May 4 Monday: Jn
10:11-16: 11 I am the Good Shepherd. The good shepherd lays down
his life for the sheep. 12 He who is a hireling and not a shepherd, whose own
the sheep are not, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the
wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 He flees because he is a
hireling and cares nothing for the sheep. 14 I am the Good Shepherd; I know my
own and my own know me, 15 as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I
lay down my life for the sheep. 16…USCCB reflections: (https://youtu.be/KbA1bcD679s?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DA8uaxE25BlBvINntS5bWpi
)
The context: It
was winter, probably the time of the Jewish Feast of Dedication, and Jesus
was walking on the east side of the Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews gathered
around him and asked him if he were the promised Messiah. Instead of
giving them a straight answer, Jesus told them that he was the Good
Shepherd and explained to them his role as such. Role of Jesus as our Good Shepherd: Introducing himself as the
Good Shepherd of his flock, Jesus makes three claims in today’s Gospel. 1) He
knows his sheep and his sheep hear his voice. Jesus knows each one of us, our
needs, our merits, and our faults. He loves us as we are, with all our
limitations, and he expects us to return his love by keeping his words.
He speaks to us at every Mass, through the Bible, through our pastors, our
parents, our friends, and the events of our lives. 2) He gives eternal
life to his sheep by receiving us into his sheepfold through Baptism. He strengthens
our Faith by giving us the Holy Spirit in Confirmation. He supplies food
for our souls in the Holy Eucharist and in the Divine words of the Holy Bible.
He makes our society holy by the Sacrament of Matrimony and the
priesthood (through the Sacrament of Orders). 3) He protects his sheep by
placing them in the loving hands of his mighty Father. Without Jesus to
guide us and protect us, we are easy prey for the spiritual wolves of
this world; these include Satan, as well as the seven deadly sins of
pride, avarice, envy, gluttony, anger, lust and sloth.
Life messages: Today’s
Gospel challenges us to be good shepherds to those entrusted to our care and to
be good sheep in Jesus’ sheepfold, namely the Church. 1) We become good
shepherds by loving those entrusted to us, praying for them, spending our time
and talents for their welfare, and guarding them from physical and spiritual
dangers. 2) We become good sheep in our parishes a) By hearing and following the voice of our pastors through their
homilies, Bible classes, counseling and advice. b) By taking the
spiritual food given by our pastors through regular and active participation in
the Holy Mass and by frequenting the Sacraments, prayer services, renewal
programs and missions. c) By cooperating with our pastors, giving them positive
suggestions for the welfare of the parish, encouraging them in their duties,
occasionally offering them loving, constructive criticism, and praying for
them. d) By daily prayers for good pastors. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 20
May 5 Tuesday: Jn
10:22-30: Jesus was walking in the temple, in the portico of
Solomon. 24 So the Jews gathered round him and said to him, “How long will you
keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered
them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father’s
name, they bear witness to me; 26 but you do not believe, because you do not
belong to my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me; 28 and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and no one
shall snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me, is
greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
30 I and the Father are one.” USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/
The context: It
was December during the week of the Jewish Feast of the Dedication of
the Temple or Hanukkah, a week with the year’s
shortest days and longest nights. The feast was also known as the Festival
of Lights because during this feast the Jews lighted lamps
representing the Mosaic Law and put them in the windows of the houses. Hanukkah served
as a remembrance of the cleansing and rededicating of the Temple and its altar
by the Jewish military commander Judas Maccabaeus in the year 165 B.C., after
he had liberated Jerusalem from the control of the Seleucid Kings of Syria. The
Syrian King Antiochus IV Epiphanes had profaned the Temple and its altar. It
was during Hanukkah, when Jesus was teaching in Solomon’s portico,
that the Jews plotted to trap Jesus by asking him to declare whether or not he
was the promised Messiah.
Jesus’ reply: 1)
Jesus accuses the Jews of unbelief and challenges them to believe in his
Messianic and Divine claims by truthfully assessing his miracles. 2) Then Jesus
gives the reason why the Jews cannot believe in him. They are not among his
sheep. Faith and eternal life cannot be merited by man’s own efforts: they are
a gift of God, and the Jews are refusing to accept this gift from God. 3) Jesus
gives the assurance that his sheep – his followers – will have eternal life and
will not perish because they are protected by God his Father who is stronger
than the Evil One. 4) Finally, Jesus declares that he and God the Father are
one. In other words, Jesus reveals that He is one in substance with the Father
as far as Divine Essence or Nature is concerned, but He also reveals that the
Father and the Son are distinct Persons.
