AD SENSE

Easter 3rd Week, Saturday, May 2

Acts 9:31-42 / John 6:60-69 
Many people leave Jesus: Peter stayed with Jesus.

A popular poster shows a loaf of bread and a goblet of wine. On the poster are the words, “Jesus of Nazareth requests the honor of your presence at a dinner to be given in his honor.” The poster underscores two important points. First, the Mass is a meal to which Jesus invites us personally: “Do this in memory of me.”

Jesus, the Bread of Life- Prayer -5

This time of isolation and separation, we hunger and thirst for your abundant life

God of healing and transformation, at this time of isolation and separation, we hunger and thirst for your abundant life. We bring you our sorrow and ask for the bread of joy; we bring you our despair and ask for the bread of hope; we bring you our weariness and ask for the bread of inspiration. Meet us, Lord, here in this time and place of frustration. We need the bread of heaven to sustain us as we journey to find our way, that we may be one with you.

May 1st: Feast of St. Joseph, the Worker - Prayer


Glorious St. Joseph, model of all those who are devoted to labour, obtain for us the grace to work conscientiously, putting the call of duty above our many concerns; to work with thankfulness and joy, responsibility and commitment, considering it an honour to employ and develop, by means of labour, the gifts received from God; to work with order, peace, prudence and patience, never surrendering too quickly and too long to weariness or difficulties; to work, above all, with purity of intention, and with detachment from self, having always the gift of God before our eyes and the account which we must render of time lost, of talents wasted, of good omitted, of vain complacency in success so fatal to the work of God. All for Jesus, all for Mary, all after your example, O Patriarch Joseph. Such shall be our motto in life unto death.  

In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Jesus, the Bread of Life- Prayer -4

Jesus, the Bread of Life- Prayer -4

Jesus said, 'I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.' This is the promise of God to whom we now pray.

Heavenly Father, thank you for sending your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to be the Bread of Life for the world.  Forgive us for elevating earthly appetites above devotion to you.  Feed us with the knowledge of Christ so that we recognize our sin and gladly repent in his name.

St . Joseph, the Worker, May 1 - Liturgy

SOLEMNITY OF ST. JOSEPH     
Patron of the Church     
Introduction     

COVID Prayer - #22

You have Transformed the Face of the Earth

Lord, our God, you have brought us into the middle of a battle: a battle fought with an almost invisible enemy – a virus; a battle fought not by soldiers but by doctors and nurses; a battle not fought by guns and tanks but by simple soaps and medicines; a battle fought not on the battlefield but in our homes and hospitals; a battle fought not as a battalion, but in isolation and self-distancing. You have taught us, Lord, discipline and contentment with little essentials in this battle. You have made us realize, Lord, that the enemy is within and not outside.

Easter 3rd Week, Thursday, Apr 30

Acts 8:26-48 / John 6:44-51 
Jesus talks about the Father: “Only the Son has seen the Father.”

A college student said to his theology professor, “I cannot believe in God any longer.” The professor stunned the student by saying, “Maybe I should congratulate you for no longer believing in God.” “What do you mean by that?” said the student. His professor replied, “Perhaps the idea of God that you have in your mind is so distorted that you should reject it.”

Jesus, the Bread of Life - Prayer -3

The Bread from Sweat, Tears and Blood

Lord, you have designed that for every drop of sweat, a seed is taken and planted, for every drop of tear, the ground is watered and the seed is germinated and for every drop of blood that is shed, the seed of conversion is produced. Wasn’t it your design, Lord, that Stephen’s blood become the seed of Saul’s conversion? Let not, Lord, no drop of sweat, no drop of tear and no drop blood of your people be shed without making your mission in this world accomplished! Without making it your Bread of Life in this hungry, thirsty and starving world.

Easter 3rd Week,Wednesday, Apr 29

Acts 8:1-8 / John 6:35-40 
Jesus speaks about eternal life: “Whoever believes in me will have eternal life.”

When Wernher von Braun died, Time magazine called him the 20th-century Columbus. Before he died, von Braun gave this testimony concerning life after death: “I think science has a real surprise for the skeptics....Nothing in nature, not even the tiniest particle, can disappear without a trace. Nature does not know extinction. All it knows is transformation....“Everything science has taught me— and continues to teach me— strengthens my belief in the continuity of our spiritual existence after death.”

