Oct 16 Monday: (St. Hedwig, Religious; Sr. Margarete Mary Alacoque, Virgin):
The context: Jesus continues his condemnation of
the hypocrisy of the Scribes and the Pharisees, comparing it to leaven or
yeast. The Jews considered yeast as something evil, corrupting the dough during
the process of fermentation. That is why the Law given through Moses prescribes
unleavened bread for offering to God. Jesus reminded the common people that the
Pharisees were hypocrites who pretended to be holy, and that they corrupted
people as the yeast corrupts the dough. The teaching and example of the scribes
and the Pharisees influenced the crowd in a disastrous way, especially when the
teachers failed to practice what they preached. Jesus also warned these
religious leaders that their sins would be brought to light at the Last
Judgment (CCC #678).
Hearing in secret and announcing in public: According to
the Navarre Bible Commentary, most Palestinian houses had a roof in
the form of a terrace. There people would meet to chat and while away their
time in the hottest part of the day. Jesus pointed out to his disciples that in
these get-togethers, things said in private became matters of public
discussion. In the same way, despite the Pharisees’ and scribes’ efforts to
hide their vices and defects under the veil of piety, all they had hidden would
become a matter of common knowledge.
A reverential fear of God: Since nothing — not even the most
insignificant thing — escapes God, no one should fear that any suffering or
persecution he experiences in following Christ will remain unrewarded in
eternity. But our fear of God should not be servile (based on fear of
punishment). It should be a filial fear (the fear of a child who loves, and so
does not want to displease, his or her father), a reverent awe nourished by our
trust in Divine Providence.
Life messages: 1) In contrast to the hypocrisy
of the Pharisees, the followers of Jesus must display transparency in their
Christian lives by practicing what they profess. 2) They should also maintain a
reverential fear of God, adjusting their actions in such a way that they may
not displease a loving heavenly Father. (Fr. Tony)
Oct 17 Tuesday: (St. Ignatius of Antioch, Bishop,
Martyr)
The context: The scribes and Pharisees
attributed Jesus’ miracles of driving demons out of possessed people to the
work of the devil rather than to God. Pride in their knowledge of the Hebrew
Scriptures and prejudice against Jesus, the wandering preacher, prompted them
to attribute Jesus’ exorcisms to the devil’s power and Jesus’ collaboration
with the devil. The first part of today’s Gospel is Jesus’ reply to their false
accusation.
Unpardonable sin: The Jews did not have any idea of a Triune
God. For them the Spirit of God was God Himself. It was this Divine Spirit Who
spoke through Moses and the prophets and Who enabled men and women to
understand the Sacred Scriptures. So, Jesus told the unbelieving Jews that they
were refusing to believe in the Spirit of God and in the Messianic prophecies
given by Him when they attributed Jesus’ miracles to the devil. Hence, theirs
was a sin of blasphemy against the Spirit of God. Since they remained
unrepentant, thus refusing God’s mercy and forgiveness, their sin against the
Holy Spirit of God was unforgivable. In the second part of today’s Gospel,
Jesus introduced the Holy Spirit as a Teacher and an Attorney Who would help
defend his disciples when they were brought to trial before the Jewish
synagogues and Roman authorities because of their Faith in Jesus as God and
Savior.
Life messages: 1) Let us have the generosity and
good will not to close our eyes to God or to shut our ears to His voice, thus
refusing the chances given us by our merciful God to repent of our sins and
renew our lives. 2) Let us ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen us in our fight
against temptations, and let us pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit
(Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 18 Wednesday: (St. Luke, Evangelist):
Biography: 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 the 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, first in Caesarea, then in 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 in order 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: (St. John de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues,
Priests and Companions, Martyrs):
The context: Jesus told the parable of the
foolish rich man as a response to a Jew who had asked Jesus’ help in solving
his dispute with his brother concerning their paternal inheritance. By relating
this parable, Jesus warns us against all types of greed, because greed takes
our life’s focus away from God and away from serving and loving other people.
Instead, greed directs all our energy and attention to fulfilling the self,
making our wealth the basis of our security. Jesus also warns us against the
temptation to place our dependence upon material things because “one’s life does
not consist of possessions.”
The teaching: Through this parable Jesus teaches the
audience the folly of greed and selfishness. He declares that the criterion for
Heavenly bliss is not earthly wealth but how we share what we have with others.
In the parable, God calls the rich man “fool” because 1) he has evicted God
from his heart, enthroned money instead, and worshipped his wealth; 2) he has
also evicted his brothers and sisters in need from his heart because there is
place in it only for his wealth; 3) he has filled his heart with himself and
has become greedy; 4) he has forgotten that he will die one day and lose all
his possessions.
Life messages: 1) We need to share our blessings with
others because all these things have been loaned to us by God, and so we are
accountable for their use. We must be generous in sharing our time, our
treasure, and our talents, the three elements of Christian stewardship. 2) We
need to control our greed because it diverts our life and energies from loving
God and from serving and loving Him in other people to loving ourselves alone.
Our greed takes different shapes and forms. For some it may be the desire for
the approval and praise of others. For others it is the uncontrolled desire for
power, control or fame. For a few others it takes the form of desire for
excessive and sinful indulgence in eating, drinking, gambling, drugs or sexual
activities. Hence, let us rely on the strength of God to free us from all forms
of greed. (Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 20 Friday: (St. Paul of the Cross, priest,
(U.S.A.)
The context: Today’s passage from Luke’s Gospel
is one of three eschatological discourses in the Gospel. It gives us one of the
two “Master – Servant” parables. It emphasizes the necessity of Faith and
vigilant preparedness in the lives of Christ’s followers. Since a Jewish wedding
feast could last a week, the servants had ample time to take their rest before
the master’s return. Garments tied up about the waist are an image of readiness
in the Scriptures because the Jewish soldiers wore full-length garments while
Roman soldiers wore kilts, which enabled them to run at full speed when they
had to. Jesus wants his disciples to be ready to do God’s will at every moment,
by loving others through humble and sacrificial service.
The interpretation: In the parable, the chief characters are
a master (representing the risen Jesus), and his servants (Jesus’ followers).
According to the Fathers of the Church, Jesus’ words in this passage have two
senses. In the narrower sense, the words refer to the Second Coming of Jesus,
but in the 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. Since the
precise time of either is unknown to us, the proper attitude for us is constant
watchfulness. Since we can not be sure about the day of our death, we should do
our present work perfectly every day, and not leave it undone, half-done or
postponed.
Life messages 1) We need to stay vigilant and
ready to face the Lord through prayer. One of the traditional means for
remaining alert is prayer. The most important elements in prayer are listening
to God (1 Kings 19:11-12) and talking to Him. This means we have
to set aside a quiet time every day during which we can tune our ears to God’s
message of love, harmony and peace, and respond to Him. 2) We need to wait for
the Lord. We must wait for the Lord in our daily lives by learning to see Jesus
in the least of our brothers and sisters. In other words, we must be prepared
to serve Jesus whenever and in whatever form he appears. What we discover in
serving, loving, and helping other people is that God invariably comes to us
through them.
(Fr. Tony) (https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 21 Saturday:
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. Fortunately,
God 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 and enable us to see Jesus in the least of our brothers and sisters. It will 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/)
