Nov 6 Monday:
The context: Jesus was invited to a dinner where
he noticed how the invitees were rushing for the best places. So, he used the
occasion as a teachable moment for the guests, then advised the host on the
motives behind one’s generosity and the criteria to be followed while inviting
guests for banquets. Jesus instructed him to “invite the poor, the
maimed, the lame, and the blind” in the community and obtain the
blessing of God on the day of the Last Judgment.
Life message: We need to check the motives behind all our acts of generosity to assess if they are meritorious acts or not. If a generous act is done chiefly out of a sense of duty or obligation (as we pay our income tax because it is the state’s law), or if we pay tithes in the parish mostly because it is God’s law, we lose most of the merit. If a rationalized self-interest, like a future reward in Heaven, is the only motive for our good action, we lose the merit of the action once again. We lose the merit of an act of generosity if vainglory or a desire for fame or for acknowledgment from others is the only motive behind our generosity. That is why the Jewish rabbis used to advise their disciples that in the best kind of giving, the giver should not know to whom he is giving, and the receiver should not know from whom he is receiving. Pure altruism with agápe love and overflowing charity are the motives God shows us in His gifts to us, and He expects from us the same in all our acts of generosity, charity and service to Him done to others. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Nov 7 Tuesday: Lk 14:15-24:
The context: Jesus was participating in a
banquet where he advised the host to reserve admission to the “poor, the
maimed, the lame, and the blind” and so to become eligible for God’s
reward at the resurrection. One of Jesus’ fellow guests commented on the
blessedness of those who are invited to attend the Heavenly banquet hosted by
Yahweh to honor His Chosen People. Jesus used the occasion to highlight the
cost of refusing God’s invitation for the Heavenly banquet with lame excuses by
telling a parable of a banquet hosted by a very rich and influential landowner.
The parable: The invited VIP guests, who had
accepted the first invitation to participate in the banquet, refused the second
invitation sent a few days before the banquet, giving lame excuses like the
inspection of a newly-bought field, the testing of a newly-bought five yoke of
oxen and honeymooning with a newly-married wife. The angry landowner instructed
his servants to invite everyone in the surrounding areas in order to fill the
banquet hall. Jesus directed this parable to the Jewish religious and civic
leaders who had accepted the Covenant but had refused to accept his invitation
for God’s salvation, the endpoint of the first Covenant, and had attacked his
preaching and healing ministry. Jesus explained through this parable why he was
befriending tax collectors and sinners, promising them eternal salvation and
participation in the Heavenly banquet.
Life message: God invites us through Jesus and
his Church to the banquet of the word of God, to the banquet of the Body and
Blood of Jesus, and to the banquet of His grace through His Holy Spirit via the
Sacraments. Let us examine ourselves to discover whether we, too, are refusing
God’s invitation and giving lame excuses to show how busy we are because of our
work or career duties, our addictions to games, entertainment, and hobbies or
our preoccupation with family matters. We may not get a better chance or more
opportunities to accept God’s invitation to pray deeply, to join the
Eucharistic celebration or to do serious study of and reflection on the word of
God or service in the community. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Nov 8 Wednesday:
The context: Jesus was making his final journey
to Jerusalem, and both the apostles and the common people, thought that the
Master was going to overthrow the Roman government by using miraculous powers.
Hence, a big crowd was following along. Jesus thought it was necessary to
clarify for them the real cost involved in Christian discipleship.
The teaching: Today’s Gospel passage from Luke challenges us
to make a total commitment to the will of God by putting Him first in our
lives. Jesus reminds us to count the cost of being a Christian because the
cost is high. Christian discipleship requires one to “renounce” both
possessions of the earth and possessions of the heart (i.e., one’s
relationships). Jesus lays out four “trip wires” challenging true Christian
discipleship: i) attachment to family; ii) attachment to possessions; iii) the
hard consequences of discipleship which may involve even losing one’s life; and
iv) the cost involved. Using the examples of a watch tower in a vineyard, left
uncompleted due to lack of funds, and the example of a foolish king facing
defeat by going to war without assessing the strength of the enemy, Jesus warns
his would-be followers to count the cost and calculate the consequences before
becoming disciples.
Life messages: 1) We need to accept Jesus’
challenge of making a total self-gift to Him in our commitment in true
Christian Discipleship: “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and
suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” (Martin Luther). Jesus’ challenge can be
accepted only if, with God’s grace, we practice the spirit of detachment and
renunciation in our daily lives. Real Christian discipleship also demands a
true commitment both to the duties entrusted to us and to loving acts of
selfless, humble, sacrificial love offered to God in all His children around
us.) This is possible only if we rely on His grace, on the power of prayer and
on the guidance of the Holy Spirit through a) daily prayer, b) devout
participation in the Sunday Mass c) diligent study of the Bible, d) service in
and beyond the parish, e) spiritual friendships, and f) giving time, talents,
and resources to the Lord’s work. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Nov 9 Thursday: (Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Historical note: Today the Church celebrates the
anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral Church of Rome by Pope Sylvester
I (AD 314-335), in AD 324. This Church serves as the Episcopal seat of the Pope
as the Bishop of Rome and, hence, is called “the mother and head of all
Churches of Rome and the world.” The Basilica and baptistery were built
originally by Emperor Constantine and called Basilica Constantine. Later it was
renamed the Arch-Basilica of the Most Holy Savior. However, it is now called
St. Johns Lateran Basilica because it was built on property donated to the
Church by the Lateran family, and because the monks from the monastery of St.
