22nd Week: Aug 30- Sept 4:
Aug 30 Monday:
Today’s Gospel presents the reaction of Jesus’ fellow- townsmen, to the “Inaugural Address” offered them at a synagogue in Nazareth when Jesus visited the town as a rabbi with a band of disciples. The reading shows us how Jesus faced scepticism and criticism with prophetic courage.
The incident reminds us that we should have and show the courage of our Christian convictions daily as we live in our communities, especially when we face hatred and rejection because of our Christian Faith and its practiceAmazement turns to hatred. The first reaction of the
people in the synagogue to Jesus’ words was astonishment. They were
amazed that one of their fellow villagers could speak with such grace,
eloquence and authority. But their amazement turned into displeasure when
Jesus speaking as a prophet, (different from the image of the
miracle-worker that people wished to see), claimed identity with the
Messiah described by Isaiah. That claim turned Jesus’ fellow-townsman's
displeasure into anger, then hatred. They challenged Jesus’ Messianic
claim, asking, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” They
could not understand how a mere carpenter from their hometown
Nazareth could be the Messiah, who would liberate them from
Roman rule and re-establish the Davidic kingdom. Jesus’ reaction to His
people’s scepticism: Jesus reacted to their negative attitude with
the comment, “No prophet is accepted in his native place.” Next,
he referred to the Biblical stories of how God had blessed two Gentiles,
while rejecting the many Jews in similar situations, precisely because those
Gentiles were more open to the prophets than the Jewish people. Jesus
reminded them of the Gentile widow of Zarephath, in Lebanon (1 Kgs
17:7-24). The Prophet Elijah stayed with her and her son during the three-and-a-half-year
drought, fed them miraculously and, later, raised her son from death.
Then Jesus described how Naaman, the pagan military general of Syria, was
healed of leprosy by Elisha, the prophet.
Life messages: 1) We need to face rejection with
prophetic courage and optimism, when we experience the pain of rejection,
betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect, or abuse from our friends,
families, or childhood companions. 2) Let us not, like the people in
Jesus’ hometown, reject God in our lives. Are we unwilling to be helped
by God, or by others? Does our pride prevent us from recognizing
God’s direction, help, and support in our lives through His words in the Bible,
through the teachings of the Church and through the advice and examples of
others? 3) We must have the prophetic courage of our convictions.
This passage challenges us to have the courage of our Christian convictions in
our day-to-day lives in our communities, when we face hatred and rejection
because of our Christian Faith. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
August 30: Feast of St. Jeanne
Jugan (October 25, 1792-August 29, 1879) foundress of the Little
Sisters of the Poor: Charles Dickens, the great English novelist
and writer, a contemporary of Jeanne Jugan, said of her: “There is in
this woman something so calm, and so holy, that in seeing her I know myself to
be in the presence of a superior being. Her words went straight to my
heart, so that my eyes, I know not how, filled with tears.”
Sr. Mary of the Cross, canonized under her
baptismal name as St. Jeanne Jugan, Foundress of the Little Sisters
of the Poor, was born into a poor family in Brittany, France on October
25, 1792. She lived a heroic life, spent sacrificially in the care of
the elderly poor. She died a saintly death on August 29, 1879 at
the age of 86. This year (2020) marks her 141st birthday
in Heaven and the 152nd anniversary of
the arrival of her Little Sisters in the United States. We are
celebrating these anniversaries by offering all of her Little Sisters on the
altar and presenting all the Residents and Caregivers of this Home before the
Lord.
Although she was born into a poor family, Jeanne’s widowed
mother trained her in the Catholic Faith and in its practice. She learned
the meaning of hard work, first by working as a shepherd girl, and
then becoming a kitchen maid at 16. Her mistress was a
kind-hearted woman who took young Jeanne on visits to the sick and the
poor. Over time, Jeanne developed a special love for the aged,
particularly for poor widows. At age 25, the young woman became a member
of the third Order of the Admirable Mother, founded by St. John Eudes
(Eudists). Jeanne did hospital work as a nursing assistant and domestic
service for years until she was 47.