I am the Bread of life - Reflection

'I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.' - John 6:35-51
Bread is a wonderfully sustaining foodstuff. We could look at the individual ingredients and concoct a sermon simply on those, the yeast, the salt, the grain which yields the wheat flour, the water which binds them all together - they all can have a spiritual significance which Jesus himself used in the stories that he told. But let's look at the finished product and how we an relate that to the meaning that Jesus was inferring to the crowd who had so eagerly followed him all day, and seen him perform a culinary miracle with a few fish and some loaves of bread.

Bread of Life: Somewhere a Miracle Occurs - No. 2

Jesus, the Bread of Life- Prayer -2
Somewhere a Miracle Occurs 

Somewhere, Lord, a miracle occurs, when a seed is sown in fertile ground, germinates, grows, ripens and in due season will be harvested. Grains of wheat.

Jesus, the Bread of Life- Prayer -1

Jesus, the Bread of Life: I Am the Bread of Life

‘I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

Easter 3rd Week - Weekday Reflections


Apr 27- May 2: Monday: John 6:22-29: 22 On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone. 23 However, boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord had given thanks. 24 So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor his disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, seeking Jesus. 25 When they found him on the other side of the sea, they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you come here?” 26 Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves. 27 Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal.” 28 Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” 29 Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

Easter 3rd Week, Tuesday, Apr 28

Acts 7:51 - 8:1 / John 6:30-35 
Jesus speaks about the Eucharist: “I am the bread of life.”

There’s a story about a poor immigrant family in the 1800s who spent almost their entire life’s savings for boat tickets to the United States. To save what little money they had left, they ate cheese and bread in their cabin rather than go to the ship’s dining room with its more expensive food. According to the story, it wasn’t until they docked in New York that they discovered that the meals on the ship were included in the price of their tickets.

A prayer during the time of COVID-19


A prayer during the time of COVID

When human life is disturbed, disrupted, and threatened by the novel coronavirus, we pray to you, God of life. Grant us the compassion, humility and self-discipline to value, care about and protect each life.

Easter, 3rd Week, Monday, Apr 27

Acts 6:8-15 / John 6:22-29 
Jesus speaks about hunger: “Spiritual hunger demands spiritual food.”

There are over four billion people in the world. About a half billion of these people suffer from chronic physical hunger and malnutrition. We have heard this statistic so often that it no longer makes a great impact on us. But there is a more frightening statistic about hunger that is never mentioned. It’s the statistic that of the four billion people in the world, perhaps three billion or more are suffering from chronic spiritual hunger and malnutrition. This is the point Jesus makes in today’s gospel. That’s why he tells the people to seek not just “body” food but also “soul” food—“food that endures for eternal life.”

Largest Oxygen Source in Nature - Phytoplankton

Much of the oxygen that we breathe in comes from a tiny plant in the ocean - phytoplankton. Want to know more about it? Watch the video.


Our God, and God of all people: Covid Prayer

Our God, and God of all people:
God of the rich and God of the poor;
God of the healthy and God of the afflicted;
God of those with healthcare, and God of the uninsured;
God of the hoarder, and God of the helper;
God of those who have no God.

God of refuge, we seek your Protection - Covid Prayer

God of refuge, we seek your Protection

Protect the vulnerable from illness: Those who are old and frail, weakened by years and struggle, those who care for others, expending their energy and love; those for whom inability to work means hardship and poverty.

Psalm 23 adapted for this time of Covid


The Lord is our shepherd who guides us and so we don't lack and never will lack anything. He leads us to places of rest and care; and to drink waters of trust. He renews our strength so we do not abandon the path of solidarity because it is there, in our empathy with others where we honour his name.

Easter, 2nd Week, Saturday, Apr 25

Acts 6:1-7 / John 6:16-21 
The disciples run into trouble: The Lord was with them in their trouble.

There’s a famous poem called “Footprints.” It’s about a person, in a dream, walking along a beach with the Lord. Suddenly, across the sky, scenes appear from the person’s life. For each scene, two sets of footprints appear in the sand: one belonging to the Lord, the other to the person. What confuses the person is that during the most trying times in life only one set of footprints appears. When the person asks the Lord why he left during these most trying times, the Lord says, “I would never leave you during your times of trial and suffering. When you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”

Easter 2nd Week, Friday, Apr 24


Acts 5:34-42 / John 6:1-15 
Jesus feeds 5,000 people: He multiplied five loaves.

