Wednesday, November 7, 2007
31st Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 13:8-10
Gospel: Luke 14:25-33

One day, when large crowds were walking along with Jesus, he turned and said to them, "If you come to me, without being ready to give up your love for your father and mother, your spouse and children, your brothers and sisters, and indeed yourself, you cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not follow me carrying his own cross cannot be my disciple.

"Do you build a house without first sitting down to count the cost to see whether you have enough to complete it? Otherwise, if you have laid the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone will make fun of you: 'This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.'
"And when a king wages war against another king, does he go to fight without first sitting down to consider whether his ten thousand can stand against the twenty thousand of his opponent? And if not, while the other is still a long way off he sends messengers for peace talks. In the same way, none of you may become my disciple if he doesn't give up everything he has."

God, give us strength to do everything in Your Holy Will... Especially in these times of despair

Tuesday, November 6, 2007
31st Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 12:5-16
Gospel: Luke 14:15-24

One of those at the table said to Jesus, "Happy are those who eat at the banquet in the kingdom of God!"

Jesus replied, "A man once gave a feast and invited many guests. When it was time for the feast he sent his servant to tell those he had invited to come, for everything was ready. But all alike began to make excuses. The first said: 'Please excuse me. I must go and see the piece of land I have just bought.' Another said: 'I am sorry, but I am on my way to try out the five yoke of oxen I have just bought.' Still another said, 'How can I come when I have just married?'

"The servant returned alone and reported this to his master. Upon hearing the account, the master of the house flew into a rage and ordered his servant: 'Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'
"The servant reported after a while: 'Sir, your orders have been carried out, but there is still room.' The master said: 'Go out to the highways and country lanes and force people to come in, to make sure my house is full. I tell you, none of those invited will have a morsel of my feast."

We are lucky we have been invited to His feast: His blessings. We have not only recieved a morsel of His blessings but a feast of it! Have we denied His blessings by forgetting to acknowledge where it came from? Have we forgotten to share what He has given us to our brothers and sisters?

Each on of us has been given different blessings, skills, and talents that we may share them to others too. What are your blessings? What are your skills and talents? The year is ending, have you shared some of these to others?

Monday, November 5, 2007
31st Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 11:29-36
Gospel: Luke 14:12-14

Jesus addressed the man who had invited him and said, "When you give a lunch or a dinner, don't invite your friends, or your brothers and relatives and wealthy neighbors. For surely they will also invite you in return and you will be repaid. When you give a feast, invite instead the poor, the crippled, the lame and the blind. Fortunate are you then, because they can't repay you; you will be repaid at the Resurrection of the upright."

Genuine generosity is when we expect nothing in return...

Sunday, November 4, 2007
31st Sunday in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Wisdom 11:22-12:2
You love all things that are!

The entire world lies before you, just enough to tip the scales, a drop of morning dew falling on the ground.

But because you are almighty, you are merciful to all; you overlook sins and give your children time to repent. You love everything that exists and hate nothing that you have made; had you hated anything, you would not have formed it.

How could anything endure if you did not will it? And how could anything last that you had not willed? You have compassion on all because all is yours, O Lord, lover of life.
In fact your immortal spirit is in all.

And so by degrees you correct those who sin, you admonish them, reminding them how they have strayed so that turning away from evil they may trust in you, Lord.

 

2nd Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1:11-2:2
The name of Christ be glorified.

This is why we constantly pray for you; may our God make you worthy of his calling. May he, by his power, fulfill your good purposes and your work prompted by faith. In that way, the name of Jesus our Lord will be glorified through you, and you through him, according to the loving plan of God and of Christ Jesus the Lord.

Brothers and sisters, let us speak about the coming of Christ Jesus, our Lord, and our gathering to meet him. Do not be easily unsettled. Do not be alarmed by what a prophet says or by any report, or by some letter said to be ours, saying the day of the Lord is at hand.

Gospel: Luke 19:1-10
Zacchaeus

When Jesus entered Jericho and was going through the city, a man named Zacchaeus was there. He was a tax collector and a wealthy man. He wanted to see what Jesus was like, but he was a short man and could not see because of the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed up a sycamore tree. From there he would be able to see Jesus who had to pass that way. When Jesus came to the place, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly for I must stay at your house today." So Zacchaeus hurried down and received him joyfully.

All the people who saw it began to grumble and said, "He has gone to the house of a sinner as a guest." But Zacchaeus spoke to Jesus, "The half of my goods, Lord, I give to the poor, and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much." Looking at him Jesus said, "Salvation has come to this house today, for he is also a true son of Abraham. The Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost."

The year is about to end, like Zacchaeus, have we shared God's blessings into others? Have we repaired any injustices we have incurred to others? Have we renounce sins and become faithful to God?

Saturday, November 3, 2007
30th Week in Ordinary Time
Martin de Porres

1st Reading: Rom 11:1-2, 11-12, 25-29
Gospel: Luke 14:1, 7-11

One Sabbath Jesus had gone to eat a meal in the house of a leading Pharisee, and he was carefully watched.

Jesus then told a parable to the guests, for he had noticed how they tried to take the places of honor. And he said, "When you are invited to a wedding party, do not choose the best seat. It may happen that someone more important than you has been invited, and your host, who invited both of you, will come and say to you: 'Please give this person your place.' What shame is yours when you take the lowest seat!

"Whenever you are invited, go rather to the lowest seat, so that your host may come and say to you: 'Friend, you must come up higher.' And this will be a great honor for you in the presence of all the other guests. For whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised."

 I just remembered what the famous actress Natalie Portman said that when you think you are the best among the rest, that is the time you need to be slapped...

Humility has always been one of the most important virtues of Christ. However sometimes people pretend to be humble to boast or as they say too much humility is pride itself.

