Sts Peter and Paul

OVERWHELMED BY GRACE

Acts 12:1-11; 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18; Matthew 16:13-19

Readings for Sts Peter and Paul

Allen Gardiner was a British naval officer and a missionary to South Africa, Chile, and Patagonia. Despite the many hardships he experienced as a missionary, he said: “While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me.” He died, aged 57, of disease and starvation while serving on Picton Island. His diary, found near his body, bore the record of hunger, thirst, wounds, and loneliness. The last entries written with a trembling hand read: “I am, by his abounding grace, kept in perfect peace, refreshed with a sense of my saviour’s love… I am overwhelmed by the grace of God.”

Peter and Paul, like Gardiner, could write/ talk about the abounding grace of God in their lives! 

The first reading recounts God’s dramatic rescue of Peter from prison: four squads of four soldiers each guard Peter, who is secured by double chains; an angel leads a dazed Peter past the guards and past the closed iron gates. The whole episode indicates that Peter’s escape is through God’s grace.

In the gospel, Jesus tells Peter that it is God’s grace alone that has revealed to him that Jesus is the Christ.

Paul’s words to Timothy—“I was rescued from the lion’s mouth”—attest to God’s grace, which has preserved him “from every threat.” Because of God’s abounding grace, Paul could write “we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).

Through the hardships and difficulties of our lives—nothing compared with the hardships that Peter and Paul (and Gardiner) underwent—can you and I feel God’s abounding and overwhelming grace?  

The Body and Blood of Christ

I HAVE NOTHING MORE TO GIVE YOU

Genesis 14:18-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; Luke 9:11b-17

Readings for the Body and Blood of Christ

In 1967, Robert Sténuit—the Belgian underwater archaeologist—discovered the wreck of the Spanish Armada ship, the Girona, off the coast of Ireland. Among the many treasures he recovered was a wedding ring. The top of the ring had a hand holding a heart; the band had these words etched on it: “no tengo mas que darte” (I have nothing more to give you).

The same image and words could be used to describe today’s Feast of the Body and Blood of Jesus. The feast (and every Eucharist) is Jesus symbolically saying to us: “I have nothing more to give you.” 

There are three aspects to today’s celebration: self-gift; sacrifice; service.

Self-gift: Abram gives Melchizedek a tenth of everything he has. Jesus challenges the apostles: “Give the people something to eat yourselves.” All they have is five loaves and two fish. For Jesus, this meagre contribution is enough to satiate the hunger of the five thousand… with enough left over to feed another crowd. Luke does not say that Jesus multiplies the loaves and fish; Luke uses words associated with the Eucharist in narrating the miracle! In the second reading, Paul describes Jesus’ total self-gift of his body and blood at the Last Supper; he has nothing more to give us. 

Sacrifice: At the Last Supper, Jesus symbolically and sacramentally gave himself to his apostles. On Calvary, he broke his body and shed his blood for his people; Jesus could truly say: “I have nothing more to give you.”

Service: At the Last Supper, Jesus did more than break bread and share the cup; he washed the feet of his disciples. In his gospel, St John does not have the institution narrative; he has rather a description of Jesus washing his disciples’ feet. For John, the towel and basin are Eucharistic symbols. 

Self-gift, sacrifice, service! This is what we celebrate. This is our challenge.

Am I willing to give myself for others? What are the “five loaves and two fish” I am called to share with others? How can I be body broken and blood shed for others? In what way will I serve and love others in the week ahead?

May we relive Jesus’ self-gift, sacrifice and service so that we too can say: “I have nothing more to give you.” 

The Holy Trinity

A PRACTICAL MYSTERY

Proverbs 8:22-31; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

Readings for Trinity Sunday

The philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote: “The doctrine of the Trinity provides absolutely nothing of practical value, even if one claims to understand it.”

Many agree with Kant! The math (1+1+1=3) is wrong; philosophers/theologians use a term like “consubstantial” to explain it; the doctrine surpasses our understanding. But, Kant got it wrong! The doctrine is a “practical mystery” with radical consequences for our life. 

First: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are unique and distinct. To help us understand that uniqueness, God has revealed to us three separate functions of the three persons—the Father creates; the Son reconciles and redeems; and the Spirit guides and teaches. 

Second: these three unique and distinct persons live in communion; they form a community; God is a family! Today’s gospel text indicates the close relationship they share: “the Spirit will guide you to all truth… he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine.” An intimate and magnificent collaboration! 

The Greek Fathers use the word “perichoresis” to describe this loving communion of the Trinity; the word may be defined as a “dancing together”. God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing.

What are the implications of the doctrine of the Trinity for us?

Created in the image and likeness of a Trinitarian God, we have qualities like God! 

First, we are unique individuals; and we want to be accepted thus. 

Second, we yearn to live in community/communion. We achieve this communion not by negating/denying differences, but by respecting and nurturing our diversity, and blending our differences.

Third, like the Father, we are called to be productive/creative, and to contribute to the building of our family, church, society, nation; like the Son, we are called to reconcile and to mend what is broken; like the Spirit, it is our task to dispel ignorance and to guide. 

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are unique and distinct. To help us understand that uniqueness, God revealed three separate functions of the three persons—the Father creates; the Son reconciles and redeems; and the Spirit guides and teaches. 