Almost a century ago, two men were on a train in France.
The older man was reading the Bible story of the multiplication of the loaves. Noticing this, the younger man said, “Pardon me, sir, but do you really believe what you’re reading?” “Yes,” said the older man, “don’t you believe it?”

What is the best way to keep your computer healthy?


  • shut it down once a day
  • put it in sleep when not in use
  • Use a simple software called 360 Total Security for security, cleaning, virus, desktop organizer, etc. Less than Rs. 1000 ($13)
  • When the laptop opens, it scans every document on the desktop, so don’t store documents on the desktop. Put them in a folder called “desktop”. 
With many files on desktop, laptops open slowly as it looks at every file on the desktop. Put it all in a folder…job done! Faster laptop.

SPIRITUAL COMMUNION -During Covid


Even if the church doors remain closed and I can’t participate in the Holy Mass, I will not be distressed, because the blessed Trinity dwells within me. God took residence in my heart when I got baptized into the Church, the body of Christ. Today, when my heart longs for his precious body and blood, when I miss him terribly, the Lord consoles me from within saying, “Child, don’t be sad, I am here within you. I am the infinite one. I am beyond space and time. I am still close. I can hear you; I can feel you.” Now when your heart deeply misses the holy communion, understand that you can always receive me in spiritual communion. When you desire and pray for this, I come to you the same way as I have come before in the holy communion.

Easter, 2nd Week,Thursday, Apr 23


Acts 5:27-33 / John 3:31-36 
Jesus speaks about eternal life: Whoever believes has eternal life.

Most people who turn on a television set can’t tell you how the magic box works. But they don’t deny that it works. The picture on the screen tells them that. Most people who drive an automobile can’t tell you how the magic motor works. But they don’t deny that it works. The movement of the car tells them that. Most people who eat food can’t tell you how the magic protein works. But they don’t deny that it works. The growth of the body tells them that. It’s the same way with the Christian life. Most people can’t tell you how faith works. But they don’t deny that it works. Their own transformed lives tell them that.

COVID - Prayer for Front Line Volunteers

MK 10:43:
But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant.

A Prayer for the Front liners

Heavenly Father, thank you for the front-liners caring for, protecting, and serving our communities, our families, and us. Thank you for these servant leaders, from our own community and those from others, called to this work, trained for such a time as this, daily risking their own health and safety for others. 

Easter 2nd Week,Wednesday, Apr 22nd


Acts 5:17-26 / John 3:16-21 
Jesus continues his instruction: “Whoever believes will not see death.”

The original stage version of God-spell captures the Gospel’s spirit of joy in an attractive way. The first act celebrates the joy of the woman who finds her lost coin, the joy of the shepherd who finds his lost sheep, the joy of the father who finds his lost son. The second act begins the same way. But then comes the sadness of the Last Supper farewells, the sadness of Jesus’ sufferings, and the sadness of Jesus’ crucifixion. But the joy returns again in the resurrection. It’s subtly portrayed by the disciples’ carrying the victorious Christ on their shoulders right down the center aisle of the theater.

Easter 3 Sunday A - Emmaus Journey


Gospel text : Luke 24:13-35
emmaus


Easter 2nd Week, Tuesday, Apr 21

Acts 4:32-37 / John 3:7-15 
Jesus continues his instruction: “We must be born of the spirit.”

A town drunk and loafer underwent a religious conversion. Some of his old cronies ridiculed him. One said sarcastically, “Surely you haven’t begun to believe all that stuff about changing water into wine?” The ex-drunk replied, “I can’t tell you whether Jesus turned water into wine in Cana. But I can tell you he turned wine into food in my house.” This is what Jesus meant by saying that we can’t see where wind comes from and we can’t see where it goes, but we can hear the sound it makes. We may not know about all the mysteries connected with the Spirit, but we know about the effect of the Spirit on our own personal lives.