We need to pride ourselves as God's children and that He loves us very much but we need to be humble enough to accept all our flaws and shortcomings. Whatever success and blessings we have acquired are all given by our Father in heaven and so are our other brothers and sisters.

I think humility starts when we acknowledge that we really cannot do anything without God's grace, we are nothing without Him. With that acknowledgement, we would be able to appreciate others' blessings and success as well as ours. We become thankful every moment for everything.

 

Friday, November 2, 2007
All Souls

1st Reading: Wis 3:1-9
2nd Reading: Rom 6:3-9
Gospel: Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to his disciples, "When the Son of Man comes in his glory with all his angels, he will sit on the throne of his Glory. All the nations will be brought before him, and as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, so will he do with them, placing the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

"The King will say to those on his right: 'Come, blessed of my Father! Take possession of the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me into your house. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to see me.'

"Then the good people will ask him: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and give you food; thirsty and give you drink, or a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to see you?' The King will answer, 'Truly, I say to you: when-ever you did this to these little ones who are my brothers and sisters, you did it to me.'

"Then he will say to those on his left: 'Go, cursed people, out of my sight into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels! For I was hungry and you did not give me anything to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink; I was a stranger and you did not welcome me into your house; I was naked and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison and you did not visit me.'

"They, too, will ask: 'Lord, when did we see you hungry, thirsty, naked or a stranger, sick or in prison, and did not help you?' The King will answer them: 'Truly, I say to you: whatever you did not do for one of these little ones, you did not do for me.'
"And these will go into eternal punishment, but the just to eternal life."

 

Will we be goats or sheeps?

Thursday, November 1, 2007
All Saints

1st Reading: Rev 7:2-4, 9-14
2nd Reading: 1 Jn 3:1-3
Gospel: Matthew 5:1-12

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. He sat down and his disciples gathered around him. Then he spoke and began to teach them:
"Fortunate are those who are poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are those who mourn, they shall be comforted.
Fortunate are the gentle, they shall possess the land.
Fortunate are those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied.
Fortunate are the merciful, for they shall find mercy.
Fortunate are those with a pure heart, for they shall see God.
Fortunate are those who work for peace, they shall be called children of God.
Fortunate are those who are persecuted for the cause of justice, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Fortunate are you, when people insult you and persecute you and speak all kinds of evil against you because you are my followers. Be glad and joyful, for a great reward is kept for you in God. This is how this people persecuted the prophets who lived before you."

 

To analyze this gospel, it would make us think that it is really hard to be a follower of Christ. However with constant prayers and faith, we become more like Christ from small or little things into greater things we are destined to happen and do.

We start by being poor in spirit and acknowledging that we cannot do everything with our own hands, we need God's grace and with the help of the community to make all things possible. We start by mourning with those who mourn and comforting them, by being caring to people, for helping those who have been oppressed and victims of injustices, merciful to those who have hurt us and to those people in need, and so on...

We all start with one single step and with one small action but these small deeds will help us reach our purpose in life.

Have you started it today?

Wednesday, October 31, 2007
30th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 8:26-30
Gospel: Luke 13:22-30

Jesus went through towns and villages teaching and making his way to Jerusalem. Someone asked him, "Lord, is it true that few people will be saved?"

And Jesus answered, "Do your best to enter by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has got up and locked the door, you will stand outside; then you will knock at the door calling: 'Lord, open to us.' But he will say to you: 'I do not know where you come from.'

"Then you will say: 'We ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets!' "But he will reply: 'I don't know where you come from. Away from me all you workers of evil.'
"You will weep and grind your teeth when you see Abraham and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and you yourselves left outside. Others will sit at table in the kingdom of God, people coming from east and west, from north and south. Some who are among the last will be the first, and others who were first will be last!"

 

Have we done the right things to be able to enter His kingdom when the time comes? What does it really take to be able to join our Creator in eternity?

As the first reading goes, it is the Holy Spirit Who will guide us to pray the right prayer and to enlighten and guide us to the the exact right things so that we will be saved, justified and spend the rest of our eternity with God in His kingdom!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007
30th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 8:18-25
Gospel: Luke 13:18-21

Jesus continued speaking, "What is the kingdom of God like? What shall I compare it to? Imagine a person who has taken a mustard seed and planted it in the garden. The seed has grown and become like a small tree, so that the birds of the air shelter in its branches."
And Jesus said again, "What is the kingdom of God like? Imagine a woman who has taken yeast and hidden it in three measures of flour until it is all leavened."

http://www.bible.claret.org/Daily%20Gospel/DG%202007/index.html

 

 

Monday, October 29, 2007
30th Week in Ordinary Time

1st Reading: Rom 8:12-17
Gospel: Luke 13:10-17

Jesus was teaching in a synagogue on the Sabbath and a crippled woman was there. An evil spirit had kept her bent for eighteen years so that she could not straighten up at all. On seeing her, Jesus called her and said, "Woman, you are freed from your infirmity." Then he laid his hands upon her and immediately she was made straight and praised God.

But the ruler of the synagogue was indignant because Jesus had performed this healing on the Sabbath day and he said to the people, "There are six days in which to work; come on those days to be healed and not on the Sabbath."

But the Lord replied, "You hypocrites! Everyone of you unties his ox or his donkey on the Sabbath and leads it out of the barn to give it water. And here you have a daughter of Abraham whom Satan had bound for eighteen years. Should she not be freed from her bonds on the Sabbath?"

When Jesus said this, all his opponents felt ashamed. But the people rejoiced at the many wonders that happened through him.

 

We are not bound by empty laws but God wants us to be free from satan's bound. God wants us to rejoice with His son Jesus Christ since we are His adopted children. He wants us to be free to be with Him until eternity.