AD SENSE

Easter 2013 - Homilies and Stories

You probably do not remember the name Nikolai Ivanovich Bukharin. During his day he was as powerful a man as there was on earth. A Russian Communist leader he took part in the Bolshevik Revolution 1917, was editor of the Soviet newspaper Pravda (which by the way means truth), and was a full member of the Politburo. His works on economics and political science are still read today. There is a story told about a journey he took from Moscow to Kiev in 1930 to address a huge assembly on the subject of atheism. Addressing the crowd he aimed his heavy artillery at Christianity hurling insult, argument, and proof against it.

An hour later he was finished. He looked out at what seemed to be the smoldering ashes of men's faith. "Are there any questions?" Bukharin demanded. Deafening silence filled the auditorium but then one man approached the platform and mounted the lectern standing near the communist leader. He surveyed the crowd first to the left then to the right. Finally he shouted the ancient greeting known well in the Russian Orthodox Church: "CHRIST IS RISEN!" En masse the crowd arose as one man and the response came crashing like the sound of thunder: "HE IS RISEN INDEED!"

Human Body

15 Things You Didn't Know About the Human Body  

15 Things You Didn't Know About the Human Body Infographic

Good Friday

(Courtesy: Fr Tony Kadavil)
Good Friday

Good Friday (I) 2006: Seven Words from the Cross
Biblical anecdote: Hagar at Beer-Sheba versus Mary at Calvary: "Let me not watch to see the child die," (Genesis 21:16) lamented Hagar, after putting her child Ishmael, son of Abraham, down under a shrub, and then going and sitting down opposite him, about a bowshot away. Hagar was the slave and maid servant of Abraham, voluntarily given to him as his substitute wife by his legal wife Sarah, who had proved barren. But later when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael, Sarah became jealous of Hagar and her son and insisted that Hagar and her son should be cast out. Early the next morning Abraham got some bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. Then, placing the child on her back, he sent her away. "As she roamed aimlessly in the wilderness of Beer-Sheba, the water in the skin was used up," (Gen. 21: 14-15) and Ishmael was about to die of dehydration in the scorching heat of the sun. It was then that the broken hearted mother Hagar prayed to God, lamenting that she could not watch her son dying of thirst in the hot desert. The book of Genesis tells us how God intervened and saved Hagar and her son. Centuries later at Calvary we see another mother - Mary - remaining at the foot of the cross of her son Jesus, determined to keep watch with him as he died for the sins of mankind and to hear his last sermon of seven words from the cross. We too are invited today to hear what she heard and to see how her son died as our savior. Let us repeat what Peter said at the mountain of Transfiguration: "Lord, it is good that we stay here."

Holy Thursday

(Courtesy: Fr Tony Kadavil)
Holy Thursday

 Holy Thursday Evening Mass (March 28): Homily Synopsis 

 
Introduction: On Holy Thursday we celebrate three anniversaries: 1) the anniversary of the first Holy Mass, 2) the anniversary of the institution of ministerial priesthood, in order to perpetuate the Holy Mass, to convey God’s forgiveness to repentant sinners and to preach the good news of salvation, 3) the anniversary of Jesus’ promulgation of His new commandment of love: “Love one another as I have loved you.” Today we remember how Jesus transformed the Jewish Passover into the New Testament Passover.  The Jewish Passover was, in fact, a joint celebration of two ancient thanksgiving celebrations.  The descendants of Abel, who were shepherds, used to lead their sheep from the winter pastures to the summer pastures after the sacrificial offering of a lamb to God.  They called this celebration the “Pass over."  On the other hand, the descendants of Cain, who were farmers, held a harvest festival called the Massoth in which they offered unleavened bread to God as an act of thanksgiving.  The Passover feast of the Israelites (Exodus 12:26-37) was a harmonious combination of these two ancient feasts of thanksgiving, commanded by the Lord God and celebrated yearly by all Israelites, to thank God for the miraculous liberation of their ancestors from Egypt and their exodus to the Promised Land.

The stranger in ppt


Palm Sunday C - Homilies and Stories

“Either give up Christ or give up your jobs.”

Constantine the Great was the first Christian Roman emperor. His father Constantius I who succeeded Diocletian as emperor in 305 A.D. was a pagan with a soft heart for Christians. When he ascended the throne, he discovered that many Christians held important jobs in the government and in the court.  So he issued an executive order to all those Christians: “Either give up Christ or give up your jobs.” The great majority of Christians gave up their jobs rather than disowning Christ. Only a few cowards gave up their religion rather than lose their jobs. The emperor was pleased with the majority who showed the courage of their convictions and gave their jobs back to them saying: "If you will not be true to your God you will not be true to me either.” Today we join the Palm Sunday crowd in spirit to declare our loyalty to Christ and fidelity to his teachings by actively participating in the Palm Sunday liturgy. As we carry the palm leaves to our homes, we are declaring our choice to accept Jesus as the king and ruler of our lives and our families. Let us express our gratitude to Jesus for redeeming us by his suffering and death, through active participation in the Holy Week liturgy and reconciliation with God and His Church, repenting of our sins and receiving God's pardon and forgiveness from Jesus through his Church.  
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Thomas O’Loughlin
Introduction to the Celebration 

The text in the Missal (p. 123: ‘Dear friends in Christ …‘) cannot be bettered. However, care should be taken to read it as if it were one’s own notes so as to stress the notion that we are entering into the Great Week, accompanying Christ in the Paschal Mystery. 

Jesus Writes Our Sins on Sand and His Pardon on Our Hearts

Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year C
By Monsignor Francesco Follo

ROME, March 15, 2013 (Zenit.org) -
Love forgives
Once more we listen to a Gospel of mercy. Last Sunday we have contemplated the embrace of the merciful Father who with his love hugs and rehabilitates the prodigal son, who had left the paternal house and had wasted not only his inheritance, but also his dignity.
Today we contemplate Jesus, who writes the sins of the fragile humanity on sand and his mercy in the heart of a woman thirsty for life.

From A School Principal's Speech at a Graduation..

He said "The Doctor wants his child to become a doctor......... 
the Engineer wants his child to become an engineer......
The Businessman wants his ward to become CEO.....
BUT a teacher also wants his child to become one of them, as well..!!!!

Lent 5 Sunday C - Woman Caught in Adultery

Lent 5 Sunday C Homilies and Stories
Thomas O’Loughlin,
Introduction to the Celebration


Today we read one of the most moving passages in the whole of the gospels: a woman, a wife who had been caught committing adultery is brought before Jesus so that he can be tested to see if he will ‘do the right thing’ and say she should be stoned. Jesus asks for the man who is not a sinner among the accusers to begin the stoning, and the group melts away one by one. Jesus does not condemn the woman for her conduct, but challenges her to begin life afresh. This is the challenge Jesus puts to us each Lent:

The Stranger

 

A few years after I was born, my dad met a stranger who was new to our small town.  From the beginning, Dad was fascinated with this enchanting newcomer and soon invited him to live with our family.  The stranger was quickly accepted and was around from then on.