Good Friday
"We adore you O Christ, and we praise you…because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world"
“Why Did Jesus Have to Die?”
Around 700 B.C., the prophet Isaiah described in detail the execution of the coming savior in Isaiah chapter 53. When this reference is compared to the descriptions of Jesus’ death by crucifixion, the similarities are stunning because Jesus died in precisely the same way that prophets had predicted. Jesus suggested that his death was a necessary element in God’s eternal plan for sending him into the world. He described the purpose of his life in this manner, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. “(John 3:16-17).
St. Anselm in his book "Cur Deus Homo?" explains “Why Did Jesus Have to Die?”. Man cannot atone for his sin against the infinite justice of God. “No sin can be forgiven without satisfaction. God's justice demands that our sins be punished. Not to punish sin would be unjust. God is both just and loving. Therefore, God's love is willing to meet the demands of His justice. But man could not make this satisfaction for himself because the debt is something far greater than he can pay. Moreover, all the service that he can offer to God is already due on other titles. Hence the only way in which the satisfaction could be made, and men could be set free from sin, was by the coming of a Redeemer who is both God and man”. In other words, an infinite debt had to be paid to God for our sins, and only a God-man could pay it by his suffering and death. Out of perfect love for us, Jesus took upon himself the punishment we deserve. The debt was now paid. His love paid the price. It is paid in full and we are free. His passion and death atoned for our sins and redeemed us. That is why St. Paul reminds us: "For you are bought with a great price" (1 Corinthians 6:20).
A man walked into a Cross Shop one day, complaining that his cross was too heavy and rough, and that he needed a new one. He tried out all kinds of crosses, but found each one unsatisfactory - either too short or long, too rough or smooth, too heavy or light. Then he picked up a cross that felt just right and declared that he would take that one. The shop owner, somewhat disappointed, told him that was the cross he came in with!
It takes two pieces of wood to make a cross. That is important for us today, as we celebrate Good Friday and venerate the cross.
The vertical stick could represent God’s love for us. God so loved the world that he sent his only son to die for us. Beaten, scorned, laughed at, ridiculed, and tortured - he accepted it all out of love for us. He took upon himself all our sins. He, the Lamb of God; he, the High Priest, willingly suffered for us to free us from the consequences of our own sins.
Ron Rolheiser, states that Jesus took away our sins by absorbing and transforming sin. How?
The image he uses is that of a water filter. A filter takes in impure water, holds the impurities inside of it, and gives back only pure water. It transforms rather than transmits. We see this in Jesus. Like the ultimate cleansing filter, he purifies life itself. He takes in hatred, holds it, transforms it, and gives back love; he takes in fear, holds it, transforms it, and gives back freedom; he takes in jealousy, holds it, transforms it, and gives back affirmation; he takes in Satan and murder, holds them, transforms them, and gives back only God and forgiveness.
My dear brothers and sisters, Jesus does not want admirers, but imitators, He doesn’t want fans, but followers.
The horizontal stick represents God’s call for us to love one another. It is our response to God’s love in Jesus, and completes the cross. There are two horizontal arms to the cross, and two ways that we can love one another.
The first way is through relationships. God’s greatest hurt is our broken brotherhood. How can we claim to love God, yet go on being rude to each other; take advantage of each other; accuse each other; put each other down; gossip about each other; suspect each other; avoid each other; stay away from gatherings because of our aversion to and fear of each other? Have we not yet learned the most basic truth of our faith; that what we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to Jesus? Yes, one arm of the cross is relationships; how we get along with each other is the measure of our relationship with God.
If you have seen the beautiful Movie called “Amish grace” a lifetime Movie production about forgiveness. After forgiving the person who killed his daughter Mary Beth, Mr. Gideon tells his remaining daughter Katie “Hate is a very hungry thing. If you let it, it will eat up your heart until there is no more room for love.”
The second arm of the cross is service. God’s message through the cross is that we must serve one another. Jesus spoke clearly about that when he said that if anyone wants to be his disciple, he must take up his or her cross and follow him. It is not easy to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others, but that is what the cross means. Jesus showed us what it means by accepting to die on the cross for us. The bottom line of following Jesus is that we must let go of our hunger for power, control and glory, and learn to serve one another, to wash each other’s feet each day as we did on Holy Thursday.
Let us welcome our crosses as Jesus did for the atonement of our sins and those of others: We may have been crucified several times in our lives. We may have been betrayed by our dear ones. We may have been misunderstood in the most calculated and deliberate of ways by those whom we trusted and loved. We may have been forced to take up the cross for others several times. We may have felt forsaken and abandoned on several occasions. The question we should ask ourselves on Good Friday is whether we have accepted these painful experiences gracefully from a loving God and offered all these painful occasions as atonement for our sins and for the sins of our dear ones.

"We adore you O Christ, and we praise you…
Because by your Holy Cross you have redeemed the world"

