Aug 8 Monday: (St. Dominic, Priest):
The context: The first part of today’s Gospel
gives Jesus’ second prediction of His sufferings, death, and Resurrection. The
second part is Jesus’ explanation of why He pays the Temple tax. Today’s Gospel
tells us that Jesus’ disciples were “distressed” by their master’s repeated
reminders of a coming shameful death as a heretic and lawbreaker. They were
distressed because the reminders shattered their dream of ruling Israel after
Jesus had conquered the Romans and reestablished the Davidic kingdom. They did
not understand that their master would be dying to liberate the whole of
mankind from the bondage of sin. In the second part of today’s Gospel, Peter
assures the Temple tax officials that the Master, Jesus, is a devout Jew and,
hence, pays the Temple tax. All Jewish males 20 years old or older had to pay a
half-shekel (roughly equivalent to two days’ wages), as Temple tax for the
upkeep of the Temple and its sacrifices. When they reached Peter’s home, Jesus
instructed Peter to go fishing, open the mouth of the first fish he caught and,
with the coin he would find there, pay both Peter’s and his own tax. Jesus’
reason was that they were to give good example to others, even though, as the
Son of God, Jesus was legally exempted from paying any type of tax to anyone.
The Gospel passage foreshadows a dilemma that would be experienced by the first
century Jewish Christians as to whether they should continue to pay the Temple
tax meant for the Jews.
Life messages: 1) Let us express our gratitude
to Jesus our Savior for the price of suffering and death He paid for our sins.
We can do this by avoiding all occasions of sin, by offering our pains and
sufferings as atonement for our sins, and by helping others sacrificially.
2) We should obey the laws of the Church and of our country
as loyal Christians and loyal citizens and contribute to the needs of the
Church and its mission by our tithing, while we help the government by paying
our taxes. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 9 Tuesday: (St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross,
Virgin, Martyr):
The context: Chapter 18 of Matthew’s Gospel is a
“discourse on the Church,” giving leaders of the Church instructions for
administration. Jesus’ apostles shared the Jewish hope that the Messiah would
be a political ruler; they hoped that they would hold important portfolios in
the Messianic kingdom. Hence, in today’s passage (vv. 1-5), Jesus warned his
apostles and the future hierarchy of his Church against the natural human
tendencies to pride and ambition. He exhorted the spiritual leaders, as well as
all believers in responsible positions, to be humble, trusting and innocent –
that is, to be like children. The additional parable of the shepherd rejoicing
at the recovery of his lost sheep tells us that our Heavenly Father is very
particular that His little ones should not perish due to our negligence.
Child-like qualities: Children are basically innocent and
honest. They are naturally humble because they depend on their parents for
everything. They trust and obey their parents because they know their parents
love them. Hence, Jesus advises his disciples to forget their selfish ambitions
and, with trusting Faith in a loving and providing God, to spend their lives
serving others in all humility. Then they will be great in the Kingdom of
Heaven.
Life Messages: 1) We need to practice humility in
thoughts, words and actions. “Learn from me for I am meek and humble of
heart.” “What is the essential thing in the religion and discipline of
Jesus Christ?” St. Augustine asks, and then responds, “I shall reply: first
humility, second humility and third humility.”
2) We should not seek recognition and recompense for the
service we do for Christ and the Church as parents, teachers, pastors, etc.
3) Trusting Faith resulting from true humility is essential
for all corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Since children reflect the
innocence, purity, simplicity and tenderness of our Lord, and since they are
given the protection of a guardian angel, we are to love them, train them and
take care not to give scandal to them. We need to try to treat everyone with
love and respect because, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector
and shepherd leading him to life,” (St. Basil) CCC # 336. (Fr. Tony) L/22
Aug 10 Wednesday: (St. Lawrence, Deacon, Martyr):
The context: Jesus tells us a short parable followed
by two amazing paradoxes. The parable is that of a grain of wheat sown into the
muddy field, growing up and yielding a good crop. The parable followed by the
paradoxes teaches us three lessons for Christian life. The first lesson is that
life comes only through death. Only when the grain of wheat dies in the muddy
soil of the field does it become a seedling. In the same way, the Church would
grow up and flourish in the death of its martyrs: “The blood of the martyrs is
the seed of the Church.” When we die to our personal ambitions and desires, we
are born as useful instruments in the hands of God. The second lesson is that
only by spending life we can retain it. The world owes a lot to saintly people
like St. Don Bosco, St. Vincent De Paul, St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother
Teresa), St. Jeanne Jugan, and St. Damien, among others, who spent their energy
for service of the poor and the down-trodden and gave themselves to God. The
third lesson is that greatness comes through selfless and committed service.
This explains why the world still honors and cherishes the memory of great
souls mentioned above.
Life message: Let us surrender our lives to God
in the service of others with agápe love in all humility,
seeing the face of Jesus in each of them. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 11 Thursday: (St. Clare, Virgin):
The lessons taught by the parable: (1) We must
forgive so that we may be forgiven. Jesus explains this truth after teaching
the prayer, “Our Father.” He warns us, “For if you forgive men their
trespasses, your Heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not
forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Mt
6:14-15). As James states it later, “For judgment is without mercy to
the one who has shown no mercy” (Jas 2:13). Clearly, Divine and human
forgiveness work together.
