Oct 17 Monday: (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop, Martyr)
The context: Jesus tells us a short parable followed
by two amazing paradoxes. The parable is that of a grain of wheat sown into the
muddy field, growing up and yielding a good crop. The parable followed by the
paradoxes teaches us three lessons for Christian life. The first lesson is that
life comes only through death. Only when the grain of wheat dies in the muddy
soil of the field does it become a seedling. In the same way, the Church would
grow up and flourish in the death of its martyrs: “The blood of the martyrs is
the seed of the Church.” When we die to our personal ambitions and desires, we
are born as useful instruments in the hands of God. The second lesson is that
only by spending life we can retain it. The world owes a lot to saintly people
like St. Don Bosco, St. Vincent De Paul, St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother
Teresa), St. Jeanne Jugan, and St. Damien of Molokai, among others, who spent
their energy in service of the poor and the down-trodden and gave themselves to
God. The third lesson is that greatness comes through selfless and committed
service. This explains why the world still honors and cherishes the memory of
great souls mentioned above.
Life message: Let us surrender our lives to God
in the service of others with agápe love in all humility,
seeing the face of Jesus in each of them. (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 18 Tuesday: (St. Luke, Evangelist):
Resume: St. Luke was a Syrian by race, born in
Antioch as a Gentile. He became a Christian and follower of St. Paul. He had a
Greek background and education. He knew Greek, spoke Aramaic in Antioch and
became a scholar in Hebrew. He was a physician by profession (Col 4:14), and
was considered an artist, probably from his graphic descriptions of the
nativity scenes with shepherds and magi, from the parable of the lost sheep and
from a sixth century copy of the portrait of Mary (kept at Maria Maggiore
church in Rome), the original of which was believed to have been drawn by Luke.
A prolific writer: Luke could read and
understand the Greek Septuagint version of the Old Testament and the Hebrew
originals. He is the only non-Jewish Evangelist. He wrote the third Gospel and
the Acts of the Apostles, between 70 and 85 AD. They were originally one book,
and, when taken together, are longer than the fourteen epistles of St. Paul.
Luke is represented in art by an ox or calf, for he saw Jesus as a sacrifice
for all mankind and began his Gospel describing Zechariah and the Temple
worship. It is believed that Luke wrote the Gospel when he was 74 and died at
Boeotia when he was 84 years old. Luke presents Jesus as giving importance and
recognition to women and Gentiles. Contacts: Luke had close contacts with Mary
and all the Apostles, and he would have been able to interview all of them to
collect details for his Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. He was a constant
companion and doctor of St. Paul during Paul’s Jerusalem and Malta mission
trips and during Paul’s imprisonment at Caesarea and Rome. Probably he was with
Paul till Paul’s martyrdom.
Life messages: 1) We are to be apostles of prayer: Luke
presents Jesus as a man of prayer spending much of his time in listening to God
his Father to learn His will and in talking to Him in solitude. 2) We are to be
merciful and compassionate, becoming the voice of the voiceless: Luke describes
Jesus, siding with the poor and marginalized in the society (option for the
poor) and trying to give a special status to women and Gentiles. (Fr. Tony)
Oct 19 Wednesday: (Saints John de Brebeuf and Isaac
Jogues, Priests and companions,(U. S. A.) Martyrs)
The context: Today’s passage from Luke’s Gospel
is the second of three eschatological discourses in the Gospel. After Jesus’
exhortation to vigilance, Peter asks a question (v. 41). Responding to Peter,
Jesus tells the second “Master – Servant” parable and the parable of the
treasure and the thief. These stories emphasize the necessity for Faith and
vigilant preparedness in the lives of Christ’s followers. Jesus wants his
disciples to be ready to do God’s will at every moment, rendering humble and
sacrificial service to others.
The interpretation: In the parable, the chief characters are
a master (representing the risen Jesus), and his servants (Jesus’ followers).
Jesus’ words in this passage, understood in the narrower sense, refer to the
Second Coming of Jesus. Taken in a broader sense, they refer to the time of our
own death, when God will call us to meet Him and to give Him an account of our
life on earth. In the first part of today’s Gospel, Jesus tells us what our
real treasure should be and how we are to keep it safe. That treasure is our
relationship with him (the state of sanctifying grace), which the Lord offers
us in his promise of eternal life. But this treasure can be stolen by the devil
or lost by our lack of vigilance in the midst of temptations. Jesus warns that
we should be vigilant, like dutiful servants. What Jesus teaches us through
this comparison is that our relationship with God the Father and Jesus His Son
and the Holy Spirit must constantly be strengthened and deepened by our
prayers, our Sacramental life, and the reading of Holy Scripture. It is God Who
daily gives us the grace and strength to remain faithful, and He will reward
our faithfulness.
Life message: 1) We need to remain vigilant and
ready to face the Lord, mainly through prayer (listening and talking to Him).
Daily prayer will help us to wait for the Lord in our daily lives 2) Prayer
will also give us the Heavenly strength to serve Jesus whenever and in whatever
form he appears. What we frequently rediscover as we serve, love and help other
people is that God comes to us through them (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 20 Thursday: (St. Paul of the Cross, Priest (U. S.
A.)