Be people of gratitude
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
“He died for us:” Many of us have heard this phrase so many times that it now carries with it neither the shock of someone dying on account of what we have done nor the good news of our being delivered from death.
Two brothers lived together in the same apartment. The elder brother was an honest, hard-working and God-fearing man and the younger a dishonest, gun-toting substance-abusing rogue. Many a night the younger man would come back into the apartment late, drunk and with a lot of cash and the elder brother would spend hours pleading with him to mend his ways and live a decent life. One night the junior brother runs into the house with a smoking gun and blood-stained clothes. “I killed a man,” he announced. In a few minutes the house was surrounded by police and the two brothers knew there was no escape. “I did not mean to kill him,” stammered the young brother, “I don’t want to die.” By now the police were knocking at the door. The senior brother had an idea. He exchanged his clothes with the blood-stained clothes of his killer brother. The police arrested him, tried him and condemned him to death for murder. He was killed and his junior brother lived. He died for his brother.
Can we see that this story of crime and death is basically a story of love? Similarly, the story of the suffering and death of Jesus which we heard in the Passion is basically a story of love – God’s love for us. How should we respond to it? Well, how would you expect the junior brother to respond to the death of the senior brother? We would expect him to respond with GRATITUDE. Gratitude to his generous brother should make him turn a new leaf and never go back to a life of crime. He would be a most ungrateful idiot if he should continue living the sort of life that made his brother die. Gratitude should make him keep the memory of his brother alive. No day should pass that he should not remember his brother who died for him. Finally, if the dead brother has got a wife and children we should expect the saved brother, out of gratitude, to love and care for them. What God expects from us today is gratitude – gratitude strong enough to make us hate sin of every shade and color; strong enough to make us translate our love of God into love of all God’s people.
It is easy to shout with praise and acclamation to Jesus when everyone around us is shouting too.
Cardinal John Henry Newman points out that even if you were the only sinner in the world, Jesus would have undergone his Passion just for you.
God loves us. God takes on our humanity. God dies for us. All of this happens so that we may have life. God pours Himself out so that we may have life. An interesting as well as challenging old fable tells of the colt that carried Jesus on Palm Sunday. The colt thought that the reception was organized to honor him. “I am a unique donkey,” this excited animal might have thought. When he asked his mother if he could walk down the same street alone the next day and be honored again, his mother said, “No, you are nothing without Him who was riding you." Five days later, the colt saw a huge crowd of people in the street. It was Good Friday, and the soldiers were taking Jesus to Calvary. The colt could not resist the temptation of another royal reception. Ignoring the warning of his mother, he ran to the street, but he had to flee for his life as soldiers chased him and people stoned him. Thus, the colt finally learned the lesson that he was only a poor donkey without Jesus to ride on him. As we enter Holy Week, today’s readings challenge us to examine our lives to see whether we carry Jesus within us and bear witness to him through our living or whether we are Christians in name only.
There is a Jewish saying, “Heaven rejoices over a repentant sinner and sheds tears over a non-repentant, hardhearted one."
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Temptations of Jesus and Propagation of Faith
My Dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
I am Fr Sunny John. I am a Carmelite Priest from Kerala, India. You know in India there are 22 official languages and hundreds of dialects. When I came to New York for the first time and when I finished the Holy Mass in English, some old women came and told me “Father sunny, you know your Latin Mass was so touching.” whether you understand or not one thing you already know that I am here asking help for Propagation of Faith. And you are already prepared for it.
Lent begins with a reflection on the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness because temptations come to everybody and we seem almost genetically programmed to yield to them. A temptation may even offer us something good but entices us to use it in a false and selfish way.
There is always a temptation to “use what you have to get what you want. Many people indeed take it as their philosophy of life.
A priest was ministering to a man on his deathbed. "Renounce Satan!" said the priest.” No," said the dying man. "I say, renounce the devil and his works!" "No," the man repeats. “And why not, I ask you in the name of Almighty God to renounce Satan?" "No, because," said the dying man, "I want to wait until I see where I'm heading, before I start annoying anybody."
In Our Gospel Three temptations are recounted: to change stone into bread, to fall down and worship the devil, and to jump down from the pinnacle of the Temple.
In the first temptation, Jesus had fasted for forty days in the wilderness and at the end of it, he was very hungry. The devil puts an idea into his head: "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread" (Luke 4:3). Notice that the first thing the devil does is sow a doubt in his mind: "if you are the Son of God." The same thing happened in the Garden of Eden. The first thing the Tempter said to Eve was, "Did God really say you should not eat of any fruit of the garden" (Genesis 3:1). Temptation always begins with a doubting thought. Jesus overcame the temptations by refusing to entertain such doubts and by standing on the word of God.
Secondly, people are tempted only with what they need or want. After his fasting, Jesus needed to eat. When you are hungry, you need food not money. Therefore, the devil tempted him with food. It is not a sin for Jesus to eat after fasting. The sin may lie in how the food is obtained. Should he follow the normal way of obtaining bread or should he take the shortcut suggested by the devil to obtain instant bread? Jesus refuses to take the devil's shortcut.
This temptation was a temptation to ignore His real mission as Messiah. Let us ask ourselves the same question: do we use the powers God has given us – physical, financial, mental, or spiritual – for our own satisfaction, comfort or enrichment, or for the well-being, spiritual as well as physical, of others in the community?
Yes, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, we all have a temptation to forget our mission as catholic. We are all called to be missionaries by our sacrament of baptism. Jesus asked us to go around the whole world proclaiming the good news and baptizing them. Through the offering of Catholics worldwide, the Propagation of the Faith provides ongoing support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Catholic Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the pacific and remote regions of Latin America. This includes aid for the education and support of seminarians, religious novices and lay catechists; for the work of religious communities in education, health care and social services; for communication and transportation needs and for disaster and emergency relief when necessary. Help them to help others.
I am sure that you are very generous. 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.
Last June I was in Ada, Columbus, Ohio. After the mass I was standing at the door seeing the people; there came a young girl, she may be six; she showed me four quarters on her palm, I did not understand what she is asking me to do. I asked her what I could do for her. She gave me that four coins and said father this is for your mission. You may have heard of Pauline-Marie Jaricot who was Born in 1799 to a wealthy family in Lyon, France. While growing up, Pauline was well aware of the deprivation and trouble in France and other countries around the world. She wanted to raise money for the 'missions' in far off places, so every Friday she went down to the factories to collect money from the workers and servants.
Soon small groups were collecting money regularly each week and also came together to pray for the 'missions'. By 1822, a well-organized mission aid society was established. It was later named the Society for the Propagation of the Faith.
One day one Mother and a child were walking home after their weekend outing. They buy their dinner packet when they come home. The pious mother was teaching the child about God’s mercy and abundant love and if she needs anything, she could ask God and God will send the angels to help her. On their way back home from an evening walk, the child saw a poor man fighting with a dog to get his meal from a waste barrel. She felt sorry for this poor man and asked her mother “Mummy, why didn’t God send an Angel to help this poor man to find a meal a day?” Mummy said, “Honey who told you God did not sent an Angel today? He send you today to be an Angel for this poor Man. Take our dinner packet; go to him and be an angel for him today!” Dear brothers and sisters, Are you ready to become an Angel for someone who is utterly need of help?
Before the Mass started, someone told me Father if you do not speak long we will make it up for you. On behalf of the Propagation of faith, I would like to thank you all very sincerely for your prayers and generous contributions. I promise my prayers for all the members of this parish especially for all those who are grievously and seriously ill, and suffering from desperate hardships in their daily lives. I thank you all once again for your patient attention; may God bless you all.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Anointing of the sick
Jesus claimed that he was the promised Messiah who was sent to preach the Good News and heal the sick. This was and is the mission of Jesus: to preach the Good News and to heal the sick. He invited all to come to him and be healed: “Come to me all you who labor and are burdened and I will refresh you.”
To receive the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick efficaciously we need faith. Jesus could not work many miracles in his home town of Nazareth because of their lack of faith. So we approach the sacrament with the faith of the centurion, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word, and I shall be healed.” Every time we receive the body of Christ ask for that healing. There is difference in curing and healing. We are asking God to heal us. The illness need not be physical. It may be emotional or mental, or just the infirmities of old age, those “intimations of mortality” that become more frequent and much more impressive as we get older.
Will everyone who receives the Anointing be healed? Yes, if they receive it with the right disposition. But the healing will not necessarily be physical or instantaneous. It may be spiritual. God may give us the grace to recognize this illness as a gift, an opportunity to share in his own passion. It may help us to realize that it costs to be a lover, that the language of love is sacrifice. We really do not know what is best for us. This suffering may be necessary for my salvation, or for the salvation of others. So we leave it to the Lord, who gives us what he knows in his infinite wisdom to be best for us.
The great miracles are spiritual. The depression, anger and resentment are transformed into peace and joy. Like the apostles they leave rejoicing that they have been found worthy to suffer something for the name of Jesus.
No matter when you were hurt, remembering that today, yesterday and tomorrow are the same for Jesus, ask him to walk back in time with you to the day when you suffered a particular hurt or received the news of your illness. Close your eyes now and imagine Jesus by your side or in front of you…Make your way through the crowd to Jesus like the bleeding woman…In your imagination touch Jesus’ cloak wishing for his healing…(Mark 5:27-28) Feel the love of Jesus healing you….Hear Jesus say to you, “Your faith has restored you to health…”….(Mark 5:34) Or in your imagination see Jesus take you by the hand as he took Jairus’ daughter by hand and let Jesus help you up, “I tell you to get up”….(Mark 5:41) Jesus said about the girl, “She is not dead, only asleep.” (Mark 5:39) Hear Jesus say to you, “Your wound is not permanent, it is only temporary, I am healing you”…Let Jesus comfort you after the hurt you received….Let the love of Jesus replace all the damage and hurt and woundedness….Just as the Good Samaritan poured oil and wine on the wounds of the injured man on the road to Jericho (Luke 10:34), let Jesus pour his love on your wounds and replace your wounds with his love…Touch Jesus’ garments and let your bleeding, your suffering, dry up…Hear Jesus say to you, “You are not dead, only asleep. Get up”….Tell Jesus about your pain and hurt….Feel the love of Jesus replacing your wounds with his love, healing you and making you whole again.
Jesus cares about you more than anyone and does not want you to remain wounded and hurt. He wants you well and at peace to enjoy life.

