Endure your trials as discipline from God.

"Endure your trials as “discipline”; God treats you as sons. For what “son” is there whom his father does not discipline?" (Hebrews 12: 7).

Sunday of the 21st week in Ordinary Time. My paper castle was tumbling right and left when I heard our Scripture for today in a Sunday Mass at the beginning of my second journey of faith. It was sweet music to my ears. I was happy because I knew for sure that somebody was aware of where I was and what I was suffering.

Whatever trial you may be going through at the moment, our Scripture for today is certainly a word of knowledge and comfort. A sage said: "Correct thought is the key to correct action." This is the great gift God bestows on us in His word: "The word of God is living and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword." (Hebrews 4: 12).

David is happy because the Lord disciplines him. The Apostle James writes: "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,  because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.  Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything." (James 1: 2 - 4).
"Those whom the Lord loves, He disciplines."

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When you are not keen to meet Jesus...

"Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one about whom Moses wrote in the law, and also the prophets, Jesus son of Joseph, from Nazareth.” (John 1: 45).

Saturday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time is the Feast of the Apostle Bartholomew. Bartholomew who is the same as Nathaniel was introduced to Jesus by his friend Philip. Jesus said of him: "There is no duplicity in him." What an accurate description of a man who was not keen to meet Jesus because he believed "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" Be that as it may, Jesus praised Bartholomew when the two men shook hands and Jesus accepted him as one of the 12 Apostles.

This interesting episode gives us food for thought: Is the Lord Jesus waiting for you to bring that friend to Him? Invite him to Mass? To enter the RCIA? Go to Confession? Regularize her marriage?

The response of those who are called and anointed should be:
"I will bear witness to You in the world O Lord.  I will spread the knowledge of Your name among my brothers and sisters." (Psalm 17: 50 ; 21:23).

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Wherever you go, I will go.

“Do not ask me to abandon or forsake you! For wherever you go, I will go, wherever you lodge I will lodge, your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1: 16).

Friday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Rose of Lima, Virgin. (1586 - 1617). Great beauty and talent but gave up all for the love of Jesus. The Lord rewarded her devotion by making her the first canonized saint in the Americas.

Our key Scripture for today are the brave words of Ruth to her mother-in-law, Naomi.  Unknown to Ruth, she had been chosen to be the great grandmother of King David and to become one of the three women in the Genealogy of Jesus Christ.

What can we learn from the character of Ruth? A spirit of sacrifice, hard work, loyalty and faithfulness. Although a stranger to the monotheistic religion of Israel, she no doubt fulfilled the ancient law enunciated by Jesus in our Gospel of today: "You shall love the LORD, your God, with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself." (Cf Matthew 22: 34 - 40).

"Teach me your paths, my God,
guide me in your truth." (Psalm 25: 4, 5).

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Feast of the Queenship of Mary.

"The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son." (Matthew 22: 2).

Thursday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of the Queenship of Mary. The kingship of David is the type and shadow of the kingship of Christ. Jesus was called the Son of David. During the reign of King Solomon, Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon was the Queen mother and played a prominent role in the court of King Solomon. This historical reality throws some light on the Queenship of Mary. Here is what the Church says on Mary Queen:

"The feast was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1954 and commemorates participation in the glorious and universal kingdom of Christ through her special role in His Redemption. Though not the source of grace, she is the channel through which all graces are received, our mediatrix." (Roman Missal). The elevation of Mary as Queen encourages us to approach her with confidence in all our needs.

"Blessed are you O Mary who have believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord will be fulfilled." (Cf Luke 1: 45).

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There is plenty of work in my Vineyard.

"Why do you stand here idle all day?’  They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard." (Matthew 20: 6 - 7).

Wednesday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Pius X, Pope (1835 - 1914). Pius X is known best for two reasons:
His vigorous defense of the Church against modern heresies and his extension of Holy Communion to young children and encouragement of frequent Communion.

The Church on earth is the seed of the Kingdom of God. In this Kingdom, there is no unemployment. There is work for everyone in the Vineyard. The Owner of the Vineyard is an equal opportunity Employer. He will be fair and generous. But do not be surprised and bitter if every worker is paid the same. Why were the late workers paid first?

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways—oracle of the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55: 7 - 8).

Now the punchline:
"What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?" (Matthew 20: 14 - 15).

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Give me Jesus.

"And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more, and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19: 29).

Tuesday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Bernard of Clairvaux (1090 - 1153),Abbot and Doctor of the Church. Apostle Peter on behalf of the Apostles and ourselves asked Jesus: “We have given up everything and followed you. What will there be for us?” (Matthew 19: 27).

