9th Week, Tuesday, Jun 2nd

2 Peter 3:11-15, 17-18 / Mark 12:13-17

We await a new creation: God’s justice will reside in the new creation.

In their joint statement on Justice, the bishops of the world said something that jarred many Christians from complacency. They said it’s not enough to preach the Gospel. We must also work for justice.

Msg from a Resident of Mumbai: as Millions of Migrants Flee the city

Where will I go? 
                         
For the last 2 days all my trusted soldiers - carpenter, fabricator, plumber, electrician, mason, auto driver, istriwala, have been leaving ... some with their families as well... somewhere I feel that Bombay wants them to leave, much like unwanted guests.

9th Week IIy: Jun 1-6

Jun 1-6

June 1 Monday (Blessed Virgin Mary the mother of the Church):  NC Register: 

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/mfenelon/why-the-new-memorial-of-mary-mother-of-the-church-is-so-remarkable : Gen 3:9-15, 20; Acts 1:12-14; Jn 19:25-34): One of the most recent architectural additions to Saint Peter’s Square is the mosaic of Mary “Mother of the Church,” with the inscription Totus Tuus, yet another sign of Saint John Paul II’s great love for Our Lady.

9th Week, Ordinary Time, Monday, Jun 1st

2 Peter 1:2-7 / Mark 12:1-12

Peter sends greetings: May you be filled with peace.

The bishops of the United States wrote a Pastoral Letter on War and Peace in the early 1980's. In it they pointed out that the biblical idea of peace is not so much the absence of war as it is the presence of a right relationship with God. We sometimes forget that peace begins in the soul of each one of us.

Holy Trinity Sunday A - Homilies & Stories

St. Patrick's Analogies: 
 

Links to earlier posts:http://www.tkayala.com/2012/05/trinity-sunday-homily.html
http://www.tkayala.com/2012/06/trinity-prayers.html
http://www.tkayala.com/2013/05/holy-trinity-2013-homilies-and-stories.html

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Some Stories: (More Stories at the bottom or at: http://www.homilystories.in/2014/06/holy-trinity.html)

The story is told of a priest sitting in an airport waiting for his flight. A fellow killing time struck up a conversation. Said he, "Father, I believe only what I can understand. So, I can't buy your Trinity. Perhaps you can explain it to me." The priest reluctantly put down The New York Times. "Do you see the sun out there?" "Yup." "OK, it's 80 million miles away from us right now. The rays coming through the window," said the priest, "are coming from the sun. The delightful heat we are enjoying on our bodies right now come from a combination of the sun and its rays. Do you understand that?" The fellow answered, "Sure,  padre." "The Trinity," the priest went on, "is like that. God the Father is that blazing sun. The Son is the rays He sends down to us. Then both combine to send us the Holy Spirit who is the heat. If you understand the workings of the sun, its rays, and heat, why do you have difficulty believing the Trinity?" The man said something about catching a flight and was off.  

Easter 7th Week, Saturday, May 30

Acts 28:16-20, 30-31 / John 21:20-25 

Jesus instructs Peter: “Follow me!”:

The city of Rome was under serious siege in 1849. The great Italian patriot Garibaldi issued a public proclamation to the young men of Italy: “I have nothing to offer you but hunger and thirst, hardship and death; but I call on all who love their country to join me.” The response was beyond belief. It was this kind of challenge that Jesus held out to his apostles. It was this kind of challenge that Jesus repeated to Peter in today’s gospel. It is this same challenge that Jesus repeats to each one of us today.

Prayer in Preparation for Pentecost -3

Prayer in Preparation for Pentecost -3

Hymn:

Lord, our God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we ask you to stir up within us the fullness of your Holy Spirit. Help us to grow in our relationship with the Third Person of your Holy Trinity and to live in his power and use his gifts.

Easter 7th Week, Friday, May 29

Acts 25:3-21 / John 21:15-19 

Jesus instructs Peter: “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep.”

