The Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing

Today the Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.

Today’s gospel says that Jesus went to synagogue on the Sabbath, as was his custom. Yes, we are basically spiritual beings and are called to deepen our faith in him each and every day. One of the questions from the Baltimore catechism is, “why did God create us?”
God created us to know him and love him and thus to prepare ourselves to enter into heaven, our eternal home.

After twenty-years, a man for the first time went to confession. When he entered into the confessional, he was surprised to see so many delicious chocolates on one shelf, on the other many magazines and on the other side, cigarettes and cigars and the confessional chair was also very comfortable and good. He then said to the priest, “father, I haven’t been to confession over twenty-years and I never thought this much change. Then the priest said to him, “get out… that is my side”.

One of the Ten Commandments says, “Keep the Sabbath holy”. When we come to Church on Sunday, we not only keep the commandment of observing the Sabbath holy but also build our faith community by helping others to know the love and kindness of God our father.

Once a family called me in Peterborough and said, ‘Father… we are not going to come to your church anymore and I asked them why and they said, “Because, somebody took our seat last weekend and we used to sit that place over twenty-years”.

God called us in a special way to continue the mission of our Lord Jesus. We are called to spread the good new of love and forgiveness of the Lord.

Today’s gospel says when Jesus stood up to read the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to Him, and he opened the scroll and read, “the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he sent me to preach the good news to the poor, heal the sick and give sight to the blind. And after reading, He looked at the people and said, ‘Today… the scripture has been fulfilled in your sight.

Yes, every time, we come to Church and share the communion, we are given the grace and blessing to say, The Good news is fulfilled in us. Every time we say Yes to God’s love, Every time we say yes to love others and forgive their wrong doings, the good news is being fulfilled in us. Amen.

Water into wine

Water into Wine

Where there is faith, there happens miracles and wonders. Where there are you and me who believe in the love and kindness of God, there we meet Jesus the miracle man.

Once a woman came to a priest and said, “father, my husband won ten million dollars in lottery but I am afraid to let him know because of his heart condition, please help me”. The priest said, “It is not a big deal, I can talk to him” then the priest looked at the man and said, “Joe, I have a question for you. If you will, let us say, or you won ten million dollars, what will you do?” the man thought for a while and said, “Father, if any miracle happens like this winning ten million dollars, I will donate five million dollars to the Church”. Imagine what happened, “the priest took a heart attack and died”.

In today’s gospel, we come to know the first miracle of Jesus that happened in Cana of Galilee. He does miracles and wonders for people who were longing for happiness and joy, who longed for a new beginning and meaning in their lives.

Miracle happens for those who have faith in Jesus. Every time, people came to him seeking healing and miracles, all Jesus asked them was, “Do you believe?” and then he said, “according to your faith, it will be done for you and go in peace”.

Once a man confessed his spiritual journey and said, “When my wife got cancer, I tried all my best to heal her with different medical treatments and we prayed to God night and day but nothing happened and my wife who battled with cancer for five years died and I stopped believing in God and miracles. Because no miracle happened and then one day, I met with a spiritual master and shared my story and he looked at me and then asked my wife’s death, I said, “on the day, she died I was with her. She looked so calm and peaceful and she said, “Thank you Joe for travelling with me and I am happy to go now”. Then the spiritual master looked at me and said, “Joe, you said that you don’t believe in miracles but you yourself became a miracle for your wife. You helped her to pass from this life to the next peacefully. You helped her to experience happiness and joy before her death”.

Yes, miracles are happening each and every day but we struggle to recognize them. We expect for miracles not realizing that we ourselves are miracles of God.

When Jesus touched the water, it changed into wine. And we are all in a special way touched by the love and kindness of God our father through Jesus the Lord. And we are his miracles who can make a different in people’s lives. Yes, today people are looking for love and forgiveness. They are looking for miracles and wonders. And let us be their miracles and let them know that God loves them all without condition. Amen.

Baptism of the Lord

Baptism of the lord

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the baptism of the Lord. When Jesus was baptized in the river Jordan by John the Baptist, the gospels say that the heavens opened and there came a voice saying, “this is my beloved son with whom I am well pleased. Listen to him”
Jesus began his public ministry, right after baptism, calling people to be his disciples and healing the sick, and preaching the good news to all.

Once a catholic priest, an Anglican minister and a protestant pastor met together to talk about bats problems in their churches. The Anglican minister said, “I tried all my best to chase the bats away from my church but they keep coming and I don’t know what to do”. Then the protestant minister said, “I even took all the bats outside of the town and threw them away but they keep coming. I don’t know what to do” And at last the Catholic priest looked at them and said, “I used to have bats problem in my church but not any more. They were all gone” the Anglican and the protestant ministers looked at the catholic priest and asked, “Please tell us what you did?” He looked at them and said, “I just baptized them all and they never came back”>

Baptism means Rebirth: through the sacrament of baptism one becomes a child of God. The original sin is being washed away by baptism and he becomes a new being.
Baptism means initiation: through the sacrament of baptism one is being initiated into the Church. He becomes a member of the holy Catholic Church that was built by the love and kindness of our lord Jesus Christ.
Baptism means consecration: Through the sacrament of Baptism, one is being consecrated into the church given power and authority to go everywhere to preach the good news of our lord Jesus Christ and let them know that God never stops loving them and thus bring them back into the fold.
Baptism means empowerment: through the sacrament of baptism, one is being empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Conclusion: on the day of our baptism, God said to us, “you are my beloved children with whom I am well pleased. As we are celebrating the feast of the baptism of the lord, let us recommit ourselves to keep our baptismal promises namely loving God and our neighbors. Amen.