St Bernard was a French Cistercian monk who is well known in the history of the the Church. Among peers, he was a towering giant. He was immensely learned, holy, cultivated, gentle, a great teacher and a highly effective preacher. St Bernard gave the world the MEMORARE Prayer. (Remember O Most Blessed Virgin Mary...).
Should you ask St Bernard: You have given up everything to follow Jesus, what is there for you? St Bernard would have answered like another great teacher and Doctor of the Church, St Thomas Aquinas: Give me Jesus and that will be enough.

Jesus is the Top Prize. He is the great Reward! Give me Jesus.

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He went away sad.

"Jesus said to him [the rich man] “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to [the] poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Matthew 19: 21).

Monday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time. The rich young man turns down the opportunity to become a disciple of Jesus.

Some people are born poor.
Others become poor by their own mistakes.
Some people have poverty thrust upon them.

The vocation to follow Jesus implies embracing poverty of one degree or another.  Some people are committed to radical poverty like Franciscans. The Apostles and immediate disciples of Jesus were called to this type of poverty. Those who enter consecrated life take vow of poverty. They depend on the providence of God to provide all their necessities. God rewards them with deep peace and God Himself becomes their security in everything.

Jesus loves the rich man and invited him to join this intimate circle. "When the young man heard this statement, [about giving up his wealth] he went away sad, for he had many possessions." (Matthew 19: 22).

Do you own your money or does your money own you?

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My message will be contentious.

"In those days, the princes said to the king:
“Jeremiah ought to be put to death:
he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin.” (Jeremiah 38: 4).

Sunday of the 20th week in Ordinary Time has a message of strife, contention and extreme courage in following Jesus.

The people got King Zedekiah to condemn Jeremiah to death for doing his work as a prophet. In the Gospel, Jesus proclaims how He came to set the earth on fire. "From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three.” (Luke 12: 52 - 53).

The 2nd Reading from Hebrews 12: 1-4 confirms the message of Christ on the nature of the Enterprise He has given his life for. A great crowd of witnesses has already paid the price with their life: John the Baptist, Peter and Paul and all the Apostles, Stephen, Lawrence, Cecilia, Agatha, Thomas More, Oscar Romero, Martin Luther King Jr, etc. These are the heroes of our faith. All these witnesses belong to the Communion of the Saints, the holy ones who day and night are interceding for us before the Throne of grace and mercy and urging us to persevere in running the race that lies before us.

Brethren, this saying is trustworthy:
“Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him,” (1 Corinthians 2: 9).

The reward for faithfulness and perseverance will be extraordinary.

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Let the children come to Me.

“Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19: 14).

Saturday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time. Have you ever been annoyed by unrestrained and noisy children during Mass?  I discovered something curious and very beautiful about this annoyance recently. Little children love the house of God in a natural way. At first, I thought that little children might mistake the Sanctuary for a super market like Walmart. A little reflection convinced me that this is not the case. They know something, they see something that we distracted adults don't know and see. After the noon Mass at the Cathedral today, I saw a young child suddenly detach himself from the gripping hold of the mother and ran to the side altar. I caught his eyes and winked at him. I have learned to leave them alone.

"Blessed are you, Father,
Lord of heaven and earth, for revealing the mysteries of the kingdom to mere children." (Matthew 11: 25).

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HOW GOD OVERCOMES EVIL 😈

272 Faith in God the Father Almighty can be put to the test by the experience of evil and suffering. God can sometimes seem to be absent and incapable of stopping evil. But in the most mysterious way God the Father has revealed his almighty power in the voluntary humiliation and Resurrection of his Son, by which he conquered evil. 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". (Catechism of the Catholic Church 272).
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It was not your sword or your bow.

"It was not your sword or your bow." (Joshua 24: 12).

Friday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time. The first presidential address of Joshua to the people of Israel is the subject of the first Reading in today's Liturgy. It is sobering. Joshua went down memory lane to the very beginning of the nation: The choice and the call of Abraham. At the conclusion of his address, God speaking through Joshua to the people said:

"I gave you a land you did not till and cities you did not build, to dwell in; you ate of vineyards and olive groves you did not plant." (Joshua 24: 13).

The point of the talk is to warn the people against hubris. The Responsorial Psalm instructs us of the attitude of praise and thanksgiving we need before God:

"Give thanks to the God of gods.
Great is his love, love without end.
Give thanks to the Lord of lords.
Great is his love, love without end.
Through the desert his people he led.

