A married couple came to the elder. They often quarreled. He listened, remained silent, and then said: "When both want to be right-the devil comes. When one remains silent-God comes. It's better to give in than to destroy love. If you want to be happy-be the first to forgive."

What a practical but hard advice to hear and act on for all of us, married or single. The devil is looking for ways to separate us from one another and from God. Is it necessary for us to be right--self-righteous--in our own eyes, and sin in the eyes of God? It takes discipline to remain silent rather to offend the other and God. And yet, that is the way of the Lord. Jesus remained silent before his accusers, even though he knew they were wrong. He did it out of love of the Father and out of love for us. Jesus asks us to take the higher road and know the peace that comes from God.

 "As you are aware, man, in his words, does not die; he is immortal in them, and they will speak after his death." St John of Kronstadt

How insightful are these words! Many times we don't think before we speak. We say things that are not up building to another person. We say things behind people's back. But those words are immortal in the sense that on the Day of Judgment every thought, word and deed will be brought to light. Nothing will be hidden. Knowing this, should make us more vigilant what we say or do. For one day they may come back to haunt us in the presence of God. We can't take back the words of the past, but we can become more conscious and concerned about our speech.

 Homily Fourth Sunday Year A

Reading 1: Zephaniah continued the prophetic ministry to Israel. He was a number of prophets were raised up by the Lord to call the Chosen People back to justice and truth. But the people did not always heed the warning of a time of chastisement from God. Yet, there were those who were faithful to the Lord. To these he urged that they continue to seek the Lord.

The connection between the first reading and the Gospel is the remnant of the Lord, who were poor in spirit, humble, seeking what is right and just, depending on the Lord, keeping the commands of the Lord.

The Lord wants us to seek him, to desire to be in his presence. Life is a journey from God to God. Our life begins with God creating us in his own image and likeness. He created us that we may share his life forever in glory. He is our beginning and our end. 

St. Augustine said that during this journey our hearts are restless until they rest in God. Seeking the Lord is part of this journey, in fact it is the most essential part. The message of Zephaniah is just as relevant today as it was when he first uttered it 

Gospel: Jesus draws a blueprint for true and lasting happiness. This plan of life is contrary to the human standards of behavior. Natural human wisdom of the world would not agree with Jesus. It would say blessed are the strong; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for power; blessed are those who get what they want no matter the cost to others; blessed are those righteous in their own eyes; blessed are those who divide and conquer.

Jesus is counter cultural. The focus for Jesus is right relationship with God. He begins with the premise that human beings are created in the image and likeness of God. In spite of the fact of weakness of human nature because of sin, man is fully alive only to the extent he is in relationship with God. His true happiness is not in material wealth or possessions, but in his depending upon God, recognizing that all belongs and come from God. Man is a steward of God’s goods.

Each of the beatitudes reflect a conscious choice to be dependent on God and to follow the way of God. Each reflect an attitude of the heart, a reference in life.

Reading 2 Paul speaks about the importance of a right self-understanding. This understanding is based on the reality that we have been called by God by name. He has written our name of the palm of his hand, as the psalmist says. We have been called not only to be creatures of God but sons and daughters of God. God calls us not because we are special, better than others, due to our wealth or popularity. God called us because he saw us alienated from him, living in darkness and sin.

He called us when we were weak and despised, having no worth on our own. We are who we are because of the grace of God. Without God I am nothing and I have nothing of lasting value. But because of God, whether I have much in this world or less, I am a son or daughter of God. St. Francis once said: I am who I am in the eyes of God and nothing else. My good fortune and popularity of physical blessings do not make me who I truly am. With Paul, I proclaim: “Let no one boast except in the Lord.”

 "Do not despair over your shortcomings. Start over each day. You make spiritual progress by continually beginning again and again." St. Francis de Sales

One of the blocks and temptations of the Father of lies is discouragement and despair. It is a favorite tool to distract us in our spiritual journey. Many times we don't see progress in a particular area of our lives that we are trying to change. We become impatient with ourselves and feel somewhat hopeless. Success comes with faithfulness, prayer, persistence and patience,  The farmer prepares the soil, plants the seed and water it. He doesn't check the ground each day. So must we. Continue to work on our fault whether we see improvement of not. Something is happening by the grace of God though we do not perceive it at a given moment.

 Fourth Sunday Ordinary Gospel A

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

· Matthew lists nine “beatitudes”; Luke only includes four.

He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· Luke says: "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” What is the difference between the two statements?  The “poor in spirit” includes anyone who totally depend upon the Lord for their sustenance, whether they have or do not have. Luke seems to focus on the materially disposed.

 Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. 

· Luke states: “Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.” What is the difference between the two statements?

· The mourning Matthew is referring to is not physical sadness but sadness over the effects of sin in one’s life and in the world. They are blessed because such mourning leads to repentance and return to the Lord.

