May 27- June 1: May 27 Monday (St. Augustine of
Canterbury): John 15:26–16:4: (The next homily is on Memorial
Day) 26 But when the Counselor comes, whom I shall send to you from
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will
bear witness to me; 27 and you also are witnesses, because you have been with
me from the beginning. (John 16) 1 “I have said all this to you to keep you
from falling away. 2 They will put you out of the synagogues; indeed, the hour
is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. 3
And they will do this because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 But I
have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that
I told you of them. “I did not say these things to you from the
beginning, because I was with you.
Context: In his final discourse with the
apostles at the Last Supper, Jesus assured them that he would not desert them.
Instead, a powerful Divine Helper in the form of the Holy Spirit would come to
them from Jesus and the Father in order to guide them and to strengthen them.
The role of the Holy Spirit as outlined in today’s
Gospel: 1) As the Counselor or Paraclete or Advocate, the Holy Spirit
would coach, defend and strengthen the apostles in their sufferings and
persecution and would guide them during their trials before the civil
authorities. 2) As the Spirit of Truth, He would bear witness to Jesus and
enable the apostles to bear witness to Christ heroically before the pagans. The
Holy Spirit would give them an experiential knowledge of Jesus and an in-depth
knowledge of Jesus’ teachings. “The mission of the Church is carried out by
means of that activity through which, in obedience to Christ’s command and
moved by the grace and love of the Holy Spirit, the Church makes itself fully
present to all men and peoples in order to lead them to the Faith, freedom and peace
of Christ by the example of its life and preaching, by the Sacraments and other
means of grace” (Vatican II, Ad Gentes5).
Then Jesus foretells the nature of the persecution: 1)
Excommunicating Jesus’ followers from synagogues; 2) Establishing the murder of
Jesus’ followers (“heretics”), as a religious duty in defense of Judaism and,
so, pleasing to Yahweh.
Life messages: 1) As the Divine Advocate, the
Holy Spirit living within us continues to help us bear witness to Christ by
assisting us to live transparent Christian lives. 2) He also gives us courage
and perseverance when we meet adversities and challenges. 3) As the Divine
Teacher, the Holy Spirit, through our daily study of the Bible, helps us to
know Jesus thoroughly, to love him personally and to experience him intimately,
so that we may live the ideals of Christ and convey them to others through our
genuine Christian lives. (frtonyshomilies.com)
L/2019. (Next: Memorial Day homily)
May 27th, 2019: Memorial Day (in the United
States of America)
Memorial Day is a United
States Federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May (May 25th in
2015), honoring those who gave their lives in the Armed Services. Formerly it
was known as Decoration Day from the custom of
decorating the tombs and gravesites of the soldiers and of one’s own family
members. Today we remember with pride and gratitude all the U.S. men and
women who died while in the military service.
Memorial Day was first established to honor Union soldiers of
the American
Civil War. Later, after World War I, it was
expanded to include American casualties of any war or military action. Many
people observe this holiday by visiting cemeteries and memorials. A national moment
of remembrance takes place at 3 p.m., Eastern Time. Another
tradition is to fly the flag of the United
States at half-staff from
dawn until noon local time. Volunteers often place American flags on each
gravesite at National
Cemeteries. Many Americans also use Memorial Day to honor other people who
have died after fighting their life’s battle and gone for their eternal
reward. “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I
have kept the faith” (II Timothy 4: 7).
Memorial Day is a day to remember the promises made and kept
by our national heroes. They promised to keep the unity and integrity of our
nation and freedom of other nations. They kept their promise by their blood. We
believe in Jesus who hailed the willingness to lay down one’s life for others
as the quintessence of true love. We also believe in his promise at the tomb of
Lazarus: “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me
will live even though he dies” We pray that Jesus may grant eternal
rest and reward for all our fallen heroes. (Fr. Tony) L-19
May 28 Tuesday: John 16 :5-11: 5 But
now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you
going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your
hearts. 7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go
away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go,
I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convince the world
concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they
do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father,
and you will see me no more; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this
world is judged.
