Lent 2nd Week: March 17-22:
March 17 Monday: Lk 6:36-38: 36 “Be merciful,
even as your Father is merciful. 37 Judge not, and you will not be judged;
condemn not, and you will not be condemned; forgive, and you will be forgiven;
38 give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together,
running over, will be put into your lap. For the measure you give will be the
measure you get back.”
The context: In today’s passage, taken from the
Sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs his followers to be merciful,
non-judgmental, forgiving, and generous. He condemns our careless, malicious,
and rash judgments about another person’s behavior, feelings, motives, or actions.
St. Augustine explains it thus: “What do you want from the Lord? Mercy?
Give it, and it shall be given to you. What do you want from the Lord?
Forgiveness? ‘Forgive, and you will be forgiven.’’’
Reasons why we should not judge others: 1) No
one except God is good enough to judge others because only God sees the whole
truth, and only He can read the human heart; hence, only He has the right and
authority to judge us.
2) We are often prejudiced in our judgment of
others, and total fairness cannot be expected from us.
3) We do not see all the facts, the
circumstances, and the power of the temptations which have led a person to do
something evil.
4) We have no right to judge others because we
have the same fault ourselves, and often to a more serious degree, than the one
we are judging (remember Jesus’ funny example of a man with a wooden beam in
his eye trying to remove the dust particle from another’s eye?) St. Philip Neri
commented, watching the misbehavior of a drunkard: “There goes Philip
but for the grace of God.”
Life message: 1) We should leave all judgment to
God and practice mercy and forgiveness, remembering the advice of saints: “When
you point one finger of accusation at another, three of your fingers point at
you.” Let us pay attention to the Jewish rabbi’s advice: “He
who judges others favorably will be judged favorably by God.” Fr.
Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
March 18 Tuesday (St Cyril of Jerusalem, Bishop & Doctor of the
Church Mt 23:1-12:
The context: For Jesus, it was the third day of
the very first “Holy Week” in Jerusalem, a day of controversy
and personal attacks. Jesus, under fire, responded sharply and clearly to
Israel’s religious leaders’ refusal to see him as the Messiah, in spite of his
“mighty deeds.” He pronounced eight woes against these religious
leaders, calling them hypocrites and publicly humiliating them because they
were more concerned about self-promotion than serving others. USCCB
video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/index.cfm
Three sins of the Scribes and Pharisees: Jesus raises three
objections to the Pharisees: (1) “They do not practice what they teach”
(v. 3). They lack integrity of life and fail to practice the justice,
mercy and charity God commands. (2) They overburden the ordinary people (v.
4). The scribes and the Pharisees, in their excessive zeal for God’s laws,
split the 613 laws of the Torah into thousands of rules and regulations
affecting every movement of the people, thus making God’s laws a heavy burden.
(3) “They do all their deeds to be seen by others” (v. 5). Jesus
accuses the scribes and Pharisees of seeking the glory, that rightly belongs to
God. They express their love of admiration and public honors in several ways,
thereby converting Judaism into a religion of ostentation: (a) “They
make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long” (v. 5). b)
They “love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in
the synagogues” (v. 6). (c) They “love to be greeted with
respect in the marketplaces and to have people call them rabbi” (v. 7).
Life messages: 1) We need servant-leaders in
a serving community: The Church is a servant-community in which those
who hunger, and thirst are to be satisfied; the ignorant are to be taught; the
homeless are to receive shelter; the sick are to be cared for; the distressed
are to be consoled; and the oppressed are to be set free. Hence, leaders should
have a spirit of humble service in thought, word, and deed. 2) We need
to live the Faith we profess. Our Faith tells us that we are all
brothers and sisters, children of the same Heavenly Father. Hence, we should
always pray for each other. Instead of judging the poor, we should be serving
them both directly and through our efforts on behalf of economic justice.