Easter 2nd Week - Apr 20-25


April 20 Monday: John 3:1-8: 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him.” 3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” 4 Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”

Easter 2 Week, Monday, Apr 20th

Acts 4:23-31 / John 3:1-8 
Jesus speaks about spiritual birth: “You must be born from above.”

George Foreman, former heavyweight champion of the world, had been attending Bible classes and was in a prayer group. But he was still dragging his feet spiritually. One night after a fight he sat down in his dressing room and put his head in his hands. Suddenly he noticed the blood from a cut on his head flowing over his hands and dripping down onto his bare feet. Then it hit him. These were the wounds of Jesus: head, feet, and hands. That night Foreman experienced spiritual birth. He turned his life over to Jesus so totally that his handlers sent him to the hospital for head X rays, thinking he had a head injury and needed help.

Easter 2 A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ!
By his great mercy we have been born anew
to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead.
May the Risen Lord be always with you.


Prayer during Corona


YOU made the whole world stop spinning for a while,
YOU silenced the noise that we all have created
YOU made us bend our knees again and ask for a miracle.
YOU closed Your churches so we will realize how dark our world without You in it.
YOU humble the proud and powerful. The economy is crashing, businesses are closing.

Easter Octave, Saturday April 18th


Acts 4:13-21 / Mark 16:9-15 
Jesus instructs his disciples: “Proclaim the gospel to all creatures.”

The capital of Texas is named after Stephen Austin, an early pioneer who founded numerous settlements in Texas. Austin didn’t like preachers and tried to keep them out of his towns. One reason he disliked preachers was that they were always preaching against his saloons and the violence they caused. One man who knew Austin well quoted him as saying that one preacher could stir up more trouble in his settlements than a dozen horse thieves.
When Jesus commanded his disciples to preach the Gospel, he intended them to stir up trouble. That’s what Jesus himself did.

Easter Octave, Friday, Apr 17

Acts 4:1-12 / John 21:1-14 
They catch 153 fish: The net didn’t break.

A preacher was fond of the technique of dividing his sermon into several major points. For example, he’d begin by referring to the “five smooth stones” that David used to defeat Goliath. Then he’d divide his sermon into five points. Or he’d begin by referring to the “seven days of creation” and then divide his sermon into seven points. One day his congregation nearly had joint heart failure when he began by referring to the “153 fish” that Peter caught in his net. Scholars suggest that the 153 fish stand for the number of nations of the world, which ancient historians placed at 153. Peter’s net stands for the Church, which is able to embrace all the nations of the world without breaking.

QUARANTINE - 40 Days

QUARANTINE

The Latin root of the word "quarantine" is "forty". 
  1. a period, originally 40 days, of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease. a system of measures maintained by governmental authority at ports, frontiers, etc., for preventing the spread of disease.

COVID: Facts Are Proving to Be Stranger Than Fiction


1.     Who would believe?
An Italian delegation present in Somalia has ended its program, but they refused to return to Italy and asked the Somali government to renew their residency.

COVID: MYTHS AND FACTS FROM WHO

mythbuster-4
mythbuster-3

Easter Octave, Thursday, Apr 16

Acts 3:11-26 / Luke 24:35-48 
Jesus instructs his disciples: “You are to be my witnesses.”

Jesus underscores three things in this reading:
(1) the reality of the resurrection,
(2) the necessity of the cross, and
(3) the urgency of the task of preaching the Good News to all nations.

Easter Octave, Wednesday, Apr 15

Acts 3:1-10 / Luke 24:13-35
Two disciples welcome a stranger: The stranger turned out to be Jesus.

The Emmaus episode dramatizes three of the ways that people encountered the risen Jesus: in the broken brother, the broken word, and the broken bread. First, they met Jesus in the broken brother. That is, they encountered him in a stranger who was traveling all alone—a dangerous thing to do in ancient times.

Red Indian Prayer for the Earth

Red Indian Prayer for the Earth

1.     *Give us hearts to understand;*
Never to take from creation's beauty more than we give;
Never to destroy wantonly for the furtherance of greed;
Never to deny to give our hands for the building of earth's beauty;
Never to take from her what we cannot use.