Go and sin No more & Propagation of Faith
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Notice Jesus’ last words to the woman, “go away and don’t sin anymore.” (John 8:11) Jesus does not say that sin does not matter because sin does matter and damages our relationship with God.
The first step to take is deal with where all sin begins the mind. Among the Native Americans, there is a story of a father who said there were two wolves fighting within him, one bad and one good. His son asked which wolf wins and the father said whichever one he feeds the most. Sin begins in the mind, from there it moves on to become an action, from there it moves on to become a lifestyle, and then it affects us in eternity. Jesus said not to sin again.
A young couple moves into a new neighborhood. The next morning while they are eating breakfast, the young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside. "That laundry is not very clean," she said. "She doesn’t know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."
Her husband looked on, but remained silent.
Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry, the young woman would make the same comments. About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband, “Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."
The husband said, "I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows." And so it is with our life. What we see when watching others depends on the purity of the window through which we look.
God does not remember our sins that are confessed but he says do not sin anymore. In his book, A Forgiving God in an Unforgiving World, Ron Lee Davis tells the true story of a priest in the Philippines, a much- loved man of God who carried the burden of a secret sin he had committed many years before. He had repented but still had no peace about it. In his parish was a woman who deeply loved God and who claimed to have visions in which she spoke with Christ. The priest, however, was skeptical about that. To test her he said, "The next time you speak with Christ, ask him what sin I committed while I was in the high school." The woman agreed. A few days later the priest asked, "Well, did Christ visit you in your dreams?" "Yes, he did," she replied. "And did you ask him what sin I committed back in high school?" "Yes." "And what did he say?" She smiled and answered, "Christ said, 'I don't remember. '"
Even though God forgives and forget our sins, we have no right to judge others because we often commit the very faults we condemn, we are often partial and prejudiced in our judgment and we do not know the circumstances, which have led someone to sin. Hence, let us leave the judgment to our impartial God who reads people’s hearts.
Once the late Cardinal Hickey of Washington D.C. appealed to the community to support the Archdiocesan program for the homeless. He was asked, 'Why is this the work of the Church? Are these people Catholic'?' Cardinal Hickey replied, 'We shelter the homeless not because they are Catholic, but because we are Catholic. We shelter the homeless, we feed the hungry we educate the young, and we care for the sick because we believe we are sheltering, feeding, educating and caring for Jesus.' Yes, dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I am here today to remind you about our mission as catholic.
We are called to be missionaries by our sacrament of baptism. Jesus asked us to go around the whole world proclaiming the good news and baptizing them. Through the offering of Catholics worldwide, the Propagation of the Faith provides ongoing support for the pastoral and evangelizing programs of the Catholic Church in Africa, Asia, the islands of the pacific and remote regions of Latin America. This includes aid for the education and support of seminarians, religious novices and lay catechists; for the work of religious communities in education, health care and social services; for communication and transportation needs and for disaster and emergency relief when necessary. Help them to help others.
I am sure that you are very generous. 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. Mother Theresa teaches us "None of us can do anything great on our own, but we can all do a small thing with great love." Whatever small things we can do, God will take them and fit them into his own big picture. Our faith tells us that God will take care of the rest.
Last June I was in Ada, Columbus, Ohio. After the mass I was standing at the door seeing the people; there came a young girl, she may be six; she showed me four quarters on her palm, I did not understand what she is asking me to do. I asked her what I could do for her. She gave me that four coins and said father this is for your mission.
One day one Mother and a child were walking home after their weekend outing. They buy their dinner packet when they come home. The pious mother was teaching the child about God’s mercy and abundant love and if she needs anything, she could ask God and God will send the angels to help her. On their way back home from an evening walk, the child saw a poor man fighting with a dog to get his meal from a waste barrel. She felt sorry for this poor man and asked her mother “Mummy, why didn’t God send an Angel to help this poor man to find a meal a day?” Mummy said, “Honey who told you God did not sent an Angel today? He send you today to be an Angel for this poor Man. Take our dinner packet; go to him and be an angel for him today!” Dear brothers and sisters, Are you ready to become an Angel for someone who is utterly need of help?
Before the Mass started, someone told me Father if you do not speak long we will make it up for you. On behalf of the Propagation of faith, I would like to thank you all very sincerely for your prayers and generous contributions. I promise my prayers for all the members of this parish especially for all those who are grievously and seriously ill, and suffering from desperate hardships in their daily lives. I thank you all once again for your patient attention; may God bless you all.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Prodigal Son
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The parable of the Prodigal Son has been called the greatest short story ever written and has even received the title Evangelium in Evangelio, "the Gospel within the Gospel."
There are three characters in this parable that Jesus wants us to examine. Actually, Jesus is presenting them to us so that we might in them look at ourselves.
The first is the younger son. The first condition to look at is the son’s radical departure from his father. Deadly sin does that. It radically separates us from our heavenly Father. The son goes into a FAR country. There is sometimes much meaning in a single word. He went into a FAR country; it was far away, a land full of debauchery and uncleanness, FAR away from God, FAR away from salvation. For us, says St. Augustine, "the far country" is forgetfulness of God.
The second thing we need to see is that when we walk away from God, while at the same time taking everything we can get from Him, we end up in the slop with the pigs. We end up in a state of spiritual poverty, and with an unrelieved hunger in our souls that all of the pleasures of this world cannot satisfy.
You may know an Aesop Fable called ‘the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg’
A man and his wife owned a very special goose. Every day the goose would lay a golden egg, which made the couple very rich.
"Just think," said the man's wife, "If we could have all the golden eggs that are inside the goose, we could be richer much faster."
"You're right," said her husband, "We wouldn't have to wait for the goose to lay her egg every day."
So, the couple killed the goose and cut her open, only to find that she was just like every other goose. She had no golden eggs inside of her at all, and they had no more golden eggs.
Finally, we must admit we have done wrong. This is the hardest thing in the world for many people to do. Countless numbers of people simply cannot admit that they have done anything wrong.
All addicted people live in denial the way pigs live in slop. They simply tell themselves that the slop smells like perfume and anyone who says that it's slop is an idiot and a fool. This younger son somehow came to his senses and began to recognize the truth.
A man cannot be saved unless he comes to himself. We need to do two things. One is to know God, and other is to know ourselves. The two are learned in parallel. If you learn only of God, you will be filled with pride, and your soul will be paralyzed. If you know only about your sins and your unworthiness and know little about God, you will be filled with discouragement and fear, or escapism, and your soul will be paralyzed, unable to do good.
Picture to yourself this young man, alone, hungry, penniless, far from home. We may sin with others but we pay the price alone. St. Augustine put it so simply, "My heart was made for you, O Lord, and it will not rest until it rests in you."
Next character is elder brother. Just like the Pharisees, the older son was obedient, faithful, hard working…and judgmental. He looked down his nose at anyone who did not measure up—even, his younger brother. Just like the Pharisees, he mistakenly thought that the Father loved him because of his hard work and obedience, and therefore could not possibly love anyone who was disobedient and sinful. He thought it was proper to hate the sin and hate the sinner.
Is not the sin of the elder son far greater than all the sins of the prodigal son? He could not forgive his own brother. He could not rejoice with his father who was so happy to have his son back. How many times have we been jealous, envious, and angry because God gave someone else what we thought was due to us?
Finally, the attitude and love of the father, the most important figure in this parable. What a surprising father! What a loving God! The story teaches us that we are loved for who we are, and not just for the way in which we behave. God does not lose hope or give up when we stray.
Our heavenly Father comes out to welcome each of us to his party. The father says to the elder son, “all I have is yours”. Our heavenly Father says to us, “All I have is yours”. This is a most beautiful promise and invitation.
We need to accept the loving offer of our Heavenly Father: “All I have is yours”.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. (Robert Frost in Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening). Dear brothers and sisters we are half way through our Lent, during the rest of Lent let us try to make every effort to answer that invitation from our heavenly Father, “All I have is yours." Each Lent offers the sinner a chance to return home with a confession of sins, where he will find welcome and open-armed love. We have a choice to make, will we stay outside or will we go in to enjoy the Father’s party.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

