The Lord our King is a merciful Judge.

Sunday, November 26, is the Solemnity of Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.

Israel has always recognized God as their King and Master.

"The Lord is King for ever and ever."  Psalm 10: 16).
"For the Lord Most High is awesome, the great King over all the earth."  (Psalm 47: 2).

"For the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our law Giver, the Lord is our king; it is he who will save us."  (Isaiah 33: 22).

What type of King is Jesus the Lord?
"I myself will search for my sheep and examine them.  As a shepherd examines his flock while he himself is among his scattered sheep, so will I examine my sheep."  (Ezekiel 34:  11 - 12)

Our King is a Shepherd King but infinitely more tender than the human Shepherd.

"The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I lack.
In green pastures he makes me lie down; to still waters he leads me."  (Psalm 23: 1 - 2).

This is the promise of our King Shepherd.  Let us receive this promise with great faith and joy.

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We celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ every Sunday. Sunday is a rehearsal of eternal life.

"Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to him" about the absurdity of the idea of the Resurrection of the dead.
Jesus put them in their place easily:

"Jesus said to them, “The children of this age marry and are given in marriage;  but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.  They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise."  (Luke 20: 34 - 36).

Jesus provided a definitive proof of the Resurrection through His own death and Resurrection. We celebrate this every Sunday.

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My House shall be a House of Prayer.

"Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves."  (Luke 19:  45 - 46).

Why is the Temple so important in God's plan of salvation? Why is Jesus so angry about the desecration of the Temple?

Religion like the government  is an incarnate reality. It exists in time and space not in the air as intangible.  It exists for men and women with flesh and blood. God ordered Moses to build a sacred space where He would meet with His people. He gave concrete and precise instructions for the construction of the House. The sacred meeting Tent later evolved to be a Temple when the Israelites became domesticated in the Promised Land.  The Temple is conceived to be a dwelling of God on earth.  Today, the Temple is the Body of Christ, the Dwelling Place of the Holy Spirit. It is also seen as the individual Christian. Last but not the least, it is the brick and mortar Church where the Blessed Sacrament is reposed.

Jesus Christ defended the integrity of the the Temple as many prophets did with their blood.
Do you honor the Church as the Dwelling Place of God?

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God has provided all our needs as He promised. Let us now give thanks to Him with Joy.

The Bible is filled with Scriptures on giving thanks.  The Lord Himself commands us to give thanks always. What a great uplift to have one Day in the Year devoted to Thanksgiving.

Give thanks to the Lord (1 Chronicles 16: 8, 34; Psalm 97: 12; 100: 4; 105: 1; Isaiah 12: 4).

Come before your God with thanksgiving (Psalm 95: 2).
Offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Psalm 50: 14; 107: 22).
Thanksgiving will please the Lord better than an ox (Psalm 69: 30 - 1).
He who offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me (Psalm 50: 23).

Why give thanks to the Lord?

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord (Psalm 92: 1)

"You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." (2 Corinthians 9: 11).

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4: 6 - 7).

Now let us make a checklist of things to thank our generous God and Father in 2017:

1.  Health
2.  Family
3.  Money
4.  Job
5.  Tools (car, smart phone, home)
6.  Food
7.  Future

I have been richly blessed in 2017. I hope you can say the same.

Happy  and Joyful Thanksgiving Family.

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What are you doing with the talents God has entrusted you?

"I tell you, to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."  (Luke 19: 26).

At the end of the Parable of the Ten Gold Coins, Jesus said the above. Ten servants were given each, one gold coin to trade with. The one who made the most of the opportunity received ten cities in compensation addition to the gold coin of the useless servant who did nothing with his talent.

Jesus teaches us again that we have all received tremendous gifts from our Heavenly Father.  Every Christian becomes the adopted child of God through Baptism. This privilege comes automatically with the supernatural gifts of Faith, Hope and Love. Every child of God has the opportunity to develop these gifts. As you develop them, they grow and you become richer in Faith, Hope and Love. As you fail to use and grow your talents, they atrophy and may die.

Use them or lose them.

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Open the door of your house for Jesus and salvation may enter your house today.

Zacchaeus I want to be your guest today.

"And when Jesus reached the place, He looked up and said to him, Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today. So he hurried and came down, and he received and welcomed Him joyfully."   (Luke 19:5-6 AMP)

Who is Zacchaeus?
Zach was an important CEO of a tax collection company for the the Romans.  Something like a Director of the IRS. He was very wealthy and his wealth, considered ill gotten attracted animosities to him.

