Daily Catholic Reflection: November 10, 2020, Memorial of Saint Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church, Year A

Titus 2.1-8. 11-1,

Ps 37:3-4.18,

Luke 17:7- 10 Full Readings

Saint Leo the Great

 Humble and True Christian Service

In the first reading, the Letter to Titus, St Paul specifies how believers should live the moral life that is worthy of their Christian calling. It can be rightly called “The code of Christian Conduct” for all (Men and women, old and young). It is a call to live devoutly while waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Along the same line of thought, the gospel reading reminds us of the need to carry out our Christian duties even without being reminded of them. We should not expect to be praised for living our Christian life the way we ought to live it.

Daily Catholic Reflection: November 9, 2020: Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, Year A

Reading 1: EZ 47:1-2, 8-9, 12

Responsorial Psalm: 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

Reading II: 1 COR 3:9C-11, 16-17

Gospel: JN 2:13-22                            Full Readings

Dedication of St. John Lateran

We are the Temples of the Holy Spirit

Today we celebrate the feast of the dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the first church ever known to have been built, and the church of the Pope himself (not St Peter's Basilica).The church operated for about 300 years without any church building. Fanta, the wife of Emperor Constantine, gave her Lateran palace to Pope St Miltiades. Pope St Sylvester consecrated it on 9 November 324 AD. This was the first public consecration of a church. Afterwards, it became the residence of the popes and venue of many ecumenical councils. In the gospel of today, we have the incident of Jesus cleansing the Temple of Jerusalem, however, this temple was his body and so, we should keep our body, holy, pure and cleansed of all sin because our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Daily Catholic Reflection: November 8, 2020, Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.

Wisdom 6: 12-16,

Psalm 63:2.3-4.5-6.7-8,

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,

Matthew 25:1 -13 Full Readings

Blessed John Duns Scotus

 The Coming of the Bridegroom

Brethren, the coming of the Bridegroom, Jesus, to meet his bride, the church, needs us to be prepared so that when he comes to meet us we are worthy to be married to him eternally to him, savouring his goodness and sweetness forever. This theme runs through today's readings.

Daily Catholic Reflection: November 7, 2020, Saturday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Philippians 4:10-19,

Psalm 112:1b-2.5-6.8a,

Luke 16:9-15 Full Readings

Saint Didacus

 Use your Money to Make Friends

St Paul is depicted as showing gratitude to the Philippians for their generosity towards his mission. Missionaries should learn how to be self-sufficient, live in all circumstances – abundance, want, hunger. Those who support missionaries accumulate treasures for themselves in heaven. That is the “profit that accrues to their account.”  *How many Missionaries and Gospel heralds have you helped in any way you can?* Remember the prayers they pray for you as St Paul does will be fulfilled and God will reward you abundantly. The gospel of today calls on us for two things: to use our money to make friends not just selfish desires and secondly, to be faithful in everything no matter how small. Doing little things well, doing ordinary things in an extraordinary manner will fetch us greater things in this life and in the world to come. Since no slave can serve two masters, God’s servants must serve him at every moment and with all their energy. There is no half-measure, part-time and spare-time job in the service of God.

Daily Catholic Reflection: November 6, 2020, Friday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Philippians 3:17-4:1,

Ps122:1-2,3-4ab, 4cd-5,

Luke 16:1-8 Full Readings

Saint Nicholas Tavelic and Companions

 Acting shrewdly for the Kingdom

Brethren, today's Gospel, if understood literally, may be shocking. After a dishonest servant had mishandled his master's property and then told that he is going to be removed from his job, he reduces the debts of the other servants so that they will welcome him after he had been stripped off his job. The master praised him for acting shrewdly. However, Jesus' last words are quite emotional, that the children of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the children of light. What is the message of this parable?

Daily Catholic Reflection: November 5, 2020, Thursday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Philippians 3 :3-8a,

Psalm 105.2-3.4-5.6-7,

Luke 15: 1-10 Full Readings

Saint Peter Chrysologus

 The Joy for A Repentant Sinner

Today's Gospel presents to us two parables: the parable of the lost sheep and the parable of the lost coin. These parables are all in the context of welcoming sinners, because Jesus told them when the Pharisees asked him why he associates with sinners. These parables pass the same message, that there is joy in heaven when a sinner repents, this also presupposes joy in the church here on earth.

Daily Catholic Reflection: November 4, 2020, Memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo, bishop, Year A

Philippians 2: 12-18,

Psalm 27:1.4.13-14,

Luke 14:25-33 Full Readings

Saint Charles Borromeo

 Counting the Coast

Jesus does not pull his punches, and here delivers a series of devastating body-blows to anyone who is looking for easy discipleship. All through this journey up to Jesus’ own death at Jerusalem the cost of discipleship has been a recurrent theme: ‘Let the dead bury their dead’, the Parable of the Rich Fool, ‘From one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded’, ‘Father against son, son against father’, and now ‘Hate father and mother’ and ‘Give up all your possessions’. A certain amount of the vigour of these demands may be attributed to a Semitic mode of expression, ease of superlatives and lack of comparatives, but there is no doubt about the absolute demands made on the disciple. When Jesus made these demands he knew what lay ahead of him, and was only asking his disciples to follow his own course. We must count the cost before beginning to build the tower. Most of us have, of course, already started to build the tower. There is no turning back from the plough, only prayer for courage and loyalty which exceed our own powers.