God gives us a second chance
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
The Mission is a 1986 movie which tells the story of a Spanish Jesuit priest who went into the South American jungle to convert the enslaved natives who had been subjected to the cruelty of Portuguese colonials. One of the most telling scenes in this film occurs when Captain Mendoza, who had killed his brother in a fit of rage, is seen climbing a mountain with a backpack on his shoulders as an act of penance for his past sins. The backpack, which contained all the weapons of his former life as a slave merchant, was so heavy that he could not climb higher unless he gave up the back pack. He was relieved of it when one of the natives, whom he had formerly taken into slavery, forgave him and cut the rope of the backpack with a sharp knife. Thus he saved Mendoza's life, instead of taking vengeance. The backpack represents sin. We cannot carry our "packs" of sin with us. Until we repent, are forgiven and let them go, "we cannot climb to where God needs us.” This scene in the movie illustrates today’s readings, which tell us of a merciful God who wants sinners to repent.
When we talk about sins we usually come up with a list of wrongful actions people have done, murder, adultery, assault, abuse of others, fighting, lying, cheating, cursing, avoiding Mass, hurting others, and so forth. At the time of Jesus many people thought that suffering is directly connected with sinning; those who suffer, it was claimed, are being punished for their sins.
We know that tragic events occur randomly as in the case of the Galileans and the eighteen Jerusalemites and have nothing to do with the guilt or innocence of the victims. For example, a tornado that destroys a nightclub also destroys a church. An earthquake or tsunami kills the saints as well as the sinners in the affected area. Drunk drivers kill innocent people. Religious fanatics, terrorists and suicide bombers cause the untimely death of good as well as bad people. Violent people, with or without provocation, injure their loved ones. Only a few of us will have a burning-bush experience, but all of us have struggled to understand why tragedy seems to befall innocent people. What we need is to trust in divine mercy, believing that God is with us and God is on our side, even in those situations we cannot explain. Jesus' life is the clearest evidence that a person's suffering is not proof of that person's sin. While sin can lead to tragedy, every tragedy is not the result of sin.
Jesus gave the parable of the fig tree. He was pointing out the sin of uselessness. To do nothing is just as much of a sin as doing something that is wrong, and we should pay attention to that.
Useless living is very costly. A basic law of living is “Use it or lose it.” You don’t have to hurt a friend in order to destroy your friendship; all you need to do is ignore your friends. Don’t write or e-mail. Don’t call or visit. A neglected friendship will die just as much as neglect in a marriage will end it.
That fig tree was planted in a good garden, in good soil. It was cared for, fertilized, and watered. In spite of all that had been given to it, the fig tree produced nothing. The point of the parable is obvious. God has given you and me wonderful gifts. He has cared for us, tended us, and even given us the Bread of Life here on this altar. How can any one of us claim we were never given a chance? How can we claim that there was nothing we could produce, give, or share with others?
The owner of the garden wants to cut it down. He thinks this tree is wasting the soil but the gardener who looks after the tree says to let it alone for one more year. Let it alone and I will dig around it and put manure on it. I will look after it so it is given every chance to bear fruit.
The gardener does not say that he or she will cut it down. No the gardener says that you – the owner can cut it down. The gardener is not concerned about whether the tree bears fruit – the gardener is concerned about nourishing the tree so that it can bear fruit. The gardener is like God who has patience beyond what any human can imagine who waits for us – who waits for us to turn away from sin.
Jesus challenges us in today’s gospel for true repentance and reparation for our sins . I heard about a shoplifter who wrote to a department store an anonymous letter, and said, "Dear Sir, I have just become a Christian and I can't sleep at night because I feel guilty. So here's $100 that I owe you." He signed only his first name and then put a P.S. at the bottom of the letter that said, "If I still can't sleep I'll send you the rest."
The Jewish rabbis taught that repentance required five elements: recognition of one's sin as sin; remorse for having committed the sin; desisting from repeating this sin; restitution for the damage done by the sin where possible; and confession. “Confession" for the Jews had two forms: ritual and personal. One who followed these steps to teshuvá was called a "penitent." In fact, Jesus invited his Jewish listeners to such repentance. “Repent” (Greek, metanoia), implies not just regret for the past but a radical conversion and a complete change in our way of life as we respond and open ourselves to the love of God. Repentance is a statement of regret for the inner condition of our souls, with a determination to have that condition changed.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Let us try our best to repent while we have the chance. We need to make the best use of the "second chance" God gives us. Every day is the first day of the rest of our life. Our merciful Father always gives us a second chance. The prodigal son, returning to the father, was welcomed as a son, not treated as a slave. The repentant Peter was made the head of the Church. The persecutor Paul was made the apostle to the Gentiles. During Lent, we, too, are given another chance to repent and return to our heavenly Father’s love. As we receive a second chance from God, we are also expected to give others a second chance when they ask our forgiveness. Grace is everywhere. Let us always cooperate with grace, especially during Lent. Who knows whether we will have one more chance like this?
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Transfiguration of Jesus
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
There is a mysterious story in 2 Kings that can help us understand what is going on in the transfiguration. Israel was at war with Aram, and Prophet Elisha the man of God was using his prophetic powers to reveal the strategic plans of the Aramean army to the Israelites. At first, the King of Aram thought that one of his officers was playing the spy but when he learnt the truth, he dispatched troops to go and capture Elisha who was residing in Dothan. The Aramean troops moved in under cover of darkness and surrounded the city. In the morning, Elisha’s servant was the first to discover that they were trapped in and feared for his master’s safety. He ran to Elisha and said, “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” The prophet answered, “Don't be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” But who would believe that, when the surrounding mountainside was covered with advancing enemy troops? So Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha (2 Kings 6:8-23). This vision was all that Elisha’s disciple needed to reassure him. At the end of the day, not only was the prophet of God safe but the invading army was totally humiliated.
My dear brothers and sisters, Lent is about coming to know the Lord more profoundly in our personal lives and in the life of the Church. The first reading today, from the Book of Genesis, tells us about Abram, who becomes our father in faith Abraham. We know that Abram could not always understand what God was doing in his life—but even in his doubts, he trusted. That is part of the secret of Lent for us: learning how to trust even when we doubt. This is not easy to do. But this is we should do.
In the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John saw that there was more to Jesus than what they could see and hear and touch, they got a glimpse of the future glory of Jesus’ resurrection and our own future glory with Jesus.
It was not the only special grace Jesus shared with Peter, James and John. Earlier in the Gospel Jesus only allowed Peter and James and John with him into the house of the synagogue official whose daughter he raised up again (Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51). Later, when Jesus was teaching in the temple, Peter and James and John asked Jesus a question privately and he gave them more teaching (Mark 13:3). In Gethsemane, Jesus took Peter, James and John aside from the others to be near him during his agony (Mark 14:33).
Why? Because they had left everything to follow Jesus and he had just told them, he would be killed. They needed reassurance, and Jesus did not let them down.
The word transfiguration means a change in form or appearance. Biologists call it metamorphosis to describe the change that occurs when a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. As children we might have curiously watched the process of the caterpillar turning into a chrysalis and then bursting into a beautiful Monarch butterfly. Fr. Anthony de Mello tells the story of such a metamorphosis in the prayer life of an old man. 'I was a revolutionary when I was young and all my prayer to God was: “Lord, give me the grace to change the world.” As I approached middle age and realized that half of my life was gone without changing a single soul, I changed my prayer to: “Lord, give me the grace to change all those who come in contact with me; just my family and friends and I shall be satisfied.” Now that I am old and my days are numbered, I have begun to see how foolish I have been. My one prayer now is: “Lord, give me the grace to change myself.” If I had prayed for this right from the start, I should not have wasted my life.'
Moses and Elijah also appeared and spoke with Jesus. Moses received the Law from God on Mount Sinai and Elijah could be regarded as the greatest of the prophets. These representatives of the Law and the Prophets – Moses and Elijah - foreshadowed Jesus, who is the culmination of the Law and the Prophets. So we have the Law and the Prophets, as the Old Testament was often called, with Jesus on the mountain. The Father spoke from heaven and said, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” So the Old Testament and the Father in heaven are now confirming that Jesus is indeed the expected Messiah. That is transfiguration of Jesus.
There are three transformations in our lives in our journey towards eternity: The first change begins at Baptism, which washes away original sin, transforming us into children of God and heirs of heaven. The second transformation takes place through our victory over the trials and tribulations of life. Every challenge, every difficulty, every moment of suffering, is an opportunity for transformation and spiritual growth. The third transformation takes place at death. Eternal life in heaven, perhaps after a period of further transformation in purgatory, is granted to those who have been found worthy. The last transformation or transfiguration will be completed at the Second Coming when our body is reunited with our soul.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Just as Jesus' transfiguration strengthened the apostles in their time of trial; each holy Mass should be our source of heavenly strength against temptations, and our renewal during Lent.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Live for God
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
I welcome all of you to the beginning of a wonderful journey of forty days called Lent.
The Cyclops is that strange monster of Greek mythology with one big eye in the middle of its forehead. We pretend to ignore the truth that, for 325 days of each year, taking out these 40 days of lent; we are all Cyclops because there is ONE GREAT BIG “I” right in our heads! If we are skeptical about this assertion, we might watch our words for one day, from morning to night. What’s the first thing we think about each morning? “What am I going to do today? How will I do it? What will happen to me today? How will I feel today?” I, I, I. And all day long, what do we say to people? We say things like, “I think this” and “I think that” and “I agree” and “I disagree” and “I like this” and “I don’t like that” and “I just want to say...” I, I, I. And what’s the last thing that we think about at night? “I wish that so-and-so would stop doing thus-and-such to me” and “I really did a good job today” and “I wonder what I’ll do tomorrow.” The problem with seeing with one eye is that we’re half blind. Everything looks flat and two-dimensional because with only one eye, we have no depth perception. Consequently we go wrong in assessing people. In Greek mythology, the Cyclops was killed when Odysseus and four of his men took a spare staff of the Cyclops, hardened its tip in the fire and used that to destroy the monster’s one big eye. It is precisely this that we must do on Ash Wednesday. With two strokes of his thumb smeared with ash on our forehead, the priest will cross that “I” out of our head. By this sacramental ritual we are asked to take that “I” at the front of our mind and cross it out by “self-denial” and “self- mortification.” Doing so will help us to see the beautiful creatures of God all around us and replace “I” with “You."
The Ashes tell us what the purpose of Lent is. It is to die to myself so that I may rise more with Christ. It is to live more deeply the baptismal life that I received many years ago.
Remember, man, you are dust and to dust you will return. Without God we are nothing. We are a bunch of chemicals, carbon, water, that are worth about 25 cents if we were split apart and sold for our chemicals. With God however, we are made in the image and likeness of the Triune God and with that we become priceless treasures.
Lent is a time to remind ourselves that without God we are nothing. It is a time to rend our hearts and tear from them anything that might keep us from God. Everything of this earth is dust and to dust it will return.
Throughout this penitential season, we must constantly return to two key questions: Do I welcome the love of Christ? And, Do I share the love of Christ?
One sure way that we can both welcome the love of Christ and share it is to keep “custody of the senses.” We must keep custody of the eyes lest we see something that leads us to sin. We must keep custody of the ears lest we hear something that leads us to sin. We must keep custody of the mouth lest we lead others to sin. The well-known phrase, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” is quite poignant, even today.
Keeping custody of the tongue is, perhaps, the most difficult to control but at the same time it is the one that does the most harm. When we are tempted to gossip about someone or some situation, we would do well to remember the words of Jesus: “What comes out of a person, that is what defiles” (Mark 7:20).
Let us make a concerted effort this Lent to root out the evil of gossip from our lives. Let us not only refuse to listen to it or to read it, but also and especially let us refuse to speak it.
So our Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving must have one focus only: making more space in our busy and noisy lives for God. The Psalmist of old knew this well: “Be still,” he says, “and know that I am God” (46:10)
Let us pray not only for ourselves but for each other that sin may be removed from our lives. Let this be our prayer: “A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew with me… Give me back the joy of your salvation, and a willing spirit to sustain me” (Psalm 51:12, 14).
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Find happiness in Jesus
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Marsha Sinetar in a book entitled ‘To Build the Life You Want, Create the Work You Love’ tells this story: Once upon a time, a fabulously wealthy king had a son whom he loved so much. The boy was bright and handsome, perfect in every way – except one: He had a severely hunched back. This saddened the king to no end. So he proclaimed that a huge reward would go to the person who figured out how to heal the boy’s back. Months and months passed without a solution. Then one day, a famous religious hermit visited the king. "I don’t want your reward," said the old woman hermit. "But I do have your answer." This was her advice: In the center of your courtyard, you must construct a statue – an exact replica of your dear son, with one exception: Its back must be straight and lovely in appearance. That’s all. Trust in God for the healing." As soon as the hermit left the king’s artisans set to work. In no time, a beautiful marble sculpture sat in the center of the courtyard. Every day as the little boy played, he studied the figure admiringly. He started to feel, "Why that’s me! That looks exactly like me." Every day, the prince gazed lovingly at the sculpture until he identified with it. Bit by bit, the boy’s back straightened. One day, a year or so later, as the king watched his son playing in the gardens he suddenly noticed the prince’s back was totally healed. The young boy’s identification with the marble sculpture had been so complete that he believed it represented him – straight back and all. Body obeyed belief. In today’s readings, Jeremiah, Paul and Jesus give us the same secret formula for lasting happiness: keep looking at the crucifix of Jesus reflecting God’s love, goodness, mercy and forgiveness, and keep imitating him. Everyone wants to be happy. God also wants us to be happy and created us to be happy. Happiness is not in question; the question is how to achieve happiness.
The word beatitude literally means happiness or blessedness. There are thirty-seven beatitudes in the New Testament, seventeen of which are sayings of Jesus. Beatitudes appear in the Old Testament as well. The first reading tells us that true beatitude consists in placing our trust in God and in putting our trust in His promises. The responsorial psalm finds beatitude in keeping God’s Law. St. Paul warns us, in the second reading, that true beatitude is obtainable only in heaven, and that Christ’s resurrection is the reason for the assurance of our reaching heaven for an everlasting life of happiness.
Blessed are those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, insulted and denounced because in poverty, we recognize God’s reign; in hunger, his providence; in sorrow, true happiness; and in persecution, true joy.
There is no happiness outside of the will of God. St. Augustine said, “You have made us for yourself O Lord and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”
God has made our human hearts and so we will be happy only when filled by God.
Life is a series of problems: Either you are in one now, you're just coming out of one, or you're getting ready to go into another one.
The reason for this is that God is more interested in your character than your comfort; God is more interested in making your life holy than He is in making your life happy.
You will be happy only in God. If you have a beautiful goldfish and take it out of the water to sing a song to it will it be happy? No. If you put the fish on the couch and turn on the TV for it will it be happy? No. But if you put the fish back in the water it will be happy. It is the same with us. We will be happy only in God. You might say God is cruel making you in such a way that you will be happy only in God. But God is not cruel. God is love, total love. God loves you even if you have not yet discovered the love of God for you.
In the Beatitudes Jesus teaches us the attitudes of a Christian. The more we live the beatitudes the closer we are to Jesus. Following Jesus begins firstly in our mind, in our attitudes, and then flows over into our actions.
Luke reverses the Beatitudes and comes down hard on the greedy rich, the satisfied, the people without problems and those with power. Jesus seems to feel that these things cause us to forget God, and to forget our need of him. That is the exact reason that he sees poverty as better than wealth, poverty of spirit to attachment to goods. The eyes of the poor and those unattached to wealth and what it can do remain open to God. The eyes of those who are rich and attached to material things have eyes closed to God.
One day a puppy said to his old uncle dog, “From my short experience in life I have learned that the best thing for a dog is happiness and that happiness is in my tail. That is why I am chasing my tail, and when I catch it, I shall have perfect happiness.” The old dog replied, “From my research and long experience, I too, have judged that happiness is a fine thing for a dog and that happiness is in his tail. But I've noticed that whenever I chase it, it keeps running away from me, but when I go about my business, it comes after me.”
You may remember what Helen Keller said “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.”
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