These three unique and distinct persons live in communion; God is a family! Today’s gospel indicates the close relationship they share: “the Spirit will guide you to all truth… he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine.” An intimate and magnificent collaboration! The Greek Fathers use the word “perichoresis” to describe this loving communion; the word may be defined as a “dancing together”. God does not exist in solitary individualism but in a community of love and sharing.

Created in the image and likeness of a Trinitarian God, we have qualities like God! 

First, we are unique individuals; and we want to be accepted thus. 

Second, we yearn to live in community/communion. We achieve this communion not by negating differences, but by nurturing our diversity and blending our differences.

Third, like the Father, we are called to be productive/creative, and to contribute to the building of our family, church, society, nation; like the Son, we are called to reconcile and to mend what is broken; like the Spirit, it is our task to dispel ignorance and to guide. 

How am I going to live the doctrine of the Trinity? 

Pentecost Sunday

PICKED UP AND CARRIED BY “SOMEONE”

Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13 (or Romans 8:8-17);

John 20:19-23 (or John 14:15-16, 23b-26)

Readings for Pentecost Sunday

In a major football game, a player’s performance exceeded the expectations of his mates and coach. In the last five minutes of the game, with the score against his team, he scored two goals! He ran faster and dribbled better than he had ever done. In the locker room, his coach said: “I didn’t know you had it in you.” He replied: “I didn’t either! I was picked up and carried by something outside myself.”

Pentecost is when the apostles “were picked up and carried by someone outside themselves”! The Holy Spirit empowered and transformed them!

The Spirit filled them with enthusiasm (‘en-theos’ which means ‘God within’). Armed with the power of this ‘God within’, they moved out of the Upper Room to proclaim the Good News of the Resurrection. Recall Peter’s speech: “This man… you killed, using lawless men to crucify him. But God raised him up.” 

The Spirit gave them the gifts they needed to proclaim the Good News: belief in the truth; the courage to proclaim it; the willingness/ ability to reach out to people of other languages and persuasions.

The Spirit formed them into one community. The verses after today’s first reading: “All who believed were together and had all things in common.” This in a group which was jostling for position and power!

The same Spirit empowers and transforms us. 

The Spirit empowers us to proclaim that God is our Father, and therefore beyond the tangible differences of region, language, culture, and social status, we are one family. 

The Spirit gives us the gifts and resources we need (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). We need to believe and understand that the Spirit works differently in different people… and give space for that to happen; we ought to use our gifts to build up the church.

The Spirit forms us into one family.

Will I let the Spirit pick me up and carry me… to go beyond my natural strengths and abilities?

What are the gifts that the Spirit gives me, and how will I use it to proclaim Jesus and to build up his kingdom on earth?

The Ascension of the Lord

CONTINUING THE WORK OF THE MASTER

Acts 1:1-11; Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28, 10:19-23; Luke 24:46-53

Readings for the Solemnity of the Ascension

The great Italian composer Giacomo Puccini wrote his final opera “Turandot” when he was stricken with throat cancer. Puccini seemed to have had an inkling of the seriousness of his condition. Before leaving for Brussels for treatment, he visited his favourite student—Auturo Toscanini—and begged him: “Don’t let my ‘Turandot’ die.” He died a few days later. After his death, his disciples studied the score carefully and completed the opera. 

On 25 April 1926, Toscanini directed the world premiere of “Turandot” in Milan’s La Scala opera house. When the opera reached the point at which Puccini was forced to stop, Toscanini put down his baton, and tearfully told the audience: “Here the opera ends, because at this point the maestro died.” There was silence throughout the opera house. After a few minutes, Toscanini picked up the baton, smiled through his tears and said: “But his disciples finished his work.”

The story of “Turandot” is like the story of Christianity! Before Jesus completed his work of establishing the kingdom on earth, he died. But he rose again and before his ascension, asked his disciples to continue his work. 

The first verses of the first reading connect the Acts of the Apostles with the Gospel according to Luke: Jesus commissioned his disciples to be his witnesses and to continue the work of the Master.  

Right through the Acts of the Apostles, Luke will describe the way in which the disciples continue the work of the Master. It is a sort of déjà vu experience! The life of the disciples in the Acts mirrors—in striking ways—the public life of Jesus.

The Solemnity of the Ascension reminds us that Jesus calls us, like he called the disciples, to continue the work of the Master.

To continue our Master’s work, we—like Puccini’s disciples—must understand the score: the life and ministry of Jesus, as it has been handed down to us through scripture and tradition. 

However, unlike Puccini’s disciples, we are called to perform our Master’s opera not occasionally, but to live it every day; not in auditoriums, but in our families, work places, communities, churches, and society. 

Unlike Puccini’s disciples, we cannot say that we have finished the work of the Master; we can only continue it as best we can. The Master will finish it when he comes again. Until that day, “the disciples continue his work”!

Will I make the effort to understand the work of the Master? How will I continue the work of the Master?

VI Sunday of Easter

PEACE AMID STORMS

Acts 15:1-2, 22-29; Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23; John 14:23-29

Readings for the VI Sunday of Easter

A wealthy man commissioned an artist to paint a picture of peace. 

The artist painted a beautiful country scene: green fields with cattle; birds in a blue sky; a quaint village in the distance. The patron was disappointed and asked the artist to try again.

The artist returned to his studio, thought for several hours, and then painted a beautiful woman smiling lovingly at her sleeping child. “Surely this is true peace,” he thought and took the picture to the patron, who refused the painting.

The artist was discouraged, tired, angry. He thought and prayed. Then, he had a “eureka” moment and began painting. When he finished, he hurried to give the patron the painting. The patron studied it for several minutes and exclaimed: “Now this is a picture of true peace.”

