31- c

31st Sunday-C 

Once a mother was making pancakes for her children and the boys began arguing over who would get the first pancake. The mother looked at them and said, “If Jesus were sitting here, he would say, “Let my brother have the first pancake and I can wait”. 

So, the little boy looked at his brother and said, “You be Jesus”.Friends in Christ Jesus, 

Our Lord Jesus Christ is fully mercy and compassion. His love surpasses all else. Nothing can be compared to His unconditional love. He is slow to anger and ready to forgive. Even at the last moment, there is forgiveness. He looks at you as though you were the only on the planet. 

In today’s gospel, we meet with the tallest person in the bible.   

Zacchaeus became taller because of His determination to see Christ our Lord. As he decided to see Christ our Lord, he leaves behind his old ways and climb up in a tree and wait for Christ to come by. When we talk about God, we usually look up and this is the first time, we see how Christ comes by the tree and begins to look up for man. The whole nature of divine began to change because of Zacchaeus's determination to see Christ. On the other hand, Christ was the one who looked for Zacchaeus first. 

Zacchaeus became taller because as he came down from the tree, the first thing he said was, “ Lord, I will give to the poor half of my possessions and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much’.  Because of his change of heart, he began to grow taller. Yes, he is the tallest man in the bible. 

Zacchaeus became taller when Christ said, “Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today”. This is the only time, Christ invites himself to Zacchaeus place. I am going to come to your place and that brought so much happiness and joy to him. He instantly changed himself. 

Conclusion:  Jesus says that the son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost. If Zacchaeus becomes taller because of his determination and nature and because of his way of thinking and doing, anyone of us has the blessing to change and experience in new height in us. So, let us leave behind whatever hinder us from experiencing Christ’s love and kindness and his compassion and forgiveness and experience new height in life. Amen. 

the pharisee and the publican

Homily on the pharisee and the publican 

Once a woman, having locked her keys inside her car, prayed to God for assistance. Just then a man walked by saw the situation and immediately without any tool opened the car door for her. She said, “Thank you God for sending a very nice person to help me”. The man said, “I am not nice and just now got out jail for auto theft”. 

She then said to God, “Thank you God for even sending me a professional”. 

Dear friends in Jesus, 

Our Lord Jesus Christ, the only son of God is the way, the truth and the life. And anyone who puts His faith and trust in Him will have more of everything. He will be given life that will never end. Everything comes from Christ and ends in Christ. Jesus is our life-giver who does great things for us. 

Once a man came to Christ and said, “O Lord, which is the best of all commandments?’ and Jesus said, ‘You should love the Lord your God with all your mind, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength”. This is the best of all commandment. 

And in today’s gospel, we meet with a pharisee who keeps the first commandment so well. He loves the Lord our God with all his heart, mind, body and soul. He prays to God saying, “God, I am a holy man. I pray five times a day and fast twice a week and give ten percent of all my income to the synagogue”.  

He was a perfect holy man. That was their only aim and goal in their lives doing their religious duties so well. They never missed anything religiously. They strongly believed in God almighty. There was nothing wrong with them religiously. 

Then what was their challenge? Why were they often criticized and even been called ‘Hypocrites’ by Christ our Lord? 

It’s because their religious life was not translated into their social life. Their religious pride took them away from everyday people and events.  

Once a man said to the master, “Master, I was the only one reading the holy bible and meditating on it while my six brothers were sleeping”. The master said, “Son, if your worship of God consists of accusation against your own brethren, then you too had better be asleep”. 

The purpose of prayer is to purify oneself and not to find fault with others. 

The Pharisee had a great connection with God. His religious life was awesome, but that life did not translate well in His every day social life. And Christ who then added to the commandments said, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself. This is the second commandment”.  

On the other hand, the pharisee who was doing everything so well, made a mistake of comparing himself with the other saying, ‘I am far better than that man who is a sinner”. 

And thus, Jesus Christ our Lord says, “the other man went down to his home justified rather than the other” 

Our coming to Church, receiving churches sacraments should reflect on how we look at others and how we accept others. How do you look at your children and grandchildren who don’t come to church? How do you look at your friends and family members who do not pray the way you pray? 

