30. II WED of Resurrection

Mk. 7: 31-37: The people, who brought a deaf-mute man to lay Jesus’ hand upon him to be cured, did not have the faith needed and remained in their deafness, so he sighed. Faith must be cultivated upon the Word of God rather than on the miracles, which can only make us aware of the presence of God. So Jesus warned them not to tell anyone of the miracles.

29. II TUE of Resurrection

Jn. 5: 41-47: To recognize the true messengers of God we must be people who do not look for praise from one another and shod not be enslaved by false values. Jesus wants everybody to honour the son just as his Father does. By believing in His Son, we show ourselves worthy of his trust and thereby become children of God and being open to his life. 

28. II MON of Resurrection

Lk. 24: 28-35: The disciples who were going to Emmaus saw Jesus breaking the bread and recognized his hands that were being crucified. He is not only the host in his church; he is the guest also in every home. The disciples are seen sharing their joy of finding Jesus resurrected. They travelled back 7 miles to Jerusalem because they could not keep the good news to themselves. So must be a Christian, who shares the Good News. 

27. II SUN of Resurrection

Jn. 20: 19-29: The disciples are seen bundling in a secret place for fear of Jews. The ‘Jews’ here means the hostile powers that work against Jesus. To these fearful disciples Jesus brings transformation, leading the disciples from the darkness of fear, unbelief and distress into the lights of peace, joy of the risen Lord and the Spirit. He breathes on them as if he is making them of a new creation, new humanity from the fearful apostles. Jesus does so again and again even today. 

26. I SAT of Resurrection

Mk. 16: 1-8: The women who came to the tomb were told that they will see the risen Lord in Galilee. Galilee here is more a symbol than a place. It points to the breakdown of the barrier between Jews and Gentiles, transcends the human made distinctions of caste, color, language, profession and social status. Galilee is the mission of the followers of Christ. The mission entrusted to the women is to be completed by his disciples.

25. I FRI of Resurrection

Mt. 10: 26-33: If we lose God, we lose that which alone can give meaning and joy to our lives.  Jesus exhorts his disciples in his missionary preaching that what they hear from him must be preached without fear. Material loss is to be preferred to spiritual loss. Our relationship with God the Father is mediated through him. God’s attitude towards us will correspond to our attitude toward Jesus. Our acknowledgement or rejection of Jesus will be the norm for our own acknowledgment or rejection by God.

24. I THU of Resurrection- St. George

Mt. 10: 37-42: The dependency to the family members hampers the spiritual and human growth. It is not that we must not love our families and be concerned about them. This is a duty which Jesus insists upon in 15: 4-7. But we are to avoid excessive attachments or inordinate affections which restrict our freedom to do God’s work. His belonging to the Family of God is primary. 

23. I WED of Resurrection

Jn. 15: 1-10: Vine in Old Testament means ‘Israel being planted from the selected stock, cared by the Lord and produces the fruits of justice’. In New Testament vine is Jesus himself- the trunk and like its branches the faithful sprout from him. He is also the entire vine and community is really the body of Christ. By remaining with him one can bear fruit. We remain with him in faith, prayer and keeping his word in one’s life. 

22. I TUE of Resurrection

Lk. 24: 13-27: Every ‘breaking of the word’ leads one finally to the Eucharist ie. ‘Breaking of the bread’ where one finds and acknowledges Jesus, as we see in the journey of two disciples to Emmaus. This is the way every Christian to discover Jesus, who is the way to life. They go away from Jerusalem. Jesus meets them on their way and puts them back on track.

21. I MON of Resurrection –world prayer day for vocations

Jn. 14: 18-28: Jesus consoles his troubled apostles by promising them that he will be present in the person of the Holy Spirit (Paraclete) The holy spirit makes us to understand and remember the teaching; of Jesus (v. 26). He makes us pray properly (Rom 8:26) He again is the gift of both the Father (14:26) and the Son (15:26). He imparts peace which is an inner reality which cannot be disturbed by any kind of suffering of this world. 

20. Easter Sunday

20. Easter Sunday

Mt. 28: 1-6:

We celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ today. It is called Easter. We see an empty tomb. If it was not empty, our life would have been empty. So

a.       Jesus lives in us today. We have died in sin and lives in Christ for God (Rom 6:10) Those  who live in Christ is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17)

b.      Jesus lives in the word of God (Jn. 1: 1; 1: 14) and this life if lost what gains (Lk. 9:25).

c.       Jesus lives in the bread. Whenever the bread is broken and given, there lives Jesus (Lk. 24: 13-35)

d.      Jesus lives in the poor, oppressed, workers and so on (Mt. 25: 31-40)

e.       Jesus lives in a community. Love each other and there Jesus lives (Jn. 13: 35) He live in Eucharist (Acts 2: 44-47) Loving brother means loving God (1 Jn. 4: 7; 3:14; 4: 16)

f.        Jesus lives in the Church

First Sunday of Resurrection

Jn. 20: 1-18 On hearing about the empty tomb, Peter and the beloved disciple goes to the tomb. By seeing the empty tomb they believe – the absence of the body, the wrapped clothes – they believe that their master is raised from the dead. Through faith and love he detects the signs of the risen presence of Jesus. It is an invitation to become beloveds of Christ and once we are his beloveds then Christ is present to them. He lives.

