Fifth Sunday of Easter-B
Stay connected to Christ the servant: Some years ago, Mother Teresa was asked by a reporter one day, “What is your biggest problem?” Without a moment of hesitation, Mother Teresa answered with one word: “Professionalism.” She said: “Here are these servants of Jesus who care for the poorest of the poor. I have one who just went off and came back with her medical degree. Others have come back with registered nurse degrees. Another with a master’s in social work… and when they came back with their degrees… their first question always is, ‘Where is my office?’ Then she said, ‘But you know what I do? I send them over to the House of the Dying where they simply hold the hands of dying people for six months and after that, they’re ready to be servants again.’” [Victor D. Pentz, “Take This Job and Love It” Protestant Hour Sermon, (3/14/2005), p.3.] This was the greatness of Mother Teresa… her unflinching commitment to stay connected to Christ’s Servant Mentality.
We often hear about ‘family tree’. It is a method of tracing back your ancestors. In these days, people travel to distant countries to trace their family of origin and the method of family tree is also used to see why a person has certain psychological challenges or problems in personal life.
In the book of Exodus, when Moses asked the name of the Almighty, God uttered, “I am who I am”. I am the Lord, God of your ancestors. I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I was, I am and I will be.
Moses then understood that God is one and He is his God Thus he made the immediate connection with Him and obeyed the will of the Father.
And in the New Testament, one of the Apostles of Jesus called Philip asked Christ, “ Lord, show us the Father and we will be satisfied”. And Christ the Lord responded saying, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me seen has seen the Father. The Father is in me and I am in the Father and the Father and I are one.
In the gospel of John, Christ the Lord uses seven times the word, “I am...” The same God who said, “I am who I am” is the Lord who says, “I am the bread of life. I am the life, the way and the truth and I am the good shepherd and I am the vine”.
And in today’s gospel, Christ the Lord says, “I am the vine and you are the branches... as you are with me, you will bear much fruit”.
He invites us to have a physical connection with Him. How can we have a constant physical connection with the Lord. How is it possible to hold His hand tight and walk with Him each and every day? Jesus says, “Any one who eats my flesh and drinks my blood will never die but will have eternal life”. Yes, dear friends as we come to church and receive His body and thus we connect with Him twenty-four seven. Thus we have a strong physical connection with the Lord. This very connection makes us courageous to face our present day situations.
The Lord who says, “I am the vine and you are the branches” invites us to have a strong spiritual connection with Him. How can we have a spiritual connection with Him? And How can we improve ourselves knowing that we are His image and likeness and grow spiritually each and every day? Through our every day prayers and other spiritual practices. The Holy Catholic Church does have so many prayer methods and especially the month of May which is dedicated to our Blessed Virgin Mary has to offer amazing Marian prayers that lead us to Christ.
As we grow in physical and spiritual connections with Christ, Jesus our Lord says that we will bear much fruit. Yes, because of Christ-connection, we the branches extend ourselves to the world and help others to know and experience the Love and kindness of God. So let us unite ourselves with the Vine and bear much fruit. Amen.
Monday, May 4, 2015
Saturday, May 2, 2015
The holy family
Homily for the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Good morning every one, I am so happy to welcome you all to celebrate today’s Holy Mass. Dear friends, every time we come to church, we celebrate Jesus the Lord who is the source of every human family and every time we come to Church, we celebrate Christ who blesses every family with peace and serenity; with love and forgiveness. Every time we come to church and receive any of the Church’s sacraments, our families become holy.
Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates the solemn feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. And today we especially pray for our families and ask God to make them holy.
Once a teacher who was teaching the importance of the family and things that money can not buy said to the children, “money can not buy laughter and it can not buy love”. Then to illustrate his point, he said, “what would you do if I offered you $1,000 not to love your mother and father?” No one said anything. there was a deep silence. Finally a boy raised his hand and said, “how much would you give me not to love my big sister?”
Once a little boy looked at his dad and said, “dad, how much do you make an hour at work?” The father was surprised and said, “ look, son, not even your mother knows?’ Don’t ask me again. But the son insisted and then the dad looked at the son and said, “forty dollars for an hour”. Then the son looked at his dad and said, “could you loan me $20.00?” The dad said, “why?’ Please give me and then the dad gave him twenty dollars and then the son thanked his father and added twenty more dollars and gave it to his dad and said, “Dad, here is forty dollars. would you please sell me an hour of your time?”