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. 

· Jesus said that he was meek and humble of heart and that we are to learn to imitate him.  Meekness is not weakness but an attitude of humility instead of pride or self-righteousness. Meekness sees oneself as one is before God.

Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.

· Luke states: “Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.” Luke talks about a physical hunger, while Matthew, a spiritual hunger for God’s will. “Righteousness” is another word for the will of God.

Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 

· Another way of saying this is—the measure by which you measure to others will be the measure that will be used by which you will be measured or treated.

· If we wish God to be merciful to us, then we need to be merciful to others.

Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. 

· Another way of saying this is “pure of heart” or “single hearted.”  To be clean of heart is have God as one’s focus and to choose to remain at one with God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. 

· These are the ones who seek to reconcile people, who seek unity rather than division among people. It is not peace at all cost. But it is the willingness to pay the cost of lasting peace, which includes forgives and healing.

Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

· We can be persecuted for a variety of reasons. Here the reason for the blessedness is that the person is persecuted because they are following the will of God.

Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me.

· Luke states: “Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.”

· The reason for the persecution in both statements is their relationship with and commitment to Jesus.

Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”

· Make personal each beatitude and see how many reflect your life.

· What response do you want to make as a result of your reflections?

 Blessed is the crisis that made you grow, the fall that made you gaze up to heaven, the problem that made you look for God.! St. Padre Pio

Sometimes God allows things to happen to us to get our attention. Without realizing it, these may be graces from God. We may see them as difficulties, but God sees them as opportunities to draw us closer to him. It is all in how we perceive the working of God in our lives. St. Paul experienced many negative situations, from imprisonment to shipwreck, from beatings to rejection. Rather than becoming despondent and thinking that God had abandoned him, he saw these as opportunities to serve the Lord in greater ways. Don't miss the graces that God is giving you through these difficult moments and trials.

 "No one will ever be the servant of the Son without serving the Mother." St. Ildephonsus

What true son would not like to see his mother honored and loved? When one serves the Mother of Jesus, he is serving her Son. To serve and love the Mother takes nothing from the Son. It is because of the Son that the Mother is served. For Jesus himself called her blessed for hearing and acting on the word of God to her. Our devotion to Mary is rooted in our love of God. At the same time, not to serve and honor the Mother whom God has himself honored with the greatest dignity, to be the Mother of the Savior, is an affront to the Son himself. 

 God's love calls us to move beyond fear. We ask God for the courage to abandon ourselves unreservedly, so that we might be molded by God's grace, even as we cannot see where that path may lead." St. Ignatius Loyola

What motivated the saints in their journey to eternal life? It was the conviction of God's love for them, in spite of their fears of the unknown. They learned to put their lives in the hand of God, even though they did not know the future in store for them. God has created us for himself to with him forever. All he does in our life is directed to that end. As we entrust our lives to his will, stumble we may, discourage we may, but with the grace of perseverance, we will reach our destiny. Pray for that grace and keep your eyes fixed on the Lord.

 "Christ made my soul beautiful with the jewels of grace3 and virtue. I belong to Him whom the angels serve." St. Agnes

Though a youth of twelve when she was martyred for her faith in Christ, she had a keen realization of what was her identity and destiny. She was created and redeemed by Jesus, who shared his divine life with her. She belonged to him. She knew to be with the one who loved her and whom she loved, she had to serve him, even if it meant sacrificing our life, as he sacrificed his life. We too belong to Christ. We too are called to serve him with our life, if we want to be with him eternally. "He who loses his life for my sake, will find life eternal."

 Third Sunday Ordinary Gospel A

When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew to Galilee. 

· Jesus had gone down to the Jordan in Judea where John was baptizing. Now, he returns to Galilee to begin his own ministry. It was safer for Jesus to minister in Galilee rather than Judea.

· John’s official ministry ends and Jesus’ begins. John had already realized this when he said: “I must decrease and he must increase.”

He left Nazareth and went to live in Capernaum by the sea, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles, the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death light has arisen. 

· One of the characteristics of Matthew’s Gospel is to show that Jesus fulfills the prophetic word of the Old Testament.

· Zebulun was the 10th son of Jacob and Naphtali was the 6th son. The area of Third Galilee was the portion of the Promised Land given to these two tribes.

· Isaiah was prophesying about the coming of the future Messiah as a light to a land of darkness.

From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

· John the Baptist proclaims a message of repentance in anticipation of the immediate coming of the Messiah. Jesus preaches a message of repentance in order to enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

As he was walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew, casting a net into the sea; they were fishermen. 

· In Matthew’s Gospel this is the first encounter between Jesus and the future disciples. In John’s Gospel, Jesus has already evangelized Andrew and has encountered Simon. It must not have been a life-changing experience because he goes back fishing.

