Sunday May 25, 2008, Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus: Dt 8:2-3, 14b-16a; 1 Cor 10:16-17; John 6:51-58

We celebrate today the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. This feast is the feast of the Eucharist. For us Catholics, the Eucharist is an important aspect of our faith. Vatican II tells us that the Eucharist is the source and summit of our Christian lives. It is from the Eucharist that we draw strength that enables us to live our Christian calling and the Eucharist is a foretaste of that heavenly banquet we hope to participate in.

When we gather every Sunday, we gather as a Eucharistic community and not as a social club. We gather as the visible body of Christ on earth, the church and we share in the body, which is Christ. It is the Eucharist that makes us truly a church because our gathering is a Eucharistic gathering. St. Augustine rightly tells us, “You are yourselves what you receive.” What we receive is Jesus Christ and the Eucharist makes us Christ to the people we encounter. We rightly call the Eucharist, “Communion.” It is not an individual affair but a communal sacrament. The Body of Christ which the church signifies is a community. Many individuals make up this community, but by virtue of our baptism and election into new community, we are now one body, just as there is one loaf.

St. Paul tells us in the second reading of today, “we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf.” Our ethnic, social, political, cultural differences give way to the one Eucharist we share. Our biological relationships give way to the new relationships we assume in the Christian community. St. Augustine in one of his homilies on the Eucharist uses the analogy of the making of bread used for the Eucharistic sacrifice. He said, “Remember that bread is not made from one grain, but from many. When you were being exorcised, it’s as though you were being ground. When you were baptized, it’s as though you were mixed into dough. When you received the fire of the Holy Spirit, it’s as though you were baked. Be what you can see, receive what you are.” Those fully initiated into the church are like the one loaf of bread on the altar, a loaf that after consecration becomes the true body of Christ. The Body of Christ signifies both we the receivers, and that which is to be received. When we walk up the altar during communion to receive the Body of Christ, we are not just receiving Christ who comes to us sacramentally, but we are also receiving ourselves, because we are one body in Christ.

Vatican II reminds us that communion with God in the Eucharist brings us into communion with one another, and that communion with God in Christ is a communion in Christ’s own sacrifice and self-gift to his father. This communion should move us to give ourselves more deeply to God in Christ, and also to one another and to the world at large. Having received communion, the communion is then sent out to go in peace and love and serve the Lord. The Eucharist nourishes us to go out and be the Christ we have received to other people.

The teaching of Jesus Christ in the gospel was a very difficult teaching for his followers. “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood …” The people could not understand what he meant. After giving this teaching, Jesus Christ lost some of his close friends. The reason is that, the teaching was too difficult for them to accept. Even in the early church, Catholics were called cannibals because the Romans thought they eat human meat and drink human blood. When Jesus Christ at the last supper said to his disciples, “This is my body, take and eat it …” he was not just offering them the shell in which there is a soul. The Hebrew meaning of the body is the totality of the whole person. He was saying to them, “this is my whole self, I am holding nothing back, I give it all to you.” In the same way, when he took the cup and said to them, “take this and drink from it, this is the cup of my blood …” he was offering them his life. Leviticus 17:11 says that, “the life of a creature is in the blood.” When Jesus offers his apostles his blood, he is offering them his whole life. He is giving to them a total gift of himself. The council of Trent uses the terminology, “Body, blood, soul and divinity.”

What we receive is not a symbolic reminder of what Jesus Christ did some two thousand years ago, it is truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ. During the Eucharist prayer, the bread and wine are truly changed into the body and blood of Jesus Christ and the church calls this, “transubstantiation.” Transubstantiation means that there is a marvelous and unique change in the bread and wine. The Church rejects the idea that the substance of the bread and wine might remain together with the body and blood of Christ. This idea is known as consubstantiation and it is associated with Martin Luther. Our belief is that the bread and wine are indeed themselves most deeply changed and transformed into Christ himself. At the Mass, there is a real engagement with the one sacrifice of Christ on Calvary. It is not merely a symbolic reminder of a past event, but the once and for all sacrifice of Christ is truly present among us in all its power in the celebration of the Eucharist.

