ON the Road to Emmaus-3rd Sunday in Easter

Way(Road) to Emmaus... 

Good morning/evening every one, I am so happy to welcome you all for today's Holy Mass. 

Once a woman who called her neighbor from her vacation, said, "How is my cat doing?" The man said, "I am so sorry to say that your cat died". What? My cat died? You know how emotional it is for me. You should have built my emotion little by little. First day, you should have said that my cat ran away and the second day the cat was on the roof and the third day, the cat died and then it would be easy for me to digest and not just saying my cat died. Then a week later she called her neighbor again and said, "How is my grandma doing?' The man said, "Your grandma is on the roof today". 

Friends in Risen Christ, On the road to Emmaus is our journey. Though the disciples knew what the scriptures talked about Christ, though they knew that the Messiah had to go through suffering and death and though they knew that He would rise again; they because of their humanness, struggled and suffered, they were sad and distressed. It is our story and our journey of life. It's because though we know Christ is with us, we too struggle to cope with our everyday happenings and we too struggle to trust in the Lord and we too struggle to experience His love and forgiveness for us. 

From today's gospel, we come to know that 

1. Jesus is with us: 

Once an ocean fish said to an older fish, "Excuse me, you are older than me and please tell me where I can find this thing they call the ocean. The older fish said, "The ocean...you are an ocean fish and the ocean is the thing you are now". This is just water. What I am seeking is the ocean said the disappointed fish and he swam away to search elsewhere. 

God is with us and He is everywhere. But our eyes are kept from recognizing Him. It is because we are so into worldly things and we are so worried about ourselves. Things are happening for a reason and God who brought us here will lead us to light. As the two disciples were so worried and sad about what happened to Master and as they were losing hope. What happened? Christ Himself came and joined them. He asked, "What are you discussing with each other as you walk along?"  

They said, "Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days? 

As they talked about Christ and what happened to Him and why they were sad and disappointed, Christ explained everything about Him beginning with Moses and all the prophets and using the scriptures and divine words. 

It is easy to forget the presence of Christ with us as we go through difficult times. We should remember that challenging situations are our blessings too. A clay pot sitting in the sun will always be a clay pot. It has to go through the heat of the furnace to become porcelain. 

2. Jesus opens our hearts and minds in the Holy Eucharist 

When Christ was at the table with them, He took bread, blessed and broke it and then their eyes were opened. They recognized Him. They say that about ten strong things. Iron is strong, but fire will melt it. Fire is strong but water will quench it. Water is strong but the cloud will evaporate it. Clouds are strong but wind will drive them away. Man is strong but fears will cast him down. Fear is strong but sleep will overcome it. Sleep is strong, yet death is stronger. But Christ survives death. As the two disciples talking to each other saying, "Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us, while He was opening the Scriptures to us and while He broke the bread...that is surviving death and dear friends when we come to church, we all get the same experience knowing that Christ survives death and we too like him will rise again new. 

They say that the old cathedral of St. Paul's in London, England was completely destroyed in the great fire in 1666. After the fire, the brilliant architect Christopher Wren designed a new cathedral. The first stone that Christopher Wren picked up from the old building bore a Latin inscription whose meaning is, "I shall rise again". 

Jesus is with us and let us continue our journey. In our pain and suffering; in our rejection and disappointment, He will rise again to make us new. Let us be with Him and thus rise with Him. Amen. 

Divine Mercy Sunday

Divine Mercy Sunday 

Divine Mercy Sunday Good morning every one, I am so happy to welcome you all for today’s Holy Mass. Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates the solemn feast of the divine mercy called divine mercy Sunday. Dear friends, every time we come to Church, we celebrate divine mercy, we are given divine mercy to continue our mission of preaching the Good News of our Risen Christ to all and every time we come to Church, we are called to share divine mercy with our brothers and sisters in need. Once there was a servant who used to bring fresh fruits to the king every morning. The king enjoyed the fresh fruits and one day, the king was in a very bad mood. As the servant brought some fresh black berries, he tasted it and did not like it so he vented his anger by throwing the berries on his face. Then the servant bowed before the king and said, “God is merciful”. The king looked at him and said, ‘why do you say God is merciful?’ The servant said because this morning I thought of bringing you pineapple but I changed my mind for that I am saying that God is merciful. Once a mother sought from King Napoleon pardon of her son. But the king said that it was the man’s second offence and justice demanded his death. She then looked at him and said, “I am here not for justice but for mercy. The king said, he does not deserve mercy. She then said it would not be mercy if he deserved it and mercy is all I ask.  

Then the king looked at her and said, “Then I have mercy for your son”. Dear friends, we do not need justice from our God but mercy and compassion. Our God is full of mercy and compassion and that is why He sent His only Son Christ to us all. Today we celebrate divine mercy Sunday. Pope John Paul the second blessed the second Sunday of Easter as divine mercy Sunday. As we all know the story of Sister Faustina to whom Jesus our Lord appeared and asked her to let the world know how much he loves us and has compassion for us all. This private apparition and revelation does not reveal some thing new to the world but instead give us reassurance of God’s mercy and compassion for the world. This divine mercy we are going to recall three importance things such as Ask trust and share. Yes, we are called to ask God for his mercy and compassion without any hesitation. Jesus promises that those who ask will receive not thirty or sixty but hundred fold of love, kindness and mercy. To those who ask the gift of the Holy Spirit is given. Let our prayer of thanksgiving and spiritual celebration becomes a form of asking God our father. The divine mercy Sunday also invites us to trust in the mercy of god our father. Yes, every time people came to Christ for healing, all He asked them was, “ do you have faith? Or do you believe and trust and when they said, “Yes” lord we trust in you and Christ said, your faith has healed you, go in peace. Let us trust in God and celebrate as though we have received it already. To remember the whole celebration of Divine Mercy, let us keep in mind an acronym — F.I.N.C.H. F — The Feast of Divine Mercy, or the Second Sunday of Easter. The divine flood gates through which all graces flow are open on that day. On that day the Good Shepherd goes after us with love and mercy. The promises of Divine Mercy Sunday are real. On that day we should pray with boldness for the deepest intention of our hearts. The grace of Divine Mercy Sunday cleanses our souls completely of all sin and the punishment due to those sins. I — The Image. At Jesus' command, St. Faustina had an image painted to remind us that God wants to forgive us. Jesus wanted at the bottom of the image the signature "Jesus, I trust in you." If we trust, He will do the rest. Jesus promised special graces for those who spend time before this image. N — The Novena helps us prepare for Divine Mercy Sunday. Each day for nine days we bring a specific group of people before the mercy of God. The novena begins on Good Friday and ends on Holy Saturday. However, it can be prayed anytime. C — The Chaplet of The Divine Mercy is a short but powerful prayer to the Father that Jesus taught to St. Faustina when she was praying for Poland. It looked like Poland was about to be destroyed by the angel of wrath because of Poland's sins. Saint Faustina's prayers seemed fruitless. She heard in her soul the words of the Chaplet of The Divine Mercy. When she began to pray that prayer, the angel of wrath was powerless. We must pray the Chaplet for mercy and conversion for our country and the whole world. Father Michael noted Jesus' message to St. Faustina that if you pray the Chaplet at the bedside of the dying, He will give them the grace of salvation. At the end of their life, I come to them not as a Just Judge but as a Merciful Savior. Jesus told St. Faustina to pray for the dying, since the salvation of some souls was dependent on her prayers. H — The Hour of Mercy from 3to 4 p.m. daily, commemorating the death of Jesus, is like a mini-Divine Mercy Sunday. If possible, we are asked to do at least one of these three things: 1. Pray the Stations of the Cross 2. Try to visit Jesus in the chapel 3. Remember Jesus in His abandonment on the cross Jesus wants us to remember the 3 o'clock hour every day. One of the most important ways to receive God's mercy is to trust in His mercy and be willing to give that mercy to others. And the divine mercy Sunday invites us to share the divine mercy with others. The whole of Christianity is based on serving others. Dear friends, our loving saviour will judge us on how we served and helped others. Any thing we do to the least of our brothers and sisters, we do to the Lord. So let us celebrate divine mercy and recall the goodness of the Lord. Amen.

Palm Sunday- A

Palm Sunday-year A 

Once a man had a strangest bet with his friend saying, "I will ask a question to myself and if I can't answer, I will buy you lunch and you ask a question to yourself and if you can't answer your own question, you buy me lunch". The friend was confused and said, "This is the strangest thing I have ever heard....what did you say, "If I can't answer my own question, I have to buy lunch?" The man said, "Yes...that is right". 

1. The friend said, "you go first since you proposed the strange bet". The man said that my question to myself is  "How is it possible for a rabbit to borrow a hole into the ground without  throwing any mud on to the outside?" 

My answer to my question is …"The rabbit should be borrowing from inside". 

The other guy said, "How does it do that?' 

The man said, "That is your question". 

Life is full of questions. As we enter into Holy week, we all have so many questions and mainly we ask ourselves how we can commit ourselves to Christ the Messiah. 

I have an old story that I like so much and I remember telling it last year. 

Once what happened was a little baby donkey went to Jerusalem and looking around what people were doing. Everything went well in the beginning and then people began to notice the little animal and began to chase it. The baby donkey ran and ran and finally reached home. He was all crying and was confused and went to his mom and said, "Mom, I don't understand people and I am confused". Son, they dot even understand who they are and why are you confused about people?  

Mom, When we entered into Jerusalem yesterday, people were all happy with us. They threw their cloaks in front of us to walk on and they were people were waves palm leaves and singing "Hosanna to the Son of David, many were playing trumpet and dancing and singing. They were so welcoming and happy with us and the same people today, as I was walking around, were trying to kill me. They threw stone at me. What is going on with these people? 

The mother said, "Son, all those praises, glorias, hosanna and singing and dancing and throwing cloaks and waving palms that happened yesterday were not for us but for Him, Christ whom we were carrying on our back. Then the mom looked at her son and said, "Son, always remember, the world is filled with ungrateful and unfaithful people for whom the Holy Messiah became a man. Son, remember as long as we are with Jesus, we are important and special, if not, we are just donkeys. 

Yes, as long as we are with Christ Jesus, we are special, unique and important, if not we are nothing. Let us hold on to Christ and enter into this special Holy Week. Amen