John the Baptist and St. John the Divine served it. The name St. Johns comes,
first, from the Baptistery, rebuilt after its hard treatment by the Visigoths
(AD 410), by Pope St. Sixtus II (AD 432-440), and dedicated by him to St. John
the Baptist. Later, Pope St. Hilary (AD 461-468), dedicated it to St. John the
Evangelist, in thanksgiving to that apostle for saving his life. [Richard P.
McBrien, Lives of the Popes (San Francisco, CA:
HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp. 58-58, 71-72, 77-78.].
The context: Today’s Gospel gives us a dramatic
account of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. He drove out its
merchants and moneychangers with moral indignation at the unjust
commercialization of God’s House of Prayer and the exploitation of the poor
pilgrims in the name of religion. The merchants charged exorbitant prices for
animals for sacrifices, and the moneychangers charged unjust commissions for
the required exchange of pagan coins for Temple coins. Jesus cleansed the
Temple in Jerusalem. Originally built by Solomon in 966 BC and rebuilt by
Zerubbabel in 515 BC after the Babylonians had destroyed it, the Temple was
still being renovated for the last time finishing the work begun in 20 BC by
King Herod the Great. The abuses that infuriated Jesus were 1) the conversion
of a place of prayer to a noisy marketplace and 2) the unjust business
practices of animal merchants and moneychangers, encouraged by the Temple
authorities. Hence, Jesus made a whip of cords and drove away the animals and
the moneychangers, quoting Zechariah the prophet, “Stop making My Father’s
house a marketplace”(Zechariah 14:21).
Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the business
mentality of profit and loss in Divine worship. Our relationship with God must
be that of a child to his parent, one of love, respect and desire for the
common good, with no thought of gain or loss. 2) We need to remember that we
are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s
temple by impurity, injustice, pride, hatred, or jealousy.
3) We need to love our parish Church and use it. Our Church
is the place where we come together as a community to praise and worship God, to
thank Him for His blessings, to ask pardon and forgiveness for our sins, and to
offer our lives and petitions on the altar. Let us make our Church an even more
holy place by adding our prayers and songs to community worship and by offering
our time, talents, and treasure in the various ministries of our parish. (Fr.
Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/
Nov 10 Friday: (St. Leo the Great, pope, Doctor of
the Church)
The context: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us
the strange parable of a steward who was a rascal to teach us that serving God
is a full-time job, not a part-time job or a spare-time hobby. Jesus also
teaches us that, in matters spiritual and eternal, we should use the same
ingenuity and planning that business people show in the business world. The
parable challenges us to use our blessings — time, talents, health, and wealth —
wisely and shrewdly so that they will count for our reward in eternity. We are
on the right road only if we use our earthly wealth to attain our Heavenly
goal. The parable: In the parable, Jesus tells us how the slave steward of an
absentee landlord, caught red-handed in misappropriating his master’s wealth,
ingeniously cheats his master by his unjust manipulation of the master’s
business clients. His tricks were intended to make him the friend of his
master’s debtors and gave him the prospect of becoming rich by working for them
(or blackmailing them?) when he was fired by his master from the stewardship.
Life messages: 1) We need to be faithful in the
little things of life: As Saint John Chrysostom said, “Faithfulness in little
things is a big thing.” Our future opportunities in the eternal service of God
largely depend on our stewardship in handling the little opportunities we have
had on earth. As Mother Teresa used to recommend, “Do little things with great
love.”
2) We have to act shrewdly, trusting in the power and
assistance of God. Let us make use of our resources — like Hope in God’s
justice, Faith in God’s assistance, and Trust in God’s grace, celebrating the
Mass and the Sacraments as sources of Divine grace and prayerfully studying the
Holy Bible as the word of God for daily meditation.
3) Let us remember that as God’s stewards we need to be prepared to give an account of our lives at any time (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Nov 11 Saturday: (St. Martin of Tours, Bishop)
The context: After telling the parable of the
rascally steward as an example of shrewdness and as a warning against using
unjust means for gain, Jesus advises his listeners to make friends with the
poor by almsgiving and to be faithful and honest in the little things entrusted
to them by God.
The teaching: Jesus advises his followers to imitate the
shrewd steward who used money generously to make friends for himself. Jesus
suggests that his disciples should show their generosity and mercy by
almsgiving: “sell your possessions and give alms” (Lk 12:33). The
recipients immediately become friends of the kind donor.It is God’s generosity
which makes one rich, and, hence, the money we have is unrighteous in
the sense that it is unearned and undeserved. So, God expects us to be generous
stewards of His generous blessings. Generosity curtails our natural greed,
making almsgiving an act of thanksgiving to God for His generosity. Then Jesus tells
us that what we get in Heaven will depend on how we have used the things of the
earth and on how faithful we have been in the little things entrusted to us. A
slave is the exclusive property of his master, and our Master, God, is the most
exclusive of masters. So serving Him cannot be a part-time job or spare-time
hobby; it is a full-time job. Finally, Jesus warns the Pharisees that material
prosperity is not a sure sign of one’s goodness and God’s blessing, but a sign
of God’s mercy and generosity.
Life messages: 1) We need to share our blessings with others. Since all our blessings are God’s generous loans to us, we need to be equally generous with others. 2) We need to serve God full-time: Since God owns us totally, we are expected to be at His service doing His holy will all the time. Hence, there is no such thing as a part-time Christian. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
