Oct 28 Monday (Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saints-simon-and-jude/ : Apostles
Simon (the Zealot) and Jude (Judas Thaddeus): Lk 6:12-16 12
In those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and all night he continued
in prayer to God. 13 And when it was day, he called his disciples, and chose
from them twelve, whom he named apostles; 14 Simon, whom he named Peter, and
Andrew his brother, and James and John, and Philip, and Bartholomew, 15 and
Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon who was called
the Zealot, 16 and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a
traitor. For USCCB video reflections:
https://youtu.be/s60xIDdcHFs?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DD9TgXScDzmUNxVbbSBuOSi
Simon the Zealot was the brother of Jude and
James the Lesser and, with them, was chosen by Jesus to become an apostle. His
name appears in all four Gospels in the list of apostles. In order to
distinguish him from Simon Peter, this Simon is called Simon the Zealot,
probably because of his great zeal for the Jewish Law and its practice. The
Zealots among the Jews were a Maccabaean rebel group of patriotic Jews who
would only acknowledge Yahweh as their King. Therefore, they refused to pay
taxes to the Roman Empire and were determined to fight against any foreign
rule. Some of the Fathers of the Church think that it was Simon’s marriage
celebration in Cana of Galilee at which Jesus transformed water into wine. As
an apostle and admirer of Jesus, Simon was transformed into a zealous
evangelizer who preached in Egypt, Ethiopia and Persia and, along with his
brother Jude, suffered martyrdom.
Jude or Judas Thaddeus: He was the brother of
James the Lesser and Simon the Zealot. The three were probably cousins of Jesus
on his mother’s side. Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why
he did not manifest himself to the world as Jesus had done to his disciples.
Jude wrote one Epistle to the Churches in the East and preached in Judea,
Samaria, Idumea, Syria, Mesopotamia and Libya. (The most widespread
tradition is that after evangelizing in Egypt, Simon joined Jude in Persia and
Armenia or Beirut, Lebanon, where both were martyred in 65 A.D.) He
was martyred by stoning. He is venerated as the patron saint of seemingly
impossible cases because a) in his Epistle he stresses the importance of
perseverance in harsh and difficult circumstances; b) he was a close relative
of Jesus; and c) he was ignored (since he shared the name “Judas” with Judas
Iscariot who betrayed Jesus). According to some first century Mesopotamian
legends, he performed miracles that outshone those of the local sorcerers and
magicians and cured a local king of leprosy.
Life message: We share the mission of the
Apostles – the mission of preaching the Good News by bearing witness to
Christ’s love and mercy and his spirit of forgiveness and service through our
transparent Christian lives. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/19
Oct 29 Tuesday: Lk 13: 18-21: 18 He said
therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? 19
It is like a grain of mustard seed which a man took and sowed in his garden;
and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its
branches.” 20 And again he said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God?
21 It is like leaven which a woman took and hid in three measures of flour,
till it was all leavened.” For USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/9HueW5wHBWc?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DD9TgXScDzmUNxVbbSBuOSi
The context: Today’s Gospel contains two of
Jesus’ one-line parables about the Kingdom of God. The parable of the
mustard seed probably shows that Gentiles in the Church will one day outnumber
Jews. The parable of the yeast indicates that all are invited to
salvation, and the Gentiles, who were considered evil, like yeast, will enable
the Church to grow.
The small beginnings and great endings: Using a pair of
mini-parables, the mustard seed and yeast, Jesus explains how the Kingdom, or
Reign, of God grows within us by the power of the Word of God and the power of
the Holy Spirit living within us. When we surrender our lives to Jesus
Christ and allow his word to take root in our hearts, we are transformed and
made holy by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. In the parable
of the mustard seed, the primary point of comparison is the contrast between
the smallness of the seed and the greatness of the result (“the largest of
plants”). The life-principle in a small mustard seed enables it to grow
into a large bush by a slow but steady process. The microscopic yeasts
within a small piece of leaven transform a thick lump of dough overnight into
soft and spongy bread. Christianity had a small beginning, like a mustard
seed or yeast, with Jesus and a band of twelve Apostles in a remote corner of
the world. But through the power of the Holy Spirit living in individual
Christians, Christianity has become the largest religion in the world,
spreading in all countries and embracing all races of people.
