Sunday October 22, 2017

Authority, Truth and Family Planning

Granny said, "Eat your chicken or Baby Jesus will be angry with you."
Pinky answered, "Granny, what has Baby Jesus got to do with eating chicken?"
It is a weak authority that has to appeal to Baby Jesus as a reason for eating chicken and doing so is giving a ridiculous education about who Jesus is. The nutritional value and delicious taste of chicken can speak for themselves! Truth itself is God-given and can defend itself. Nonsense is nonsense no matter who speaks it. Yet, in adult life we sometimes hear the Baby Jesus type of argument being used to impose views on the situations that have authority in their own reasonableness.
The present so-called battle between the Church and State (God and Caesar) on the issue of family planning is a case in point. It is unfortunate that this has become a confrontational issue between two institutions that are designed to serve the same constituents. Imagine a husband and wife who have a financial problem. They spend their time blaming one another instead of sitting down and trying to figure out a budget together. It is very clear that the government of the Philippines has gigantic problems and responsibilities arising from the fact that the population has more than doubled in thirty years. It is also very clear that the Church has a right and a duty to holler if solutions are proposed that fail to reverence the dignity of human life at all of its stages and also honor the meaning of human sexuality. Given the foregoing, both Church and State must work together to achieve the greatest possible good in the circumstances.
In 1967 the authority of the Church spoke through Pope Paul VI in the encyclical Humanae Vitae. He stated clearly that human sexuality has two purposes, the unitive and the procreative. He stated that the human sexual act should always be open to the procreation of life as well as being an expression of the union or love between husband and wife. However, he stated a little further on that if, for valid reasons, a couple wanted to avoid conceiving they may have sex during the wife's safe period. The same document recommended that confessors should act with the greatest compassion towards couples who found this teaching too hard to follow.
Humanae Vitae caused very strong reactions inside and outside the Roman Catholic Church. Its acceptance or non acceptance became a symbol of loyalty or disloyalty to the Holy Father himself. To this day it is generally believed that a priest who is critical of Humanae Vitae will never be made a Bishop. Unfortunately, the issue of authority has at times clouded the search for truth and for the welfare of couples who experience difficulty regarding the number of children that they should have. It is at this point that we hear the "this will hurt the baby Jesus" kind of argument.
Even the oldest and most traditional moral theology has held that one must follow one's conscience. Often following one's conscience will mean choosing the lesser evil amongst many evils.
For example, it is a bad thing that I should strike you and break your arm or worse. But supposing you were attacking me with a weapon. It may be necessary to strike you to save my life. It might be the best thing to do in the circumstances, and so it would be the right thing to do. So, a married couple should ideally be open to the transmission of life in their sexual relationships. If, however, for reasons of their concern for one another or their responsibility for children already born they believe that they should not conceive another child, they can avoid doing so using the least radical means. Normally, a variation of the rhythm method is the least radical as it does not interfere with the body and its systems. If for valid reasons this is not practical, then using the next least radical means may be the most responsible and loving thing for them to do.
This kind of moral reasoning, while correct, can easily be abused. The possibility of its being abused does not justify authority in denying one's use of it any more than the fact that somebody may be electrocuted would justify denying people the right of having electricity in their houses.
In the time of Jesus the issue of paying taxes to Caesar - the foreign government - was a delicate one. To pay meant submission, to not pay meant defiance. The Pharisees, more interested in law than in truth, tried to trap Jesus. But Jesus would not be caught in the dilemma. He answered "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God."
It can be very hard to find the truth when authority issues are involved. Unthinking submission can be as evil as rebellious rejection. The inner freedom to hear all sides and to recognize the truth is very necessary. Often in our traditional forms of prayer we were asking God to make our side win, to implement our solution or way of looking at the issue.
In meditation, in praying without words or images, we try to be still before God. We are not trying to influence him nor are we being intimidated by him. We just be in his presence and present to his truth. In this way we can shed off prejudice and fear and come to see the truth in a fresh way. Sometimes, however, we may prefer to live in the slavery of submission because of the challenge that truth may put before us.