"Meanwhile, Zacchaeus stood before the Lord and said, “I will give half my wealth to the poor, Lord, and if I have cheated people on their taxes, I will give them back four times as much!”   Jesus responded, “Salvation has come to this home today, for this man has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham."   (Luke 19:8-9 NLT)

People are convicted every day of malicious fraud by our courts every day.  How many have volunteered to give back the loot?

Zacchaeus received Jesus with joy."   (Luke 19: 6 RM)

What a gracious act. 

Some of us have the opportunity to receive Jesus frequently in Holy Communion or in His word.  Do you receive Him with joy?  "Today salvation has come to this house."   (Luke 19:  9)  What a mighty reward for Zach and his family.

Do not let your heart  grow lukewarm.  Pray for the grace of joy and enthusiasm.

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Ask boldly. Ask with faith and you will receive.

Bartimaeus, the blind beggar sitting by the roadside asked for the cause of the unusual commotion.
"They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”
He shouted, “Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!”  They shouted him down to keep quiet, "but he kept calling out all the more, “Son of David, have pity on me!”

Those who are well and have no need for doctor may never understand your pain or situation.
But Jesus understood and stopped. “What do you want me to do for you?”
He replied, “Lord, please let me see.”
Jesus told him, Have sight; your faith has saved you.”  (Cf Luke 18: 35 - 43)

Two lessons from the encounter of Bartimaeus and Jesus.
#1.  Come to Jesus with deep faith, which means simply that you believe that He is God and that nothing is impossible for Him.  Believe too that nothing is too marvelous for Jesus to do for you.
#2.  Be precise about your need or desire.  “Lord, please let me see.” "Lord I need a job desperately and urgently."  "Lord I need a partner for life."  "Lord I am dying of pain. Heal me now."

"Amen, I say to you: Whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you will receive, and it shall be given to you, says the Lord."  (Mark 11:  23 - 24).

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Times and Seasons are God’s Appointments.

"Concerning times and seasons, brothers, you have no need for anything to be written to you.  For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief at night."  (1 Thessalonians 5: 1 - 2).

"To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven." (Ecclesiastes 3: 1).

The central message of Times and Seasons is the need to be vigilant at all times.

"I have learned the secret of.... living in abundance and of being in need."  (Philippians 4: 12 ).

There is Times and Seasons in God's plan of provision for our needs.

"Thus says the Lord:
Cursed is the man who trusts in human beings, who makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord."  (Jeremiah 17: 5).

If we want to enjoy change of seasons in our lives, we must trust in God with all our hearts.

Times and Seasons are God’s Appointments.  They are not haphazard ; they are not accidents. Winter, spring, summer and autumn are not accidents. 
Rainy and dry seasons are not accidents.

All times and all seasons are in the hand of Jesus Christ.

Wait for them with due diligence.

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The wicked and corrupt judge feared the persistent widow.

"While it is true that I neither fear God nor respect any human being, because this widow keeps bothering me I shall deliver a just decision for her lest she finally come and strike me."  (Luke 18: 4 - 5).

Today, our Great Teacher Jesus uses the parable of the the persistent widow and the wicked and unjust judge to teach us a valuable lesson on persistence in prayer. Note that the unjust and corrupt judge was most probably an atheist.  Hence, he has no fear of God or man. But in today's event, he met his match.  A poor but courageous widow who had nothing to lose in the battle with the empty headed, corrupt and unjust judge. The widow's strategy was simple. Be persistent. Never give up. She won.

Then Jesus made extraordinary extrapolation from the story. God too can be worn out by persistent prayer.  But why does God delay in answering our prayers?

Learn to wait for God in prayer, the saints have taught persistently:
"That is why waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don’t see what is enlarging us. But the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy."  (Romans 8: 24 - 25 MSG).

"God grants us not always what we ask so as to bestow something preferable."..... “The desire is thy prayers; and if thy desire is without ceasing, thy prayer will also be without ceasing. The continuance of your longing is the continuance of your prayer.”  (St Augustine).

St Augustine also said that God delays answering our prayer in order to make us ready by enlarging us for a far superior gift which we cannot  imagine. How comforting!

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Only fools say in their hearts, there is no God.

"All men were by nature foolish who were in ignorance of God, and who from the good things seen did not succeed in knowing him who is, and from studying the works did not discern the artisan."  (Wisdom 13: 1).

