Aug 19 Monday (Saint John Eudes, Priest): Mt
19:16-22: 16 And behold, one came up to him, saying, “Teacher,
what good deed must I do, to have eternal life?” 17 And he said to him, “Why do
you ask me about what is good? One there is who is good. If you would enter
life, keep the commandments.” 18 He said to him, “Which?” And Jesus said, “You
shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal, You shall
not bear false witness, 19 Honor your father and mother, and, You shall love
your neighbor as yourself.” 20 The young man said to him, “All these I have
observed; what do I still lack?” 21 Jesus said to him, “If you would be
perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have
treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” 22 When the young man heard this he
went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
The context: Today’s Gospel reminds us that we
do not possess anything in our life that we refuse to surrender to the
Lord. Rather, it often possesses us, and we become the prisoner of
our possessions, violating the First Commandment, which demands that we give
unconditional priority to God. Jesus reminds the rich young man of the
Commandments that deal with his relationships with other people and challenges
him to sell what he has and give it to the poor. Jesus’ challenge exposes
what was missing in the young man’s life: a sense of compassion for the poor
and the willingness to share his blessings with the needy.
The incident of the rich, young ruler: The rich young man
who came to Jesus in search of eternal life really wanted to be accepted by
Jesus as a disciple. The young man claimed that from childhood he had observed
all the Commandments Jesus mentioned. His tragedy, however, was that
he loved “things” more than people and his possessions “possessed him.”
Jesus told him that keeping the Commandments was not enough and challenged
him to share his riches with the poor. “There is one thing
lacking. Sell all you have and give to the poor, and then you will have
real treasure. After that, come and be with me.” Jesus asked
him to break his selfish attachment to wealth by sharing it. But
“when the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful; for he had great
possessions.”
Life messages: 1) Jesus makes the same challenge
to each of us today. Our following of Jesus has to be totally and
absolutely unconditional. My attachment may not be to money or material
goods, but to another person, a job, my health, or my reputation.
We must be ready to cut off any such attachment in order to become
true Christian disciples, sharing our blessings with others. 2) To follow
Jesus, we must have generous hearts and the willingness to share our
blessings with others to show our generosity. St. Teresa of Calcutta
(Mother Teresa) puts it in her own style: “Do SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL for
God. Do it with your life. Do it every day. Do it in your own way. But do it!” (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/19
Aug 20 Tuesday (Saint Bernard, Abbot and Doctor of the
Church): Mt 19:23-30: 23 And Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly, I
say to you, it will be hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24
Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle
than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard
this they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But
Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with
God all things are possible.” 27 Then Peter said in reply, “Lo, we have left
everything and followed you. What then shall we have?” 28 Jesus said to them,
“Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of man shall sit on his
glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And ever one who has left houses or
brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name’s
sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. 30 But many that
are first will be last, and the last first.
The context: Jesus told a rich, young man who
had expressed his desire to follow Jesus as a disciple that he had to share his
possessions with the less fortunate as a condition for becoming a perfect
disciple. But when the young man heard this, he went away sorrowful;
for he had great possessions. It was then that Jesus made the comment
given in today’s Gospel. Jesus uses a vivid hyperbole or “word cartoon” to
show how riches bar people from Heaven. The camel was the largest animal
the Jews knew, and the eye of a needle the smallest hole. The needle’s
eye is variously interpreted. Most probably Jesus used it
literally: a) The little, low and narrow gate on the outer wall of the city of
Jerusalem through which even a man could hardly pass erect was called, “The
Needle’s Eye” in Jesus’ time. b) The Greek word used in the passage
for camel is kamelos, which can also mean a ship’s thick cable
or hawser rope. In either case, Jesus is saying that it is not
impossible, by the grace of God, for a wealthy person to keep his spiritual
integrity, but it is extremely difficult and uncommon. Why do riches
prevent man from reaching God? First, the rich think that they can buy
their way to happiness and out of sorrow, so they don’t need God. Second,
riches shackle a man to this earth (Mt 6:21). Third, riches tend
to make a man selfish. The Bible doesn’t say that money is the root of all
evil; it says that the love of money is the root of all evil
(1 Timothy 6:10). Jesus also challenges the Jewish belief that material wealth
and prosperity are signs of God’s blessings, and poverty the sign of His
punishment. Jesus condemns a value system that makes “things” more valuable
than people. Life message: An invitation to generosity. 1)
Jesus was so generous that he gave us his very self. The crucifix is
“Exhibit A.” To follow Jesus, we must have a generous
heart, and we should be willing to use it by sharing our blessings with others.
