ARE YOU A HEARER OR A DOER OF THE WORD?
THE GOODNEWS:
“When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to Jesus, he spoke in a parable.
“A sower went out to sow his seed.
And as he sowed, some seed fell on the path and was trampled, and the birds of the sky ate it up.
Some seed fell on rocky ground, and when it grew, it withered for lack of moisture.
Some seed fell among thorns, and the thorns grew with it and choked it.
And some seed fell on good soil, and when it grew, it produced fruit a hundredfold.”
"After saying this, he called out, “Whoever has ears to hear ought to hear.”." (Luke 8: 5......14).
Saturday 19th September 2026 in the 24th Week of Ordinary Time is the feast of the Feast of St Januarius, Bishop and Martyr.
St Januarius was martyred about 305. He was Italian. He was Bishop and Martyr and was killed under Emperor Diocletian.
His dried blood liquifies miraculously several times a year. Even science and agnostics are confounded by this miracle. Jesus our Savior still presents believers more than sufficient proofs like the liquification of the the blood of Januarius to strengthen their faith.
Did you guess that the Sower in the Gospel for today (Luke 8: 4 - 15) is Jesus the Farmer?
The seed is the word of God. One of Jesus numerous names is the Word of God (Cf Revelation 19:13).
The seed that fell among thorns may be likened to some living today in western societies.
Unbridled affluence and materialism have eroded the faith of Our Fathers in these countries .
People hear the Pearl of the Gospel: "Seek first the kingdom of God and holiness of life above every other thing and all your needs shall be met. Stop worrying about tomorrow which you cannot control. Trust firmly in my Divine All Powerful Providence. (Free translation - Cf Matthew 6: 33 - 34).
We hear the word and prefer to be hearers only and not doers of the word.
Our ever merciful Savior continues to sow the word every day through the Sacred Scriptures, teachings from Sacred Tradition and Magisterium.
But you too, you are a sower of the word whether you are a teacher, catechist, evangelist, nurse, housewife, politician, gabage collector, etc. Whatever you are or do, the Lord has entrusted you to partner with Him to transform the world today. How do you respond?
In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary. May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us mercies from her Son Jesus.
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
THE WOMEN WHO PROVIDED FOR JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God.
"Accompanying him were the Twelve
and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities,
Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza,
Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources." (Luke 8: 1 - 3).
Friday, September 18th in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time.
In the Gospel of today, we see that women who benefited from the ministry of Jesus provided for His needs and those of His disciples.
They provided for them "out of their means."
The widow of Zarephath provided for Elijah out of her meagre resources.
God blessed this source and it never dried up till rain was restored.
This incidence is a foreshadow of God's arrangement for providing the future disciples of Jesus Christ.
In the Old Testament, we see many instances of God providing for His servants through elected people.
This principle was established with the levitical priesthood.
Elisha, the prophet was likewise provided for by a couple in the course of his work.
In the New Testament, we find abundant examples from the works of the Twelve and St Paul.
What are the lessons for us?
God makes adequate provisions for the needs of those who preach the gospel.
God prefers a situation of weakness and dependence for His servants so that His wisdom and power can triumph through their work.
God infact wants His collaborators in the work of salvation to imitate the simplicity of Jesus Christ. He appoints people to supply the needs of His workers.
How do the disciples of Christ today appropriate God's blessings and provisions for their ministry?
First, they must be aware of these provisions in the Bible. They must understand what God's word or promise is saying to their particular situation.
Disciples of Jesus must believe his word and act on this word. Prayer, trust and obedience activate the power of the word.
In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary.
Reflect on the Pieta.
Ponder Mary receiving the lifeless body of Christ into her arms. Her maternal arms host the true Lamb of God.
Consoling the Sorrowful Mother: Offer acts of reparation for the sins that grieve the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful Heart of Mary.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us mercies from her Son Jesus.
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
THE FEAST OF ST ROBERT BELLARMINE. BISHOP & DOCTOR OF THE CHURCH.
"A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
"Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
"When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
"Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
"Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
"Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
"But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
"The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
"But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.” (Luke 7: 36 - 50).
Thursday 17th September 2026 in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Robert Bellarmine of the Society of Jesus. (1542 - 1620). Italian. Bishop, Cardinal, Apologist and Patron Saint of Catechists.
Robert Bellarmine resided in Rome during most of his work life. The poor of Rome came to know him well and called him "the new poor one," reminiscent of St Francis of Assisi, the original poor man of Assisi. Bellarmine shared his table regularly with the poor of the city of Rome.
