22nd sunday:Follow Jesus with your cross
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
In Aug 28, 2008 CNA News there was a story about 25 year-old African young girl named Olivia, who despite not being baptized at the time and not having any legs, crawled 2.5 miles every Sunday to attend Mass. The sisters who gave her accommodation said that although “the sand from the road burned the palms of her hands during the hottest times of the year,” the young woman crawled to Mass, “giving witness of perseverance and heroic faith.”
Jesus said to his disciples “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me”
So many of us here are already carrying crosses. You do not have to go looking for them. They find us.
The point is that, if you want to be a follower of Jesus, you have to be able to make a total commitment. No excuses! In fact, there is much common sense in what Jesus is saying. For example, if you embark on a medical or legal career you have to study hard, give up many nights on the town, and follow your professor’s instructions. There are no free rides. No crosses, No growth. No pain, no gain.
In fact it is not one cross that we have to take up, but three. The first is the cross of inconvenience. There is no point in praying for change in the world without putting ourselves out to do something to help make that change. In other words, I must inconvenience myself to make that change. Say, for example, there is no point in praying that your mother will get well if you don’t drive her to the doctor to get some care..... The second is the cross of witness. To carry this cross, we must not be afraid to stand up for what we believe in and be counted. A good example of this witnessing is those people who are involved in social action and justice campaigns. And finally there is the cross of martyrdom. And this comes in two forms, wet and dry. Wet is when blood is spilled, like that of Oscar Romero. And dry is when we are wounded in the spirit and that can happen in so many different ways and on a daily basis.
It seems altogether fitting that one of the Christian martyrs of our time, Archbishop Oscar Romero, received a bullet in the heart just as he was about to pronounce the words of the Mass from behind the altar of the Chapel of the Divine Providence in San Salvador: "This is my body given for you."
The first martyrs of the Christian church in Uganda were young pages at the court of the king. When they were about to be burned alive for their faith, each was asked to name the charge against him. Each said, "For following Christ." They understood what Jesus meant when he said, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Edith Stein was a German Jew who was converted to Christianity and became a Carmelite nun. When World War II came, she was hunted down by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp -- Auschwitz -- where, until she was gassed, she busied herself with comforting and consoling the other internees.
Last week the burning alive of a woman in an orphanage and attacks on many churches in Orissa in India are most shocking. At present 14 people are dead in the state of Orissa with two more seriously injured? At least 41 churches (Catholic and Protestant) were destroyed; hundreds of homes were damaged; four convents, five hostels and youth residences, six Catholic volunteer institutes were devastated; plus hundreds of cars and other personal objects were set on fire during raids carried out by Hindu fundamentalists.
This month August 16, 2008 Fr. Thomas Pandippally, a member of the CMI Congregation was brutally murdered while he was returning home on his motorbike after celebrating the Eucharist in Andhra Pradesh. Even though he was killed on Saturday night, his body was found only the following day on the road. On his body there were 18 stab wounds. He sustained many more wounds on his face and hands during the struggle with his murderers which probably went on for about an hour. According to the postmortem report, his head was hit with sticks and boulders. One eye was pierced with a knife. Fr. Thomas literally shed his blood because of his commitment and dedication to the Gospel of Jesus.
Graham Stuart Stains was an Australian missionary who was burnt to death along with his 9 and 7 years sons while sleeping in his station wagon in Orissa, in India in January 1999. Graham Staines had been working in Orissa among the tribal poor and especially with leprosy patients since 1965.
On 25 February 1995 when I was studying theology in North India, Sr Rany Maria one of the Franciscan sisters was murdered in the bus on her way to see her parents. The murderers pulled her by her hair from the bus and stabbed her 52 times and she was in the pool of blood. Forty travelers and the bus driver left the place for their safety. I was there for the rally and the funeral. Her body was put to eternal rest in special tomb prepared in front of the parish church at Udayanagar. But that time I didn’t know that she is going to be a martyr. She is now called a servant of God. She has sacrificed her life to do God’s will. With the courage of a prophet she faced the challenges in her work to uplift the poor and the downtrodden.
The follower of Christ must be a person for others, just as the Master was. If you wish to be my followers deny yourselves and take up your cross and follow me. He will give the reward. St Paul says in I Cor. 1:18 “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
In Aug 28, 2008 CNA News there was a story about 25 year-old African young girl named Olivia, who despite not being baptized at the time and not having any legs, crawled 2.5 miles every Sunday to attend Mass. The sisters who gave her accommodation said that although “the sand from the road burned the palms of her hands during the hottest times of the year,” the young woman crawled to Mass, “giving witness of perseverance and heroic faith.”
Jesus said to his disciples “whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me”
So many of us here are already carrying crosses. You do not have to go looking for them. They find us.
The point is that, if you want to be a follower of Jesus, you have to be able to make a total commitment. No excuses! In fact, there is much common sense in what Jesus is saying. For example, if you embark on a medical or legal career you have to study hard, give up many nights on the town, and follow your professor’s instructions. There are no free rides. No crosses, No growth. No pain, no gain.
In fact it is not one cross that we have to take up, but three. The first is the cross of inconvenience. There is no point in praying for change in the world without putting ourselves out to do something to help make that change. In other words, I must inconvenience myself to make that change. Say, for example, there is no point in praying that your mother will get well if you don’t drive her to the doctor to get some care..... The second is the cross of witness. To carry this cross, we must not be afraid to stand up for what we believe in and be counted. A good example of this witnessing is those people who are involved in social action and justice campaigns. And finally there is the cross of martyrdom. And this comes in two forms, wet and dry. Wet is when blood is spilled, like that of Oscar Romero. And dry is when we are wounded in the spirit and that can happen in so many different ways and on a daily basis.
It seems altogether fitting that one of the Christian martyrs of our time, Archbishop Oscar Romero, received a bullet in the heart just as he was about to pronounce the words of the Mass from behind the altar of the Chapel of the Divine Providence in San Salvador: "This is my body given for you."
The first martyrs of the Christian church in Uganda were young pages at the court of the king. When they were about to be burned alive for their faith, each was asked to name the charge against him. Each said, "For following Christ." They understood what Jesus meant when he said, "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."