In today’s gospel we have some apparently strange
statements by Jesus: 1) I have come to set the earth on fire, and
how I wish it were already blazing. In Jewish thought fire is almost
always the symbol of judgment. So, then, Jesus regarded the coming of his
kingdom as a time of judgment. Besides, Jesus asserts that his word burns
things up, reduces things to cinders, and clears things out so that new things
can grow. The Gospel is the Fire that gives both light and heat, warms the hearts
of God’s people, and causes them to burn within them. By teaching the Gospel in
the power of the Spirit Jesus cleanses the minds and hearts of those who
believe in Him. “Baptism” and “fire” were used together when John declares that
Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (3:16b).
2) .” There is a baptism with which I must be baptized.” The
Greek verb baptizein (GSN0907) means to dip. In the passive it
means to be submerged. Often it is used metaphorically. For instance, it is
used of a ship sunk beneath the waves. That is the way in which Jesus uses it
here, meaning that he must have a terrible experience through which he must
pass; and his life is full of tension until he passes through it and emerge
triumphantly from it. The cross is ever before his eyes as is his death to give
a ransom for many. 3) Do you think that I have come to establish peace
on the earth?v No,
I tell you, but rather division. How can it be? Jesus is the prince of
peace. The multitude of Heavenly hosts sang on the night of his birth, “Glory
to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” (Lk
2:14). The Prophet Isaiah (Is 9:5) referred to the Messiah as the “Prince
of Peace. But Jesus’ coming would inevitably mean division; in point
of fact it did. That was one of the great reasons why the Romans hated
Christianity–it tore families in two: those who accepted Jesus as Lord and
Savior and others who hated Jesus and his teachings. The essence of
Christianity is that loyalty to Christ has to take precedence over the dearest
loyalties of this earth and it caused division in families.
Life messages: 1) We need to have the courage of our
Christian convictions in what we believe based on the word of God in the Holy
Bible as taught by the Church Jesus founded, and in what what we practice.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 21 Friday:
The context: Some of Jesus’ Jewish listeners,
particularly among the leadership, lacked the necessary good will and upright
intention to listen and believe. Hence, they just closed their eyes to the
light of the Gospel preached by Jesus. They knew the signs of the Messiah’s
coming as announced by the prophets. In fact, they had heard Jesus’ preaching
and witnessed his miracles. But their pride and prejudice prevented them from
arriving at the logical conclusion that Jesus was the Messiah. Hence, in
today’s Gospel, using a vivid illustration from first century Palestinian
weather forecasting, Jesus points out the urgency of getting right with God
before it is too late.
Palestinian farmers and fishermen studied the sky, observing
the color and shape of the clouds, the direction and strength of the wind, and
so on, to forecast the weather. The wind from the west came from the
Mediterranean Sea and so brought rain. The south wind blew in from the desert
and so brought hot weather. The “signs of the times” are the earliest
appearances of events. St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that God is in all things,
“by essence, presence, and power” and that God providentially cares for every aspect
of His creation. Therefore, we should expect to see signs of His presence and
activity in nature, in history, and in human affairs. So, Jesus challenges his
hearers to read the signs of the Messianic time in his preaching and healing
ministry, and then to act accordingly. It is urgent that we get reconciled with
God while His grace, love and mercy are available for complete transformation.
Next, Jesus asks them to judge for themselves what is right, urging them to
solve issues here and now by getting reconciled also with their fellow men
every day, instead of incurring God’s punishment at the end of our lives.
Life messages: 1) It is time for us to read the
clear signs of God’s call for repentance and renewal of life coming through
Jesus and to respond by a change of heart and behavior. 2) In the same way,
forgiveness and reconciliation should be a high priority for us. There should
be no place in our lives for vindictive litigations in this litigation-crazy
period, because each of us stands in constant need of God’s help, mercy and
forgiveness. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 22: Saturday: (St. John Paul, II, Pope)
The context: Today’s Gospel passage explains how God,
our merciful and compassionate Father, disciplines His children, giving them
painful experiences in life so that they may repent of their sins, renew their
lives and produce the fruits of love, mercy, forgiveness, and service. Citing
two tragic events, Jesus exhorts the Jews of his time to repent and reform
their lives. Repentance is turning from sin to God. With the parable of the
barren fig tree, he also warns them that the merciful God will not put up with
them indefinitely. Although God patiently waits for sinners to repent, giving
them grace to do so, He will not wait forever. Time will run out; therefore,
timely repentance is necessary.
The teaching: Jesus uses two local tragedies to
teach us about our need for repentance and a renewal of life. On one occasion,
Pilate killed many Galilean Jews who had protested when he appropriated money
from the Temple treasury to build an aqueduct in Jerusalem in order to obtain a
better water supply for the pilgrims. Jesus then connects his warning to
another episode, namely, what appears to have been an accident, related to
renovation work on the control tower of the water supply scheme at Siloam, in
which eighteen people died. The Jews interpreted this tragedy as God’s
punishment of the workers who were co-operating with Pilate in his sacrilegious
aqueduct project. Jesus denies that the Galileans suffered because of their
sins but calls his listeners to repent lest they suffer for theirs. In fact, he
presents both these incidents as timely reminders of the need for all to
repent. He says, “… unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”
Life Messages: 1) We need to live lives of repentance, because (a) we never know when we will meet a tragedy of our own; (b) repentance helps us in life and in death. Repentance helps us to live with peace of mind as forgiven people and helps us to face death without fear. 2) Scripture says repentance results in forgiveness, renewal, and redirection, whereas failure to repent results in a guilty conscience which destroys our peace of mind and thus punishes us with a miserable life. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
