The context: Today’s Gospel tells us how Jesus
healed a woman in the synagogue who had been suffering for 18 years from what
seems to have been curvature of the spine. People in those days believed that
she was possessed by a spirit that drained her strength. Jesus felt sympathy
for her, called her to his side, laid his hands on her, and said: “Woman, you
are freed from your infirmity.” Immediately she was made straight, and she
praised God.
The reaction: Instead of joining the healed woman
in praising God, the ruler of the synagogue, in his zeal for fulfilling the Law
(cf. Ex 20:8; 31:14; Lv 19:3-30), publicly scolded the people for seeking
healing on a Sabbath day, indirectly blaming Jesus as a Sabbath-breaker. Jesus
reacted promptly, accusing the ruler of hypocrisy and explaining that Sabbath
rest was meant for doing acts of charity. Jesus asked the ruler why taking out
cattle and asses for drinking water was no violation of the Sabbath and releasing a
poor woman from Satan’s bond was a violation of the Sabbath ban on work.
Life messages: 1) Many of us are bowed down with
the burdens and worries of our lives. Many of us are weighed down and held
captive by terrible burdens that we carry in solitary sadness like some
terrible secrets or a paralyzing fear or some unconfessed great sins. 2) We are
often affected by spiritual deafness which makes us incapable of hearing God
speaking to us, or by spiritual dumbness which causes the inability to proclaim our
Faith in public. 3) We can also suffer from the spiritual leprosy of sins and
possession by the evil spirit of addiction to sinful habits. 4) Jesus is ready
to place a healing hand on us and liberate us if we approach the Sacrament of
Reconciliation if needed, and the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass with expectant
Faith and fervent prayer, during the Eucharistic celebration.
(Fr. Tony) https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 25 Tuesday:
The context: Today’s Gospel contains two of
Jesus’ one-line parables about the Kingdom of God. The parable of the mustard
seed probably shows that Gentiles in the Church will one day outnumber Jews.
The parable of the yeast indicates that all are invited to salvation, and the
Gentiles, who were considered evil, like yeast, will enable the Church to grow.
The small beginnings and great endings: Using a pair of
mini-parables, the mustard seed and yeast, Jesus explains how the Kingdom, or
Reign, of God grows within us by the power of the Word of God and the power of
the Holy Spirit living within us. When we surrender our lives to Jesus Christ
and allow Jesus’ word to take root in our hearts, we are transformed and made
holy by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. In the parable of the
mustard seed, the primary point of comparison is the contrast between the
smallness of the seed and the greatness of the result (“the largest of
plants”). The life principle in a small mustard seed enables it to grow into a
large bush through a slow but steady process. The microscopic yeasts within a small
piece of leaven transform a thick lump of dough overnight into soft and spongy
bread. Christianity had a small beginning, like a mustard seed or yeast, with
Jesus and a band of twelve Apostles in a remote corner of the world. But
through the power of the Holy Spirit living in individual Christians,
Christianity has become the largest religion in the world, spreading in all
countries and embracing all races of people.
Life messages: 1) We need to allow the Holy
Spirit to transform us from our evil ways and tendencies to living a life of
holiness; from unjust and uncharitable conversation to speaking with God and
listening to Him (prayer); from gossiping about people and a judgmental
attitude to showing compassion for others and supporting them with consoling,
encouraging, and inspiring words and deeds.
2) We need to act like yeast influencing the lives of others
around us: Just as Christianity in the past transformed the status of women,
children, slaves, the sick, and the poor by the power of Jesus’ Gospel, so we,
as Christians in our time, have the duty to transform the lives of people
around us by leading exemplary lives through the grace of God, according to the
promptings of the Holy Spirit. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 26 Wednesday:
The context: Continuing the fateful journey to
Jerusalem, Jesus answered the question about how many would be saved by
answering four presumed questions: Who will be saved? How? Why? When? Jesus
clearly explained that anyone who entered through the narrow gate of
sacrificial serving and sharing love would be saved. Jesus also admonished His
followers to concentrate on their own salvation rather than on other people’s
salvation.
Explanation: When the Jewish questioner asked Jesus,
“How many will be saved?” he was assuming that the salvation of God’s Chosen
People was virtually guaranteed, provided they kept the Law. In other words,
the Kingdom of God was reserved for the Jews alone, and Gentiles would be shut
out. Jesus declared that entry to the Kingdom was never an automatic event
based purely on formal religion or nationality. What Jesus is saying is that
Salvation is not guaranteed for anyone. In order to be “saved” one has to live
and to die in a close loving relationship with God and with others. Then Jesus
added two conditions: a) Eternal salvation is the result of a struggle: Hence,
we are to “keep on striving to enter.” b) We must enter through the
“narrow gate” of sacrificial and selfless service. Our answer to the question:
“Have you been saved?” should be: “I have been saved from the penalty of sin by
Christ’s death and Resurrection. I am being saved from the power of sin by the
indwelling Spirit of God. I have the hope that I shall one day be saved from
the very presence of sin when I go to be with God.”
Life messages: 1) We need to make wise decisions
and choose the narrow gate when God gives us the freedom to choose. That is, we
need to choose consistent denial of self and the steady relinquishing of sinful
pleasures, pursuits, and interests. 2) We need to check our path on a daily
basis. The parable of the locked door warns us that the time is short. Each day
sees endings and opportunities missed. “Opportunity will not knock twice at
your door.” Let us ask this question every day: How much did I strive today to
enter through the narrow gate of sacrificial and serving love in action? (Fr.
Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 27 Thursday:
The context: Some Pharisees warned Jesus that he
was in imminent danger of arrest by Herod. They might have been either his
friends among the Pharisees or Jesus’ enemies who wanted him to leave their
territory.
Jesus’ reaction: Jesus called Herod a fox – a cunning,
fearful, and dangerous animal. But with prophetic courage, Jesus was determined
to do the Messianic work entrusted to him by God his Father. Hence, Jesus sent
the message to Herod that he would continue with his preaching and healing
ministry. Prophesying his death in Jerusalem, Jesus expressed his love and
longing for the Holy City of Jerusalem, using the image of a mother hen
gathering all her chicks under her protective wings. Across the valley from the
city of Jerusalem, there is a church called Dominus flevit, which
means, “The Lord wept.” On the base of the altar of that Church, there is a
small mosaic showing a mother hen with her chicks. They are under her wings for
protection, some of them peering out in the way that chicks do. “The image of
being protected by wings, which occurs often in the Old Testament, refers to God’s
love and protection of his people. It is to be found in the prophets, in the
canticles of Moses (cf. Dt 32:11), and in many Psalms” (cf. 17:8; 36:8; 57:2;
61:5; 63:8). That mosaic is the representation of today’s Gospel text
expressing God’s warm and protective maternal love. Jesus loved Jerusalem and
its inhabitants. Hence, he felt deep sorrow at its lack of response to his
message, a lack which would continue when he preached there in the last week of
his earthly life. Finally, he said to those who had warned him, “Behold,
your House is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, ‘Blessed
is he who comes in the name of the Lord'”(Luke 13:35) – either at
Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday or at his final coming as
Judge and Lord of all.
Life messages: 1) As Christians we should have
the courage of our religious convictions, and the good will to practice them.
2) We need to be aware of the dire consequences of rejecting God’s graces and
the chances He gives us every day to reform our lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 28 Friday: (Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles)
Simon the Zealot was the brother of Jude and
James the Lesser and, with them, was chosen by Jesus to become an apostle. His
name appears in all four Gospels in the list of apostles. (According to
tradition, Simeon, Jude, and James the Lesser were sons of Cleophas (Alphaeus)
and Mary, a cousin of Mary the mother of Jesus and hence cousins of Jesus). In
order to distinguish him from Simon Peter, this Simon is called Simon the
Zealot, probably because of his great zeal for Jewish Law and its practice.
The Zealots among the Jews were a Maccabean rebel group of patriotic Jews who
would only acknowledge Yahweh as their King. Therefore, they refused to pay
taxes to the Roman Empire and were determined to fight against any foreign
rule. Some of the Fathers of the Church think that it was Simon’s marriage
celebration in Cana of Galilee at which Jesus transformed water into wine. As
an apostle and admirer of Jesus, Simon was transformed into a zealous
evangelizer who preached in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Persia and, along with his
brother Jude, suffered martyrdom.
Jude or Judas Thaddeus: He was the brother of
James the Lesser and Simon the Zealot. The three were probably cousins of Jesus
on his mother’s side. Jude was the one who asked Jesus at the Last Supper why
he did not manifest himself to the world as Jesus had done to his disciples.
Jude wrote one Epistle to the Churches in the East and preached in Judea,
Samaria, Idumea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Libya. He was martyred by stoning. He
is venerated as the patron saint of seemingly impossible cases because a) in
his Epistle he stresses the importance of perseverance in harsh and difficult
circumstances; b) he was a close relative of Jesus; and c) he was ignored
(since he shared the name “Judas” with Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus).
According to some first century Mesopotamian legends, he performed miracles
that outshone those of the local sorcerers and magicians and cured a local king
of leprosy.
Life message: We share the mission of the
Apostles – the mission of preaching the Good News — by bearing witness to
Christ’s love, mercy, and spirit of forgiveness and loving service to all,
through our transparent Christian lives. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 29 Saturday:
Introduction: Today’s Gospel teaches us the need
for true humility and the blessedness of generous sharing with the needy. It
warns us against all forms of pride and self-glorification. It presents humility,
not only as a virtue, but also as a means of opening our hearts, our minds, and
our hands to the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged and the marginalized people
in our society – the personal responsibility of every authentic Christian.
At a dinner party where Jesus was a guest of honor, he
explained the practical benefits of humility, connecting it with the common
wisdom about dining etiquette. The Master advised the guests to go to the
lowest place instead of seeking places of honor, so that the host might give
them the place they really deserved. Jesus’ words concerning the seating of
guests at a banquet should prompt us to honor those whom others ignore because
if we are generous and just in our dealings with those in need, we can be
confident of the Lord’s blessings.
Life Messages: 1) We need to practice humility in our personal and social life: Humility is based on the psychological awareness that everything I have is a gift from God and, therefore, I have no reason, on that account or any other, to elevate myself above others. On the contrary, I must use these God-given gifts to help others. 2) True humility requires us neither to overestimate nor to underestimate our worth. 3) We must admit the truths that we are sinners, that we do not know everything, and that we do not always act properly. Nevertheless, we must also recognize that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and that we are called to help build the kingdom of God with our God-given gifts. 4) We are of value, not because of those gifts, but because we are loved by God as His children and redeemed by the precious Blood of His Son, Jesus. 5) The quality of humility that Jesus is talking about has a sociological dimension too. For Jesus is inviting us to associate with the so-called “lower classes” of society — even the outcasts. Jesus invites us to change our social patterns in such a way that we connect with and serve with agape love the homeless, the handicapped, the elderly, and the impoverished — the “street people” of the world. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
