Feast of St. James the Apostle (25th July 2023)

 

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For the times we have been less effective in our baptism of glory with you, Lord, have mercy...
For the times we have been less effective in our baptism of pain and blood in day-to-day life, Christ, have mercy…
For the times we have been less effective in our baptism of humble service with and for others, Lord, have mercy…

Reading 1, 2nd Corinthians 4:7-15

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

Gospel, Matthew 20:20-28

My dear sisters and brothers, 

Today, we celebrate the feast of St. James, also known as James the Greater, who was among the inner circle of Jesus' disciples, along with his brother John and Simon Peter. 

 

James and his brother John, the evangelist, had a similar calling like Peter in the Sea of Galilee while they were mending their fishing nets with their father. 

 

At the beginning of his journey with Jesus, James and his brother John were known as the "Sons of Thunder," reflecting their impulsive and fiery natures or temperaments. But through their companionship with Jesus, they learned to channel their energy into love and service. 

 

It is in this inner journey of transformation, we read the Gospel text of today, where his mother comes to Jesus asking a favor to be granted to them: "Allow my two sons to sit at your right and at your left". 

Jesus realizing the gravity of this request, poses a question back to these two brothers, almost as a way of testing their fidelity. "Can you drink the cup that I am going to drink?" 

 

My dear sisters and brothers, James and his brother John not only replied ‘Yes, Lord, we can’ verbally… But they exemplified it and concretized their ‘Yes Lord’ in their very actions and in their very being as well... 

 

They were two of the three privileged disciples who accompanied Jesus at his transfiguration on the mountain of Tabor, at his agony in the garden of Gethsemane, and at his miracles such as raising Jairus’ daughter to life… In other words, they were with Jesus, they were accompanying Jesus, and they were witnessing to Jesus, in his baptism of glory, in his baptism of blood, and in his baptism of humble and tireless service….

 

Not only that, after the death and resurrection of Jesus, St. James kept up to these three baptisms that he received so fervently from Jesus in him that he went around the world preaching the Good News fearlessly like St. Paul. Consequently, as the Acts of the Apostles reminds us and the first reading of today elaborates, he did drink the cup of agony and blood that Jesus drank by apparently being the first apostle to be martyred. 

 

As we celebrate the feast of St. James, it reminds us that no matter what our shortcomings or flaws are, but when we open our hearts to Christ, He can mold us into instruments of His grace.

 

In that transformative love of Christ, in that example of St. James, let us ask ourselves, as those who are baptized in Christ to be followers of him, how tempered or effective or transformed am I in my baptism of glory in life, in my baptism of pain and suffering in life, and in my baptism of love and humble service for one another in life? 

 

 

L’homélie du 16ème Dimanche du Temps Ordinaire

Pour les fois où nous avons été impatients avec nos propres mauvaises herbes, Seigneur, prends pitié...

Pour les fois où nous avons été impatients avec les mauvaises herbes que nous souvent grossissons chez les autres, Christ prends pitié...

En ce faisant, pour les fois où nous n'avons pas réussi à reconnaître et à apprécier le blé en nous et chez les autres, Seigneur, prends pitié...

1ère Lecture, Sagesse 12:13, 16-19

Psaumes 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16

2ème Lecture, Romains 8:26-27

Evangile, Matthieu 13:24-43

Chers Sœurs et Frères, 

Aujourd'hui, réfléchissons ensemble à trois paraboles partagées par notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ : la Parabole de l'ivraie et du blé, la Parabole du grain de moutarde et la Parabole du levain. Ces paraboles impliquent des messages profonds qui peuvent nous guider dans notre chemin de foi et nous aider à comprendre le royaume de Dieu.

 

Dans la Parabole de l'ivraie et du blé, Jésus nous parle d'un fermier qui a semé de bonnes graines dans son champ. Mais pendant la nuit, un ennemi est venu semer des graines d'ivraie parmi le blé. Les bonnes et les mauvaises plantes grandissent ensemble. L'ayant vu, les serviteurs du fermier lui demandent s'ils doivent arracher les mauvaises herbes. Avec sagesse, le fermier  répond : "Non, car en arrachant l'ivraie, vous risquez d'écarter le blé avec elle. Laissez les deux pousser ensemble jusqu'à la moisson."

