Cycle A - Year 1:  

3 September 2017:  Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Jeremiah 20: 7-9

Second Reading:   Romans 12: 1-2

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 16: 21-27

The Christian challenge!

In a romantic plot, the man promises his girl to fly her to the moon and back in order to win her heart.

But then Apollo 11 happened, and on July 20, 1969 the first man who ever stepped on the moon's surface, Neil Amstrong, showed that there is nothing romantic on the surface of the moon after all. Would the girl still ride with the man to the moon?

And so also in our Christian journey. Will  you follow our Lord Jesus Christ if His only way is through the cross?

In this Sunday's Gospel narrative, our Lord surprised His disciples with the announcement that He is going to Jerusalem to suffer, die and rise again. He makes it clear that, even with the great miracles He has already performed, the cross remains at the center of His salvific mission.

Now, Peter, who has just been called the "rock" upon which Christ would build His Church in last Sunday's Gospel, reacts negatively to Jesus' announcement. Peter says that he will not allow these terrible things to happen to Jesus. Because Peter was thinking in worldly standards, and did not yet understand the meaning of Christ's suffering and death. So Jesus rebukes him: "You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do."

Then Jesus tells His disciples: "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,

take up his cross and follow me." These words are meant not just for the first apostles, many of whom would indeed die for their faith. They are meant as well for any one of us today who would call ourselves Jesus' disciples.

So what does "taking up the cross" mean to us? Let us reflect on it in several ways....

It means we must die to our sin. Our Lord makes it clear that we must put to death our inclination to sin. The Scriptures are clear on this: God hates iniquity!

"Taking up the cross" also means responding faithfully to the demands and duties of our life's calling or vocation. For example, husband and wife take up a cross when they vow to be faithful to one another in good times and bad, in sickness and in health, in prosperity or adversity. Because fulfilling those vows means giving up or putting on hold certain personal plans and dreams (like one's career or travel plans, perhaps) because the family comes first.

A worker "takes up a cross" when he or she does his/her work faithfully and efficiently, resisting the temptation of corruption and other forms of malpractice at work.

Students "Take up their cross" when they remain focused in their studies, giving importance to the sacrifices of their parents, rather than wasting their time on anything that takes them away from completing their education.

A priest "takes up a cross" when he lives up to his vow of celibacy for the mission, or when he chooses to give priority to his mission over his own personal interests and even safety, becoming like Christ Himself to others.

And so there are many more life situations, but in sum, "taking up the cross" means we must be ready to root out sin because we know that God loves us. We must be ready to do God's will and not our own. It means we are willing to let God tear down whatever is keeping us from God, whatever obstacles are keeping us from really knowing God's love for us.

But does it mean that Christian life is simply about sacrifices and drudgery? Well, it is not. Christian life is not all about the cross. Christ's prediction of His passion was followed by the promise of glory. Yes, our Lord will die, but He will rise again. And so if we are willing to die to sin and remain faithful to God's will for us, then not only shall we die for Christ but we shall also rise to new life with Him, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

This is our Christian challenge today, the cost to pay in order to follow Jesus through His cross of passion and resurrection.

In Holy Mass, let us pray for courage and faith to accept the cross as part of our life's journey in following Jesus, who saved the world by His passion, death and resurrection.

A blessed Sunday to us all and thank you for a moment with God.

 Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:  

27 August 2017:  Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 22:19-23

Second Reading:   Romans 11:33-36

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 16:13-20

A test of faith!

How well  you know a person conditions the relationship you establish with that person. But knowing the person is not so much in the physical sense rather more on the inner self. Because we know that physical attributes fade away, while that within us is lasting.

The Gospel narrative this Sunday tells us how the first disciples know our Lord Jesus Christ, and how that knowledge of Him gave them the courage and inspiration to follow our Lord in His public ministry, even unto death.

Jesus has established faithful followers. At a certain point in His mission, He wanted to know to what extent His disciples had pierced the mystery of His person. So Jesus asked His closest disciples about what people thought of Him? They replied with many answers: for some He was "John the Baptizer"; for others "Elijah" who was supposed to reappear before the Messiah; and still for others "Jeremiah or one of the prophets" who had to come back to life.

The truth was that Jesus was not really interested about what other people say about Him; because He wanted to know how His own ministry had disclosed His true identity. So our Lord asked the disciples the decisive question: "But who do you say that I am?"

Peter was the one who has the deepest insights into our Lord's person. He was quick to reply: "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!" By his answer, Peter grasped the deepest reality of Jesus: His divine being. Our Lord Himself said that this understanding did not come from Peter's human capabilities. Rather, Peter was given knowledge of the mystery of Jesus because he listened to the Lord, saw His miraculous deeds and trusted Jesus absolutely.

The Gospel story continues that Jesus rewarded the faith and confession of Peter by giving him the key or the leadership of the Church Jesus Himself established. So Jesus said to him: "And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

In sum, the Gospel for this Sunday has two parts: the first part is the Confession of Peter, and the second part is the Commissioning of Peter as the first Pope. And Peter accomplished his mission, leading the Church to our generations through all the Popes that succeeded him. And so the "Pope, following Saint Peter, continuous to play a crucial role in guiding and maintaining the unity of the Catholic Church."

And so today, our Lord Jesus Christ asks the same question to all Christians in our generations: "And you, who do you say that I am?"

