Advent 1st Week: Nov 28-Dec
Nov 28 Monday: Mt 8: 5-11:
Context: Jesus’ healing of the centurion’s
slave, described in today’s Gospel, shows us how God listens to our
Faith-filled prayers and meets our needs. Centurions were reliable, commanding,
brave captains in charge of 100 soldiers. They were used to giving and
receiving commands. They were the backbone of Roman army. According to Luke’s
account (Lk 7:1-10), this centurion loved the Jews and respected their
religious customs. He knew that Jews would incur ritual uncleanness on entering
the house of a pagan, and, wanting to save Jesus this inconvenience, said he
was unworthy to have Jesus come into his pagan house. The Centurion loved his
sick servant, trusted in Jesus’ power of healing, and was ready to face the
ridicule of his fellow-centurions by pleading before a Jewish rabbi.
The remote healing: The centurion asked Jesus just to shout
a command as he did with his soldiers, so that the illness might leave his
servant by the power of that order. Jesus was moved by his Faith and rewarded
the trusting Faith of this Gentile officer by telling him: "Go; be
it done for you as you have believed."
Life messages: 1) We need to grow to the level
of Faith of the centurion by knowing and personally experiencing Jesus in our
lives. We do so by our meditative daily reading of the Bible, by our daily
personal and family prayers, by frequenting the Sacraments, especially the
Eucharistic celebration, and by surrendering our lives to Jesus in rendering
loving service to others in all humility. 2) Like the centurion we are not
worthy to receive Jesus into our hearts in Holy Communion, and at the same
time, we invite Jesus to come and heal our souls. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Nov 29 Tuesday: Lk 10: 21-24:
The context: When the seventy-two disciples
returned after successfully completing their mission, Jesus rejoiced with them
and thanked his Father, shouting aloud a spontaneous prayer expressing three
great thoughts.
1) The first thought is that God hates intellectual pride
and loves childlike simplicity and humility. Jesus says that only humble people
with open minds can experience him as Lord and Savior.
2) The second thought is about the unique relationship
between Jesus and his Father. The Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are
equal in being, possessing the same Divine Nature, Life, and Knowledge. Since
the Son is no less perfect than the Father, He is uniquely qualified to reveal
the inner life of the Trinity to the world. Jesus was sent to show the world
what God looks like and how God behaves.
3) The third thought is Jesus’ claim that He is the expected
Messiah Whom the prophets have foretold. Hence, Jesus
asserts that his disciples are blessed with the great privilege of seeing,
hearing, and experiencing God in human form.
Life messages: 1) We need to make use of our
blessings. We are more blessed than many who lived in Jesus’ time because we
accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and have him with us in the Eucharist, in
the Bible, in the worshipping community, and in each one of us as Emmanuel.
2) Hence, let us participate in Jesus’ Divine life by Holy
Communion, hear His words by meditative reading of the Bible, and worship Him
as a community of believers.
Fr. Kadavil (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Nov 30 Wednesday: (St. Andrew, the Apostle) Mt 4:
18-22:
Two accounts of Andrew’s call: There are two
accounts of Andrew’s call as an apostle by Jesus in the Gospels. According
to Matthew and Mark, Jesus selected four fishermen, Andrew and his brother
Peter, with James and his brother John, right from their fishing boats. Peter
and Andrew "immediately" left their nets and followed Jesus.
Similarly, James and John "immediately" left the boats and their
father and followed Jesus. According to John’s Gospel, John and Andrew were the
disciples of John the Baptist, and they had been encouraged to follow Jesus by
John the Baptist, who pointed out Jesus as “the Lamb of God” (Jn
1:38-30), suggesting that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. One
apostle leading other to Christ: First, we find Andrew, after spending
a night with Jesus, leading his brother Peter to Jesus. Andrew and Zebedee’s
son, John, immediately ran after Him with their inquiries. After talking with
Jesus, Andrew wasted no time in bringing his brother, Simon Peter, to meet
Jesus. We can almost picture Andrew, full of excitement, telling everyone he
met about our Lord. Through Andrew’s evangelization, St. Peter, our first pope,
was brought to Jesus. Next, in the Gospel, Andrew appears in the scene
of the multiplication of the bread where Jesus miraculously fed a
multitude. While Philip gave a bad report of the situation, Andrew went among
the multitude and found a boy who offered to give his small food packet of five
bread and fish to Jesus to feed the multitude. Andrew who saw Jesus
miraculously supplying wine at Cana knew that Jesus could work another miracle
with five barley loaves and two dried fish. We find Andrew a third time
in the Gospel, bringing a few Greek pilgrims to Jesus. They had first
approached Philip for help and Philip had sought the help of Andrew to bring
them to Jesus. The preaching and the martyrdom: According to
Church tradition, Andrew preached the Gospel in Greece and Turkey and was
crucified at Patras on an X-shaped cross to which he was tied. According
another tradition, he also preached in Scotland and Russia. St. Andrew is the
patron saint of Russia, of Scotland, and of fishermen.