All through the history of the Church, the Fathers of the Church have emphasized the importance of the Eucharist. St. Ignatius of Antioch tells us that the Eucharist is the medicine of immortality. Whoever eats his body and drinks his blood, will live forever. These are the words of Jesus Christ to us. St. Cyprians tells us that it is a safeguard to those who receive it, it makes us fit for martyrdom. It strengthens us to stand firm in the face of temptations and challenges. St. Ambrose tells us that as often as we receive it, we herald the death of the Lord. If we herald his death, we herald the remission of sins. If whenever his blood is shed, it is shed for the remission of sins, then we ought to receive him so that he may always forgive our sins. Since we are always sinning, we always need the medicine. St. Ambrose is not endorsing receiving Eucharist when we are not in a state of grace. The church teaches that through the power of the Eucharist, venial sins are being wiped cleaned.

The Church encourages us to always show reverence to the Holy Eucharist. This is because it is truly the body and blood of Christ. That is why we genuflect when we walk by the tabernacle; that is why we take care that we do not have the particles of the Eucharist everywhere: we carefully rinse and consume the cup; we consume every particle left in the patten or corporal; we check our palms to see if there is any particle left in our palm and we consume it; we always have a light burning by the tabernacle to show the presence of Jesus Christ; we do not allow non-Catholics to receive the Eucharist because they do not share our faith with us; we do not go to other churches and receive what is only a symbol and not the true Eucharist; we do not chew gum when we are at Mass or when we are trying to receive the Eucharist; we fast for at least an hour before receiving the Eucharist, etc.

The Church encourages us to do devotions to the Eucharist. The Eucharist is the greatest apparition you will ever see. It is greater than Fatima and Lourdes. It is the true presence of Jesus Christ to us. The most known devotion to the Eucharist is Adoration. This devotion has always been part of the Church. In 1592, Pope Clement VIII decreed the Forty Hours. This devotion had started locally in Milan. Church law encourages parishes to have Eucharistic adorations. Canon law tells us to leave the church open every day so that people will come and make visits to the Blessed Sacrament. Many saints have shown us the importance of adoration. St. Francis Xavier after his duties as a priest in the day, will spend the night in adoration. St. John Vianney tells us that our Lord is hidden in the Blessed Sacrament waiting for us to come and visit him. St. Margaret Mary, a visitation nun found before the Blessed Sacrament the strength she needed to endure insults, contempt and reproaches. It was an opportunity also for her to pray for those who wished her ill.

Let us go out today and be truly a Eucharistic people.

Acts 2:14a, 36-41; 1 Pt 2:20b-25; Jn 10:1-10 (April 13, 2008; Fourth Sunday of Easter)

Three imageries are used in the gospel of today: Jesus the good shepherd; Jesus the gate; and we as the sheep. There is a relationship that exists between the three. The good shepherd brings his sheep from the hills after grazing to the sheepfold where he is the gate to the sheepfold. The sheepfold had stoned walls about 5 feet high and the door was about 2 feet wide. The job of the shepherd was not an easy job because he had to work seven days a week, works almost throughout the whole day and he had to protect his sheep from the wild animals such as mountain lions and wolves that were after his sheep. Another difficulty also was that he had to protect the ship from the robbers who come to steal them.