Monday October 23, 2017

Introduction
Abraham was saved because he believed God and trusted him. Likewise, we will be saved because we believe, and the core of our faith is that Jesus was handed over to death because of our sins and was raised from the dead for our justification or salvation.
When Jesus speaks out against the rich, he does not intend to condemn them but to liberate them. What he denounces is not the fact that they have material goods, but their own attachment to them and the use they make of their riches: for hoarding, for selfish enjoyment, or – as some rich countries do – stockpiling wheat in silos or using oil for economic and political pressure. The value of possessions is relative to the goods of the kingdom, to justice and love. What counts is to be rich and wise before God.

Opening Prayer
Good and merciful God,
we often seek safety and security
in things to possess and to hold on to.
Do not allow things
to possess and control us.
When our riches mean poverty for others,
when our life means death for others,
teach us the joy of sharing
and give us the courage
to seek first the riches of your kingdom
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading: ROM 4:20-25
Brothers and sisters:
Abraham did not doubt God's promise in unbelief;
rather, he was empowered by faith and gave glory to God
and was fully convinced that what God had promised
he was also able to do.
That is why it was credited to him as righteousness.
But it was not for him alone that it was written
that it was credited to him;
it was also for us, to whom it will be credited,
who believe in the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead,
who was handed over for our transgressions
and was raised for our justification.

Responsorial Psalm LUKE 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (see 68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has come to his people and set them free.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.

Alleluia MT 5:3
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are the poor in spirit;
for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus,
"Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me."
He replied to him,
"Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?"
Then he said to the crowd,
"Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one's life does not consist of possessions."

Then he told them a parable.
"There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest.
He asked himself, 'What shall I do,
for I do not have space to store my harvest?'
And he said, 'This is what I shall do:
I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.
There I shall store all my grain and other goods
and I shall say to myself, "Now as for you,
you have so many good things stored up for many years,
rest, eat, drink, be merry!"'
But God said to him,
'You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you;
and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?'
Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself
but is not rich in what matters to God."

Intercessions
– For a poor and open Church, in which the People of God try to have open hands and hearts for all, we pray:
– For those who are rich and powerful, that they may learn to share; for the poor, the humble and the exploited, that they may find help and keep hoping, we pray:
– For all of us, that we may learn to enjoy the good things of life, especially friendship and affection, unity and compassion, people who inspire us, and even love of enemies, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in this Eucharistic celebration,
you set for us the table of Jesus
and you let us share in the riches
of your grace and gratuitous love.
Give us eyes of faith to see
that this is an open invitation
to let others share in our abundance,
and at times, even in our poverty.
Help us to become selfless and generous
together with him who gives himself,
Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have enriched us with your Son.
Keep liberating us
from unreliable attachments
to things that are unimportant.
Give us rich hearts
that are neither possessed nor possessive
but that are free to love and to give
by the power of Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Blessing
“One’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions,” is Jesus’ word to us today. It is not to have an abundance of goods that will bring us happiness, but the goods of the kingdom of God, to be good and wise and just. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Monday October 23, 2017

What if the parable ran like this? “There was a rich man and his land had produced a good harvest. He thought: ‘What shall I do? For, I am short of room to store my harvest.’ So this is what he planned: ‘I will call all my neighbors and share my harvest with them. After all, the harvest is more than what I need or my barns can contain, and there are many people around me who do not have enough and have suffered long and hard. So let me share my good fortune with them, so that we all can rest, eat, drink, and enjoy ourselves.’ But God said to him: ‘Well done, my servant! This very night your life will be taken from you, and you won’t be able to enjoy with your neighbors. But you have done wisely to share your resources with them and thereby store up a good harvest in heaven. Come and celebrate with me in eternity.’”
If the man had done as imagined above, he would have had a happy death and everlasting joy in heaven. The only way to store up riches in heaven is by sharing the riches with the poor on earth.