Edith Stein was a German Jew who was converted to Christianity and became a Carmelite nun. When World War II came, she was hunted down by the Nazis and taken to a concentration camp -- Auschwitz -- where, until she was gassed, she busied herself with comforting and consoling the other internees.
Last week the burning alive of a woman in an orphanage and attacks on many churches in Orissa in India are most shocking. At present 14 people are dead in the state of Orissa with two more seriously injured? At least 41 churches (Catholic and Protestant) were destroyed; hundreds of homes were damaged; four convents, five hostels and youth residences, six Catholic volunteer institutes were devastated; plus hundreds of cars and other personal objects were set on fire during raids carried out by Hindu fundamentalists.
This month August 16, 2008 Fr. Thomas Pandippally, a member of the CMI Congregation was brutally murdered while he was returning home on his motorbike after celebrating the Eucharist in Andhra Pradesh. Even though he was killed on Saturday night, his body was found only the following day on the road. On his body there were 18 stab wounds. He sustained many more wounds on his face and hands during the struggle with his murderers which probably went on for about an hour. According to the postmortem report, his head was hit with sticks and boulders. One eye was pierced with a knife. Fr. Thomas literally shed his blood because of his commitment and dedication to the Gospel of Jesus.
Graham Stuart Stains was an Australian missionary who was burnt to death along with his 9 and 7 years sons while sleeping in his station wagon in Orissa, in India in January 1999. Graham Staines had been working in Orissa among the tribal poor and especially with leprosy patients since 1965.
On 25 February 1995 when I was studying theology in North India, Sr Rany Maria one of the Franciscan sisters was murdered in the bus on her way to see her parents. The murderers pulled her by her hair from the bus and stabbed her 52 times and she was in the pool of blood. Forty travelers and the bus driver left the place for their safety. I was there for the rally and the funeral. Her body was put to eternal rest in special tomb prepared in front of the parish church at Udayanagar. But that time I didn’t know that she is going to be a martyr. She is now called a servant of God. She has sacrificed her life to do God’s will. With the courage of a prophet she faced the challenges in her work to uplift the poor and the downtrodden.
The follower of Christ must be a person for others, just as the Master was. If you wish to be my followers deny yourselves and take up your cross and follow me. He will give the reward. St Paul says in I Cor. 1:18 “The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
21 st sunday : The Church and Our Role in the Church
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
John XXIII was pope during the chaotic and restless (turbulent) 1960s when it seemed that everything was falling apart. The priesthood was in crisis, religious life was in crisis, marriage was in crisis, faith was in crisis, and the church was in crisis. The pope worked long and hard hours trying to address these problems. One evening, after an exhausting day in the office, he went to his private chapel to do his daily Holy Hour before going to bed but he was too exhausted and too stressed out to focus or pray. After a few minutes of pointless effort, he got up and said, “Lord, the church belongs to you. I am going to bed.” Difficulties might have driven the Pope to acknowledge that the church belongs to Christ. But Jesus Said in Today’s Gospel: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
This passage is crucial for a proper understanding of what the church is, and our role in the church. For this is the most explicit statement that Jesus makes in the Gospels about the church. There are two main points in this sentence.
Firstly, it tells us that Jesus is the owner of the church. Neither Peter nor the disciples owns the church. Pastors and church leaders who think and act as if they own the church are like farm workers who go about posing as if the farm belongs to them. All God’s people have been called together as co-workers in Christ's vineyard, though some work as foremen overseeing others. But we do not own the church. We belong to the church. The owner of the church is Christ.
Secondly, Jesus is the one who builds his church. He is the master builder who has the building plan in his hands. Human co-operators are like masons and carpenters employed by the master builder to help him with the building. Our role is to listen and follow his instructions, doing our own small part in the grand design of the master. HE is in Control.
If Jesus is the owner and builder of the church, where then do we come in? We come in precisely where Peter comes in. Together with Peter we are the building blocks of the church. Peter is the foundation rock and we are the pieces of stones with which the church is built: Our role is to allow God to use us.
We must not forget that no matter how small a piece of stone we may be, the master builder could still use it to do something beautiful.
A famous stained-glass artist was commissioned to make a huge portrait for the window of the cathedral in Chartres, France. First he laid all of the pieces he was going to use out on the floor of the cathedral. Among these awesome pieces of glass was a small, clear piece about as big as a fingernail. As the stained-glass portrait was assembled, that little piece remained on the floor. Only the big colorful pieces were used. On the day of the window’s completion the entire city gathered to witness the unveiling of the portrait. The artist pulled away the cover cloth and the crowd gasped at the beauty of the colorful window glowing in the sunlight. After a few seconds the crowd grew silent. They sensed that something was missing, that the portrait was unfinished. The great artist then walked over to where the little clear piece of glass lay, picked it up, and placed it in the portrait, right in the centre of Jesus’ eye. As the sun hit that little piece, it gave off a dazzling sparkle. The work of art is now complete. Without the small piece the work was incomplete. In the grand design of building the church of God, each one of us could consider ourselves to be that small piece of glass – so small and yet so indispensable.
Dear brothers and sisters, the two questions that Jesus poses to His disciples today - “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” are questions that every disciples has to face at some time in their lives. Throughout our lives, we hear different things about Jesus. Some of them will help to develop our understanding about Jesus - others will challenge us - and others may confuse us.
Like Peter today, we will hear all sorts of things about Jesus - but, eventually, we will have to look at them all and decide what we believe about Jesus. Who is this real Jesus for ME? Don’t be stubborn to our foolish knowledge but ask for the wisdom to know the Truth. We may think that we are intelligent people but our decisions may end up in foolishness.
Once a spider built a beautiful web in an old barn. She kept it clean and shiny so that flies would buzz a bit nearer. The minute she got a visitor she would clean up on it so the other flies would not get suspicious.
Then one day a fairly intelligent fly came buzzing by the clean spider web. The spider called out, "Come in and sit." But the fly said, "No, ma’am. I don’t see other flies in your house, and I am not going in alone!"
But presently the fly saw on the floor below a large crowd of flies dancing around on a piece of brown paper. It was delighted! It was not afraid if lots of flies were doing the same. So the fly came in for a landing.