Bellarmine was the nephew of Pope Marcellus II. St Robert
Bellarmine was a renowned scholar, a great apologist and contributed immensely to the Council of Trent and the reforms mandated by the Council.
In spite of all these encomiums, Bellarmine could say with Paul:
"By the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective."
September 17th is also the feast of St Hildegard of Bingen: (1098 - 1179). German. Benedictine. Virgin and Doctor of the Church.
The incredibly talented Hildegard wore many hats: Mother superior, theologian, teacher and preacher, scientist, gynecologist, musician, etc.
St Hildegard is the patron saint of musicians and writers.
"Saved by faith!
"Your faith has saved you; go in peace." (Luke 7: 50)
Jesus said these words to the woman described as a "sinful woman" in Luke 7: 36 – 50.
This woman's faith in Jesus brought her not only forgiveness of her many sins but spiritual healing as well. Faith is to accept God's word as true.
Which word of God do I need to accept as true here and now?
My sins are forgiven.
God is my Father.
God's mighty and merciful providence is guiding, protecting and providing for me every moment of my life.
Lord Jesus, I believe. Help my unbelief.
I accept every promise of God in Bible as true.
God is faithful beyond compare. The Scriptures boost that God remembers His promises for a thousand generations. That is to say, forever!
In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary.
St Robert Bellarmine, SJ our Saint of today had a notably deep and lifelong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Accounts of his life describe his daily recitation of the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin and the Rosary, his Saturday fast in Mary’s honor, and his strong theological defense of her privileges, including support for the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception long before it was defined as dogma.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us mercies from her Son Jesus.
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
MEMORIAL OF SAINTS CORNELIUS, POPE AND MARTYR AND ST CYPRIAN, BISHOP AND MARTYR.
Wednesday, SEPTEMBER 16, 2026.
Wednesday 16th September 2026 in the 24th Week of Ordinary Time is the Memorial of Saints Cornelius (Pope and Martyr) and Cyprian (Bishop and Martyr).
Pope Cornelius was martyred under Emperor Gallus in 253. St Cyprian, a Bishop from Carthage (modern Tunisia) was martyred in 258 under Emperor Valerian.
The two saints we honor today were acquainted with one another. They lived under one of the most severe persecutions of the Church. Tens of thousands were martyred. Rome was determined to stamp out once and for all Christianity in the empire.
Many Christians did not have the courage to face martyrdom. So they denied Jesus in order to preserve their lives. When the violent persecution abated, those Christians who denied Jesus wanted to be received back into the Church. Some Bishops said Yes. Other Bishops refused them a second chance. The controversy nearly split the Church asunder.
Pope Cornelius wanted the Christians who apostasized to confess their sins and do appropriate penance and be allowed to rejoin the Church. Many Bishops opposed him.
St Cyprian from the powerful African Church in Carthage came to his support. Their side won and schism was prevented.
In the Prayer over the Gifts for this Mass, the Church affirmed that the Eucharist gave Saints Cornelius and Cyprian the courage to offer their lives for Christ. The same Eucharist can keep us faithful in all our trials, the Church prays. If you can receive the Eucharist more than once a week and do not do so, how can you justify your abstinence from such a Gift? It is simply ridiculous.
"Receive, we pray, O Lord, the offerings of your people
in honor of the passion of your holy Martyrs
Saints Cornelius and Cyprian,
and may the gifts that gave them courage under
persecution
make us, too, steadfast in all trials.
Through Christ our Lord."
The Eucharist gave Cornelius and Cyprian courage under persecution. The Holy Eucharist will do the same for you.
"Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare the people of this generation?
What are they like?
They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.
We sang a dirge, but you did not weep.’
For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’
But wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” (LUKE 7: 31 - 35).
When Jesus compares us to little children in the marketplace who refuse to play the game according to rules, what is He saying?
If you want to be an adult Christian, you must learn one truth and abide by it.
Nobody can please the world. The world has no gold standard.
It has rather arbitrary rules strung together to satisfy selfish whims.
The world controls people through Opinion Polls.
Many people are terrified of adverse opinions from their neighbors, peers and the public.
Jesus did not care what people think about Him.
His greatest desire is to do the will of His Father.
In His teaching in today's Gospel, Jesus is not theoretical. He gives examples:
"For John the Baptist came neither eating food nor drinking wine, and you said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and you said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners."
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.” (Matthew 11: 18 - 19).
In September, the Church honors the Sorrowful Heart of Mary.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us mercies from her Son Jesus.
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
THE MEMORIAL OF OUR LADY OF SORROWS.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
"When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved he said to his mother,
“Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.”