In 1837, Jeanne began to share a modest
second floor apartment with an older woman, Francoise Aubert (65) and a
17-year-old orphan, Virginie Trédaniel. Two years later, in the winter of
1839, with the permission of her housemates, Jeanne carried home a blind,
paralyzed, impoverished old woman, Anne Chauvin and placed the lady in her own
bed. Jeanne slept in the attic from then on. As much as they were
able, Virginie and Françoise helped Jeanne to care for Anne.
These three women then formed a Catholic community of
prayer, devoted to assisting the elderly poor. Soon several other women joined
her good work of caring for the sick and elderly by moving into her
house. They became an informal prayer community and eventually elected
Jeanne as superior, and she took the name Sr. Mary of the Cross. They
supported themselves through domestic work. Over time, the community came
to be known, first as “the Servants of the Poor” and later as
the Little Sisters of the Poor. Their members, who begged for
the needs of the elderly in their care, took vows of chastity, poverty,
obedience, and hospitality. A benefactor provided the growing community
of women with a larger house, a former convent. Since Sr. Mary of the
Cross was a talented fundraiser and organizer, other houses were soon
established. The Sisters begged for the needs of the elderly in their
care and ate only leftovers.
In 1843, Sr. Mary of the Cross was forced out of her
leadership role by Father Auguste Le Pailleur, the power-crazy priest who had
been appointed Spiritual Father of the small community by the local
bishop. Ignoring the election of Jeanne Jugan as their Mother Superior by
the Sisters, the spiritual director appointed his protegée, Sister Marie
Jamet, as the Mother General and instructed Jeanne Jugan to “live a hidden life
behind the walls of the motherhouse with no contact with any of her former
benefactors.” She gladly accepted this demotion in great humility for
27 years, helping and encouraging the aspirants, postulants, and novices,
without telling anyone that she had started the Congregation. She
rejoiced to see the 1879 approval of the Constitution of the Little
Sisters of the Poor by Pope Leo XIII. At her
death, August 29, 1879, her congregation had spread to other countries.
The autocratic spiritual director, Father Le Pailleur, however, was
investigated and dismissed in 1890. It took until 1902 for Jeanne Jugan to be
recognized, not simply as “the third Little Sister,” but as the
foundress of the Little Sisters. God blessed the congregation
with growth, establishing over 160 houses in the world in the 178 years since
its founding, 26 of them in the United States.
Miracles leading to Jeanne Jugan’s canonization:
The medically inexplicable and sudden cure of Mr. Antoine Schlatter,
a Resident of the Little Sisters of the Poor Home in Toulon, France in 1982,
was recognized as the miracle necessary for the beatification. When Pope
John Paul II beatified her on October 3, 1982, he said: “God could
glorify no more humble a servant than Jeanne Jugan”. In early
March, 2002, Mrs. Jeanne Gatz of Omaha, Nebraska called the
Superior of the Little Sisters Home in Kansas City, Missouri and told Sister
that her husband had been cured of cancer in 1989, through the
intercession of Blessed Jeanne Jugan. On December 6, 2008, Pope Benedict
XVI signed the decree approving the miraculous cure of Dr. Edward Gatz through
the intercession of Blessed Jeanne Jugan, clearing the way for her
canonization. That same Pope canonized her as a saint of the
universal Church on October 11, 2009, along with Blessed Damien of Molokai
and three other Blesseds!
Pope Benedict XVI, in his canonization sermon,
said: “St. Jeanne’s canonization would show once again, how a living
faith is prodigious in good works and how sanctity is a healing balm for
the wound of humankind. ‘Come, follow Me.’ This is the Christian
vocation which is born from the Lord’s proposal of love and can only be
fulfilled in our loving response. Saints accept this demanding invitation
and set out with humble docility in the following of the Crucified and Risen
Christ . . .”
Life message: 1) We need to
imitate St. Jeanne Jugan in seeing Jesus in everyone around us and offering
everyone corporal and spiritual works of charity, realizing the truth
that our eternal destiny with God depends on our answer to six questions Jesus
the judge is going to ask us on the Day of Last Judgement. These questions,
found in Matthew’s Gospel, chapter 25:31-36 , are: “I was hungry, I
was thirsty: what did you do? I was naked, I was homeless: Did you do
anything? I was sick, I was in prison: what did you do?” The
Holy Bible, the seven Sacraments, the Ten Commandments, and the Six Precepts of
the Church are all meant to help us to practice these corporal and spiritual
acts of charity (mercy), in this life, with humble hearts filled with
sacrificial and selfless agape love so that we may become eligible to receive
God’s loving and eternal reward of Heavenly bliss.