What was this picture? It showed a stormy sea pounding against a cliff. In a crook in the cliff, was a small bird, safe and dry in her nest snuggled safely in the rocks. The bird was at peace amid the storm that raged about her.

This is the kind of peace that Jesus gives: not the peace of a spot in nature – beautiful and serene; not the peace of a mother and child – tender and gentle; but the peace of knowing that amid turmoil there is a rock which shelters us, a power that keeps us safe.

We yearn and pray for peace. But we look for peace as an end to things that disturb us, as an absence of turmoil and conflict.  

The Hebrew “shalom” is not the absence of things that disturb us but the removal of the cause of the disturbance! Peace is linked with wholeness: being “at one” with God, neighbour, self, and nature. This peace comes through a presence, here and now, that comforts us: the presence of the Spirit.

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles is a good example of the way in which the Spirit brings peace. The text details one of the first controversies in the Church: Must a gentile Christian follow Jewish laws? The Jerusalem Council, under the direction of the Spirit, decided that gentile converts did not have to follow every Jewish law. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the resolution of conflict.

Is there conflict and turmoil in my life? Let me surrender myself to the Spirit and allow his peace to fill my heart, a peace that comes from being “at one” with God, neighbour, self, and nature.

V Sunday of Easter

THE MARK OF A CHRISTIAN

Acts 14:21-27; Revelation 21:1-5a; John 13:31-33a, 34-35

Readings for the V Sunday of Easter

The renowned artist Paul Gustave Dore once lost his passport while travelling. When he came to a border crossing, he hoped the guard would recognize him and allow him to pass. The guard, however, said that many made false claims. Dore insisted that he was the man he claimed to be. The official said: “We’ll give you a test, and if you pass it, we’ll allow you to go through.” Handing him a pencil and a sheet of paper, he told the artist to sketch several peasants standing nearby. Dore did it so quickly and skilfully that the guard was convinced he was indeed the artist he claimed to be. Dore’s action confirmed his identity.

What is the identification mark of a Christian? 

For Jesus the identification mark of Christians is not the way we dress, not uniforms and habits, but the way we live: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples…” (John 13:34-5). Love is the Christian identification mark. 

Two things to note: 

First, Jesus’ command is not that we like one another. To like or not to like is rooted in our emotions; emotions do not respond to commands. The love of which Jesus speaks is a way of acting towards another that wills his/her good. Love is a decision and an action.

Second, Jesus gives us a standard to measure this love: “as I have loved you.” That is a lofty standard indeed! 

The first reading from the Acts of the Apostles recounts how Paul and Barnabas lived this command: they travelled extensively to strengthen the spirit of the disciples. The result: they made a considerable number of disciples. 

It is up to us now to love like Jesus and to encourage one another as Paul and Barnabas did. May we live in such a way that through us people begin to have a glimpse of the unbounded and unconditional love that God has shown us in Christ.

Do I bear the Christian identification mark? What am I going to do to love those around me—in my family, in my community—as Jesus loved me?

IV Sunday of Easter

LED BY THE SHEPHERD

Acts 13:14, 43-52; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30 

Readings for the IV Sunday of Easter

In The Preaching Life, Barbara Taylor narrates a conversation she had with a friend who grew up on a sheep farm. He contends that sheep are not dumb: “The cattle ranchers are responsible for spreading that ugly rumour and all because sheep do not behave like cows. Cows are herded from the rear by hooting cowboys with cracking whips, but that will not work with sheep. Stand behind them making loud noises and all they will do is run around behind you, because they prefer to be led. You push cows, but you lead sheep, and they will not go anywhere that someone else does not go first—namely, their shepherd—who goes ahead of them to show them that everything is all right.”

Jesus knew what he was saying when he used the shepherd-sheep analogy! Shepherds have names for their sheep and know their personality. Isolated for days with his herd, the shepherd talks and sings to them, and sleeps among them. There may be several flocks in one sheepfold. But when the shepherd calls out, the sheep of his flock will sort themselves and follow him only. Shepherds do not need brands to recognize their sheep!

When Jesus uses the shepherd-sheep analogy, it’s consoling; it’s a wonderful and loving image of care and protection! Our shepherd knows personally. He calls out to us. But in this sheepfold of the world, many voices call out to us: materialism and consumerism, regionalism and communalism; false shepherds make promises of love, happiness, and security. If you and I are his sheep, we will listen to his voice and follow him. We will not let the hooting/loud noises of the world and our passions/ fears drive us.

How do we discern the voice of the shepherd? We form and listen to our conscience, the voice of our shepherd within us! 

What happens when we follow our shepherd? We have eternal life; through sorrow and suffering, we will survive; we will always be in the hands of Jesus and the Father. What more can we want! What more do we need!

Will I listen to my shepherd’s voice and follow him?

III Sunday of Easter

GO FISHING!

Acts 5:27-32, 40b-41; Revelation 5:11-14; John 21:1-19

Readings for the III Sunday of the Year

Sue Bohlin writes: “I was cleaning the grungy bathtub of a family that wouldn’t notice and would never acknowledge or thank me even if they did. I was getting madder by the minute, throwing myself a pity party, when the Lord broke into my thoughts. He quietly said: ‘I see you. I appreciate what you’re doing.’ Whoa! That totally changed everything. Suddenly, I was able to do a menial job—and later, more important ones—as a labor of love… it forever changed my view of work.”