In some ways, we too are like the sheep. We are as vulnerable to the wild animals and robbers as the sheep. St. Peter tells us that “our enemy the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for who to devour.” We are exposed to the evils on the television and on the internet. Going on the internet and you see pop ups that come up with pornographic materials. On TV, there are all these shows that feed our minds with a lot of evil. There is violence in our society, many innocent people being killed by people who are themselves victims of a failed society. We are being plagued by health, financial and family problems. The family is under attack by secular forces that promote same sex marriages, abortion and contraception, pre-marital and extra-marital sex. In Matthew 9:36, Jesus Christ uses the imagery of the sheep to describe us. After performing many miracles, Jesus Christ looked at the crowd that was made up of the sick, the poor, and the disadvantaged, and he was moved with pity. His heart was moved with pity because “they were troubled and abandoned like sheep without a shepherd.” That is our reality most of the time. We are like sheep without a shepherd. It is like nothing is permanent for us. All our hopes for the future seem to be dashed. Things are changing so fast and we are helpless. All the high hopes we had when we were in college seem to be eloping. Just yesterday, everything seemed to be happy, today it is all pain and sorrow. Just a few years back our economy was booming, things seem to be alright and we were buying all these big homes, today those same homes are being foreclosed; just a few days ago, your health seemed to be alright, today, you are on heavy prescriptions. Today, you might be happy that you have a good job, next week you might be told that your company is outsourcing your job or the company is moving to China. We are helpless. The good news today is that we have a shepherd. We have a good shepherd that is ever vigilant – the one that will watch over us and keep us safe from the mountain lions, the wolves, and the robber who seek to take us away from us. What the evil one does given these circumstances is to deceive us that God has abandoned us, we should stop believing. I want to assure you today that the good shepherd is diligently watching over you, just hold firm to him. The question is not whether he will watch over you, the question is whether you will continue to hold firm to him and give him the opportunity to watch you. What our enemy the devil does is to feed you with despair, to make you think God has abandoned you. As St. Peter tells us, our best weapon is to hold on to Jesus, and we can only do that with our faith in him.

Sometimes, we all like sheep are dumb. As a little boy, I had the privilege of being with sheep in the fields grazing. One of the things you notice is that if the lead sheep stops, all the other sheep also will stop. If the first sheep enters into the pond, every one of them will as well. We like sheep just some times follow the crowd and do dumb things. I think about those women who wear high hills boots that make them very uncomfortable to walk in the snow during winter. They have to wear them because according to the fashion magazines, these are the shoes in vogue. I think about young students who will not wear their jackets on a cold winter morning to school because everyone in their click is not wearing one. Even though they might feel very cold, they will pretend they are not cold. I think about many of us who vote for a candidate in the election because Randy Rhodes on the left and Rush Limbaugh on the right have asked to vote for such a candidate. We do not live convince and convicted lives. We just follow the crowd. No matter how dumb we may be, the good news today is that, Jesus our good shepherd still accepts us because we are his own.

In Isaiah 53:6, we are told, “all we like sheep have gone astray, each person going his own way …” Like sheep, sometimes we just wander away. The sheep does not decide to wander away from the shepherd. The sheep does it gradually, unknowingly. It keeps moving away from the rest. Rarely do I find people who tell me they woke up one day and decided to leave the Church. I frequently find people who gradually started wandering away from the church, first by leaving Mass immediately after communion, and then by coming every other week, and then gradually they start coming only once a month and then once a year, and so on and so forth. The good shepherd has taken our sins upon himself. He has patient love for us and he wants to bring you back to the sheepfold.

We like sheep, listen to the voice of the shepherd. I think about that Verizon commercial, “Can you hear me now?” The good shepherd is calling you, can you hear him now? Like the sheep hears the voice of the shepherd, we too must hear the voice of Jesus calling us to himself. It is only in hearing his voice that we can have abundant life. If we do not listen to his voice, we will try really hard, get frustrated trying, yet we will not have fulfilled lives. Let us come to him and be filled with life abundantly.

John 12: 1-11 (Monday, March 17, 2008)

How easy it is for us sometimes to make excuses why we cannot spend more time in worship of God. When I retire, then I will spend more time in prayer or volunteering in the church. When I get a better job, then I will begin to tithe. Whatever you need to do for Jesus, you must do it now. The last time I checked with retired people, they are busier now than before they retired. If you cannot tithe 10% now, you will probably not tithe 10% when you make more money. Judas in today’s gospel is trying to excuse his selfishness. We must be vigilant to do what we need to do at the proper time so that we do not miss our moment. You may not have the opportunity to retire before you die; you may not get that higher paid job before you die. Whatever you can do for Jesus, do it now.