Easter Octave, Tuesday, Apr 14

Acts 2:36-43 / John 20:11-18 
Jesus speaks to Mary of Magdala: “Stop holding on to me. ”

A mother had just returned from driving her only son to college. She walked into his empty room, clutching a note he had written her. She began to cry uncontrollably, realizing that his new world at college would never be her world—their world. Finally, after a long cry, she let go of the note and let it fall to the floor. In the months ahead, after the pain of separation had worn off, the mother discovered something remarkable. By “letting go” of her son, she found that they could love each other in a whole new way—an adult way that was far more fulfilling than the earlier mother-child relationship. Mary of Magdala (Magdalene) discovered the same thing after she let go of the earthly Jesus and began relating to the risen Jesus.

Easter 2 Sunday A - Divine Mercy



Mercy and Tenderness - Pope Sets Examples


Divine Mercy Practised by Animals

Easter Week - Reflections


April 13-18, 2020:

April 13 Monday: Mt 28:8-15: 8 So they departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell his disciples. 9 And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Hail!” And they came up and took hold of his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” 11 While they were going, behold, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests all that had taken place. 12 And when they had assembled with the elders and taken counsel, they gave a sum of money to the soldiers 13 and said, “Tell people, `His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ 14 And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So they took the money and did as they were directed; and this story has been spread among the Jews to this day. USCCB video reflections: 

Easter Octave, Monday, Apr 13th

Acts 2:14, 22-33 / Matthew 28:8-15 
Guards say Jesus’ body was stolen: This story still circulates.

President Lincoln’s coffin was opened twice. The first time was in 1887, twenty-two years after his assassination. Rumors began sweeping the country that the coffin did not contain Lincoln’s body. The body was checked and verified to be that of Lincoln. The casket was resealed with lead. Fourteen years later, a new wave of rumors began to sweep the country. Again, the coffin was opened and shown to contain the body of Lincoln. This time the casket was not only resealed but also permanently embedded in a crypt in Springfield, Illinois. Similar rumors circulated about Jesus’ body. The only difference was that Jesus’ body was indeed missing. The rumors dealt with what happened to it.

Happy Easter

The churches are empty,
The schools are empty,
The shelves are empty.
But that’s OK because
The tomb is empty too!

This year, Easter Sunday - Covid


This year, Easter Sunday falls during the COVID-19 pandemic. A time when we are secluded in our homes and told to wrap our faces in cloth if we dare to go out for groceries or supplies. Walk into the grocery store, and you'll see people wandering quietly through the aisles with gloved hands and masked faces. Get too close, and you'll register a wide-eyed look of alarm on the face of that passer-by. We are in hiding from an invisible beast.

Easter - Entombed - Yet a Power Greater Than Us


Easter: Break Open My Tomb, Lord

Lord of Easter promise, I live in Faith of the Resurrection, but such is the nature of my Faith, that so much of me remains entombed. Come, Lord, Break open the tomb.

1.     Where I have buried my love for God due to my materialistic approach: come, Lord, break open the tomb.
2.     Where I have buried my life of prayer due to lack of regularity and interest, come, Lord, break open the tomb.

Corona: Holy Week - Prayer of the Faithful -1


Prayer of the Faithful-1
During Corona Virus Pandemic

Leader:
Merciful God, we entrust to your tender care those who are ill or in pain, particularly those who are affected by the corona virus knowing that whenever danger threatens, your everlasting arms are there to hold them safe.

Our response: R/-: Lord, bring your healing and comfort to your people

Corona Virus: Intercessory Prayers for Holy Week-2


Corona Virus: Intercessory Prayers for Holy Week-2

*Leader:* God of love and hope, you made the world and care for all creation, but the world feels strange right now. The news is full of stories about Corona virus. Some people are worried that they might get ill. Others are anxious for their family and friends. Be with them and help them to find peace. We pray for the doctors and nurses and scientists, and all who are working to discover the right medicines to help those who are ill. Thank you that even in these anxious times, you are with us. Help us to put our trust in you and keep us safe. Let us pray to God, who alone makes us dwell in safety:

Jesus Litany

 Jesus Litany
R/ We praise / thank/ adore you, 0 Lord
R/- Sing Praise him/thank him…..after 9 verses –bold letters

01) Jesus, Word of the Father, (we thank you, etc)           Jn 1, 1.
02) Jesus, eternal Wisdom of God.                                 I Cor. 1, 24
03) Jesus, Son of God.                                                   Rom. 1,4(R/)
04) Jesus, Son of Man.                                           Mt. 8, 20
05) Jesus, Son of David.                                         Mt. 21, 9.
06) Jesus, Son of Abraham                                     Mt. 1, 1. (R/)

Easter 2020 - Liturgical Prayers

A. The Victory Of Life
Greeting (See alternative Second Reading)
Christ, our passover, has been sacrificed
and he is risen from the dead.
Let us celebrate the feast
by getting rid of all that is evil
and becoming all new in the Lord.
May the Risen Lord be always with you.