Tuesday October 24, 2017

Introduction
We are one in our weaknesses, one also in God’s love and in the salvation he offers us in Christ in the solidarity of grace. Sinners and saints, at the same time, the enemy in us and paradise within us, we long to be saved by Christ now, to transcend our doubts, our different forms of selfishness, our sufferings, our divisions within ourselves and our separations from one another. Yet, it is in this kind of life, within this torn human destiny, that Christ will save us, if with him, we accept his life and grace.
In the Gospel, Jesus exhorts his disciples to vigilance. They are like servants who should always be ready for the master’s call.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Jesus your Son, has broken down
the barriers dividing peoples and nations,
but why are we still so far apart,
even within our own households?
He has brought us close by his blood,
but why does his one body remain a dream
far removed from reality?
God, let us not be aliens to one another,
bring us together, help us to demolish
the walls of hatred and exploitation,
of distrust and power that divide your people,
that we may be all one
in Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading: ROM 5:12, 15B, 17-19, 20B-21
Brothers and sisters:
Through one man sin entered the world,
and through sin, death,
and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned.

If by that one person's transgression the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.
For if, by the transgression of the one,
death came to reign through that one,
how much more will those who receive the abundance of grace
and the gift of justification
come to reign in life through the one Jesus Christ.
In conclusion, just as through one transgression
condemnation came upon all,
so, through one righteous act
acquittal and life came to all.
For just as through the disobedience of one man
the many were made sinners,
so, through the obedience of the one
the many will be made righteous.
Where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more,
so that, as sin reigned in death,
grace also might reign through justification
for eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 40:7-8A, 8B-9, 10, 17
R. (8a and 9a) Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or oblation you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Burnt offerings or sin offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
To do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.
May all who seek you
exult and be glad in you,
And may those who love your salvation
say ever, "The LORD be glorified."
R. Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will.

Alleluia LK 21:36
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Be vigilant at all times and pray
that you may have the strength to stand before the Son of Man.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 12:35-38
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Gird your loins and light your lamps
and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding,
ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.
Blessed are those servants
whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.
Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself,
have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.
And should he come in the second or third watch
and find them prepared in this way,
blessed are those servants."

Intercessions
– That Churches that follow Christ as their Lord may always stress more what unites us than what divides us, we pray:
– That all the peoples of the earth may hear where the Lord Jesus can be found and come to know his name and to pray to him, we pray:
– That among the People of God, there may not be aliens and strangers, but only people who are different and yet who accept one another, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
God, you bring us together
around a piece of bread
and a cup of wine.
Let this bread and wine come alive,
give us Jesus, your Son
that we may no longer be foreign visitors
of this place and to one another,
but members of your own household,
and citizens of the kingdom
of peace, truth and justice
of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
however different we are,
whatever separates us here in your Church
and in the world at large,
you have given us the body and blood of your Son
to bring us all together.
Let Jesus be the cornerstone
on which we all build.
Let your Spirit make us the living stones
of the house in which you live
as our God, for ever and ever.

Blessing
We are “all members of the household of God,” says Ephesians, not only to Jewish and ex-pagan Christians, but to us all here, however, different we may be in personality, origin, profession, whatever. We are all one in Christ. May we become more one with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Tuesday October 24, 2017

What is this fire that Jesus has brought into this world, the fire that he longs to see burning? It is the fire of the Holy Spirit, the fire of God’s love for people and people’s love for God, a fire that reveals the desires of the human heart.
Today, the Church honors St. Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870). St. Claret had a missionary heart that was on fire, and he greatly desired that his co-workers must share the same fire. His dream for his missionaries is instructive for us as well. This person must be

“on fire with love, who spreads its flames wherever he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set the whole world on fire with God's love. Nothing daunts him; he delights in privations, welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at slander, and rejoices in suffering. His only concern is how he can best follow Jesus Christ and imitate Him in working, suffering, and striving constantly and single-mindedly for the greater glory of God and the salvation of souls.” (Claret, Autobiography, #494)

Wednesday October 25, 2017

Introduction
Persons who have been set free from the slavery of sin, says Paul, should live in the grace of God as free persons. They can only serve what is right and good. They should live as a free and responsible Christians.
In the Gospel, Luke speaks of the vigilance of Christians and their leaders. They are responsible for the grace and talents God has given them. And, says Jesus, the more has been given to us, the more is expected of us, the more we have to be responsible for those entrusted to us.

