Sept 19-24:
Sept 19, Monday: (St. Januarius, Bishop, Martyr):
The context: Today’s Gospel passage is
taken from Luke’s version of Jesus’ teachings after telling the parable of the
sower. It reminds us that we are the light of the world and that our duty
is to receive and radiate around us Christ’s Light of love, mercy, compassion,
and forgiveness. The image of light and lamp: Lamps help people to see,
move and work in the dark, and their light prevents our stumbling and falling
down. For the Jews, light represented the inner beauty, truth, and goodness of
God. God’s Light illumines our lives with light, celestial joy, and everlasting
peace. The glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds at Bethlehem (Lk 2:9);
Paul experienced the presence of God in a blinding Light (Acts 9:3; 22:6); God
“dwells in inaccessible Light” (1 Tm 6:16). That is why Jesus claims to be the
Light of the world. When the Light of Christ shines in our hearts, we will be
able to recognize who we are, who our neighbors are, and who God is, and to see
clearly how we are related to God and our neighbors. When we live in Christ’s
Light, we will not foolishly try to hide truths about ourselves from ourselves,
from our neighbors, or from God. Christ’s Light will also remind us of the
consequences of our loving the darkness of sinful ways and bad habits.
The paradox of the rich getting richer: In
today’s Gospel, Jesus makes the comment, “for to him who has will more be
given,” following the warning “Take heed how you hear….” Jesus is
telling us that if we listen to Him with open minds and open hearts and walk in
Jesus’ Light, the tiny bit of wisdom and understanding that we’ve already
gained will grow and grow with God’s help. If, on the other hand, our hearts
are closed to Jesus, even the little bit of wisdom that we think we’ve got will
be lost. Jesus is not talking about money or wealth in any form. When we
prayerfully immerse ourselves in the Scriptures, we are encountering God
Himself. Jesus is talking about the extent and depth of our connectedness to
God. If we are already deeply rooted in God, our spirits will grow larger,
richer, and fuller by the day. But if our connection to the Lord is only
superficial, it certainly won’t grow, and it may well not last at all.
Life messages: As “light of the
world” it is our duty 1) to remove the darkness from around us and 2) to
show others the true Light of Jesus, His ideas and ideals through our model
Christian life. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Sept 20 Tuesday: (Saints Andrew Kim Tae-gon, Priest and
Paul Chong Ha sang, and companions, Martyrs):
The context: As Jesus became a strong
critic of the Jewish religious authorities, his cousins, bringing his
Mother with them (as a wedge in the door, so Jesus would listen to them?) came
to take him back to Nazareth by force, perhaps because they feared that he
would be arrested and put to death
Jesus’ plain statement: Today’s Gospel episode seems
to suggest that Jesus ignored the request of his mother and close relatives who
had traveled the long distance of twenty miles, probably on foot, to talk to
him. But everyone in the audience knew how Jesus loved his mother and had
taken care of her until he started his public ministry. Besides, Jesus’
plain answer, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of
God and do it," was indeed a compliment to his mother who had always
listened to the word of God and obeyed it. It also dismissed, without mentioning
them, all claims kindred might make which would interfere with His
Messianic Mission. In other words, Jesus was declaring, “Blessed are those who
heard and kept the word of God as Mary was faithfully doing" (Vatican II, Lumen
Gentium, 58). Jesus was also using the occasion to teach his
listeners a new lesson in their relationship with God. Being a disciple of
Jesus, or a Christian, means first and foremost having a deep, growing and
personal relationship of love and unity with God the Father, the Son, and the
Holy Spirit and with all who belong to God as His children. Jesus changes
the order of relationships and shows us that true kinship is not just a matter
of flesh and blood. God’s gracious gift to us is His adoption of us as His
sons and daughters. This gift enables us to recognize all those who
belong to Christ, actually or potentially, as our brothers and sisters.
Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all our relationships and
requires a new order of loyalty to God and His Kingdom in absolute,
unquestioned, first place. Everyone who does the will of the Father, that
is to say, who obeys Him, is a brother or sister of Christ, because he or she
is like Jesus who always fulfilled the will of his Father.