Aug 31 Tuesday:
The context: After his sad experience with
fellow-townsmen in, Nazareth, Jesus made the city of Capernaum on the shore of
the Sea of Galilee, the center of the fishing business a base for a Messianic
preaching and healing mission. The people were impressed by the authority with
which Jesus taught. The Old Testament prophets had taught using God’s delegated
authority, and the scribes and Pharisees taught quoting Moses, the prophets and
the great rabbis. But Jesus taught using His own authority and knowledge as
God. Perfect knowledge of God, His Father, perfect obedience to God His
Father’s will, and absolute confidence in God, His Father, were the sources of
Jesus’ authority. The second part of today’s Gospel describes a healing by
exorcism, which Jesus performed in the synagogue. We are told how, using His
authority as God, cast out the devil by just one command: “Be silent, and
come out of him!” The demon obeyed at once, throwing the man it had
possessed to the floor in the midst of the people in the synagogue on its
departure. The people were impressed with Jesus’ power and authority that could
command even evil spirits.
Life messages: 1) Our Faith is based on
the Divinity of Christ, demonstrated by Jesus’ miracles, which in turn give
authority and validity to Jesus’ teaching and promises. Hence, let us accept
Jesus’ teachings, even if some of them are mysteries beyond our understanding
2) Let us read the authoritative word of God every day and assimilate it into
our lives. 3) In our illnesses, let us confidently approach Jesus the
healer with trusting Faith first, then go to the doctors who are the ordinary
instruments of Jesus’ healing ministry in our midst. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
Sept 1 Wednesday:
The context: Today’s Gospel tells us
that preaching the Good News of God’s love, mercy and salvation, and healing the
sick were the means Jesus used to build up the Kingdom of God. By preaching and
healing, Jesus drew listeners to belief in a loving and providing God and to
loving obedience to His will. We are told that Jesus drew renewed spiritual
streigth from God, His Father, every day by talking with and listening to Him,
often in a desolate place at night.
Healing mission: Jesus never tired of healing the sick, thus
demonstrating the mercy and compassion of His Heavenly Father to every sick
person who approached with trusting Faith. Having finished the day’s preaching
in the synagogue on one Sabbath, Jesus went to Simon’s home and healed Simon’s
mother-in-law of a fever. In the evening, when the Sabbath rest was over,
people brought all their sick dear ones to Jesus for healing and exorcism.
Jesus either concluded the day or, here, began the new day, by spending time
with the Father in prayer in a lonely place.
Life messages: 1) We are called to continue
Jesus’ preaching mission primarily by bearing witness to Christ
through our day-to-day lives, radiating Christ’s mercy, love, forgiveness and
spirit of humble service to all around us. 2) We can participate in
Jesus’ healing mission by praying for the sick and by visiting,
helping, and encouraging the sick and shut-ins. 3) We, too, need to have
our spiritual batteries recharged by prayer every day, as Jesus
did. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
Sept 2 Thursday:
The context: The scene is the Sea of Galilee (Gennesaret in
Greek and Tiberius in Latin). The story of the miraculous
catch of fish described in today’s Gospel is similar to the
post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus recounted in John 21:4-14. It is
one of the “epiphany-call stories” which direct our attention to the fact that
Jesus had distinct criteria for selecting people to be apostles. The
reading challenges us to examine our own personal calls to conversion and
discipleship.
The miraculous catch followed by the call: After teaching
the crowd from a seat in the boat of Simon, Jesus said to him “Put out into
the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we
toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” Simon
and his companions were stunned by the biggest catch of their lives. This event
led Simon to acknowledge his unworthiness, as a sinner, even to stand before
the Divine Presence of Jesus. Impressed by Simon’s obedience and confession of
unworthiness, Jesus immediately invited Simon, Andrew, James and John to become
close disciples and so to “catch men” instead of fish.