 

Cette parabole nous enseigne la patience et le discernement (synonyme : bon sens). Dans nos vies, nous avons souvent des situations où le bien et le mal coexistent, à la fois en nous-mêmes et dans le monde qui nous entoure. Nous sommes tentés d'enlever immédiatement tout ce qui est mauvais, mais Jésus nous encourage à faire preuve de patience et de sagesse. Il nous dit que le jugement ne nous appartient pas ; il appartient à Dieu. Nous devons plutôt élever le bien et permettre sa croissance en nous. Ainsi, nous devenons des instruments de l'amour et de la compassion de Dieu dans un monde brisé.

 

Passons ensuite à la Parabole du grain de moutarde. Jésus compare le royaume de Dieu à une toute petite graine de moutarde qui devient un grand arbre, qui offre un abri aux oiseaux du ciel. Cette parabole parle de la puissance de la foi et de la nature transformative du royaume de Dieu.

 

La graine de moutarde est si petite qu’elle nous parait sans importance, mais elle peut devenir magnifique. De même, notre foi peut commencer petite, comme une graine, mais quand elle est nourrie par la prière, la Parole de Dieu et les sacrements, elle peut devenir une source de force et d'espoir pour nous-mêmes et pour les autres. Le royaume de Dieu, bien que souvent invisible, a le pouvoir d'apporter des changements profonds et positifs dans nos vies et dans le monde qui nous entoure.

 

Enfin, penchons-nous sur la Parabole du levain. Jésus nous dit que le royaume des cieux est comme du levain qu'une femme a mélangé à une quantité de farine pour la fermenter et faire  lever la pâte. Voici la leçon de cette parabole : le royaume de Dieu peut se cacher en nous, et nous transformer.

 

Le levain est invisible dans la pâte mais il la fait lever, et elle devient quelque chose de totalement différent, du pain. De même, le royaume de Dieu est souvent invisible en nous mais il peut changer nos cœurs et nos vies, avec l'image du Christ pour modèle. C'est avec de petits actes d'amour, de bonté et de compassion que nous devenons les agents du royaume de Dieu dans nos familles, nos communautés et dans le monde.

 

Ensemble, ces paraboles nous rappellent la beauté et le mystère du royaume de Dieu. Elles nous enseignent la patience et la sagesse, elles nourissent notre foi, et elles permettent le Saint Esprit d’agir en nous et à travers nous. Prions pour la grâce d'être fidèles et ouverts à l'œuvre de Dieu dans nos vies. Cherchons à grandir au milieu des mauvaises herbes comme le blé; cherchons à nous enraciner dans la foi et porter du fruit comme le grain de moutarde ; et comme le levain, cherchons à laisser le royaume de Dieu pénétrer notre âme.

 

Que le Seigneur nous bénisse de sagesse et de force : cherchons à vivre le message de ces paraboles et d'être des disciples fidèles du Christ. 

Tuesday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time

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For the times we have failed to recognize your mighty works in us, Lord, have mercy...
For the time we have failed to recognize your mighty works around us, Christ, have mercy...
In so doing, for the times we have failed to respond to you in repentance, Lord, have mercy...

Reading 1, Exodus 2:1-15

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 69:3, 14, 30-31, 33-34

Gospel, Matthew 11:20-24

My dear sisters and brothers,

Perhaps we all have read the historical novel, "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens, first published in 1859. Set in both London and Paris before and during the French Revolution, the novel tells us the story of various characters whose lives are intertwined during this tumultuous period in history by delving into themes of sacrifice, resurrection, and the struggle for justice and redemption.

Likewise, in today's gospel text, our lord has 'A tale', "A tale of two cities". And he makes explicit reference to 6 cities apparently divided into two distinct groups…

On the one hand, there are three of them, namely Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum which were blessed to have had the experience of the presence of the Son of God among them. These ancient cities have witnessed the mighty deeds of Christ, they had witnessed His miracles, and His compassion, and heard His teachings that offered hope, healing, and salvation.

On the other hand, there are the other three cities, namely Tyre, Sidon, and Sodom which were notorious for their wickedness and which have not had the experience of the mighty power of the Son of Man through his miracles, teaching, preaching, and healing…

However, even though one group has had the experience of the mighty works of Christ and the other group was devoid of it, these two camps become one in one aspect…that is, in terms of their unresponsiveness and unrepentance...And for our lord, it was worse for the first camp, because despite these divine manifestations, those cities remained unresponsive and unrepentant.