Instead of criticizing those of other races, we should be serving them both
directly and through our efforts on behalf of racial justice. Instead of
ignoring the homeless, we should be serving them through efforts to supply them
with adequate housing. 3) We need to accept the responsibilities which
go with our titles. Titles and polite forms exist to remind each of us
of our specific responsibilities in society. Hence, let us use everything we
are and have in a way that brings glory to God, by serving His children. Fr.
Tony(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
March 19 Wednesday: St. Joseph, Spouse of
Blessed Virgin Mary):
ST. JOSEPH IN THE HOLY BIBLE: We have the description
of St. Joseph only in the Gospels of Mathew and Luke. They present him as
Joseph, the just man, the dreamer, and the silent saint who was the custodian
and protector of Jesus and Mary, always doing the will of God.
(A) Joseph, the just man: (Mt 1:19). In the
Biblical sense, a just man is one who faithfully does his duties to God, to
lawful authorities, and to his fellow human beings.
(1) Joseph did his duties to God faithfully by
obeying His laws revealed through Moses, through his king, and through his
foster-son Jesus.
a) He obeyed the Mosaic laws: i) by
circumcising and naming Jesus on the 8th day, ii) by presenting Mary with her
child in the Temple for the purification ceremony, and iii) by making Jesus
“son of the Law,” bringing him to the Temple of Jerusalem for the feast of
Passover at the age of twelve.
b) He obeyed his King’s law by taking his
pregnant wife Mary to Bethlehem for the census ordered by the emperor.
c) He loved, cared for and protected Jesus
and Mary during the Flight into Egypt (Mt 2:13) and after their return
to Nazareth (Mt 2:20). When he was 12-years-old, Jesus, who had gone up to
Jerusalem for the Passover with his parents, Mary and Joseph, remained in the
Temple without his parents’ knowledge (or permission!). When they discovered
his absence, at the end of the first day’s travel home to Nazareth, Mary and
Joseph searched for and finally found their lost Jesus in the Temple (Lk
2:44-48). Jesus returned with them to Nazareth and “was obedient to
them,” as he “advanced [in] Wisdom and age and favor before God and man.” (Lk
2:51-52).
(2) Joseph did his duties to others faithfully:
a) to his wife by giving her loving
protection in spite of his previous worry about her miraculous pregnancy. He
could have divorced her. Pope St. John Paul II says, St. Joseph protects
Mary “discreetly, humbly, and silently, but with an unfailing presence
and utter fidelity, even when he finds it hard to understand.”
b) to Jesus by loving him as his own son, giving
him corrections and praise when merited, and teaching him to be a good,
responsible man, training him in his trade, in the Law of Moses, and in good
conduct (Lk. 2:52).
c) to his neighbors by being an ideal carpenter
and good neighbor.
(B) Joseph, the dreamer (like Joseph in the O.T.)
received answers to his fervent prayers as dreams. Joseph raised his
heart and mind to God in all his needs and dangerous situations in life,
besides praising and thanking Him.
Dreaming in the Old Testament was one way God used to
communicate His will to men. Joseph received instructions from God through four
dreams: i) “Do not be afraid to take Mary to be your wife”
(Mt.1:20); ii) “Get up, take the Child and his mother
and escape to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you to leave” (Mt.
2:13); iii) “Get up, take the Child and his mother, and
go back to the land of Israel” (Mt.2:20); iv) as a confirmation
of Joseph’s prudent thought of taking Mary and Jesus out of Jerusalem (where a
worse ruler might endanger them), and back to Nazareth, a small, out-of-
the-way village in the country.
(C) As a silent saint, Joseph always did the will of God
and protected and provided for Jesus and Mary. Hence, he continues to
protect the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church.
How did Joseph provide this protection and provision? By his
unfailing presence and committed fidelity. He did it silently and justly by
doing the will of God. He is a silent saint in our noisy world, giving himself
to others. He continues to protect those who protect and take care of elderly
parents, the aged, and the sick in nursing homes. He courageously fulfilled his
protective role, starting with his receiving his wife into his home at the
angel’s command in a dream and continuing through the flight to Egypt with Mary
and the Child and their sojourn there, all the way to Nazareth and their life
there, where, at some point, he died peacefully in their presence.
