July 31 Monday: St. Ignatius of Loyola, priest:
The context: Today’s Gospel contains two of
Jesus’ one-line parables about the Kingdom of God. The parable of the mustard
seed probably shows that Gentiles in the Church will one day outnumber Jews.
The parable of the yeast indicates that all are invited to salvation, and that
the power of the Holy Spirit working within the Church will enable it to grow.
The small beginnings and great ending: Using a pair of
mini-parables of the mustard seed and yeast, Jesus explains how the Kingdom of
God, or rule of God, grows within us by the power of the Word of God and power
of the Holy Spirit living within us. When we surrender our lives to Jesus
Christ and allow his Word to take root in our hearts, we are transformed and
made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit Who dwells in us. In the parable of
the mustard seed, the primary point of comparison is the contrast between the
smallness of the seed and the greatness of the result (“the largest of
plants”). The life-principle in a small mustard seed enables it to grow into a
large bush by a slow but steady process. The microscopic yeasts within a small
piece of leaven transform a thick lump of dough overnight into soft and spongy
bread. Christianity had a small beginning, like a mustard seed or yeast, with
Jesus and a band of twelve apostles in a remote corner of the world. But
through the power of the Holy Spirit living in individual Christians,
Christianity has become the largest religion in the world, spreading in all
countries embracing all races of people.
Life messages: 1) We need to allow the Holy
Spirit to transform us, changing our evil ways and tendencies to a life of
holiness; from unjust and uncharitable conversations to speaking with God and
listening to Him (prayer); from a judgmental attitude expressed in scornful
criticism, to non-judgmental acceptance of people as our brothers and sisters
in Christ, and from destructive gossip to a loving, welcoming attitude, lived
out in willing help, patience, and consoling, encouraging, inspiring support.
2) We need to act like yeast, influencing the lives of
others around us: Just as Christianity in the past transformed the treatment of
women, children, slaves, the sick, and the poor by the power of Jesus’ Gospel,
we Christians, in our time, have the duty to transform the lives of people
around us by our exemplary lives, led according to the promptings of the Holy
Spirit.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 1 Tuesday: St. Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop: and
Doctor of the Church:
The context: Today’s Gospel text is Jesus’
explanation of the parable of the wheat and weeds. This parable teaches us that
a very patient and compassionate God is hopeful that the so-called “weeds”
among us will be converted, and that we should not be in a hurry to eliminate
such elements from the Church, society, or the family, on the basis of unwarranted
and hasty judgment.
Through the parable of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus
assures us that we are the field of God. We are the ground Jesus works as well
as the seed he plants, and the seedlings he nurtures. We are the people upon
whom Jesus rests his hopes, and the folks in whom he plants the seed — the Word
of God. We are the congregation He anoints with the Holy Spirit. In today’s
parable, Jesus shows us a wise and patient God Who allows the good and the evil
to coexist in the world, so that the ones who do evil may come to conversion
before their time ends and He must punish them: “Let the seed and the
darnel grow together till the harvest time.” In other words, God
awaits repentant sinners, giving them the strength to acknowledge their
weakness: “God’s delays are not God’s denial.” God calmly recognizes that there
is evil in the world but sees that evil as no excuse for the good people who
have God’s grace at their disposal not to do good. Through the parable of the
wheat and the weeds in today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to be patient with those
who, as we see them, fail to meet the high ethical standard expected of a
Christian. If we don’t spend all our time wondering why there is so much evil
in the world, we will have more left for wondering why there is so much good!
Life message: 1) We need to practice patience.
We need to be patient with ourselves and with others, especially those who
annoy us and those who offend usLet us patiently and lovingly treat the “weeds”
in our society as our brothers and sisters and do all in our power to put them
back on the right road to Heaven, especially by our good example and our
fervent prayer for their conversion. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 2 Wednesday: St. Eusebius of Vercelli, Bishop: St.
Peter Julian Eimard, Priest:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives us
twin parables with a common message. Both the pearl and the treasure represent
the Kingdom of God, or God’s rule in human hearts, or our close relationship
with God kept intact by our doing God’s will.
Treasure and pearl: Since Palestine was the most
fought-over country in the world in the first century, people hid their
valuables underground when they fled from invading armies. The owners did not
always get a chance to return to their land. Some other farm workers
occasionally found such treasures, and the rabbinic law gave the ownership of
the treasure to the finder. In order to avoid any later legal problems, the
intelligent treasure-finder bought the land containing the treasure, selling
all his other possessions to do so, if he had to. Pearls were the most valuable
of the treasures. A merchant who located a superior pearl would be wise to sell
the rest of his stock and property to acquire it.
Acquiring a treasure or a pearl of great value means
accepting the will of God in our lives and sacrificing everything to do God’s
holy will — in other words, living as God wants us to live. That is God’s
Kingship over us and within us in action. The Kingdom of God is also a
group of people on earth who, with God’s grace, work to do the will of God as
perfectly as it is done in Heaven. Hence, being in God’s Kingdom also means
offering willing, loving obedience to God.