The context: In today’s Gospel, Jesus
tries to console his sad and disheartened disciples at the Last Supper, for
they are at a loss, hearing the news of their master’s imminent departure. So,
he assures them that they will not be left alone. He will send the Holy Spirit
upon them as a Friend, Guide, Consoler and Teacher. Then Jesus explains the
three different roles of the Holy Spirit in their lives. First, He will
convince the world about the seriousness of sin. Thus, the Holy Spirit will
lead us to repent of our sins and seek forgiveness from Jesus. The Divine
Advocate will demonstrate that not believing in Jesus is the real sin. It was
the Holy Spirit who pricked the hearts of the Jews on the day of the Pentecost,
convicting them of their sin of crucifying their Messiah. Thus, He convicts us
of wrongdoing and convinces us of God’s truth. Second, the Spirit convinces us
of the righteousness of Christ, which means that that Jesus was right in his
teachings and promises, as proved by God His Father Who granted him
Resurrection and Ascension into Heaven. Although Jesus was condemned to death,
it was actually Satan, the ruler of this world, who has been condemned through
Jesus’ death. Third, the Holy Spirit gives us the inner and unshakable
conviction that we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. When we
heed God’s judgments, we find true peace, joy and reconciliation with God.
Life message: We need to allow the Holy Spirit to do
what He wishes in and through our lives so that He may set us free from the
grip of sin and set us ablaze with the fire of God’s love. (frtonyshomilies.com)
L/2019.
May 29 Wednesday: Jn 16:12-15: 12 “I have yet
many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.13 When the Spirit of
truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his
own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you
the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is
mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore, I
said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
The context: Today’s Gospel passage is taken
from the Last Supper discourse in which Jesus instructed his disciples on the
role of the Holy Spirit and His relationship with Jesus and God the Father.
1) First, as the Spirit of Truth, He is the Gift of God Who
is the Possessor and the Giver of all truth. It is the Spirit’s role to
make the disciples fully understand the truths revealed by Christ. Vatican II
teaches that Our Lord “completed and perfected Revelation and confirmed
it…finally by sending the Spirit of Truth” (Vatican II, Dei Verbum 4).
2) By bringing to their minds and clarifying everything
Jesus has taught them, the Holy Spirit also will enable them to render glory to
God by glorifying His Son Jesus.
Relationship of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the
Son: Jesus also revealed the mystery of the Blessed Trinity in today’s
Gospel passage. He taught that the Three Divine Persons have the same nature: “everything
that the Father has belongs to the Son, and everything the Son has belongs to
the Father” (cf. John 17:10) and that the Spirit also shares the same
Divine Essence with the Father and the Son.
Life messages: 1) We need the daily guidance and
strengthening of the Holy Spirit in our mission of bearing witness. 2) We
should remember that Faith is a gift. Hence, we do not gain
converts by argument or eloquence, but by praying for them and by radiating,
through our living, the Good News that Jesus has died for our sins, has risen
for our justification, and offers us a share in his glory. (frtonyshomilies.com)2019.
May 30 Thursday (The Ascension of our Lord): Lk 24:46-53: Introduction:Today’s
readings describe the Ascension of the Lord Jesus into his Heavenly glory after
promising to send the Holy Spirit as the source of Heavenly power to his
disciples and commanding them to bear witness to him through their
lives and preaching throughout the world. But the ascended Jesus is still with
us because of His promise, “I am with you always; yes, to the end of
time.” He is with us at all times and in all places, releasing a
new energy upon the earth, the energy of the Holy Spirit.
The Scripture lessons: The first reading, taken
from the Acts of the Apostles, describes the scene of Jesus’ Ascension, the
promise of the Holy Spirit, the instruction to the apostles to wait at
Jerusalem for the power from above and the missionary command to the apostles
to bear witness to him. Today’s Responsorial Psalm (Psalm 47), suggests that by
his Ascension, the risen Lord “mounts his throne” in
glory. In the second reading, Paul teaches us that God revealed His
might in the Resurrection and Ascension of Christ and in exalting Jesus over
all angelic forces. Jesus remains accessible to us now in the life-giving Holy
Spirit, assuring us that one day we, too, will be ascending to Heavenly glory,
provided that, with His grace, we live out our Faith in Him through the mission
of loving service He entrusts to us. Today’s Gospel tells us that, with his
return to the Father, Jesus completes his mission on earth. But just
before his Ascension Jesus entrusts to the disciples the mission of preaching
the Good News and evangelizing the whole world by bearing witness to Jesus
through their lives. It is in the Ascension that we see Jesus entering fully
into the life and glory of God. In the descriptions of Christ after
his Resurrection, we are given a hint of what life will be like in Heaven.
