapped into these pagan
beliefs and taught the people the true Faith about the true God. He understood
the Irish clan system. Hence, he knew that if the chieftains of the various
clans became Christian, the rest of the clans would also. Patrick used every
means possible to spread the word of God. The shamrock was the sacred plant of
the Druids, and a legend says Patrick used it to teach the people about the
Trinity. He worked night and day to bring the faith all over Ireland. He was a
charismatic person who preached with authority and acted with miracles. We have
two of Patrick’s writings, his Confessionsin
which we see his humility and his Letter
to Coroticus in which we see the courage of his Christian
convictions.
Contrary to popular belief, it was not St. Patrick who
brought the Christian Faith for the first time to Ireland. It was there already
before him in the south and east of Ireland, probably due to traders and
contacts with the continent. But it was St. Patrick who revitalized the faith of
the local minority of Christians and converted the whole country to the
Christian faith. First, he went to the west and north, where the Faith had
never been preached. He managed to obtain the protection of local kings and
made numerous converts. He ordained many priests, divided the country into
dioceses, held Church councils and founded several monasteries. All this
groundwork done by St. Patrick later enabled the Church in Ireland to send out
missionaries whose efforts were greatly responsible for Christianizing Europe.
Patrick died on March 17th, 493(?) and was buried in Ulster in County Down. As
we celebrate the feast of this great missionary saint, let us ask ourselves
whether we are grateful to God for the gift of Faith which has been passed down
to us. Do we, like Patrick, use every means to pass on this Faith and spread
it? St. Patrick’s life was penitential and prayerfuil as well as active, his
spirituality solid, and his dependence on God absolute. St. Patrick
cn serve as a model for all of us to get our priorities straight. (Fr. Tony)
_/22
March 18 Friday: (St Cyril of Jerusalem):
The context: Told by Jesus during Passover week, the
parable of the wicked tenants is actually an allegorical “parable of
judgment,” accusing the Pharisees of not producing the fruits of repentance
and renewal of life which God expected from them as leaders of His Chosen
people. “I expected my vineyard to yield good grapes. Why did it yield
sour ones instead?” The parable also explains the necessity for our
bearing fruit in the Christian life and the punishment for sterility and
wickedness. The meaning of the parable: As an allegory, this parable has
different meanings. Like the Jews, the second- and third-generation Christians
also understood God as the landlord. The servants sent by the land-owner
represented the prophets of the Old Testament. They were to see that God’s
chosen people produced fruits of justice, love, and righteousness. But the
people refused to listen to the prophets and produced the bitter grapes of
injustice, immorality, and idolatry. Further, they persecuted and killed the
prophets. As a final attempt, the landowner sent his son, (Jesus) to collect
the rent (fruits of righteousness) from the wicked tenants (the Jews). But they
crucified him and continued to lead lives of disloyalty and disobedience.
Hence, God’s vineyard was taken away from His Chosen People and was given to a
people (Gentile Christians) who were expected to produce the fruit of
righteousness. The parable warns us that if we refuse to reform our lives and
become productive, we also could be replaced as the old Israel was replaced by
us, the “new” Israel.
Life messages: 1) We need to be good
fruit-producers in the vineyard of the Church. Jesus has given the Church
everything necessary to make Christians fruit-bearing. Having already received
the Gift of Life in Baptism, we find we also have the following: a) the Bible
to know the will of God; b) the priesthood to lead the people in God’s ways; c)
the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the remission of sins; d) the Holy
Eucharist as our spiritual food; e) the Sacrament of Confirmation for a dynamic
life of Faith; f) the Sacrament of Matrimony for the sharing of love in
families, the fundamental unit of the Church, g) the Sacrament of Holy Orders
by which the priesthood of Jesus is continued on earth and will be continued
until the end of the world, and i) the Sacrament of Final Anointing to prepare
us for our death and judgment.
