CORPUS CHRISTI/ BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, YEAR C – 19/ JUNE/ 2022
- Juliana was a catholic woman who had a great devotion to the Eucharist. At the age of sixteen, she began seeing a vision of a full moon with a dark spot on it. The moon was the Church and the dark spot was that there was a missing feast, Corpus Christi, a feast to honor the Eucharist, in the liturgical calendar. Juliana entered the convent and continued to have the vision. Twenty years later, after becoming superior of her order, she mentioned the vision to Robert de Thorete, the Bishop of Liege.
- Fr. Peter of Prague had doubt about the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. In 1263, Fr. Peter of Prague was on pilgrimage to Rome. He witnessed, while celebrating Holy Eucharist in Santa Cristina’s Church in Bolsena, during the consecration, the Holy Host bleeding. He reported to the Holy Father. The Holy Father had the corporal brought to the Cathedral in Orvieto, with a big procession with Church dignitaries and Cardinals. A year after the miracle of Bolsena, Pope Urban IV, on 11/ August/ 1264, instituted the Feast of Corpus Christi for the universal Church.
THE FEAST OF THE MOST HOLY TRINITY/ YEAR C – 12/ JUNE/ 2022
[Proverbs 8:22-31/ Psalm 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9/ Romans 5:1-5/ John 16:12-15]
Everything that the Father has is Mine John 16: 14-15
Trinity in Scripture
Trinity in Daily Life
BAPTISM OF THE LORD/ YEAR: C – 09/ JANUARY/ 2022
[Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7/ Psalm 29:1-2, 3-4, 3, 9-10/
Acts 10:34-38/ Luke 3:15-16, 21-22]
“You are my Son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3: 22)
Dear
Friends in Christ!
In the nineteenth century, there lived a couple who intensely
prayed for children. God gifted them four children but four children died at
the birth itself. For the fifth time, the couple decided to baptize the child
next day itself believing that the child would be safe after baptism. It so
happened that the child was alive after baptism. He valued his baptism and
celebrated every year. He is none other than St. Peter Julian Eymard. Today, we
celebrate the baptism of the Lord. What is baptism? Baptism literally
means to “dip” or to “immerse”. What happens when a person immerses himself
into water… cleansing or purification takes place. Thus, baptism is an
experience of death and resurrection.
The baptism calls us for two actions;
§ Baptism - a call for celebration of life
St. Peter Julian Eymard states about his baptism “I saw the graces that made up the dowry of my Baptism - beyond all computing: a son of God, a member of Jesus Christ, a child of the Church, a brother of the Saints; a right to the grace and to the glory of Jesus Christ. What made me weep is the sight of my three vocations: to a devout life, to a priestly life, to the religious life.” Baptism is the beginning of life with Christ. We leave the ways of Satan and hold on to Jesus. Friendship with Jesus is celebration.
§ Baptism - a call for mission of Jesus
Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit (Matthew 28:19). John the Baptist appeared in the
wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of
sins. All the disciples of Jesus set out for the mission proclaiming the
risen Lord to the whole world. In short, our baptismal life must be a proclamation.
Today, it is a challenge to live our baptism in the midst of hate and violence. Society is full of fake news about Christianity, false witnesses against the clergy, violence against the faithful, destruction of the churches, unfair arrests, many threats and warnings. Let us remember the scripture that heaven was open and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. Still, heaven is open and the Holy Spirit descends upon each one of us every day to live our baptism. Our baptism must please God and our fellow human beings in the midst of all these challenges. The baptism of the Lord reminds us our own Baptism and invites us to live to the full. God is well pleased with Jesus and this is what the Holy Spirit tells us; you are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased (Luke 3: 22). Jesus must be pleased with you and me while we live our baptismal life as God was pleased with His son Jesus.