19. Great Saturday

Mt. 28: 1-20:

The risen Christ cannot be seen unless he allows himself to be seen. The soldiers didn’t see him raising from the tomb while they never looked him but the women saw him because they looked for him. Though Mathew differs from Luke and John in narrating about the risen Christ, the fact is that:

a.       Jesus appeared several times in different places after his death on the cross.

b.      Jesus appeared  often  to the community ( 1 Cor. 15: 1-8)

c.       God communicates with whosoever he wishes giving prophetic messages to simple people women and me alike.

d.      The resurrection of Christ is the pivotal point of the Gospels

e.       The resurrection of Jesus energized the people to be great missionaries. Christian communities proclaimed the power of the resurrection to the world around.

18. Passion Friday

Part I Lk. 22: 63 – 23: 12 + Mt. 27: 19 + Lk. 23: 13-23 + Mt. 27: 24-25 + Lk. 23: 24-45 + Mt. 27: 51-54 + Jn. 19: 23-30:

This day means:

a.       For our sake and loving us Jesus suffered and died on the cross  Jn. 10:18

b.      There is no greater love than this that one gives one’s life for one’s friends Jn. 15: 13

c.       To have life for us Jn. 10:10 Jesus died 2 Cor. 5:15

d.      To make us rich, he accepted poverty 2 Cor. 8:9

e.       To lift us to the divinity he came down to humanity Phil. 2: 6-7

f.       To lighten the weight on our shoulder, he took all our weights Isaiah 53: 4 and Mt. 11: 28

g.      To give us salvation, he accepted the punishment that is given to the sinners Is. 53:5; 2 cor.5:21

h.      He emptied himself taking on the nature of a servant, made in human likeness Phil. 2:7.

i.        All these he suffered for the sake of his love for us Jn. 15: 12-13

j.        Suffering is the measuring rod of love.

17. Pesaha Thursday

Jn. 13: 1-14 + Mt. 26: 26-30:

If Jesus is allowed to wash the feet of the disciples, the disciples especially St. Peter thought the he too would be doing so in their life…….. So he thought a plan … to discourage their master doing it…. But Jesus said if you don’t allow me to wash, then we will have no relationship… so by serving others or being servant to others that relationships are established with Jesus and with our fellow beings (phil. 2: 3-4)

Today we commemorate the day as Jesus establishing the Eucharist in the form of bread and wine. Those who do the Eucharist he proclaims the death and resurrection of Jesus till the end of age (1 cor. 11: 23-26) “Do this in memory of me” It gives us the following messages:

a.       Eucharist is for ‘doing’. Just as Jesus ’broke’ the ‘bread’ and ‘gave to his disciples’, we are asked to do the same. Our time, energy, resources, talents are our bread. It is to be used for others and shared with others, just as Jesus shared his energy and time in washing the feet of the disciples, his life given up on the cross.

b.      Just as we are reminded of the Passover of the Israelites, so also it must remind ourselves that Jesus pass over by his suffering and death upon the cross (Ex. 12:12). It must be enlivened in our thoughts, responses, thankfulness, and character in worship, prayers and our spiritual life.

c.       It also remind us the ‘Paschal Lamb’ in Christ Jesus (Jn. 19:36; Ex. 12: 46). The Brocken Body of Christ is changed into spiritual food and drink for our salvation in place of the paschal lamb of Old Testament. 

16. VII WED of Lent

Jn. 12: 27-33: What God did for Jesus, He does for every man. He sends us with direction and guidance with a task to be accomplished and that too with the help of God. But the Prince of Love on the Cross is a king who has his throne forever in the hearts of man. The only secure foundation for the kingdom is Sacrificial Love. 

15. VII TUE of Lent

Jn. 12: 20-26: The coming of the Greeks in search of Jesus indicates symbolically the coming of the ‘hour’ of his suffering, death and resurrection, which will bring the Gentiles and the Jews together. Jesus sees himself like the rain that falls to the ground to give life- advocates his disciples to follow the same path of ‘self-emptying’.

