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2 KINGS 4: 8-11, 14-16
PSALM 88: 2-3, 16-19,
ROMANS 6: 3-4, 8-11
MATTHEW 10: 37-42

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Families play a vital role in our human growth. It is there that we first experience love and grow in love. Often our fondest memories are found in being part of a family.

So important is the family in our lives that today’s Gospel passage can seem harsh.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus does not mince his words when he speaks about discipleship. Jesus is to be the centre, the focal point of anyone who wants to be his follower. To make this clear he chose the family, the place seen in all cultures as having a prior place in our hearts. Yet not even the bonds which tie child to mother or father, or parent to child must be allowed to come before one’s attachment to Jesus.

This does not mean that the bonds between parents and children are in any way lessened in the Christian world. Indeed, the command to love must be lived in the home.

However, great as the bonds of true family affection may be, the bond which unites the Christian to Jesus must be greater. Jesus uses this approach not to play down our love for one another, but to show how significant must be the bond between Jesus and his followers.

Would our placing Jesus first affect adversely our relationship with our family? Never! In fact the reverse is true.

In the Marriage Encounter program, run within the Church, its central point is that the most important relationship in a family unit is always between the husband and wife. When that relationship flourishes, all other relationships between parents and children and amongst children also flourishes for everyone lives in a loving environment.

Likewise when we place our relationship with God first. For the person who is open to the love and will of God, will have an even greater love for his or her family and will even give their life for their family. For God’s love always leads to a true love for neighbour.

Jesus then goes on to speak about how we are to show that preference for God first.

When Jesus speaks about carrying our cross and losing our lives, he is calling us to love as he loves. And everything that follows is the way of love.

In a special way this is shown in our hospitality to others. The obstacle to hospitality is often when we become too absorbed with our own money or time.

To welcome a prophet is to love and welcome the Word of God into our lives.

To welcome the holy man is to love and welcome the counsel of God’s Church who speaks for God on earth.

To give cup of cold water to one of these little ones is to support our brothers and sisters in Christ.

In the first reading we see how hospitality always bring God’s blessing. St Paul in the second reading teaches us that a relationship with Christ is to live a new life. It is in this life where true love can be found, for only God is perfect love.

Let us reflect on how great is our love for God.
Would we do anything that God asks of us?

DEUTERONOMY 8: 2-3, 14-16
PSALM 147: 12-15, 19-20
1 CORINTHIANS 10: 16-17
JOHN 6: 51-58

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Today we celebrate the heart of the mystery of the Eucharist. We believe that at the consecration in the Eucharistic prayer, the bread and wine becomes the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This is not just a sign or symbol but truly Christ present in the Eucharist in his body and blood, soul and divinity.

Our faith in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist comes from Jesus’ own words at the Last Supper: While they gathered for the meal, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which will be shed for the forgiveness of sins.

Some may say that he only meant it to be a symbol of his presence. Yet Jesus did not say that this is a representation of my body but that ‘This is My Body’.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus said, “For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. But the Jews complained, “This is intolerable language. How could anyone accept it?” In fact in the end, many of his disciples went away and did not follow him anymore. Jesus did not at that moment try to bring them back by saying that it was only symbolic language he was using. He meant what he said.

As that Gospel passage continues, Jesus then said to the twelve apostles, “What about you, do you want to go away too?” Simon Peter answered, “Lord to whom do we go, you have the message of eternal life.” We can only accept this through faith, faith in Jesus and in what he said.

At Mass when I raise the host and say, “Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb” you respond with “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.” These were that of a Roman centurion who had asked Jesus to cure his sick servant. When Jesus said he will go to his house, the Roman centurion replied, “Sir, I am not worthy to have you under my roof; JUST GIVE THE WORD and my servant will be cured.
Jesus praised his faith and said he has not seen such faith among the Jews. This is the faith we express in our similar words of Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist.

And this is the heart of the mystery of the Eucharist, the Mass. We come to Mass, first and foremost because in here we are given the Bread of life given to us from the cross, his body and blood. Faith asks of us to let our lives be transformed by the sacrifice of love that we receive?

This belief in Jesus’ real presence in the Eucharist was a belief from the very beginning of the Church as St Paul’s letter to the Corinthians and the early Church writings show. In fact Christians were accused by the Romans of being cannibals eating human flesh.

For instance, Justin Martyr (c. A.D. 151): Justin described the Eucharist as a sacred food that is not common bread or drink but the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. He wrote, “We call this food Eucharist, and no one else is permitted to partake of it, except one who believes our teaching to be true”

The early Church Fathers collectively affirmed the doctrine of the Real Presence, interpreting the Eucharist as the actual body and blood of Christ. This belief has been foundational in the development of Christian liturgy of the Eucharist throughout history.

EXODUS 34: 4-6, 8-9
PSALM: Dan 3: 52-56
2 CORINTHIANS 13: 11-13
JOHN 3: 16-18

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Today we celebrate the “Feast of God.”
The Most Holy Trinity is one of the central belief our Catholic faith.
We profess our faith in this mystery every Sunday as we say the creed.
We profess our faith in this mystery every time we make the sign of the cross.

Our readings today talk to us about this amazing mystery: That our God is a communion of three divine persons in love — the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

In our second reading St Paul in his blessing put the Son before the Father and the Holy Spirit. In a way this reminds us that our faith on the Holy Trinity is a revelation that comes from Christ himself.

Important passages from the Gospel in which Jesus proclaims are:
“The Father and I are One.”
“To see me is to see the Father.”
“The Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything…”

The important understanding is that God is love which is revealed in the relations between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in Holy Trinity. And the fruit of this love is life itself, life in being one with God, the Holy Trinity.