Just before it landed, a bee zoomed by, saying, "Don’t land there, that’s flypaper!" But the fly shouted back, "Don’t be silly, those flies are dancing. There’s a big crowd there. That many flies can’t be wrong." Well, you know what happened, the fly got stuck and died.
Isn’t it strange, my dear brothers and sisters, how some of us want to be with the crowd so badly denying the church and the Christ forgetting that Jesus is the builder and the master of the church and we are the bricks with which Jesus builds His church!
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
John XXIII was pope during the chaotic and restless (turbulent) 1960s when it seemed that everything was falling apart. The priesthood was in crisis, religious life was in crisis, marriage was in crisis, faith was in crisis, and the church was in crisis. The pope worked long and hard hours trying to address these problems. One evening, after an exhausting day in the office, he went to his private chapel to do his daily Holy Hour before going to bed but he was too exhausted and too stressed out to focus or pray. After a few minutes of pointless effort, he got up and said, “Lord, the church belongs to you. I am going to bed.” Difficulties might have driven the Pope to acknowledge that the church belongs to Christ. But Jesus Said in Today’s Gospel: You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it (Matthew 16:18).
This passage is crucial for a proper understanding of what the church is, and our role in the church. For this is the most explicit statement that Jesus makes in the Gospels about the church. There are two main points in this sentence.
Firstly, it tells us that Jesus is the owner of the church. Neither Peter nor the disciples owns the church. Pastors and church leaders who think and act as if they own the church are like farm workers who go about posing as if the farm belongs to them. All God’s people have been called together as co-workers in Christ's vineyard, though some work as foremen overseeing others. But we do not own the church. We belong to the church. The owner of the church is Christ.
Secondly, Jesus is the one who builds his church. He is the master builder who has the building plan in his hands. Human co-operators are like masons and carpenters employed by the master builder to help him with the building. Our role is to listen and follow his instructions, doing our own small part in the grand design of the master. HE is in Control.
If Jesus is the owner and builder of the church, where then do we come in? We come in precisely where Peter comes in. Together with Peter we are the building blocks of the church. Peter is the foundation rock and we are the pieces of stones with which the church is built: Our role is to allow God to use us.
We must not forget that no matter how small a piece of stone we may be, the master builder could still use it to do something beautiful.
A famous stained-glass artist was commissioned to make a huge portrait for the window of the cathedral in Chartres, France. First he laid all of the pieces he was going to use out on the floor of the cathedral. Among these awesome pieces of glass was a small, clear piece about as big as a fingernail. As the stained-glass portrait was assembled, that little piece remained on the floor. Only the big colorful pieces were used. On the day of the window’s completion the entire city gathered to witness the unveiling of the portrait. The artist pulled away the cover cloth and the crowd gasped at the beauty of the colorful window glowing in the sunlight. After a few seconds the crowd grew silent. They sensed that something was missing, that the portrait was unfinished. The great artist then walked over to where the little clear piece of glass lay, picked it up, and placed it in the portrait, right in the centre of Jesus’ eye. As the sun hit that little piece, it gave off a dazzling sparkle. The work of art is now complete. Without the small piece the work was incomplete. In the grand design of building the church of God, each one of us could consider ourselves to be that small piece of glass – so small and yet so indispensable.
Dear brothers and sisters, the two questions that Jesus poses to His disciples today - “Who do people say I am?” and “Who do you say I am?” are questions that every disciples has to face at some time in their lives. Throughout our lives, we hear different things about Jesus. Some of them will help to develop our understanding about Jesus - others will challenge us - and others may confuse us.
Like Peter today, we will hear all sorts of things about Jesus - but, eventually, we will have to look at them all and decide what we believe about Jesus. Who is this real Jesus for ME? Don’t be stubborn to our foolish knowledge but ask for the wisdom to know the Truth. We may think that we are intelligent people but our decisions may end up in foolishness.
Once a spider built a beautiful web in an old barn. She kept it clean and shiny so that flies would buzz a bit nearer. The minute she got a visitor she would clean up on it so the other flies would not get suspicious.
Then one day a fairly intelligent fly came buzzing by the clean spider web. The spider called out, "Come in and sit." But the fly said, "No, ma’am. I don’t see other flies in your house, and I am not going in alone!"
But presently the fly saw on the floor below a large crowd of flies dancing around on a piece of brown paper. It was delighted! It was not afraid if lots of flies were doing the same. So the fly came in for a landing.
Just before it landed, a bee zoomed by, saying, "Don’t land there, that’s flypaper!" But the fly shouted back, "Don’t be silly, those flies are dancing. There’s a big crowd there. That many flies can’t be wrong." Well, you know what happened, the fly got stuck and died.
Isn’t it strange, my dear brothers and sisters, how some of us want to be with the crowd so badly denying the church and the Christ forgetting that Jesus is the builder and the master of the church and we are the bricks with which Jesus builds His church!
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
20th sunday Perseverance in prayer
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The Canaanite woman in our Gospel today reminds us of St Monica, the mother of St Augustine who lived in Tagaste in North Africa which is called Algeria today. Augustine her son as a teenager influenced by the loose living of his companions. He didn’t have faith. His mother shed tears for 20 years for her son and he received the baptism. Five days later Monica caught a fever and went into a coma and died after nine days. Augustine went on to become a priest at the age of 36 and a bishop at the age of 41 and was Bishop of Hippo in North Africa for 35 years. And all of this due to the persistent prayer of his mother St Monica.
If you read today’s Gospel text closely you will see that the woman was refused three times by Jesus before he granted her request. The first time Jesus didn’t answer her. The second refusal was when Jesus refused his disciples’ request on her behalf. The third refusal was when Jesus said the children’s food shouldn’t be thrown to the dogs. By that Jesus meant it was not correct to give her who was not a Jew what was meant for the Jews. ‘Dogs’ was a frequent description of Gentiles (non-Jews) at the time of Jesus. Finally, the fourth time, her plea was answered. Jesus said, “Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.” And from that moment her daughter was well again. Like Monica who had received many refusals during almost twenty years of praying for Augustine’s conversion, the Canaanite woman persisted in prayer before God. And her patient persistent prayer was answered.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, Prayer is our active dependence on God, our turning to Him, acknowledging that we need him. When we pray we are reminded of who God is, of what He has done, of what He will do, of what He has promised.
