May 30- June 4:
May 30 Monday:
Context: Jesus is speaking to his apostles after the Last Supper.
Scripture lessons: In this Last Supper
discourse, Jesus explains his Divine origin and his relationship to God his
Father in clear terms without using any metaphors. The apostles acknowledge
that they understand the Divinity of Jesus. But Jesus prophesies that they will
soon desert him and seek their own safety, while he will be arrested, brought
to trial and crucified. Our Faith is tested every day when we live in a world
filled with agnostics, atheists, and pleasure-seekers who see true believers as
superstitious people and hate them. That is why Jesus gave his apostles and all
his future disciples the assurance of the anointing of the Holy Spirit Who
would strengthen them and guide them. The Second Vatican Council teaches in connection
with this passage: “The Lord Jesus who said `Be of good cheer, I have
overcome the world’ (John 16:33), did not by these words promise
complete victory to his Church in this world. This sacred Council rejoices that
the earth which has been sown with the seed of the Gospel is now bringing forth
fruit in many places under the guidance of the Spirit of the Lord, who is
filling the world” (Presbyterorum Ordinis, 22).
Life messages: 1) Our Faith is firmly rooted in
the Divinity of Jesus demonstrated by his Messianic miracles, most of which
were foretold by the prophets. The Resurrection of Jesus is the Miracle of
miracles proving Jesus’ Divinity beyond doubt. 2) We need to get our daily
infusion of spiritual strength by recognizing the presence of God – the Father,
the Son, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit — living within us wherever we are, and by
communicating with our indwelling God in prayer. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
May 31 Tuesday: The Visitation of the Blessed Virgin
Mary: Visitation of Blessed Virgin Mary:
The context: The mystery of the Incarnation
comes to ordinary people living ordinary lives, who have the willingness to
respond to God’s call and the openness and generosity to do God’s will. Luke,
in today’s Gospel, tells us how two seemingly insignificant women met to
celebrate the kindness and fidelity of God. In the Gospel, one definition of
discipleship is to listen to God’s word and then carry it out. Mary did both,
to become the most perfect disciple. The incident also shows us how sensitive
Mary was to the needs of Elizabeth, her older cousin, who had miraculously
become pregnant in her old age.
Mary’s visit to Elizabeth. There is a saying, “One who is
on fire cannot sit on a chair.” Mary, carrying Jesus and filled with the
empowering fire of the Holy Spirit, hurried to the mountain country where
Elizabeth lived, thereby conveying the Holy Spirit to her cousin and her child.
Like all good Jews, Mary was prompted in everything she did by her commitment
to God’s word in her life.
The paradox of blessedness. Blessedness confers on a person
both the greatest joy and the greatest task in the world. Nowhere can we see
the paradox better illustrated than in Mary’s life. Mary was granted the
blessedness and privilege of being the mother of the Son of God. Yet, that very
blessedness was to be a sword to pierce her heart: one day she would see her
Son hanging on a cross. So, to be chosen by God is often both a crown of joy
and a cross of sorrow. God does not choose us to give us a life of ease and
comfort, but in order that we may respond to His love by accomplishing His
purposes.
