Daily Catholic Reflection: December 8, 2020, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Year B

Genesis 3:9-15.20, 

Psalm98:1.2-3ab.3cd-4,

Ephesians1:3-6.11-12,

Luke 1:26b-38 Full Readings

Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 Mary the Second Eve

Today we celebrate the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of God and the second Eve. We celebrate Mary as the virgin who is “full of grace,” as the archangel Gabriel said at the annunciation as seen in today's Gospel. From earliest times the Church expressed and developed the belief that Mary was conceived without original sin, but it was only in 1854 that Pope Pius IX proclaimed it a dogma. We give thanks to God for having chosen the Blessed Virgin Mary as the mother of the Lord, and our mother, and having preserved her from sin.

Daily Catholic Reflection: November 7, 2020, Memorial of Saint Ambrose, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, Year B

Isaiah 35:1 –10,

Psalm 85:9ab and 10. 11 -12.13-14,

Luke 5:17-26 Full Readings

Saint Ambrose

 Overcoming Obstacles to God's Work in Us

God wants you to begin this new working week with smiles and strong faith in him. So do not allow anything to rob you of that. Learn from the determination of the friends of this paralytic in Luke 5:18-26. The crowd proved to be an obstacle to them but they still found a way to reach Jesus through the roof. There can be a lot of crowds trying to prevent us from coming to Jesus. They can be in the form of doctor’s reports concerning an incurable disease or business that has refused to thrive despite efforts. Listen! St Paul says, even in the midst of all these, you are more than a conqueror (Rom 8:37)! Is there anything, whether Spiritual or physical, abstaining you from receiving the power of God in your Life? Let us endeavour to overcome it personally but also with the help of the church.

Daily Catholic Reflection: December 6, 2020: Second Sunday of Advent, Year B

Isaiah 40: 1-5.9-11,

Ps 85:9ab and 10.11-12.13-14(R.8),

2 Peter 3:8-14,

Mark I: 1-8 Full Readings

Saint Nicholas

 Readiness for the Messiah

In the first reading, the prophet invites the people of Israel, exiled in Babylon, to prepare to welcome the Lord who is coming to free them. Their slavery is about to end. God will save them, but on their part, they must welcome this liberation, cross the desert and begin a new life in a new land.

Daily Catholic Reflection: December 5, 2020, Saturday of the First Week of Advent, Year B

Isaiah 30:19-21.23-26,

Psalm 147: 1-2.3-4.5-6,

Matthew 9:35-10:1.5a.6-8, Full Readings

Saint Sabas

 Plenty Harvest, Less Labourers  

Today’s two readings form a pair. The prophecy of Isaiah promises material plenty – admittedly only agricultural plenty, fodder for the oxen and donkeys, the brightest of sunlight and moonlight – as the Lord’s blessing. This is by God's mercy in  his people. Then in the gospel passage Jesus fulfils the prophetic promises by sending out the disciples urgently to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom by curing the sick, cleansing the lepers and driving out demons. This is after Jesus saw the crowd who were like sheep without a shepherd and then says, the harvest is plenty but the labourers are few and so asks the disciples to pray to the Lord of the harvest to put more labourers.

Daily Catholic Reflection: December 4, 2020, Friday of the First Week of Advent, Year B.

Isaiah 29: 17-24,

Psalm 27: 1.4.13- 14 (R. 1a),

Matthew 9:27-31 Full Readings

Saint John Damascene

 Touched By Jesus 

Brethren, an encounter with Jesus would liberate us from our physical and spiritual darkness. Consider the blind men in Matt 9:27 in that light. They were living in darkness but when they embraced Jesus great light shone on them. Think of Nicodemus also; he came to Jesus in the night (Jn 3:2), a symbol of darkness, and was enlightened by Jesus. Thenceforth, he started speaking for the light (cf Jn 7:50-51). The messiah can also liberate you from the darkness of your deficiencies and restore you to wholeness (cf Isa 29:17-24). You only need to embrace the virtues of meekness and humility (Isa 29:19) as well as faith in Jesus (Mt 9:28). May your restoration be whole in this season of the Lord so that your joy may be complete in the Lord.

Daily Catholic Reflection: December 3, 2020: Memorial of Saint Francis Xavier, Priest, Year B

Reading 1: IS 26:1-6

Responsorial Psalm: PS 118:1 AND 8-9, 19-21, 25-27A

Gospel: MT 7:21, 24-27                                  Full Readings 

Saint Francis Xavier

True Christianity

Brethren, St Ignatius of Loyola recommends over and over again to consider all our current decisions and actions from the point of view of the last judgement. Imagine, you and I have been the ones going to church, joining choirs, preaching to people and always referring to the name of Lord Jesus, and then reaching in front of Jesus on the last day and he says, "I don't know; “ it's very disheartening and a frightening scenario. Why would Jesus say that since we have been calling on his name? The Gospel today gives us the answer: it is because of not doing the will of God.

Daily Catholic Reflection: December 2, 2020, Wednesday of the First Week of Advent, Year B

Isaiah 25:6-10a,

Psalm23:1-3a.3b-4.5.6,

Matthew 15:29-37 Full Readings

Blessed Rafal Chylinski

 Feed Us Lord

In the scriptures, the mountain is a place of encounter with God. Today, Isaiah gives us a picture of what comes out of that encounter: our hunger is satisfied, our thirst quenched, and our tears wiped away. The crowd that followed Jesus could bear testimony to this when they followed him to the mountain where he healed their ailments and fed them to their fill. You too can be part of that testimony. There is really no special qualification for it. Isaiah said the banquet is prepared for all peoples (Isa 25:7) and Jesus proved him right when he told his disciples to make everyone sit, and fed all of them to their fill. You only need to be in the presence of Jesus to get filled too.