Today’s gospel is all about holy family and how we can make our families holy.
In the holy family, we meet with Mary and Joseph. They both were god-fearing spiritual people. They loved God and listed to His divine words. Because of their faith, when they were confused about things and when they were worried about their future, angels were sent to them. They were told ‘not to be afraid of anything and be strong’.
When we are spiritual and believe in God, nothing can take us away from the love and kindness of God. The angels of God will come and guide us and they will comfort us.
Both Mary and Joseph were community oriented people. They kept the loving commandment of God and loved others as they loved themselves. For example, When Elizabeth was in need, Mary went all the way from Nazareth to Judea to help her. The bible says when Jesus with His disciples came to his hometown, people began to say to each other, “ we know His father Joseph and we know His mother Mary..” Every one knew Joseph and Mary in the community because of their generosity and kindness toward others.
Those who love God will have a generous heart and they will look at others as their own extension and have more compassion for others.
They both were good and responsible parents. Though they knew Jesus was the only Son of God. They fulfilled their parental duty to look after Christ. For example, when Christ our Lord disappeared at the age of 12 at Jerusalem temple, Mary His mother looked at him and said, “Son, why did you do this to us. do you not know that you have to be with us?’ And from that time onwards, Christ listened to his parents and thus He grew in wisdom and knowledge.
At Cana, when people did not have enough wife for the celebration, Mary inspired Christ to perform His first miracle.
Every family becomes holy when it keep Christ the head of all human family. Nothing can exist outside of Him and nothing can bring meaning. Jesus is the maker of every family. So as we celebrate the Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, let us pray for our families and ask Christ to bless them. Amen.
Good morning every one, I am so happy to welcome you all to celebrate today’s Holy Mass. Dear friends, every time we come to church, we celebrate Jesus the Lord who is the source of every human family and every time we come to Church, we celebrate Christ who blesses every family with peace and serenity; with love and forgiveness. Every time we come to church and receive any of the Church’s sacraments, our families become holy.
Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates the solemn feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. And today we especially pray for our families and ask God to make them holy.
Once a teacher who was teaching the importance of the family and things that money can not buy said to the children, “money can not buy laughter and it can not buy love”. Then to illustrate his point, he said, “what would you do if I offered you $1,000 not to love your mother and father?” No one said anything. there was a deep silence. Finally a boy raised his hand and said, “how much would you give me not to love my big sister?”
Once a little boy looked at his dad and said, “dad, how much do you make an hour at work?” The father was surprised and said, “ look, son, not even your mother knows?’ Don’t ask me again. But the son insisted and then the dad looked at the son and said, “forty dollars for an hour”. Then the son looked at his dad and said, “could you loan me $20.00?” The dad said, “why?’ Please give me and then the dad gave him twenty dollars and then the son thanked his father and added twenty more dollars and gave it to his dad and said, “Dad, here is forty dollars. would you please sell me an hour of your time?”
Today’s gospel is all about holy family and how we can make our families holy.
In the holy family, we meet with Mary and Joseph. They both were god-fearing spiritual people. They loved God and listed to His divine words. Because of their faith, when they were confused about things and when they were worried about their future, angels were sent to them. They were told ‘not to be afraid of anything and be strong’.
When we are spiritual and believe in God, nothing can take us away from the love and kindness of God. The angels of God will come and guide us and they will comfort us.
Both Mary and Joseph were community oriented people. They kept the loving commandment of God and loved others as they loved themselves. For example, When Elizabeth was in need, Mary went all the way from Nazareth to Judea to help her. The bible says when Jesus with His disciples came to his hometown, people began to say to each other, “ we know His father Joseph and we know His mother Mary..” Every one knew Joseph and Mary in the community because of their generosity and kindness toward others.
Those who love God will have a generous heart and they will look at others as their own extension and have more compassion for others.
They both were good and responsible parents. Though they knew Jesus was the only Son of God. They fulfilled their parental duty to look after Christ. For example, when Christ our Lord disappeared at the age of 12 at Jerusalem temple, Mary His mother looked at him and said, “Son, why did you do this to us. do you not know that you have to be with us?’ And from that time onwards, Christ listened to his parents and thus He grew in wisdom and knowledge.
At Cana, when people did not have enough wife for the celebration, Mary inspired Christ to perform His first miracle.
