Nov 4 Monday (St. Charles Borromeo, Bishop): https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-charles-borromeo/ Lk
14:12-14: He said also to the man who had invited him, “When
you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or
your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be
repaid. 13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame,
the blind, 14 and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will
be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” USCCB video
reflections: https://youtu.be/VKaTKCJ6kGQ?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: Jesus was invited to a dinner where
he noticed how the invitees were rushing for the best places. So, he used the
occasion as a teachable moment for the guests, then advised the host on the
motives behind one’s generosity and the criteria to be followed while inviting
guests for banquets. Jesus instructed him to “invite the poor, the
maimed, the lame, and the blind” in the community and obtain the
blessing of God on the day of the Last Judgment.
Life message: We need to check the motives behind all
our acts of generosity to assess if they are meritorious acts or not. If a
generous act is done chiefly out of sense of duty or obligation (as we pay our
income tax because it is the state’s law), or if we pay tithes in the parish
mostly because it is God’s law, we lose most of the merit. If a rationalized
self-interest, like a future reward in Heaven, is the only motive for our good
action, we lose the merit of the action once again. We lose the merit of an act
of generosity if vainglory or a desire for fame or for acknowledgement from
others is the only motive behind our generosity. That is why the Jewish rabbis
used to advise their disciples that in the best kind of giving, the giver
should not know to whom he is giving, and the receiver should not know from
whom he is receiving. Pure altruism with agápe love and
overflowing charity are the motives God shows us in His gifts to us, and He
expects from us the same in all our acts of generosity, charity and service to
Him done to others. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 5 Tuesday: Lk 14:15-24: 15 When one of
those who sat at table with him heard this, he said to him, “Blessed is he who
shall eat bread in the kingdom of God!” 16 But he said to him, “A man once gave
a great banquet, and invited many; 17 and at the time for the banquet he sent
his servant to say to those who had been invited, `Come; for all is now ready.’
18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, `I have
bought a field, and I must go out and see it; I pray you, have me excused.’ 19
And another said, `I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to examine them; I
pray you, have me excused.’ 20 And another said, `I have married a wife, and
therefore I cannot come.’ 21 So the servant came and reported this to his
master. Then the householder in anger said to his servant, `Go out quickly to
the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in the poor and maimed and blind
and lame.’ 22 And the servant said, `Sir, what you commanded has been done, and
still there is room.’ 23 And the master said to the servant, `Go out to the
highways and hedges, and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled.
24 For I tell you, none of those men who were invited shall taste my
banquet.'” USCCB video reflections:
https://youtu.be/_GX6I29ik2k?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: Jesus was participating in a
banquet where he advised the host to reserve admission to the “poor, the
maimed, the lame, and the blind” and so to become eligible for God’s
reward at the resurrection. One of Jesus’ fellow-guests commented on the
blessedness of those who are invited to attend the Heavenly banquet hosted by
Yahweh to honor His Chosen People. Jesus used the occasion to highlight the
cost of refusing God’s invitation for the Heavenly banquet with lame excuses by
telling a parable of a banquet hosted by a very rich and influential landowner.
The parable: The invited VIP guests, who had
accepted the first invitation to participate in the banquet, refused the second
invitation sent a few days before the banquet, giving lame excuses like the
inspection of a newly-bought field, the testing of a newly-bought five yoke of
oxen and honeymooning with a newly-married wife. The angry landowner instructed
his servants to invite everyone in the surrounding areas in order to fill the
banquet hall. Jesus directed this parable to the Jewish religious and civic
leaders who had accepted the Covenant but had refused to accept his invitation
for God’s salvation, the endpoint of the first Covenant, and had attacked his
preaching and healing ministry. Jesus explained through this parable why he was
befriending tax collectors and sinners, promising them eternal salvation and
participation in the Heavenly banquet.
Life message. God invites us through Jesus and
his Church to the banquet of the word of God, to the banquet of the Body and
Blood of Jesus and to the banquet of His grace through His Holy Spirit via the
Sacraments. Let us examine ourselves to discover whether we, too, are refusing
God’s invitation and giving lame excuses to show how busy we are because of our
work or career duties, our addictions to games, entertainments and hobbies or
our preoccupation with family matters. We may not get a better chance or more
opportunities to accept God’s invitation to pray deeply, to join the
Eucharistic celebration or to do serious study of and refection on the word of
God or service in the community. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 6 Wednesday: Lk 14:25-33: 25 Great crowds
were traveling with Jesus, and He turned and addressed them, 26 “If anyone
comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children
and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.