And that wasn't so tolerated by our Lord… And he was compelled to pronounce his woes against these cities…

The message for us today is just as relevant as it was for those ancient cities. Jesus' words challenge us to examine our own hearts and attitudes toward Him. It is because these two types of cities are in us and are still operative in and around us… These two groups of cities are still at war within and outside of us…

Are we truly responsive to His working power in and around us? Are we open to repentance and transformation, or are we complacent and indifferent to His teachings?

Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" begins with the famous opening line, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times"

Having had the experience of Christ in his living Word, having experienced his mighty deeds in and around us in our lives, therefore, let us ask ourselves, what would be the city that I want to belong more from today?

And in responding to that belonging, how would I begin my tale of two cities in and around me? Will I begin by saying, "It was the worst of times?” or will I begin by saying “It was the best of times"?

15th Sunday in Oridinary Time (16th July 2023)

 

Though we have eyes, for the times we have failed to see you, Lord have mercy...
Though we could hear, for the times we have failed to listen to you, Christ, have mercy...
In so doing, for the times we have failed to bear much fruit in you, Lord have mercy...

Reading 1, Isaiah 55:10-11

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 65:10, 11, 12-13, 14

Gospel, Matthew 13:1-23

Reading 2, Romans 8:18-23

My dear sisters and brothers,

If there was a day that I would prefer skipping the homily during the Mass, today would have been one of those days – for two reasons:

First, it is because, in the gospel text we have just heard, Jesus not only speaks of a parable, the famous Parable of the Sower, but he also explains it to his disciples in black and white. In other words, Jesus himself gives a homily on the parable that he has just spoken of.

So, if I am going to talk about something about the parable or Jesus’ own explanation of the parable, I am afraid that what I am going to do is nothing but explain what is already explained by Jesus, and I am not even sure that I would do a better job than Jesus.

Secondly, coming from an agrarian culture, and being born and raised in an agricultural environment, I do not think it is difficult for you to understand the crux of the readings today…

If we summarize all the readings of this Sunday, we might want to remember these few words: parable, sower, seeds, and different types of ground on which the seeds are fallen; and I am sure none of these words are foreign to us.

Nevertheless, I should say something. What should I say then?

Now, it is interesting to notice that the parable takes an abrupt twist from its beginning to the middle, and from the middle to its end.

In the beginning, it is the sower who takes precedence, as the parable begins by saying “A sower went out to sow…”

However, even though the parable is titled “The Parable of the Sower”, and even though it begins with the word “sower”, the word “sower” appears only twice in the entire discourse: once right at the very start of the parable and then at the beginning of Jesus’ explanation of it..

And that’s it.. Since then, the word ‘sower’ does not appear at all… Instead, what takes center stage is the word ‘seed’… And the word ‘seed’ or any reference to it is mentioned 8 times in the entire discourse.

For example, “Some seeds fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate them up; Others fell on patches of rock where they found little soil and sprang up at once because there was no depth of earth; Others fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them; Others fell on rich soil and produced their crop, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Then, as much as the seeds are given importance in the parable, equal or even more emphasis is given to the ground on which they are fallen. It is because the seeds and the grounds are intrinsically connected, and Jesus speaks of this fundamental connection in one phrase as follows: “Anyone who has eyes should see and anyone who has ears should listen”.

Put together, my dear sister and brothers, there are at least 4 types of soil in which the seed falls, it is LOST in three types (rocky, thorny, and shallow ground) and bears fruit in only one type (fertile). This indicates that while three-quarters of the effort are lost, only a quarter is the gain.

However, the focus of the parable is not on the loss but on the gain that is yielded by that one-quarter. The parable is pointing out the fact that this is how life often is. Three-quarters of our efforts are often wasted and it is possible that when this happens we may give in to despair. However, we are called to focus not on the majority of loss, but on that one-quarter of our effort which indeed brings fruit.

In other words, if we take the Sower to be Jesus Christ; Seeds to be his word; and the fields on which seeds are fallen to be ourselves (or our hearts), any ground which is receptive of the word of God, fertile, processing and yielding, will bear much fruit.

If we think deeply, isn’t this dynamic relationship that has ever existed in the economy/history of God’s salvation, that is among the sower (God the Father), the seeds (the son/the word of God), and the grounds (ourselves)? Doesn’t it hold true for our faith journey even to this day as well?