Life Messages: 1) We need to lead
saintly lives by becomingfaithful in little things, as St. Joseph was. “Bloom
where you are planted” was the favorite advice of St. Francis de
Sales. Let us love our profession and do good to others.
2)We need to consult God daily in prayer to know His will
and to do it.
3)We need to be just, as St. Joseph was, by “giving
everyone his or her due.”
4) We need to raise our families in the spirit of the Holy
Family and to be responsible, God-fearing, ideal parents like Joseph and Mary.
5) Let us become protectors like St. Joseph, by
keeping watch over our emotions and over our hearts which are the seat of good
intentions and are meant to build up ourselves and others. Our hearts prompt us
to reject evil intentions that tear everything and drag everyone, down! “We
must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!” (Pope St. John
Paul II). (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
March 20 Thursday: Lk 16:19-31:
The context: The main theme of today’s Gospel is
the warning that the selfish and extravagant use of God’s blessings, including
personal wealth, without sharing them with the poor and the needy, is a serious
sin deserving eternal punishment. The rich man’s punishment was not for having
riches, but for neglecting the Scriptures and what they taught.
Objectives: Jesus told this parable to condemn the Pharisees
for their avarice (love of and greed for money), and for their lack of mercy
and compassion for the poor. He also used the parable to correct the Jewish
misconception that material prosperity in this life is God’s reward for moral
uprightness, while poverty and illness are God’s punishments for sin. The
parable further reminds us that we will be judged (private judgment) and
rewarded or punished immediately after our death. The parable finally offers an
invitation to each one of us to be conscious of the sufferings of those around
us and to share our blessings generously with the needy.
One-act play: The parable is presented as a one-act play
with two scenes. The opening scene presents the luxurious life of the rich man
in costly dress enjoying five-course meals every day, in contrast to the
miserable life of the poor, sick beggar living on the street by the rich man’s
front door, competing with stray dogs for the crumbs discarded from the rich
man’s dining table. As the curtain goes up on the second scene, the situation
is reversed. The beggar, Lazarus, is enjoying Heavenly bliss as a reward for
his fidelity to God in his poverty and suffering, while the rich man has been
thrown down into the excruciating suffering of Hell as punishment for ignoring
God in his prosperity and for not doing his duty of showing mercy to the poor
by sharing with the beggar at his door the mercies and blessings God had given
him.
Life messages: 1) We are all rich enough to share our
blessings with others. God has blessed each one of us with wealth or health or
special talents or social power or political influence or a combination of many
other blessings. The parable invites us to share with others, in various ways,
what we have been given –instead of using everything exclusively for selfish
gains. 2) We need to remember that sharing is the criterion of Last Judgment:
Mt (25:31ff), tells us that all six questions Jesus will ask each of us when he
comes in glory as our judge are based on how we have (or have not) shared our
blessings from him (food, drink, home, mercy, and compassion), with
others. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
March 21 Friday: Mt 21:33-43, 45-46:
The context: Told by Jesus during Passover week, the
parable of the wicked tenants is actually an allegorical “parable of
judgment,” accusing the Pharisees of not producing the fruits of repentance
and renewal of life which God expects from them as leaders of His Chosen
people. “I expected my vineyard to yield good grapes. Why did it yield
sour ones instead?” The parable also explains the necessity of our
bearing fruit in the Christian life, and the punishment for sterility and
wickedness. The meaning of the parable: As an allegory, this parable has
different meanings. Like the Jews, the second- and third-generation Christians
also understood God as the landlord. The servants sent by the land-owner
represented the prophets of the Old Testament. They were to see that God’s
chosen people produced fruits of justice, love, and righteousness. But the
people refused to listen to the prophets and produced the bitter grapes of
injustice, immorality, and idolatry. Further, they persecuted and killed the
prophets. As a final attempt, the landowner sent his son, (Jesus) to collect
the rent (fruits of righteousness) from the wicked tenants (the Jews). But they
crucified him and continued to lead lives of disloyalty and disobedience.