Holy Week -5: Meditation: Jesus Betrayed

The betrayals of so many people ended in a tragedy of cosmic proportions. Let us pay particular attention to all those seemingly insignificant decisions made by the supporting actors in this melancholy drama. It won't be difficult to see ourselves in this play; each of us commits the same little murders every day. 

COVID – Prayer-18: Open our Locked Doors

Lord, our God,

Your earth whispered but we did not hear. Your earth spoke but we did not listen. Your earth screamed but we turned her off. And so “it” was born...It was not born to punish us… It was born to awaken us…. The earth cried out for help...Massive flooding. But we didn't listen, Lord. Burning fires. But we didn't listen. Strong hurricanes. But we didn't listen. Terrifying Tornadoes. But we didn't listen. We still don't listen to the earth when….. Ocean animals are dying due to pollutants in the waters. Glaciers melting at an alarming rate. Severe drought.

COVID – Prayer-17: You have invaded, Lord, our Hiding Places


Dear Lord, our God,

You have tested your people often through exiles and wars, snake bites and deprivations, under foreign rules and captivities. Even then they have yearned for the junk food of the slavery of Egypt rather than the freedom to be a chosen people. They have bent their backs before idols and made sacrifices to them. They have rebelled against their leaders and scattered their tribes and communities. Through Covid today, Lord, you have brought us back to our families and communities in order to deepen our bonds and connections. And yet we too yearn for the junk food of the market, desire to thumb through the social media for hours and use the “mobility” of the phones to carry it everywhere with their sounds trespassing the peace and sanctity of the family / community and invading their quiet privacy for reflection, meditation or rest.

Holy Week -3: Mystery of the Cross

Mystery of the Cross

*(R) Redeem us, Lord, and make us redeemers by the mystery of the Cross*
1)         Living the example of Jesus Christ, fidelity to our commitment as religious/Christians, will lead to the cross. Jesus himself told us that following him is reduced to three things: letting go ourselves, taking up our cross, and following him (Lk 9 23). The cross is not merely a possibility in religious life, or even a probability; it is an inevitabili­ty.

Wednesday of Holy Week, Apr 8th

Isaiah 50:4-9 / Matthew 26:14-25 
Jesus speaks about his betrayer: Judas said, “Surely it is not I?”

Judas was able to conceal his plan from the other disciples, but he wasn’t able to conceal it from Jesus. And this allows us to see how Jesus deals with sinners. One of the greatest mysteries of life is the tremendous respect God has for the free will of people. Jesus didn’t force sinners to change their lives. Rather, he invited them to change. He appealed to them to change. At every step of the way, Jesus dealt the same way with Judas. He made Judas the treasurer of the group. He invited him to eat the Last Supper, just as he did the others.

Tuesday of Holy Week, Apr 7

Isaiah 49:1-6 / John 13:21-33, 36-38 
Jesus talks about betrayal: The disciples were amazed at Jesus’ words.

The surprising thing about Judas’ plan to betray Jesus is that the other disciples had no idea of it. How could they have lived so close to Judas and been so blind to what was going on in his mind? There are two lessons here.

COVID – Prayer-16: God of our Hope

Lord, our God, 

We dream of a life no longer merely endured but enjoyed, no longer imposed but in-born, no longer coveted but creative, no longer feared but loved. And, Lord, these days, we continue to experience a life that is limited and conditioned. Our hands, called to open, stay closed. Our homes invited to welcome, stay shut. Our churches designed to praise and worship, are silenced. Our hearts remain frozen, O Lord, with fear and anxiety. No, our road leads not to the penetrating sweep of the light of day, but to choking, stifling night, we fear, O Lord.

