3rd Week: Jan 27- Feb 1:
Jan 27 Monday (St. Angela Merici,
Virgin):
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’
crushing reply to the slander propagated by the observers from the Sanhedrin,
that Jesus expelled devils using the assistance of the leader of devils. Jesus
refutes the false allegation raised against him by the Sanhedrin scribes with
three counterarguments and a warning: 1) A house divided against itself will
perish and a country engaged in civil war will be ruined. Hence, Satan will not
fight against Satan by helping Jesus to expel his co-workers. 2) If Jesus is
collaborating with Satan to exorcise minor demons, then the Jewish exorcists
are doing the same. 3) Jesus claims that he is using the power of his Heavenly
Father to evict devils, just as a stronger man can tie up the strong man who
has guarded all his possessions, and take all the strong man has acquired. The
evil one, the strong man, has made of the world a guarded possession, but Jesus
is stronger than the evil one and will destroy the captor and free the
captives. – by dying on the cross in willing sacrifice to save all of us, 4)
Finally, Jesus gives a crushing blow to his accusers, warning them that by
telling blatant lies they are blaspheming against the Holy Spirit and, hence,
that their sins are unforgivable (unless, of course, they repent).
Life message: 1) Jesus teaches that we can be
influenced by the evil spirit if we listen to him and follow him. Hence, we
have to keep our souls daily cleansed and filled with the Spirit of God,
leaving no space for the evil spirit to enter our souls.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Jan 28 Tuesday (St. Thomas Aquinas,
Priest and Doctor of the Church):
The context: As Jesus became a strong critic of
the Jewish religious authorities, his cousins, taking Mary His mother with them
(though she supported Jesus in all he was doing) possibly to get a hearing from
Jesus and then take him to Nazareth by force, perhaps because they feared that
he would be arrested and put to death, and that they might be next!
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 20 miles to talk to him. But everyone in the
audience knew that Jesus loved his mother and had taken care of her for years
before he started his public ministry. Besides, Jesus’ plain answer, “Whoever
does the will of God is my brother, and sister, and mother,” was
actually a compliment to his mother who had always listened to the word of God
and obeyed it. Jesus was declaring, “Blessed are those who hear and keep the
word of God as she is faithfully doing” (Vatican II, Lumen Gentium,
58). Jesus was also using the occasion to teach the congregation a new lesson
about their relationship with God. Being a disciple of Jesus, or a Christian,
is first and foremost a relationship of mutual love, service,
and unity with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and so with all who belong
to God as His children. Jesus has changed the order of relationships and shows
us here 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 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. “’Everyone
who does the will of the Father,’ that is to say, who obeys Him, is a
brother or sister of Christ, because he is like Jesus who fulfilled the will of
his Father. But he who not only obeys but converts others, begets Christ in
them, and thus becomes like the Motherof Christ” (Commentary on St. Matthew,
12:49-50.)
Life message: 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, let us observe our obligations of
treating others with love and respect and of sharing our love with them in
corporal and spiritual works of mercy. We are also His disciples, and so are
obliged to be hearers as well as doers of the word of God. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Jan 29 Wednesday:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives us the
parable of the sower, the seeds sown, and the yield depending upon the type of
soil. It is the first parable of Jesus in the New Testament about the Kingdom
of Heaven. It is also a parable interpreted by Jesus himself. This parable was
intended as a double warning: to the hearers to be attentive to, and to the
Apostles to be hopeful about, Jesus’ preaching in the face of growing
opposition to the Master and his ideas. Jesus wants all of us to open our
hearts generously to the word of God and then to put that word into practice.
The sower is God — through the Church, the parents, the teachers, and us. The
seed sown is the high-yielding word of God which is “a sharp sword” (Is
49:2), “two-edged sword” (Heb 4:12), and “fire and hammer” (Jer
23:29).
Soil type & yield: The hardened soil on the
footpath represents people with minds closed because of laziness, pride,
prejudice, or fear. The soil on flat rock pieces represents emotional types of
people who go after novelties without sticking to anything, and are unwilling
to surrender their wills to God. “I will remove the heart of stone from
their flesh and give them a heart of flesh” (Ez 11:19). The soil
filled with weeds represents those who are addicted to evil habits and evil
tendencies, those whose hearts are filled with hatred or jealousy, and those
whose greed focuses on acquiring money by any means and on enjoying life in any
way possible. The good and fertile soil represents well-intentioned people with
open minds and clean hearts, earnest in hearing the word, and zealous in
putting it into practice. Zacchaeus, the sinful woman, the thief on Jesus’
right side, St. Augustine, St. Francis of Assisi, and St. Francis Xavier, among
others, fall into this category of the good soil.
