John 19: 15-27 (Saturday, September 15, 2007 – Our Lady of Sorrows

Our lady experienced sorrow all through her life - from the moment she gave her fiat to Angel Gabriel. She knew this wasn’t going to be an easy task. Who would believe that she is truly conceived of the Holy Spirit? People mocked her and ridiculed her because she claimed her pregnancy was from the Holy Spirit. Simeon prophesied to her that a sword would pierce her heart. She was very faithful to her mission and accompanied Jesus all through his life. Her life was continuously marked by this sorrow that came with her mission. When Jesus was lost for three days, she wept and searched for her only son. Which mother would not weep when the son is lost? Throughout the event of the cross, she was always there. Which mother’s heart would not be broken seeing an only son being tortured and crucified for offences never committed? Yet, our blessed Mother bore all these things in her heart and was faithful to her mission. How appropriate it is that we celebrate this feast just a day after the exaltation of the Cross. The cross is victory over sorrow and pain. It is this victory of the Cross that subsequently wipes away the tears of the Blessed Mother and brings to her heart everlasting joy. It is the victory of the Cross that leads to her coronation as queen of heaven and earth. What do we do with our own sorrows? Bring them to the woman who knows sorrow and let her intercede for you that the Cross would once more be victorious in your own life too.

Prayer:
Dearest Mother, before you could become the Consoler of the Afflicted, you first had to know true sorrow. I pause with you now, and meditate on that great suffering in your life, the death and burial of your most beloved Son.
Oh, how humble I am, dear Mary, when I see before me your Son in the tomb. He gave His life so we may know freedom from sin. Remind me always that any suffering in my life is passing, just as the suffering you experienced passed in the joy of the Resurrection.
Holy Mary, Mother of Sorrows, I mourn with you, knowing the certain joy of your Son and His gift of everlasting life. Through this act of His, you have become our Mother of Consolation. Amen. (Prayer taken from www.olcshrine.com)

John 3: 13-17 (Friday, September 14, 2007 – Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross)

Belief in Jesus Christ is necessary for salvation. Sometimes we get overly concerned about what happens to members of other religions who do not profess a belief in Jesus Christ. That is not so much our problem as the problem of God. We have no jurisdiction over that judgment; we leave it for God to decide. The biblical teaching is clear that Jesus Christ is the singular mediator of salvation. In Acts of the Apostles, St. Peter is very clear that, “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are saved.” (Acts 4:12) Due to the sin of our forefathers, God condemned the world, but because of his deep love for us, he sent Jesus Christ to redeem us.

The event of the Cross, and his subsequent resurrection opened wide the gates of heaven, in order that we who accept him as our personal Lord and savior would be able to enter into eternal life. It is not the wish of God that any one of us be condemned in hell, but it is our free choice to choose hell over God. A decision to glory in the sinful things of the world, rather than following the path of Christ, is your own personal free choice to condemnation. By the Cross, Jesus has redeemed the world.

Prayer:
O my Jesus, forgive me my sins, save me from the fires of hell, lead all souls to heaven, especially those who are most in need of your divine mercy.

Luke 6: 27-38 (Thursday, September 13, 2007)

Jesus Christ in today’s gospel sets out to show the Christian difference. Christians have a higher calling. While the regular people in the society live a life of retribution, Jesus calls Christians to rather live differently. They are to love their enemies, bless those who curse them, pray for those who mistreat them, etc. These commands by Jesus are rooted in love. It is only the heart that loves fully can live this life. Jesus Christ sets himself as an example for us. He prayed for his enemies even when they were crucifying; even when he was harshly treated, he was submissive and still loved them. Just as Jesus Christ was kind to the wicked, we too are called to the same way of live. Our reward is not on this earth, it is in heaven.

As you go out today, say hello to a difficult co-worker; hold the door with a smile for a colleague you cannot stand; call a family member you are estranged from; write a nice note for your spouse who has been aggravating you recently. We cannot truly become the people God has called us to be if we do not begin to live practically these commands of Jesus.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you lived a life of love and taught us to love like you have loved us. Lead us develop good relations with the people we cannot stand and help us to always think positively about the people we love the least.