At this point, let us pause awhile and reflect our answer to the question. Because our individual and personal response defines our own relationship with our Lord Jesus. Like Peter, our "confession" of faith must also go deeper than just lip service. Our "confession" of faith must come with a "commissioning" to be Jesus' disciples here and now, in our time. "Commissioning" means effectively translating our "confession" of faith into concrete actions for the good of the whole Church, for example through love and Christian charity for others, within our family, the bigger community, the nation, and the whole world. 

In the  Eucharist at Mass, let us pray for Pope Francis and other leaders of the Church that they remain faithful stewards and exercise their pastoral authority according to the examples of our Lord Jesus Christ, the sole foundation of the Church, especially during these most trying times in the history of our nation.

Let us also pray for our Christian brethren persecuted because of their faith, that they remain steadfast and unwavering in the belief that victory in Jesus Christ is their final reward.... in God's kingdom. Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:  

20 August 2017:  Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 56:1, 6-7

Second Reading:   Romans 11:13-15, 29-32

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 15:21-28

A great and persistent faith!

There is this popular dictum that says like this: "If at first you don't succeed, try and try again!". It inspires those struggling with anything. And it would seem that it has also a biblical connection.

Let us find that out in the Gospel narrative for this Sunday. Here is another beautiful story of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and His mission to help those who come to Him with trust and confidence.

The Gospel story is about a Canaanite woman who calls out to Jesus to beg our Lord to heal her daughter tormented by a demon. Now the Jews consider Canaanites as foreigners and pagans. That is why Jesus did not immediately respond to the woman's plea. Instead, Jesus reminded her that He came first to seek out the lost sheep of the house of Israel or Jews, and not a foreigner like her.

The story goes on that in spite of this mild snub, the Canaanite woman persists, draws even closer to our Lord, pays Him homage and pleads, "Lord, help me."

Jesus said to her in reply, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done to you as you wish." Thus, her persistence paid off in the end.

Now then, recall that in all the Gospel accounts, Jesus at times responds immediately to a request for help or healing. But sometimes He delays. Yet always He offers His blessing to those who come to Him with faith and trust.

We need to remember that God has a perfect timing, which may differ from our own expectations. Because He knows the depths of our hearts better than we know them ourselves. God knows when a person is ready to receive a particular grace, and when we need to do or have something more before we are ready.

So then God sometimes wants to test our faith, purify our hearts, or grant us the opportunity to grow in our spiritual life so that we may discover that what we ask for is in union with His divine plan. In other words, God knows how to prepare our hearts so that we are ready to receive what we really need, and not necessarily what we ask for. That is why God's wisdom and love may look to us very puzzling at times, and even beyond our comprehension perhaps, but His actions always flow from the depths of His love and His truth.

In sum, the lesson of this Sunday's Gospel is that we must keep faith, persevere, and approach our Lord Jesus Christ with confidence. Great faith conquers difficulties and obstacles in our journey of life.

So let us pray: O God, I may not understand how everything will work out, but I trust You always. I don't see a way at times, but I know You will make a way for me. Because I have great faith that at this very moment You are touching hearts, opening doors, and lining up the right breaks and right opportunities to those who believe and persist. Even when things may look dark and bleak now, but I have great faith that my dawn is coming, in Your time. Amen.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!

Cycle A - Year 1:  

13 August 2017:  Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

(Liturgical Color: Green)

Readings:

First Reading:        1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a

Second Reading:   Romans 9:1-5

Gospel:Please Read  Matthew 14:22-33

Increase our faith, Lord!

What is a miracle? Why does our Lord Jesus perform miracles?

The simplest definition of miracles is that they are divine intervention in human events and natural order of things.

We can also say that miracles are something out of the ordinary. Yet, if we reflect further almost all of our Lord's recorded miracles in the Bible have something of the ordinary about them. That is to say, for example, in His healing ministry Jesus did not bestow superhuman powers to those He healed. He merely restored to them what every normal person should have. Thus, to the blind He gave sight, but not x-ray vision; the lame walked at His command, but they were not given wings to fly.

Even when Jesus fed the multitude with just five loaves and two fish, and still had twelve baskets full of left over, it was not magic food to satisfy their hunger forever.

And when He raised Lazarus back to life, it was not yet eternal life. Because Lazarus had to live out the rest of his years on earth as an ordinary man, and die again before he could enter heaven.

But in this Sunday's Gospel narrative there is a notable exception to his rule of the ordinary. So St. Peter able to walk on the water is like having superpower that no other men could do. Jesus granted this exceptional privilege only to St. Peter, and not to any other disciples. Biblical scholars say that this is indicative of the Lord's gift of authority to St. Peter as the "rock" on whom He builds the Church.

Scriptures describe God as having authority over the waters. Thus.Jesus' walking on the water Himself reveals His divinity.

So, when St. Peter asks our Lord to let him come out to the waters is clearly a

confirmation of his faith in Christ's divinity. But when St. Peter takes his eyes off the Lord, because he begins to fear the big waves, trouble comes and he begins to sink. Jesus needed to rescue him.

What does this miracle of walking on the water teach us in our particular time and situation today?

With Jesus, anything is possible in our lives, even walking on the water. For the God who created the universe out of nothing is "well-qualified" to direct our lives and allow us to overcome seemingly insurmountable difficulties and challenges we face every day.

But we must remain focused on Jesus, even when outside factors appear and overpower our own abilities. Because without Jesus in our lives, even our own abilities limit us.

In the Eucharist at Mass, let us pray for faith to believe in God's presence in both ordinary and extraordinary moments in our lives.

A blessed Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!