Just as the repeated blows of a hammer eventually have an effect, in the same way patience and persistence in prayer produces results.
In other words, time is involved in the making of everything of worth. And this is where patience links hands with perseverance.
We must wait on the Lord. Proverb 20:22 says “Wait on the Lord and He shall save you”
Perseverance and patience are not easy virtues, especially for us here in New York. In heavy traffic, we run the risk of road rage; we want our food faster and faster, never mind better and better; even weight loss must be quick, or we give up. Such experiences and attitudes don’t help us when we turn to prayer. We want an answer, an emotional lift, some outcome right now, or prayer is obviously not working.
There is a story about Robert Bruce; King of Scotland. He was hiding in a hut in the forest. His enemies were seeking him far and wide.
Six times he had met them in battle, and six times he had failed. Hope and courage were gone.
Bruce had given up all as lost. He was about to run away from Scotland, and to leave the country in the hands of his enemies.
Full of sorrow, he lay stretched out on a pile of straw in the poor woodchopper's hut. While he laid thinking, he noticed a spider spinning her web.
The spider was trying to spin a thread from one beam of the cottage to another. It was a long way between the beams, and Bruce saw how hard a thing it was for her to do.
"She can never do it," thought the king.
The little spider tried it once and failed. She tried it twice and failed. The king counted each time. At length she had tried it six times and had failed each time.
"She is like me," thought the king. "I have tried six battles and failed. She has tried six times to reach the beam and failed."
The spider tried the seventh time, letting herself down upon her slender thread. She swung out bravely.
"Look! look!" shouted the king. "She has reached it. The thread hangs between the two beams. If the spider can do it, I can do it."
Bruce got up from the straw with new strength and sent his men from village to village, calling the people to arms.
The brave soldiers answered his call and came trooping in.
At length his army was ready to fight, and when the king led them in a great battle against the enemy, this time, like the spider, Bruce won.
Yes dear brothers and sisters remember the English word Push when you pray: P.U.S.H: Persevere Until Something Happens. Never give up. Most of the time we give up just one moment before our success. When we wait long time for a Bus; just at the time we jump into the taxi there will be a Bus right behind us. When our hopes are dashed let us turn to Jesus. He is the answer to all our hopes and dreams. He will not let us down. When Winston Churchill was asked to give the commencement address at Oxford University. His now famous speech consisted of only three words: “Never give up!”
I believe this poem is by St Jude.
“When things go wrong as they sometimes will,When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,When the funds are low and the debts are highAnd you want to smile, but you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit,Rest if you must, but don't you quit.Life is strange with its twists and turnsAs everyone of us sometimes learnsAnd many a failure comes aboutWhen he might have won had he stuck it out;Don't give up though the pace seems slow -You may succeed with another blow.Success is failure turned inside out -The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,And you never can tell just how close you are,It may be near when it seems so far;So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.”
Yes dear brothers and sisters Pray Until Something Happens: Push and keep waiting on God.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The Canaanite woman in our Gospel today reminds us of St Monica, the mother of St Augustine who lived in Tagaste in North Africa which is called Algeria today. Augustine her son as a teenager influenced by the loose living of his companions. He didn’t have faith. His mother shed tears for 20 years for her son and he received the baptism. Five days later Monica caught a fever and went into a coma and died after nine days. Augustine went on to become a priest at the age of 36 and a bishop at the age of 41 and was Bishop of Hippo in North Africa for 35 years. And all of this due to the persistent prayer of his mother St Monica.
If you read today’s Gospel text closely you will see that the woman was refused three times by Jesus before he granted her request. The first time Jesus didn’t answer her. The second refusal was when Jesus refused his disciples’ request on her behalf. The third refusal was when Jesus said the children’s food shouldn’t be thrown to the dogs. By that Jesus meant it was not correct to give her who was not a Jew what was meant for the Jews. ‘Dogs’ was a frequent description of Gentiles (non-Jews) at the time of Jesus. Finally, the fourth time, her plea was answered. Jesus said, “Woman, you have great faith. Let your wish be granted.” And from that moment her daughter was well again. Like Monica who had received many refusals during almost twenty years of praying for Augustine’s conversion, the Canaanite woman persisted in prayer before God. And her patient persistent prayer was answered.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, Prayer is our active dependence on God, our turning to Him, acknowledging that we need him. When we pray we are reminded of who God is, of what He has done, of what He will do, of what He has promised.
Just as the repeated blows of a hammer eventually have an effect, in the same way patience and persistence in prayer produces results.
In other words, time is involved in the making of everything of worth. And this is where patience links hands with perseverance.
We must wait on the Lord. Proverb 20:22 says “Wait on the Lord and He shall save you”
Perseverance and patience are not easy virtues, especially for us here in New York. In heavy traffic, we run the risk of road rage; we want our food faster and faster, never mind better and better; even weight loss must be quick, or we give up. Such experiences and attitudes don’t help us when we turn to prayer. We want an answer, an emotional lift, some outcome right now, or prayer is obviously not working.
There is a story about Robert Bruce; King of Scotland. He was hiding in a hut in the forest. His enemies were seeking him far and wide.
Six times he had met them in battle, and six times he had failed. Hope and courage were gone.
Bruce had given up all as lost. He was about to run away from Scotland, and to leave the country in the hands of his enemies.
Full of sorrow, he lay stretched out on a pile of straw in the poor woodchopper's hut. While he laid thinking, he noticed a spider spinning her web.
The spider was trying to spin a thread from one beam of the cottage to another. It was a long way between the beams, and Bruce saw how hard a thing it was for her to do.
"She can never do it," thought the king.
The little spider tried it once and failed. She tried it twice and failed. The king counted each time. At length she had tried it six times and had failed each time.
"She is like me," thought the king. "I have tried six battles and failed. She has tried six times to reach the beam and failed."
The spider tried the seventh time, letting herself down upon her slender thread. She swung out bravely.
"Look! look!" shouted the king. "She has reached it. The thread hangs between the two beams. If the spider can do it, I can do it."
Bruce got up from the straw with new strength and sent his men from village to village, calling the people to arms.
The brave soldiers answered his call and came trooping in.
At length his army was ready to fight, and when the king led them in a great battle against the enemy, this time, like the spider, Bruce won.
