6th Week: Feb 12-13 and Lent: Feb 14-17
Feb 12 Monday:
The context: The Pharisees of Jesus’ time had a long list of fifty extraordinary signs which they expected from the real Messiah, to distinguish the promised Messiah from false messiahs. Some of the false messiahs in the past had claimed that they could divide the Jordan River into two sections or cause the huge stony walls of Jerusalem to fall by a single word. Hence, the Pharisees demanded that Jesus show some miracles from their list of Messianic signs.
Jesus’ reply: Jesus knew that the proud, hard-hearted, prejudiced Pharisees were unwilling to accept the signs he had been working as the Messianic signs foretold by the prophets. Others of them, he knew were not interested in his message but only in seeing signs and wonders. Hence, according to Mark, Jesus unequivocally denied the demand for an additional Messianic sign. But according to Mt 12:38-42 and Lk 11:29-32, Jesus offered them another sign–the miracle of Jonah, the sign of the death and Resurrection of Christ — knowing well that not even this remarkable proof would lead the Pharisees to shed their pride.
Life message: 1) It is very sad to see superstitious Christians travelling miles to see a miraculous statue of a Madonna shedding tears of blood or oil., while at the same time, they fail to see the presence of Jesus as he promised, in the Bible, in the Holy Eucharist, in a worshipping community or in one’s fellow Christians. Let us pray for the grace of increased Faith in the genuine teachings of Jesus.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Feb 13 Tuesday:
The context: The Jews considered fermentation by yeast as equivalent to putrefaction and, hence, something evil. That is why Jesus equated evil influence with leaven. Jesus considered the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the immoral life of the king Herod as leaven corrupting the dough of Israel. Hence, he gave the warning against their evil influence to his disciples while they were crossing the Lake in a boat.
The misunderstanding and correction: The Apostles in the boat misunderstood Jesus’ warning as a scolding for their having forgotten to bring enough bread for all of them. Hence, Jesus reminded them of his miraculous provision of bread in the feedings of the five thousand and of the four thousand people as evidence that they did not have to worry about food they had forgotten to bring for their supper. The twelve baskets full of leftovers after the miraculous feeding five thousand people represent the twelve tribes of Israel whom God first established as His chosen people to preserve the belief in the one true God. The seven baskets full of leftovers after the miraculous feeing of the four thousand people represent the seven nations of the Gentiles to whom salvation is extended. Jesus clarifies by these miracles that while salvation is universal, the way to salvation is through him, the Messiah. He warns his disciples to beware of the false ways of salvation offered by the two extreme philosophies of the Pharisees and the King Herod and the Herodians.
Life messages: 1) With trusting Faith, let us rely on the miraculous provision God has in store for us in our daily life (in the word of God and the Holy Eucharist), when we do our share of work sincerely.
2) Let us take Jesus’ warning against allowing the evil influence of the society around us to define and defile (the leaven of hypocrisy, immorality, pride and prejudice), but let us rely on the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling within us and guiding, protecting, and enlightening the Church.
(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Feb 14 Ash Wednesday: Mt 6:1-6, 16-18:
Introduction: Ash Wednesday (dies cinerum), is the Church’s Yom Kippur or “Day of Atonement.” The very name of the day comes from the ancient practice of mourning or doing penance wearing “sackcloth and ashes” to express penitence, not only by the Chosen People but by pagans as well. The Old Testament shows us the pagan people of Nineveh, the pagan King Ben Haddad of Syria, and the Jewish Queen Esther, all of whom fasted, wearing sackcloth and ashes.In the early Church, Christians who had committed serious sins did public penance wearing sackcloth and ashes. The Church instructs us to observe Ash Wednesday and Good Friday as days of full fast and abstinence. Fasting is prescribed to reinforce our penitential prayer during the Lenten season.
Scripture lessons summarized:In the first reading, the prophet Joel, insists that we should experience a complete conversion of heart (‘metanoia’) and not simply feel regret for our sins. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 51) for today, provides us with an excellent prayer of repentance and a plea for forgiveness. Saint Paul, in the second reading, advises us “to become reconciled to God.” Today’s Gospel instructs us to assimilate the true spirit of fasting and prayer, not just to settle for the legal externals.
The blessing of the ashes and the significance of the day: The priest, dipping his thumb into ashes (collected from burnt palms from the previous year’s Palm Sunday), marks the forehead of each with the sign of the cross , saying, “Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” By doing this, the Church gives her children: 1- a firm conviction that a) we are mortal beings, b) our bodies will become dust when buried, ashes if cremated, and c) our life-span is very brief and unpredictable; 2- a strong warning that we will suffer eternal misery if we do not repent of our sins, become reconciled with God, asking His pardon and forgiveness, and do penance; and 3- a loving invitation to realize and acknowledge our sinful condition and to return to our loving and forgiving God with true repentance so that we can renew our life as the prodigal son did.
Ash Wednesday messages: # 1: We need to purify and renew our lives during the period of Lent by repentance — expressing sorrow for our sins by turning away from the near occasions of sins and making a right turn to God. We express our repentance; by becoming reconciled with God daily; by asking for forgiveness from those we have offended; by giving unconditional forgiveness to those who have offended us; and by receiving the sacrament of Reconciliation.
# 2: We need to do prayerful fasting and acts of penance for our sins, following the example of Jesus before his public ministry. Fasting reduces our “spiritual obesity” or the excessive accumulation of “fat” in our soul — evil tendencies, evil habits, and evil addictions. It also gives us additional moral and spiritual strength and encourages us to share our blessings with the needy, offers us more time to be with God in prayer, and encourages us to share our food and goods with the needy. Fasting also makes our minds clearer and more receptive to receiving the sacred nourishment of God’s Word in Scripture and in Holy Eucharist. (Thomas Merton). We can practice penance by practicing more self-control and mortification, by observing Lenten fasting and abstinence, by doing acts of charity, kindness and mercy and by sacrificially helping the poor and the needy.