What can you do for Jesus today?

John 5: 31-37, (Thursday, March 6, 2008)

During elections, candidates are always eager to get endorsements of prominent persons; they want those persons to testify to their suitability for the office. As Christians, sometimes, we seek these kinds of endorsements. We want people to say how good Christians we are. We do many things not because they come from our inside, but because we want to show people how Christian or holy we are. In the gospel of today, Jesus Christ alludes to the endorsements he has received from John the Baptist, from Moses, from the scripture itself. He says all these endorsements are nothing to him, compared to his works in relation to his relationship with the Father. He says, “I have testimony greater than John’s. The works that the Father gave me to accomplish, these works that I perform testify on my behalf.”

The way we live our lives in and out of the Church give testimony for us; and not what the pastor or some member of the parish council says about us. Jesus Christ tells us in the gospel of John that it is by the way we love that other people will know that we are truly his disciples. Rather than seeking the praise of men and women, let us let the fruits of our work speak for us.

What are the fruits of your Christian life?

John 5: 17-30, (Wednesday, March 5, 2008)

Jesus Christ in today’s gospel tells us that we will not be lost if we hear his word and believe in the one who sent him. He describes himself also as the just judge. What does it mean to hear the word of God? When Jesus speaks about hearing the word, he is saying something more than listening as is understood in day to day conversation. For him, hearing and doing go together. You have not really heard the gospel, if you leave Church every day and return to the same old things the gospel has challenged you to change. You begin to hear the word, when you start acting on what the word challenges you to do.

Christianity is not a social club in which it is just enough to show up at meetings and pay your dues. Christianity is a radical relationship with Jesus Christ. This relationship with Jesus grows by hearing the word. Jesus gives us some clues on how we would be judged on the last day. He tells us that we will be judged by how we heard the word. Our failure to hear the word is an act of dishonor to the Father who has showed so much love to us and has sent us his only begotten son.

The question today is, are you hearing the word of God?

Genesis 12:1-4a; 2 Timothy 1:8b-10; Matthew 17:1-9 (Sunday, February 17, 2008; Second Sunday of Lent) Homily by Deacon George Showalter

When we look at our lives we become aware of many desires and needs we long to see fulfilled. These needs might include happiness security, love, good health, purpose in life, peace of mind, and many others. The list seems endless. However, the greatest need we will ever have on this earth is to know God intimately! A deep relationship with Him will affect every area of our lives and actually transform us into the persons He wants us to be. Therefore, Holy Mother Church offers to us the season of Lent. It, as Fr. Peterson told us on Ash Wednesday, is not intended to be so much a season of atonement as a season of seeking a closer unity with our maker and Lord.
In our busy world, at work, at practice, at play, each with their own stresses and pressures, it is easy to neglect God and live most of the time as if He doesn’t exist. Some Catholics even settle for a token appearance at Mass on Sundays. We desperately need to have a close relationship with Jesus, our Lord and Savior. He teaches ”I am the vine; you are the branches…apart from me you can do nothing.”
Abram, of our first reading, was human, undoubtedly with the same wants and desires as ourselves. God told Abram, who had not known of or been close to God before, “Follow my directions and I will bless you. I will make your name great. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” Abram accepted God’s offer. God was as good as his word. We know the rest of the story.
Paul in his letter to Timothy wrote: “Beloved; Bear your share of hardship for the Gospel with the strength that comes from God. He saved us and called us to a holy life not according to our works but according to his own design.”
In Lent, we move persistently towards the greatest commemoration possible for any Christian.
In five weeks we will celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Is it possible for Easter Sunday to be just another of the 52 Sundays of the calendar year? Is it possible to turn one’s back of the invitation, the call, that each of us receives from God? Do we wait for Moses and Elijah? Must they appear to us?
In the Gospel proclaimed today, as God spoke from the cloud and said ”This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him,” He was not only speaking to the three who accompanied Jesus up the mountain. He was speaking to you. He was speaking to me. He was speaking to all who would hear those words proclaimed.
With that in mind, speaking of giving up things for Lent, perhaps all of us should struggle “to give up” what ever remains of an indifference we still have to the Word of God. God speaks to us. He calls to us. It was He who, as Paul writes, calls us to a holy life bestowing on us grace in Christ Jesus before time began, and then made manifest in our savior Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
The greatest need we will ever have on this earth is to know God intimately! A deep relationship with Him will affect every area of our lives and actually transform us into the persons He wants us to be. It is my belief, the call Abram received is a call given to the world and each individual within it.
God said, “Follow my directions and I will bless you. I will make your name great. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you.” Abram accepted God’s offer. May we be so bold to follow his lead!
God is as good as his Word.