Wedding anniversary

My brothers and sisters in Christ, it is my pleasure to have you here today at this church
for this Wedding Anniversary Mass. Thank you for coming today, as together we publicly
celebrate your committed love for one another for fifty years of marriage.

Jesus is the cornerstone of the truth and fidelity that forms the foundation of your
marriage as well and which empowers you to endure the trials of life, to remain faithful to
one another and to be fruitful in your loving relationship. With this foundation, your
marriage has become, as the Church teaches, the most fundamental living cell of society
through your witness to the depth of God’s love. Today, sadly, there are those who reject
the institution of marriage or seek to define it as something other than the union of a man
and woman meant for unitive and fruitful love. In light of this crisis within contemporary
society, your outward witness is especially needed today. We know that the sacrament of
marriage is the permanent and faithful union between a man and a woman, and is the vital
foundation of a just and stable society. My dear people, what we celebrate today is more
than an anniversary; it is the commitment you made before God many years ago to love each
other and to share this love with others in our families, neighborhoods and communities. It
is a love that gives witness to the same covenant of love that Jesus has with His Body, the
Church.

Today, in the beautiful Gospel from Saint John, we hear Jesus proclaim, "I am the good
shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (Jn 10:11).As His brothers and
sisters, we are His flock; and He is our shepherd. When we reflect upon the importance of
sheep in Jesus’ time, we know they were primarily bred for their milk and their wool.
Because of their value to the shepherd, he did not keep an emotional distance from them but
came to love and cherish them, even to know them individually. When the shepherd called,
they came as Jesus said, "I know mine and mine know me" (Jn 10:14). In the image of a
shepherd, we behold the image of Jesus, who is our friend. But He is even more than that—He
is our Savior who loves us each personally and unconditionally.

Jesus also says, "A good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.…No one takes it from
me, but I lay it down on my own" (Jn 10: 11, 18). In marriage, spouses are called to lay
down their lives for each other and for the good of their relationship. As Jesus laid down
His life for us, so, too, we must do the same for others. As we recounted on Good Friday,
Jesus submitted to suffering and ultimately to crucifixion. He endured His sacrifice,
knowing that to do so would be to redeem us from our sins, bringing us new life.
Through your perseverance and commitment to each other all these years, my dear friends,
you have demonstrated your willingness to lay down your life for the sake of your spouse.
By being willing to sacrifice for one another, and by the many ways that you have "died to
self" through the years of your marriage, you have indeed served one another and your
family; and you have given a joyful witness to the love of Jesus Christ as the Good
Shepherd of His Church.
Again, my brothers and sisters, I want to say thank you: for your witness to life and to
love; for your clear choice to be faithful to each other and to love your family with all
their strengths and faults; for laying down your lives for each other. You have shown, and
continue to show, our society how important marriage is. How truly crucial it is to support
and defend marriage, a lifelong covenant between one man and one woman, as the cornerstone
of a just and peaceful society.

Let us all, then, united in the name of Jesus, thank God for the gift of His presence with
you throughout your marriages. Let us thank Him for the gift of the Holy Family, a model of
self-giving love for all of us in our families. Finally, let us thank God the Father for
the gift of His Son, Jesus, in the Holy Eucharist, the source and summit of life and love.
May God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit bless you all today, during this blessed
Christmas season, and for all the days of your life. Amen.

Holy Family

HOLY FAMILY

Today we celebrate the feast of Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Every one played their part well and good in the holy family.

we meet Joseph as a protector of the holy family:
Once a group of school children went to see the pacific ocean for the first time. They were all amazed at the vastness of the ocean and when they came back to school the next day, they shared their experience with their other friends who haven't seen an ocean. They said, "on one can cross the ocean swimming... it is so huge" then one of the boys who never saw an ocean, came up and said, "don't say that no one can cross the ocean swimming. My dad can do anything and he can do it"
Children look up to their parents. They believe in their parents to do great things. they believe that their parents would never fail.
The bible says that St. Joseph was a pious man. He obeyed the will of God and did everything well and thus God chose him to be the foster father of Jesus.And Jesus the only son of God obeyed Joseph and thus grew in wisdom and knowledge.