It is because God is love that God created all life.
It is because God is love that God gave of himself to us in the Son who came to live among us to save us and give us new life.
It is because of God is love that God gave of himself to us in the Holy Spirit that we may share in this new life.

Our response hopefully is to be open to the love of God that we may be open to receive the Holy Spirit and life with God.

As the Trinity are one, we are invited to be one in Trinity through God’s love for us that we may love God and our neighbour. It is our openness to the mystery of God’s love in our lives that we can come to understand in turn the deeper mystery of the Trinity.

Each time we make the sign of the cross, may it express our deepest faith in the Holy Trinity and our deepest desire to share in the love that comes in being in communion with the Holy Trinity.

ACTS 2: 1-11

PSALM 103: 1, 24, 29-31, 34

1 CORINTHIANS 12: 3-7, 12-13

JOHN 20: 19-23

 

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Pentecost marks the beginning of the Church.

A new relationship is forged between God and us.

The Holy Spirit living in us makes real the glory of Jesus’ Resurrection in our lives.

The Holy Spirit gives us a deeper way of following God.

The Holy Spirit has come to transform our lives.

Jesus is the example for us in His own relationship with the Father. This is a time then to reflect on our relationship with God.

How real is Jesus alive in us?

Are we lukewarm in faith or do we feel a deep desire for God in our lives?

Are we more concern with laws rather than the love behind the laws?

The former would be reflected in our efforts in avoiding sin which is good but the latter will lead us to become life giving which is greater.

The law will tells us not to steal but love invites us to be compassionate in being generous.

Do we get caught up with our own opinions and expectations or are we respecting of each other, listening and respecting their needs and ideas?

Do we justify our hatred or dislike for others or do we seek healing and forgiveness?

And so we need to ask ourselves, is our faith just a profession of words or a lived out reality in our lives?

How real is Jesus alive in us?

The Holy Spirit has come to bring us to the loving relationship with God. 

Let us believe from the heart that we may gain all that God is offering to us.

 

 

ACTS 1:1-11
PSALM 46:2-3, 6-9
EPHESIANS 1:17-23
MATTHEW 28:16-20

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The Ascension marks Jesus’ physical separation from the human story. But it is not a departure of Jesus from us. The Ascension celebrates Jesus’ unity with the Father.
It also celebrates the new relationship we are called to with God.

In the Gospel, Jesus tells the disciples that he will be with us till the end of time. We know that the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. But how real is this in our lives? Or is this just something we just simply believe but do not give it much thought?

In John’s Gospel, in praying for us, Jesus asks the Father that we may be one in them as he and the Father are one. Jesus now goes to the Father that we may come to know God as he knew the Father. This is Jesus’ invitation given to us: that we may be one with God.

Jesus taught his disciples about God. Jesus revealed God to them through his teachings, his ministry, and his life. But we will never know the meaning of this unless we live it out ourselves.

There is a difference between reading about a country and living in that country. God is not in some far-away place. Through his death and resurrection, Jesus has brought us to God.
Jesus has not gone to some far-away place. He said: “I will be with you always to the end of time.”

So where is God? God is there in every moment in our lives. It is whenever we see with the eyes of faith; hear with the ears of compassion; and touch with the hands of prayer that we will find God.

There was a religious Brother Lawrence who once lived in a monastic life. He worked in the kitchen in the monastery and was the happiest person in the monastery. When asked his reason, he replied because I meet God in everything that I do.

A lady once told me that she was always distracted by children when praying at Mass. I told her to embrace those children and love them and you will have a greater prayer in your heart than all the words you can find. Finding God begins with a desire for God’s love in our hearts.

The most difficult thing we do, can be turned into the happiest moment when we recognize God is there.

God is here: listen and see and touch and we will find God. Make everything we do a spiritual encounter with God and we will come to know his presence
and it will transform what we do
and it will transform who we are.

ACTS 6: 1-7
PSALM 32: 1-2, 4-5, 18-19 R. v.22
1 PETER 2: 4-9
JOHN 14: 1-12

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As we come to the climax of Jesus’ mission in John’s Gospel, he calls his disciples to trust in God and trust in him. He then tells them to follow him for he is, the Way, the Truth and the Life. People will only follow those they trust, and trust those they love and love those they know.

There is a prayer of St Richard of Chichester that precisely reflects this call to us.
It goes like this:
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day.
O most merciful redeemer, friend and brother, may I know you more clearly, love you more dearly and follow you more nearly, day by day.

The first question for us then is how well do we know Christ? A relationship with Christ can only be real through an openness to Christ as he was open to the Father’s will. It is through prayer and the Sacraments, the scriptures and living in God’s love. When these become part of our daily life, we will come to know Christ.

But all this won’t happen unless there is a desire in us for Christ in our lives. This is what St Peter is saying in the second reading: Jesus is our foundation stone. What we must ask ourselves is how does our desire for Christ compare with our other desires in life.

We believe that Jesus rose again and through his resurrection has won for us eternal life.
And because we believe, let us remember that only Christ can give what no other can give, eternal life. That is the reason we follow him.

There are many people who are converting to Christ when they come to know him, his teachings and his love for us by his death and resurrection. But there are many more who do not know Christ. And they will not know Christ except through us.

In the Gospel reading, Philip asked Jesus, “Let us see the Father and we will be satisfied.”
Jesus’s answered Philip, “To have seen me is to have seen the Father. You must believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; believe it on evidence of this work, if for no other reason.”

People will see and know Christ when we become the face and love of Christ to them. May Christ be a deep part of our lives, part of who we are; for after all this is what it means to be a Christian. As the Father lived in Christ, may Christ live in us and others come to know God through us.

May there be a great desire in our hearts to know Christ that we may love him and follow him even to the cross.