Luke 6: 20-26 (Wednesday, September 12, 2007)

Jesus Christ has four “woes” in this gospel of today. If this part of the gospel is taken literally, it would seem as if Jesus is a sadist. Jesus is not against us being rich; Jesus is not opposed to our being filled; he doesn’t mind if we laugh; and he is not angry when people speak good about us. So, why the “woes”? The problem is with our attitudes to these things. We must always recognize that he is the source of all that we have. We incur these woes upon ourselves when we see these things as an end to themselves and live as if there is no God. Christians must not strive to be rich at all cost – they must not lie and cheat in order to become rich. And when Christians are rich, they must recognize that all riches come from God and they would be held accountable for how they use these riches. Those who are rich, and are selfish with their riches, not using them to help others and build up God’s kingdom, have already received their consolation in this world. Those who have given themselves to the things of the world, indulge themselves and rejoice in this world, they shall not laugh in heaven because their home is hell where they weep and cry. As God’s people, the most important thing for us is Jesus Christ. When we acknowledge him as our personal Lord and Savior, we shall receive consolation in heaven and would rejoice forever in the banquet of the lamb that was slain.

Prayer:
Jesus I love you, all I have is yours, yours I am and yours I want to be, do with me whatever you will.

Luke 6: 12-19 (Tuesday, September 11, 2007)

One of the things we learn from Jesus Christ, is his deep life of prayer. Throughout his time of public ministry, he always tried to withdraw from the crowds to pray. Jesus was a very busy man – great crowds followed him. He created time from his busy schedule to pray, because he understood the power of prayer and how effective it is to his ministry. Sometimes we excuse ourselves that we are too busy to pray. May be we are truthfully too busy to pray. How long do you think you can go without prayer? When prayer is not part of our lives, we begin to see our work stressful, empty and dry. This leads to approach other things for fulfillment: drugs, sex, pornography, alcohol, etc. It is prayer that would make our work fresh each day and would make all that we do fruitful.

In the gospel, Jesus is about to make a major decision. He is going to appoint his disciples. He spent the whole night in prayer so that he would make the right decision. When you are confronted with major decisions in your life, do you spend time in prayer?

Prayer:
Lord, we are very busy people. We do not have any time for you and we have no desire to pray. Accept us just as we are and teach us how to pray. May the rhythm of daily life become a prayer, glorifying your presence every moment of our lives.

Luke 6: 6-11 (Monday, September 10, 2007)

One thing very significant in today’s gospel is Jesus’ healing of the man even though it was a Sabbath day. It raises the question of the importance of laws. The laws are not there to enslave us, but to guide us. Since the sexual abuse scandals in the Catholic Church in the United States, some priests have become paranoid in doing ministry. So many laws have been created to protect our children. These laws are not to be taken literally. Would you deny listening to a confession of a child under the age of 18 years just because there isn’t an adult around? Must you insist on a transparent confessional door even if the parish cannot afford one? We must always keep in mind the spirit of the law. At each point in time, it is always important to do what is right even if it is going to generate opposition. Jesus knew the people were going to use the incident to accuse him, but he still went ahead to heal the man because he believed that was the right thing to do. As you strive to live your Christianity in a radical way, you would be confronted with decisions in which if you make the right decision, you would be opposed or persecuted. Jesus invites you today to fear no opposition, just do the right thing.

Prayer:
Lord, sometimes we are timid and afraid of opposition. Give us the courage to always stand firm and do the right thing even if it will bring us persecution.

Luke 14: 25-33 (Sunday, September 9, 2007 – Twenty Third Sunday in Ordinary Time)

What is the most important priority of your life? Perhaps it is your job, your children, your spouse, or even your hobbies. Where your treasure is, that is where your heart is. Jesus in the gospel of today says, that he is our number one priority. For Christian people, Jesus Christ is our primary and most important priority. He says it clearly that we must abandon our priorities and take up our crosses and follow him.

Jesus Christ in this gospel does not underestimate the Cross. He himself is heading down to Jerusalem where he shall embrace his cross. He realizes that the Christian journey comes with a lot of crosses. If he is our priority, we must embrace the crosses. He uses the analogy of the man who wants to build a house and sits down to calculate the cost of building. We all know many people who started projects that they did not finish. It may be that degree program, or that building project. It may even be that we tried to quit smoking or drinking, but we did not complete the task. As I drive on I-68 to Washington DC every month, shortly before Cumberland Maryland, I see the Noah’s Ark that is being rebuilt by the Ark of God Church. There is a big sign, “Noah’s Ark being rebuilt here.” That uncompleted Ark has been there for many years. That uncompleted ark in Frostburg, Maryland was started in 1976 by Pastor Richard Greene. Pastor Greene believes he will complete the Ark someday and hopefully would be young enough to issue people into the Ark when the end time comes. But there is no work going on in the Ark. Timothy Beal in his book, “Roadside Religion” discusses this ark in a full chapter. He describes it as a “work in progress without progress.” They may be many reasons why the Ark is not yet completely. It could be financial reasons; lack of contractors to carry on the work; it may even be lack of commitment to the project from members of the Church. Whatever the reasons are, they are irrelevant to us. We must attack the reasons head-on. I remember that commercial, “Head-on apply directly where it hurts.”