Jesus looked upon God as a shepherd: “The Lord is my shepherd.” Psalm 23. The Israelites also looked upon their leaders as shepherds, God’s representatives. Thus Ezekiel condemns these leaders for being bad shepherds and foretells that God will replace them With a good shepherd. (Ezekiel 34:2, 23)

It’s against this scriptural background that we must interpret Jesus words: “I am the good shepherd.” John 10:11. It’s against this biblical background that we must also interpret Jesus’ words to Peter: “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep.” John 21:15-16. Jesus commissions Peter to succeed him as the shepherd of the flock of his followers. 

Easter 7th Week, Thursday, May 28

Acts 22:30; 23:6-11 / John 17:20-26 

Jesus continues to pray: “May I live in them as you live in me.”

Christians are four things. First, they’re a body in which Christ lives. Paul writes, “I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me.” Galatians 2.20

Second, they’re a mind through which Christ thinks. Paul writes, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. ” Phiiippians 2:5 (Kjv)

Third, they’re a voice through which Christ speaks. Jesus said, “Whoever listens to you listens to me.” Luke 10:16

Pentecost ABC - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (See Second Reading)
In the one Spirit we were all baptized,
and one Spirit was given
to us all to drink.
May the Holy Spirit be given to you
and be always with you.

IN PREPARATION FOR PENTECOST-2

IN PREPARATION FOR PENTECOST-2

Hymn: K 14

Leader: The Holy Spirit is always with us. He is at work in the hearts of each of us. It is he who straightens what is twisted. It is he who makes straight the way of the saviour. He is present in all human aspirations and he corrects in them what must be corrected. We are temples of God and the Holy Spirit lives in us.

The ...E... life !!!!!

In this world of E-mails, E-ticket, E-paper, E-recharge, E-transfer and the latest E-Governance..E- commerce.

*Never Forget "E-shwar *( God )"

Prayer Service in Preparation for Pentecost

Prayer to the Holy Spirit

Hymn:

L: Your Spirit, Lord God, present from the beginning of beginnings, present in the message of the prophets, Kings and Judges of your choice, present in the surrender of faith in Mary and her accompaniment of your son, present in provision for your people, present in the life and words of Jesus, present in the Cross and crucifixion, present in the lives of the apostles, present in the early Christians as they formed into a community, present in their imprisonments and persecutions, present in the Church that you empower. Your Spirit, the presence of God in our hearts and lives, we adore you and we praise you. (Pause)

Easter, 7th Week, Wednesday, May 27th

Acts 20:28-38 / John 17:11-19 

Jesus prays for his disciples: “As the Father sent me, so I send you.”

A legend says that when Jesus ascended into heaven, the angel Gabriel asked him if all the people on earth knew about God’s love for them. “Oh, no!” said Jesus, “just a handful of people do.” Gabriel was shocked and replied, “But, Lord, what if this handful of people let you down? What if they meet with opposition and become discouraged? Don’t you have a back-up plan, just in case?” “No,” said Jesus, “I’m simply counting on them not to let me down.”

Pentecost 2020

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Back Posts:
Pentecost 2013: http://www.tkayala.com/2013/05/pentecost-2013-homilies-and-stories.html
Water, Fire, Wind Symbols: http://www.tkayala.com/2013/05/holy-spirit-3-symbols-video.html
Fr. Tony Kadavil's Collection: http://www.tkayala.com/2012/05/pentecost-may-21-homily.html
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Starters:
The Church on Fire 

Easter 7th Week -May 25-30

May 25, Monday: Jn 15:9-17:  As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. 10 If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. 11 These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. 12 "This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command you.

Easter 7th Week, Tuesday, May 26th

Acts 20:17-27 / John 17:1-11 

Jesus prays:  Jesus looked up to heaven while he prayed.

Three preachers were discussing the best posture to use while praying. The first said, “I’ve tried them all, and kneeling is still the best posture.” The second said, “That may be true, but most Eastern mystics recommend sitting cross-legged on the floor.”

Easter 7th Week, Monday, May 25th

Acts 19:1-8 / John 16:29-33 

Jesus speaks plainly: “You will have trouble, but take courage.”

