Sunday Masses Reflection
March 13, 2021 (Luke 9:28B-36)
God's call is for us to not just have a mountain top
experience, but to live it on the ground in the midst of
others who hunger and thirst to hear that they are God's
cherished. Our experience and remembrance of Jesus,
transfigured and broken for us, will forever keep sacred and
support us on our religious path. We revere Jesus as a
divine messenger sent to show us what it is to be human.
With our numerous flaws, Jesus urges us to grow in
holiness. We may not have amazing visions, but we must
nonetheless faithfully follow God. We can't please God
until we have faith.
March 20, 2021 (Luke 13:1-9)
Informs us about the fruitless fig tree fable. It deserved to
be cut down, but thanks to the gardener's intervention, it
has been given another opportunity. God is a merciful God.
We all deserve to die, but He provides us the opportunity to
repent. But let us not take advantage of our dear Father's
generosity. Why wait till later to repent when we can do so
now? This is the significance of the gospel message. We
must repent now or perish.
March 27, 2022 (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32)
In this scenario, the younger son's only option is to return
home. It's not uncommon for people to practice what they'll
say when they get home. The younger son in this story
believed that his carefully prepared remarks would warm
the hearts of his family. "I have sinned against heaven and
before you," he wanted to tell his father. "I am no longer
worthy of the title of son," the father exclaimed, unable to
hear these words. Instead, a party started. The younger son
could never have realized how eagerly his father had
anticipated his homecoming.
April 03, 2022 (John 8:1-11)
The power of Jesus' outstretched arms on the Cross comes
from his love, which knows us better than we know
ourselves and still loves us. What can we contribute to God
in return for his mercy and grace? God, like the prodigal
son last Sunday, is waiting for us to return. It is sometimes
difficult situations that lead us to him. Whatever brought us
to him, Jesus welcomes us with open arms. In front of our
enemies, he sets a table for us and calls us blessed.
Commemoration Masses Reflection
Feast Day of Saint Joseph (Matthew 1:16, 18-21)
Saint Joseph was a man who had to make life-changing
decisions. To discreetly divorce Mary or to pose as a father
to a child who isn't his? To rely in the tangible, visible,
touchable matter of this world and deny the Word given to
him, or to believe a dream that asks him to name and claim
the child? To yell (when he discovered Him) at a youngster
who had been missing for days, rather than hours, or to
listen quietly, inquisitive rather than outraged, to the boy's
unusual reaction to being found?
The lost and found of the child Jesus at Jerusalem is
described in the gospel chapter. Joseph and Mary were
devout Jews. They observed all of their religion's customs
and traditions. They followed Moses' commandments to the
letter. Jesus was obedient to them as His parents, according
to the same scripture.
Holy Week
April 10, 2022 (Luke 22:14-23:56)
According to the Gospel, Jesus rides triumphantly into
Jerusalem on a rented donkey. The throng greeted Jesus by
praising God and shouting "Hosanna!" This event is
recorded in all four Gospels. We read the passion from
Luke's Gospel this year. The details of various events are
recounted in the Passion reading: Jesus' Last Supper, his
prayer in Gethsemane, Judas' treachery, Jesus' arrest,
Peter's rejection of Jesus, and how Jesus was accused and
sentenced to death. We have been set free for holiness and
life because of Jesus' death. Let us listen to the Gospel
reading with prayer. Jesus cried out to God as he died on
the cross, feeling abandoned and alone. Jesus associated
with all people who feel alone and abandoned in our world
in his death.
April 11, 2022 (John 12:1-11)
I can only connect Mary's longing to that of wanting to
accept Our Lord in the Eucharist. To be given the blessing
and grace to receive Him despite my ineligibility. Let us
endeavor to long for the Lord like Mary did this week as
we remember how much He loves and sacrificed for us.
If you have the opportunity this week to attend daily Mass
and receive Him in the Eucharist, do so and reflect on His
love for you. Thank Him for His blessings, for the breath
He gives you every day.
Go to Adoration and sit with Him, thinking about how you
can show Him how much you love Him. He doesn't require
it, but he desires and longs for it.
I'm going to do my best this week to spend as much time as
possible at His feet, not allowing the Iscariots in my life to
distract me from the time I wish to spend with Him.
April 12, 2022 (John 13:21-33, 36-38)
How do we maintain the tenets of Lent - prayer, fasting,
and charity - in the forefront of our minds when the forty
days are over? How do we live in the Resurrection while
remembering Christ's Passion, that enormous sacrifice
made on our behalf that permits us to live in God's
wonderful promises? Through assist me, I keep track of
every detail of Holy Week, from the Holy Thursday service
to the Easter morning celebration. I enjoy every custom,
every bell and sound, inhaling the rising incense and
solidifying these memories with my entire body.