Yes dear brothers and sisters remember the English word Push when you pray: P.U.S.H: Persevere Until Something Happens. Never give up. Most of the time we give up just one moment before our success. When we wait long time for a Bus; just at the time we jump into the taxi there will be a Bus right behind us. When our hopes are dashed let us turn to Jesus. He is the answer to all our hopes and dreams. He will not let us down. When Winston Churchill was asked to give the commencement address at Oxford University. His now famous speech consisted of only three words: “Never give up!”
I believe this poem is by St Jude.
“When things go wrong as they sometimes will,When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,When the funds are low and the debts are highAnd you want to smile, but you have to sigh,When care is pressing you down a bit,Rest if you must, but don't you quit.Life is strange with its twists and turnsAs everyone of us sometimes learnsAnd many a failure comes aboutWhen he might have won had he stuck it out;Don't give up though the pace seems slow -You may succeed with another blow.Success is failure turned inside out -The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,And you never can tell just how close you are,It may be near when it seems so far;So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit -It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.”
Yes dear brothers and sisters Pray Until Something Happens: Push and keep waiting on God.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
19th sunday :Fix your eyes on Jesus and spend time alone with Jesus
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
A famous Indian surgeon told his students that a surgeon needed two gifts: freedom from nausea and the power of observation.
He then dipped a finger into some nauseating fluid and licked it, requesting each of the students to do the same. They steeled themselves to it and managed it without flinching.
With a smile, the surgeon then said, “Gentlemen, I congratulate you on having passed the first test. But not, unfortunately, the second, for not one of you noticed that the finger I licked was not the one I dipped into the fluid.”
Today from our Gospel reading we could observe two main facts: Importance of spending time with God and fixing our eyes always on Jesus.
“After dismissing the crowd Jesus went up to the Mountain by himself to pray.” Mt.14:22.Time alone with God really isn't easy in our world, everything around about us says "be busy, do something, do something, do something again."
In Dr. Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 1990
He tells the story of Arthur Gordon, who realized that his energy wasn't in his work anymore. There was a malaise somehow in his life and he went to see his physician to see if there was something physically wrong. And that's a good move if you feel that in your lives: to check things out to see if there's something physically wrong. His physician did all the tests and there was nothing physically wrong, but he said to Arthur Gordon, "I need you to respond to something for a day. Can you give me tomorrow?" And Arthur Gordon said, "Yes, I can give you tomorrow." He said, "I'm going to give you four prescriptions. Go to the beach. You are to open them at three hour intervals." And Arthur Gordon did this.
He got there the following morning and at nine o'clock he opened the first prescription. It said, "Listen carefully." He had three hours to listen carefully. He didn't know what to do with the time, but as he listened he began to hear things he had missed.
And he opened the second prescription and it said "reach back," reach back to your memories. Memories that were happy, memories to lift him up and memories that brought him down, that dragged him down, that held him back.
The third prescription was to, "Examine your motives." He realized that he had not been following the motives that he wanted to follow in life.
In the evening and the last prescription was opened. It said, "Write your worries in the sand."
As we do those things, as we listen carefully, as we reach back, as we examine our motives, as we write our worries, not just in the sand but in the hands of God to take and carry them off from us, it's remarkable what happens to our lives.
Time alone. Being still before God. Time listening carefully to God, to God's word, to the creation around about us. Time alone to reach back. Time to examine our motives, our purpose, our reason for doing what we do. Time to write our worries in the palms of God's hands to bear away from us and for us.
My dear brothers and sisters, If you want to grow, this is a habit that should be a part of our lives. Follow the path of Jesus to the mountain.
The second part of the gospel is a lesson for all disciples who are tempted to take their eyes off Jesus and to take more notice of the threatening circumstances around them. Whatever Jesus commands us to do he gives us the power to do it. And the ordinary man, Peter, begins to walk on the seas, coming to Jesus. “But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and began to sink” (verse 30) While Peter kept his eyes fixed upon Jesus, and upon his word and power, he walked upon the water well enough; but when he took notice of the danger he was in, and focused on the waves, then he became afraid and began to sink. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Now many of us have a temptation to blame peter for his little faith. But many of us would never do anything like what Peter did. Instead, we would prefer to stay in our comfort zones and never risk.
A Californian Presbyterian pastor John Ortberg wrote a book in 2001 “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” Ortberg proposes that Peter was not a failure, but a success. And if Peter was a failure, there were eleven even worse failures in the boat who never even attempted to step out and trust Jesus.
But only Peter knew two other things as well. Only Peter knew the glory of walking on the water. He alone knew what it was to attempt to do what he was not capable of doing on his own, then feeling the euphoria of being empowered by God to actually do it.
And Only Peter knew the glory of being lifted up by Jesus in a moment of desperate need.
The worst failure is not to sink in the waves. The worst failure is to never get out of the boat. The boat can serve as a metaphor for comfort.
Observing St Peter we realize Peter doesn't begin to sink until he starts looking around at the wind and the waves. All of a sudden, the boat seemed awfully small and far away. There was nothing but black, churning water all around him. The waves were lapping at his feet, water was stinging his eyes. And then, just like that, the water under his feet let go.Taking our eyes off Jesus, and focusing on the difficult circumstances will cause us to get under our problems. But when we cry out to Jesus, he catches us by the hand and raises us above the seemingly impossible surroundings.
We are a lot like Peter, my dear brothers and sisters; there are times when we grow alarmed at the high winds and the high waves of being a Christian in today’s world. And, like Peter, for a brief moment we take our eyes off Jesus. And that is our fatal mistake. We begin to sink. When trouble is all around - keep your eyes on Jesus. He will never let you sink.
In the letter to the Hebrews. 13:6 we read “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
A famous Indian surgeon told his students that a surgeon needed two gifts: freedom from nausea and the power of observation.
He then dipped a finger into some nauseating fluid and licked it, requesting each of the students to do the same. They steeled themselves to it and managed it without flinching.
With a smile, the surgeon then said, “Gentlemen, I congratulate you on having passed the first test. But not, unfortunately, the second, for not one of you noticed that the finger I licked was not the one I dipped into the fluid.”
Today from our Gospel reading we could observe two main facts: Importance of spending time with God and fixing our eyes always on Jesus.