Life message: Let us become the good soil and
produce hundred-fold yields by earnestly hearing, faithfully assimilating and
daily cultivating the word of God we have received, so that the Holy Spirit may
produce His fruits in our lives.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Jan 30 Thursday:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage is taken
from Mark’s version of Jesus’ teaching after he had told the parable of the
sower. Jesus 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 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
recognized the presence of God in a blinding Light (Acts 9:3; 22:6); God “dwells
in inaccessible Light” (1 Tim 6:16). That is why Jesus claims that he
is the Light of the world. When the Light of Christ shines in our hearts, we
are 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 do 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 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, more will 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 his Light, the tiny
bit of wisdom and understanding that we’ve already gained will grow and grow
with his help. If, on the other hand, our hearts are closed to him, 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. He 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, our spirits certainly won’t grow, and our connection
to Him may well not last at all.
Life message: As the “light of the world”
it is our duty to remove the darkness from around us and to show others the
true Light of Jesus, his ideas and ideals from our model Christian life. Fr.
Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Jan 31 Friday (St. John Bosco, priest):
The context: Using the mini-parables of the
growth of wheat seeds and mustard seeds in the field, Jesus
explains the nature of the growth of the Kingdom of God or rule of God in human
beings and human societies. In the case of both wheat and mustard seeds, the
initial growth is slow and unnoticeable. But within days a leafy shoot will
emerge, and within months a mature plant with numerous branches and leaves,
flowers, and fruits will be produced. The growth is silent and slow but steady,
using power from the seed in the beginning and transforming absorbed water and
minerals for energy in the later stages. Jesus explains that the Kingdom of God
grows this way in human souls. The Kingdom of God is the growth of God’s rule
in human hearts that occurs when man does the will of God and surrenders his
life to God. It is slow and microscopic in the beginning. But it grows by using
the power of the Holy Spirit, given to us through the Word of God, the
Sacraments, and our prayers. Finally, God’s rule in the human heart transforms
individuals and communities into God’s people, doing His will in His kingdom.
Life message: 1) As we learn God’s will from His
words and try to put these words into practice, we participate in the growth of
God’s Kingdom on earth, a growth which will be completed in our Heavenly life.
But we need the special anointing of the Holy Spirit to be doers of the word of
God, so let us offer our lives before God every day, asking for this special
anointing.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Feb 1 Saturday: The context: Mark’s emphasis on
Jesus’ wondrous works helps him to reveal Jesus’ true Messianic identity. The
role of God in calming the storms of life is the central theme of today’s
Gospel. By describing the miracle, Mark also gives the assurance to his
first-century believers that nothing can harm the Church as long as the risen
Lord is with them. The incident reminds us today to keep Jesus in our life’s
boat and to seek God’s help in the storms of life.
The storm: The Sea of Galilee is lake thirteen miles long
from north to south and eight miles broad from east to west at its widest. It
is notorious for its sudden storms. When a cold wind blows from the west, the
valleys and gullies and hills act like gigantic funnels, compressing the winds
and letting them rush down to the lake to create storms with violent waves.
Unable to control their fears in just such a storm, the disciples awaken Jesus,
accusing him of disregarding their safety. Jesus’ response is immediate.
First, Jesus rebukes the winds and the sea, producing
perfect calm, to the great astonishment of his disciples. Then only does he
reproach them for their lack of Faith.
Life messages: 1) We need to welcome Jesus into
the boat of our life. All of us are making a journey across the sea of time to
the shore of eternity, and it is natural that, occasionally in all our lives,
we experience different types of violent storms: physical storms, emotional
storms, and spiritual storms. We face storms of sorrow, doubts, anxiety,
worries, temptations, and passion. Only Jesus can give us real peace in the
storm of sorrow or console us at the loss of our dear ones.
2) When the storm of doubts seeks to uproot the very
foundations of our Faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us
His Divinity and the authority behind the words of Holy Scripture. He gives us
peace in the storms of anxiety and worries about ourselves, about the unknown
future, and about those we love. Jesus calms the storms of passion in people
who have hot hearts and blazing tempers.
Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
