Nov 18 Monday (The Dedication of the
Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles; St. Rose Philippine
Duchesne, Virgin (U.S.A.):
https://www.franciscanmedia.org/dedication-of-churches-of-saints-peter-and-paul/;
Lk 18: 35-43: 35 As he drew near to Jericho,
a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging; 36 and hearing a multitude
going by, he inquired what this meant. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is
passing by.” 38 And he cried, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 39 And
those who were in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent; but he cried out
all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 40 And Jesus stopped, and
commanded him to be brought to him; and when he came near, he asked him, 41
“What do you want me to do for you?” He said, “Lord, let me receive my sight.”
42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you well.”
43 And immediately he received his sight and followed him, glorifying God; and
all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God. USCCB video
reflections:
https://youtu.be/zQCjK1_YAHo?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: Jesus was going to Jerusalem
to participate in the feast of Passover. When he reached Jericho, there was a
big crowd of pilgrims walking along with him and listening to his
teaching. Beggars used to sit on both sides of the road, as the pilgrims
were very generous, and the people used to line up on the roadside to greet the
pilgrims. A blind beggar on the roadside was told by his friends that
Jesus of Nazareth, the miracle-worker, was passing by. So, the blind man
repeatedly cried out at the top of his voice, “Jesus, Son of David,
have mercy on me!” The pilgrims listening to Jesus’ teaching tried to
stop the beggar’s loud cry, but in vain. Jesus stopped, called the beggar
to him and asked him his need, then gave him eyesight by a single command, “Receive
your sight; your Faith has made you well!” This miracle was Jesus’
reward to the blind man for his trusting Faith in the healing power and
compassionate heart of the Messiah. St. Augustine described the urgency
with which we should respond to God’s gift, to His passing us on the road: “I
fear Jesus may pass by and not come back.”
Life messages: 1) We, too, need healing from our spiritual
blindness which makes us incapable of seeing and appreciating the living
presence of God within ourselves and others. For that healing, we also
require the same trusting Faith the blind man displayed in the healing power
and mercy of Jesus, and the same persevering persistence in our prayers.
We need to pray with conviction, urgency and constancy.
2) We need to repeat the prayer of the blind man, “Lord,
let me receive my sight,” when our Faith is feeble, when we cannot
understand the reason behind God’s plans and when our commitments become shaky.
God gave us eyes so that we can see. God gave us a heart so that we can see
better. Let us use them all the time. (Fr. Kadavil) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 19 Tuesday: Lk 19:1-10: 1 He entered
Jericho and was passing through. 2 And there was a man named Zacchaeus;
he was a chief tax collector, and rich. 3 And he sought to see who Jesus
was, but could not, on account of the crowd, because he was small of stature. 4
So he ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see him, for he was
to pass that way. 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to
him, “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for I must stay at your house
today.” 6 So he made haste and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when
they saw it they all murmured, “He has gone in to be the guest of a man who is
a sinner.” 8 …9 USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/0_P9Oq_vWQE?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: The theme of today’s Gospel is the
benevolent and forgiving mercy of God for sinners and the response of
repentance and conversion expected from us. The story is that of the
instantaneous conversion of the tax-collector, Zacchaeus. As the chief
tax-collector in Jericho, Zacchaeus was probably a man of much wealth and few
friends. Since he worked for the Romans and extracted more tax money than
required by the law, he was probably hated by the Jews who considered all
tax-collectors public sinners. The account describes how Jesus recognized
Zacchaeus for exactly who he was – a lost sinner in need of a Savior.
Jesus’ response lets us see how God’s grace worked in Zacchaeus to lead
him from idle curiosity to repentance, conversion and the making of
restitution. The episode emphasizes the fact that such a conversion can only
result from a person’s fully receiving the love, acceptance and grace of a
merciful Lord. The story of Zacchaeus reinforces the lessons of the
fifteenth chapter of Luke in which a lost sheep and a lost coin are
found, and a lost son is embraced. It also demonstrates the fact
that nobody is beyond the possibility of conversion.
Life messages: 1) We need to accept the Divine
invitation to repentance. We are all sinners to a greater or lesser
degree. Jesus is inviting each one of us to total conversion today by
means of this Gospel lesson. Let us remember that Jesus loves us, in
spite of our ugly thoughts, broken promises and sullied ideals, our lack of
prayer and Faith, our resentments and lusts. Hence, let us confess
to Him all our weaknesses and sins, repenting and ask Him trustfully for
his Mercy.
