fishers of men

November 30, 2019 7:46 am

“As Jesus was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. He said to them, ‘Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.’” (MT 4: 18-19) 

Every profession is always person oriented; fisherman or shoemaker, mechanic or metallurgist, a man who makes jars or one who makes jar caps needs to remember that in whatever we do, we serve other people; fishermen become “fishers of men.” When we see our houses and our offices clean and in order, it is good to thank those who took care of it. Our homes should especially be places of many thanks. 

“Come after me, says the Lord, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

Know that the Kingdom of God is near

November 29, 2019 7:46 am

“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees. When their buds burst open, you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near; in the same way, when you see these things happening, know that the Kingdom of God is near.” (LK 21: 29-31) 

All these bad things – wars, cataclysms, and disasters – are not to scare us, but to make us stronger, to remind us to believe that “the Kingdom of God is near,” that Our Lord is the Lord, and in Him is our victory not on our side or based on our strength. He protects, He saves, He wins for us—our “redemption is at hand.”  

“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

Thanksgiving 

November 28, 2019 7:47 am

“I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 COR 1: 4-7) 

“I give thanks to my God always” is so important. The United States of America (USA) has a special day called “Thanksgiving” to remember and to be grateful. It is good to celebrate as often as possible every “grace of God” for “any spiritual gift” we have received; it is so good for us to be grateful. When we are grateful, we start seeing the world as a place where God is a king, not a satan and where good always wins, because Our Lord controls everything and in Him we are winners. “In all circumstances, give thanks.” 

“In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

perseverance

November 27, 2019 1:54 pm

“You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” (LK 21: 17-19) 

We will need perseverance to “secure our lives.” But perseverance will not come for this moment if we do not practice it daily. Our daily ritual is the perfect occasion to improve our perseverance. When we stay together every day for a minimum of 20 minutes to fulfill our daily ritual, we prepare ourselves for the unexpected. Remaining faithful daily brings more benefits to our lives—“the crown of life.” 

“Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

When will this happen?

November 26, 2019 6:00 am

“Then they asked him, ‘Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?’  He answered, ‘See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’ Do not follow them!’” (LK 21: 7-8)

We have many questions like this. We would love to know what will happen to our children, our parents; it would be good to know about our own future… but Our Lord warns us against such thinking. We do not have access to the future; we have today and this present moment. Every day is like a life in miniature—what we will do today, we will do in the future. We don’t know what will happen to our children, but we can show them how much we love them, what kind of choices we make every day, and we can hope that with our good example, they will make our witness part of their own lives. When we take care of our relationship daily, e.g. today, yesterday, and like we will do tomorrow, we can expect that we will take care of our relationship also in the future. Be faithful to your vocation today, and your vocation will take care of you tomorrow: serva regulam et regula te servabit.   

“Remain faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

her whole livelihood

November 25, 2019 6:00 am

“I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest; for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.” (LK 21: 3-4) 

It sounds exactly like our “gift of self”— not many or much, not a lot of, but “her whole livelihood.” The true “gift of self,” is free, creative, and joyful and always seeks for an opportunity to give all love to our spouses. 

“Stay awake! For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom

November 24, 2019 6:00 am

“Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’” (LK 23: 42-43)

We are not alone—we are remembered, we are loved, we are protected and expected “in Paradise.” We have an earthly home where we go to now, we have an eternal destination, and we are part of the world which is bigger than we can imagine because Our Lord is the King of the Universe. And our marriage, our relationship, is for us the best way to practice the life-style which operates in Heaven. 

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!” (Gospel Acclamation) 

all seven had been married to her

November 23, 2019 6:00 am

“Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless.  Finally the woman also died.  Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.” (LK 20: 29-33) 

Poor woman: moving from one brother to another, no time for mourning, no respect for her feelings and emotions, all because her husbands “died childless.” The Greek version is more accurate; instead of “had been married to her,” it says: “had her to wife.” They had her—she was part of the tradition, part of the rules, part of the law. How often do we keep our “idealistic” version of our spouses, “having” them and obliged to fulfill our version?

“Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death and brought life to light through the Gospel.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

Hanging on his words 


November 22, 2019 6:00 am

“The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people, meanwhile, were seeking to put him to death, but they could find no way to accomplish their purpose because all the people were hanging on his words.” (LK 19: 47-48) 

The authorities “were seeking to put him to death,” when “all the people were hanging on his words”; this is such a huge contrast.  Unfortunately, this is not just about the past. We are living in a similar environment where some people (sometimes with enormous powers) try to eliminate Our Lord totally from public life. The same thing happens with marriage; but we, instead of following the modern-life-style where when something goes wrong, divorce is the only option, we prefer “hanging on His words,” and protecting our relationship, looking for the best strategies to improve our marriage. 

“My sheep hear my voice, says the Lord; I know them, and they follow me.” (Gospel Acclamation) 

if any one will not work

November 17, 2019 6:00 am

“For even when we were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not eat. For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busybodies, not doing any work. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.” (2 THESS 3: 10-12) 

We want our lives better: our weight lighter, health stronger, our salary bigger, and our relationships amazing. So we can exercise, start a diet, work hard on our careers, and expect that for better relationships we do not need to do anything. Happy relationships don’t grow on trees; we have our rituals to make it better, stronger, happier, and more successful. Start your daily ritual again. 

“Stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand.” (Gospel Acclamation)