Jesus probably noticed the fear on the faces of his disciples when he told them that both they and he would have to suffer. But this did not alarm him. Jesus knew that fear is not a bad thing. In fact, it’s a good thing, if rightly accepted. 

Ascension 2020 - Liturgical Prayers

Solemnity of the ASCENSION of the Lord

A. Absent, Yet Present
B. I Go; Now I Send You

Readings:
Acts 1:1-11; Ps 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
Eph 1:17-23; Mt 28:16-20


Greeting
    Be my witnesses to the ends of the earth,
    says the Lord.
    Know that I am with you always,
    till the end of time.
    May the Lord Jesus be always with you
    R/ And also with you.

Weather and Nature

Homiletics - Suggestions

An hour long presentation is crammed into a slide. Sorry about this squeezing in

Easter 6th Week, Saturday, May 23rd

Acts 18:23-28 / John 16:23-28 

Jesus gives final instructions: “Ask and you will receive.”

An amusing cartoon showed a tiny insect peering up at a huge insect. After staring at the huge insect for a while, the tiny insect said, “What kind of a bug are you?”

“I’m a praying mantis,” came the reply. “That’s absurd!” said the tiny insect. “Bugs don’t pray!” With that, the praying mantis grabbed the little bug around the throat and began to squeeze. The bug’s eyes began to bulge.

Migrants Trekking - 500 Miles Away from Home - Touching Song

Easter 6th Week, Thursday, May 21st

Acts 18:1-8 / John 16:16-20 

Jesus speaks about his leaving: “In a little while and you will no longer see me” (Jn 16/16)

Someone said hindsight is always 20/20. But hindsight is what you don’t have at the time. In simple matters of fact hindsight is a simple thing: you can see within the hour that you backed the wrong horse – or within seconds that you said the wrong thing. But in deeper matters, hindsight is a slow process of realization. The Holy Spirit gives hindsight on Jesus. This is the Spirit working in us, the patient inner teacher, opening our minds slowly to the light that has long since come into the world. The Spirit guides us (hodegeo) along the way; it is Jesus who is the way (hodos) itself – indeed the truth itself (Jn 14:6).

New Responsibility - 4 R's or "LOVE"

7 UP's - Different Kind of a Drink!

Ascension 2020

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From Fr. Tony Kadavil’s Collection of Stories: 

1: The disciples who completed Puccini’s opera Turandot.   

The Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote La Boheme, Madama Butterfly and Tosca.  It was during his battle with terminal cancer in 1922 that he began to write Turandot, which many now consider his best work. He worked on the score day and night, despite his friends' advice to rest, and to save his energy. When his sickness worsened, Puccini said to his disciples, "'If I don't finish Turandot, I want you to finish it." He died in 1924, leaving the work unfinished. His disciples gathered all that was written of Turandot, studied it in great detail, and then proceeded to write the remainder of the opera. The world premier was performed in La Scala Opera House in Milan in 1926, and Toscanini, Puccini’s favorite student, conducted it. The opera went beautifully, until Toscanini came to the end of the part written by Puccini. He stopped the music, put down the baton, turned to the audience, and announced, "Thus far the master wrote, but he died." There was a long pause; no one moved. Then Toscanini picked up the baton, turned to the audience and, with tears in his eyes, announced, "But his disciples finished his work." The opera closed to thunderous applause, and to a permanent place in the annals of great works. Jesus instructs us in his Ascension message to finish his work of saving mankind by proclaiming His good news by words and deeds. 

Easter 6th Week, Wednesday, May 20th

Acts 17:15, 22 - 18:1 / John 16:12-15 

Jesus speaks more about the Spirit: “The Spirit will guide you.”

A young Hindu and a Christian seminarian were attending the same week-long seminar on the Sermon on the Mount. In the course of the week, the two young people became good friends. At one point the young Hindu confided to the seminarian that he had problems with Jesus’ sermon. He knew how much it had influenced Gandhi, and he wanted to live his life by it. But he feared it was too lofty an ethic for ordinary people to live by. Toward the end of the seminar, however, the Hindu gained new insight into his problem. The ethic was indeed lofty, but he had forgotten about Jesus’ promise. The Holy Spirit will not only teach the people the value of the ethic but also empower them to follow it.