I created post-Easter goals to help me accomplish my
desire to follow Christ more intimately and praise God in
my life, just as I did throughout Lent. I'm always looking
for little ways to respond to Jesus' invitation, "Will you lay
down your life for me?" knowing that, like Peter, I'll have
times of complete failure and sincere repentance, as well as
times of steadfast discipleship. I seek to live as a
Resurrection people, mindful not to betray my Lord, as
Pope Saint John Paul II put it.
April 13, 2022 (Matthew 26:14-25)
I see Jesus looking at Judas with love and tenderness as He
says those words. Jesus still loves Judas despite his
betrayal. I get the impression that Jesus is giving Judas a
second opportunity. Judas may still have reversed his plan
and rescued himself, even at this late hour. Could the
Crucifixion still have occurred? Absolutely! Perhaps in a
different manner.
"You have said so," Jesus said, and this also applies to us.
I'm aware that I have some bad habits that I promise myself
(and God) I will not repeat. "Certainly not me," I answer, "I
can stop, I can do better," and Jesus responds with
compassion and care, "You have said so."
I've stated it before, yet I keep failing. But, despite my
flaws and failures, Jesus still loves me and wants to give
me another chance (and a third, a fourth, and so on). We all
have a little Judas in us. Our purpose, on the other hand, is
to listen to Jesus and follow His loving example, repent of
our sins, and seek forgiveness.
April 14, 2022 (John 13:1-15)
When the idea of the Son of God kneeling down and
washing the feet of His followers is initially offered to
Saint Peter, he rejects it, unable to allow his Savior to serve
him. We're all tempted to put limits on what God can do in
our lives at certain times. We believe we are undeserving,
or we believe God is so remote from human experience that
He can't possibly care about our everyday lives. We
convince ourselves that God will never provide for our
requirements.
When Jesus warns Peter that if his feet are not cleansed, he
will "have no inheritance" with Jesus, Peter rapidly changes
his mind. Our Lord is virtually asking Peter to wash not
only his feet, but also his hands and head. Though Peter
may still be perplexed as to why Jesus wants to execute a
menial duty, he recognizes that his concerns pale in
comparison to his love for Jesus, and he eagerly accepts the
Lord's request. As the Triduum begins, we, too, must let go
of whatever is preventing us from accepting our Lord's love
and care, and instead dive headfirst into His mercy.
April 15, 2022 (John 18:1-19:42)
I am struck to my core by the power of the Gospel today
more than any other day in the Church year. On Good
Friday, I go from being a woman who is listening to a story
to being a direct witness to a catastrophe. I find it difficult
to utter the words "Crucify Him" because they make me
feel so guilty. I'd like to believe I'd have had the guts to
scream "DON'T Crucify Him!" "But I'm not sure I'd be that
brave." Then I'm hit by the realization that I speak those
words every time I sin or fail to exhibit God's love and
mercy to others. I'm forced to admit that I'm not always a
reliable witness.
Beyond the Good Friday story, there is power, love, and
joy in His boundless goodness to His children. I've heard
the Gospel and experienced the Easter Sunday happy
conclusion, but how do I live out that story in my daily
interactions and actions? This is a tremendous day to think,
question, and immerse ourselves in the events that lay the
groundwork for our capacity to attain Eternal Life.
April 16, 2022 (Luke 24:1-12)
God chose women to be distinctive and intimate witnesses
to His truth. The women were doing their job, which was to
bring spices to anoint the corpse. God found them qualified
to be the first to witness and announce the Good News
because they were faithful to their womanly role.
But, especially in a world that rejects hope, our faith can
weaken, and we may feel too weak or insecure to
communicate the hope of the Resurrection. Yes, we are
helpless. But we are brave, humble, and faithful in God. He
empowers us to achieve great things in His name by simply
carrying out our daily responsibilities, as the women at the
tomb did. We, too, are sinners like Mary Magdalene, whom
God chose to be "the apostle to the Apostles," and we, too,
are invited to proclaim Christ Resurrected in our daily lives
by living out the miraculous hope of Easter morning.
April 17, 2022 (John 20:1-9)
Whatever we are going through right now, we must say
"Alleluia!" "Never allow your worries bring you down; it is
Christ who will help us rise above our circumstances and
be rooted once more in God's love, which comes to us
through Christ Jesus.
Christ shines his light to the world out of the darkness. His
resurrection alters the course of redemptive history and
gives meaning to our suffering. We have the opportunity to
live our lives as God intended and to experience true joy
and satisfaction. Even when we are buried in our sorrows,
we can cling on to the promise that eternal joy is on the
way, and that God will console us in our distress.