What Sue experienced while cleaning a bathtub, Jesus’ disciples experienced on the Sea of Tiberias! They encountered God in their workplace (so did Moses, Gideon, Paul…).

The gospels portray the disciples as very human: they are bewildered, seldom understand Jesus’ ways, often do their own thing! That continues after the resurrection.  

Jesus has appeared to them twice. But he’s not with them always and he hasn’t told them what to do. They don’t know what lies ahead. So, they do what they’ve done and know how to do: they go fishing! 

They encounter Jesus in their workplace. With his guidance, they catch a large haul of fish. This workplace encounter renews them and they can go back to being fishers of men and missionaries of the gospel (as the first reading attests).

Sometimes we think or act as if life is divided into two disconnected parts: God is in one spiritual dimension and work is in another dimension. The Christian view of work: all of life relates to God and is sacred, whether we’re making a business presentation or changing diapers or teaching someone the faith. Further, God calls us to make him the centre of our lives and wants to be Lord of our work. And as Sue Bohlin experienced while cleaning a bathtub, God sees everything we do; he appreciates it and will reward us, regardless of the type of work we do.

Often, we find ourselves in the disciples’ position. We aren’t sure what to do. Jesus seems to come and go from our lives, or we from his. It’s then we must keep doing what we do. We work faithfully and wait patiently… for an encounter with the Lord… who asks us what we have caught, or who sees and appreciates what we are doing! 

When I am at the crossroads of life, let me “go fishing”! May I encounter God in my work and may this encounter strengthen me for his mission for me.

II Sunday of Easter

NO SHORT CUT

Acts 5:12-16; Revelation 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19; John 20:19-31

Readings for the II Sunday of Easter

Robert Johnson, ex-chairman of Johnson & Johnson, was a terror when he inspected his plants. On one visit, the plant manager had a fortunate 30-minute tip prior to his arrival. Hastily he had things spruced up by ordering several large rolls of paper transported to the roof of the building. When Johnson arrived, he was furious. His first words: “What in the hell is all that junk on the roof?” How was the manager to know Johnson would arrive in his personal helicopter!

As every homemaker knows, there are no short-cuts to sprucing up a home! It is the same with life and especially with faith. There are no short-cuts to faith! Faith comes from a personal experience of God and grows through doubt and difficulty.

This is the thrust of today’s gospel. Thomas is absent when Jesus appears to the apostles. And though the others testify that they have seen the Lord, Thomas refuses to believe: “Unless I see… and place my finger… and place my hand.” 

Thomas will not take a short-cut to faith. He is not content with a second-hand faith. He refuses to say that he can believe in the resurrection when he cannot; and is brave enough to express his doubt. Thomas is no different from the other apostles. The apostles did not believe the testimony of Mary Magdalene or the “Emmaus disciples”; it is only after Jesus appeared to them that they believed!

What brings Thomas to belief is not the proof he demanded but an experience of the risen Jesus. Then he affirms the divinity of Jesus.

When we use our God-given intelligence, we will have doubts and questions about our faith. Like Thomas, we need to be honest about our doubts. Like Thomas, we need to allow ourselves to experience the risen Jesus.

Will I boldly face and express my doubts, and seek a response to them? Or will I be happy with a short-cut to faith? Will I be content with a second-hand faith?

Easter Sunday

TRANSFORMED!

Acts 10:34a, 37-43; Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8; John 20:1-9

Readings for Easter Sunday

In one of his lighter moments, Benjamin Franklin penned his own epitaph: 

  The body of B. Franklin, 

  printer, like the cover of an old book

  its contents torn out, and stripped of its lettering and gilding,

  lies here, food for worms.

  But the work shall not be wholly lost:

  for it will, as he believ’d, appear once more 

  in a new and more perfect edition, 

  corrected and amended by the author.

Franklin’s epitaph is a near-perfect summary of the transformation that the resurrection brings!

Recall the transformation that happened to Jesus. His resurrected body was radically different from his earthly body! It was so radically different that his own disciples could not recognize him, and he was able to move about as he desired, and through closed doors.

We will experience this radical transformation of our bodies on the last day; our bodies, as Ben Franklin wrote, will appear in a new and more perfect edition. 

There is another transformation that happens now, at the personal level. Look at the transformation in the disciples!

- from fear to joy and bold proclamation

- from doubt to belief 

- from people who fought for position and greatness to people who were of one heart and one soul

After the resurrection, in the words of the second reading, they became “a fresh batch of dough”!

What about me? Do I live like an Easter person with joy and in solidarity with others? If not, what are my fears and doubts that keep me from living as an Easter person and witnessing to the resurrection? What must I do to become “a fresh batch of dough”?

Palm Sunday

CELEBRATE OUR HUMBLE KING

Isaiah 50:4-7; Philippians 2:6-11; Luke 22:14—23:56 or Luke 23:1-49 (short form)

Readings for Palm Sunday

In the movie The Lion King, young Simba sings “I Just Can’t Wait to be King”. He wants to be free, with… 

No one saying ‘do this,’ no one saying ‘be there,’

No one saying ‘stop that,’ no one saying ‘see here.’

Free to run around all day, free to do it all my way!

The people of Jerusalem were like Simba. They just couldn’t wait for Jesus to be king and for a similar reason. They wanted to be free from foreign rule; they didn’t want anyone saying ‘do this’ and ‘be there’ and ‘stop that’!