Life messages: 1)
When doubts about our Faith haunt us, let us try to read more about our Faith,
to consult Catholic experts in our locality or on the Internet and to pray for
the light of the Holy Spirit. 2) Let us find protection from the temptations of
the Evil One in the sheepfold of the Church by frequenting the Sacraments of
Reconciliation and Holy Eucharist, by meditative reading of the Bible, by
personal prayers, and by works of charity. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 20
May 6 Wednesday: Jn
12:44-50: 44 Jesus cried out and said, “whoever believes in me
believes not only in me but in Him who sent me. 45 And he who sees
me sees Him Who sent me. 46 I have come as light into the world, that whoever
believes in me may not remain in darkness. 47 If any one hears my sayings and
does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world
but to save the world. 48 He who rejects me and does not receive my sayings has
a judge; the word that I have spoken will be his judge on the last day. 49 For
I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has himself given
me commandment what to say and what to speak. 50 And I know that his
commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has
bidden me.” USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/
The context: Today’s
Gospel text, taken from John’s Gospel, is a passage from the last public
discourse of Jesus before his arrest and crucifixion.
The main ideas in the passage are 1) Jesus’ relationship
with the Father; 2) Jesus’ role as the Light and Life of the world; and 3) the
criteria for His final judgment of us – Heaven or Hell. First, Jesus teaches us
that he is one with the Father and he is the image of his invisible Father. He
is one with the Father, so that Father speaks through him and operates through
him. Hence, those who accept Jesus and his message accept God the Father’s
message. Second, Jesus claims that he is the Light and Life of the world. Psalm
27 exclaims, “The Lord is my Light and my salvation!” As Light,
Jesus removes the darkness of evil from the world and from our souls, shows us
the correct way to go in life, and gives us the warmth of his sharing,
sacrificial love. As Light, God’s word enables those with eyes of Faith to
perceive the hidden truths of God’s Kingdom. As the Life of the world, Jesus,
by his words, produces the very Life of God within those who
receive these words with Faith. Third, we are rewarded or punished eternally
based on whether or not we accept Jesus and his teachings and whether or not we
live our lives accordingly.
Life messages: 1)
As Christians our duty is to reflect and radiate the light of Jesus in the
darkness of evil around us by acts of sharing love, kindness, forgiveness and
humble service. 2) Let us ask for the strength of the Holy Spirit to choose
Christ and his ideals every day and to reject everything contrary to Christ’s
teachings. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 20
May 7 Thursday: Jn
13:16-20: 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is
not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent
him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not
speaking of you all; I know whom I have chosen; it is that the scripture may be
fulfilled, `He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I tell you
this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe
that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives any
one whom I send receives me; and he who receives me receives him who sent
me.” USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/
The context:
Today’s Gospel is the second part of the explanation Jesus gave to his
disciples after washing their feet before the Last Supper. He
promised his disciples that that whoever listened to them would be listening to
him as well, provided his preaching disciples became the humble servants of
others.
Gospel lessons: In
the first part of today’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes the fact that the hallmark
of his disciples must be their readiness and generosity in offering humble and
sacrificial service to others, because that was the model Jesus had given them
by his life and especially by washing their feet. It is by serving others that
we become great before God. In the second part of today’s Gospel, Jesus shows
his apostles how to treat people who are unfaithful and disloyal. Jesus hints
at the betrayal of Judas by quoting Psalm 4:9: “He who ate my bread has
lifted his heel against me.” Instead of distancing himself from Judas,
Jesus offers him reconciliation, showing him more affection by washing his feet
and by giving him a morsel of bread dipped in sauce with his own hand. In the
third part, Jesus gives the basis for apostolic succession, stating that one
who receives his apostles and messengers receives him, thereby receiving God
the Father who sent Jesus.