He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” At once they left their nets and followed him.

· What was different with this encounter? Jesus gave them an invitation to become his disciples and to join him in the work of evangelization.

· Matthew said they immediately left all and followed Jesus. Another Gospel indicates that it was more dramatic than that. It was after the marvelous catch of fish that convinced them to follow Jesus.

 He walked along from there and saw two other brothers, James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat, with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. He called them, and immediately they left their boat and their father and followed him. 

· Jesus has called us to be his disciples. How quickly and totally have we responded?

He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people.

· The ministry of Jesus was simple and straightforward. He taught wherever he could, he preached the message of truth and he healed as a sign of the full salvation to come.

· Having reflected on this passage what application do we make in our lives?

 "I would sooner fail standing by the truth than succeed by remaining silent" St. Sebastian

St. Sebastian was facing death when he proclaimed these words. How often have we remained silent rather than speak the truth, for fear of rejection? It is easier to be silent rather than speak the truth. But what will our silent cost us, when we stand before the judgement seat of God? What will our standing up for the truth do for us standing before the Lord? God calls to be witnesses of his truth no matter the human consequences because of the eternal consequences. Be silent no longer, but be courageous and bold.

 "Remain steadfast in the truth, for from the cross of Christ all power and grace is given to us." St. Marcellus I"

What sustained the early martyrs, was their faith in Christ's death and resurrection. They were willing to sacrifice their lives rather than sacrifice their relationship with God. Today, modern martyrs are witnessing this same conviction, choosing life with Christ rather than life without Christ. Do we have the same conviction? We may not be faced with actual martyrdom, but we are faced with moral choices. The world calls us to follow what is contrary to God. Christ calls us to follow his way of life. What the world offers will lead to eternal destruction. What Christ offers will lead to eternal life. What choices are we making in this struggle for our souls?

 "Compassion born in solitude makes us very much aware of our own historicity. We are not called to respond to generalities but to the concrete facts with which we are confronted day after day. A compassionate man can no longer look at these manifestations of evil and death as disturbing interruptions of his life plan but rather has to confront them as an opportunity for the conversion of himself and his fellow human beings. Every time in history that men and women have been able to respond to the events of their world as an occasion to change their hearts, an inexhaustible source of generosity and new life has been opened, offering hope far beyond the limits of human prediction." Henri Nouwen

Jesus had compassion on the people of his day, who were like sheep without a shepherd. Out of this compassion he ministered to them and their hearts were touched. God is calling us not to close our eyes on the struggles of people around us. While we can't change everything, our compassion, expressed in concern will bring about a new change in us to be able to do what God wants us to do. As God has had compassion for us in our struggles, so he is asking us to show the same compassion for others. 

 "When God helps us, a spider's web becomes a protecting wall; and without his help, a wall is no more protection than a spider's web." St. Paulinus

St. Paulinus was reflecting on story from the life of St. Felix. He was pursued by Roman soldiers, who wanted to capture, torture and execute him for being a Christian. In his flight, St. Felix came across a small hole in a wall, in which he crawled through, hoping that the soldiers would not notice the opening. When the soldiers came they saw the hole but it was covered by a spider's web. Seeing it unbroken they moved on. St. Felix's life was spared by God in his marvelous ways. We need to turn to the Lord and to trust in his help and divine providence. He is our only hope and security.

 Second Sunday Ordinary Gospel A

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. He is the one of whom I said, ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ 

· The title Lamb of God is given to Jesus by John. It is based on the OT concept both of the Paschal lamb that was yearly sacrificed as an offering to God and on the Suffering Servant theme found in Isaiah.

· By equating Jesus with this title John is foreshadowing Jesus’ passion and death by which the sins of the world will be forgiven.

· By indicating that Jesus had a pre-existence may be an inspiration from the Holy Spirit that allowed John to see Jesus from a different perspective. Before, he knew Jesus as his cousin. Now, by the revelation of the Spirit, he sees Jesus as the one he had been speaking about, the Messiah.

I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” 

· John did not know Jesus to be the Messiah before this moment, even though John was testifying to the immediate coming of promised Messiah. There is a sense of excitement and awe in his words

John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him.

· According to Luke this coming of the Spirit upon Jesus was following the Baptism and only Jesus was aware of this experience. According to Matthew, John also witnessed both the voice from heaven and the external manifestation of the Spirit. According to John the evangelist, the Baptizer experienced this before the baptism of Jesus and that is why he felt unworthy to baptize Jesus.

I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 

· God had prepared John to recognize the Messiah through the external sign of the descent of the Spirit upon one of those who would come to him.

· Notice the difference between John’s baptism and the baptism that Jesus would institute. John’s baptized with water as a preparation for coming of the Messiah, but no sins were forgiven. It indicated openness to the reconciliation that comes from the Messiah. Jesus called for baptism in water and the Holy Spirit, which fully reconciled the person to God and brought the person into the fullness of God’s life as a son or daughter.

Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”

· First, he identified Jesus as the Lamb of God. Now, he adds a further insight by proclaiming him to be the Son of God.

· It is the Spirit of God who enables John to give such a testimony without knowing the full impact of the title “Son of God.”

· Here John testifies with his words. Later, he will testify with his life.

· We are call to also testify to others who Jesus is to us. How conscious are we of this? How faithful are we to the work of testimony and witness?

· What practical application do we make from this reflection?

 "Little children follow and obey their father. They love their mother. They know nothing of covetousness, ill-will, bad temper, arrogance and lying. This state of mind opens the road to heaven. To imitate our Lord's own humility, we must return to the simplicity of God's little ones." St. Hilary of Poitiers

The simplicity, trust and innocence of a child is somehow lost as one moves along the road to adulthood. The spiritual life is rooted in the lesson taught by Jesus. "Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the kingdom of God." It is the heart of the child that Jesus is referring to. It is a humble heart of total trust and dependency upon others. What is natural for a child must be relearned by the adult. It is not an easy process, but one that is endowed with the grace and strength of God, if we ask. Remember the words of Jesus: "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart." 

 "Dying to the world, living for God. Dying to vices and living by the virtues. Dying to the flesh, but living in the spirit....and in the Cross of Christ there is life. The death of death is there and the life of the life. The death of sins is there and the life of the virtues. The death of the flesh is there and the life of the spirit." St. Antonio Maria Pucci

As baptized sons and daughters of the living God, this is our journey to the resurrected life of eternity. It is through the Cross. Dying to self, to all that is sinful, all that is opposed to God--that is way of purification that leads to glorification and union with God. We choose to die to these blocks, these sins, so that we can live with God. This is the narrow road pointed to us by Jesus.

 "You cannot put straight in others what is warped in yourself." St. Athanasius

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How often we react to a fault in another because it reflects our own fault in the same area! Jesus addressed this when he said: "Remove the plank from your own eye before removing the splinter in your brother's eye."  If we spent more time dealing and removing the fault within us, we may become an example to the other. It is then that we can share in love our concern for the spiritual well-being of the other. What is shared in love and not in judgment will have a greater effect.

 "God's love calls us to move beyond fear. We ask God for the courage to abandon ourselves unreservedly, so that we might be molded by God's grace, even as we cannot see where that path may lead us." St. Ignatius Loyola

Here is mystery! God, who is love, calls us to become perfected thru love. What holds us back is fear of the unknown. Foreseeing this, St. John in his Letter tells us that perfect love casts out fear. The more we live in love, the more we are becoming the person we are meant to be. For if God is love and we are to be with God eternally, then it is only by becoming a loving person in all we do, can that expectation be fulfilled. It is only by God's grace can we grow in love. The two commandments to love God and to love our neighbor are the paths God sets before us.

 "Everyone who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; we are not here, that we may go to bed at night, and get up in the morning, toil for our bread, eat and drink, laugh and joke, sin when we have a mind, and reform when we are tired of sinning, rear a family and die. God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, . . . for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”  St. John Neumann

Do you know your purpose for existence? Are you trying to fulfill your purpose, as God wills you to? Many people live their lives without ever recognizing their true purpose. Many people end their lives without fulfilling that purpose. What a waste of life! That purpose is not a mystery, hidden away. It is revealed to us. We are made to be with God eternally. "God so loved the world that he gave us his only Begotten Son so that those who believe in him will not perish but have eternal life."

 “I plead with you – never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.” Pope St. John Paul II

These words of St. John Paul II are so applicable to us at different times in our spiritual journey. Over and over we encounter trials and difficulties, set-backs and disappointments. This has been true throughout the history of Christianity. The temptation has always to give in and give up. Yet, the grace of God calls us to be faithful in our race for the greater prize, eternal life with God. Many have gone before us, enduring greater trials than we will ever experience. They clung to the Word of God and his promises. They won the crown of glory. So will we, if we remain steadfast in our union with God.

 “God is more pleased by one work, however small, done secretly, without desire that it be known, than a thousand done with the desire that people know of them. Those who work for God with purest love not only care nothing about whether others see their works, but do not even seek that God himself know of them. Such persons would not cease to render God the same services, with the same joy and purity of love, even if God were never to know of these.“ St. John of the Cross

Why do we do what we do?  Do we do it for others to see and commend us? Jesus said, if so, we have our reward, which will prove empty. Do we do it so that God sees, as if we have to impress God or get his approval? Are we really fulfilled? God does not need our good deeds. But if we do something out of love of God, as a gift in response to his far greater love, then, we will be fulfilled. Where our heart is there is our treasure. For it is only authentic love that transforms us into the person God has willed into existence.