Life messages:1) We should recognize the real
presence of Emmanuel (God Is with Us) and say “yes” to Him: The Visitation of
Mary reminds us that, through his holy ministry, Christ continues to be present
among his people. Let us recognize and appreciate the truth that the same
Christ “dwells among us” in the Bible, in the Sacraments, in the praying
community, and in our souls. 2) We should convey Jesus to others as Mary did to
Elizabeth. We can make a real difference in the lives of others today by
carrying Jesus to them. For that, we must be filled with the spirit of Christ,
allowing his rebirth within us. Then Jesus will enable us to share his love
with all whom we encounter, offering them humble and committed service,
unconditional forgiveness, and compassionate caring service. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 1 Wednesday: St. Justin, Martyr:
In today’s Gospel passage, taken from Jesus’ high-priestly
prayer, Jesus prays in particular, for those disciples who are sharing the meal
with him. Jesus prayed for the victory, unity, protection, and consecration of
his disciples. (i) Jesus prayed that they might find victory by
living out their Christianity in the rough-and-tumble of life. The disciples
must win the world for Christ by living out their Christianity within the
world. They must bear witness to Christ through their transparent Christian lives,
reflecting Christ’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and spirit of humble
service. (ii) Jesus prayed for the unity of
his disciples. The world cannot be evangelized by competing Churches, and that
is why Jesus prayed that his disciples might be as fully one as He
and the Father are One. Christian unity is determined by whether and how well
we love one another, and whether we reflect the love of God in Christ for the
world. (Eph 4:4–6: … one body and one Spirit, just as you were called
to the one hope that belongs to your call; d5one
Lord, one faith, one baptism;e6one
God and Father of us all, Who is above all and through all and in all).(iii) Jesus
prayed for His Father’s protection for his disciples from the
attacks of the Evil One. If the disciples of Christ fall, it is because they
try to meet life with their own strength alone, and do not remember the
presence of their protecting God and seek His help. (iv) Jesus
prayed that his disciples might be consecrated in the truth. (a) ‘Consecrate’
means to set apart for a special task (Jer 1:5; Ex 28:41). (b) ‘Consecrate’
also means to equip a man with the qualities of mind, heart,
and character which are necessary for that task. God has chosen us and
dedicated us for His special service of loving and obeying Him ourselves and bringing
others to do the same. He has not left us to carry out that great task with
only our own strength, but by His grace He fits us for our task, if we place
our lives in His hands.
Life message: 1): We need to understand,
appreciate, cooperate with, and pray with and for each other: The denominations
are a reality. There is no use in our blaming each other for the historical
events which caused these divisions in Christ’s Body. What we can do is to learn
sympathetically about the doctrinal similarities and differences among the
members of our Christian community and learn to love each one and cooperate
with the members of all denominations in all ways possible. 2) Let us pray
fervently that God may show us how to proceed in building true and lasting
Christian unity without sacrificing the basic Christian principles and
teachings. Fr. Tony (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 2 Thursday: St. Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs:
The context: Today’s Gospel passage is the concluding
part of Jesus’ “High Priestly Prayer” in his Last Supper discourse.
Here, Jesus prays for true unity among his followers who accept him as their
Lord and Savior.
Divisions in Christianity: The first major division in
Christianity, which took place in the fifth century, was the schism caused when
the Eastern Orthodox Churches under the patriarchs separated themselves from
the Western Church under the Pope. Next, the Protestant Reformation in the
sixteenth century separated its followers from unity with the Church centered
in Rome and freed them from her Authority. During the following five centuries,
this separation resulted in the formation of more than 30,000 Protestant
denominations. According to Pope St. Paul VI [canonized October 14,
2018 by Pope Francis] “the Church founded by Jesus Christ and for which he
prayed is indefectibly one in Faith, in worship and in the bond of hierarchical
communion” (Creed of the People of God, 21).
Jesus’ prayer for unity: In his prayer for unity among his
disciples, Jesus mentions that the basis and criterion of unity must be the
Unity of God in His Three Divine Persons among Whom there is eternal, mutual
love and Self-giving. The unity of Jesus and his Father is a unity of love and
obedience and a unity of personal relationship. Another reason for Christian
unity is the union of the faithful with Jesus Christ in His Mystical Body by
Baptism, and through Him with the Father (verse 23). This means that the
fullness of Unity is attained through the supernatural grace, which comes to us
from the Father through Christ (cf. Jn 15:5). Jesus declares that unity among
the believers is essential if the world is to acknowledge Him as Lord and
Savior, because the disunity among Christians acts as the biggest block for
evangelization, as it offers living, constant counter-witness to the Good News
of Redemption.