Life messages: 1)
Let us prove that we are true disciples of Jesus by rendering others humble and
loving service today. 2) Let us learn to be reconciled with those who offend us
by unconditionally pardoning them, by wishing them the very best and by keeping
them in our prayers. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 20
May 8 Friday: Jn 14:1-6: 1
“Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, believe also in me. 2 In my
Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, would I have told you that I
go to prepare a place for you? 3 And when I go and prepare a place for you, I
will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am
you may be also. 4 And you know the way where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to
him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” 6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to
the Father, but by me. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/
The context:
Jesus consoles his apostles who are sad and disheartened at the prospect of his
arrest and crucifixion by assuring them that he is going to prepare an
everlasting accommodation for them in his Father’s house in Heaven. He gives
them the assurance that he will come back to take them to their Heavenly
abodes. It is then that Thomas says to Jesus, “Lord, we do not know
where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus answers Thomas’
question with, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes
to the Father, but by me.”
Jesus the Way, the
Truth and the Life: The basic doctrine of Judaism is that Yahweh is
the Way, the Truth and the Life. Hence, Jesus is making the revolutionary claim
that he is equivalent to Yahweh. Jesus declares that he is the safest and surest way to God, thus discrediting the
notions that all religions are equally sure ways to reach God, or that no
organized religion, but only living a good life of sharing love, is necessary
to reach God. Jesus is the Way which he calls narrow, for it is the way of
loving, sacrificial service. Jesus is the Truth who revealed truths about God
and God’s relationship with man in his teaching. Jesus also taught moral truths
by demonstrating them in his life. Jesus is the Life because he himself shares
the Eternal Life of God, and because He shares his Divine Life with his disciples
through the Word of God and the Sacraments.
Life messages: We
should share the Divine Life of God by making use of the means Jesus
established in his Church: a) by actively participating in the Eucharistic
celebration and properly receiving the Body and Blood of Christ in Holy
Communion; b) by the worthy reception of the other Sacraments; c) by
the meditative and daily reading of the Word of God; d) by following the
guidance of the life-giving Spirit of God, living in the Church and within
us; e) by communicating with God the Source of Life, in personal and
family prayers and f) by going to God to be reconciled with Him daily by
repenting of our sins, by receiving the Sacrament of Reconciliation, at a
minimum, when we are in mortal sin (so that we can receive Him in the
Eucharist), by forgiving others who offend us, and by asking God’s forgiveness
of our own sins. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 20
May 9 Saturday: John
14:7-14: 7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father
also; henceforth you know him and have seen him.” 8 Philip said to him, “Lord,
show us the Father, and we shall be satisfied.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Have I
been with you so long, and yet you do not know me, Philip? He who has seen me
has seen the Father; how can you say, `Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not
believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I say to
you I do not speak on my own authority; but the Father who dwells in me does
his works. 11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else
believe me for the sake of the works themselves. 12 “Truly, truly, I say to
you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works
than these will he do, because I go to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my
name, I will do it, that the Father may be glorified in the Son; 14 if you ask
anything in my name, I will do it. USCCB video reflections: http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/
Scripture lesson: Answering
Philip’s request at the Last Supper, Jesus explains, in today’s Gospel
selection, the unity and oneness of the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity, the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Jesus clarifies the abiding presence of
each Person of the Holy Trinity in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Hence, Jesus is the visible expression of the invisible God. In order to see
what God looks like, we have only to look at Jesus, and in order to hear how
God speaks, we have only to listen to Jesus. In Jesus we see the perfect love
of God – a God Who cares intensely, and Who yearns for all men and women,
loving them to the point of laying down his life for them upon the Cross. Jesus
makes visible a God Who loves us unconditionally, unselfishly and
perfectly. If we put our trust in Jesus and believe in him, Jesus
promises that God the Father will hear our prayers when we pray in Jesus’ Name.
That is why Jesus taught his followers to pray with confidence, Our
Father who art in heaven ..give us this day our daily bread … (Matthew
6:9,11; Luke 11:2-3).
Life
message: 1) We believe that God dwells within our souls in the form of
His Holy Spirit, making us the temple of God where we have the indwelling
presence of the Triune God, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
living. Hence, it is our duty to live always aware of the real presence
of God within us and to adjust our life, accordingly, doing good to others and
avoiding evil. Fr. Tony (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) 20