“After dismissing the crowd Jesus went up to the Mountain by himself to pray.” Mt.14:22.Time alone with God really isn't easy in our world, everything around about us says "be busy, do something, do something, do something again."
In Dr. Stephen Covey’s book The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, 1990
He tells the story of Arthur Gordon, who realized that his energy wasn't in his work anymore. There was a malaise somehow in his life and he went to see his physician to see if there was something physically wrong. And that's a good move if you feel that in your lives: to check things out to see if there's something physically wrong. His physician did all the tests and there was nothing physically wrong, but he said to Arthur Gordon, "I need you to respond to something for a day. Can you give me tomorrow?" And Arthur Gordon said, "Yes, I can give you tomorrow." He said, "I'm going to give you four prescriptions. Go to the beach. You are to open them at three hour intervals." And Arthur Gordon did this.
He got there the following morning and at nine o'clock he opened the first prescription. It said, "Listen carefully." He had three hours to listen carefully. He didn't know what to do with the time, but as he listened he began to hear things he had missed.
And he opened the second prescription and it said "reach back," reach back to your memories. Memories that were happy, memories to lift him up and memories that brought him down, that dragged him down, that held him back.
The third prescription was to, "Examine your motives." He realized that he had not been following the motives that he wanted to follow in life.
In the evening and the last prescription was opened. It said, "Write your worries in the sand."
As we do those things, as we listen carefully, as we reach back, as we examine our motives, as we write our worries, not just in the sand but in the hands of God to take and carry them off from us, it's remarkable what happens to our lives.
Time alone. Being still before God. Time listening carefully to God, to God's word, to the creation around about us. Time alone to reach back. Time to examine our motives, our purpose, our reason for doing what we do. Time to write our worries in the palms of God's hands to bear away from us and for us.
My dear brothers and sisters, If you want to grow, this is a habit that should be a part of our lives. Follow the path of Jesus to the mountain.
The second part of the gospel is a lesson for all disciples who are tempted to take their eyes off Jesus and to take more notice of the threatening circumstances around them. Whatever Jesus commands us to do he gives us the power to do it. And the ordinary man, Peter, begins to walk on the seas, coming to Jesus. “But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and began to sink” (verse 30) While Peter kept his eyes fixed upon Jesus, and upon his word and power, he walked upon the water well enough; but when he took notice of the danger he was in, and focused on the waves, then he became afraid and began to sink. “For we walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).
Now many of us have a temptation to blame peter for his little faith. But many of us would never do anything like what Peter did. Instead, we would prefer to stay in our comfort zones and never risk.
A Californian Presbyterian pastor John Ortberg wrote a book in 2001 “If You Want to Walk on Water You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat” Ortberg proposes that Peter was not a failure, but a success. And if Peter was a failure, there were eleven even worse failures in the boat who never even attempted to step out and trust Jesus.
But only Peter knew two other things as well. Only Peter knew the glory of walking on the water. He alone knew what it was to attempt to do what he was not capable of doing on his own, then feeling the euphoria of being empowered by God to actually do it.
And Only Peter knew the glory of being lifted up by Jesus in a moment of desperate need.
The worst failure is not to sink in the waves. The worst failure is to never get out of the boat. The boat can serve as a metaphor for comfort.
Observing St Peter we realize Peter doesn't begin to sink until he starts looking around at the wind and the waves. All of a sudden, the boat seemed awfully small and far away. There was nothing but black, churning water all around him. The waves were lapping at his feet, water was stinging his eyes. And then, just like that, the water under his feet let go.Taking our eyes off Jesus, and focusing on the difficult circumstances will cause us to get under our problems. But when we cry out to Jesus, he catches us by the hand and raises us above the seemingly impossible surroundings.
We are a lot like Peter, my dear brothers and sisters; there are times when we grow alarmed at the high winds and the high waves of being a Christian in today’s world. And, like Peter, for a brief moment we take our eyes off Jesus. And that is our fatal mistake. We begin to sink. When trouble is all around - keep your eyes on Jesus. He will never let you sink.
In the letter to the Hebrews. 13:6 we read “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
17th sunday Mission appeal and Wisdom of God
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
I am Fr Sunny John, a Carmelite priest from India. I am coming from a country where there are more than 1.1billion people and there are 23 official languages. India is a federal republic of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.You May not fully understand me, you know why, because English is not my language. But we all know the Language of God the language of Love. So you will understand me.
Once there was a famous competition in the School Curriculum. The sports teacher was watching a boy who was very intense in his prayers before the Statue of blessed Mother. The race was over and the result came out. This boy failed. The teacher was so upset and came to this very smart and loving child and told him: “son, I am so sorry that you failed even after you prayed a lot.” he replied “teacher, who told you that I was praying for the prize; I was not praying for the prize but I was praying for the strength not to cry when I fail.”
God gave Solomon a blank cheque "ask what you would like me to give you". (1 Kgs 3:5) What a question, yet what an answer that came out of Solomon's mouth. God I want to think like you. I desire to look at life in the way that you look at life because only in this way I can reach my full potential as a human person. This is true wisdom, not the wisdom that emanates from a human brain, but a wisdom that comes from the heart of God. True wisdom for all of us who believe in Jesus Christ is to be able to see life from God's point of view. This is the reason why Solomon prayed in this manner, "Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil".
You know why I am here today. I found the Treasure. I do not have enough Money to buy the Land, where the treasure is, so I am asking your help.
In RABINDRANATH TAGORE'S GITANJALI "Song Offerings" He writes “Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads! Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!
He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.
He is with them in sun and in shower, and his garment is covered with dust. Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil! Yes dear brothers and sisters, God is out there with the people who are suffering. We all are called to be missionaries going out to the whole world and spreading the good news. We can never help anyone in this world when we are fully equipped or wealthy. There are millions of people who have nothing to eat a day. Whatever you wanted to do for the people in the third world countries you need financial help, if you want to teach them you have to provide food clothing and transportation.
God is not asking us to be a mother Theresa but he is giving you and me a chance to do what we can do to help at least one family or a person to lead a life worthy of human being.
There is nothing big or nothing small in giving, even a small sacrifice you make today for the Missions in the world will prayerfully be remembered by someone who is in utter need of your help.