"Great is his love, love without end.
Nations in their greatness he struck. Great is his love, love without end.
Kings in their splendour he slew.
Great is his love, love without end.
He let Israel inherit their land."
Great is his love, love without end. (Psalm 136: 1- 3, 16 - 18, 21 - 22).

It was not our sword or our bow that built the nation but God's gracious ordaining. Give thanks to the Lord.

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Mary was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory.

"Almighty, ever-living God,
who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son,
body and soul into heavenly glory,
grant, we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory.
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."

Thursday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time is the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven. What is the Assumption?
"The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's Resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians." (CCC 966).

The Collect of the Mass of the Solemnity of the Assumption expresses the constant and ancient faith of the Church.
"Lex orandi, lex credendi, lex vivendi." As the Church prays, so does she believe. So does she live. Teaches this ancient dictum. St Augustine, a theological genius expresses so succinctly: I believe because the Church taught me to believe. I believe based on the credible authority of the Church. Yes indeed. No Church, no confirmation of our faith.

Mary who bore Christ in her womb was raised body and soul in glory to be with Him in heaven. This is the ancient and constant faith of the Church.

"All generations will call me blessed, for he who is mighty has done great things for me." (Luke 1: 48 - 49).

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Who is St Maximilian Kolbe?

"Greater love has no one
than to lay down his life for his friends, says the Lord." (Cf John 15: 13).

Wednesday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Maximilian Kolbe (1894 - 1941), Franciscan Priest and Martyr. St Maximilian exhibited a greater love for his co-prisoner, picked by lot to be executed by the Nazis at Auschwitz. The condemned man broke down and wept bitterly. "My wife and children."  Maximilian who was a priest and unmarried asked the Gestapo to spare the man and take him. The Gestapo found the bargain to their liking since they hated priests more than Jews. They executed St Maximilian Kolbe.

"Greater love has no one
than to lay down his life for his friends, says the Lord." (Cf John 15: 13). The love and example of Jesus compels us to imitate Him. "Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there also will my servant be. The Father will honor whoever serves me." (John 12: 26). St Maximilian Kolbe is enjoying his well deserved reward in heaven and is honored today throughout the world in the anniversary of his martyrdom.

St Maximilian Kolbe pray for us.

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The Lord Himself goes before you in this Journey.

"It is the Lord who goes before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not fear or be dismayed.”
(Deuteronomy 31: 8).

Tuesday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time. Who goes before you in the Journey of life? Whom do you depend on as your provider and  leader?

When Moses was handing over the leadership baton to Joshua, he assured the people that God Himself remains the real Leader. Therefore they should not be afraid. God will never fail them.

God gives names to their leaders and ministering angels which contains His sacred name "EL" to remind them of His promise to be with them and provide for them.

El = God

Isra-El: God contends/fights.
Gabri-El: God’s strength” or “Power of God”.
Rapha-El: “God heals”.
Micha-El: Who is like God?
Emmanu-El: God with us.
Ishma-El: God hears.

If God is with you, the Journey is accomplished.

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3 dire predictions of the Passion of Christ which noone remembered.

"As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men,  and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day.” And they were overwhelmed with grief." (Matthew 17: 22 - 23).

Monday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time. The subtext of the word we have picked for today reads "The Second Prediction of the Passion."

How can we begin to understand the fact that Jesus predicted His Passion in such graphic terms three times and non of His disciples was prepared for it or even seemed to remember? It seems impossible to be true.

Be that as it may, how about ourselves? The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is taught and preached with vigor. We know that the Second Coming is the sub theme of Advent. Right?

Now what will be our defense if Jesus Christ comes tomorrow? Are we ready? How will our defense attorney plead for us?

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Rejoice in hope.

"Stay awake and stand ready,
because you do not know the hour
when the Son of Man is coming." (Matthew 24: 42, 44).

Sunday of the 19th week in Ordinary Time. Today's message could be personal. Are you waiting for something to happen? An answer to prayer for example. How do you know when God will deliver the answer? The Church answers the question thus:

"In prayer the disciple keeps watch, attentive to Him Who Is and Him Who Comes...... In communion with their Master, the disciples' prayer is a battle; only by keeping watch in prayer can one avoid falling into temptation." (CCC 2612).

When you keep watch in prayer, you will know the appointed time, the fullness of time. When you do not keep watch in prayer, you will fall into temptation and see your bus speed by while you are not paying attention. In the 1st Reading, we are told:

"The night of the Passover was known before hand to our forefathers." (Wisdom 18: 6). If you keep watch in prayer, God will be pleased to give you the privilege of knowing that the appointed time has come.