What is the Spirit saying here?  God the Creator is an Artisan who stamped His DNA on every single work He made. Sacred Scripture notes this: 
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the firmament proclaims the works of his hands." (Psalm 19: 2).

Why then do certain individuals say there is no God?  See what the Scriptures say of such fools:

"Only fools say in their hearts, "There is no God." They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!" (Psalm 41: 1).

Scripture is harsh in its indictment of atheism but the Church is more gentle in her Good Friday Prayers for those who do not believe in God:

"The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness.  For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them.  Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. As a result, they have no excuse."  (Romans 1: 18 - 20).

Could the atheists say to God: "I refused to acknowledge You because of the evil and corrupt behaviors of so-called Christians."
Lord have Mercy!

Every Good Friday, the Church prays thus:

"For Those Who Do Not Believe in God:
Let us pray
For those who do not believe in God, that they may find Him
By sincerely following all that is right.

Almighty and eternal God,
You created mankind
So that all might long to find you
And have peace when you are found,
Grant that, in spite of the hurtful things
That stand in their way,
They may all recognize in the lives of Christians
The tokens of your love and mercy,
And gladly acknowledge you
As the one true God and Father of us all.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen"

We say with the Church, AMEN!

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Behold I am with you always.

"Behold, the kingdom of God is among you.”  (Luke 17: 21).

The kingdom of God is among you. The kingdom of God is inside you.
Jesus Christ is the King of eternal glory. His reign is the Kingdom.
"The word was made flesh and dwelt among us."  (John 1: 14).
The birth of Jesus ushers in the reign of God on earth.

You may wonder:  Where is the Kingdom? The Kingdom is wherever the King is. The King is in the Church, which is a visible sign of His Presence and authority in the world. The King is in the hearts and minds and souls of everyone who accepts His reign and authority. The King is in every person who loves, as we are taught by the ancient liturgical hymn:  "Wherever there is love, there is God."  (Ubi Caritas).

The thought that Jesus is truly living in you and me is thrilling beyond measure.  One of the aspects of this Live-in that I enjoy most is this:  "I am not alone."  No matter wherever I am, I am not alone.  Earthquake can shake the city, I am not alone. The stock market can crash and all the banks fail at the same time, I am not alone.  The promise of Jesus to this effect can never fail!  Jesus Christ will always be with me, come what may.
"Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age”  (Matthew 28: 20).

Thank You Jesus!

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Ten of you were blessed. Only one of you came on Sunday to give thanks.

“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”..
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”

"And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him."  (Cf Luke 17: 11 - 19).

God is glorified by our Thanksgiving.  Yet, less than 30% of our community is willing to thank God on Sunday for all His blessings of the past six days. God commanded us to do Eucharistein (Thanksgiving) on Sunday in order to honor and praise Him for all the benefits He provides us, viz: health, family, finances, job, homes and cars, computers and cell phones, food and security.  Every good gift comes from God including security.  (Cf James 1: 17).

Ingratitude offends sharply the Heart of God as it does to every parent.

“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”  (Cf Luke 17: 11-19).

"Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God, and keep the vows you made to the Most High."  (Psalm 50: 14).

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Jesus is the Master who calls us and equips us for service. Who should be grateful to who?

"Is he [the Master] grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?   So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do."  (Luke 17: 9 - 10).

Jesus Christ is the Master who calls us to service in His Kingdom on Earth and gives us every single gift we bring to the service.  "He equip you with everything good for doing his will."  (Hebrews 13: 21).

"Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ."  (Ephesians 4: 11 - 12)

Now use your gifts to build up the Body of Christ.

"I will praise the Lord at all times.
I will constantly speak his praises. I will boast only in the Lord; let all who are helpless take heart."  (Psalm 34: 1 - 2).

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Forgive Always. Forgive Everywhere. Forgive Everything.

"If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.  And if he wrongs you seven times in one day and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’ you should forgive him.”  (Luke 17:  3 - 4).

Forgive always.
Forgive everything.
Forgive everywhere.
Forgive anyone that offends you.
Forgive immediately.  At once.

Why should you forgive?
#1. The Lord has commanded it.
#2.  He forgives everything.
#3.  Jesus blots out the record of your sins and gives you a clear conscience that enables you to to live in peace and sleep well.
#4.  If you refuse to forgive others, the divine forgiveness extended to you will be retracted and you will be required to pay your debt to the full.
#5. Without forgiveness, you may pray but you will gain no favors from God.
#6.  When you bury grievances and unforgivenness, you suffer alone. Your victim is unaware of the pain in your heart.
#7.  Finally, forgive immediately. At once. Don't wait to evaluate the harm done to you. Do it at once.