One evening a mother and a child were coming back home after a long evening walk and on the way they got into a restaurant and picked up their dinner package. While they were walking this little child saw a poor man in the nearby waste barrel searching for his daily food. This child remembered the catechism class where she learned about the loving God. She hold tightly on her mothers’ arm and asked Mammy, mammy let me ask you a question. Is God alive, yes, is our God is a good and loving God? Yes. Mammy my teacher told me today Our God is a good and loving God and wherever you are in need you pray to God and God will send angels to help you. Is it True Mom? Yes indeed. If that is right why didn’t God send and angel to help this poor man to find a meal a Day?
Wow that is a real aching question. Mammy just paused a moment. And said “honey, who told you that God did not send an angel today. He did send you. Take our dinner packet and go and give it to that poor man and be an Angel of God Today.
Yes dear brothers and sisters. By helping the Mission you are becoming an angel of God for someone.
I thank most sincerely Bishop Anthony m Pilla, Fr Stephen Vellenga the director of the propagation of faith and your loving and caring Pastor George Vrabel and the Assistant pastor ………………and all the staff and parishioners of St Mary’s Church for your love and support. I assure my prayers ask the Mother Mary to help you in all your needs and I humbly ask your prayers for the missions.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
I am Fr Sunny John, a Carmelite priest from India. I am coming from a country where there are more than 1.1billion people and there are 23 official languages. India is a federal republic of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.You May not fully understand me, you know why, because English is not my language. But we all know the Language of God the language of Love. So you will understand me.
Once there was a famous competition in the School Curriculum. The sports teacher was watching a boy who was very intense in his prayers before the Statue of blessed Mother. The race was over and the result came out. This boy failed. The teacher was so upset and came to this very smart and loving child and told him: “son, I am so sorry that you failed even after you prayed a lot.” he replied “teacher, who told you that I was praying for the prize; I was not praying for the prize but I was praying for the strength not to cry when I fail.”
God gave Solomon a blank cheque "ask what you would like me to give you". (1 Kgs 3:5) What a question, yet what an answer that came out of Solomon's mouth. God I want to think like you. I desire to look at life in the way that you look at life because only in this way I can reach my full potential as a human person. This is true wisdom, not the wisdom that emanates from a human brain, but a wisdom that comes from the heart of God. True wisdom for all of us who believe in Jesus Christ is to be able to see life from God's point of view. This is the reason why Solomon prayed in this manner, "Give your servant a heart to understand how to discern between good and evil".
You know why I am here today. I found the Treasure. I do not have enough Money to buy the Land, where the treasure is, so I am asking your help.
In RABINDRANATH TAGORE'S GITANJALI "Song Offerings" He writes “Leave this chanting and singing and telling of beads! Whom dost thou worship in this lonely dark corner of a temple with doors all shut? Open thine eyes and see thy God is not before thee!
He is there where the tiller is tilling the hard ground and where the pathmaker is breaking stones.
He is with them in sun and in shower, and his garment is covered with dust. Put off thy holy mantle and even like him come down on the dusty soil! Yes dear brothers and sisters, God is out there with the people who are suffering. We all are called to be missionaries going out to the whole world and spreading the good news. We can never help anyone in this world when we are fully equipped or wealthy. There are millions of people who have nothing to eat a day. Whatever you wanted to do for the people in the third world countries you need financial help, if you want to teach them you have to provide food clothing and transportation.
God is not asking us to be a mother Theresa but he is giving you and me a chance to do what we can do to help at least one family or a person to lead a life worthy of human being.
There is nothing big or nothing small in giving, even a small sacrifice you make today for the Missions in the world will prayerfully be remembered by someone who is in utter need of your help.
One evening a mother and a child were coming back home after a long evening walk and on the way they got into a restaurant and picked up their dinner package. While they were walking this little child saw a poor man in the nearby waste barrel searching for his daily food. This child remembered the catechism class where she learned about the loving God. She hold tightly on her mothers’ arm and asked Mammy, mammy let me ask you a question. Is God alive, yes, is our God is a good and loving God? Yes. Mammy my teacher told me today Our God is a good and loving God and wherever you are in need you pray to God and God will send angels to help you. Is it True Mom? Yes indeed. If that is right why didn’t God send and angel to help this poor man to find a meal a Day?
Wow that is a real aching question. Mammy just paused a moment. And said “honey, who told you that God did not send an angel today. He did send you. Take our dinner packet and go and give it to that poor man and be an Angel of God Today.
Yes dear brothers and sisters. By helping the Mission you are becoming an angel of God for someone.
I thank most sincerely Bishop Anthony m Pilla, Fr Stephen Vellenga the director of the propagation of faith and your loving and caring Pastor George Vrabel and the Assistant pastor ………………and all the staff and parishioners of St Mary’s Church for your love and support. I assure my prayers ask the Mother Mary to help you in all your needs and I humbly ask your prayers for the missions.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
16th Sunday and Mission in Trumbull,CT
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
I am Fr Sunny John, a Carmelite priest from India. I am coming from a country where there are more than 1.1billion people and there are 23 official languages. India is a federal republic of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.You May not fully understand me, you know why, because English is not my language. But we all know the Language of God the language of Love. So you will understand me.
In today’s gospel he takes up a couple of the things which could worry us. And what wonderful encouragement he gives.
Consider the first parable, the parable of the darnel. How often people wish they had greater faith, greater hope and greater charity. In short, that they were much better Christians, much better people of the Kingdom.
He says, “Leave it to me. Just keep me central to your sense of self and others. Theirs and your dignity, worth and destiny are there because I love you. You are my people. I’ll provide for all that. I’ll get you all cleaned out when the harvest time comes”.
And this is where things get interesting. It’s this word darnel. In English we miss the point if we translate the Greek word as weeds. It’s not just any weed. Darnel looks very much like wheat. In the early stages you can’t tell the difference. Only when it is mature can you tell the difference easily. Genetically it is related to wheat but it’s poisonous.
Don’t worry; the kingdom is growing in each of you and all of you. The kingdom starts as a little seed or a small piece of yeast. So it is with you; it will reach out mightily, but quietly and unseen. It is God’s work. You just be there for me.