To give a gist, it was God who created us and everything around us, just by his word. But, on the way, we have not been so receptive of his word, we didn’t see him well, we didn’t hear him well, and so we have not been so fertile, we have not been so reflective of the ways we could be better effective and, thus, we have been yielding differing fruits.

Then, just as the sower disappears from the parable scene right after the beginning, when the time came, God, the sower, scattered his precious seed, the Word, the Word became flesh, Jesus Christ in the fields of our hearts.. But, again, we have been receptive of neither him nor his word: we didn’t see him well, we didn’t hear him well, we scorched him, we suffocate him, we made him suffer and die, and in so doing we have not been so fertile, we have not been so reflective of the ways we could be better effective and, thus, we have been yielding differing fruits.

And then, he left us with his Word, the living word of God, and the paraclete, the Holy Spirit… Since then, just as the seed and the ground take precedence in the parable, it is with us too even today, the word of God is scattered in our hearts even at this very moment in history, giving importance to God’s words and our hearts…  

So what matters today, is how we bear fruit in our own soil through the help of the Holy Spirit…

Do I usually focus more on the reaping than on the sowing? Do I focus more on the result than on the action? How do I react when most of my effort seems to be in vain? Do I throw up my hands in despair? Do I get despondent? Or do I carry on with perseverance?  What are my efforts today to make my ground more receptive, fertile, processing, and yielding?

 

Tuesday of the 13th Week in Ordinary Time (11th July 2023)

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For the times we have failed to realize the miracles in our lives, Lord, have mercy...

For the times we have failed to acknowedge the miracles in others' lives, Christ, have mercy...

Having failed to do so, for the times we lacked faith in you, Lord, have mercy...

 

Reading 1, Genesis 32:23-33

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 17:1, 2-3, 6-7, 8, 15

Gospel, Matthew 9:32-38

My dear sisters and Brothers,

The gospel text of today is taken from the Gospel of Matthew, and chapters 8 and 9 of the Gospel of Matthew are known as Matthew’s ‘miracle cycle’. 

Our text for today includes the final miracle in Matthew’s Miracle Cycle, which is Jesus’ healing of the deaf-mute. 

One of the things that is interesting to observe in all of these miracles, including that which we contemplate today, is the response that Jesus receives as a result of his performing miracles. 

At least they are two-fold. On the one hand, the crowd seeing the miracle are amazed, speak of their amazement, attribute the power of Jesus to God, and come to believe in him.

But on the other, the Scribes and Pharisees’, are slow to believe, amazed do not want to show it, attribute Jesus’ power to the power of Beelzebul, the prince of death, and try to find faults in him so that he could be judged and condemned. 

You see, the same action of Jesus, the very same stimulus, evokes two different responses in the receiver.

Now who is right? Who is wrong? 

Who am I to judge? Perhaps both parties are right. And Both parties are equally wrong. It is because, they responded to this stimulus with the information they had known, the knowledge they have acquired, the belief they had, the background they were coming from, etc. 

But what is more interesting here is the response of Jesus. He is not elated by the praises that he reviews from the crowd not he is feeling dependent on the criticism he receives from the scribes and Pharisees.

Jesus receives both praises and criticisms with equanimity, or in other words, as St. Ignatius would say, with indifference. Without being attached to any, neither feeling over the moon by the criticisms and taking glory to himself for the performance he has just had nor feeling drained off or put down by the negativity around him. 

Rather, Jesus’ response was very clear. Knowing well who is he, with his mind fixed on his mission, and the will of the one who sent him, Matthew puts it beautifully as follows: 

This summary statement of Jesus’ response in words and deeds, is very similar to the summary statement in Mat. 4,23 before the Sermon on the Mount. By repeating the summary statement here after the Miracle Cycle, Matthew shows that Jesus is Messiah not only in words (as expressed in the Sermon on the Mount) but also in deeds (as explicated in the Miracle Cycle).

Having been called to follow the same Master, today, as it was in Jesus’ time, the harvest is plenty. And we are his laborers. In our own way of laboring for God and his vineyard, let us ask ourselves, how do I respond to praises and criticism that are part and parcel of my life as a laborer? 

What is my attitude toward praises and criticisms in life? How do I look at them? How do I take them?  How do I let them affect my life? How do I look at the glass of water of praises and criticisms, as half filled or half empty? 

What is it that motivates me and keeps me moving forward in saying and doing what say and do? Is it criticism or praise or the passion to do the will of God like Jesus? 