CHRISTMAS/ YEAR: C – 25/ DECEMBER/ 2021
[Isaiah 62:1-5/ Psalm 89:4-5, 16-17, 27, 29/ Acts 13:16-17, 22-25/ Matthew 1:1-25]
Behold, the virgin shall conceive and
bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23)
Dear Friends in Christ !
Christmas is the best day of the entire
human history; the day God becomes human. Here is our Lord who leaves heaven,
becomes man and pitches the tent among us. Christmas is an encounter of Creator
with His creation, Light with darkness and Divine with human. The advent, four
weeks, is the time set for the preparation of the nativity of Jesus.
The symbolism of Christmas;
§ Santa Claus; Santa Claus goes everywhere and creates an atmosphere of joy and brings people come together.
§ Star; the star is the biblical symbol which reminds the birth of Jesus. Hoisting a star at the top of the house marks the festival atmosphere.
§ Crib; Verities of cribs are made to depict the nativity of the Lord.
§ Greetings; greetings are sent to near and dear ones to express the festival wishes to all.
At all
kinds of preparations, one question is relevant to reflect on; what is
Christmas? Christmas is the best
presentation of God to the humanity. Here, God presents His only Son Jesus to
the humanity. The presentation is
the giving of something to someone especially as part of a formal ceremony.
Christmas is a time of presentation; exchanging of gifts to near and dear ones.
Mind, heart and soul involve when you select a gift or presentation. A lot of time
is spent to purchase the presentation. It is not just presentation but your
whole self. It matters a lot at the time of exchanging as it involves all
feelings.
What God presented to the humanity?
§ God presented Jesus; God presented Jesus to the humanity. This is the greatest and the best presentation of God ever in the human history. God is with us: this means a lot. God left heaven and came to the earth to be one among the humanity. It is beyond any narration; leaving a place of comfort.
§ God presented Peace; “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!” (Luke 2:14). The world was at conflict and God sent His only Son Jesus to this world when the fullness of time came. Indeed, Jesus is the Prince of peace. He is born to establish peace.
Spending a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of energy, you must ask yourself; is there Jesus in your celebration? Ultimately, it is Jesus who brings joy to your celebration. If Jesus is not in your celebration, it is not a Christmas. God accepted us, sinners, as we are. This shows that you must accept everyone as they are. Let us share a smile, a piece of cake, a piece of sweet. Let your joy reach everyone around you. Include everyone in your celebration as God includes everyone in the salvation.
INDEPENDENCE DAY & ASSUMPTION OF
THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY – 15/ AUGUST/ 2021
He has cast down the mighty from their
thrones and has lifted up the lowly
Dear Faithful in Christ!
Here are two occasions to celebrate on this day; Independence Day of the Nation and the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
§ The Independence Day of the Nation
India is
independent because of many revolutions and sacrifices; Sepoy Mutiny, Swadeshi
Movement, Satyagraha Movement, Non-Cooperation Movement and Quit India
Movement. Still, the slogans of every fighter reecho in this land; Inquilab Zindabad
– Bhagath Singh, Vande Matharam – Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, Swaraj is my birth
right and I shall have it – Balagangadar Thilak.
Now, the independent India is not still independent as the freedom fighters dreamt it would be. Independent India is in the hands of witchcrafts, swamijis, swadesi robbers and swadesi terrorists. This land is looted, raped, wounded, murdered and thrown into the darkness by its own citizens. You must raise the slogans and liberate this land from the clutches of swadesi traitors who give this land to lease and to sell.
§ The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Assumption is the
entry of Mary, the mother of Jesus, into heaven with her body and soul. It is indeed a day of crowning of Mary in heave; a
great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon
under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars (Revelation 12:1). In
the year 1950, Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary as the official
dogma of the Catholic Church. According to this dogma, Mary, after the earthly
life, was assumed into heaven with her body and soul.
Mary
is the face of the women in today’s world. The world seemed to accept Mary and
deny the women in the society. The women, who were nailed to traditions, must
be liberated. You have to accept the women in the society if you accept Mary
the face of the women. The women need to be crowned; with dignity, with
security, with equality and with freedom of speech. Thus, the feast of the
Assumption becomes the crowning of the women.