Their king comes… 

But Jesus is not the mighty king they envisioned. His entry into Jerusalem was a deliberate fulfilling of Zechariah 9:9: “Rejoice, O daughter Zion! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey.”

Jesus underlined his kind of kingship. Only during war did kings ride upon horses; when they came in peace they came upon a donkey. Jesus came as king of love and peace, not as the conquering military hero the people expected. He would rule through humble and obedient service.

This theme is reiterated in the readings. 

The first reading is the third “suffering servant” song. The mission of the servant is to encourage, console, and liberate the weary. 

Paul’s hymn, in the second reading, speaks about Jesus’ humility: the Son of God did not cling to his privileges but humbled himself and became obedient unto death on a cross. 

In the Gospel, following the meal, the disciples argue about who is the greatest. Jesus takes the opportunity to distinguish leadership in the Kingdom from forms of leadership seen in the world. 

During his passion, Jesus is betrayed, deserted, disowned; is kicked around like a political football, flogged to pacify a politician’s conscience, and handed to the mob because of cowardice. Despite his suffering, Jesus is merciful and other-centred: he is concerned about the women who follow him; asks forgiveness for the ones crucifying him; promises the repentant thief a place in heaven.

Today’s liturgy places before me two models of leadership: the people’s model of seeking freedom and power to do one’s will and Jesus’ way of humility, self-emptying, and loving service.

Which model of power do I choose and live? May we be free to do it HIS way!

V Sunday of Lent

DON’T LOOK BACK!

Isaiah 43:16-21; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11

Readings for the V Sunday of Lent

August 7, 1954. Vancouver, Canada. The venue of one of the greatest track and field events in history: the “miracle mile”. Only two men had run the mile under four minutes: Roger Bannister and John Landy. This was a face-off. At the start of the final lap, Landy was ahead and looked certain to win. But as he neared the finishing line, he wondered about Bannister’s position and looked back; his stride faltered, and Bannister passed him to win the race. Landy later said: “I would have won the race if I hadn’t looked back.” 

Looking back is the cause of many of our problems. We need to look at the past and to learn from our mistakes. The problem is we remain looking back. 

In the first reading, Isaiah commands the people in Babylon “to remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old.” These were nothing bad. They included the Exodus: their liberation and foundational event! Yet he asks them to “remember not” for Israel had problems whenever she clung to the past.

Paul, writing to the Philippians, recounts “the supreme good of knowing Christ.” He had been a model Pharisee. Now that he has been seized by Christ, the past no longer counts.

In the gospel, we hear of the woman caught in adultery. The problem was not the woman or her adulterous act. The problem is that scribes and the Pharisees are stuck in the past: entrenched in the law and weighed down by hatred towards Jesus and the woman. Jesus refuses to condemn the woman. The woman can now forget what lies behind and embrace the new possibility that grace gives her.

We have a past:  sicknesses, horrible experiences; accomplishments, happy memories. We can carry our past with us and let it weigh us down. Or we can choose to leave it behind.

Do I look through the rear-view mirror or through the windshield of life? What are the things of the past that weigh me down and prevent me from enjoying the present?

IV Sunday of Lent

HOMECOMING

Joshua 5:9a, 10-12; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Readings for the IV Sunday of Lent

On 18 March 2025, Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore returned to Earth after an extended nine-month mission aboard the ISS. Their planned eight-day mission was prolonged due to tech issues with the Boeing Starliner. They returned aboard SpaceX’s Crew Dragon capsule, splashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. Their homecoming was celebrated globally.

Homecoming! This phrase sums up this Sunday’s readings.

In the first reading, Israel is on the threshold of the Promised Land. The old life—slavery in Egypt and their sojourn in the desert—is over; they are about to begin a new life in their homeland. This is signified by what they eat: not the manna they ate in the desert, but “the produce of the land… unleavened cakes and parched grain”. In their homecoming, they experience God’s mercy and love.

The gospel recounts the homecoming of the prodigal son. The old life of dissipation and of hard labour gives way to new life in his father’s home. His homecoming, too, is signified by what he eats: not the pods on which the swine fed, but a home-cooked family meal. The gifts and the feast signify the father’s happiness at having his son home. In his home-coming, the son experiences the father’s mercy and love. There is a homecoming also for the elder son! Though he has always been with his father, he has not lived at home. He, too, experiences the father’s mercy and love.

St Paul (second reading) speaks of the ultimate homecoming: our reconciliation with God through Christ.

The thrust of the parable of the prodigal son: God waits for us to return home and to forgive us; he is not interested in our list of sins and our prepared lines. This is what happens when we approach the sacrament of reconciliation.

That’s the lesson from Jesus’ interaction with sinners: “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them!” This is what happens at every Eucharist. He welcomes us, and not just eats with us but he gives us himself.

 

Will I, this Sunday and this Lent, “come home”; allow the Father to forgive me; and partake of the feast he has prepared for me? Is there anyone I need to welcome “home”?

III Sunday of Lent

BEAR FRUIT WITH GOD’S GRACE AND IN HIS TIME

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12; Luke 13:1-9

Readings for the III Sunday of Lent

Somerset Maugham, in his autobiography, writes: “I knew that I had no lyrical quality, a small vocabulary, little gift of metaphor; the original and striking simile never occurred to me; poetic flights... were beyond my powers. On the other hand, I had an acute power of observation, and it seemed to me that I could see a great many things that other people missed. I could put down in clear terms what I saw... I knew that I should never write as well as I could wish, but I thought, with pains, that I could arrive at writing as well as my natural defects allowed.” 