 

13th Sunday in the Ordinary Time (2nd June 2023)

For the times we have failed to renounce material things, places, and people for the sake of your mission, Lord, have mercy...

Having renounced, for the times we have grumbled while doing your mission, Christ, have mercy...

For the times we have failed to realize the difference between possessing things and giving them up for your mission, Christ, have mercy...

Reading 1, Second Kings 4:8-11, 14-16

Responsorial Psalm, Psalms 89:2-3, 16-17, 18-19

Gospel, Matthew 10:37-42

Reading 2, Romans 6:3-4, 8-11 

My dear sisters and brothers,

There was a story of a disciple who wanted to renounce the world so much but found it difficult to do so because his family loved him too much to let him go. 

So, upon confessing this to his spiritual master, his spiritual guru comes up with what is known as a yogic secret.

That is, he teaches his disciple to stimulate ‘the state of death’. And when one is in the state of death as in the case of coma, he or she appears dead outwardly… 

So, the disciple does as he was trained and the entire household turns into a funeral with cries and wailing in the family.

The guru then showed up and tells the weeping family that he had the power to bring the man back to life if someone could be found to die in his place. 

And there, to the astonishment of the one who is apparently dead, every member of the family from the eldest to the youngest starts giving reasons to say why it was necessary to save his or her life.

And finally, it is his wife who sums up the sentiments of all saying, “Master, there’s really no need for anyone to take his place. We’ll manage without him”.

*************

The gospel text of today is taken from chapter 10 of the Gospel of Matthew which is also known as the Mission Discourse.

In these 42 verses of chapter 10 of Saint Matthew, we find that Jesus chooses his disciples, names them one by one, and then he sends them on a mission. 

While this mission that Jesus gives them is both spiritual and practical (contemplative and apostolic), the instruction that Jesus gives them when missioning them gives us an idea of the means through which Jesus wants the disciples to fulfill his mission. And it could be said in a word as ‘renunciation’. 

And accordingly, the disciples are called to be detached in three ways: Firstly, it is the detachment from material things, as Jesus says do not take any bag, or money, or a staff, or extra pair of sandals. Secondly, it is the detachment from places as Jesus’ instructions enable them not to choose where to go and where not to do. The disciples are supposed to go to places they liked as well as they did not like; where they were accepted as well as where they were rejected. Finally, it is the detachment from persons, and Jesus says, as we find it in the Gospel text of today, whoever loves his father or mother or son or daughter (spouse or anybody else) more than Jesus himself does not fit to be his disciple.

This means that discipleship is a difficult one because one has to choose between family and mission, or between one’s liking and mission, or between one’s loyalty to self or anyone or anything and loyalty to Jesus. 

In other words, while it is true that we need to be fed, we need to be clothed, and we need to rest and relax,  what Jesus wants us is to acknowledge that it is not primary. Instead, what is primary for a disciple is fidelity and legion to the Lord and to live in the province of God.

It is in this renunciation that a disciple receives his/her authority. This authority that a disciple, that the one who is sent receives is the same authority of the sender himself, the authority of Jesus himself who send them. And that is why Jesus says that anyone who welcomes you welcomes me and anyone who rejects you rejects the one who sent me; that is why Jesus says, whatever you bind on earth is considered bound in heaven and whatever you lose on earth is considered loosed in heaven.

As Christians, as followers of Christ, as disciples of Jesus, we must keep in mind that the only Christ that people can see and touch today is the Christ that we make known to the world through our own words and actions as disciples and followers of Christ. 

In other words, by the way I live, by the way I work, by the way I work, walk, talk, and carry my being, people should be able to ask “Who are you that you say and do these things, and that you do them in this way?” 

While this is not an easy task, being a part of Jesus’ mission as Christians and followers of Christ provides us with an enormous privilege and tremendous responsibility.

As Elisha whom we find in the first reading today, such responsibility and such privilege demands that we be generous and magnanimous in our response to Christ, in our total giving as well as giving up for Christ, by withholding nothing and expecting absolutely nothing in return.

What is your degree of discipleship today? What is that thing, place, or person that withholds you from responding totally to the mission of Christ? 

What do you do about it today? How renounced can you be to receive the authority of Christ himself?

How carefully and responsibly do you practice your authority in life, work, your relationship with one another (your source, children, parents, in-laws, with neighbors), and with nature today, so that whatever you bind on earth is considered bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth is considered loosed in heaven?