CORPUS CHRISTI – 06/ JUNE/ 2021
Take, bless,
break and share … This is my Body and Blood (Mark – 14: 22)
Dear
Faithful in Christ !
Pope Urban IV proclaimed, on the 11 August 1264, ‘Corpus
Christi’ as the universal feast of the Church. The feast was instituted to
honour the Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament. There were two separate miracles that lead to
the institution of the feast in the Catholic Church.
1. A
Vision to St. Juliana of Mont Cornillon
St Juliana had a vision; the Church and the dark spot. The
full moon symbolizes the Church and dark spot symbolizes a great feast in
honour of the Blessed Sacrament that was missing in the liturgical calendar. St
Juliana confessed the vision to Bishop Robert de Thorete. Bishop Robert
was favourably impressed and called a synod in 1246 which authorised the
celebration of a feast dedicated to Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament – Corpus
Christi – to be held in the diocese in the following year.
2.
The Miracle at Bolsena
Fr. Pietro da Praga had doubts about
the real Body and Blood of Our Lord. In 1263, while celebrating Holy
Mass in the Church Santa Cristina in Bolsena, at the breaking of the Bread, the
precious Blood of Our Lord flowed from the Host, covering the altar cloth,
corporal and the floor. Pope Urban IV ordered that the precious cloth, covered
with the precious blood, was to be brought to the Church of St Mary in Orvieto
where it is still venerated even today.
It is simply the feast of the Presence of Jesus in the Blessed
Sacrament and among the faithful. St. Paul reminds us in the letter to the Colossians 1:18; Jesus is
the head of the body, the church. Body stands
for the church and blood stands for life. Now, how it is relevant in our lives?
You revere the presence of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament but refuse to accept
the members of the church. You receive the communion, the Body and Blood of
Christ, with great reverence but reject to have communion with the people of
God. The prisoners, the blind, the
oppressed, the poor, the unloved, the wounded, the sick, the unrecognized, the
unwanted are the extension of the presence of Jesus.
Therefore, the feast of Corpus
Christi invites you to extend your love to the prisoners, the blind, the
oppressed, the poor, the migrants, the unloved, the wounded, the sick, the unrecognized
and the unwanted so that the presence of Jesus is very much felt in the
humanity.
HAPPY FEAST OF CORPUS CHRISTI
BAPTISM OF THE LORD - 10 JANUARY 2021
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”
Dear Faithful in Christ !
Today, we celebrate the baptism of the Lord. Gospel according to Mark- 1:4-5, John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. This invitation was for the sinners, tax collectors, publicans, prostitutes or anyone from Gentile background who wished to come into the Jewish faith. In short, baptism is to end the old pattern of life and enter into new way of life.
What is baptism? Baptism literally means to “dip” or to “immerse”. What happens when a person immerses himself into water… cleansing or purification takes place. Baptism is God's most beautiful and magnificent gift. . . .We call it gift, grace, anointing, enlightenment, garment of immortality, bath of rebirth, seal, and most precious gift. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own; grace since it is given even to the guilty; Baptism because sin is buried in the water; anointing for it is priestly and royal as are those who are anointed; enlightenment because it radiates light; clothing since it veils our shame; bath because it washes; and seal as it is our guard and the sign of God's Lordship.
Baptism is a life-giving celebration in the life of St. Peter Julian Eymard. For many children died before him. Thinking that he also would die, he was baptized immediately next day and he survived after his baptism. Thus, He considered his baptism as the most beautiful gift of God and celebrated every year. He states about his baptism “I saw the graces that made up the dowry of my Baptism - beyond all computing: a son of God, a member of Jesus Christ, a child of the Church, a brother of the Saints; a right to the grace and to the glory of Jesus Christ. What made me weep is the sight of my three vocations: to a devout life, to a priestly life, to the religious life.”