The secret to happiness/ contentment: becoming what life calls us to become (not striving to become what we cannot!).

The fig tree – of the gospel parable – was only required to produce figs... and only figs. The owner gave it soil (at a premium in Israel), time (it took three years for a fig tree to bear fruit) and nutrients; the owner expected it to yield fruit or yield up the space it was occupying. But the fig tree remained barren.

God gave Israel strategically positioned choice land, gifts, and grace to be a light to the nations. Israel remained barren, symbolised by the fig tree.

Paul (second reading) reminds the Corinthians of the failure of the Israelites to respond to grace and urges them to be more responsive.

God has a project for each of us; he gives us the gifts, aptitude, time, and help we need to accomplish this project. We need to use these to become what we are called to become and to bear “fruit” before God calls time! 

To what is God calling me? What are the gifts and aptitude he has given me? Am I on the way to realising his project/plan for me or am I like the fig tree of the gospel?

II Sunday of Lent

I AM A CHILD OF GOD… 
… AND WHAT A DIFFERENCE IT MAKES!

Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18; Philippians 3:17—4:1; Luke 9:28b-36

Readings for the II Sunday of Lent

Ben Hooper was a boy who grew up in the mountains of Tennessee. His mother bore him out of wedlock. People mistreated him: adults stared at him and made guesses about his father’s identity; children said ugly things to him… Ben kept away from them.

In his early teens, Ben was drawn to a local church. He would enter in time for the sermon and leave immediately… afraid he would meet people. One Sunday, Ben couldn’t make a quick exit. As he walked out, he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder; it was the preacher! Ben assumed that the preacher was about to make a guess about his father. And he did! The preacher said: “Boy, I know who you are. I see a striking resemblance. You’re a child of… God. Now, go claim your inheritance.” Ben left church that day a different person. 

Later, Ben Hooper was twice-elected governor of Tennessee.

Ben’s discovery of his identity—as a child of God—transformed him and helped him become the person he became!

That’s something like what happened to Jesus on Mount Tabor.

Reading through Luke’s Gospel, one gets the impression that Jesus is searching to discover his identity. A few verses before this passage, Jesus asks his disciples: “Who do people say I am? Who do you say I am?” 

The question is important, and Jesus goes to pray. In prayer, the Father reveals who Jesus is: “This is my Son, the Chosen One.” The confirmation of his identity transforms and transfigures him.

This recognition also gives Jesus his mission. Moses and Elijah talk to Jesus about “his exodus, which he was to accomplish in Jerusalem.” The exodus of the Hebrews was a struggled-filled journey; a coming to life through suffering. The transfiguration reveals to Jesus that his path to glory is via Jerusalem and empowers him to walk the road to suffering and death.

In and through our prayer, we need to discover our identity as children of God. This discovery will transfigure us, help us deal with our struggles, and strengthen us to face our “Jerusalem”. 

In this Lenten season, may all our practices help us discover our identity as children of God, the chosen ones; and may we be transfigured and strengthened to face our Jerusalem!

I Sunday of Lent

LED BY THE SPIRIT TO RENEWAL

Deuteronomy 26:4-10; Romans 10:8-13; Luke 4:1-13

Readings for the I Sunday of Lent

From Dante’s View in the United States, one can journey down to the lowest spot in the US, Bad Water, or one can move to the highest peak, Mount Whitney. From Dante’s View, any movement must be in one or the other direction: downwards or upwards.

Dante’s View is symbolic of where we stand at the beginning of Lent: a time for choice, for deepening our understanding of our faith, for reflection and renewal. 

Lent – and today’s liturgy – challenges us to take the uphill path. The liturgy talks about a new beginning for Israel, for Jesus and for us.

For Israel: In the first reading, Moses speaks to the Israelites at the end of their desert sojourn. He asks them to offer the first fruits of the land as a thanksgiving to God and prepares them for their new life in the promised land.

For Jesus: Led by the spirit, Jesus spent forty days in the desert, a preparation for his mission, and then was tempted. The temptation was a test before his new life; it was very real because the messiah was expected 

- to bring bread down from heaven (the first temptation); 

- to subject other kingdoms to Israel (second); and 

- to perform dazzling signs to prove his credentials (third)! 

These were areas where Jesus faced temptation all through his public life. Jesus resisted the easy way to prove he was the Messiah and chose the uphill way.

For us: Lent is a time of renewal. When we think of temptation, we think of sexual sins, lying, anger. But the dangerous temptations are to want, for their own sake, 

- wealth: the desire to turn anything into “bread”, and the attitude of relying not on God but on one’s resources;

- status: the desire to make everyone look up to me;

- power: the ability to manipulate people and things for my own ends.

Wealth, status and power, for their own sake, reduce other people to things that can be used for my gain. These foster the prevalent materialistic creed of our society… and not the biblical creed: you shall worship the Lord your God and him alone shall you serve!

On this first Sunday of Lent, we stand at “Dante’s View”. Which way will I go? May the Spirit lead us towards the Lord!

VIII Sunday of the Year

JUDGE NOT

Sirach 27:4-7; 1 Corinthians 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45

Readings for the VIII Sunday of the Year

A friar in a monastery committed a fault. The superior called the council to decide his punishment. The council assembled, but Friar Joseph, a senior monk, was not present. The superior sent someone to call him. When Friar Joseph came, he was carrying a leaking jug! When the others saw this, they asked him what it meant. The wise friar said: “My sins run out behind me, but I do not see them. And today I am coming to judge the error of another?”