Life message: 1) A right
relationship with God, or a state of Sanctifying Grace, is the most
valuable treasure in the Christian life because it gives us a close
relationship with God during this life and a life of everlasting bliss with God
after our death. The Holy Spirit, the Holy Bible, and the Sacraments are the
treasures in the Church which enable us to do the will of God and possess the
Kingdom of God. Hence, we must be ready to make any sacrifice to use these
treasures, to practice self-control and to offer to those we encounter generous
loving service, mercy, and forgiveness, thus keeping a right relationship with
God
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 3 Thursday:
The context: Today’s Gospel
presents the third in a set of three parables Jesus preached on the Kingdom of
God/Heaven and the conditions for entering it. The parable of
the fishing net: In Palestine, there were two main ways of
fishing. The first was with the casting-net, which required a keen eye and
great skill in throwing the net at the correct moment. The second was
with a dragnet or seine. Galilean seine nets were tied to two boats
and drawn through the water. The catch was sorted only afterwards, with edible
(kosher) fish going to market and unacceptable fish being thrown
away. Just as a dragnet collects good and bad fish indiscriminately, so
the Church is bound to be a mixture of all kinds of people, good and bad,
useless and useful. This parable encourages the Church to adopt an open
approach to Evangelization. The parable also teaches that the time of
separation will come in the Final Judgment, when the good and the bad will be
sent to their respective chosen destinies. This parable is, thus, a counterpart
to the parable of the weeds and the wheat. The concluding simile or
mini parable: Jesus concludes his parables by advising the listeners
to imitate wise scribes (Jewish religious teachers who specialized in Sacred
Scripture and its application to life). A scribe/scholar need not give up his
scholarship when he became a Christian; rather he should use his learning for
Christ. Christians are also expected to be like scholars who study both the old
wisdom of their ancestors and the new vistas of knowledge. They have a duty to
pass on to others the Christian teaching they have received in language their
hearers can understand.
Life message: 1) We need to learn
tolerance and compassionate understanding.) The lesson of this parable is
that the Church is a mixed body of saints and sinners (good and bad
fish). There will be always a temptation on the part of some who feel
they are more “faithful” to separate themselves from the “unfaithful.”
But Jesus reminds us that the final judgment resulting in reward or
punishment is the work of God. 2) Thus, we must learn
to be tolerant, patient, compassionate, and understanding of those who seem to
us to fall far below the requirements of the Gospel and the Kingdom. Let
us humbly admit the fact that only Jesus and Mary were not a
mixture of good and evil. Let us acknowledge as St.
Paul did, “I am what I am with the grace of God
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 4 Friday: St. John Vianney, priest:
The context: Today’s Gospel describes
how, on a Sabbath, standing before his fellow-townsmen in the synagogue
of Nazareth, Jesus read and interpreted what Isaiah had prophesied about
the Messiah and the Messianic mission. Jesus claimed to be the One sent “to
bring glad tidings to the poor, liberation to captives, recovery of sight to
the blind, and freedom for the oppressed.” Declaring, to the great
amazement and disbelief of fellow-townsmen, that Isaiah’s prophecy was being fulfilled
at that very moment “in your hearing,” Jesus announced to them
that the prophet was foretelling and describing his Messianic Mission
ministry. Luke reports that the initial reaction of the people was
surprise at the power and eloquence of this son of their soil. They were
amazed that one of their fellow villagers could speak with such grace and
eloquence and with such authority. Luke says they were “amazed at the
gracious words that came from [Jesus’] lips,” because
they knew Jesus only as a carpenter from a poor family, with no formal training
in Mosaic Law. But their amazement turned into displeasure when, during this
“Inaugural Address” or “Mission Statement,” Jesus took on the identity of a
prophet, different from the image of the miracle-worker that people wished
to see. Then their displeasure turned into anger when Jesus
claimed that to be the promised Messiah of Isaiah’s prophecy. They
challenged his Messianic claim, asking, and “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?”
They could not understand how a mere carpenter could be the Messiah who
would liberate them from Roman rule and reestablish the Davidic kingdom. Jesus explained
their attitude by saying “No prophet is accepted in his native place.”
Life messages: 1) We need
to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism. Perhaps we have
experienced the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust,
neglect, or abuse, even from friends and family members, when we reached out to
them as God’s agents of healing and saving grace. Perhaps we ourselves are
guilty of the same rejection of God in His agents. Perhaps we, too, have
been guilty of ignoring or humiliating people with our arrogance and
prejudice. Let us learn to correct our mistakes and to face rejection
from others with courage. 2) Let us not, like the people in
Jesus’ hometown, reject God in our lives. We reject God when we are
unwilling to be helped by God, or by others. Such unwillingness
prevents us from recognizing God’s directions, help and support in our lives,
coming to us through His words in the Bible, through the teaching of the
Church, and through the advice and examples of others. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Aug 5 Saturday: The dedication of the Basilica
of St. Mary Major:
The context: Today’s Gospel presents the
last scene of a tragic drama with three main characters, Herod, Herodias, and
John the Baptist. Herod Antipas, (4 BC – AD 39), was a jealous
and weak puppet-king with a guilty conscience. He feared the prophet John
because John had publicly scolded him for divorcing his legal wife without
adequate cause and for marrying his sister-in-law, Herodias, thus committing a
double violation of Mosaic Law. Herodias was an immoral,
greedy woman, stained by a triple guilt and publicly criticized by John. 1) She
was an unfaithful woman of loose morals. 2) She was a greedy and vengeful
woman. 3) She was an evil mother who used her teenage daughter for the wicked
purposes of murder and revenge by encouraging her to dance in public in the
royal palace against the royal etiquette of the day. John the Baptist was
a fiery preacher and the herald of the Promised Messiah. He was also a
Spirit-filled prophet with the courage of his convictions who criticized and
scolded an Oriental monarch and his proud wife in public.
God’s punishment: After the martyrdom of John,
Herod was defeated by Aretas, the father of Herod’s first wife. Later, both
Herod and Herodias were sent into exile by Caligula, the Roman emperor.
Life messages: 1) As Christians we need to live out the moral integrity and the courage of our convictions as John did. 2) Let us remember that sins of revenge and cruelty will never go unpunished. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