Every family becomes holy when it keep Christ the head of all human family. Nothing can exist outside of Him and nothing can bring meaning. Jesus is the maker of every family. So as we celebrate the Holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, let us pray for our families and ask Christ to bless them. Amen.
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Fourth Sunday of Easter
Good morning every one, I would like to welcome you all for today’s Holy Mass and our special welcome to all our visitor.
Today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates the fourth Sunday of Easter as Good Shepherd Sunday and world day of prayer for vocations. Jesus Christ the Only Son of God is the good shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep. Those who listen to His voice and follow Him will have life that will never end.
Once there was a man who owned several hundred sheep. His servants used to take them out for feeding and each evening as they brought them back, they found two or three missing. He asked his servants to go and look for them, but for the fear of wild beasts and wolves, they refused to do so. The owner had love for them and wanted to save them. And he said to himself, “If I go myself, searching for these sheep, they will not recognize me as they have not seen me before. So I must become like a sheep to save them” Then he went out and found some of them gone astray and others had been wounded. They readily followed him thinking he was a sheep like one of themselves. He brought them in and sat with them and fed them, then he took off his sheep skin. He was not a sheep but man a good shepherd. God became man so that we could become divine and enter into the kingdom of God.
What are the functions of the good shepherd. The new David the eternal king came to gather the people of Israel and all to the one fold.
Yes, Jesus the good shepherd wants to gather us all under his guidance and thus lead us to paradise. And that is why the Christ who says, “I am the good shepherd who lays down His life for his sheep”, goes after the one sheep that is lost and as he finds them, there will be a big celebration.
The good shepherd came to gather the sheep and cleanse the temple of god. During His mission, Christ cleansed the temple of Jerusalem and today He wants to cleans us the temple of the Holy Spirit. we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and it is our duty to keep them pure and holy. As we spiritually uplift ourselves, then we will begin to hear the divine voice. The good shepherd says that my sheep will listen to my voice and they will follow me.
Jesus the good shepherd came to gather his sheep and cleanse them and then to protect them from their enemies. There are so many wild beasts and wolves are constantly around the believers. They are looking for an opportunity to devour us. But the amazing thing is, we are not alone, the shepherd is with us and He is ready to protect and guide us. He will lay down His own precious life for us. we do not need to be worried or afraid of anything. As we listen to Him, we will be safe and secure.
The good shepherd came to gather, cleanse, protect us from our enemies and then reign over us or lead us to eternal life. As we deepen our faith in the Lord our Shepherd, we will like David with the loud voice sing, “The Lord is my shepherd, there is nothing I shall want”. He is our good shepherd and leads us to green pastures. As we enjoy his love and kindness; His compassion and forgiveness, let us share his love and forgiveness with one another. Amen.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Easter
CHRIST IS RISEN…ALLELUIA
There was a tradition among the followers of Christ namely during Easter time, when a person meets with another, he would say, “Christ is risen…” the other would respond saying, “Christ is risen indeed”Now I am going to say, ‘Christ is risen and would you please say, “Christ is risen indeed”.
Once a group of theologians were asked to describe Easter and everyone came up with different definition and there happened to come a ten year old boy and he said, ‘I can describe Easter”. They all looked at him and then he said, “Surprise”.
Easter can be better described with a word “surprise”.
It was a big surprise for many people who never thought that Christ would come back to life. The Pharisees and the Scribes criticized His teachings and preaching. They put Him down for His miracles and wonders. They finally crucified Him on the Cross saying, ‘ He is a blasphemer”, he compares Himself with God saying that He is the Son of God. When Christ came back to life, they believed His words and they became His followers and disciples.It was a big surprise for sin. Because of original sin we all became slave to human nature and conditions but our Lord Jesus Christ by His resurrection, washed away our sins and made us new in Him. We are God’s people without original sin and suffering.
It was a big surprise for Satan who celebrated death of Christ thinking that He would never come back and He was gone for ever but Jesus our Messiah and Savior as He predicted rose to life, the tomb was empty. When people went to anoint the body of Christ, all they saw was empty tomb.