This anecdote sums up the thrust of today’s liturgy: judge not.

The gospel is a continuation of the Sermon on the Plain and Jesus’ injunction to not judge. What Jesus forbids is not judgment per se, but negative/destructive judgment. Our judgments should be like those of Jesus: judging to save and help, not to knock down and destroy. We must not pass judgment without understanding the person and his/her situation, and without an awareness of our faults. Much of our criticism is, perhaps, a form of self-defence or a pre-emptive strike! To offset our feeling of insecurity, we pull others down. 

“Judge not” is not a cover for immoral behaviour; not a prohibition on admonishing others; not an endorsement of moral relativism. 

“Judge not” is an elaboration of the Golden Rule—we should treat others the way that we want to be treated. Given that God will judge us, what kind of judgment do we want? We want a judgment done with mercy, compassion, and forgiveness. That’s the way we ought to treat others: with mercy and compassion.

Do I see the worst or the best about others? When I judge others, am I aware of my faults and shortcomings? Am I merciful and compassionate?

After a pastor preached on spiritual gifts, a lady told him: “Pastor, I believe I have the talent of criticism.” He asked her: “Remember the person in Jesus’ parable who had the one talent? Do you recall what he did with it?” She replied: “Yes, he went out and buried it.” With a smile, the pastor suggested: “Go thou, and do likewise!” 

May we bury our negative and destructive criticism and use our gifts of love and compassion.

VII Sunday of the Year

LOVE YOUR ENEMIES

1 Samuel 26:2, 7-9, 12-13, 22-23; 1 Corinthians 15:45-49; Luke 6:27-38

Readings for the VII Sunday of the Year

Martin Luther King Jr wrote (in/from jail!) about loving enemies: “This is not practical; life is a matter of getting even, of hitting back… We have followed the so-called practical way for too long, and it has led inexorably to deeper confusion and chaos. Time is cluttered with the wreckage of communities which surrendered to hatred and violence. For the salvation of our nation and the salvation of humankind, we must follow another way. This does not mean that we abandon our righteous efforts. With every ounce of our energy, we must continue to rid this nation of the incubus of segregation. But we shall not in the process relinquish our privilege and our obligation to love. While abhorring segregation, we shall love the segregationist. This is the only way to create the beloved community.”

Luther was commenting on the “impractical” way Jesus preached in his sermon on the plain. Love of enemies is contrary to every natural impulse. Jesus teaches us to remain loving even when others treat us in an unloving manner. There will be times when we need to protect ourselves against evil. But in and with love.

A massive challenge! How can we love people who have hurt/ oppressed us? How can we love our enemies when everything inside us makes us want to hurt them back?

The response, indicated by scripture and by the life of Jesus, is that we can love those for whom we feel no love when we decide to do so. Love is not a feeling; it is a choice and a decision to do right even when wronged; to do good even when bad is done; to bless even when cursed; to forgive even when condemned.

Love is a commitment to the good of another. We have an example in the First Reading: David refuses to harm Saul, to put a spear through the heart of his sleeping enemy. 

How do we love our enemies when we do not feel like loving them? In the way that we wake up in the morning when we feel like sleeping; in the way that we work when we feel like relaxing. We just do it. We decide and follow through. Authentic love is hard work!

Who are my enemies whom I need to love? Will I choose and decide to love them and follow through on that decision? How will I manifest my love for them?

VI Sunday of the Year

BLESSED VERSUS CURSED

Jeremiah 17:5-8; 1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20; Luke 6:17, 20-26

Readings for the VI Sunday of the Year

A preacher asked for a show of hands from all in the congregation who would love to be poor, hungry, weeping, and hated. No hand went up. Then he asked of those who would love to be rich, well fed, laughing, and well-spoken of. All hands went up. What would my response be?

Popular culture is quick to counsel us that we will be happy if only we can get that latest gadget, the new house, the swankiest vehicle, and so on.  It is seductive.

Yet, in today’s Gospel, Jesus declares a blessing on those who are poor, hungry, weeping, and hated. He then pronounces a woe on those who are rich, well fed, laughing, and well-spoken of. 

Does Jesus mean poverty is a sign of divine approval and prosperity a sign of divine disapproval? Certainly, not! Poverty, hunger, weeping, and hatred are all misfortunes; no good parents would want these for their children. Neither would God, our loving parent, want these for us. 

How are we then to understand the beatitudes? 

The first key is at the end of the last beatitude: “on account of the Son of Man.” Those who accept these as the price for following Jesus are the blessed ones. The passage immediately preceding today’s gospel is the call of the twelve. Today’s text is like an appointment letter; it has the terms and conditions of being apostles! The beatitudes are the direct consequences of discipleship. To be an apostle of Jesus meant instant membership in the club of the poor, the hated, the reviled, the excluded.

The second key is in understanding “poor”. The poor are the ‘anawim’ – a small group of people who, despite difficulties and trials, have been faithful to God’s covenant. They have no resources to meet their needs, recognize their total dependence on God, and trust in him. Those who are ‘blessed’ have put their trust in God; those to whom Jesus says ‘woe’ trust in the material. 

Jeremiah prophesies in the first reading: “cursed is the man who trusts in humans… blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord.”

The liturgy today challenges us with choices: blessed vs cursed; trust in God vs trust in myself. What’s my choice?