God does not ask us to give up our riches, but He does ask us to use them
wisely in His service. How do we use our talents? What about time –
do we use it for God? We each get 168 hours every week. How do we
use our time? Are we too busy to pray each day? (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/19
Aug 21 Wednesday (Saint Pius X, Pope): Mt 20:1-16: 1 “For
the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning
to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a
denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third
hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; 4 and to them he said,
`You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So, they
went. 5 Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the
same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing; and
he said to them, `Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him,
`Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.’
8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, `Call
the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the
first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them
received a denarius. 10 Now when the first came, they thought they would
receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it
they grumbled at the householder, 12 saying, `These last worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the
scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, `Friend, I am doing you no
wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you
and go; I choose to give to this last as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to
do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16
So the last will be first, and the first last.”
The context: The parable described in today’s
Gospel is known as the “Parable of Workers in the Vineyard” or the “Parable
of the Generous Landlord.” This remarkable and rather startling
parable is found only in Matthew. There is Gospel, or “Good News,” in
this parable because it is the story of the landlord’s love and generosity,
representing God’s love and generosity. The question in God’s mind is
not, “How much do these people deserve?” but rather, “How can I help
them? How can I save them before they perish?” It’s all about grace
and blessings. God is presented in the parable as a loving mother who cares
about each of her children equally. The parable in a nutshell: The Kingdom of
Heaven, says Jesus, is like a landowner who goes out early in the morning to
hire laborers for his vineyard. He rounds up a group at 6 AM, agrees to
pay them the usual daily wage and then puts them into action. At 9 AM, he
rounds up another group. At noon, he recruits a third team, and then at 3
PM, a fourth. Finally, at 5 PM, he finds still more laborers who are
willing and able to work. He sends them into the vineyard to do what they
can before sundown. As the day ends, the landowner instructs his manager
to pay each of the workers one denarius, the daily living wage, and to begin
with those who started at 5 PM.
Life messages: (1) We need to follow God’s
example and show grace to our neighbor. When someone else is more
successful than we are, let us assume he needs the
success. When someone who does wrong fails to get caught, let
us remember the many times we have done wrong and gotten off free.
We mustn’t wish pain on people for the sake of “fairness.” We become
envious of others because of our lack of generosity of heart. 2) We need
to express our gratitude to God in our daily lives. God personally calls
each of us to a particular ministry. He shows his care by giving us His grace and
eternal salvation. All our talents and blessings are freely given us by
God, so we should thank Him by avoiding sins, by rendering loving service
to others, and by listening and talking to Him. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/19
Aug 22 Thursday (The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary): Mt
22: 1-14: This special Liturgical Feast was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII on
October 11, 1954 through his Encyclical Letter Ad Caeli Reginam.
But Mary’s title as “Queen of Heaven and Earth” is a great scandal to many
non-Catholic Christians. Here is the Biblical argument supporting her
Queenship.
Since Holy Scripture presents Jesus Christ as a king, his
mother Mary is the Queen-Mother. Jesus is King by Nature, as God; she is Queen
by “divine relationship,” that is, by being the Mother of God. In most of the
messianic prophecies given in the Old Testament books of Samuel, Micah (5:1),
Isaiah (7:13, 14), Jeremiah (13:18, 20), and Daniel (7:13-14), Christ, the
Messiah, is represented as a King, an identity given to Jesus in the New
Testament: Lk.1:32-33, Mt. 2:2, Lk.19:38, Jn.18:37. The beginning of the
concept that Mary is a Queen is found in the annunciation narrative, given in
today’s Gospel. For the angel tells Mary that her Son will be King over the
house of Jacob forever. So, she, His Mother, would be a Queen. Mary is also
Queen by grace. She is full of grace, the highest in the category of grace,
next to her Son. She is Queen by singular choice of the Father. If a mere human
can become King or Queen by choice of the people how much greater a title is
the choice of the Father Himself!
In the monarchy of King David, as well as in other ancient
kingdoms of the Near East, the mother of the ruling king held an important
office in the royal court and played a key part in the process of dynastic
succession. In fact, the king’s mother ruled as queen, not his
wife or one of the wives. The prophet Jeremiah tells how the queen-mother
possessed a throne and a crown, symbolic of her position of authority in the
kingdom (Jer. 13:18, 20). Probably the clearest example of the queen-mother’s
role is that of Bathsheba, wife of David and mother of Solomon (1 Kgs 1:16–17,
31; 1 Kgs 2:19–20; 1 Kgs 2:19–20). Some Old Testament prophecies incorporate the
queen-mother tradition when telling of the future Messiah. One example is
Isaiah 7:13-14.