January 2, 2008, 1John 2: 22-28; Psalm 98:1, 2-3ab, 3cd-4; John 1: 19-28

One of the ancient Greek wise saying is, “man know thyself.” It is important that we know who we are. The problem in the world today is that many people pretend to be something they are not. They either do not know who they are or they pretend to be what they are not. Although John the Baptist was a holy man and had numerous followers, he knew that he was not the messiah; he recognized his role as the one who prepares the way for the messiah. John in humility knows that the one that comes after him is so great that he is not even worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.
God has called every one of us to different ministries in the Church. Some are called to be priests, others to be religious; many people are called to the married vocation; some people are called to serve as altar servers or lectors, or knights. Each call is intended to prepare the way for God’s kingdom to come upon the earth. It is important that we look at our respective ministries as ends in themselves but as our contribution to furthering God’s mission here on earth.
In what ways is God using you to build his kingdom on earth?

My response:


Today I will:

Luke 19: 45-48 (Friday, November 23, 2007)

God’s house is indeed a house of prayer. One question we must ask ourselves today and sincerely try to answer is this, what is God’s house to me personally? We need not find the answer in our Baltimore catechism or in some Church book. We must find the answer from within ourselves. This reading challenges us to access the things we do in the Church and how we respond to the things other people do in the Church. Do you chew gum in the Church? Do you make noise or deliberately cause distractions in the Church? How do you respond to people that do these things? In some Churches, Bingo or raffle tickets rank almost higher than the Eucharistic celebration. For others, it is all about offertory and fundraisers rather than preaching the Word and praying. Do you courageously speak against these practices with the pastor or through the parish council? That is what Jesus did in today’s gospel. He knew this might cost his head, but he courageously did it because he knew that was the right thing to do. You are called to speak against evil in the Church, irrespective of who is involved.

Prayer:
Lord, give us the courage to always stand by you and speak strongly against all evil in your house. May you help us to make your house to be truly a place of prayer by the way we conduct ourselves.

Luke 17: 7-10 (Tuesday, November 13, 2007 – Feast of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini)

Catholics always have the tendency to want to know what they must do in order to be considered practicing Catholics. The church has done a good job over the years telling them precisely what every Catholic must believe or do. No other religion or Church has as many rule books as the Catholic Church: the Bible, the Catechism, Code of Canon Law, magisterial documents, dogmatic pronouncements, etc. Recently a parishioner asked, what is the basic minimum number of times a Catholic must go to confession in a year? To push it further, some Catholics might ask, what parts of the Mass do I have to be present in order to have fulfilled my Sunday obligation?

True religion is not all about obligations, but it is about the Spirit of God working in you, leading you to act above and beyond the requirements. The servant in the gospel of today is not to be praised because he is only doing what he has been commanded to do. We cannot be saints if we do only the things our faith has obliged us to do. To be saints, we need to go beyond the minimum and do the very ordinary things in an extra-ordinary way.

Prayer:
Lord help us today to serve you in truth and in spirit. Give us the patience to do the little things you have asked us to do in extraordinary ways.