Life Messages: 1) Our encounter with the
holiness of God needs to lead us to recognize our sinfulness. The Good News of
today’s Gospel is that our sinfulness — our pride and self-centeredness – does
not repel God. That is why we offer this Mass asking God’s pardon and
forgiveness, and why we receive Jesus in Holy Communion only after
acknowledging our unworthiness.
2) With Jesus, the seemingly impossible becomes possible.
Today’s Gospel passage tells us an important truth about how God works in
and through us for His glory. God chooses ordinary people – people like
you and me – as His ambassadors. He uses the ordinary circumstances of
our daily lives and our responses. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/21
Sept 3 Friday: (St. Gregory the great, Pope &
Doctor of the Church):
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’
reply to the question asked by a few disciples of John the Baptist about
fasting and feasting. Prayer, fasting and almsgiving were three cardinal works
of Jewish religious life. Hence, John’s disciples wanted to know why they and
the Pharisees fasted while Jesus’ disciples were seen feasting with him and
never fasting.
Jesus’ reply: Jesus responds to their sincere question using
three metaphors: the metaphor of the “children of the bridal chamber,” the
metaphor of patching torn cloth, and the metaphor of wineskins. First, Jesus
compares the apostles with the children of the bridal chamber, the selected friends
of the bride and groom who feasted in the company of bride and groom during a
week of honeymoon. Nobody expected them to fast. Jesus explains that the
apostles will fast when Jesus, the bridegroom, has been taken away from them.
In the same way, we are to welcome both the joys of Christian life and the
crosses it offers us. Jesus uses the comparisons of the danger of using new,
unshrunken cloth to make a patch for an old garment and of using old wineskins
to store freshly fermented wine, to tell the questioners that they must have
more elastic and open minds and larger hearts to understand and follow the new
ideas they are hearing, which are in many cases different from the traditional
Jewish teachings.
Life messages: 1) We need to be adjustable
Christians with open and elastic minds: The Holy Spirit, working actively in
the Church and guiding the Church’s teaching authority, enables the Church to
have new visions, new ideas and new adaptations and to replace old ways of
worship with new. So, we should have the generosity and good will to follow the
teachings of the Church. 2) At the same time, we need the assistance of the
Holy Spirit, Who works through the Church’s magisterium to
interpret and apply Scripture – the Old Testament revelations and the New
Testament teachings — and Sacred Tradition to our daily lives. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/) L21
Sept 4 Saturday:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’
teaching on the purpose of the Sabbath and on its proper observance. This was
Jesus’ response to a criticism and a silly accusation made by some Pharisees
against the apostles who, to satisfy their hunger on a Sabbath,
had plucked ears of grain from a field for their snack, removed the husks
by rubbing the grain between their palms and blowing away the chaff. The
Pharisees accused them of violating Sabbath laws by performing three items of
work forbidden on Sabbath, namely, harvesting, threshing and winnowing.
Counterarguments: Jesus gives three counterarguments from
Holy Scripture defending the apostles. (1) Basic human needs, like hunger, take
precedence over Divine worship and Sabbath observance. Jesus cites from
Scripture the example of the hungry David and his selected soldiers. They
approached Abimelech, the priest of Nob, who gave them for food the “offering
bread” which only the priests were allowed to eat (Samuel 21:1-6). (2) No law
can stand against Divine worship. That is why the priests are not considered as
violating Sabbath laws, although they do the work of preparing two rams for
sacrifice in the Temple (Numbers 28:9-10). (3) Jesus quotes the prophet Hosea
to remind the accusers of God’s words: “I want mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea
6:6). Further augmenting the counterarguments, Jesus, as Son of Man (a
Messianic title), claims Lordship over the Sabbath itself.
Life messages: Like the Jewish Sabbath, the
Christian Sunday is to be 1) a day of rest and refreshment with members of the
family; 2) a day for thanksgiving and the recharging of spiritual batteries,
(through participation in the Eucharistic celebration, for Catholics); 3) a day
for parents to teach religious Faith and the Bible to their children; 4) a day
to do works of charity in the neighborhood and in the parish and 5) a day
for socializing with family members, neighbors and fellow-parishioners. (http://frtonyshomilies.com/)