Life messages: 1) Let us remember that by
Baptism we become the children of God, brothers and sisters of Jesus and
members of the Heavenly family of the Triune God. Hence, we have the
two-fold obligation to treat others with love and respect and to share our love
with them by corporal and spiritual works of mercy. 2) Let us grow as
true disciples of Jesus by becoming hearers as well as doers of the word of
God. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Sept 21 Wednesday: (St. Matthew, Apostle,
Evangelist): Mt 9:9-13:
The context: Today’s Gospel episode of
Matthew’s call as Jesus’ apostle reminds us of God’s love and mercy for
sinners and challenges us to practice this same love and mercy in our relations
with others. The call and the response: Jesus went to the tax-collector’s
station to invite Matthew to become a disciple. Since tax-collectors worked for
a foreign power and extorted more tax money from the people than they owed, the
Jewish people, especially the Pharisees, hated and despised the tax collectors
as traitors, considered them public sinners, and ostracized them. But Jesus
could see in Matthew a person who needed Divine love and grace. That is why,
while everyone hated Matthew, Jesus was ready to offer him undeserved love,
mercy, and forgiveness. Hence, Matthew abandoned his lucrative job, because,
for him, Christ’s invitation to become Jesus’ follower, was a promise of
salvation, fellowship, guidance, and protection. Scandalous partying with
sinners. It was altogether natural for Matthew to rejoice in his new calling by
celebrating with his friends who were also outcasts. Jesus’ dining with all
these outcasts in the house of a “traitor” scandalized the Pharisees, for whom
ritual purity and table fellowship were important religious practices.
Cleverly, they asked, not Jesus, but the young disciples, “Why does your
master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus, coming to the
rescue of the disciples, cut in, and answered the question in terns of
healing: “Those who are well do not need a physician; the sick do.” Then
Jesus challenged the Pharisees, quoting Hosea, “Go and learn the meaning of
the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’” (Hos 6:6). Finally, Jesus
clarified, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” [After
the Ascension, Saint Matthew remained for over ten years in Judea, writing his
Gospel there in about the year 44. Then he went to preach the Faith in Egypt and
especially in Ethiopia, where he remained for twenty-three years. The relics of
Saint Matthew were for many years in the city of Naddaver in Ethiopia, where he
suffered his martyrdom, but were transferred to Salerno in the year 954].
Life messages: 1) Jesus calls you and me
for a purpose: Jesus has called us through our Baptism, forgiven us our sins,
and welcomed us as members of the Kingdom. In fact, Jesus calls us daily
through the Word and through the Church, to be disciples and, so, to turn
away from all the things that distract us and draw us away from God. 2) Just as
Matthew did, we, too, are expected to proclaim Christ through our lives by
reaching out to the unwanted and the marginalized in society with Christ’s
love, mercy, and compassion. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
The context: Although King Herod
respected and feared John the Baptist as a great prophet, he was not converted,
and he was maneuvered into beheading John by his vengeful, intolerant, immoral,
jealous wife Herodias. When his personal staff started reporting stories to
Herod about the new prophet, Jesus, as the reappearance of Elijah the prophet,
Herod expressed his fear that Jesus was the reincarnation of John the Baptist whom
he had unjustly killed. He wanted to see Jesus — not to hear Jesus preaching of
the Good News, but in order to get rid of his fear and feelings of guilt.
The haunting conscience: Herod Antipas was one of the
several sons of Herod the Great, the King of Israel who had divided his kingdom
among four of his sons. Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee and Perea from 4
BC to 39 AD. The conscience of this immoral oriental tyrant Herod started
destroying his peace of mind when he realized the heinousness of his crimes of
an illicit and immoral relationship with his niece and sister-in-law, Herodias,
in gross violation of Mosaic laws, and his cooperation in the murder of John
the Baptist. His discomfort led him, not to repentance, but to the fear that
John had come back from the dead to punish him, a fear that might have prompted
Herod’s wish to see Jesus in person. His wish was finally realized when Jesus
was dragged to him during Jesus’ trial before Pilate. But Jesus did not yield
to Herod’s demand for a miracle and kept silence.