Holy Week -2 Meditation: Jesus Emptied


I look at the crucified Lord here and in life. I see him stripped of everything:

*-Stripped of dignity*, naked before his friends and enemies...

*-Stripped of all his possessions*: I remember the times when people wanted just to touch the fringe of his garments.

COVID – Prayer-15: Living by the True Realities of Life

Dear Lord, our God,

As we go through the news of the ravages COVID has created in our world, in our neighbourhoods and in our lives, we console ourselves through the words of our spiritual leader Pope Francis who said, “God has not promised us a sky without storms, roads without accidents, bodies without illnesses, work without fatigue, relationships without misunderstandings and disappointments.” You ask us to learn to find strength in forgiveness, hope in battles, security in the stage of fear, love in discord. You teach us not only to enjoy the smile, but also to reflect on the sadness, not only to celebrate the successes, but to learn lessons from the failures, not only to feel happy with the applause, but to be happy in anonymity. Being happy is not a fatality of destiny, but an achievement for those who can travel within themselves. Blessed be God for these lessons. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Monday of Holy Week, Apr 6th

Isaiah 42:1-7 / John 12:1-11 
Judas criticizes Mary: “Why was this oil not sold?”

William Barclay says of Judas’ reaction to Mary’s anointing of the feet of Jesus: “Judas had just seen an action of surpassing loveliness; and he called it extravagant waste. He was an embittered man who took an embittered view of things.” Judas’ reaction illustrates an important fact: “We see things not as they are, but as we are.” H. M. Tomlinson

Holy Week-1: Jesus –Broken

 Into our broken world you came, Lord Jesus. You embraced our darkness, even though you are pure light.

COVID – Prayer-14: Waiting for the Lord’s Time

Dear Lord, our God,

These days, we have been waiting for the lock-down to be lifted, so that we can travel freely, explore the streets and stores, meet with friends and family and continue to catch up with our commitments, assignments and exams. Sometimes, Lord, this waiting has been difficult, worrisome, exhausting and frustrating.

COVID – Prayer-13: Change in Our Lives

Lord, our God,

You have asked us to get into a “Noah’s Ark” these days, an ark that was made according to a particular size, design, shape and material. We were asked to make a journey of uncertain length, floating in unknown waters, not knowing where it would go and when it would end and how we would survive. We were only asked to trust in the Lord. Forty days and forty nights it rained, the winds swayed and tossed the boat like a toy in the turbulent waters. We were only asked to trust in the Lord.

COVID- Prayer 11: Prayer for Peace and Happiness

COVID Prayer – 11 - Prayer for Peace and Happiness

Lord our God,

There is always some kind of longing in us. Essentially, it is a longing for happiness and contentment.

So, when there are problems at work, we long for solutions and to be free from trouble so that we can be productive and effective at work.

COVID Lock-down: Animals are back

5th Week of Lent, Saturday, Apr 4th

Ezekiel 37:21-28 / John 11:45-56 
Jesus does remarkable things: Many people put their trust in him.

There’s a scene in My Fair Lady in which Eliza Doolittle grows weary of Freddy’s daily letters, telling her how much he loves her. In a burst of frustration, she begins to sing the song “Show Me.” In the song she says she’s sick of words. She’s sick of all this talk of stars “burning above.” “If there’s really any love burning in your heart, show me.” (adapted). Jesus had done everything he could do to show the Jews his love for them. Some Jews eventually saw it and “began to believe in him”; many others did not.

COVID Prayer 10 – Pray for Healing

Lord our God, you alone are worthy of honour, glory, and praise. With You, we can overcome every storm—including the global impact COVID-19 is having on our world.

5th Week of Lent, Friday, Apr 3rd

Jeremiah 20:10-13 / John 10:31-42 
The Jews rebuke Jesus: “You, a man, are making yourself God.”

One night the Philadelphia Orchestra, under the baton of Leopold Stokowski, was performing a Beethoven overture. In it, a part for a trumpet is played offstage. When the time came for the offstage trumpet, there was no sound. Stokowski was furious. Again, the time came for the offstage trumpet. Again, there was only silence. After the overture ended, Stokowski stormed off the stage to find the trumpet player. There he was, his arms pinned to his side by a burly security guard who said, “This nut was trying to play his horn while your concert was going on out there.”