Opening Prayer
Our God and Father,
in the generosity of your creative imagination,
you distribute among people
a variety of gifts and talents
of mind and heart and grace.
Convince us Lord, that what we have received,
we have received for others,
that if we have been given more,
we are not greater or better,
only responsible for more.
Help us to use what we are and have
in the service of others.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
(Partially based on a text by Helder Camara)

Reading: ROM 6:12-18
Brothers and sisters:
Sin must not reign over your mortal bodies
so that you obey their desires.
And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin
as weapons for wickedness,
but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life
and the parts of your bodies to God
as weapons for righteousness.
For sin is not to have any power over you,
since you are not under the law but under grace.



What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law
but under grace?
Of course not!
Do you not know that if you present yourselves
to someone as obedient slaves,
you are slaves of the one you obey,
either of sin, which leads to death,
or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?
But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin,
you have become obedient from the heart
to the pattern of teaching to which you were entrusted.
Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness.

Responsorial Psalm 124:1B-3, 4-6, 7-8
R. (8a) Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Had not the LORD been with us,
let Israel say, had not the LORD been with us–
When men rose up against us,
then would they have swallowed us alive;
When their fury was inflamed against us.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
Then would the waters have overwhelmed us;
The torrent would have swept over us;
over us then would have swept the raging waters.
Blessed be the LORD, who did not leave us
a prey to their teeth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.
We were rescued like a bird
from the fowlers' snare;
Broken was the snare,
and we were freed.
Our help is in the name of the LORD,
who made heaven and earth.
R. Our help is in the name of the Lord.

Alleluia MT 24:42A, 44
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Stay awake!
For you do not know when the Son of Man will come.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 12:39-48
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Be sure of this:
if the master of the house had known the hour
when the thief was coming,
he would not have let his house be broken into.
You also must be prepared,
for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

Then Peter said,
"Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?"
And the Lord replied,
"Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward
whom the master will put in charge of his servants
to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?
Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.
Truly, I say to you, he will put him
in charge of all his property.
But if that servant says to himself,
'My master is delayed in coming,'
and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants,
to eat and drink and get drunk,
then that servant's master will come
on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour
and will punish the servant severely
and assign him a place with the unfaithful.
That servant who knew his master's will
but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will
shall be beaten severely;
and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will
but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating
shall be beaten only lightly.
Much will be required of the person entrusted with much,
and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."

Intercessions
– That the Church may bring the light of faith where there is darkness and indifference, hope where there is fatalism and despair, and love where there is hatred and strife, we pray:
– That those who are discouraged by trials and by their troubles and fears may keep believing and hoping in a God who brings everything to a good end, we pray:
– That all of us may grow in the certainty that our commitment to justice and love and our dedicated service in life are needed to help God’s promises come true, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
let these signs of bread and wine
express that we are willing
to serve you and people
in responsible freedom.
Let your Son share with us
his strength and loyalty,
to make us wise and faithful stewards
of the message of justice and love
entrusted to us by Jesus Christ,
your Son and our Lord for ever.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
to let us know that you expect of us
more than we are capable of,
you have given us again
the Word and body of your Son.
Help us to live according to the Gospel
as people set free by Jesus
and responsible with him
for the progress in this world
of integrity and love.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

Blessing
“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required,” says Jesus. We have received much from God, our faith, our capacity to love, pardon of our sins. Let us thank the Lord and ask for the blessing of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday October 25, 2017

“Much will be required of the one who has been given much, and more will be asked of the one entrusted with more.” As Christians, we have been given much and blessed many times over. Hence, much will be expected of us. This is not a false or cruel expectation that does injustice to what we are capable of. God has given us the resources of faith and grace in abundance, and His expectations only match what is given. When God comes calling, He will look for fruits of the Spirit in us (Lk 13:6-9; Gal 5:22-23). The Lord may come anytime looking for such fruits in season or out of season, for he has empowered us through His grace to produce fruits anytime of the year. Happy and blessed is the one who is found working when the Master comes calling.
Lord, thank you for giving me the gift of faith. Now fill me with your grace so that I may put my faith to work.