Romans 12: 5-16ab (Tuesday, November 6, 2007)

In today’s reading, we see Paul’s theology of the Church and how members of the Church should live. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-26 he uses the analogy of the human body to explain the body of Christ. We all are one body in Christ. Anyone who is baptized in Christ is baptized into his body. It doesn’t matter whether you are black, white, Asian, African, Indian, etc. Your baptism gives you a new identity, a new passport – you are now a citizen of God’s body. Every citizen of Christ’s body has received a gift and this gift is to be used in building God’s kingdom here on earth. It is important that you know what gift you have and to appreciate the gift. It is only when you that, that you are able to use that gift to build God’s kingdom on earth. No one gift is more superior to another for you to be jealous of another person’s gift; and the gift is not for your own glory for you to want to have another person’s gift. You must accept joyfully whatever gift God has given to you and use it to build up God’s kingdom. When every one of us does this, then we are making God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, help us to know and appreciate the gifts that you have given to us. Holy Spirit of the living God, come to our assistance.

Luke 14: 1; 7-11 (Saturday, November 3, 2007)

Jesus Christ invites us in the gospel of today to be people of humility. If we exult ourselves, we would be humbled, if we humble ourselves, we will be exalted. As we strive to live good Christian lives, some times if we are not careful we develop a “holier than thou” attitude in which we become not only spiritually proud, but we also become judgmental of other people. One of the easiest ways in which the devil causes righteous people to fall is through pride. I know some gifted people who abandoned the Church because they felt they should be made bishops or monsignors. What about people who are so much gifted by the Holy Spirit and because of lack of humility left the Church to found their own churches where they shall obtain all the titles of honors? Jesus invites us to be always cautious of pride because it can cause us a great deal of embarrassment and can even destroy our spiritual lives.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you humbled yourself and even took on the nature of a slave, even though you were God. Please give to us the spirit of humility that we will live humble lives in service of you and your people.

John 22: 1-14 (Thursday, August 23, 2007)

Just because you have been baptized in the Christian church is not a guarantee that you would be saved. In the gospel of today, Jesus tells us that “many are called, few are chosen.” By virtue of our baptism, all Christians are called to be members of the family of Christ. In baptism, we are called to be priests, prophet and king like Jesus. St. Paul has an election theology which reflects those called to the Christian Church. One thing is to be called, and another thing is to do what you are called to do. If you fail to do what you are called to do, then you will not be among the chosen. We are called to be Christians through our baptism, but we are only chosen if we truly become christ-like, living the radical vocation of Christian love.

Prayer:
Jesus Christ, we are members of your Christian family. We recognize that we have been specially called to this vocation. Help us to live out radically our Christian vocation, so that we will be counted among your chosen ones.

Matthew 20: 1-16 (Wednesday, August 22, 2007)

It is never too late to become a Christian. We are all familiar with the story of the good thief in the Cross. He repented the last minutes of his life and Jesus said to him, “this day you will be with me in paradise.” Most of us are cradle Catholics. Sometimes we cradle Catholics think we know so much of the faith. For that reason, we do not take it serious. We come to Mass when we want and leave early; we undermine the church’s teachings on moral issues. On the other hand, we have the very zealous converts who have gone through the RCIA process. They are regularly at Mass, they take seriously the church’s teaching on abortion and contraception; they believe in the true presence in the Eucharist; etc. Sometimes the cradle Catholics are even resentful of the converts. Today’s gospel warns us cradle Catholics to be very careful. We might be the last and the converts might be the first. This is because we have failed to treasure the gift of faith that we received at our baptism.


Prayer:
Jesus, help us to treasure the faith of the Church. May we never lose our place in your plan of salvation. Keep us always close to you.

Matthew 20: 1-16 (Wednesday, August 21, 2007)

It is never too late to become a Christian. We are all familiar with the story of the good thief in the Cross. He repented the last minutes of his life and Jesus said to him, “this day you will be with me in paradise.” Most of us are cradle Catholics. Sometimes we cradle Catholics think we know so much of the faith. For that reason, we do not take it serious. We come to Mass when we want and leave early; we undermine the church’s teachings on moral issues. On the other hand, we have the very zealous converts who have gone through the RCIA process. They are regularly at Mass, they take seriously the church’s teaching on abortion and contraception; they believe in the true presence in the Eucharist; etc. Sometimes the cradle Catholics are even resentful of the converts. Today’s gospel warns us cradle Catholics to be very careful. We might be the last and the converts might be the first. This is because we have failed to treasure the gift of faith that we received at our baptism.