we then meet Mary the mother of Jesus:
once a man shared a story about his mother saying," when I was small, I used to dislike my mother because all my friends' mothers looked so beautiful but my mother had one side of her face burned. And one day I asked her, "mom... what happened to your face. she looked into my eyes and said, "son... when you were two year old, our house was on fire and while i saved you, one side of my face got burned". That day onwards my mother looked more beautiful than anyone else in the world".
mother means sacrifice. And the bible says when mary accepted the will God, then she completely offered herself to do everything for Jesus. Under her protection and love, Jesus grew in wisdom and knowledge and was found in favour with God and man.

we in the holy family meet with Jesus:
A family becomes holy only because of Jesus. A family has meaning and values because of the love and kindness of Jesus our lord.
There is an old monastic story about the sending of the Son into the world. Before sending His son into the world, God sent his angels to find out the pressing needs of the people. Then the angels reported to God saying, "people need love, they need forgiveness. They need food, They need healing" Then upon hearing the angels, God wanted to fulfill all the needs of his people so he sent His only Son Jesus who became everything to all.
Jesus is the way, the life and the light. When we keep Christ in our family, our family will be a holy one. Let us keep Christ not only in Christmas but in every day of our life. Amen.

Merry Christmas

Good evening Everyone. Today we celebrate the biggest event that ever happened in human
history. yes, God became man and lived like you and me.

When baby Jesus first came into the world about two thousand years ago, His arrival was in
fulfillment of the promises of God the Father. For many years, God's chosen people had been
unstable. Sometimes they were faithful to God. Other times, they turned away from the grace
of God and greatly offended Him.And God sent many prophets, kings, holy men and women to
bring his people to his love and kindness.And at last,
to fulfill His promise, God sent into the world the Redeemer, the One who had been 'Sought
Out' for years and years. The Redeemer was Jesus! By the grace of God the Father and the
power of the Holy Spirit, through Jesus, we were delivered from sin.

The birth of Jesus is a reminder that God has not forgotten us. It is a reminder of how
much God loves us. It is a reminder that God has reached down to us so we in turn may reach
up to Him with praises and glory in thanksgiving for our salvation. Indeed, we have not
been forsaken by God.

The salvation that has come to us through Jesus Christ was not because of what we have
done. It was not because we behaved as good people. Nor was it because we were nice towards
our brothers and sisters. Our salvation came through the mercy of God that is received
through faith in Jesus and the Sacrament of Baptism.

On Christmas, we celebrate our birthday too. For this day, through Jesus, we all became
children of God. So let us thank God today and celebrate our life with happiness and joy.
Merry Christmas to you all. Amen.

Third sunday of Advent

Third sunday of Advent

Christianity is not all about sin, death and eternal punishment. It is about life, happiness and heaven.That is why the third sunday of Advent is called gaudet sunday or joyful sunday. We celebrate this joyful sunday praising Jesus who destroyed sin and death and showed the way to our eternal home.

once a mouse was in constant distress because of its fear of the cat. then a magician took pity on it and turned it into a cat. But then it became afraid of the dog.
So the magician turned it into a dog. Then it began to fear the tiger, so the magician turned it into a tiger. Whereupon it was full of fear for the hunter.
At this point, the magician gave up. He turned it into a mouse again saying, "Nothing I do for you, is going to be of any help because you have the mind of a mouse."

when we practice our faith out of fear and punishment, Church-going, receiving sacraments will become a ritual.when we come out of the fear of God and look at Him as loving Father,then we will celebate our coming to Church and other religious events.

In today's gospel, people from every walk of life come to JOhn the Baptist and ask what they have to do to celebate life, to rejoice and be happy in the lord who would be coming.
John asked them to love humanity and help others with what they had.

once a man saw a fox who lived in the deep forest that had lost its front legs.And the man who lived on the edge of the forest , seeing the fox from time to time, wondered how it managed to get its food. Then he saw a tiger bringing some food and leaving it for the fox.Then he thought to himself, "If this fox is taken care of in this mysterious way, its food sent by some unseen Higher Power, why don't I just stay in a corner and have my daily meal provided for me?"
Because he had a lot of faith, he let the days pass, waiting for food. Nothing happened. He just went on losing weight and strength until he was nearly a skeleton. Close to losing consciousness, he heard a Voice which said: "O you, who have mistaken the way, see now the Truth! You should have followed the example of that tiger instead of imitating the disabled fox."
John the batptist says those who have two coats should share with anynone who has none and whoever has food must do likewise. And so many people came to John and asked about what they had to do to prepare themselves to welcome the Son of God. And John answered them all saying, love humanity and do good to them.

once a man went to a spiritual master and asked, "How shall I get the grace of never judging my neighbor?"
"Through prayer."
"Then why have I not found it yet?"
"Because you haven't prayed in the right place."
"Where is that?"
"In the heart of God."
"And how do I get there?"
"Understand that anyone who sins does not know what he is doing and deserves to be forgiven."
yes, by accepting and helping others, we get ready to welcome the Lord our God.
This third sunday of Advent invites us to become John the baptist and let others know the love and kindness of Christ our lord. Amen.