Easter 7th Sunday A - They are Mine - in Communion

Purpose: The Ascension of our Divine Savior marks the destiny for all human flesh; glory with the Father and the blessed in heaven. The greatest gift of the Christian faith is the supernatural end to which the anchor of hope secures joy amidst the difficulties and sufferings of this life. We learn in this Sunday’s readings that Christian life consists of walking toward Jerusalem with the Apostolic band and our Lady, so that we shall see the good things of the Lord in the land of the living. This Sunday’s readings teach us: 1. The necessity of praying with the Church; 2. Prayer as the key to suffering; 3. The unicity of Jesus Christ; and, the necessity of proclaiming His Lordship. 

Easter 6th Week- May 18-23

May 18 Monday (St. John I, Pope, Martyr):

 https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-john-i/ : John 15: 26–16:4 : 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. http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/

Leadership - Management

Easter 6th Week, Monday, May 18th

Acts 16:11-15 / John 15:26 - 16:4 

Jesus instructs his disciples: “You must bear witness on my behalf.”

A witness is someone who can say, “I know what I am talking about from personal experience.” Thus, Christian witness involves two things:

(1) a burning internal conviction about Jesus and

(2) a convincing external expression of this conviction.

Nice Messages - Inspirational

Some Messages to assist us to keep Focus

1. No matter how beautiful and  handsome you are,
just remember Baboon   and Gorillas also  attract tourists .

Stop Boasting.

2. No matter how big and strong you are,
you will not carry  yourself to your Grave.

Be Humble

Early Christian Church - Conflicts and Divisions

Easter 5th Week, Saturday, May 16th

 Acts 16:1-10 / John 15:18-21
Jesus warns his disciples: “They will persecute you as they did me.” 

An American warship was transporting wounded Japanese prisoners during World War II. The medical officer took such excellent care of the prisoners that some American officers protested. “Treat those animals the same way that they treat our wounded,” they said. The medical officer responded:

Jesus, the True Vine – May we be his branches that bear fruit

Jesus, the True Vine – May we be his branches that bear fruit

We thank you, gracious God, for Jesus Christ the true vine, with his roots eternally grounded in you. We rejoice that by grace we have been grafted into him, to be branches on a vine which bears the loveliest of all the fruits of earth. Yet we confess that all is not well with the way we live.

Easter 5th Week , Friday, May 15th

Acts 15:22-31 / John 15:12-17 

Jesus talks more about love: “No one has greater love than this.”

A municipal park in Chicago is called Milton Olive Park. The story behind the park’s name deserves to be told over and over. Milton Olive was a 19-year-old soldier who fought in Vietnam. In October 1965, he threw himself on a live hand grenade and saved the lives of four comrades. “In that incredible, brief moment...in which he decided to die, he put others first and himself last. I have always believed that to be the hardest but the highest decision that any man is called upon to make.”

Easter 6th Sunday A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (See the Gospel)

“I will not leave you orphans,” says Jesus,
“but my Father will give you
the Spirit of truth.”
May the Spirit of our Lord be always with you.
Introduction by the Celebrant (Two Options)

St. Matthias, Apostle, Thursday, May 14th

Acts 1:15-17, 20-26 / John 15:9-17 

Jesus speaks about life: “Live in my love; keep my commandments.”

Three people were discussing some recent translations of the Bible.

How faithful are we in translating the Bible into action? Our greatest need is not to gain more knowledge, but to put into practice what we already know.

Early Christian Church Structure - From the ACTS of Ap.

Easter 6 Sunday A - Love and Communion in the Spirit

In the Footprints of Loneliness, the Servant of God Catherine DeHueck Doherty (d. 1985) wrote: 

Loneliness is a terrible thing, and we must do something about it.  It is here that tenderness, gentleness, and understanding helps us to live…  Gentleness and tenderness assuage loneliness and make it possible to disappear…Tenderness is the ability to be present, extending the warmth of my heart to your heart.