The prospect of sharing that glory should be the driving force of our
lives.
Life messages: 1) We need to be proclaimers and
evangelizers: To be a Christian is to be a proclaimer and an evangelizer. There
is a difference between preaching and proclaiming. We preach with words, but we
proclaim with our lives. Let us ask the guidance of the Spirit of God to bear
witness to Jesus by our transparent Christian lives.
2) We have a teaching mission: Jesus
taught us lessons of Faith, Hope, Love, forgiveness, mercy and salvation by his
life and preaching and gave us the same mission to teach others. Hence, let us
learn about Jesus and his teachings through our daily study of the Bible and
the teachings of the Church, let us experience him in personal prayer, our
reception of the Sacraments and our works of charity, and let us convey to
others Jesus whom we experience with the help of the Holy Spirit.
3) We need Jesus as our source of strength and
encouragement in doing His will: We will be able to overcome doubts about our
Faith and baseless fears, anxiety and worries by meditating on Jesus’ Ascension
and the lesson it teaches that we too are called to share his glory in
Heaven. (frtonyshomilies.com) L/2019.
May 30 Thursday (where Ascension is celebrated on
Sunday): Jn 16:16-20: 16 “A little while, and you will see me no
more; again a little while, and you will see me.” 17 Some of his disciples said
to one another, “What is this that he says to us, `A little while, and you will
not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me’; and, `because
I go to the Father’?” 18 They said, “What does he mean by `a little while’? We
do not know what he means.” 19 Jesus knew that they wanted to ask him; so he
said to them, “Is this what you are asking yourselves, what I meant by saying,
`A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and
you will see me’? 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but
the world will rejoice; you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into
joy.
The context: In the Last Supper discourse, Jesus
tells the Apostles about leaving them in order to return to his Father and
about coming again at the end of time to usher in the new age of
God’s kingdom. When they start asking each other the meaning of these
statements, Jesus explains to them the hardships they will have to face after
his departure and the glorious reward waiting for them in his Second Coming.
But as he had consoled them earlier, promising to send a Paraclete, now Jesus
assures them that his absence is only temporary.
A little while: Jesus is speaking about a three-level
disappearance and reappearance. The first level is Jesus’ death and
Resurrection. The apostles will no longer see Jesus when he
dies. But they will see Jesus again in three days as their risen
Lord. The second level is the mystical level: They will lose sight of
Jesus physically when he ascends to the glory of the Father. But
they will see Jesus again in many ways by Faith, when the Holy Spirit
comes. There is also a third level. Jesus is not now visible
physically to the world but will manifest his glory to the whole world when he
comes again in glory. In the light of eternity, a few thousand years are
but an instant, a very short while.
Life messages: 1) Let us try to recognize the
presence of the living Lord in our midst here and now. 2) Let us ask Him to
help us adjust our daily lives accordingly, so that we, too, may inherit the
eternal joy prepared for us. (frtonyshomilies.com) L/2019.
May 31 Friday (Visitation of Blessed Virgin Mary):
(Scripture: Luke 1:39-56 ): 39 In those days Mary arose
and went with haste into the hill country, to a city of Judah, 40 and she
entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth
heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was
filled with the Holy Spirit 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this
granted me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when
the voice of your greeting came to my ears, the babe in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what
was spoken to her from the Lord.” 46 And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the
Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has regarded the
low estate of his handmaiden. For behold, henceforth all generations will call
me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is
his name. 50 And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to
generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm, he has scattered the proud
in the imagination of their hearts, 52 he has put down the mighty from their
thrones, and exalted those of low degree; 53 he has filled the hungry with good
things, and the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has helped his servant
Israel, in remembrance of his mercy, 55 as he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham
and to his posterity forever.” 56 And Mary remained with her about three months
and returned to her home.