The baptism of the Lord reminds us our own Baptism and invites us to live to the full. Today, it is a challenge to live our baptism in the midst of hate and violence. Society is full of fake news about Christianity, false witnesses against the clergy, violence against the faithful, destruction of the churches, unfair arrests, many threats and warnings. Let us remember the scripture that heaven was open and the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus. Still, heaven is open and the Holy Spirit descends upon each one of us every day to live our baptism. Baptism of Jesus pleased God the Father and the Holy Spirit. Our baptism must please God and our fellow human beings in the midst of all these challenges.
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - 3 JANUARY, 2021
“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage”
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. The Epiphany is the revelation of the Messiah or the Saviour. The word Epiphany came from the Greek word ‘Epiphaneia’, which means revelation and manifestation. The Magi were educated and intelligent people in astrology. They knew that a very prominent event was about to happen and it was the upcoming birth and arrival of the Saviour of the world as prophesied by many prophets. Jesus reveals Himself to those who seek Him constantly.
Jesus revealed Himself to the shepherds, the simple and to the Magi, the intellectual. This shows that Jesus reveals Himself to those who seek Him constantly. Today, Jesus reveals Himself to each one of us in the Eucharist in the form of Body and Blood.
Take this, all of you, and eat of it, for this is my Body, which will be given up for you.
Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant.
The Magi saw the star, followed the star and sought the lord. What makes the Magi to find the Lord? It is the search that made them to find Jesus. The Magi offered the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. These gifts have symbolic meaning. The gift of gold signifies royalty and kingship. Jesus was truly the King of kings and Lord of lords. Indeed He came not to be served but to serve His people. The gift of frankincense has two important meaning; firstly, Frankincense is used by the priests as the offering of prayers to the gods. Thus, it emphasized Christ as High Priest. Secondly, Frankincense is also symbol of Christ’s divinity. He is God Himself in the flesh, possessing two distinct natures of Man and Divine concurrently. The myrrh symbolizes His passion, suffering and death on the Cross. The myrrh therefore marked the great sacrifice and love of God.
The Magi offered precious gifts to the Lord. I too must offer something precious to the Lord. What can I offer to the Lord? I can offer my time. I can offer my service. I can offer my love. I can offer at least a smile if I do not have anything. Finally, I offer all that I have and all that I am.
MOTHERHOOD OF MARY - 31 DECEMBER, 2021
Mary
treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart . . . they gave him
the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before conception. (LUKE
2:19, 21)
Dear friends in Christ !
How
can Mary be literally Mother of God? How is it possible for an ordinary woman
to be Mother of God? 'Mother of God’ does not mean that Mary is the origin of
the Godhead. Mary bore Jesus in her womb and fed Him with her flesh. Jesus is
God and thus, Mary becomes the mother of God. What sacred scripture bible tells
to support that Mary is mother of God? In the Gospel according to Luke Elizabeth
proclaims Mary as the Mother of my Lord: How does it happen that the Mother of
my Lord should come to me? (Luke 1:43). Catechism of the Catholic Church, no.
509 summarizes the teaching as follows: “Mary is truly ‘Mother of God’ since
she is the mother of the eternal Son of God made man, who is God himself.” The
title “Mother of God” points to the truth that Jesus Christ is fully human and
fully Divine. It is deeply rooted in Scripture and Tradition and was
dogmatically defined at the Council of Ephesus in the year 431.
The proclamation of Mary
as the Mother of God is richly acknowledged by the Church Fathers:
Saint
Irenaeus wrote, “The Virgin Mary, being obedient to His word, received from an
angel the glad tidings that she would bear God.”
Saint Ephrem
of Syria said “In the womb of Mary, the Infant was formed, who from eternity is
equal to the Father. . . . The Virgin became a Mother while preserving her
virginity; and though still a virgin she carried a Child in her womb; and the
handmaid and work of His Wisdom became the Mother
of God.