Easter 5th Week, Wednesday, May 13th

Acts 15:1-6 / John 15:1-6 

Jesus talks about being one with him: “Remain in me, as I remain in you.”

Paul Claudel’s play The Satin Slipper opens with a dramatic scene: a shipwreck at sea. The sole survivor is a missionary who has tied himself to the mainmast. As it pitches and tosses on the great waves, the missionary senses that death is near. So he prays in words like these: “0 Lord, I thank you for letting me die like this. Sometimes I found your teaching hard, and sometimes I fought your will. But now I could not be bound more closely to you. Most of us are honest people cannot free itself from this cross on which I die. Nor would I want it to be free, for it makes me feel a special closeness to you.”

We are the Church of God - Prayer

As we read these days from the Acts of the Apostles about the Struggle and Growth of the Church

We are the Church of God 

Lord Jesus, as we read these days from the Acts of the Apostles, we are enlightened by the fact that you are alive, and that you are building your Church through each of us. Your Church is built upon your life, death, burial, and resurrection. It is through the proclamation of this message—the gospel—that the Church will either visibly rise or fall.

How a dog saves a Cat from a Pit

Easter 5th Week - May 11-16

May 11 Monday:

Jn 14:21-26: 21 He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered him, “If a man loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24 He who does not love me does not keep my words; and the word which you hear is not mine but the Father’s who sent me. 25 “These things I have spoken to you, while I am still with you. 26 But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all  that I have said to you.(http://www.usccb.org/bible/reflections/)

Easter 5th Week, Tuesday, May 12th

Acts 14:19-28 / John 14:27-31 

Jesus calms his disciples: “Do not be troubled or afraid.”

London was bombed mercilessly during World War II. One night a man in his 80s was standing outside St. Andrew’s Church. The church was located on the edge of London and overlooked the city. As the old man look down on the fire and smoke rising from the city, he began to cry. “Is there no hope at all?” he sobbed. Just then a gust of wind cleared the smoke long enough for the old man to see the cross atop the dome of St. Paul’s. The instant he saw it, he felt a surge of hope soar through his body. He stopped being “troubled and afraid.”

Mothers’ Day – Prayer

Most Gracious Heavenly Father,

We thank you for our mothers to whom you have entrusted the care of every precious human life from its very beginning in the womb.

Easter 5th Week, Monday, May 11th

Acts 14:5-18 / John 14:21-26 

Jesus gives parting advice: “Keep working on love.”

Richard Bach wrote a story called Jonathan Livingston Seagull. One of the characters in it is an old teacher named Chiang, who has had a great influence on Jonathan. The day finally comes when old Chiang must leave his young student forever. Jonathan knows it’s a special moment and wonders what parting advice his old teacher will give him. Chiang’s farewell message contained just four words: “Keep working on love.”

Mothers' Day - Intercessory Prayers

MOTHERS’ DAY: INTERCESSORY PRAYERS

A.

1.       For all mothers, particularly those who are with child: that they may be supported by loved ones and warm friends, and that they may be understood and blessed; We pray to the Lord:

2.       For young mothers everywhere, and especially those who are tempted to despair: that through the child they carry deep within, they might know hope and joy; We pray to the Lord:

3.       For all mothers, especially those who are young or alone: beaten or addicted; that God might heal their broken hearts and seal them with his love; We pray to the Lord:

Easter 5th Sunday A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (See Second Reading)
  You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to praise God. May Jesus, our Lord and Savior, be always with you. R/ And also with you.

        Introduction by the Celebrant
 1. Jesus Is the Way “Where are you going in life, or what are you living for?” is the most important question to ask ourselves, one another, the Church, our people. Many do not know what answer to give to this. Even, we, Christians at times feel lost. Yet we shouldn’t, for we have Jesus who shows us the way, who is our way, to God, to ourselves, to people. Jesus is not only our way but he is our companion on the road. Let him show us his way here in this eucharist.