Feb 15 Thursday: Lk 9:22-25:
The context: After Peter had made his famous declaration of Faith in Jesus as God and the Messiah, Jesus plainly warned his disciples about his suffering death and Resurrection. But the Apostles were unwilling to accept such a fate for their master. Hence, Jesus declared the three conditions of discipleship which he expected from his followers, as given in today’s Gospel.
The Three Conditions: 1) Deny yourself. 2) Take up your cross. 3) Follow Me. 1) Denying oneself involves a) cleansing of the heart by the eviction of self and the removal of all evil tendencies and addictions from the heart with the help of the Holy Spirit, b) the enthronement of God in the heart and the dedication of oneself to Him, and c) the surrendering of one’s life to the enthroned God through loving, selfless service of others for God’s glory. 2) Taking up one’s cross means, not only accepting gracefully from God our pains and suffering, but also accepting the pain involved in serving others, in sharing our blessings with them, and in controlling our evil tendencies. Carrying one’s cross becomes easier when we compare our light crosses with the heavier ones given to terminally-ill patients and to exploited people living under subhuman conditions. The realization that Jesus carries with us the heavier part of our cross also makes our cross-bearing easier and more salvific. 3) Follow Me means one is to follow Jesus by obeying the word of God and adjusting one’s life accordingly. One living as Jesus’ disciple should be ever ready to obey as Jesus directs one –through His words in the Bible and through the teaching authority He has instituted in the Church.
The paradox of saving/losing and losing/saving life: According to Bible commentators, the word “life” is here used, clearly, in a double sense: the earthly life of man in flesh and time and his eternal Life of happiness in Heaven. Hence, what Jesus means is that whoever wishes to save his (earthly), life will lose his (eternal), Life. But whoever loses his (earthly), life by spending it for Jesus and the Gospel, will save his (eternal), Life.
Life message: We need to love the cross, wear the cross, carry the crosses we are given, and transform these God-given crosses of our life into the instruments of our salvation by working with the Holy Spirit. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Feb 16 Friday: Mt 9:14-15:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ reply to the question asked by a few disciples of John the Baptist about fasting and feasting. Prayer, fasting, and almsgiving were the three-cardinal works of Jewish religious life. Hence, John’s disciples wanted to know why they and the Pharisees fasted, while Jesus’ disciples were seen feasting with him and never fasting. Jesus’ reply: Jesus responded to their sincere question using three metaphors: the metaphor of the “children of the bridal chamber,” the metaphor of patching torn cloth and the metaphor of wineskins (Mk 2:18-20; Lk 5:33-35). In today’s Gospel passage taken from Matthew, Jesus compares his disciples with the children of the bridal chamber. These people were selected friends of the bridegroom who feasted in the company of the bride and groom during a week of honeymoon. Nobody expected them to fast. Jesus declares that his disciples will fast when he, the Bridegroom, is taken away from them. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy, and it is mentioned next after love in St Paul’s list, “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Gal 5:22). Hence, we are to welcome the joys of Christian life as well as the crosses it offers us. The Fathers of the Church interpret the image of the bridegroom and bride as referring to Christ and his Church. Some explain it topologically: as long as the Spouse is with us, we are not able to mourn; but when by our sin we turn from Jesus, then is the time for tears and fasting. Yet others apply the words of Christ to the Holy Eucharist. The parable does not condemn the strictness of John nor does it condemn fasting. The disciples of Christ kept the fasts prescribed by the Law, but they did ignore those imposed by the Pharisees.
Life messages: 1) Fasting reduces the excessive accumulation of fat in our soul in the form of evil tendencies and evil habits (= spiritual obesity). In addition, fasting gives us additional moral and spiritual strength: it offers us more time to be with God in prayer and encourages us to share our food and goods with the needy. We fast so as to share in the sufferings of the Body of Christ (Col 1:24). 2) We need to be adjustable Christians with open and elastic minds and hearts: The Holy Spirit, working actively in the Church and guiding the Magisterium — the teaching authority in the Church — enables the Church to have new visions, new ideas, new adaptations, and new ways of worship in the place of old ones. So, we should have the generosity and good will to follow the teachings of the Church (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Feb 17 Saturday: [The Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order]
The context: Today’s Gospel episode of Matthew’s call to be 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 post to invite Matthew to become his disciple. Since tax collectors worked for a foreign power, extorted more tax money from the people than they owed, and thus made themselves rich by extortion, they were hated and despised as traitors by the Jewish people, and considered public sinners by the Pharisees. But Jesus could see in Matthew a person who needed Divine love and grace. 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 call to follow him 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. Jesus’ dining with outcasts in the house of a traitor scandalized the Pharisees for whom ritual purity and table fellowship were important religious practices. Hence, they asked the disciples, “Why does your master eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus Himself answered their question, stressing his ministry as healer: “Those who are well do not need a physician; the sick do.” Then, in Matthew’s account, quoting Hosea, Jesus challenged the Pharisees, “Go and learn the meaning of the words, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ (Hos 6:6)” Finally, Jesus clarified his position, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Life messages: 1) Jesus calls you and me for a purpose: Jesus has called us, through our Baptism, has forgiven our sins, and has welcomed us as members of the Kingdom. He calls us through the Word and through his Church to be his disciples and to turn away from all the things that distract us and draw us away from God.
2) Just as Jesus did, and Matthew did, we, too, are expected to preach Christ through our lives by reaching out to the unwanted and the marginalized in society with Christ’s love, mercy, and compassion. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