Saint
Athanasius wrote: The Word begotten of the Father from on high, inexpressibly,
inexplicably, incomprehensibly, and eternally, is of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.
Mary is the mother of the entire humanity and face of the women of modern times. Today Indian women are facing many problems; rape, dowry deaths, sexual harassment at home or work place, kidnapping and abduction, cruelty by husband, relatives, assault on a woman, and sex trafficking. If Mary is the face of modern women, we must respect them as we respect our Blessed mother. It is not the biological bond that we call Mary as our mother but the spiritual bond that shows the way towards Jesus. Do remember the wedding at Cana where Mary intercedes for the family. She is never tired of interceding for each of one of in our distress.
FEAST OF HOLY FAMILY - 27 DECEMBER, 2020
“Family is the domestic Church where Jesus grows” – Francis
Dear friends in Christ !
The Feast of the Holy Family is a liturgical celebration in honour of Jesus Mary and Joseph. The primary purpose of this feast is to present the Holy Family as a model for Christian families.
Holy family never lived in pleasant conditions: chased by Herod, warned by Simeon, widowed by husband, criticised by the pharisees, plotted by the high priest, denied and betrayed by the disciples and killed by his fellow Jews. Then, what makes Holy Family as holy? In the New Testament, the word holy means set apart. Joseph and Mary set apart for the salvation of the humanity. Mary and Joseph sacrificed their life to fulfil the plan of God for the salvation of the humanity.
Universe is a family with its stars and planets. What makes the universe to go on without a failure? The coordination and the law of the nature. For a Christian family, it is love of Jesus that makes holy and perfect. The impact of social media is powerful on family. Most often technology can bring forth negative interaction. It starves the family of bonding. social media severely damaged real-life relationships, especially the relationship between parents and children.
Family is the first formation that reflects the rest of the life of a person. Personality of a person is built by the family. If family is good, the world will see good leaders, good doctors, good employs, good youth, good students and so on. The feast of Holy Family invites each one of us to set apart for the common good life Joseph, Mary and Jesus.
Let us remember the words of Pope Francis “Catholic parents must learn to form their family as a domestic church, a church in the home as it were, where God is honoured, his law is respected, prayer is a normal event, virtue is transmitted by word and example, and everyone shares the hopes, the problems and sufferings of everyone else.’
CHRISTMAS DAY - 25 DECEMBER 2020
“Glory to God in heaven and on earth peace to people of goodwill (Luke 2:14)
Dear Friends
in Christ !
A
Christmas in the midst of corona: Social distance, sanitization of hands, mask
wearing, fear that scatters everyone, tears of many hearts, a celebration of
joy with limited people, joy in the midst of affliction . . . Christmas that
heals & brings peace to the disturbed humanity.
Prophet Isaiah’s symbolic expression ‘land of deep darkness’ is a land
of brutality, a land of poverty, hunger and a land of despair. A conquered people
are powerless. Safety is stripped away. Every asset will be seized by the
conquerors. Every child born is taken into slavery. Every field planted with
crops be harvested by the mighty. The year 2020 is not far from the land of
deep darkness. Corona ruined the life of humanity. Cry of hunger, walk of
migrants, roar of unemployment and shouts of death.
Christmas
is encounter . . . Encounter of Divine with human. Encounter is an unplanned or
unexpected meeting or a sudden clash. Jesus came to this world when the world
was asleep. Indeed, he came to this world to waken the world from sin and
suffering and rise this world to hope. Every person seeks peace; I need
peace, my family, my country and the whole world needs peace. Jesus is the
Prince of Peace and He brings peace to this broken world. Peace flows from
reconciliation. It is the time to reconcile with fellow beings and with the
nature.
Joy to the whole world . . . because Jesus is born to heal the wounded and bring peace to the disturbed humanity. A Christmas that heals and Messiah brings peace to the world.
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