V Sunday of the Year

CALLED!

Isaiah 6:1-2a, 3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11

Readings for the V Sunday of the Year

A man in the choir couldn’t sing well. The conductor asked him to leave the choir. He refused. The conductor complained to the pastor: “You’ve got to get that man out of the choir; else I’m resigning.” The pastor spoke to the man and gently suggested that he leave the choir. The man asked: “Why?” The pastor said: “Four or five people have told me you can’t sing.” The man replied: “That’s nothing! Fifty people have told me you can’t preach!” 

Competence is not a criterion the Lord uses when he calls people. He often calls the most unlikely people! Today’s readings describe the call of Isaiah, of Paul, of Peter; each felt unworthy in God’s presence. When they confessed their inadequacy before God, God made them ready to serve him. A seraph touched Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal from the altar and said: “Your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” To Simon Peter, Jesus said: “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching people.” 

Availability and the readiness to follow God’s directives are other qualities these three have in common. Isaiah promptly responded to the Lord: “Here am I; send me!” Paul was full of zeal and worked harder than all those who were called before him. Peter and his partners “left everything and followed” Jesus.

When we follow the guidance of the Lord, we achieve mind-blowing results. Peter and his men toiled all night long and caught nothing. When they followed the Lord’s guidance which, humanly speaking, did not make much sense (fishermen did not set the net in broad daylight), the result was a miraculous haul of fish.

The Lord continues to ask: “Whom shall I send?” He still needs messengers (like Isaiah) to proclaim his Good News in the temple; (like Paul) to announce it in foreign lands; (like Peter) to speak for him in the workplace and bring one’s coworkers to follow the Lord. 

I may feel unworthy and incompetent for the work of God. But… am I available? If so, the Lord will qualify me for his mission, as he did with Isaiah, Paul, and Peter.

The Presentation of the Lord

RECOGNIZING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40

Readings for the Presentation of the Lord

In November 2003, Elizabeth Gibson noticed a painting between garbage bags set out for collection. Ms Gibson, who knew little about modern art, said she took it home because “even though I didn’t understand it, I knew it had power.” That painting was Rufino Tamayo’s abstract masterpiece “Tres Personajes” which had been stolen twenty years earlier. On 20 November 2007, Sotheby’s auctioned it for more than one million dollars. Several people must have seen the painting (and one even trashed it) but only Ms Gibson recognized the extraordinary.

Something similar happened a couple of millennia ago in Jerusalem.

The busy temple of Jerusalem must have been filled with hundreds of people—priests and scripture scholars, pilgrims and worshippers… and many of them must have seen an infant with his parents. Only two senior citizens—Simeon and Anna—recognized the extraordinary in the ordinary infant and his ordinary parents who made the ordinary offering of the poor.

Simeon and Anna were the “anawim” who had neither power nor prestige but had deep faith. Simeon was “righteous and devout… and the Holy Spirit was upon him” and Anna “worshipped night and day with fasting and prayer”. This rootedness in God and their faith enabled them to recognize the extraordinary in the ordinary and the divine in the human.

Each one of us is ordinary; yet, we have in us the extraordinary and the divine. Do you and I recognize the extraordinary and the divine in ourselves and in others? Or do we treat ourselves and others as trash?

May the Spirit in us and our eyes of faith help us recognize the extraordinary and the divine in us!

III Sunday of the Year

THE MESSIANIC MISSION:
BRINGING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR

Nehemiah 8:2-4a, 5-6, 8-10; 1 Corinthians 12:12-30; Luke 1:1-4; 4:14-21

Readings for the III Sunday of the Year

A Franciscan was assigned to be guide to Mother Teresa on her visit to Australia. Thrilled at the prospect of being close to this great woman, he dreamed of how much he would learn from her. Although he was constantly near her, he never managed to say one word to mother Teresa.

Tour over, she was to fly to New Guinea. In desperation, the friar told her: “If I pay my own fare, can I sit next to you on the plane so I can talk to you and learn from you?” Mother Teresa asked: “You have enough money to pay airfare to New Guinea?”

“Yes,” he replied eagerly. She said: “Then give that money to the poor. You’ll learn more from that than anything I can tell you.”

 

Mother Teresa understood that Jesus’ ministry was to the poor. This is the thrust of today’s gospel.

The Gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry with his inaugural sermon in his hometown. He entered the synagogue, stood up to read, unrolled the scroll of Isaiah and found the passage about the “anointed one”. He was searching for this passage! He read two verses (Isaiah 61:1-2) and delivered probably the shortest homily in history: “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing”! 

With this loaded one-liner, Jesus announces his mission. He is the “anointed one” whom God has sent to bring good news to the poor. The second verse makes explicit this content of this good news: to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.

Right through his gospel, Luke will present Jesus bringing the good news to the poor. Several events/parables found only in Luke’s gospel—restoring to life the son of the widow of Naim, forgiving the “sinful woman” in Simon the Pharisee’s house, healing a crippled woman on the Sabbath, the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, the cure of the lepers, the encounter with Zacchaeus—are instances of this mission.

 

Jesus’ mission is our mission as individuals and as a community. Through baptism and confirmation, the spirit of the Lord is upon us. We, too, are called and sent to proclaim the good news to the poor… using the many gifts that God has given us as individuals and as a church as St Paul describes in the second reading.

How will I proclaim the good news to the (materially, spiritually, emotionally…) poor and broken-hearted today? In what way can I free the captives?