Dear friends in Christ, the tomb was empty, there was nothing in it. The nothingness has a deep and rich meaning. Yes, when we empty ourselves, we will understand the nothingness of the tomb and how God raised Christ from death to life. Christ is risen… indeed Alleluia. Amen
holy thursday
Dear friends in Christ Jesus, today we celebrate Holy Thursday and thus enter into sacred tritium. Except for the resurrection on Easter, Holy Thursday is possibly one of the most important, complex and profound days of celebration in the Catholic Church. Holy Thursday celebrates the institution of the Eucharist as the true body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. This day, Christ our Lord in His venerable hands took the bread and blessed it and gave it to His disciples and said, “ Take this all of you and eat it, this is my body which will be given up for you”. Then He took the chalice of wine and blessed it and gave it to His disciples and said, “take this all of you and drink from it. This is my blood poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins”. Every time, we celebrate the Holy Mass, we celebrate the this day event and experience the real presence of Christ in the Holy Eucharist. Then our Good Shepherd instituted the sacrament of the priesthood to serve humanity remembering the sacred words of Christ, “I came to serve and not to be served”.
During supper, Christ our Lord who came from God knew that He is going to God got up from the table and took off His outer robe and tied a towel around Himself, then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of His disciples and then wiped them with the towel that He had around him, saying, “Do you know what I have done to you? you call me Lord, Master and teacher-and you are right. That is what I am. And I your master and Lord have washed your feet. you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
And Christ our Lord today gives them a commandment saying, “Love one another as I have loved you. Do as I have done to you”. So let us imitate our Master and serve one another and bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to all.
During supper, Christ our Lord who came from God knew that He is going to God got up from the table and took off His outer robe and tied a towel around Himself, then He poured water into a basin and began to wash the feet of His disciples and then wiped them with the towel that He had around him, saying, “Do you know what I have done to you? you call me Lord, Master and teacher-and you are right. That is what I am. And I your master and Lord have washed your feet. you also ought to wash one another’s feet.
And Christ our Lord today gives them a commandment saying, “Love one another as I have loved you. Do as I have done to you”. So let us imitate our Master and serve one another and bring Christ’s love and forgiveness to all.
Friday, December 12, 2014
Second Sunday-Advent B
Second Sunday in Advent-BToday we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent. This Sunday is called, ‘John the Baptist Sunday’. This Sunday is also called a Sunday of Hope. It’s not that easy to understand the last prophet of the Testaments. Even two thousand years ago, people could not understand John the Baptist fully. A few people comprehended what John the Baptist meant when he said, “prepare the way of the Lord”. And even fewer people could understand when he said, “I am unworthy to untie the thong of His sandals”. Today John the Baptist invites people for repentance and baptism. He calls them out to come out of their shells and meet the Christ whom they were longing for.
school principal called the house of one of his teachers to find out why he was not in school. He was greeted by a small child who whisper: “Hello?”
“Is your Daddy home?” asked the principal.
“Yes,” answered the whispering child.
“May I talk with him?” the man asked.
“No,” replied the small voice.
“Is your Mommy there?” he asked.
“Yes,” came the answer.
“May I talk with her?”
Again the small voice whispered, “No.”
“All right,” said the man, “Is there any one there besides you?”
“Yes,” whispered the child, “A policeman.”
“A policeman? Now, may I speak with the policeman?”
“No, he's busy,” whispered the child..
“Busy doing what?” asked the principal.
“Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the fireman,” came the child’s answer.
“The fireman? Has there been a fire in the house or something?” asked the worried man.
“No,” whispered the child.
“Then what are the police and fireman doing there?”
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a soft giggle," They are looking for me.”
John the Baptist invites people to leave behind their sins and be baptized. He asks them to come out of their shells so that God could find them. God will surely find them but at the same time, it is up to us to go to Him to experience His love and kindness. Even we go away from Him, He will never leave us alone. We might hide from Him and we might run away from Him but no body could escape from His love and kindness. Our God will approach us with His compassion and love and He will fill us with lights in the day and hope in the night.
The question today is what was John about? And why did he do what he did?
John the Baptist is the very voice of Advent- the voice of the coming of the Lord to intervene in the relationship between God and ourselves. What he said was not merely a word about Jesus, it was the gospel, and it was the beginning of the Good News for the world.
The words of John still inspires those who want to walk with Jesus, who want to find their way out of the wilderness and into the promised land.
There is an old Chinese proverb tells us that a journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step. John came to point out what that step must be. He pointed out that the way of the Lord must be prepared, and that way is not simply a highway in the desert but rather it is a highway in our hearts.