Life messages: 1) In order to be effective
instruments in the hands of God and to continue Jesus’ preaching, healing, and
saving ministry, we, too, need to repent of our sins on a daily basis and to
renew our lives by relying on the power of God. 2) As the first four apostles,
including Andrew, gave priority to Christ and left behind everything, we, too,
are to give priority to Jesus and Jesus’ ideals in our vocation in life. 3) St.
Andrew’s zeal is a real inspiration to us. When St. John the Baptist pointed to
Jesus, saying, “Behold! The Lamb of God!”. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Dec 1 Thursday: Mt 7:21, 24-27:
The context: In today’s Gospel, the concluding part
of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us two warnings: that we must match our
profession of Faith with actual obedience to the will of God, and that we must
build our life on the firm foundation of Jesus’ teachings. Worship of God
without commitment to the word of God is hypocrisy. Sincerity in a Christian
can be demonstrated not by what one says alone, but by what one does. Fine
words can never be a substitute for fine deeds. Thus, today’s Gospel gives
Jesus’ call to authentic discipleship, based on the strong foundation of Gospel
teaching. Acting on the words of Christ shows the authenticity of one’s
Christian commitment. Jesus contrasts a wise man who practices what he believes
with a fool who does not practice his religious beliefs, using the images of
one man who built his house on firm rock and another who built his house on
loose sand in summer. Only a house with solid and firm foundation can resist
the storm and flood, and only a person whose life has strong spiritual
foundations can stand the test. Building on loose sand is the way to
destruction. Thus, the two builders sum up two ways – the way of perfect
righteousness and the way of self-righteousness. On the Day of Judgment, the
first will stand; the second will fall.
Life messages : 1) We need to synchronize our practice of the Faith with our profession of it: The test of our Sunday worship is the effect it has in our homes and workplaces and on our relationships with friends and neighbors. The great test is the care and consideration we show to our neighbors, many of whom commonly experience the absence of affection, of words of encouragement and of forgiveness. 2) We need to build our families on strong foundations: There can be no great marriage and no great family without a solid foundation. Such a foundation exists when the husband and wife are the love of Christ for each other and for their children in deeds as well as in words. Our culture and nation also need strong foundations based on the moral law of God and love of Jesus Christ, and this is possible only if our families are built on these foundations. Fr. Kadavil (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Dec 2 Friday: Mt 9:27-31:
The context: Today’s Gospel describes Jesus’
miraculous healing of two blind men who approached him with trusting Faith.
Blindness was common in Palestine because of the intense glare of the eastern
sun, clouds of unclean flies, and people’s ignorance of the effects of
cleanliness and hygiene. The two blind men followed Jesus from the street all
the way to the house Jesus entered, loudly expressing their confidence in the
“Son of David” and requesting mercy. Jesus found in these men what was required
for receiving a miracle, namely a strong and expectant Faith, an earnest desire
for vision, and a sincere prayer for mercy. Although they were instructed not
to tell anyone of their healing, as soon as they were healed, they immediately
expressed their gratitude by bearing witness to Jesus’ healing power throughout
the town.
Life messages: 1) We, too, need light and
eyesight because we are often blind to the needs and expectations of those
around us and even living with us. We are also often blind to the presence of
Jesus living in us and in others, to the blessings God showers on us, and to
the protection God gives us every day. Hence, let us pray for the spiritual eyesight
to realize and experience the presence of Jesus in ourselves and others, and
for the good will to do good to and for others.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Dec 3 Saturday
(St. Francis Xavier, Priest): Mt 9: 35-10: 1, 5, 6-8: 35
The context: Today’s Gospel describes the three
chief activities of Jesus’ mission, namely heralding, teaching, and healing,
and tells how Jesus selected the twelve apostles as disciples and helpers in
his Messianic mission. Jesus was primarily the Herald of God his Father,
bringing mankind the Good News that God is a loving, forgiving, merciful, and
compassionate Father Who wants everyone to be saved. Secondly, Jesus was a
Teacher and preacher who taught the Gospel, or the Good News of the Kingdom of
God, by living an exemplary life, demonstrating God’s love, mercy, forgiveness,
and compassion. Thirdly, Jesus was a Healer, spending much time healing people
of their bodily, mental, and spiritual illnesses. The Gospel for today also
mentions that Jesus selected ordinary men of no social status as apostles to
continue his preaching and healing mission, and gave them both healing power
and preaching authority to do so.
Life messages: 1) As Christians, we share Christ’s mission of preaching and healing. This means that we, too, have to demonstrate by our exemplary and transparent Christian lives the mercy, the forgiveness, and the unconditional love of Jesus. 2) We are also called to act as the agents of healing by praying for the sick, by helping them to get the necessary medical and nursing help, and by encouraging them, supporting them and boosting their morale. Fr. Kadavil (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