The context: The mystery of the Incarnation
comes to ordinary people living ordinary lives, who have the willingness to
respond to God’s call and the openness and generosity to do God’s will. Luke,
in today’s Gospel, tells us how two seemingly insignificant women
met to celebrate the kindness and fidelity of God. In the
Gospel, one definition of discipleship is to listen to God’s word and then
carry it out. Mary did both, to become the most perfect disciple. The incident
also shows us how sensitive Mary was to the needs of Elizabeth, her older
cousin, who had miraculously become pregnant in her old age. Mary’s visit to
Elizabeth. There is a saying, “He (she) who is on fire cannot
sit on a chair.” Mary, filled with the fire and empowered by the Holy
Spirit, hurried to the mountain country where Elizabeth lived, thereby
carrying Jesus and conveying the Holy Spirit to her cousin and her
child. Like all good Jews, Mary was prompted in everything she did
by her commitment to God’s word in her life. The paradox of blessedness.
Blessedness confers on a person both the greatest joy and the greatest
task in the world. Nowhere can we see the paradox better illustrated
than in Mary’s life. Mary was granted the blessedness and
privilege of being the mother of the Son of God. Yet, that very
blessedness was to be a sword to pierce her heart: one day she would see
her Son hanging on a cross. So, to be chosen by God is
often both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. God does not
choose us to give us a life of ease and comfort, but in order to use
us for His purposes.
Life messages: 1) We should recognize the real
presence of Emmanuel (God-is-with-us) and say “yes” to Him: The
Visitation of Mary reminds us that, through his holy ministry, Christ
continues to be present among his people. Let us recognize and appreciate
the truth that the same Christ “dwells among us” in the Bible, in the
Sacraments, particularly and personally, “Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity,”
in the Eucharist, in the praying community and in our souls. 2) We should
convey Jesus to others as Mary did to Elizabeth. We can make a real
difference in the lives of others today by carrying Jesus to
them. For that, we must be filled with the Holy Spirit, allowing Christ’s
rebirth within us through the Holy Spirit’s power. Then he will enable us
to share his love with all whom we encounter, by offering them humble and
committed service, unconditional forgiveness and compassionate caring. (frtonyshomilies.com)
L/2019.
June 1 Saturday: Jn 16: 23-28 23 In that day
you will ask nothing of me. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of
the Father, he will give it to you in my name. 24 Hitherto you have asked
nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. 25 “I
have said this to you in figures; the hour is coming when I shall no longer
speak to you in figures but tell you plainly of the Father. 26 In that day you
will ask in my name; and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for
you; 27 for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and
have believed that I came from the Father. 28 I came from the Father and have
come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.”
The context: Jesus used parables and metaphors,
both in teaching the general public and in explaining teachings to the
apostles. Today’s Gospel passage is taken from Jesus’ last discourse with his
disciples at their Last Passover Supper together. Here, too, Jesus uses metaphors
of a vine and its branches and the simile of a woman giving birth. Now Jesus
tells them that he is going to tell them about God, his Father, in plain
language.
Jesus explains the mystery of his Incarnation in plain
language saying, “I came from the Father and have come into the world;
again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” Then Jesus
corrects the Jewish misconception of God, his Father, as a judging and
punishing God, telling the apostles that God the Father is a loving and
forgiving Father, to Whom they can pray directly (“Abba!”) in Jesus’ name, and
that their prayers will be granted because the Father knows that they love His
Son, Jesus, and believe in his Divinity.
This is the pattern of prayer in the Liturgy. The
Eucharistic prayer is invariably addressed to the Father, “through him
(Jesus), with him and in him, in the unity of the Holy Spirit” All our
prayer has the pattern of the Trinity stamped on it. This does not mean
that we should never pray to anyone but the Father. We are free to pray to
Jesus, Mary and the saints, but always in the full knowledge that the Father is
the ultimate Recipient of all prayer – just as the sea receives every stream.
Life message: 1) God our Father is a loving,
merciful and providing God who wants His children to approach Him directly and
through His Son and our only mediator, Jesus. Hence, let us make our prayers of
adoration, praise, thanksgiving and petitions more effective and fruitful by
offering them to God our Father through His Son Jesus Christ, in union with the
Holy Spirit. (frtonyshomilies.com) L/2019.