There is a story about a man who went to a spiritual Master and said, “Master, I want to find happiness. In search of happiness, I studied the scriptures and visited all the holy places and did everything according to the commandment of God. But I could not find happiness, what should I do?” At this point, the master began to serve him tea. He poured the man’s cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring. Since the cup was full, tea began to run on the floor. The man then stopped the master and said, “My cup is full. Please stop pouring”. Then the master looked at him and said, “Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. And how can I show the way unless you first empty your cup?’
How can we welcome Christ, how can we enter the Promised Land with Him, if we have no place in our hearts for Him?
John the Baptist came to prepare the place for Jesus the Lord.
The message of John the Baptist was, “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins”. Repent: What does the word repent mean? Repent means to turn around, to change direction. It means to face a new way and have the courage to leave behind the old way.
And be baptized for the forgiveness of sins
Conclusion: As we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent, we are called to become John the Baptist, we are called to prepare the way of the lord helping others to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. It is our duty to help them to know the love and kindness of god and it is our duty to help them to know the real meaning of divine forgiveness. So as we celebrate advent, let us prepare the way to welcome Christ our saviour in our hearts. Amen.
school principal called the house of one of his teachers to find out why he was not in school. He was greeted by a small child who whisper: “Hello?”
“Yes,” answered the whispering child.
“May I talk with him?” the man asked.
“No,” replied the small voice.
“Is your Mommy there?” he asked.
“Yes,” came the answer.
“May I talk with her?”
Again the small voice whispered, “No.”
“All right,” said the man, “Is there any one there besides you?”
“Yes,” whispered the child, “A policeman.”
“A policeman? Now, may I speak with the policeman?”
“No, he's busy,” whispered the child..
“Busy doing what?” asked the principal.
“Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the fireman,” came the child’s answer.
“The fireman? Has there been a fire in the house or something?” asked the worried man.
“No,” whispered the child.
“Then what are the police and fireman doing there?”
Still whispering, the young voice replied with a soft giggle," They are looking for me.”
John the Baptist invites people to leave behind their sins and be baptized. He asks them to come out of their shells so that God could find them. God will surely find them but at the same time, it is up to us to go to Him to experience His love and kindness. Even we go away from Him, He will never leave us alone. We might hide from Him and we might run away from Him but no body could escape from His love and kindness. Our God will approach us with His compassion and love and He will fill us with lights in the day and hope in the night.
The question today is what was John about? And why did he do what he did?
John the Baptist is the very voice of Advent- the voice of the coming of the Lord to intervene in the relationship between God and ourselves. What he said was not merely a word about Jesus, it was the gospel, and it was the beginning of the Good News for the world.
The words of John still inspires those who want to walk with Jesus, who want to find their way out of the wilderness and into the promised land.
There is an old Chinese proverb tells us that a journey of a thousand miles must begin with one step. John came to point out what that step must be. He pointed out that the way of the Lord must be prepared, and that way is not simply a highway in the desert but rather it is a highway in our hearts.
There is a story about a man who went to a spiritual Master and said, “Master, I want to find happiness. In search of happiness, I studied the scriptures and visited all the holy places and did everything according to the commandment of God. But I could not find happiness, what should I do?” At this point, the master began to serve him tea. He poured the man’s cup full and then kept on pouring and pouring. Since the cup was full, tea began to run on the floor. The man then stopped the master and said, “My cup is full. Please stop pouring”. Then the master looked at him and said, “Like this cup, you are full of your own opinions and speculations. And how can I show the way unless you first empty your cup?’
How can we welcome Christ, how can we enter the Promised Land with Him, if we have no place in our hearts for Him?
John the Baptist came to prepare the place for Jesus the Lord.
The message of John the Baptist was, “Repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins”. Repent: What does the word repent mean? Repent means to turn around, to change direction. It means to face a new way and have the courage to leave behind the old way.
And be baptized for the forgiveness of sins
Conclusion: As we celebrate the second Sunday in Advent, we are called to become John the Baptist, we are called to prepare the way of the lord helping others to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of their sins. It is our duty to help them to know the love and kindness of god and it is our duty to help them to know the real meaning of divine forgiveness. So as we celebrate advent, let us prepare the way to welcome Christ our saviour in our hearts. Amen.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Advent-1 (B)
First Advent-B
Good morning every one, today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates a new liturgical season called ‘Advent’. Advent simply means ‘coming’. We are celebrating the coming of Christ the Lord. We are anxiously waiting for His coming. As He promised to His apostles and all the people, He would come again. He will be coming to judge and give us life that will never end.