"And from that hour the disciple took her into his home." (John 19: 25 - 27).
Tuesday September 15th 2026 in the 24th Week of Ordinary Time is the Memorial Our Lady of Sorrows.
"At the cross her station keeping,
Stood the mournful Mother weeping, Close to Jesus to the last." (Stabat Mater). Thus was the prophecy of Simeon at the Presentation of the Child Jesus fulfilled. "Your own soul a sword will pierce."
By the Cross of Jesus, the Mother of Sorrows received her everlasting vocation:
“Behold, your mother.” Mary may have murmured silently: "Be it done to me according to Your word." And she became our Mother too from that instance.
What do you make of the Seven Sorrows of Mary?
Was it necessary? Superfluous? An overkill?
Our Church teaches: "Our Mother Mary teaches us to live, together with her, beside the cross of her Son. In her suffering, she reminds us of the malice of sin and shows us the way of true repentance." (Roman Missal).
The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows follows the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Back to back we celebrate the mystery of suffering in the economy of salvation.
Devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary had been practiced since the
13th Century. The Swedish mystic, St Bridget received this Devotion. Below are the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary:
The prophecy of Simeon.
The flight into Egypt.
Loss of the Child Jesus for three days.
Mary meeting Jesus on his way to Calvary.
Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
The body of Jesus being taken from the Cross.
The burial of Jesus.
Mary like her Son Jesus endured each of her agony with perfect love and total abandonment to God.
How do we summarize the dynamics of Cross and Crown, Test and Testimony, Trial and Triumph?
The Apostle Peter says it best in the Communion Antiphon:
"Rejoice when you share in the sufferings of Christ, that you may also rejoice exultantly when his glory is revealed." (1 Peter 4: 13).
The Church honors the Most Sorrowful Heart of Mary in September.
Mary embraced her 7 Crosses (Sorrows). May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us mercies from her Crucified Son Jesus.
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
THE GOODNEWS:
"Jesus said to Nicodemus:
“No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.
"And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3: 13 - 17).
Monday 14th September 2026 in the 24th Week in Ordinary Time is the great feast of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Why celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross?
#1 There is a divine necessity for the Son of Man to be lifted up on the Cross in order to save mankind.
#2 The crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus transformed the Cross into a true sign of salvation. The Cross transformed our trials into possibilities of triumphs and testimonies.
#3 "Christ crucified is thus "the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." It is in Christ's Resurrection and exaltation that the Father has shown forth "the immeasurable greatness of his power in us who believe" (CCC 272)
#4. "It is suffering, more than anything else, which clears the way for the grace which transforms human souls. Suffering, more than anything else, makes present in the history of humanity the powers of the Redemption." (ON the Christian Meaning of Suffering - Salvifici Doloris #27).
#5. We exalt the cross whenever we embrace
our trials and tribulations and understand that God's holy will is the means of peace and joy in our lives.
The Cross has become a synonym for the trials of life.
Jesus says: "If you want to follow Me, pick up your own cross and follow Me."
Hence we find plastic cross, gold cross, silver cross, wooden cross, etc. We find crosses in homes, cars, schools, hospitals, churches, cemeteries.
We find crosses in every country in the world. The ubiquitous presence of the Cross everywhere is significant and providential. It signifies that grace and mercy are everywhere we accept trials and situations we can not avoid.
We are baptized with the sign of the Cross: In the Name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. This reminds us of the Trinitarian character of our faith.
As the catechumens are reminded in THE OCIA Rite of Acceptance, embracing our cross is embracing the will of God. It is the most assured route to sanctity and the good life. The will of God is our shalom, our peace. Peace is the first and greatest gift of the Resurrection.
"Father, in Your will is our peace."
Man has always rejected the Cross as we see in the first Reading (Numbers 21: 4 - 9).
"With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!” (Numbers 21: 4 - 5).
If like Jesus, we humble ourselves under the mighty hands of God and accept our crosses, in the fullness of time, God will lift us up. (Cf 1 Peter 5: 6).
Jesus came to undo the disobedience of Adam and Eve by embracing the prescribed means of salvation by the Father.
"When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself, says the Lord." (John 12: 32)
We adore you, O Christ, and we bless you, because by your Cross you have redeemed the world.
September is the month we celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. It is also the month the Church honors the Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Mary embraced her 7 Crosses (Sorrows). May the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Sorrows obtain for us mercies from her Crucified Son Jesus.
For Prayers of Consecration to the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Litany, Promises of Mary to those who say the Holy Rosary, etc click the link below:
