26th Sunday-A

26th Sunday- A 

Good morning every one, 

Once a family invited me for lunch and asked "Father, do you like cats and I said, "I am from India and I prefer chicken". They said, "how do you like your chicken?' "Free-ranged, gluten-free fed, organic, curry chicken". And they said, "They would call me back and they never did...I don't know what is wrong with people these days". 

Once a missionary priest went to a distant country to preach and one day as he was going to a village, he had to cross a river. So, he hired a boat and as he was travelling, he looked at the boat man and said, "Are you Catholic?' The man said, "Yes, Father I am Catholic". The missionary said, "What do you know about the Old Testament?" The man said, "I believe in God but I don't know anything about the Old Testament". The missionary said, "That means you lost 20 percent of your life". What about the New Testament and Jesus Christ and the man said, "I believe in Christ and I don't know much about the New Testament. The missionary said, "That means you lost 40 percent of your life" What about the Church and the Sacraments and what about the hierarchy of the Church and the man said, "I don't know anything..." The missionary priest looked at him intently and said, "That means you lost 60 percent of your life" And meantime, the boat was in the middle of the river and through a hole at the bottom of the boat, water began to come into the boat and the boatman knew that the boat was going to sink. So, he looked at the missionary priest and said, "O Father, do you know swimming?' The priest said, "No, I don't know swimming..." Then the boatman looked at the missionary priest and said, "That means you lost hundred percent of your life". 

What I know you may not know and what you know, I may not know. We share talents and ability and thus we build this faith family. After saying this story in one of the parishes, a man after mass said, "O father, do you know swimming.?." And I said, " I also walk on water". Now you know why he never invited me for dinner. 

Life is a struggle between good and bad; light and dark and life and death and so on. And we could easily define and see these distinctions but unfortunately it is not the case with people. It's all started with Adam and Eve. They said, they would obey the commandment of God our Father but they didn't. They went away from His love and kindness and thus the whole human salvation history began to unfold.  

In the time of Christ our Lord, the Pharisees and the Scribes; the elders and the leaders of the Synagogue portraited themselves as God's favored ones. Everybody believed that they were pious and holy and were doing exactly what God commanded them to do. 

Once a man went to a doctor and said, "Doctor, I have a strange headache and I don't know what to do. The doctor did all kinds of tests but there was nothing wrong with him. The man kept complaining and then the doctor finally said, "Now I know what is wrong with you. Your halo is a little tight and I will loosen it up and you will be fine".  

Those Pharisees and the Scribes pretended to be holy. They wanted to be called Rabbi and wanted to be honored and get place of honor but they never did what God commanded them. They loved to stand in front of the temple and screamed at the top of their voices saying, "God, you are so lucky for creating me who is so holy and wonderful. I pray five times a day, fast twice and week and give ten percent of all my income..." 

And Christ our Lord looking at their phoniness and said, "They are like white-washed tombs. They look outside so beautiful but inside full of dead people's bones and filth". They said that they would do the will of God but never did it. 

But on the other hand, there were people like tax-collectors, sinners and prostitutes who refused to do the will of God but when they heard how much God loves and forgives, they immediately changed their minds and did according to God's commandments. 

Once a man shared his story saying, "I used to be an alcoholic and my wife disliked me and my children despised me. I didn't know what to do and then one day, I met one of my friends who said, "you know what I love you the way you are..."When he said that he would love me the way I was, I felt immediate change in me... yes, that is our Lord Jesus Christ, he loves the way we are. Though we refuse and go away from Him and say, "No" to His love. He will never change Himself. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. As we go to Him, He won't change but we will. We will become new creatures. 

Conclusion:  

There is nothing like too late. Even at the last moment, there is salvation. All we have to do is say, "Yes" to Him and He will do the rest. Amen. 

25th Sunday- A

That's not fair... 

Once as I was talking to other church ministers, there came a talk about the Rapture.  the Pentecostal minister said, " we are all going to take up". And the Baptist, the Presbyterian and the Anglican ministers said, "we are all going to be taken..." Then they looked at me and said, "What about you Catholics and I said, "we are not worried at all. It's because we are the people who are making the rapture..." They said, "That is not fair" 

Once a man visited his best friend who was dying and said, "you know what we have been friends for many, many years and we both love baseball.  All I want to know is, please find out whether there is baseball in heaven and let me know..." After promising the friend passed away. The very next day, his friend came in his dream and said, 'By the way, I have good news and bad news for you". The Good is there is baseball in heaven and the bad news is you are pitching tomorrow". 

All the friend said was, "That is not fair". 

We often hear these words from so many people saying, "That is not fair". We hear children saying, "why should I take out the garbage and that is not fair" and adult saying, "my chores are too difficult and that is not fair". My wife is sick and that is not fair and my husband is finding a good job and that is not fair.  

Once I met with a couple who stopped coming to church and when I visited them, do you know what they said? They said, "We used to go to that church over 37 years and when we went the last time, some strangers took our seat and thus we stopped going to church and that's not fair people taking our seat. 

There are people saying, "you know what, I went to school and I studied so hard and I did my best to find and good job and now I am making good money and why should I share my money with others and that's not fair and it's my money. 

God blessed us all with this precious life and He who never says "NO" to us showers upon us His countless gifts. Once Christ our Lord said, "When your child asks for a fish, will you give him a snake or if he asks you bread, will you give him a stone instead. If you who are evil and conditioned know how to give good things to your children, imagine how much more your heavenly Father who loves you with His unconditional love gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him." 

If we know the love and kindness of God Almighty, then how can we say that He is not fair.  

In today's gospel, the people are grumbling against the master saying, "That is not fair. These last one worked only one hour and the master made them equal to us who have suffered the burden of the day and scorching heat".  

We hear people saying, "we are womb to tomb Catholic and they are just converts and how come they are equal to us? 

Why should I share my money with the poor and the needy and that is not fair? 

Once Bishop St. Ambrose said, "when you have two shirts and one you have on you and the other one belongs to the naked person who stands at your door knocking..." This is called solidarity. One of the social teachings of the Catholic Church. We are called to be generous as our heavenly Father is generous to us. 

Conclusion: 

Instead of questioning His generosity and instead of criticizing His compassion towards others, we are called to imitate Him.  

Instead of being critical of others and their gifts, let us thank God for them and thus we too be like the Father who made us in His own image and likeness. Amen.