Today’s gospel invites us to keep awake. Christ is coming and we have to keep awake to welcome Him.
Once while a priest was preaching his homily, noticed a man sound asleep. As the priest preached louder and louder, the sounder the man slept and at point the priest stopped preaching and looked at the man next to him and said, ‘would you please wake him up” The man said to the priest and said, “wake him up yourself. You put him to sleep”.
Keep awake the Lord is coming. Keeping awake is a process. we keep awake ourselves by prayer, fasting and works of mercy. Yes, we not only come to church to pray but we continue our prayers throughout our life. We Catholics do our daily prayers, family prayers, individual prayer and recite rosary and novenas and different prayers and intercessions. We ask Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints to intercede for our needs.
Keeping awake is a process and we keep ourselves awake by living according to our call.
We are all called to different sacrament life. Some are called to consecrated life such as priests, religious and others are called matrimonial life. The sacrament of matrimony takes you closer to Christ our Lord. As we live according to our call, we keep ourselves awake.
keep awake the Lord is coming. Keeping awake is a process. we keep ourselves awake by helping other, I mean, putting our faith into practice.
Once during a battle between Christians and Muslims, a Christian soldier was giving water to wounded Muslim soldiers as they were suffering without water under the hot sun. And he was brought before the king and accused of being a traitor. The king heard the charges and looked at the soldier for explanation. The soldier then looked at the king and said, “when I was walking through the battlefields, I saw no Muslims and no Christians, only the face of Christ in every man”. The king then calmly said, ‘Continue what you are doing”. Dear friends, the Lord is coming and with hope we should continue to help those who are in need.
Keep awake. Keeping ourselves awake is a process. Why should we keep awake because the Lord is coming not as an appointed time but in an unexpected time. It could be today or tomorrow or some day. But He is coming as he promised. So let us keep awake and welcome the Lord. On that day, we will be judged and be given life that will never end.
Conclusion: The season of Advent invites us to keep awake and welcome the Lord who is going to come in an unexpected time. So let us keep awake by putting our faith into practice. Amen.
Good morning every one, today the Holy Catholic Church celebrates a new liturgical season called ‘Advent’. Advent simply means ‘coming’. We are celebrating the coming of Christ the Lord. We are anxiously waiting for His coming. As He promised to His apostles and all the people, He would come again. He will be coming to judge and give us life that will never end.
Today’s gospel invites us to keep awake. Christ is coming and we have to keep awake to welcome Him.
Once while a priest was preaching his homily, noticed a man sound asleep. As the priest preached louder and louder, the sounder the man slept and at point the priest stopped preaching and looked at the man next to him and said, ‘would you please wake him up” The man said to the priest and said, “wake him up yourself. You put him to sleep”.
Keep awake the Lord is coming. Keeping awake is a process. we keep awake ourselves by prayer, fasting and works of mercy. Yes, we not only come to church to pray but we continue our prayers throughout our life. We Catholics do our daily prayers, family prayers, individual prayer and recite rosary and novenas and different prayers and intercessions. We ask Blessed Virgin Mary and other saints to intercede for our needs.
Keeping awake is a process and we keep ourselves awake by living according to our call.
We are all called to different sacrament life. Some are called to consecrated life such as priests, religious and others are called matrimonial life. The sacrament of matrimony takes you closer to Christ our Lord. As we live according to our call, we keep ourselves awake.
keep awake the Lord is coming. Keeping awake is a process. we keep ourselves awake by helping other, I mean, putting our faith into practice.
Once during a battle between Christians and Muslims, a Christian soldier was giving water to wounded Muslim soldiers as they were suffering without water under the hot sun. And he was brought before the king and accused of being a traitor. The king heard the charges and looked at the soldier for explanation. The soldier then looked at the king and said, “when I was walking through the battlefields, I saw no Muslims and no Christians, only the face of Christ in every man”. The king then calmly said, ‘Continue what you are doing”. Dear friends, the Lord is coming and with hope we should continue to help those who are in need.
Keep awake. Keeping ourselves awake is a process. Why should we keep awake because the Lord is coming not as an appointed time but in an unexpected time. It could be today or tomorrow or some day. But He is coming as he promised. So let us keep awake and welcome the Lord. On that day, we will be judged and be given life that will never end.
Conclusion: The season of Advent invites us to keep awake and welcome the Lord who is going to come in an unexpected time. So let us keep awake by putting our faith into practice. Amen.
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