Life messages: 1) We need to keep our
conscience clean by repenting of our sins and being reconciled with God and His
Church. Otherwise, our sins will haunt us, making our lives miserable.
2) It is necessary that we should have a clear understanding of Who Jesus
really is. We need to see, experience and accept Jesus as our personal Lord and
Savior. Such an acceptance should lead us to a total adoption of Jesus’ ideas
and ideals and way of life. Otherwise, we will be like Herod, who resembled
the people who flock to healing services today, looking for miracles but not
for Jesus. If our following of Jesus causes in us no change that transforms our
souls and radiates Jesus outward from us, our attempts to have mountain-top
experiences will be meaningless and vain. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Sept 23 Friday: (St. Pius of Pietrelcina or Padre Pio,
Priest)
The context: Today’s Gospel passage is
the first of the three times when Jesus foretells His Passion, death and
Resurrection. It consists of two sections, the Messianic confession of
Peter and the prediction of the Passion by Jesus.
Jesus as the Christ, our Lord and Savior: Today’s Gospel
explains the basis of our Faith as the acceptance of Jesus as the Christ, our
Lord and Savior. It also tells us that Christ Jesus became our Savior by
his suffering, death and Resurrection. According to Matthew (16:13-19),
and Mark (8:27-30), this famous profession of Faith by Peter took place at
Caesarea Philippi, at present called Banias, twenty-five miles northeast of the
Sea of Galilee. Jesus realized that if the apostles did not know Who He
really was, then His entire ministry, suffering and death would be
useless. Hence, Jesus decided to ask a question in two parts. 1) “What is
the public opinion about Me? “and 2) “What is your personal opinion? “Their
answer to the first question was: “Some say John the Baptist; but
others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen.”Peter
volunteered to answer the second question, saying: “You are the Christ of
God.” But Jesus charged and commanded them to tell this to no
one and predicted His Passion and death.
Life messages: Let us experience Jesus as our
Lord: 1) We experience Jesus as our personal Savior by listening to him through
the daily, meditative reading of the Bible, by talking to him through daily,
personal and family prayers, by offering him our lives on the altar in frequent
attendance at Holy Mass, by being reconciled with him every night, asking
pardon and forgiveness for our sins, and by receiving the Sacrament of
Reconciliation whenever we are in mortal sin.
2) The next step is the surrender of our lives to Jesus by
rendering humble and loving service to others with the strong conviction that
Jesus is present in every person. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Sept 24 Saturday:
The context: Coming down from the
mountain after His Transfiguration, Jesus healed an epileptic boy.
Today’s Gospel begins with the reaction of the crowds to this cure: “and all
were astonished at the majesty of God.” But Jesus uses this occasion
of high popularity to explain that, in order to reveal Jesus’ real
majesty, “the Son of Man is to be delivered into the hands of men.”
Jesus’ least understood prediction: His coming suffering and
death: In fact, Jesus foretold three times great suffering through betrayal,
rejection, and the punishment of a cruel death. The Apostles could not take it
in because they were dreaming of a political messiah in Jesus. Besides, Jesus
showed His glory to three of them on the mountain and baffled everyone by
instantly healing an epileptic boy whom the Apostles could not heal, so
plainly, no one could do this to Jesus by their own power. In addition, Jesus’
disciples were really frightened by such a prediction, perhaps fearing the same
fate for themselves. They may also have been ignorant of the “Suffering
Servant” prophecy of Isaiah, where the Messiah was pictured as
making atonement for sins through suffering and death. When Jesus called
Himself the “Son of Man,” the Apostles got the impression of the Messiah
coming in glory as described by Daniel.
Life messages: 1) Jesus paid the ransom for our sins by His blood and freed us from the tyranny of sin and death through the Resurrection. Hence, it is our duty to live and die as free children of God, freed from all types of slavery to sin, evil habits and addictions. 2) We should ask Jesus for help to carry our daily crosses in the same spirit of atonement for our sins and those of others that marked Jesus’ willing, sacrificial sufferings and death for all of us. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