(2) We represent the greater debtor in the parable; that is,
we owe God the ten thousand talents of the parable. We commit sins every day
and, hence, we need God’s forgiveness every day. The sum total of all the
offenses which our brothers and sisters commit against us is equivalent to the
small debt of the second debtor in the parable, namely 100 denarii. Yet,
shockingly and sadly, we are merciless towards our fellow human beings. The
moral of Jesus’ story is that, as members of a community, we must treat one
another as God has treated each of us. Here is a Divine call to throw away the
calculator when it comes to forgiveness. We must choose the more honorable path
and forgive one another “from the heart.” We have been forgiven a debt beyond
all human paying – the sin of man which God forgave through the willing,
sacrificial death of His own Son, Incarnate in human flesh. Since that is so,
we must forgive others as God has forgiven us. Otherwise, we cannot hope to
receive any mercy ourselves.
Life messages: 1) We need to forgive: Having
experienced forgiveness at the hands of God and God’s people, we are then
called to make it possible for others to experience the same forgiveness. Let
us forgive the person who has wronged us before hatred eats away at our ability
to forgive.
2) Forgiveness will not be easy, but God is there to help
us. We can call on God’s help by offering that individual to God, not by
sitting in judgment, but simply by saying, “Help so-and-so and mend our
relationship.” We may never forget the hurt we have experienced, but we can
choose to forgive. 3) We need to remind ourselves that with God’s grace we have
already forgiven the one that hurt us. As life goes on, we may remember the
incident or occasion that was hurtful. Then let us offer the offender to God’s
mercy and pray for God’s blessings on him or her. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 12 Friday: (St, Frances de Chantal, Virgin,
Religious):
Jesus’ explanation of a Mosaic sanction: Jesus
explains that Moses’ permission for divorce was only a temporary concession
which was meant to control the growing rate of divorce in Moses’ own time by
introducing a law governing divorce. Jesus adds that it was because of the
hard-heartedness of the Jewish men that Moses allowed such a concession. By
denying the man’s right to divorce, Jesus places the husband and wife on an
equal footing in marriage and teaches that no Mosaic regulation dealing with a
temporary situation can alter the permanence and unity of marriage.
Jesus’ clear teaching on divorce: Jesus reminds
us that His doctrine goes back to the original intention of God. Citing the
book of Genesis, Jesus says that God made us male and female
and commanded that “the two shall become one flesh.” He then draws
the conclusion that “they are no longer two, but one body” – partners
with equal rights – and he declares that no man is allowed to
separate what God has joined together (Mt 19:6).
Catholic teaching: Based on the NT teachings
given in Mk 10:1-12, Mt 5:31-32; Mt 19:3-9; Lk 16:18; and 1 Cor 7:10-11, the
Catholic Church teaches that marriage is a Sacrament involving both a sacred
and legal contract between a man and a woman and, at the same time, a special
Covenant with the Lord. “Divorce is also a grave offense against
the natural law. Besides, it claims to break the contract, to which the spouses
freely consented, to live with each other till death…… Divorce is immoral also
because it introduces disorder into the family and into society” (CCC #2384,
#2385).
Life messages:1) Let us keep all the families of our
parish in our daily prayers, that the spouses may have a mutual understanding
and appreciation of each other, the willingness to ask pardon and give pardon,
the generosity to forgive and forget, and the good will to serve each other,
because all these virtues help to make a marriage permanent. 2) Let us also
pray for all the divorced in the parish and welcome them as active members of
the parish, both those who have remained single and those who have remarried
without annulment.
(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 13 Saturday: (Saints Pontian, Pope, Hippolytus,
Priest, Martyrs):
The context: Today’s Gospel passage describes
one of the loveliest incidents in the Gospel story. Jewish mothers used to
bring their children to great rabbis to have them pray over the little ones,
especially on their first birthday. Naturally, mothers wanted the healing touch
and blessing of the most popular rabbi, Jesus. In an attempt to protect their
master from the crowd of mothers and noisy children, the apostles started
rebuking them. The passage describes Jesus’ reaction and teaching.
Childlike qualities for entrance into Heaven: By showing his
displeasure at the rough reaction of his apostles, Jesus made it clear that
everyone is equally important to him as a child of God. The mothers came to
Jesus because he was welcoming, warm, and approachable. Jesus decided to use
the occasion as a teachable moment. He taught his disciples that entry into
Heaven demands the childlike qualities of humility, innocence, obedience, simplicity,
openness, teachability, freedom from prejudice, readiness for change and
adaptation, total trust in a loving and providing God, confidence in the
essential goodness of people and the readiness to forgive and forget. Only such
people are ready to hear the message of the Gospel in its fullness and accept
it.
Life messages: 1) Let us live in the awareness
that we are the children of a loving and providing Heavenly Father and that, by
Baptism, we are members of God’s family. Hence, we are expected to behave well
every day, as worthy children of a Holy Father. 2) Let us pray for all the
children in our families and for all our young parishioners and let us find
time to cooperate in the parish ministries meant for children and young
people. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