God, if you tell me I will
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
Early in his ministry, Reverend Billy Graham arrived in a small town to preach a sermon. Wanting to mail a letter, he asked a young boy where the post office was. When the boy had told him, Dr. Graham thanked him and said, “If you’ll come to the Baptist church this evening, you can hear me telling everyone how to get to heaven.” “I don’t think I’ll be there,” the boy said. “Why?” Billy Graham asked him. The boy replied: “Because you don’t even know your way to the post office! How can you show me the way to heaven?” Today’s readings tell us about the calls of the prophet Isaiah, Paul, and Peter to God’s ministry.
The good news of today’s gospel is that our sinfulness -- our pride and self-centeredness – does not repel God. Our God is a God who gives sinners a new start. It is important that we acknowledge our sinfulness. The recognition of our inadequacy and sin is necessary for us to be willing and able to receive transformation by God’s grace. Isaiah, Paul, and Peter teach us that even the greatest ones among us stand in need of conversion. They were called not because they were perfect, not because they were shining examples of high standards, but rather because their sense of the need for God's grace kept them on the edges of life.
In a certain church there was a man in the choir who couldn’t sing very well. The director suggested that he should leave the choir, but others felt he should be given more time to improve. But the choir director went to the parish priest and complained: “You’ve got to get that man out of the choir or else I am going to resign.” So the priest went to the man and said to him, “Perhaps you should leave the choir.” Why should I leave the choir?” the man asked. “Well,” said the priest, “four or five people have told me you can’t sing.” “That’s nothing father” the man replied, “Forty or fifty people have told me you can’t preach.”
Every priest says a prayer for himself before proclaiming the gospel: “Lord, cleanse my heart and lips that I may worthily proclaim your gospel”. Every priest knows that we are unworthy ministers. Yet God has chosen us to do his work.
Peter is a fisherman(an angler) and knows how to fish. So when Jesus tells him what to do, he is not immediately ready to follow the advice of the Lord. In matters of fishing, Peter was an expert. He knew that fish came to the surface in the Sea of Galilee only at night and if you did not get them then you would never get them. "Master," Peter points out, "we worked hard all night long and caught nothing." Remember that Ludwig van Beethoven wrote his greatest symphony when he was stone deaf. Winners never quit and quitters never win. If we try to limit God by our own limitations, we will only succeed in limiting ourselves. We need to see failure as a challenge and then at a deeper level see that every challenge is but an opportunity.
Finally, Peter says to the Lord: if you tell me to do it, I will do it. That last part is the most important part. Peter is always clear that when he knows that the Lord is asking something of Him and when the Lord is right in front of him asking, he will do what is asked. Initial feeling of personal unworthiness could be a sign that a soul has seen God. That is why humility is said to be the first and primary virtue in authentic spirituality. The feeling of personal worthiness and competence, not to talk of the feeling of self-righteousness and spiritual superiority, could be a sign that the soul has neither seen nor known God.
Peter got the point very quickly. He immediately saw his own pride and self-centeredness in the presence of Jesus. He begged Jesus to go away and put distance between his sinfulness and Jesus' holiness. But here again Peter got it wrong. It was only when he felt sinful and empty that Jesus could call him and fills him and makes him a fisher of people. Up to this point he had been too full of himself to allow God in.
Beyond the feeling of personal unworthiness, there is another quality that the three people who are called to do God's work in today's readings have in common, and that is the availability to do God's will and the readiness to follow His directives. As soon as Isaiah hears the voice of the Lord asking, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” his immediate response was: “Here am I; send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). In the case of Peter and his partners, we are told that “they left everything and followed him” (Luke 15:11) without looking back. And Paul threw himself with so much zeal into God's work that he worked harder than all those who were called before him, though as he is quick to points out, “it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Corinthians 15:10). Merely feeling unworthy and incompetent does not make us into people that God can work with. We must add to that the availability and willingness to go out there and do as the Lord directs.
When we follow the guidance of the Lord in our lives, we achieve results that will blow our minds. This is what we see in Peter's miraculous catch of fish. He and his men toiled all night long and caught nothing. They were relying on their own competence as seasoned fishermen and following their own minds as to where and how to throw the net. The result, in one word, was failure.
Pope Benedict VI wrote in his book ‘Jesus of Nazareth:” If man’s heart is not good, then nothing else can turn out good, either.”(p.34)
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