Life messages: 1) We need to allow the Holy
Spirit to transform us from our evil ways and tendencies to a life of holiness;
from unjust and uncharitable conversation to speaking with God and listening to
Him (prayer); from gossiping about people and a judgmental attitude to
showing compassion for others and supporting them with consoling, encouraging
and inspiring words and deeds.
2) We need to act like yeast influencing the lives of others
around us: Just as Christianity in the past transformed the status of women,
children, slaves, the sick and the poor by the power of Jesus’ Gospel, so we,
as Christians in our time, have the duty to transform the lives of people
around us by leading exemplary lives through the grace of God, according to the
promptings of the Holy Spirit. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/19
Oct 30 Wednesday: Lk 13:22-30: 22 He
went on his way through towns and villages, teaching, and journeying toward
Jerusalem. 23 And some one said to him, “Lord, will those who are saved be
few?” And he said to them, 24 “Strive to enter by the narrow door; for many, I
tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. 25 When once the householder
has risen up and shut the door, you will begin to stand outside and to knock at
the door, saying, `Lord, open to us.’ He will answer you, `I do not know
where you come from.’ 26 Then you will begin to say, `We ate and drank in your
presence, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 But he will say, `I tell you, I do
not know where you come from; depart from me, all you workers of iniquity!’ 28
There you will weep and gnash your teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and
Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out.
29 .. For USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/zvGKoKxdce0?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DD9TgXScDzmUNxVbbSBuOSi ;
The context: As he continued his fateful journey to
Jerusalem, Jesus answered the question about how many would be saved by
answering four presumed questions: Who will be saved? How? Why?
When? Jesus clearly explained that anyone who followed him through
the narrow gate of sacrificial serving and sharing love would be
saved. Jesus also admonished His followers to concentrate on
their own salvation rather than on other people’s salvation.
Explanation: When the Jewish questioner
asked Jesus, “How many will be saved?” he was assuming that the salvation
of God’s Chosen People was virtually guaranteed, provided they kept the Law. In
other words, the Kingdom of God was reserved for the Jews alone, and Gentiles
would be shut out. Jesus declared that entry to the Kingdom was
never an automatic event based purely on formal religion or
nationality. What Jesus is saying is that Salvation is not guaranteed for
anyone. In order to be “saved” one has to live and to die in a close loving
relationship with God and with others. Then Jesus added two conditions:
a) Eternal salvation is the result of a struggle: Hence, we are to “keep on
striving to enter.” b) We must enter through the “narrow gate” of
sacrificial and selfless service. Our answer to the question: “Have you been
saved?” should be: “I have been saved from the penalty of sin by Christ’s death
and Resurrection. I am being saved from the power of sin by the
indwelling Spirit of God. I have the hope that I shall one day be saved
from the very presence of sin when I go to be with God.”
Life messages: 1) We need to make wise decisions
and choose the narrow gate when God gives us the freedom to choose. That is, we
need to choose consistent denial of self and the steady relinquishing of sinful
pleasures, pursuits, and interests.
2) We need to check our track on a daily basis. The
parable of the locked door warns us that the time is short. Each
day sees endings and opportunities missed. “Opportunity will not knock
twice at your door.” Let us ask this question every day: How much did I
strive today to enter through the narrow gate of sacrificial and serving love
in action? (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/19
Oct 31 Thursday: Luke 13: 31-35: 31 At that
very hour some Pharisees came, and said to him, “Get away from here, for Herod
wants to kill you.” 32 And he said to them, “Go and tell that fox, `Behold, I
cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I
finish my course. 33 Nevertheless I must go on my way today and tomorrow
and the day following; for it cannot be that a prophet should perish away from
Jerusalem.’ 34 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and stoning those
who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together as
a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not! 35 Behold, your
house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, `Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'” For USCCB video
reflections:
https://youtu.be/zsTjDs0w0z0?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DD9TgXScDzmUNxVbbSBuOSi
The context: Some Pharisees warned Jesus of his
imminent danger of arrest by Herod. They might have been either his friends
among the Pharisees or Jesus’ enemies who wanted him to leave their territory.