Hence, God’s vineyard was taken away from His Chosen People and was given to a
people (Gentile Christians and Jewish converts), who were expected to produce
the fruit of righteousness. The parable warns us that if we refuse to reform
our lives and become productive, we also can be replaced as the old Israel was
replaced by us, the “new” Israel.
Life messages: 1) We need to be good
fruit-producers in the vineyard of the Church. Jesus has given the Church
everything necessary to make Christians fruit-bearing. Having already received
the Gift of Life in the Sacrament of Baptism, we find we also have the following:
a) the Bible to know the will of God; b) the priesthood), to lead the people in
God’s ways; c) the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the remission of sins; d)
the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food; e) the Sacrament of Confirmation for
a dynamic life of Faith; f) the Sacrament of Matrimony for the sharing of love
in families, the fundamental unit of the Church; g) the Sacrament of the
Anointing of the Sick to heal us in spirit, and in body if God so wills, and to
prepare us for bodily death; and h), the Sacrament of Holy Orders by which the
priesthood of Jesus is continued on earth and will be continued until the end
of the world. We are expected make use of these gifts and to produce fruits for
God. 2) We need to be good fruit-producers in the vineyard of
our family. By our mutual sharing of blessings, by our sacrifices of time and
talents for the welfare of all family members, by humbly and lovingly serving
others in the family. By recognizing and encouraging each other, by honoring
and gracefully obeying our parents, and by teaching and caring for our
children, we become producers of “good fruit” or good
vine-branches in our families. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
March 22 Saturday: Lk 15:1-3.11-32:
The context: Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel has
been called “the Gospel within the Gospel,” because it is the
distilled essence of the Good News about our Heavenly Father. The whole chapter
is essentially one complete parable, the “Parable of the Lost and
Found,” with three illustrations: the story of the lost sheep, the
story of the lost coin and the story of the lost son. These parables remind us
that we have a God Who welcomes sinners and forgives their sins when they
return to Him with genuine contrition, resolved to reform. In addition, He is
always in search of His lost and straying children.
The lost son: This parable speaks about the deep effects of
sin, the self-destruction of hatred, and the infinite mercy of God. This is a
story of love, of conflict, of deep heartbreak, and of ecstatic joy. The scene
opens on a well-to-do Jewish family. With the immaturity of a spoiled brat, the
younger son impudently extracts his share of the coming inheritance from his
gracious father. He sells out his share and then squanders the money in a
faraway city. Then, bankrupt and starving, the prodigal son ends up feeding
pigs, a task that was forbidden to a Jew (Lv 11:7; 14:8). Finally, coming “to
his senses” (v. 17), he decides to return to his father, asking for
forgiveness and begging to be given the status of a hired servant. The father,
however, when he sees his son returning, runs to him, embraces him, kisses him,
and gives him a new robe, a ring, and new shoes. The father also holds a great
feast for him, to celebrate his son’s return, killing the “fatted
calf’” reserved for the Passover feast, so that all may rejoice with
him at the wanderer’s return.
Life messages: 1) We need to meet the challenge
for self-evaluation: If we have been in sin, God’s mercy is seeking us,
searching for our souls with a love that is wild beyond all imagining. God is
no less ready to receive and welcome us back than Jesus was to welcome sinners
in his time. 2) We should also ask God for the courage to extend this
forgiveness to others who have offended us. 3) Let us confess our sins and
regain peace and God’s friendship. The first condition for experiencing the joy
and relief of having our sins forgiven is to see them as they are and give them
up. We have to be humble enough to recognize that we need God’s forgiveness to
be whole. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