2) We need to love others in spite of their sins, as Jesus
loves us. Jesus loved Zacchaeus—a great sinner — and by that
love, Zacchaeus was transformed. As parents or teachers, can we lovingly
accept our children without first setting up for them standards of behavior as
conditions for being loved? Just as Jesus loved
Zacchaeus even though he was a public sinner, so we must
love others in spite of their sins. Jesus expects
this of us. 3) We need to be set free from selfishness and choose
generosity: Zacchaeus was changed from being greedy to being generous, from
selfishness to selflessness. When we feel the warmth of God’s presence
within us, that warmth will, in itself, melt our coldness and selfishness
and lead us to repentance and generosity. (Fr. Kadavil) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 20 Wednesday: Lk 19:11-28: 11 As
they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because he was near to
Jerusalem, and because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to
appear immediately. 12 He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country
to receive a kingdom and then return. 13 Calling ten of his servants, he gave
them ten pounds, and said to them, `Trade with these till I come.’ 14 But his
citizens hated him and sent an embassy after him, saying, `We do not want this
man to reign over us.’ 15 When he returned, having received the kingdom, he
commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him,
that he might know what they had gained by trading. 16 The first came before
him, saying, `Lord, your pound has made ten pounds more.’ 17..28 USCCB
video reflections: https://youtu.be/61ofc8jBZrE?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: The central theme of today’s Gospel
is an invitation to live in such a way that we make the best use of the talents
God has given us, so that at the hour of our death Our Lord will
say: “Well done, My good and faithful servant! Come and share the
joy of your Master.” The parable of the talents challenges us to do
something positive, constructive and life-affirming with our talents here and
now.
The parable: A very rich man, about to set off on a journey,
entrusted very large sums of money (talents), to three of his slaves (10
according to Luke 19), each according to his personal ability: five, two,
and one. He wanted them to do business with the money in his absence.
Through skillful trading and investing, the slaves with the five talents and
the two talents managed to double their master’s money. But the slave
with one talent buried it in the ground for fear of loss in business. On the
day of accounting, the master rewarded the two clever slaves and punished
the third slave whom he called “wicked and slothful.” He took the third
slave’s talent and gave it to the first slave.
Life messages: 1) We need to trust God enough to
make use of the gifts and abilities we have been given. We may be
especially talented in teaching children or cooking meals or repairing homes or
programming computers. Let us use our particular gifts in the service of
our families, our Christian community and the wider society. 2) We need
to make use of our talents in our parish. We should be always willing
to share our abilities in creative worship in the Church and in the
various ministries in our parish, such as Eucharistic minister, lector, usher,
Sunday school teacher, singer in the choir, volunteer and member of one or more
of the various parish organizations and community outreach programs. 3)
We need to trade with our talent of Christian Faith: All of us in the Church
today have received at least one talent namely, the gift of Faith. Our
responsibility is not just to preserve and “keep” the Faith, but to work with
it. We need to promote and add value to Faith by living it out.
(Fr. Kadavil) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 21 Thursday (The Presentation of Blessed Virgin
Mary): Lk 19:11-28 & Mt 12:46-50 This feast commemorates the
presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a young girl in the Temple. Tradition
holds that all young Jewish girls were left in the care of the Temple for a
period, during which they were educated in reading Scriptures, singing
liturgical songs and helping in the Temple. As with Mary’s birth, we read of
Mary’s presentation in the Temple only in apocryphal literature. The Protoevangelium
of James (recognized as an unhistorical account), tells us that Anna
and Joachim offered Mary to God in the Temple when she was very young. Later
versions of the story (such as the Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew and
the Gospel of the Nativity of Mary), tell us that Mary was taken to
the Temple at around the age of three in fulfillment of a vow made by her
parents. Tradition held that she was to remain there to be educated in
preparation for her role as Theotokos- Mother of God. This was to carry out her
mother’s promise made to God when Anna was still childless. The feast
originated as a result of the dedication of the Basilica of Saint Mary the New,
built in AD 543 by the Byzantines under Emperor Justinian I near the site of
the ruined Temple in Jerusalem. The feast originated in the Orient probably
about the 7th century. The Eastern Orthodox church celebrates it on November 21
as one of its twelve “Great Feasts.” The feast which continued to be celebrated
throughout the East, was being celebrated in the monasteries of Southern Italy
by the ninth century. It was introduced into the Western Church in the 14th
century. In the 1974 encyclical Marialis Cultus, Pope St. Paul
VI (canonized by Pope Francis, October 14, 2018) wrote, “despite its apocryphal
content, it presents lofty and exemplary values and carries on the venerable
traditions having their origins in the Eastern Churches.” Though it cannot be
proven historically, Mary’s presentation has an important theological purpose.
It continues the impact of the feasts of the Immaculate Conception and of the
birth of Mary. It emphasizes that the holiness conferred on Mary from the
beginning of her life on earth continued through her early childhood and
beyond.
Life message: 1) Every Holy Mass in which we participate is
our presentation. Although we were officially presented to God on the day of
our Baptism, we present ourselves and our dear ones on the altar before God our
Father through our Savior Jesus Christ at every Holy Mass. Hence, we need to
live our daily lives with the awareness both that we are dedicated people
consecrated to God and therefore we are obliged to lead holy lives. We offer
ourselves to God asking to be made holy under the patronage of Mary and
assisted by her powerful intercession and the union of her merits. For
USCCB video reflections: https://youtu.be/8uRMadb9khs?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0 (Fr.