Jesus’ reaction: Jesus called Herod a fox – a cunning,
fearful and dangerous animal. But with prophetic courage, he was determined to
do the Messianic work entrusted to him by God his Father. Hence, Jesus sent the
message to Herod that he would continue with his preaching and healing
ministry. Prophesying his death in Jerusalem, Jesus expressed his love and
longing for the Holy City of Jerusalem using the image of a mother hen
gathering all her chicks under her protective wings. Across the valley from the
city of Jerusalem there is a church called Dominus flevit, which
means, “The Lord wept.” On the base of the altar of that Church, there is
a small mosaic showing a mother hen with her chicks. They are under her
wings for protection, some of them peering out in the way that chicks do.
(“The image of being protected by wings, which occurs often in the Old
Testament, refers to God’s love and protection of his people. It is to be found
in the prophets, in the canticles of Moses (cf. Deut 32:11), and in many
psalms” (cf. 17:8; 36:8; 57:2; 61:5; 63:8). That mosaic is the representation
of today’s text expressing God’s warm and protective maternal love. Jesus loved
Jerusalem and its inhabitants. Hence, he felt deep sorrow at its lack of
response to his message, which would continue when he preached there in the
last week of his earthly life. Finally, he said to those who had warned
him, “Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see
me until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord'”(Luke 13:35) – either at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem
on Palm Sunday or at his final coming as Judge and Lord of all.
Life messages: 1) As Christians we should
have the courage of our religious convictions and the good will to practice
them. 2) We need to be aware of the dire consequences of rejecting God’s graces
and the chances He gives us every day to reform our lives. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/19
Nov 1 Friday ( All Saints Day) (Holy Day of Obligation in
the U. S. )https://www.franciscanmedia.org/solemnity-of-all-saints/ The
feast and its objectives: All baptized Christians who have died and are now
with God in glory are considered saints. All Saints Day is intended to honor
the memory of countless unknown and uncanonized saints who have no feast days.
Today we thank God for giving ordinary men and women a share in His holiness
and Heavenly glory as a reward for their Faith. This feast is observed to teach
us to honor the saints, both by imitating their lives and by seeking their
intercession for us before Christ, the only mediator between God and man (I Tim.
2:5). The Church reminds us today that God’s call for holiness is universal,
that all of us are called to live in His love and to make His love real in the
lives of those around us. Holiness is related to the word wholesomeness. We
grow in holiness when we live wholesome lives of integrity truth, justice,
charity, mercy, and compassion, sharing our blessings with others. https://youtu.be/PF-Pao_2nvw?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
Reasons why we honor the saints: 1- The saints put
their trust in Christ and lived heroic lives of Faith. St. Paul asks us to
serve and honor such noble souls. In his Epistles to the Corinthians, to Philip
and to Timothy and in His remarks to Philip at the Last Supper, he advises
Christians to welcome, serve and honor those who have put their trust in Jesus.
The saints enjoy Heavenly bliss as a reward for their Faith in Jesus. Hence,
they deserve our veneration of them. 2- The saints are our role models. They
teach us by their lives that Christ’s holy life of love, mercy and
unconditional forgiveness can be lived by ordinary people from all walks of
life and at all times.
3- The saints are our Heavenly mediators who
intercede for us before Jesus, the only mediator between God and us. (Jas 5:16-18,
Ex 32:13, Jer 15:1, Rv 8:3-4,). 4- The saints are
the instruments that God uses to work miracles at present, just as He
used the staff of Moses (Ex), the bones of the prophet Elisha (2Kgs 13:21), the
towel of Paul (Acts: 19:12) and the shadow of Peter (Acts 5:15) to work
miracles.
Life messages: 1) We need to accept the
challenge to become saints. Jesus exhorts us: “Be made perfect as your
Heavenly Father is Perfect” (Mt 5:48). St. Augustine asked: “If
she and he can become saints, why can’t I?” (Si iste et ista, cur non
ego?).
2) We can take the short cuts practiced by three
Teresas: i) St. Teresa of Avila: Recharge your spiritual batteries
every day by prayer, namely, listening to God and talking to Him ii) St.
Therese of Lisieux: Convert every action into prayer by offering it to God
for His glory and for the salvation of souls and by doing God’s will to the
best of one’s ability. iii) St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother
Teresa): Do ordinary things with great love For USCCB video reflections: (Fr.
Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/19
Nov 2 Saturday All Souls’ Day) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/commemoration-of-all-the-faithful-departed/ :
All Souls Day (Nov 2): : All Souls’ Day is a day specially set apart
that we may remember and pray for our dear ones who have gone for their eternal
reward and who are currently in a state of ongoing purification.