As Christian people, they may be many reasons why we cannot continue our journey towards discipleship: it may be our children; it may be our spouse, it may be our parents; it may be our profession. The question remains, who are you primarily committed to? Jesus invites us to hate brother, sister, family, professions in order to follow him. This should not be taken literally. What Jesus is rather inviting us to, is to clear all obstacles that stand on our way from being his true disciples. Jesus Christ is not the one we called on only when we have a big disaster in the family, a terrible disease, a divorce, a child going wild, etc. He should be the central part of our family every day. He should be the number one priority. When we make him the central part of our lives, we don’t wait for him to come only when there is a disaster or problem, for he is present to prevent the disaster from happening. I hear people tell me all the day, we cannot come to Mass because our children have a football game or piano lessons; they claim they rarely have time to pray because they have to run around with their children from one activity to the next. You have to reevaluate your priorities.

Perhaps Jesus Christ is not the priority in your family. You have to cut off all those things that prevent you from carrying your daily Cross to follow Jesus. This may mean cutting down on the number of activities your children are involved in; this may mean cutting off from certain friends who all they know is negativity, infusing your life with a lot of negative attitudes; this may mean giving up a job that pays you well, yet, you are led to compromise your Christian values every day. With Christianity, you cannot play at both teams in one game. You cannot eat your cake and at the same time have it. You have to chose a side that you belong to. Here comes the distinction between being a follower of Christ and a disciple of Christ. Jesus Christ had many followers, but not many disciples. The followers were those who were there to take something off from him – perhaps healing. They followed him just because he was a super star. He was a popular man who healed so many people and performed a lot of miracles. They were not in anyway committed to him. They would be like most people who would buy a ticket to see Paris Hilton if she came to town. They are not in any way committed to her or what she does. They just want to be in the presence of a celebrity. These are just followers. The disciples are those who are committed to Jesus. They are ready to die for him and they want to live out his message radically in the world.

We the Christian people at St. Margaret Mary Church are called to be disciples and not just followers of Christ. We are invited to enter into a committed relationship with Jesus Christ. We begin our Parish School of Religion this weekend. What are your priorities? Jesus Christ must become the priority of your family. We wonder sometimes why our Children grow up not living the faith, it is because we failed to help them live the faith radically when they were growing up. How will the child learn the faith when you rather take him or her to a basketball game on Sunday morning rather than bring the child to Church for religion classes; how will the child be committed to Jesus Christ if you do not help the child to get to know Jesus when the child was growing up. You sit down at home on Sunday morning and even if you would not come to church, you refuse to bring the child to Sunday School. We are beginning a new year of the Parish School of Religion, you must look at your priorities and place Jesus Christ at the very top. Mass attendance and attendance at Sunday school is not what you squeeze in after you have put together your plan for the year. It must be something you arrange all your other plans for the year around.

This is the invitation from Jesus Christ today to you. If you truly want to be the person he has called you to be, you must accept this invitation.

Matthew 1: 18-23 (Saturday, September 8, 2007) - Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The birth of Mary is a special event in the life of the Church. Mary is specially prepared and she would be the humble one that would joyfully receive the savior of the world. We celebrate the birthdays of our parents whom we so love. In the same way, we celebrate the birthday of Blessed Mother, who loves us so much and is willing to do all for us. In her life, she lived the purpose of God and because of that, she is said to be full of grace. Our mother who is full of grace is also willing to share her graces generously with us. As a woman who lived in this world and lived through the pains and sorrows of the world, Mary knows our problems, she knows the challenges we face each day. It is important that we open ourselves to her and ask her to intercede for us that we may have the graces we need to combat the challenges of this world.

Prayer:
My queen, my mother, I give myself entirely to you. And to show my devotions to you, I consecrate to you this day, my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart, my entire self without reserve; as I am your own my good mother, guide me and defend me as your property and possession. Amen.