All are welcome in His Place
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
If you ask any ‘successful’ businessperson, they will tell you never to start your campaign in your home area. Avoid your own family, neighborhood and friends. They know you and your weaknesses and the weaknesses of your family. If you have any success, they will be the first to get jealous and pull you down. Your home place is like crabs in a pot. There is no need to put a lid on it. The crabs pull down anyone who wants to escape. Some parents say that it is easier to teach a child they do not know than their own children.
Poor Jesus, He addressed his own people and told them the truth about themselves. He challenged them to change their ways and to become responsible for themselves. So what did the people do? They eventually took him out and crucified him.
The Jews by the time of Jesus had almost become what we could say was “a closed group” who looked down on others. Others were inferior, they were superior. Jesus challenged that thinking. For seventeen centuries, Jews had been God's Chosen People, and they were proud of their superiority over the sinful Gentiles who did not know the true God. That very pride of theirs was their undoing. Jesus invites them to stop hiding behind their false identity and come to the truth of themselves. One of our favorite national pastimes (agreeable activity) is “passing the buck.” We have all played this game of letting someone else do what we should be doing, of handing on a job, a responsibility, or an assignment. We particularly like to pass the buck when it comes to listening to sermons. We think that some of the best homilies, retreats, conferences and lectures we hear are “meant for someone else”. We listen and say, “That’s good advice for my kids,” “My neighbors should have heard this homily,” or “That’s aimed at my office staff,” and so on. And that is precisely what Jesus’ hometown people did. They did not acknowledge that they were poor, blind or prisoners who needed a savior and liberator. Hence, they not only rejected Jesus and His “liberation theology,” but also tried to eliminate Him from the world as their ancestors had killed the prophets sent to them by God.
On a British Airways flight from Johannesburg, a middle-aged, well-off white South African Lady had found herself sitting next to a black man. She called the cabin crew attendant over to complain about her seating. “What seems to be the problem Madam?” asked the attendant.
“Can’t you see?” she said. “You’ve sat me next to a black man. I can’t possibly sit next to this disgusting human. Find me another seat!” “Please calm down Madam.” the flight attendant replied. “The flight is very full today, but I’ll tell you what I’ll do- I’ll go and check to see if we have any seats available in club or first class.” The white woman was very irritated and upset to sit with her fellow black citizen.
A few minutes later the flight attendant returns with the good news, which she delivers to the woman, who cannot help but look at the people around her with a smug and self-satisfied grin: “Madam, unfortunately, as I suspected, economy is full. I have spoken to the cabin services director, and club is also full. However, we do have one seat in first class”.
Before the woman has a chance to answer, the flight attendant continues, “It is most extraordinary to make this kind of upgrade, however, and I have had to get special permission from the captain. But, given the circumstances, the captain felt that it was outrageous that someone be forced to sit next to such an obnoxious person.” With which, she turned to the black man sitting next to her, and said: “So if you’d like to get your things, sir, I have your seat ready for you in first class up at the front...” At that point, apparently the surrounding passengers stood and gave a standing ovation while the black person walks up to first class in the front of the plane. We are victims of such situations. We see similar prejudice in today’s Gospel.
We are all equal members of God’s family. That is good to remember because there are so many divisions in society, so many boundaries, it is good to know that with God there are no divisions or boundaries between us, we are all members of his one big family of God.
The society you left as you entered the door of this church was not perfect. But sitting here in the church you are just as precious as the person next to you, behind you or before you. There are no ‘blow-ins’ in the Church, we are all adopted sons and daughters of God. We all receive the same Eucharist; we all receive the same Lord. When you go to Indian churches, temples and Mosques, you have to enter bare foot. When you enter into the holy place leaving the sandals and shoes at the door, you leave outside all your prejudices and egos and you enter as a child of God. Sometimes we forget that Jesus died to save each one of us here, that Jesus died to save the person next to you, behind you and before you.
As you and I think, this was there when the world was begun and it will be there as long as human beings are here. However, I can make a change in my life. You can in yours. You may know this joke.
A cab driver reaches the Pearly Gates and announces his presence to St. Peter, who looks him up in his Big Book. Upon reading the entry for the cabby, St. Peter invites him to grab a silk robe and a golden staff and to proceed into Heaven. A catholic priest (I will not say the name) is next in line behind the cabby and has been watching these proceedings with interest. He announces himself to St. Peter. Upon scanning the priest's entry in the Big Book, St. Peter furrows his brow and says, "Okay, we'll let you in, but you will have only a cotton robe and wooden staff." The priest is astonished and replies, "But I am a man of the cloth. You gave that cab driver a gold staff and a silk robe. Surely, I rate higher than a cabby." St. Peter responded matter-of-factly: "Here we are interested in results. When you preached, people slept. When the cabby drove his taxi, people prayed."