"Be on your guard!" (Luke 17: 3). Do not fall victim to the evil spirits of unforgivenness.

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Stay awake for you do not know when your Lord will come.

"Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The kingdom of heaven will be like ten Virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps."  (Matthew 25:  1 - 4).

The foolish virgins did not anticipate a delay and were unprepared when the bridegroom was long delayed. (v5)

St. Augustine in his Sermons, 93 wrote: "Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with love, watch with charity, watch with good works […]; make ready the lamps, make sure they do not go out […], renew them with inner oil of an upright conscience; then shall the Bridegroom enfold you in the embrace of his love and bring you into his banquet room, where your lamp can never be extinguished."

"Stay awake and be ready!
For you do not know on what day your Lord will come."  (Matthew 24: 42, 44).

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You cannot serve God and mammon.

"No servant can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”  (Luke 16: 13).

What is mammon?

Lust of the flesh
Lust of the eye
Pride of life
Food
Comfort
Sports and pastimes
Riches
Honors
Praise of men

"I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever hunger; no one who believes in me will ever thirst." (John 6: 35)

You cannot serve God and mammon. Both are mutually exclusive. If you pick up one, you drop the other. The Bread of life destroys hunger for mammon in our lives. Hunger for mammon destroys hunger for the Bread of life. It is either one or the other. Never the two at the same.
Jesus the Bread of life is the antidote against mammon.

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The Lord made him a priest forever.

"The Lord established for him a covenant of peace, and made him the prince, that he might have the dignity of the priesthood for ever."  (Sirach 45: 30)

Today is the Memorial of St Leo the Great.  Who is this man?  He was Pope and Doctor of the Church who lived in the 5th century and helped to define what we know today as the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church.

"God, who never allow the gates of hell to prevail against your Church,
firmly founded on the apostolic rock, grant her, we pray, that through the intercession of Pope Saint Leo, she may stand firm in your truth and know the protection of lasting peace.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever."  (Collect on the Feast of St Leo the Great).

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The Sanctuary is the source of every blessing from God.

"I saw water flowing from the temple, and all who were touched by it were saved."  (Cf Ezekiel 47: 1, 9).

"Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”  (Ezekiel 47: 12).

Water and fire are popular images for the Holy Spirit. In the above Scripture, we are told that all types of blessings flow from the Sanctuary.  The Sanctuary is where the Church calls upon the Holy Spirit to transform the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.  From the Sanctuary flows the blessings of salvation to the waiting world.

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Don't be intimidated by the cost of discipleship.

"Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion?"  (Luke 14: 28).

What is the cost of following Jesus? Read the Gospels and you will find that the cost of the discipleship is all time, all talent and all treasure.  Does Jesus deserve less? Absolutely No!  Some people commit everything to their work or business.

The first Commandment comes to mind again:

"Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."  (Mark 12: 29 - 30).

With the constant availability of the Holy Spirit, nothing can overcome us. (Cf Romans 8: 31 - 32).  No towers to construct. No army to vanquish.

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The King gave a great dinner and those invited brazenly rejected the invitation.

“A man gave a great dinner to which he invited many.  When the time for the dinner came, he dispatched his servant to say to those invited, ‘Come, everything is now ready.’  But one by one, they all began to excuse themselves."  (Luke 14:  16 - 18).

The Great Dinner represents the Heavenly Banquet, the Marriage Feast of the Lamb.  The Sunday Eucharist is a replica, a rehearsal of the Heavenly Banquet. The Host of the Banquet is the Lord Jesus Himself.

Why should anyone reject such an invitation?  Such brazen insult reminds one of the Sin against the 1st Commandment:

#1. " I am the Lord your God:  You shall have no strange gods before Me."  (Exodus 20: 3).

Do I love anybody or anything more than God?

Do I give God time everyday for prayer?  Do I seek to love him with my whole heart?  Have I been involved with superstitious practices?  Have I been involved with the occult?  Do I seek to surrender myself to God’s Word as taught by the Church?  Have I ever received Communion in a state of mortal sin?

"Go out to the highways and hedgerows and make people come in that my home may be filled."  (Luke 14: 23)

The Lord Jesus wants the Sunday Mass to be filled to capacity.
"Make holy the Lord's Day."

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