Thursday October 26, 2017

Introduction
Christ has set us free for the kingdom and the life and love of God. It is a liberty that is no longer license, a liberty that reshapes us in Christ and opens us to service of God and people. It is all a gift from God.

Today our Lord confronts us with the question: “How fiery is your love and your faith?” Can our faith accept contradiction and ridicule without letting us be reduced to silence? Perhaps, we are resigned to the evil in us and in the world and fail to stand up for what is right and good. If our love for the Lord and people is strong enough, we do not tolerate an easy peace that puts our conscience to sleep. Let the fire of the Spirit burn in us.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you have set us free in Christ,
free from our selfishness,
free from shame and fear,
free for life and service.
God, accept our thanks for this free gift.
Give us the strength, day after day,
to grow in this liberty
and to help our little or large world
to attain the same freedom
from sin and its consequences:
from injustice, suffering, and oppression.
One day, may we be completely free
in your eternal home,
through Christ Jesus, our Lord.

Reading: ROM 6:19-23
Brothers and sisters:
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your nature.
For just as you presented the parts of your bodies as slaves to impurity
and to lawlessness for lawlessness,
so now present them as slaves to righteousness for sanctification.
For when you were slaves of sin, you were free from righteousness.
But what profit did you get then
from the things of which you are now ashamed?
For the end of those things is death.
But now that you have been freed from sin and have become slaves of God,
the benefit that you have leads to sanctification,
and its end is eternal life.
For the wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
R. (Ps 40:5) Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked
Nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
But delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
That yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Alleluia PHIL 3:8-9
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I consider all things so much rubbish
that I may gain Christ and be found in him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 12:49-53
Jesus said to his disciples:
"I have come to set the earth on fire,
and how I wish it were already blazing!
There is a baptism with which I must be baptized,
and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished!
Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?
No, I tell you, but rather division.
From now on a household of five will be divided,
three against two and two against three;
a father will be divided against his son
and a son against his father,
a mother against her daughter
and a daughter against her mother,
a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Intercessions
– Jesus, set your Church afire with the flame of a deep concern to bring your Good News to all. May the Gospel: dialogue with the world and with its aspirations and needs, we pray:
– Jesus, give the warmth of your strength to all who have to pass through the fire of suffering, failure and discrimination and keep them from discouragement, we pray:
– Jesus, light your fire again in the hearts of those whose faith has become lukewarm or who have lost the way to you, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
these gifts of bread and wine
are humble offerings
but they stand for all the love
of which we are capable.
Bring them to life and let them become
the living sign of your love for people,
your Son, Jesus Christ.
Through him, fill our banal words
with a spirit of loving service springing from the heart,
and our inept gestures of love for one another
with the wholeness and fullness
of the love of Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
your Son came to bring fire on earth;
he himself passed through the fire of life.
Make us realize Lord and accept
that we may not seek peace at any cost.
Give us the fire of your Spirit,
that we may not seek security
in the self-contentment of the status quo,
but go and commit ourselves
like Jesus, your Son and our Lord.

Blessing
Too often, the fire of faith and love is easily extinguished in us. We are not heroes, or perhaps only rarely. It is easier to be left in peace. May God preserve us from a guilty peace and keep the fire of faith and love alive in us, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Friday October 27, 2017

Introduction
St. Paul describes the experience of converts. They realize that before their conversion, notwithstanding their good will, they were incapable of following their conscience or the Law of Moses. But now that they know Christ, they can win their struggles against the evil within them. We experience a similar struggle going on in us. We are torn beings, with the enemy within us, capable of the best and the worst. But on account of Christ, even the worst in us can also be turned into the best.
Gospel. In its introduction, the Vatican II Constitution on the Church in the Modern World says: “The Church must continually examine the signs of the times and interpret them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, she will be able to answer the questions that people are always asking about the meaning of this life and of the next and about the relation of this life and of the next and about the relation of one to the other, in a way adapted to each question.” By signs of the times, we mean currents of thought and attitudes behind events, aspirations and the like. Take the hippies, the Jesus movement, Pentecostalism, women’s lib, the hunger for liberation, the rebellion of many of the young against consumerism and hypocrisy. Can we discover points of contact and of openness to the values of the Gospel?

