Jan 24 Monday (St. Francis de Sales, Bishop, Doctor of the Church):
The context: Today’s Gospel passage gives Jesus’ crushing reply to the slander propagated by the observers from the Sanhedrin, that Jesus expelled devils using the assistance of the leader of devils.
Jesus refutes the false allegation raised against him by the
Sanhedrin scribes with three counterarguments and a warning: 1) A house divided
against itself will perish and a country engaged in civil war will be ruined.
Hence, Satan will not fight against Satan by helping Jesus to expel his
co-workers. 2) If Jesus is collaborating with Satan to exorcise minor demons,
then the Jewish exorcists are doing the same. 3) Jesus claims that he is using
the power of his Heavenly Father to evict devils, just as a strong man guards a
house and its possessions from the thief. 4) Finally, Jesus gives a crushing
blow to his accusers, warning them that by telling blatant lies they are
blaspheming against the Holy Spirit and, hence, that their sins are
unforgivable.
Life messages: 1) Jesus teaches that we can be
influenced by the evil spirit if we listen to him and follow him. 2) Hence, we
have to keep our souls daily cleansed and filled with the Spirit of God,
leaving no space for the evil spirit to enter our souls. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/22
Jan 25 Tuesday (The Conversion of St. Paul, the
apostle):
Paul, the “Apostle to the Gentiles” and the greatest
missionary of the Apostolic age, was a Roman citizen by his birth in Tarsus (in
Cilicia), and a Jew born to the tribe of Benjamin. His Hebrew name was Saul.
Since he was a Pharisee, Saul was sent to Jerusalem by his parents to study the
Mosaic Law under the great rabbi Gamaliel. As a student, he also learned the
trade of tent-making. He was present as a consenting observer at the stoning of
Stephen. But Saul was miraculously converted on his way to Damascus to arrest
the Christians. After that, Saul, now called Paul, made several missionary
journeys, converted hundreds of Jews and Gentiles and established Church communities.
He wrote 14 epistles. He was arrested and kept in prison for two years in
Caesarea and spent two more years under house arrest in Rome. Finally, he was
martyred by beheading at Tre Fontane in Rome.
Today we celebrate the feast of the conversion St. Paul
(described thrice in the New Testament: Acts chapters 9, 22, and 26) an event
which revolutionized the history and theology of the early Church. Saul of
Tarsus, because of his zeal for the Jewish law and Jewish traditions, became
the most outrageous enemy of Christ and his teaching, as the apostles started
preaching the Gospel. Saul consented to the martyrdom of Stephen, watching the
cloaks of the stoners. After the martyrdom of the holy deacon, the priests and
magistrates of the Jews raised a violent persecution against the Christian
communities at Jerusalem, and Saul was their fanatical young leader. By virtue
of the authority he had received from the high priest, he dragged the
Christians out of their houses, chained them and thrust them into prison. In
the fury of his zeal, he applied to the high priest and Sanhedrin for a
commission to take up all Jews at Damascus who confessed Jesus Christ and bring
them bound to Jerusalem to be properly punished. He was almost at the end of
his journey to Damascus, when, at about noon, he and his company were suddenly
surrounded by a great light. As Saul fell to the ground, he heard a voice say,
“Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul answered, “Who are you, Sir?”
And the voice said, “I am Jesus, the one you are persecuting. Now, get up and
go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” Saul rose and, blind,
was led by his companions into Damascus.The Lord sent a Damascus disciple named
Ananias to heal and instruct Saul. Ananias entered the house and, obeying
Jesus’ orders, laid his hands-on Saul and prayed over him so that he might
regain his sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit. And immediately something
like scales fell from Saul’s eyes. He regained his sight, got up, was baptized
and, having eaten, recovered his strength. Saul had realized the truth that
Jesus was the mysterious fulfillment of all he had been blindly pursuing. He
could easily identify Jesus with Jesus’ followers. He stayed several days in
Damascus with Christian disciples and started teaching in the synagogues that
Jesus was the promised Messiah and the Son of God. Saul’s conversion into Paul
teaches us that we, too, need conversion and the renewal of our lives by a
fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, which will enable us to bear witness to
Christ by exemplary lives.(“(Feast Day gospel: Lk 10:1-9) Fr.
Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/22
Jan 26 Wednesday (Sts. Timothy & Titus,
Bishops): Both Timothy and Titus were
converts and coworkers of St. Paul, who used them to defuse tensions in problem
Churches. Timothy was born in Lystra in Asia Minor. He had a
Greek father and Jewish mother, Eunice by name. He was converted by Paul in AD
47. He labored with Paul for 15 years, even during Paul’s house arrest in Rome,
and Paul called him “dear son.” He visited the cities of Asia Minor and Greece
in the company of St. Paul. He was made a bishop of Ephesus when he was
comparatively young. Paul wrote two letters to him and once advised him
to take a little daily dose of wine to treat his stomach problem: “Stop
drinking only water but have a little wine for the sake of your stomach and
your frequent illnesses” (1Timothy 5:23). He also advised Timothy to “stir into
flame” the grace of the Holy Spirit Whom he had received in Baptism (with
Confirmation) and Ordination. Timothy won a martyr’s crown at Ephesus on a pagan
feast day in the precincts of the temple of the goddess Diana to which he had
gone to calm an unruly crowd.
Titus was a Greek-speaking Gentile from Antioch
whose parents were Gentiles. He was Paul’s friend and fellow preacher, a
peacemaker and an administrator whom Paul chose to carry his letters to Church
communities. He was made administrator (bishop) of Christians in Crete, charged
with organizing the Church there, correcting abuses and appointing
presbyter-bishops.