Ancient belief: 1) People of all religions have
believed in the immortality of the soul, and have prayed for the dead. 2) The
Jews, for example, believed that there was a place of temporary bondage from
which the souls of the dead would receive their final release. The Jewish
catechism, the Talmud, states that prayers for the dead will
help to bring greater rewards and blessings to them. Prayer for the souls of
the departed is retained by today’s Orthodox Jews, who recite a prayer known as
the Mourner’s Kaddish for eleven months after the
death of a loved one so that he/she may be purified. 3) Jesus and the apostles
shared this belief and passed it on to the early Church. “Remember us
who have gone before you, in your prayers,” is a petition often found
inscribed on the walls of the Roman catacombs (Lumen Gentium-50).
4) The liturgies of the Mass in various rites dating from
the early centuries of the Church include “Prayers for the Dead.”
5) The early Fathers of the Church encouraged this practice.
Tertullian (A.D. 160-240) wrote about the anniversary Masses for the dead,
advising widows to pray for their husbands. St. Augustine remarked that he used
to pray for his deceased mother, remembering her request: “When I die,
bury me anywhere you like, but remember to pray for me at the altar” (St.
Augustine of Hippo, Confessions, Book 9, Chapter 11, and
Section 27).
6) The synods of Nicaea, Florence and Trent encouraged the
offering of prayers for the dead, citing Scriptural evidences to prove that
there is a place or state of purification for those who die with venial sins on
their souls.
8) Theological reason: According to Rv 21:27: “nothing
unclean shall enter heaven.” Holy Scripture (Prv 24:16) also teaches that
even “the just sin seven times a day.” Since it would be
contrary to the mercy of God to punish such souls with venial sins in Hell,
they are seen as entering a place or state of purification, called Purgatory,
which combines God’s justice with His mercy. This teaching is also contained in
the doctrine of the Communion of Saints.
Biblical basis: 1) II Maccabees, 12:46 is
the main Biblical text incorporating the Jewish belief in the necessity of
prayer and sacrifice for the dead. The passage (II Maccabees 12: 39-46),
describes how Judas, the military commander, “took up a collection from all
his men, totaling about four pounds of silver and sent it to Jerusalem to
provide for a sin offering” (II Macc. 12: 43). The narrator continues,
“If he had not believed that the dead would be raised, it would have been
foolish and useless to pray for them.”
2) St. Paul seems to have shared this traditional Jewish belief. At the death of his supporter Onesiphorus, he prayed: “May the Lord grant him mercy on that Day” (II Timothy: 1:18). Other pertinent Bible texts: Matthew 12:32, I Corinthians, 3:15, Zechariah 13:19, Sirach 7:33. The Church’s teaching: The Church’s official teaching on Purgatory is plain and simple. There is a place or state of purification called Purgatory, where souls undergoing purification can be helped by the prayers of the faithful (Council of Trent). Some modern theologians suggest that the fire of Purgatory is an intense, transforming encounter with Jesus Christ and his fire of love. They also speak of Purgatory as an “instant” purification immediately after death, varying in intensity from soul to soul, depending on the state of each individual.
2) St. Paul seems to have shared this traditional Jewish belief. At the death of his supporter Onesiphorus, he prayed: “May the Lord grant him mercy on that Day” (II Timothy: 1:18). Other pertinent Bible texts: Matthew 12:32, I Corinthians, 3:15, Zechariah 13:19, Sirach 7:33. The Church’s teaching: The Church’s official teaching on Purgatory is plain and simple. There is a place or state of purification called Purgatory, where souls undergoing purification can be helped by the prayers of the faithful (Council of Trent). Some modern theologians suggest that the fire of Purgatory is an intense, transforming encounter with Jesus Christ and his fire of love. They also speak of Purgatory as an “instant” purification immediately after death, varying in intensity from soul to soul, depending on the state of each individual.
How do we help the “holy souls”? The Catechism
of the Catholic Church (CCC #1032) recommends prayer for the dead in
conjunction with the offering of the Eucharistic Sacrifice. The CCC also
encourages “almsgiving, indulgences, and works of penance undertaken on
behalf of the dead.” Let us not forget to pray for our dear departed,
have Masses offered for them, visit their graves, and make daily sacrifices for
them. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/19 For USCCB video reflections:
https://youtu.be/MX1N4NjJp4w?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0