Holy Bible & Jesus’ Mission
My dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ,
One day in an introductory Bible class one of the participants asked: "Why are there four Gospels rather than one?" Certainly, things would look a lot easier if there was only one Gospel. Everything we read in that one Gospel would then be the gospel truth, pure and simple. When you come to think of it, if we had only one Gospel we would think that there is only one way of understanding Jesus and how he relates to us. Now that we have four different Gospels, each of them telling a significantly different story of Jesus and his mission, it becomes easier for us to see that no story of Jesus can exhaust the whole truth of what Jesus is. As limited human beings, we can only tell part of the story of God.
You may remember the story of the six blind men who set out to discover what the elephant is. The first blind man feels the elephant's side and says the elephant is like a wall. The second blind man feels the elephant's tusk and says it is like a spear. The third feels the trunk and says it is like a snake. The fourth feels the elephant's leg and says the elephant is like a tree. The fifth feels the ear and says it is like a fan. And the sixth blind man feels the elephant's tail and concludes that the elephant is like a rope. You could imagine the bitter disagreement that would ensue among them if they got together to discuss the nature of the elephant. Every one of them would insist that he is right and the others wrong. But the truth of the matter is: yes, he is right, but then so also are all the others. Each of them has a valid experience of the elephant but no one of them possesses the full knowledge of the total reality of the elephant. Even when you put all the six images of the elephant together, it still does not capture the full mosaic of the elephant.
After Vatican II, the church's reading of the Gospels on Sunday was revised into a three-year cycle: year A for the gospel of Matthew, year B for Mark, and year C for Luke. The gospel of John is read on certain Sundays interspersed (put here and there) within the three years, such as the Sundays of the Easter season. We are now in year C, the year of Luke.
A certain scholar has outlined in one word the aspect of Christ that each of the Gospels highlights. Matthew highlights the Christ of majesty (who heals by word of mouth alone, never touches people, never hungry, never angry, etc.), Mark highlights the Christ of might (who proves he is the Messiah by his acts of power and authority over natural and demonic forces), Luke highlights the Christ of mercy (who reaches out to the poor, the outcasts, foreigners and women) and John highlights the Christ of mystery (who was with the Father from all eternity and who has come into the world to reveal this hidden mystery, the truth that leads to life).
Let us go to the second part of the gospel. It was the Jewish custom for the reader to stand while reading, and to sit down while preaching (Mt 13:54; Mk 6:1). The synagogue liturgy was based on seven readings. The first four were from the Law (the Torah or the Pentateuch) followed by explanations given by the rabbi, who was the teacher of the Law. The second set of readings, taken from the prophets, could be read and interpreted by any circumcised male over thirty years of age. It was in this second capacity that Jesus read and preached on the passage from Isaiah. In this incident found only in Luke's Gospel, Jesus makes a solemn declaration of his mission in the world. We can call it the Jesus Manifesto. People who initiate a revolution usually start off with a declaration of their manifesto. Karl Mark started by publishing the Communist Manifesto. Martin Luther started off with the publication of the 95 theses in Wittenberg. Jesus has come to start a revolution of mercy and love in the world. And here in today's Gospel reading he publishes the Christian manifesto:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor. (4:18-19)
The Word of God is called sacramental – in the sense that when it is spoken, read or heard, God becomes present in our midst. For that to happen, we must listen to the Word, accept it into our hearts, and then put it into practice as we live out our lives.
Sometimes we forget how precious the Word of God is .In 1964 the Romanian government released religious and political prisoners. One of them, Richard Wurmbrand, had spent nearly three of his fourteen years in prison in solitary confinement. In his book entitled In God’s Underground (pages 106-107) Wurmbrand describes how one day a new prisoner named Avram arrived in the prison. The upper part of his body was in a plaster cast. When the guards left him he drew out a small tattered book from behind the plaster cast. None of the other prisoners had seen a book for years. They asked him what the book was. It was the Gospel of John. Wurmbrand wrote that he took the book in his hand and no life-saving drug could have been more precious to him. From that day the tattered little book went from hand to hand, many learned it by heart and each day they would discuss it among themselves. That reminds us that sometimes we forget the importance of the Word of God in our lives.
St. Gregory wrote, “The Bible is a love letter sent by God to his people in which we can perceive the heart of God.” Read and listen to God’s love letter to you and me every day. St. Jerome said, “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.” The Word of God in the Bible brings us healing and helps us cope with life’s problems. We may not find an answer to every problem but it will certainly broaden our vision. It is no wonder that Ps 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my stepsand a light for my path.”
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Invite Mary and Jesus into our life
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Johnny Carson (who hosted the Tonight Show for 30 years (1962–92)) was interviewing an eight-year-old boy one night. The young man was asked to appear on the Late Show because he had rescued two friends from a coalmine outside his hometown in West Virginia. As Johnny questioned him, it became apparent that the boy was a Christian. Johnny asked him if he attended Sunday school. When the boy said he did, Johnny inquired, "What are you learning in Sunday school?" "Last week,” the boy replied, “our lesson was about how Jesus went to a wedding and turned water into wine." Then Johnny asked, "And what did you learn from that story?" After a long pause the boy said, "If you're going to have a wedding, make sure you invite Jesus and Mary!" And that is precisely the message of today’s gospel: make sure you invite Jesus and Mary wherever you live and wherever you go – they are the only ones you'll ever need. In other words, today's gospel lesson is about the sufficiency of Christ in our lives and the power of His mother’s intercession.
It was not the vehicle used – the wine – that was important; instead, it was two things: (a) Jesus responded to his mother’s intercession; and (b) Jesus joined in the compassion of Mary for the poor family in Cana who had an immediate need. Yes, dear brothers and sisters, YOU are the wine that Jesus wants to use to help others in need!
Christ’s first miracle, which John refers to as a “sign,” takes place in the village of Cana in Galilee. The hometown of the disciple Nathaniel but an otherwise insignificant town, Cana was located some eight miles northeast of Nazareth. This miracle is the first in John’s series of seven signs by which Jesus manifested his power and glory during his public ministry.
Having no wine for a wedding is a difficult situation for the young couple, and may indicate that they came from poor families. Among the Jews of that time, wine was not only considered a staple food item, but was also frequently used in times of celebration. To run short of wine at a wedding feast was certainly a serious problem, particularly damaging to the reputation of the host and an ill omen for the newly married couple.
Throughout the Bible, marriage is the symbol of the Covenant relationship between God and His chosen people. God is the Groom and humanity is His beloved bride. We see this beautifully reflected in today's First Reading, where Isaiah uses the metaphor of spousal love to describe God’s love for Israel. God’s fidelity to his people is compared to a husband’s fidelity to his wife. The prophet reminds his people that their God rejoices in them as a Bridegroom rejoices in His Bride, and that He will rebuild Israel, if they will be reconciled to Him and repair their strained relationship with Him. By our Baptism, each of us has been betrothed to Christ as a bride to her Groom (II Cor. 11:2). Symbolically, of course, we know that the wine will become his blood, and for the early Christians then, this became a sign of the Eucharist – which allows each of us to marry, become one with our God. Jesus’ first miracle then, is a celebration of the marriage of God and man, the marriage of heaven and earth, the marriage of divinity with humanity.
Even if you forget all what I said just remember these two:
1) “Invite Jesus and Mary to remain with us in our homes.” St. John Mary Vianney suggests this as the solution for many of our family problems. He used to encourage parents to create an atmosphere of prayer, Bible reading, mutual love and respect and sacrificial service at home so that the presence of Jesus and Mary might be perpetually enhanced and experienced in the family. If you have Jesus and Mary in your life, believe me my dear brothers and sisters, you have everything what you need in your life.
Secondly, "Do whatever He tells you." This is the only piece of advice given by Mary recorded in the New Testament, and it is a prerequisite for miracles in our families. This is all what our Mother tells us each time we go to her for help.
My dear brothers and sisters, we need to learn to appreciate the miracles of God's providence in our lives. God, often as an uninvited guest in our families, works daily miracles in our lives by protecting us from physical and moral dangers, providing for our needs, inspiring us and strengthening us with His Holy Spirit. Just as Jesus filled the empty water jars with wine, let us fill the empty hearts around us with love. By the miracle of Cana, Jesus challenges us to enrich the empty lives of those around us with the new wine of love, mercy, concern and care. We may say that we are not worthy and not well equipped for it. Here comes Dr Martin Luther King Jr. to inspire us. He said;
Recognize that He who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
That’s a new definition of greatness.
This morning the thing that I like about this is, by giving that definition of greatness,
that means that everybody can be great, because everybody can serve.
You don't have to have a college degree to serve.
You don't have to make your subject and verb agree to serve.
You don't have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.
You don't have to know Einstein's "Theory of Relativity" to serve.
You don't have to know the Second Theory of Thermal Dynamics in Physics to serve.
You only need a heart full of grace, a soul generated by love, and you can be that servant."
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Martin Luther King Day: Doing what God wants
In the story of Saul and Samuel, Saul was clearly instructed by Samuel, who carried prophet-like status, to destroy the enemy of the people – the Amalekites. This was to be done because of the sinful nature of that nation. But Saul interpreted Samuel’s instructions differently and greed caused him to rationalize that God didn’t really want all the Amalekites owned destroyed. He would want the soldiers to reap the benefit of their effort (not to mention Saul’s personal fortune). So when he was confronted he first said that the spoils were taken to be ritually sacrificed to God. Thinking that would deflect the Lord’s anger. For his duplicity and disobedience to God, Saul looses God’s favor.
In our own day, we also fall in to the trap of greed that destroyed the favored status of Saul. We rationalize that God would want us to be happy so we should do what makes us feel good, even though we know what he has commanded.
It is a difficult thing to do, understanding what God truly wants from us. But this we know. The test for figuring it out is straightforward. If what we do is for God’s greater glory, not our own, we are headed in the right direction. If what we choose demonstrates a love of God and our neighbor (and self), we have obeyed Christ’s great commandment. On the other hand, if what we do (or consciously fail to do) places us above God or is injurious to our neighbor (or our self), we join Saul in the Lord’s disfavor and need to seek reconciliation and forgiveness.
There is a book by the mystery writer Greg Iles titled, The Quiet Game. It is set in Natchez, Mississippi, and it revolves around the unsolved murder of a young black man killed in 1968. Everyone knows who murdered him. They also presume that they all know why he was murdered. Yet it remains unsolved 40 years after the fact because the people in that community refuse to talk about it, hence the title, The Quiet Game.
I wonder whether the following lines tell us something.
This is a small town. In small towns there are sometimes truths that everyone knows but no one mentions. Open secrets, if you will. No one really wants to probe the details, because it forces us to face too many uncomfortable realities. We’d rather turn away than acknowledge the primitive forces working beneath the surface of society.
One of Dr. King’s favorite songs was, “If I Can Help Somebody.” written in 1945 by Alma Bazel Androzzo, made famous by Mahalia Jackson, a hit in 1951 for Irish tenor Joseph Locke.
Let me share a verse with you today: “If I can help somebody as I pass along, if I can cheer somebody with a word or a song, if I can show somebody that they’re traveling wrong, then my living shall not be in vain.”
May these words ring true as we strive to serve the people of God now and always. Amen.