Life messages: 1) Let us have the apostolic
zeal of saints Timothy and Titus. 2) Let us also practice their charity and
patience. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
L/22
Jan 27 Thursday (St. Angela Merici, Virgin) The
context: Today’s Gospel passage is taken from Mark’s version of
Jesus’ teaching after he had told the parable of the sower. Jesus reminds
us that we are the light of the world and that our duty is to receive and
radiate around us Christ’s light of love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness.
The image of light and lamp: Lamps help people to see
and work in the dark, and their light prevents our stumbling and falling down.
For the Jews, Light represented the inner beauty, truth and goodness of God.
God’s Light illumines our lives with Light, celestial joy and everlasting
peace. The glory of the Lord shone around the shepherds at Bethlehem (Lk 2:9).
Paul recognized the presence of God in a blinding Light (Acts 9:3; 22:6); God
“dwells in inaccessible Light” (1 Tim 6:16). That is why Jesus claims that he
is the Light of the world. When the Light of Christ shines in our hearts, we
are able to recognize who we are, who our neighbors are and who God is and to
see clearly how we are related to God and our neighbors. When we live in
Christ’s Light, we do not foolishly try to hide truths about ourselves from
ourselves, from our neighbors, or from God. Christ’s Light will also remind us
of the consequences of our sinful ways and bad habits.
The paradox of the rich getting richer: In
today’s Gospel, Jesus makes the comment “for to him who has, more will be
given,” following the warning “Take heed how you hear….” Jesus is
telling us that if we listen to him with open minds and open hearts and walk in
his Light, the tiny bit of wisdom and understanding that we’ve already gained
will grow and grow with his help. If, on the other hand, our hearts are closed
to him, even the little bit of wisdom that we think we’ve got will be lost.
Jesus is not talking about money or wealth in any form. He is talking about the
extent and depth of our connectedness to God. If we are already deeply rooted
in God, our spirits will grow larger, richer, and fuller by the day. But if our
connection to the Lord is only superficial, our spirits certainly won’t grow,
and our connection to Him may well not last at all.
Life message: As “light of the world”
it is our duty to remove the darkness from around us and to show others the
true Light of Jesus, his ideas and ideals from our model Christian
life. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22
Jan 28 Friday (St. Thomas Aquinas, Priest,
Doctor of the Church) The context: Using the mini parables of
the growth of wheat seeds and mustard seeds in the field, Jesus
explains the nature of the growth of the Kingdom of God or rule of God in human
beings and human societies. In the case of both wheat and mustard seeds, the
initial growth is slow and unnoticeable. But within days a leafy shoot will
emerge, and within months a mature plant with numerous branches and leaves,
flowers and fruits will be produced. The growth is silent and slow but steady,
using power from the seed in the beginning and transforming absorbed water and
minerals for energy in the later stages. Jesus explains that the Kingdom of God
grows this way in human souls. The Kingdom of God is the growth of God’s rule
in human hearts that occurs when man does the will of God and surrenders his
life to God. It is slow and microscopic in the beginning. But it grows by using
the power of the Holy Spirit, given to us through the Word of God, the
Sacraments, and our prayers. Finally, God’s rule in the human heart transforms
individuals and communities into God’s people, doing His will in His kingdom.
Life message 1) As we learn God’s will
from His words and try to put these words into practice, we participate in the
growth of God’s Kingdom on earth, a growth which will be completed in our
Heavenly life. But we need the special anointing of the Holy Spirit to be doers
of the word of God, so let us offer our lives before God every day, asking for
this special anointing. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/) L/22
Jan 29 Saturday: The context: Mark’s
emphasis on Jesus’ wondrous works helps him to reveal Jesus’ true Messianic
identity. The role of God in calming the storms of life is the central
theme of today’s Gospel. By describing the miracle, Mark also gives the
assurance to his first-century believers that nothing can harm the Church as
long as the risen Lord is with them. The incident reminds us today to keep
Jesus in our life’s boat and to seek God’s help in the storms of life.
The storm: The Sea of Galilee is lake
thirteen miles long from north to south and eight miles broad from east to west
at its widest. It is notorious for its sudden storms. When a cold wind
blows from the west, the valleys and gullies and hills act like gigantic
funnels, compressing the winds and letting them rush down to the lake to create
storms with violent waves. Unable to control their fears in just such a storm,
the disciples awaken Jesus, accusing him of disregarding their safety. Jesus’
response is immediate. First, Jesus rebukes the
winds and the sea, producing perfect calm, to the great astonishment
of his disciples. Then only does he reproach them for their lack of
Faith. Life messages: 1) We need to welcome Jesus
into the boat of our life. All of us are making a journey across the sea of
time to the shore of eternity, and it is natural that, occasionally in our
lives, we all experience different types of violent storms: physical storms,
emotional storms, and spiritual storms. We face storms of sorrow, doubts,
anxiety, worries, temptations and passion. Only Jesus can give us real peace in
the storm of sorrow or console us at the loss of our dear ones.
2) When the storms of doubt seek to uproot the very foundations of our Faith, Jesus is there to still that storm, revealing to us His Divinity and the authority behind the words of Holy Scripture. He gives us peace in the storms of anxiety and worries about ourselves, about the unknown future and about those we love. Jesus calms the storms of passion in people who have hot hearts and blazing tempers. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)