Kadavil) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 22 Friday (St. Cecilia, Virgin, Martyr) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-cecilia/ : Lk
19: 45-48: 45 And he entered the temple and began to drive out
those who sold, 46 saying to them, “It is written, `My house shall be a house
of prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.” 47 And he was teaching
daily in the temple. The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of
the people sought to destroy him; 48 but they did not find anything they could
do, for all the people hung upon his words. For USCCB video
reflections: https://youtu.be/aYD9p5dey0I?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
Context: Today’s Gospel gives us the dramatic account
of Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple in Jerusalem. He drove out its
merchants and moneychangers with moral indignation at the unjust
commercialization of God’s House of Prayer and the exploitation of the poor
pilgrims in the name of religion. The merchants charged exorbitant prices
for the animals to be sacrificed, and the moneychangers charged unjust
commissions for the required exchange of pagan coins for Temple coins.
The Temple Jesus cleansed was the Temple in Jerusalem, originally built by
Solomon in 966 BC, rebuilt by Zerubbabel in 515 BC after the Babylonians had
destroyed it, and in Jesus’ day was still being renovated, a work begun by King
Herod the Great in 20 BC. The abuses which infuriated Jesus were: 1) the
conversion of a place of prayer into a noisy marketplace; 2) the unjust
business practices of animal merchants and moneychangers, encouraged by the
Temple authorities. Hence, Jesus made a whip of cords and drove away the
animals, the dealers and the moneychangers, quoting the prophets, Isaiah and
Jeremiah, “Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace”(Luke 19:46; see
also, Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11).
Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the business
mentality of loss and profit in Divine worship. Our relationship with God
must be that of a child to his parent, with no thought of loss or gain, but
only of mutual love, respect and the common good.
2) Secondly, we need to remember that we are the temples of
the Holy Spirit. Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s temple by
acts of impurity, injustice, pride, hatred or jealousy.
3) We need to love our parish Church and use it. Our
Church is the place where we come together as a community to praise and worship
God, to thank Him for His blessings, to ask pardon and forgiveness for our
sins, to offer our lives and petitions on the altar and to receive spiritual
nourishment. Let us make our Church an even more holy place by adding our
prayers and songs to community worship and by offering our time and talents in
the various ministries of our parish. (Fr. Kadavil) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 23 Saturday (St. Clement I, Pope, Martyr; St.
Columban, Abbot; Blessed Miguel Augustine Pro Priest, Martyr (U.S.A.): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-clement/
; https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-columban/; https://www.franciscanmedia.org/blessed-miguel-agusaint-iacute-n-pro/; Lk
20: 27-40: 27 There came to him some Sadducees, those who say that
there is no resurrection, 28 and they asked him a question, saying, “Teacher,
Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children,
the man must take the wife and raise up children for his brother. 29 Now there
were seven brothers; the first took a wife, and died without children; 30 and
the second 31 and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children
and died. 32 Afterward the woman also died. 33 In the resurrection,
therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife.” 34 And
Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage;
35-40 For USCCB video reflections:
https://youtu.be/sbA8WctkcAk?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: Jesus reached Jerusalem for his
final Passover feast. As part of a well-planned plot to trap Jesus,
the chief priests, the scribes and the Pharisees met him with controversial
questions. The Sadducees did not believe in resurrection of the dead
because they claimed that Moses wrote nothing about it. If Jesus
defended the concept of the resurrection, he would anger the Sadducees.
If he failed to do so, he would anger the Pharisees. In either case, he
would alienate one group. Hence, in their hypothetical question,
they asked Jesus who, in Heaven, would be the husband of the woman who had been
married (levirate marriage) in succession to seven of her brothers–in-law
(levires), and had died childless.
Jesus goes on the offensive as defense: Jesus begins his
counterargument by pointing out the ignorance of the Sadducees about the
existence and nature of life after death with God. Then he provides
positive Biblical proof for the reality of resurrected existence. Jesus
is presuming that Yahweh’s burning bush statement demonstrates that these three
patriarchs were still alive at the time of Moses, 600 years after their
deaths. Thus, Jesus uses the Sadducees’ sacred text of the Torah to
refute their anti-resurrection belief. Since God declared Himself to
be God of the patriarchs, He must somehow still be sustaining the
patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, thus granting them resurrection and
eternal life. So, Jesus proves the resurrection of the dead from the
Torah itself. Second, Jesus explains that the afterlife will not be just
an eternal replay of this life. Things will be different after
death. Normal human relationships, including marriage, will be
transformed. Then Jesus tells the Sadducees that those to whom God has
granted resurrection and Heavenly life with Him will be immortal, like the
angels, and hence “children of God.”
Life messages: 1) We need to live the lives of
Resurrection people: That is, we are not to lie buried in the tomb of our
sins and evil habits. Instead, we are to live joyful and peaceful lives,
constantly experiencing the Real Presence of the Risen Lord Who gives us the
assurance that our bodies also will be raised. 2) The salutary
thought of our own resurrection and eternal glory should also inspire us to
honor our bodies, keeping them holy, pure and free from evil habits and to
respect those with whom we come in contact, rendering them loving and humble
service. (Fr. Kadavil) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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