27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come after me, cannot be my
disciple. 28 For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit
down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise,
when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin
to mock him, saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to finish.’ 31
Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first
and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes
against him with twenty thousand? 32 And if not, while the other is yet a great
way off, he sends an embassy and asks terms of peace. 33 So therefore, whoever
of you does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple.” USCCB
video reflections: https://youtu.be/qmmuZUWQnA4?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: Jesus was making his final journey
to Jerusalem, and his apostles as well as the common people thought that he was
going to overthrow the Roman government by using his miraculous powers. Hence,
a big crowd was following him. Jesus thought it was necessary to clarify for
them the real cost involved in following him – the cost of Christian
discipleship.
The teaching: Today’s Gospel passage from Luke challenges us
to make a total commitment to the will of God by putting Him first in our
lives. He reminds us to count the cost of being a Christian, because the
cost is high. Christian discipleship requires one to “renounce” both
possessions of the earth and possessions of the heart (i.e., one’s
relationships). Jesus lays out four “trip wires” challenging true
Christian discipleship: i) attachment to family; ii) attachment to possessions;
iii) the hard consequences of discipleship which may involve even losing one’s
life; and iv) the cost involved. Using the examples of a watch tower in a
vineyard, left uncompleted due to lack of funds, and the example of a foolish
king facing defeat by going to war without assessing the strength of the enemy,
Jesus warns his would-be followers to count the cost and calculate the
consequences before becoming his disciples.
Life message: 1) We need to accept Jesus’
challenge of making a total self-gift to Him in our commitment in true
Christian Discipleship: “A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing and
suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” (Martin Luther). Jesus’ challenge can be
accepted only if, with God’s grace, we practice the spirit of detachment and
renunciation in our daily lives. Real Christian discipleship also demands
a true commitment both to the duties entrusted to us and to loving acts of
selfless, humble and sacrificial love offered to all God’s children around us.
This is possible only if we rely on His grace, on the power of prayer and on
the guidance of the Holy Spirit through a) daily prayer, b) devout
participation in the Sunday Mass c) diligent study of the Bible, d) service in
and beyond the parish, e) spiritual friendships, and f) giving time,
talents, and resources to the Lord’s work. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 7 Thursday: Lk 15:1-10: 1 Now the tax
collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him.2 And the Pharisees
and the scribes murmured, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with
them.” 3 So he told them this parable: 4 “What man of you, having a hundred
sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the
wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? 5 And when
he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. 6 And when he comes
home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, `Rejoice
with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.’ 7 Just so, I tell you,
there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over
ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. 8 “Or what woman, having
ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the
house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she
calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have
found the coin which I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before
the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” USCCB video
reflections: https://youtu.be/baJp6qXYW2o?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: Today’s Gospel passage, from
chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel, is known as the “Gospel in the Gospels,” or
the “distilled essence of Christ’s Good News.” In this chapter,
using three parables, Jesus answers two accusations leveled against him by the
Scribes and Pharisees, namely, that he is mingling with the sinners and sharing
their meals. These parables teach us that our God is a loving, patient,
merciful, and forgiving God. He is eager to be merciful toward us, not vengeful
and punishing. He is always in search of His lost and straying children.
The parables: Since the self-righteous Pharisees
who accused Jesus of befriending publicans and sinners could not believe
that God would be delighted at the conversion of sinners, Jesus told them the
parable of the lost sheep and the shepherd’s joy on its discovery, the parable
of the lost coin and the woman’s joy when she found it, and the parable of the
lost son and his Father’s joy at His repentant son’s return. This silver
coin was a “drachma”, of about the same value as a denarius, that is,
approximately a day’s wage for an agricultural worker. Besides presenting a God
Who is patiently waiting for the return of sinners, ready to pardon them, these
parables teach us God’s infinite love and mercy. Christianity is not about man
seeking God, but rather about a holy God seeking a sinful man. In other words,
salvation, like forgiveness, is the initiative of God. These three parables
defend Jesus’ alliance with sinners and respond to the criticism
leveled by certain Pharisees and scribes at Jesus’ frequent practice of eating
with and welcoming tax collectors and sinners.
Life messages: 1) We need to meet the challenge
for self-evaluation and return to God’s mercy: If we have been in sin, God’s
mercy is seeking us, searching for our souls with a love that is wild
beyond all imagining. God is ready to receive and welcome us back as
Jesus welcomed sinners in his time. 2) Let us get reconciled with God,
through the Sacrament of Reconciliation when we are in mortal sin, and in
asking His forgiveness for our sins every night before we sleep. We also need
to ask God for the courage to extend this forgiveness to others who have
offended us. As we continue with the celebration of the Holy Mass, let us pray
as well for God’s Divine Mercy on those who have fallen away from grace. (Fr.
Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 8 Friday: Luke 16:1-8: 1 He also
said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a steward, and charges
were brought to him that this man was wasting his goods. 2 And he called him
and said to him, `What is this that I hear about you? Turn in the account of
your stewardship, for you can no longer be steward.’ 3 And the steward said to
himself, `What shall I do, since my master is taking the stewardship away from
me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4 I have decided
what to do, so that people may receive me into their houses when I am put out
of the stewardship.’ 5 So, summoning his master’s debtors one by one, he said
to the first, `How much do you owe my master?’ 6 He said, `A hundred measures of
oil.’ And he said to him, `Take your bill, and sit down quickly and write
fifty.’ 7 Then he said to another, `And how much do you owe?’ He said, `A
hundred measures of wheat.’ He said to him, `Take your bill, and write eighty.’
8 The master commended the dishonest steward for his shrewdness; for the sons
of this world are shrewder in dealing with their own generation than the sons
of light. USCCB video reflections:
https://youtu.be/G6PjtY_-55U?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The context: In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us
the strange parable of a steward who was a rascal to teach us that serving God
is a full-time job and not a part-time job or spare-time hobby and that we
should use, in matters spiritual and eternal, the same ingenuity and planning which
business people show in the business world. The parable challenges us to use
our blessings — time, talents, health and wealth — wisely and shrewdly so that
they will count for our reward in eternity. We are on the right road
only if we use our earthly wealth to attain our Heavenly goal.
The parable: In the parable, Jesus tells us how the
slave-steward of an absentee landlord ingeniously cheated his master by his
unjust manipulation of the master’s business clients when the steward had been
caught red-handed in misappropriating his master’s wealth. His tricks made him
the friend of his master’s debtors and gave him the prospect of becoming rich
by working for them or blackmailing them when he was fired by his master from
the stewardship.
Life messages: 1) We need to be faithful in the
little things of life: As Saint John Chrysostom said, “Faithfulness in
little things is a big thing.” Our future opportunities in the
eternal service of God largely depend on our stewardship in handling the little
opportunities we have had on earth. As Mother Teresa used to recommend,
“Do little things with great love.”
2) We have to act shrewdly, trusting in the power and
assistance of God. Let us make use of our resources like hope in God’s justice,
faith in God’s assistance, and trust in God’s grace, the Mass and the
Sacraments as sources of Divine grace and the Holy Bible as the word of God for
daily meditation. 3) Let us remember that as God’s stewards we need to be
prepared to give an account of our lives at any time(Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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Nov 9 Saturday (Dedication of the Lateran Basilica): John
2:13-22. (https://www.franciscanmedia.org/dedication-of-saint-john-lateran/)
Historical note: Today the Church celebrates the
anniversary of the dedication of the Cathedral Church of Rome by Pope Sylvester
I (AD 314-335), in AD 324. This Church serves as the Episcopal seat of the Pope
as the Bishop of Rome and, hence, is called “the mother and head of all
Churches of Rome and the world.” The basilica and baptistery were built
originally by the Emperor Constantine and called Basilica Constantinia. Later
it was named the Arch-Basilica of the Most Holy Savior. However, it is now
called St. Johns Lateran Basilica because it was built on property donated to
the Church by the Laterani family, and because the monks from the monastery of
St. John the Baptist and St. John the Divine served it. The name St. Johns
comes, first, from the Baptistery, rebuilt after its hard treatment by the
Visigoths (AD 410), by Pope St. Sixtus II (AD 432-440), and dedicated by him to
St. John the Baptist. Later, Pope St. Hilary (AD 461-468), dedicated it to St. John
the Evangelist, in thanksgiving to that apostle for saving his life. [Richard
P. McBrien, Lives of the Popes (San Francisco, CA:
HarperCollins Publishers, 1997), pp. 58-58, 71-72, 77-78.]. USCCB video
reflections: https://youtu.be/LThLuuZ80eE?list=PLpTzvCOJa7DCwTEFRKioXB2l1OX9fULB0
The 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 a House of Prayer and the exploitation of the poor
pilgrims in the name of religion. The merchants charged exorbitant prices for
animals for sacrifices, 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 and
rebuilt by Zerubbabel in 515 BC after the Babylonians had destroyed it, the
Temple was renovated for the last time by King Herod the Great starting in 20
BC. The abuses which infuriated Jesus were 1) the conversion of a place of
prayer to a noisy marketplace and 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 and the moneychangers, quoting
Zechariah the prophet, “Stop making my Father’s house a
marketplace”(Zechariah 14:21).
Life messages: 1) We need to avoid the business
mentality of profit and loss in Divine worship. Our relationship with God must
be that of a child to his parent, one of love, respect and desire for the
common good, with no thought of gain or loss. 2) We need to remember that we
are the temples of the Holy Spirit. Hence, we have no right to desecrate God’s
temple by 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 and to offer our lives and petitions on the
altar. 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 and treasure in
the various ministries of our parish. (Fr. Tony) (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
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