2) We are expected to make use of these gifts and to produce
fruits for God and to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of our family. By
our mutual sharing of blessings, by our sacrificing of our time and talents for
the welfare of all the members, by our humbly and lovingly serving others in
the family, by our recognizing and encouraging each other, and by our honoring
and gracefully obeying our parents, we become producers of “good fruit” or good
vine-branches in our families. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22
March 19 Saturday (St. Joseph, Spouse of Blessed Virgin
Mary) .Sm 7:4-5, 12-14, 16; Rom 4:13-14, 18-22; Mt 1: 16, 18-21, 24; Lk
2:41-51)
ST. JOSEPH IN THE HOLY BIBLE: We have the description of St.
Joseph only in the Gospels of Mathew and Luke. They present him as Joseph, the
just man, the dreamer, and the silent saint who was the custodian and protector
of Jesus and Mary, always doing the will of God.
(A) Joseph, the just man: (Matthew. 1:19). In
the Biblical sense, a just man is one who faithfully does his duties to God, to
lawful authorities, and to his fellow human beings.
(1) Joseph did his duties to God faithfully by
obeying His laws revealed through Moses, through his king, and through his
foster-son Jesus.
- He
obeyed the Mosaic laws: i) by circumcising and naming Jesus on
the 8th day, ii) by presenting Mary with her child in the Temple for the
purification ceremony, iii) by making Jesus “son of the Law,” bringing him
to the Temple of Jerusalem for the feast of Passover at the age of twelve.
- He
obeyed his King’s law by taking his pregnant wife Mary to
Bethlehem for the census ordered by the emperor.
- He
obeyed Jesusby respecting his desires and opinion. (Lk.2: 49)
(2) Joseph did his duties to others faithfully:
- to
his wifeby giving her loving protection in spite of his previous
suspicion about her miraculous pregnancy. He could have divorced her. Pope
St. John Paul II: St. Joseph protects Mary “discreetly, humbly, and
silently, but with an unfailing presence and utter fidelity, even when he
finds it hard to understand.”
- to
Jesusby training him in his trade, in the Law of Moses and in good
conduct (Lk. 2:52).
- to
his neighborsby being an ideal carpenter and good neighbor.
(B) Joseph, the dreamer (like Joseph in the O.T.)
received answers to his fervent prayers as dreams. Joseph raised his
heart and mind to God in all his needs and dangerous situations in life,
besides praising and thanking Him.
Dreaming in the Old Testament was one way God
used to communicate His will to men. Joseph received instructions from God
through four dreams: i) “Do not be afraid to take Mary to
be your wife” (Mt.1:20); ii) “Get up, take the Child
and his mother and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave” (Mt.
2:13); iii) “Get up, take the Child and his mother, and go
back to the land of Israel” (Mt.5:20); iv) as a confirmation of Joseph’s
prudent thought of taking Mary and Jesus out of Jerusalem (where a worse ruler
might endanger them), and back to Nazareth, a small, out of the way village in
the country.
(C) As a silent saint, Joseph always did the will of God
and protected and provided for Jesus and Mary. Hence, he continues to
protect the mystical body of Christ, the Church.
How did Joseph provide this protection and provision? By his
unfailing presence and committed fidelity. He did it silently, justly and doing
the will of God. He is a silent saint in our noisy world, giving himself to
others. He continues to protect those who protect and take care of elderly
parents, the aged and the sick in nursing homes. He courageously fulfilled his
protective role, starting with his receiving his wife into his home at the
angel’s command in a dream and continuing through the flight to Egypt with Mary
and the Child and their sojourn there, all the way to Nazareth and their life
there, where, at some point, he died peacefully in their presence.
Life Messages: 1) We need to lead
saintly lives by becomingfaithful in little things, as St. Joseph was. “Bloom
where you are planted” was the favorite advice of St. Francis de Sales. Let us
love our profession and do good to others.2)We need to consult God daily in
prayer to know His will and to do it. 3)We need to be just, as St. Joseph was,
by “giving everyone his or her due.” 4) We need to raise our families in the
spirit of the Holy Family and to be responsible, God-fearing, ideal parents
like Joseph and Mary. 5) Let us become protectors like St. Joseph,
by keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat
of good intentions that build up ourselves and others, and of evil intentions
that tear everything and everyone down! “We must not be afraid of goodness or
even tenderness!” (Pope St. John Paul II).