Live in hope. Rejoice in hope. God Never Fails!

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The Feast of St Lawrence the Deacon.

"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit." (John 12: 24).

Saturday of the 18th week in Ordinary Time is the Feast of St Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. (+Circa 258). St Lawrence was a prominent Roman Deacon who braved roasting by red hot fire to defend the Church and her greatest wealth: the Poor. In this, Lawrence became like Jesus, the grain of wheat that falls to the ground and dies. As a result of the death of Jesus, life sprang up everywhere.

"Whoever tries to keep their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life will preserve it." (Luke 17: 33).

St Lawrence sowed bountifully and the Lord rewarded him and made him the Doyen of Deacons.
"Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9: 6).

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When you remember the wonderful things God has done for you.

"I remember the deeds of the Lord." (Psalm 77: 12).

Friday of the 18th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Teresa of the  Cross (1891 - 1942). Teresa was born Edith Stein of Jewish parents and converted to the Church. A well established philosopher in the universities in Germany, she was sent to Auschwitz by the Nazis and died in the gas chambers.

What one thing can make you grow in faith, hope and love? "I remember the deeds of the Lord." (Psalm 77: 12). Forgetfulness of what God has done for you is about the greatest harm you can inflict on yourself.
This truth and insight comes to us from the Responsorial Psalm in today's Liturgy:

"I remember the deeds of the Lord, I remember your wonders of old, I muse on all your works and ponder your mighty deeds." (Psalm 77: 12 - 16).

It is a well known axiom that what God has done once, He can always do again. The Israelites in the Desert forgot again and again that it the same God who split the Red Sea in two for them is the same God leading them on their Journey. The same God who fed them with manna feed 7000 people with bread and fish with much leftovers.

"Bless the Lord, my soul; and do not forget all his gifts, Who pardons all your sins, and heals all your ills, Who redeems your life from the pit, and crowns you with mercy and compassion, Who fills your days with good things, so your youth is renewed like the eagles." (Psalm 103: 2 - 5).

Psalm 103: 2 - 5 is the greatest advice you can receive from God's holy word. It is not a coincidence that this Psalm is used most in Responsorial Psalms. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you remember and give thanks.

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Get behind me, you Satan!

"He [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.” (Matthew 16: 23).

Thursday of the 18th week in Ordinary Time is the feast of St Dominic (1170 - 1221), Priest and Founder of the Order of Preachers, the Dominican Order.

What do you make of the sharp rebuke of Jesus to Peter? Peter opposed the truth that Jesus must suffer and die. Christ's reaction implies that this truth is fundamental and of the highest priority in the hierarchy of truth. Nobody should mess up with this fundamental proposition. Not even Peter.

After His Resurrection, Jesus laid down 4 principles of apostolic witness:

#1 The Death of Jesus.
#2 Testimony of Scripture to the suffering and death of Jesus: (Luke 24: 44 - 46).
#3 The Resurrection of Jesus.
#4 The power of the Name of Jesus.

Deprecation of any of these truths by heresies must not be tolerated in the Church.

"May Saint Dominic come to the help of your Church by his merits and teaching, O Lord, and may he, who was an outstanding preacher of your truth, be a devoted intercessor on our behalf.
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 Dominic).

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Faith welcomes unusual challenges to our welfare.

"We felt like mere grasshoppers." (Numbers 13: 33).

Wednesday of the 18th week in Ordinary Time. Have you ever felt like a grasshopper before a giant problem? Think of unanimous verdict of a team of medical expert that your case is simply hopeless. Or condemned to life sentence with no option of appeal by the highest court of the land. Or your only family home with all that you own is washed into the sea by the last hurricane and you have no insurance.

Faith welcomes any of the above scenario with a smile. A student who is prepared for an examination is impatient to see the test begin. One who is not prepared will pray for all the imaginable causes of delay.
In today's Scriptures, we see from the 1st Reading in Numbers 13, a story of No Faith. The men sent to survey the land flowing with milk and honey disparaged the territory. In the Gospel narrative in Matthew 15, we hear Jesus commend a foreign woman for a strong faith:

“O woman, great is your faith! Let it be done for you as you wish.” (Matthew 15: 28). And the result of strong faith: "And her daughter was healed from that hour."

David must have looked like grasshopper before Goliath. But who won the day? We do not and we can never vanquish the world with arms of flesh. Our faith will overcome this world anytime. We do not walk by sight or feeling but always by faith.

The God of Jesus Christ who is always with us never fails!

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