Prayer:
Jesus, help us to treasure the faith of the Church. May we never lose our place in your plan of salvation. Keep us always close to you.

Matthew 19: 13-15 (Saturday, August 18, 2007

Children are a gift from the Lord. Jesus Christ loved children and always wanted children to be brought to him. The gospel of today invites us to bring our children to Jesus. Parents have the responsibility of bringing their children to Jesus. They can do this by first building a strong family prayer life. Saying the Rosary as a family, praying before and after meals, is an effective way of bringing children to Jesus. John Paul II teaches us that the family is the domestic church. It is the first church in which a child would be schooled in his or her faith. This education in the faith is not only in the scholarly knowledge we impart to our children but primarily in the way we live radically our Christian life. A child would not cultivate the Christian responsibility of going to church every Sunday, if one or all of the parents stay back at home every Sunday. We must teach our children by the way we live our faith.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of our children. Help us to be witnesses to our children by the way we live our Christian faith, so that our children may come to know and love you as their Lord and savior.

John 12: 24-26 (Friday, August 10, 2007 – Feast of St. Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr)

If there is one principle I have tested over and over many times and can confirm that it works, it is the principle of generosity. Sometimes it works so magical. I will give and that same day I gave, I will receive as much or more than what I gave. This is an important Christian principle. St. Lawrence whose feast we celebrate today lived this principle thoroughly. He took care of the temporal welfare of the Church in Rome and gave his life in service to the poor. His dedicated service earned him the honor of the patron saint of Rome, after the prince of the Apostles Peter and Paul. Some times we justify why we don’t give much. We claim the reason is because we do not have much. It is important that we give generously from the little that we have. If we cannot give from the little that we have, we will even find it difficult to give from our surplus. If we give generously from the little, when we are called to give our lives for the sake of the kingdom, we will be more willing to give them. St. Lawrence generously offered his life for the sake of the kingdom, and he was burnt alive. As the gospel tells us, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces more fruit. The church has always taught that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. His martyrdom strengthened the faith of the Christian community and led many people to believe in Christ.

We too are invited to be every day martyrs. We can die to our bad habits such as smoking, drinking too much, lying, arrogance, pride, injustice, in order that the faith may be strengthened and many people would come to believe that Jesus Christ is truly the Lord.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, you have called us to be every day martyrs so that others may believe that you are the Lord. We ask you to help us with our addictions. Most especially our addictions to alcohol, drugs and pornography. Give us the courage we need to quit and the graces we need to live sober. May St. Lawrence intercede for us that we will develop a spirit of generosity, so that we will generously give of some of our resources to the poor.

Matthew 20: 20-28 (Wednesday, July 25, 2007 – Feast of St. James)

The mother of James and John desires higher authority for her son. Jesus Christ in the gospel gives us the Christian meaning of authority. For the gentiles, authority means Lording it over others. We see this all over the world with the corrupt and dictatorial governments. Unfortunately, many persons who call themselves Christians are engaged in this unchristian practice. Jesus Christ in the gospel tells us that Christian authority is for service. This was the ultimate example of his own life when he did not want to be crowned a political king but he took on the form of a slave and died a shameful death on the Cross. The Apostles of Christ understood clearly this teaching of Jesus and they were always at the service of his people. St. James the Greater whose feast day we celebrate today took this example of Jesus seriously. He became the first apostle to be martyred.

In our daily lives, let us take seriously this teaching of Jesus. Opening the door for someone, attending to the needs of others in the community, treating others with respect and love and little but great acts of service we can do. To be the people God wants us to be, we must make ourselves available to others who need us.