The Seven "I AM" sayings of Jesus - Prayer

The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. (Acts 11:26). Christos=anointed, M’siha, Messiah, filled with grace. Jn 14:9: If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. In the seven I AM statements, Jesus reveals his face and his function. As Christians, we are called to emulate those seven functions.

Mothers' Day - Two Prayer Services

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Easter 4th Week, Saturday, May 9th

Acts 13:44-52 / John 14:7-14 

Jesus speaks about the Father: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.”

A young lady asked, “How can Christians claim to have a special knowledge of what God is like?” The answer, of course, depends on who you say Jesus is. No other bona-fide religious leader in history ever made the incredible claims that Jesus did. Muhammad admitted he was a sinner. Buddha rejected all personal veneration. Jesus is the only religious leader who dared to say, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” If Jesus was who he claimed to be, then Christians can correctly claim access to a personally revealed knowledge of God. The whole issue rises and falls on Jesus’ question to Peter: “Who do you say I am?”

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life": Easter 4th Week, Friday and Easter 5th Sunday - Prayer

Jesus: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life

Jesus Christ, you are the Saviour, the Way to the Father,
The Truth we depend on, the Life that we need.
We trust you, believing! We listen, receiving
The joy of the gospel by which we are freed.

Easter 4th Week, Friday, May 8th

Acts 13:26-33 / John 14:1-6 

Jesus makes a promise: “I will come back.”

After the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor in World War II on December 7,1941, they invaded and occupied the Philippines. Three months later, on March 11,1942, General Douglas MacArthur was forced to flee from the Philippines. Before leaving for Australia, he told the islanders, “I shall return.” Two and a half years later, on October 20,1944, he kept his promise. Landing on Leyte Island, General MacArthur said, “I have returned.” Jesus, too, promised to return after he departed from this world. Like MacArthur, he will reappear someday and say, “I have returned.” When Jesus returns at the end of time, will we greet him with the same joy that the islanders greeted MacArthur? “I am going to prepare a place for you.” John 14:2

Easter 4th Week: Thursday, Prayer Reflection

We are the Disciples of the Lord

We are Jesus’ disciples, following him even as he moves toward the cross. Even as he wraps a towel around his waist. Even as he kneels to wash the filth from the feet of his friends.

We are Jesus’ disciples, longing to be faithful even as the night grows dark. Even as betrayers loom. Even as the powers that oppose the way of Christ press in around us.

Easter 4th Week, Thursday, May 7th

Acts 13:13-25 / John 13:16-20 

Jesus teaches about service: “No slave is greater than his master”

Eastern Mennonite College ran an unusual ad in Campus Life magazine. After describing how everyone today is striving to be “on top,” the ad noted that it wasn’t much different in Jesus’ day. Even Jesus’ closest disciples wanted to be “on top.” Jesus made a dramatic statement about this attitude. He simply tied a towel around his waist and washed their feet. In other words, he dramatized in action what he had taught in words:

2 Capuchin Friars Entertaining Covid Patients through Net

Jesus, the Good Shepherd: We pray for other sheep and shepherds- #4

Jesus, the Good Shepherd: We pray for other sheep and shepherds- #4 

Prayer for Others

Lord, we ask for the courage and compassion of the Good Shepherd, who lays down his life for his sheep.

Caritas Campaign Against Corona Virus

Easter 5th Sunday A - Jesus, the Way, the Truth and the Life

Gospel text : John 14:1-12

The Peacemakers
Dawne Olson, a South Dakota mother of four, was preparing to give a talk on unity at her women's Bible study. She woke up early to type out the scripture verses. She wasn't quite finished when her four children began coming downstairs asking for breakfast. She could hear the children just around the corner in the kitchen as they rummaged through the refrigerator and cupboards for something to eat. At some point they discovered half of a toaster pastry on the counter from the night before. They all began screaming and fighting; each claiming the half-eaten Pop Tart. 

As Dawne made a couple of futile attempts to quiet them down, she finished typing the verse in Matthew 5:9 that says, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God." Taking her cue from scripture, she hollered into the kitchen above the noise, "Would somebody PLEASE be the peacemaker?!" 