Life messages: 1) Since Jesus Christ himself
left us his final wish for unity through his prayer to the Father: “that
they may all be one; even as You, Father are in Me, and I in You, that they
also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You have sent Me” (Jn
17:21), it is our duty to pray and work for meaningful unity among
Christians. 2) Let us learn to appreciate each other’s common beliefs and enter
into genuine dialogue and cooperation with members of other Christian
denominations, instead of accusing each other of heresy. We need to remember
that the present non-Catholic Christians are not responsible for the historical
events and actions from which the various denominations originated in the past.
. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 3 Friday: St. Charles Lwanga and companions, Martyrs
The context: This is a post-Resurrection
apparition scene. After miraculously providing breakfast for his apostles who
had been fishing all night, Jesus conferred on Peter the Primacy in his Church,
which Jesus had promised as a reward for Peter’s profession of Faith (Mt
16:16-19).
The triple question: As if to give him a triple chance to
atone for his triple denial, Jesus asks Peter, three times,
"Simon, son of John, do you love me (agápe love) more than
these?" Jesus asks Peter if he loves Jesus more than he loves his boat
and fishing equipment, occupation, family, and friends. Jesus is also asking
whether Peter loves him more than the other Apostles do. Instead of boasting of
his own fidelity, strength, and greater love, as he had done before his triple
denial of the Master, Peter humbly puts everything in Christ's hands. “Lord,
You know well that I love (philia love=love of a friend)
You."
The dual reward: 1) Primacy of jurisdiction over the Church
was formally defined by the First Vatican Council (Vatican I) in the First
Dogmatic Constitution “On the Church of Christ,” (Pastor Aeternus, Chapter
1) declaring, "We therefore teach and declare that, according
to the testimony of the Gospel, the primacy of jurisdiction over the universal
Church of God was immediately and directly promised and given to Blessed Peter
the Apostle by Christ our Lord. [...] And it was upon Simon Peter alone, that
Jesus, after his Resurrection, bestowed the jurisdiction of chief pastor and
ruler over all his fold in the words: ‘Feed My lambs; feed My sheep (Jn
21:15-17).’” 2) Peter was also given the promise of a martyr’s death
because real love involves responsibility as well as sacrifice. According to
Tradition, St. Peter followed his Master to the point of dying by crucifixion
-- head downwards, because he felt unworthy to die as Jesus had done. This
happened during Nero's persecution of the Christians, which took place between
the years 64 and 68 in Rome.
Life messages: 1) We need to pray for the Pope,
the successor of Peter, and for the bishops, the successors of the Apostles,
and to support them in their ministry. 2) Jesus is a God of second chances Who
gives chance after chance to sinners to return to his love, as is made clear by
Jesus’ conferring primacy in his Church on he repentant Peter. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
June 4 Saturday:
Context: Today’s Gospel passage describes the
role of Peter as the chief shepherd of Christ’s people and of John as a
long-lived witness to Christ in the early Church. The last part of the passage
was intended to correct the false notion in the early Church that John would
not die until the much-expected, imminent “second coming” of Jesus.
Jesus’ reply: Jesus’ response implies that what is important
is not to be curious about what the future will bring but to serve the Lord
faithfully each day, keeping to the way He has marked out for one.
John’s testimony about his Gospel: The passage concludes
with John’s testimony about the truth of the content of his Gospel. It also
explains the purpose of John’s Gospel: to strengthen our Faith in what Jesus
did and taught. In addition, it tells us that the written Gospels contain only
a fraction of what Jesus taught and did, implying that we have to depend upon
the Sacred Tradition of the early Church handed down to us by the early Fathers
of the Church to complete the truth of the written testimony.
Life messages: 1) Just as Peter and John each
had his unique role in Christ’s Church, so each believer, as a member of this
Mystical Body of Christ, each of us with our different talents, strengths,
weaknesses, and limits, has one’s own particular work to do in bringing the
task of the Body – to bring the world to Christ and Christ to the world – to
its completion. Hence it is our duty to bear witness to Christ by surrendering
our lives to Christ on the altar of service for the people of God and by
offering ourselves as humble instruments in the hands of Christ. . (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
