Oct 19 Monday: St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues,
Priests & Companions, Martyrs (USA); Lk 12:13-21:
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 our own 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 points out to the
audience the folly of greed and selfishness. He declares that the criterion for
Heavenly bliss is not earthly wealth but how generously 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 2
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 need to be generous in sharing our time, our
treasure, and our talents, the three elements of Christian stewardship. 2) We
must learn 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 still 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 Tuesday: St. Paul of the Cross, Priest, (USA): Lk
12:35-38:
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 for 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 3
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 us, his
disciples, to be ready to do God’s will at every moment, reaching out to love
those around us and freely offering them humble, 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 each of us to meet Him and to give Him a personal account of our life on
earth. Since the precise time of either sense is unknown to us, our proper –
and safest – response is constant watchfulness. Since we cannot 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
Kgs 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
who appears to us in different disguises every day. 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, Jesus appears. 3) 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 Wednesday; Lk 12:39-48:
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 out of love.
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 each of us to meet Him and to
give Him an account of our own 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). 2)
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. 3)
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 22 Thursday: St. John Paul II, Pope: Luke
12:49-53:
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 the kingdom of
Heaven as a time of judgment. Additionally, Jesus asserts that his word burns
things up, reduces things to cinders, and clears things out so that 6
new things can grow. The Gospel IS the Fire that gives both
light and heat, warms the hearts of God’s people, and causes their hearts 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”
are 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 has passed through
it, emerging triumphant! 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? No, I tell you, but rather division.” How can this 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 referred to the Messiah as
the “Prince of Peace” (Is 9:5). 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 that causes division in families.
Life message: 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 expressed in what what we
practice.(https://frtonyshomilies.com/)
Oct 23 Friday: St. John Capistrano, Priest: Lk 12:57-59
& 13:1- 5:
The central themes: The first part of today’s Gospel
teaches that people should try to resolve their differences before going to
court because, If they didn’t, they could face humiliation, destitution, and
even prison. St. Bede explains it thus: When we listen to the Word of God, our
Lord will convict us of our faults so that we can reconcile our lives with the
Truth of the Word of God Himself. If we listen to these convictions, then we
will not have any need to stand before the Judge. But if we do not, or if we
bury these convictions, or downplay them and ignore them, then we will begin to
experience His judgment, and we will even be held accountable for the smallest
of sins. We will be required to “pay the last penny.” The second part of
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.
The teaching: In the second part of today’s Gospel,
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 8
eighteen people died. The Jews interpreted this tragedy as
God’s punishment of the workers who were cooperating 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, Jesus presents these two 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 teaches that 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.
Oct 24 Saturday: St. Anthony Mary Claret, Bishop: Lk
13:1-9:
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 cooperating 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/)