A harried businessman, rushing from home to catch a flight to a distant city in order to close an important deal, narrates the adventurous ride and the valuable lesson he learned from a wise cabbie:“One day I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches. The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. The taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. To my astonishment the cabbie was genuinely friendly! So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? That guy almost demolished your taxi and sent us to the hospital!' This is when the taxi driver taught me what I now call 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage: frustration, anger and disappointment mounting inside of them. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.’”
Because God loved everyone, it is our duty to love our brothers and sisters who are in need. St James 2:15 we heard that “if a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “ go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?’
As John Lennon said: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
We are called to be missionaries going out to the whole world and spreading the good news. We can never help anyone in this world when we are fully equipped or wealthy. God is asking to show our love towards others. By the fact we are helping the people who help the people we are becoming part of that universal mission of Christ. There are millions of people who have nothing to eat a day. Whatever you wanted to do for the people in the third world countries you need financial help, if you want to teach them you have to provide food clothing and transportation.
God is not asking us to be a mother Theresa but he is giving you and me a chance to do what we can do to help at least one family or a person to lead a life worthy of human being.
There is nothing big or nothing small in giving, even a small sacrifice you make today for the Missions in the world will prayerfully be remembered by someone who is in utter need of your help.
One evening a mother and a child were coming back home after a long evening walk and on the way they got into a restaurant and picked up their dinner package. While they were walking this little child saw a poor man in the nearby waste barrel searching for his daily food. This child remembered the catechism class where she learned about the loving God. She hold tightly on her mothers’ arm and asked Mammy, mammy let me ask you a question. Is God alive, yes, is our God is a good and loving God? Yes. Mammy my teacher told me today Our God is a good and loving God and wherever you are in need you pray to God and God will send angels to help you. Is it True Mom? Yes indeed. If that is right why didn’t God send and angel to help this poor man to find a meal a Day?
Wow that is a real aching question. Mammy just paused a moment. And said “honey, who told you that God did not send an angel today. He did send you. Take our dinner packet and go and give it to that poor man and be an Angel of God Today. Yes dear brothers and sisters. By helping the Mission you are becoming an angel of God for someone. I thank most sincerely Bishop William E. Lori, Fredrick L Saviano the director of the propagation of faith and your loving and caring Pastor Fr Bernard M. Dolan and all parishioners of Christ the King Parish for your love and support. I assure my prayers and I humbly ask yours for the missions.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
I am Fr Sunny John, a Carmelite priest from India. I am coming from a country where there are more than 1.1billion people and there are 23 official languages. India is a federal republic of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.You May not fully understand me, you know why, because English is not my language. But we all know the Language of God the language of Love. So you will understand me.
In today’s gospel he takes up a couple of the things which could worry us. And what wonderful encouragement he gives.
Consider the first parable, the parable of the darnel. How often people wish they had greater faith, greater hope and greater charity. In short, that they were much better Christians, much better people of the Kingdom.
He says, “Leave it to me. Just keep me central to your sense of self and others. Theirs and your dignity, worth and destiny are there because I love you. You are my people. I’ll provide for all that. I’ll get you all cleaned out when the harvest time comes”.
And this is where things get interesting. It’s this word darnel. In English we miss the point if we translate the Greek word as weeds. It’s not just any weed. Darnel looks very much like wheat. In the early stages you can’t tell the difference. Only when it is mature can you tell the difference easily. Genetically it is related to wheat but it’s poisonous.
Don’t worry; the kingdom is growing in each of you and all of you. The kingdom starts as a little seed or a small piece of yeast. So it is with you; it will reach out mightily, but quietly and unseen. It is God’s work. You just be there for me.
A harried businessman, rushing from home to catch a flight to a distant city in order to close an important deal, narrates the adventurous ride and the valuable lesson he learned from a wise cabbie:“One day I hopped in a taxi, and we took off for the airport. We were driving in the right lane when suddenly a black car jumped out of a parking space right in front of us. The taxi driver slammed on his brakes, skidded, and missed the other car by just inches. The driver of the other car whipped his head around and started yelling at us. The taxi driver just smiled and waved at the guy. To my astonishment the cabbie was genuinely friendly! So I asked, 'Why did you just do that? That guy almost demolished your taxi and sent us to the hospital!' This is when the taxi driver taught me what I now call 'The Law of the Garbage Truck.' He explained that many people are like garbage trucks. They run around full of garbage: frustration, anger and disappointment mounting inside of them. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it, and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets.’”
Because God loved everyone, it is our duty to love our brothers and sisters who are in need. St James 2:15 we heard that “if a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “ go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it?’
As John Lennon said: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
We are called to be missionaries going out to the whole world and spreading the good news. We can never help anyone in this world when we are fully equipped or wealthy. God is asking to show our love towards others. By the fact we are helping the people who help the people we are becoming part of that universal mission of Christ. There are millions of people who have nothing to eat a day. Whatever you wanted to do for the people in the third world countries you need financial help, if you want to teach them you have to provide food clothing and transportation.
God is not asking us to be a mother Theresa but he is giving you and me a chance to do what we can do to help at least one family or a person to lead a life worthy of human being.
There is nothing big or nothing small in giving, even a small sacrifice you make today for the Missions in the world will prayerfully be remembered by someone who is in utter need of your help.
One evening a mother and a child were coming back home after a long evening walk and on the way they got into a restaurant and picked up their dinner package. While they were walking this little child saw a poor man in the nearby waste barrel searching for his daily food. This child remembered the catechism class where she learned about the loving God. She hold tightly on her mothers’ arm and asked Mammy, mammy let me ask you a question. Is God alive, yes, is our God is a good and loving God? Yes. Mammy my teacher told me today Our God is a good and loving God and wherever you are in need you pray to God and God will send angels to help you. Is it True Mom? Yes indeed. If that is right why didn’t God send and angel to help this poor man to find a meal a Day?
Wow that is a real aching question. Mammy just paused a moment. And said “honey, who told you that God did not send an angel today. He did send you. Take our dinner packet and go and give it to that poor man and be an Angel of God Today. Yes dear brothers and sisters. By helping the Mission you are becoming an angel of God for someone. I thank most sincerely Bishop William E. Lori, Fredrick L Saviano the director of the propagation of faith and your loving and caring Pastor Fr Bernard M. Dolan and all parishioners of Christ the King Parish for your love and support. I assure my prayers and I humbly ask yours for the missions.
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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