Daily Catholic Reflection: Friday, December 1, 2023, Friday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Dn 7:2-14

Dn 3:75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81

Lk 21:29-33                                       Full Readings

Saint Charles de Foucauld

Jesus' Word Will Not Pass Away

Brethren, Christianity, like some other religions, strongly believe in life after death. This belief is very consoling and encouraging. It spurs us on to live good and righteous lives. Everything does not end here at our death. After our earthly life, we shall receive the reward due to us at the judgement time. God is pure/holy. Hence, if we want to live eternally with God in the “new Jerusalem”. We should believe in the good news and put into practice the commandments of God and the teachings of Christ. Those who do not believe in life after death/resurrection may live carefree lives. Their adage is “Let us eat today for tomorrow we die”. Such people should remember the three last things – death, judgement, heaven or hell. After death comes judgement, then either heaven or hell.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Thursday, November 30, 2023, Feast of Saint Andrew, Apostle, year A

Rom 10:9-18

PS 19:8, 9, 10, 11

Mt 4:18-22                       Full Readings

Saint Andrew, Apostle

Life Transformation

Today we celebrate the feast day of the Apostle Andrew. He gives us a perfect example of life transformation for us who think it not possible to transform our lives or our lives to be transformed. This transformation is only possible by the call and touch of Jesus Christ. Indeed, he had a life transformation by the call of Jesus and his immediate response.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Wednesday, November 29, 2023, Wednesday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Dn 5:1-6, 13-14, 16-17, 23-28

Ps: Dn 3:62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67

Lk 21:12-19                       Full Readings

Saint Clement

Perseverance Will Save Our Lives

Brethren, anyone who wants to follow Christ must be ready to face persecution: from friends, family members, acquaintances, and even fellow parishioners. This is because, to truly follow Christ, especially in a society where vice is quickly becoming the norm, one must be prepared to swim against the current. People are not usually comfortable around one who thinks and acts differently, when such actions prick their conscience. There is a lot of the Christians who want to maintain the truth even when everyone else holds on to lies; who wants to be financially transparent even when others expect him/her to loot and give them a share; who wants to remain pure in word and deed even when so called friends consider these things out of fashion. Though persecuted, the Christian should remember the words of Christ, "Your endurance will win you your life”.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Monday, November 27, 2023, Monday of the Thirty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

Dn 1:1-6, 8-20

Psalm: Dn 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

Lk 21:1-4                                             Full Readings

Saint Francesco Antonio Fasani

Giving From the Heart

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus sets the poverty-stricken widow as an example of a generous giver. He sees beyond the physical appearance and beyond human calculations as he noted the generosity of the poor widow. She gave all that she had to live on. Others gave out of their super abundance. What she did could only be motivated by deep faith, trust, total reliance and dependence on God. According to Mother Teresa of Kolkata, it is when we empty ourselves that God can fill us with an abundance of his blessings. It shows also that the woman in the gospel story is detached from earthly possessions. The more detached we are to worldly possessions, the lighter we are to climb the mountain of the Lord.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Sunday, November 26, 2023, The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Year A

Ez 34:11-12, 15-17

Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6

1 Cor 15:20-26, 28

Mt 25:31-46                      Full Readings

Our Lord Jesus, the King of the Universe

Christ the King and the Judge

Brethren, on this Sunday we celebrate the solemnity of Christ the King of the whole universe. This solemnity marks the last Sunday of the liturgical year. The Church liturgical year is set up in such a way that we ponder the entire life of Christ in different seasons and at different times. Advent is a preparation for the celebration of the first coming of Christ that also focuses upon the final coming. Christmas is a time to celebrate the Incarnation when the Son of God was made manifest to the world through His birth. Lent and Easter focus upon the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, and Ordinary Time presents us with the many lessons and miracles of Jesus’ public ministry. Additionally, there are many special memorials, feasts and solemnities by which we intensely focus upon some particular person or aspect of our faith. Each feast and season is meant to help us delve more deeply into the mystery of faith that we celebrate.

Daily Catholic Reflection: Saturday, November 25, 2023, Saturday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time, Year A

1 Mc 6:1-13

Ps 9:2-3, 4 and 6, 16 and 19

Lk 20:27-40                       Full Readings

Saint Catherine of Alexandria

In God We are Alive

Brethren, the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of the body, whereas the Pharisees did. Thus, the Sadducees asked Jesus about the resurrection of the body using an almost unheard-of example to make the resurrection look ridiculous, and meaningless to those who believed in it and in the teachings of Jesus. Jesus taught that marriage is not destined to exceed earthly existence. People are transformed when they die. He also taught that resurrection is real after this life and that God is the God of the living and not of the dead. Those who live according to the will of God will be rewarded with eternal life. Since the Sadducees did not believe in all of these, in tricking Jesus, they referred to the levirate law found in Deuteronomy 25:5ff which states that if a married man dies before having children, the brother of that man must marry his wife and provide descendants for his brother. Thus, the Sadducees presented the scenario where seven brothers die, each one subsequently taking the same wife. The question they posed was, “Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her.”

Daily Catholic Reflection: Friday, November 24, 2023, Memorial of Saint Andrew Dung-Lac, Priest, and Companions, Martyrs

1 Mc 4:36-37, 52-59 

Psalm: 1 Chr 29:10bcd, 11abc, 11d-12a, 12bcd

Lk 19:45-48                                                Full Readings

Saint Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions

Jesus Desire to Cleanse Us

Brethren, how do we explain the only action in the Bible where Jesus uses physical force, that is, when Jesus drove out the money changers from the temple, as we see in today's Gospel?  Was it out of anger? Many church fathers say it is holy anger. But the gospel clearly states that it is out of zeal and love he has for his Father's to only turn it into the house of prayer where only God is worshipped not anyone else, a house of prayer. In justification for his audacious action Jesus quotes from the prophets Isaiah (Isaiah 56:7) and Jeremiah (Jeremiah 7:11). It was the desire to make Holy the temple that made him drive the money changers from the temple.