Lord you know I love you : song

Lord you know that I love you song link
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PAZHUKKAKULAM#p/a/u/0/9ykMuZqVkaE

Lord, you know that I love you

Lord, you know that I love you
Lord, you know that I'm weak
Lord it's you who I long for
Lord it's you who I seek

Help me to carry my cross
In this pain, may you and I be one
Lead me by the light of your glory
Not my will, but thy will be done

Lord you know that I love you
Lord you know that I'm weak
Lord it's you who I long for
Lord it's you who I seek

Dying you showed how you love me
Rising you showed me how to live
Jesus I trust that you trust me
To give you all the love I have to give

Lord, you know that I love you
Lord, you know that I'm weak
Lord it's you who I long for
Lord it's you who I seek

Mother Mary in my New York Life

It is almost impossible to explain a feeling and a relationship. When it comes to my relationship to Mother Mary I always find difficulty to explain how it feels. It is a relation it is an experience. How will I explain an experience?
No one in this world can ever describe in depth who is a mother to him or her. If I find difficulty in describing a human mother who gave me life and blood and love , how am I able to try to make it black and white a mother who is acknowledged by God himself.
We need to grow in love if we need to learn about our Heavenly Mother Mary.
God knows every child, every heart, every soul. When Mary was consumed as the child of Anne and Joachim, God chose her to be the Blessed Mother of God the Son through the eternal power of God, the Holy Spirit. All he wants was her Yes to His eternal plan of Salvation. Mary as a child was chosen and prepared to be holy for all eternity.
Mary is the most perfect child of all humanity. She is the perfect woman of all humanity, she is the supreme perfect Mother of all humanity, she is the perfect wife of all humanity, she is the model ,perfect helper of all humanity; a humble, sincere, considerate, loving, strong, courageous, faithful and trustful woman of all humanity and an embodiment of all virtues you can name. There was no one other than Mary as the perfect Model for us to make our beloved Mother. And God rightly chose her as His Mother and blessed her with all perfection.
When I was a little child, whenever I wanted anything special, I will ran to my mother and asked her to get it for me, and she will go to my father and will force him to get it for me. My father could never say no to my mother and I knew my mother would get it for me anyway.
Let me ask you this…how will you love a person if you do not know that person? You love your mother because you know her. If anyone on this earth does not love Mother Mary it is because they do not know her. If you know her you can never but love her. Anyone who knows the late Pope John Paul II anyone who read about him, watched him and followed his teaching and understood his life will never keep away from loving him. He was so loving and he was so lovable. You should know someone to love him and you should love him to know him.
This year in the St. Patrick Cathedral in Manhattan, New York, I was sitting in front of the side altar dedicated to our Lady of Guadalupe for the Chrism Mass on Tuesday of the Holy Week. In the middle of the Mass a nun came in front of the shrine and she knelt before Mother Mary and remained in the same position deeply lost in prayer until the time of holy communion. She knew all the priests were watching her. She is not ashamed she is not embarrassed she did not notice us. She only knew Mother Mary and she loved her from her heart. You are not ashamed if you are in love. Are you..?
When it comes to love, there is no time; there is no boundaries, there is no shame. A Friend told me when he was in love he talked to his friend more than sixteen hours at a stretch. Do you believe what I tell you..? I do not even believe it! When he told me, I had to believe. When it comes to real love, there is no time limit. There is no shame ,there is no fear and there is only love and feeling.
When people come to me to share their sorrows, I will tell them to go to our Mother Mary and I assure them that she will indeed tell her son as she did at the wedding of Cana.
Who else will do that, other than a considerate, other oriented person like Mary? She was always considerate about others. She did worry or fear when the angel said to her that she is the chosen one of God, to be the Mother of God. She was not afraid; every Jew knows that if a woman, in their religion becomes pregnant before she gets married, she will be stoned to death. She boldly said “Yes” to God because she had a strong faith in God. She knew that the God of Abraham, Jacob and Joseph has the power to do so and she said Yes. An iron lady, strong in faith pouring her love for others. When she heard her cousin Elizabeth is six months pregnant in her old age, Mary was concerned about her. She knew it is difficult for Elizabeth both mentally and physically. So she ran to her by a reflex action of Love in her heart. What a woman, an iron strong faith filled lady, indeed worthy to be chosen by God almighty.
If you have Mary and Jesus you have everything you need. Suppose you are so connected with the President of United States of America, do you think you will lack anything Material in this world, if you are in trouble will he not help you?. He will make sure you are in a better position. If a human being is willing and able to help you, why worry if God in your side. Take possession of Mary and Jesus. That is all you need...
Have you seen some Holy priest in your life? I have seen that the saintly priests are very devoted to Mother Mary. They have consecrated their lives to Mother Mary. They are never in want of anything.
When we look at Mary who stands at the foot of cross what do you feel about her? An iron Lady of faith scripture says she stood at the foot of the cross. If she is not so strong in faith, How can she stand there when her son, only beloved son is crucified mocked and ridiculed like the worse criminal in roman empire? She was strong, she was not afraid, she was fulfilling her “Yes” her promise to God. Each step of the Calvary, she was saying her “Yes” to God.
Are you a mother? Will you not protest the idea that your son is going to die for some homeless person or some criminal? I would! It is really heart breaking to see her innocent son carrying the cross for the humanity. She did not protest to him about taking that horrible pain to himself. She was with her son when he was carrying his cross for us. Imagine the scenes of Calvary. Oh, My God! If I were there, I would have fainted long time ago. I know most of you would have. I have seen many people watching the film of the Passion of Christ, get up and go out or cover their face. Imagine Mother Mary standing at the foot of the cross for us. If you have witnessed the death of your much loved ones, you know how it feels. It needs a lot of faith to stand there for them. Mother Mary did and with much love and strong faith for you and me. What a model what a figure. I cannot but love her. She is my beloved Mother. Mother Mary, an Iron lady of faith stood at the foot of the cross swallowing up the pain of her broken heart. She bore it for our salvation. She was there for each one of us. She will be there for each one of us. Each time we go through pain, she will be there for us. She is and she will be there. You can count on her. Go to her, I would say run to her when you are in pain, when you are abandoned, lonely, unwanted, frustrated. You will certainly find rest and be at peace at her side. She knows your pain; she had gone through all these pains at the highest levels. She is your Mother given by Jesus Christ at the foot of the Cross. You have all the right to ask your Mother for help and she is ready and willing and able to help you. Why wait to ask her. Take her home as St John took her to his home…you will not regret it ..surely not.
There is no Catholic Church in Manhattan New York City which does not give prominent place for Mother Mary. Our ancestors who worked hard to build these churches really understood the need and important role of Mother Mary in our troubled world and our fast modernizing city.
In Genesis God promises that on the Mountain God will provide. Yes, it was fulfilled on the Mountaintop of Calvary. God did Provide for all humanity for all eternity the greatest gift of all, Mother Mary. In Isaiah, 49: 15 God asked: “Can a Mother forget her child, even if she forgets I will not forget you. Yes, indeed, God did not forget us, He gave us Mary and Mother Mary can never forget her Children and she will never do so…
A Mother is always consciously aware of her children. A child may not notice the mother around but a mother will never leave a child unnoticed. She will be always in the vicinity. If a child cry or if anything happens to him, she will be right there, at the right moment. Mother Mary is not less concerned about each one of us. We are always in her vicinity. When we need her, when we ask her help, when we are in need of help, she will be right there for us. She will never abandon us. She is always consciously aware of our needs.
As you grow in knowledge and in wisdom, you realize you know nothing. Pride an outward sign of your emptiness. It takes long time and knowledge to realize that you are nothing but a worm. When we get into our own realization and senses we realize we are nothing but for the mercy of God. A fruit filled branch of a tree is always standing bended. Our Mother Mary full of virtues and mercy teaches us every day to be humble. She preached without using any words, a powerful way of communications. Very few sentences are heard spoken by Mother in the Gospels. All what she tells us is, to do what Jesus tells us to do. There is no Mary without Jesus and whenever we go to Mother Mary, she will always lead us to Jesus.
I thank God every day for Mother Mary in my life as my mother and my sister in Carmel, my source of spirituality.
‘Mother of Carmel, queen of heaven and star of sea show me every day that you are my mother and my sister and lead me to your son now and at the hour of my death. Amen.’


Ave Maria+

Happy Easter My Friend

Church of St John the Martyr, 250East72nd street manhattan,New York NY 10021

Thursday a day for Priests

Please click the link for the priests in New York

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PAZHUKKAKULAM#p/u

Thursdays we specially remember our beloved priests.

St Patrick Parade 2010

Parade video link

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PAZHUKKAKULAM#p/u/0/FRkPND9jI1Q

third part of Orchid 2010

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PAZHUKKAKULAM#p/u/0/UBatxE99COM

Second Part of Orchid 2010

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PAZHUKKAKULAM#p/u/1/pqNkzt1mXpE

Orchid show 2010

if you wish to see the Orchid video please click the link Part 1:

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PAZHUKKAKULAM#p/u/2/_MqupWk7-2c

10th Song

Lord I will Follow


Feb 7, 2010
Lord I promise I will follow
Wherever you lead me, I will follow
I will not rebel I will not turn back
I will follow wherever you lead me.


The triumph of the wicked one is short
But how long will he vex me, grind me down with empty words
When he strips me of my glory; breaks me down on every side
Lord be with me always; help me to be strong

Lord I promise I will follow
Wherever you lead me, I will follow
I will not rebel I will not turn back
I will follow wherever you lead me.

Hear me Lord and hold me to your heart
Blest are you Lord, my strength, my shield
In you alone I trust, in you I find my help
Praising you forever, with my life and with my song

Lord I promise I will follow
Wherever you lead me, I will follow
I will not rebel I will not turn back
I will follow wherever you lead me.


the link to the actual song
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=PAZHUKKAKULAM#p/u/0/19j3wZpbIHA