14. VII MON of Lent

Jn. 11: 47-57: Caiaphas prophesies that Jesus would die for the salvation of all and that Jesus’ death would mean to gather together into one body, his church and Jesus would attract everyone from all corners into his church (v. 12:32) and this church would be universal and catholic uniting all races and cultures. However this visible church is only the beginning and sign of that which is atoned at the end times. 

13. VII SUN of Lent – Palm Sunday

Mt. 21: 1-17:

a.     Jesus is the king of peace: custom of the time to travel on a donkey, on a colt (Zechariah 9:9) on peace times.

b.    Jesus is recognized as the one who saves: the people request Jesus to save them and to give them success.

c.     Jesus is the one who sanctifies: he succeeds in cleansing the temple again as was done in 2 Maccabees 10: 7.

d.    Jesus physically cleanses the temple (v.12 -13) from the market atmosphere and other defilements.

e.     Jesus exhorts the people to be like children:  to the request of the priests to stop the children from shouting “hosanna to the Son of David” Jesus’ reply was by quoting Psalm 21: 16.

12. VI SAT of Lent

Jn. 12: 1-8: The anointing of Mary at Bethany is a prophetic action symbolizing the death and burial of Jesus. Mary loves Jesus wholeheartedly with self-effacing love. This love transforms her to accept Jesus as Savior and God. Only those who have true devotion to God and his Christ will have genuine and respectful love towards the poor. 

11. VI FRI of Lent

Jn. 11: 38-45: By giving physical life to Lazarus, Jesus manifests his glory through his seventh and last sign of God’s power of giving spiritual life. It also anticipates the glorious resurrection of Jesus the Lord and the bystanders are made to believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and Life.  

10. VI THU of Lent

Lk. 3: 8-11: John the Baptist demands a personal commitment to justice from every one. He exhorts them to share and care; and not to swindle or bully others. His call for personal conversion is also a call for the renewal of society such community and society will be known by their fruit – a change of heart and the action taken will speak louder for a social change. 

9. VI WED of Lent

Mt. 18: 15-20: V.15 to 18 put together gives the message that coming together in prayer is an assurance of the presence of Jesus, which both guarantees the efficacy of our prayers and strengthens the bonds which bind us together. The family, the community, or the church which prays together, stays together. Christ is encountered in the community. Division brings crisis and problems. 

8. VI TUE of Lent

Lk.13: 31-35: Jesus did not reject Jerusalem, the centre of political and ecclesiastical power. Very soon when Jesus appeal to them on Palm Sunday and Jerusalem showing its true colour will write itself out of the book of life. With all the changes and emotional oscillations in our lives, god remains on our side. His love for us is not a variable one but a constant one.

7. VI MON of Lent

Jn. 12: 44-50: Jesus warns the people that what they have heard from Jesus would judge them. It is the truth of life. One cannot excuse them that he or she never heard them. But one who heard and never practiced would incur more punishment. So every wise things we heard, and every opportunity we had to know the truth, will in the end be a witness against us. 

6. VI SUN of Lent

Jn. 10: 11-18: Jesus is the model shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep as seen in Psalm 23. Having such a shepherd one should live confidently with trusting faith.  Jews being failed in recognizing Jesus as the savior, their place is being taken by the new followers i.e. the gentiles. 

5. V SAT of Lent

Mk. 10: 1-12: Love and fidelity are the norms in matrimony for husband and wife V.2:24 and 10:8. The conjugal union binds them in an indestructible bond. Though Jesus does not directly condemn the divorced but he denies authority to those who placates the conscience of the divorcees as if God does not demand anything more of them. 

4. V FRI of Lent

Jn. 8: 49-59: Jesus establishes his eternal existence. His existence is eternal than Abraham by saying “before Abraham was I AM”. Jesus exhorts his people to believe in him so that they have the eternal life.  One has the life eternal only by faith in the eternal Jesus. 

3 V THU of Lent

Lk. 18: 31-34: Jesus foretells the passion before starting to go to Jerusalem. He said so twice before (Lk. 9:22; 9: 43-45) Jesus’ disciples never understood all these prophesy. Jesus prepares the disciple to face the reality – the reality that Jerusalem is the place of his suffering, death and resurrection.

2. V WED of Lent

Jn. 8: 1-11: The adulterous woman who is brought in front of Jesus for condemnation by the Pharisees invite us to be aware of our own sins before we accuse others of their sins. Jesus is a merciful judge who does not approve of sin but forgives the sinner

1. V TUE of Lent

Lk. 10; 33-37: The Good Samaritan in the parable helps the person in need. He imparts the message that rather than dividing people into neighbour and non-neighbour, we should make sure that we always act as neighbor to others as best as we can. It is a relationship rather than category. The concern shown by the Samaritan is also a sign of the presence of God’s kingdom.