Finally, Mary’s Queenship can be seen in the great vision
described in Revelation 12: “And a great portent appeared in heaven, a woman
clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of
twelve stars; she was with child and she cried out in her pangs of birth, in
anguish for delivery” (Rv 12:1–2). Revelation 12 portrays Mary
as the new Queen-Mother in the Kingdom of God, sharing in her Son’s rule over
the universe. Life message:Understanding Mary as Queen-Mother
explains her important intercessory role in the Christian life. Just as the
King responded to the queen-mother of the Davidic kingdom (“Ask it, my
Mother, for I will not refuse you” 1 Kgs 2:20), Jesus, the King
of the universe, responds to Mary, his Mother, whose will is completely one
with that of God, and who serves Him in acting as our advocate before her
Divine Son. Hence, we should approach our Queen-Mother with confidence, knowing
that she carries our petitions to her royal son. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/19
Aug 23 Friday [Saint Rose of Lima, Virgin]: Matthew
22:34-40: 34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the
Sadducees, they came together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a
question, to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”
37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first
commandment.39 And a second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as
yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the law and the prophets.”
The context: The Pharisees, who believed in both
the written Law and the oral tradition, were pleased to see how Jesus defeated
the Sadducee who had tried to humiliate him with the hypothetical case of a
woman who married seven husbands in succession. So, a lawyer challenged Jesus
to summarize the most important of the Mosaic Laws into one sentence. Jesus’
answer teaches us that the most important Commandment is to love God in loving
others and to love others in loving God. In other words, we are to love God and
express our love by loving our neighbor who is a son or daughter of God in whom
God lives.
Jesus’ novel contribution: Jesus gives a
straightforward answer, quoting directly from the Law itself and startling his
listeners with his profound simplicity and mastery of the law of God and its
purpose. He cites the first sentence of the Jewish Shema prayer
(Deuteronomy 6:5): “Therefore, you shall love the Lord, your God, with all
your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.” Then
He adds its complementary law (Leviticus 19:18): “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus combines the originally
separate commandments and presents them as the essence of true religion.
We are to love our neighbor as our self because this is a way to love God: God
gives us our neighbors to love so that we may learn to love Him.
Life messages: 1) How do we love God? There
are several means by which we can express our love for God: a) by thanking God
daily for His blessings and expressing our gratitude by obeying His
Commandments; b) by being reconciled with God daily, confessing our sins and
asking His forgiveness; c) by acknowledging our total dependence on God,
presenting our needs before Him with trusting Faith; d) by keeping friendship
with God, daily talking to Him in prayer and listening to Him in reading the
Bible; and e) by recharging our spiritual batteries through participating in
Sunday Mass, receiving Jesus in Holy Communion, and through leading a
Sacramental life. 2) How do we love our neighbor? Since every human being
is the child of God and the dwelling place of the Spirit of God, created in the
“image and likeness of God” and saved by the precious blood of Christ, we are
actually giving expression to our love of God by loving our neighbor as Jesus
loves him. This means we need to help, support, encourage, forgive, and pray
for every one of God’s children without discrimination based on color, race,
creed, gender, age wealth or social status. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/19
Aug 24 Saturday (Saint Bartholomew, Apostle): John
1:43-51: 43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And he
found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Beth-sa’ida,
the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathan’a-el, and said to him, “We
have found him of whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of
Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathan’a-el said to him, “Can anything good
come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw
Nathan’a-el coming to him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in
whom is no guile!” 48 Nathan’a-el said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus
answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I
saw you.” 49 Nathan’a-el answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are
the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, I saw you
under the fig tree, do you believe? You shall see greater things than these.”
51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you will see heaven opened,
and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
The context: In today’s Gospel of John (John
1:43-51), Nathanael, also called Bartholomew or “son of Tholomay,” is
introduced as a friend of Philip. He is described as initially being skeptical
about the Messiah coming from Nazareth, saying: “Can anything good come out
of Nazareth?” But he accepts Philip’s invitation to meet Jesus. Jesus
welcomes him saying, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no
guile!” Jesus’ comment, “Before Philip called you, when you
were under the fig tree, I saw you” is probably based on a Jewish
figure of speech referring to studying the Torah because the rabbi used
to give Bible classes for small groups under the shade of fig trees. Nathanael
immediately recognizes Jesus as “the Son of God” and “the King of
Israel.” Nathanael reappears at the end of John’s Gospel (John
21:2), as one of the disciples to whom Jesus appeared at the Sea of Tiberius after
his Resurrection from
the tomb. The Gospels thus present Bartholomew as a man with no malice and
lover of Torah with openness to truth and readiness to accept the truth.
Nathanael was the first Apostle to make an explicit confession of Faith in
Jesus as the Messiah and as the Son of God.
Life messages: 1) Let us pray for the grace to
love the word of God as Bartholomew did. 2) Let us also pray that we may accept
the teaching of the Bible and the Church with open heart and open mind without
pride or prejudice. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/19