Easter 4th Week, Wednesday, May 6th

Acts 12:24 - 13:5 / John 12:44-50 

Jesus talks about his mission: “I came into the world as light.”

A group of Chinese Christian clergymen invited an American professor of Scripture to give them a workshop on the Bible. In the course of the workshop the professor asked the clergymen to pick out the episode in the Gospel that impressed them most. To his surprise, they did not choose the Sermon on the Mount, the crucifixion of Jesus, or the resurrection of Jesus. They chose Jesus’ washing of his disciples’ feet. The choice of the Chinese clergymen fits in perfectly with what Jesus says in today’s gospel about his mission: He came into the world to be its light. In other words, he came into the world to serve.

Jesus, the Good Shepherd: I need a Shepherd - #3

Jesus, the Good Shepherd: I need a Shepherd- #3

I believe I need a shepherd.
Because I am sometimes timid and other times overconfident,
because I often don't know the best path yet pretend I do,
because I rush into dead ends or lead others into hazardous places, because my brightest ideas are seamed with darkness,
because the things I crave may not be what is good for me.

Easter 4th Week, Tuesday, May 5th

Acts 11:19-26 / John 10:22-30 

Jesus speaks about discipleship: “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.”

Two shepherds were separating their flocks after their sheep had shared the same pen for the night. The first shepherd called, “Manah” (Arabic for “Follow me”). At once his sheep came to him. The second shepherd did the same with the same results. A visitor, familiar with Jesus’ words in today’s gospel and interested in testing them, put on the outer cloak and turban of the first shepherd and called, “Manah!" The sheep didn’t budge. “Will your flock ever follow someone other than you?” asked the visitor. “Yes,” said the shepherd. “Sometimes a sheep gets sick and will follow anyone.”

May 4-9: Easter 4th Week - Reflections

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 )

Easter 4th Week, Monday, May 4th

Acts 11:1-18 / John 10:1-10 

Jesus talks about life: “I came to give you life in all its fullness.”

A 50-year-old man with a terminal illness wrote to a friend: “I suddenly asked myself, ‘What am I doing? Why am I working at something I don’t enjoy? Why am I building a bank account that will do me no good when I am dead?’” Then the man told his friend that he was going to change his approach to life and live the way his heart dictated he should. That man lived 18 more months. Before he died, he told someone that the final 18 months of his life were “the best, the fullest, and the richest” of his entire life. Jesus came to teach us “the best, the fullest, and the richest” way to live.

Jesus, the Bread of Life- Prayer -7

As we are called to Become the Bread of Life for Others

Jesus Lord, many are the ways that you have quenched the thirst and filled the hunger of your people. You wouldn’t allow the joy and honour of a family at Cana to be damaged due to a lack of wine, nor would your generosity stop short for the Samaritan woman at the well. Wasn’t it your love, Lord, crossing all borders, wasn’t it the living water filling her to the brim that made her so excited to run to the village to bring her people to you? It’s saving people that seems to satisfy your hunger for souls and not decorations, ceremonies, rituals or earthly food that your disciples were able to bring.

Easter 4 A - Liturgical Prayers

Greeting (See Second Reading)
By the wounds of Jesus we have been healed.
We had gone astray like sheep,
but now we have come back
to the shepherd and guardian of our souls.
May Jesus our Good Shepherd
be always with you.

Jesus, the Bread of Life- Prayer -6

As we Battle our Addictions at this time of Isolation

Lord, our God, though we have learned through your servant Augustine “our hearts are made for you and they shall not rest until they rest in you”, your created things whose only being was to serve you held us back from you and the Bread of life that your son is. Even though, Lord, you tried to break through our deafness, flash through our blindness, flavour through our taste buds, breathe through our nostrils and touch us through our bodies, we have remained cold, stubborn, insensitive and unresponsive because those things fed us in the body and gave us pleasure even as we missed your joy which was not of this world. You have made us, Lord, for happiness.