God is in them and it’s in them, we find the light of Christ. If we do not see God in others, we cannot find God in anywhere. God is not hiding in the sky but is living in our brothers and sisters. So, let us pray like the pharisee and be humble like the publican and thus we will find God everywhere. Amen. 

29th sunday -C

Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates ‘Mission Sunday’. On this day, we, in a special way, pray for all missionary religious and people who dedicate their lives to promote justice and peace and who preach the good news of Christ our Lord namely His love and forgiveness to all. 

We are by the very nature of the Sacrament of Baptism is called to become Missionaries at Home and abroad. 

There is a non-Canonical story in which the angels asked the Ascended Christ, “Lord, now your mission is done on earth and who is going to continue the mission of your love and forgiveness?’ Christ said, “My disciples would you”. The angels were perplexed and said, ‘Are you relying on those apostles who denied, deserted and abandoned you’. What is your second plan? Jesus said, “There is no second plan. That is the only one plan and my disciples and followers will preach the good news. Yes, you are the only plan that Christ has to preach His good news to all. 

In the Old Testament time, people did not go out to preach the message of God but they did it within the community and in the New Testament time, Christ prepared His apostles to go out and preach the Good news saying, “Therefore go everywhere and preach the Good News and baptize them all in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. 

Once there was a fight between two tribes in Niger and a man from one tribe killed his neighbor who belonged to another tribe. When the other tribe won, they wanted to take revenge of the killer and they called the wife who witnessed her husband’s death and asked to point out the killer but she refused saying, “The missionaries who were here taught us how to forgive and accept others like Christ”. 

Today we are called to become missionaries especially at home teaching your children and grandchildren and family members the value of love and forgiveness. 

In today’s gospel, Christ our Lord shows the way to achieve that unending love and forgiveness. They can easily be achieved through prayer. So, let us pray to God without stopping or ceasing and now the value of love, peace and forgiveness. Amen. 

28th sunday-thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING 

Two cannibals were enjoying thanksgiving dinner and they were just talking about family. Then one cannibal said, “You know what I can’t stand either my father in law or my mother in law”. 

The other cannibal said, “It's quite understandable. Then why don’t you try potato with the gravy”. 

Friends in Christ Jesus, 

Jesus is the Christ and it’s because of Him, great things happen to us. It’s because of Him, we find meaning and purpose in life and it’s only because of Him, the whole world looks so wonderful and more beautiful. Let’s thank God for sending Christ our Lord to be with us forever. 

One day, a woman looked out of her kitchen window and noticed her neighbor hanging out her laundry to dry. Then, she noticed that the whites looked so grey and the colored looked so dull. She said to her husband, “what a shame, that woman doesn’t even know ow to wash her cloths clean”. 

It went on for weeks and then one day, something changed. The whites sparkled in the sunlight and the colored clothes were so radiant. She then said to her husband, “This morning as I looked out of our kitchen window, I couldn't believe my own eyes. Our neighbor learned to do laundry well”. The husband said, “Well, it should. Just yesterday, I washed our kitchen window”. 

Sometimes we all ask ourselves, thinking, ‘Why should I thank God?” Nothing is going well. The world is a terrible place to live. If we read the newspaper or watch TV, all we hear is bad news and more bad news.  

But if we know how to keep our window clean, then we will look at things differently and thank God for everything that is happening around us.  

Our God is so, so good and He will never abandon us His children. In order to show His ultimate love, He sent His only Son our Lord Jesus Christ to be with us forever and anyone who believes in Him, will be given everlasting life. 

In today’s gospel, we meet with compassionate and kind Christ who immediately takes pity on those lepers and heals them right away. Then they all go away joyfully but one of them as he experienced completely healing comes back to thank and praise God. 

Yes, as we thank and praise Christ for everything that is happening to us, we will receive more happiness and joy. And though many were baptized and accepted into Church, you are here, and you are thanking Christ for all the great things happening to you.  

To the Samaritan, Jesus said, ‘Were not ten made clean but the other nine, Where are they? 

And was none of them found to return and thank God except this foreigner? 

Then Christ said to the Samaritan, get up and go on your way, your faith has made you well. 

That’s our Lord Jesus Christ says to you all who are here to thank Him, you who are here to praise and glorify Him, 

Get up and go on your way and your faith has made you well. God bless.