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
when today’s world hungers
for justice, truth and spiritual values,
perhaps, disguised and distorted
in a form hard to recognize,
open our eyes and give us
your Spirit of wisdom and discernment.
May we thus learn to understand this world,
to feel at home in it,
and to discover the stepping-stones
that could lead us all to you
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Reading: ROM 7:18-25A
Brothers and sisters:
I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.
The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not.
For I do not do the good I want,
but I do the evil I do not want.
Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it,
but sin that dwells in me.
So, then, I discover the principle
that when I want to do right, evil is at hand.
For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self,
but I see in my members another principle
at war with the law of my mind,
taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
Miserable one that I am!
Who will deliver me from this mortal body?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Responsorial Psalm 119:66, 68, 76, 77, 93, 94
R. (68b) Lord, teach me your statutes.
Teach me wisdom and knowledge,
for in your commands I trust.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
You are good and bountiful;
teach me your statutes.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your kindness comfort me
according to your promise to your servants.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
Never will I forget your precepts,
for through them you give me life.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.
I am yours; save me,
for I have sought your precepts.
R. Lord, teach me your statutes.

Alleluia MT 11:25
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth;
you have revealed to little ones the mysteries of the Kingdom.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: LK 12:54-59
Jesus said to the crowds,
"When you see a cloud rising in the west
you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does;
and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south
you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is.
You hypocrites!
You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky;
why do you not know how to interpret the present time?

"Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?
If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate,
make an effort to settle the matter on the way;
otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge,
and the judge hand you over to the constable,
and the constable throw you into prison.
I say to you, you will not be released
until you have paid the last penny."

Intercessions
– Lord, may the Church of today speak to the people of today the Gospel: in the language of today, we pray:
– Lord, let the ministers of the Church be familiar with the needs and aspirations of today’s world and people, we pray:
– Lord, make us transform a world of injustice into a world of integrity, a cold and indifferent world into a warm world of love and mercy, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
these gifts speak of life and care,
of growth and sharing.
Let them also speak to our hearts
of the self-giving love of Jesus, your Son,
and commit us to the growth of his kingdom.
We ask this through Christ, our Lord.

Prayer after Communion
Lord our God,
you have called us again,
through the body of your Son,
to make the body of his Church more and more
the living sign of your presence
and of your action in this world.
Make us also receptive
of all the good there is in this world.
Help us to dialogue with our times
and with the people of today,
that this world may be yours
and you our God for ever.

Blessing
If we want to be people living in our times, we must be open-eyed to what is going on in the world around us. “No one is an island.” No one should live in a world apart. This attitude will open our eyes too, to understand our faith better. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Thursday October 26, 2017

Jesus was a young man, full of fire. When we get older we lose our fire and settle for a little warmth. But it is fire that transforms and purifies. I never imagine Jesus now as he was portrayed in repository art: with sad dreamy eyes (blue!), beautifully dressed, hair in ringlets, tenuously masculine. I think of him with fire in his eyes, with searing clarity in his speech and his actions, showing for the first time what a human being is, and what God is.
It’s unlikely that he came by it without a struggle. Many times he had to throw off the false identities that others had imposed on him. As a child he already knew that he was not just a nice family boy, “Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” Twenty years later the villagers wanted to keep him a villager; while some others wanted to make him a king. Others again thought he was “Elijah, or Jeremiah or one of the prophets” (all dead men!).
When he climbed a mountain late in the evening or stayed there all night in prayer, all labels, all old identities, were left far below. It may have been in times like those that he realized, “I and the Father are one” (Jn 10:30). Later he said of his life, “It is the Father living in me who is doing this work.” Living! Life is more frightening than death. Jesus alive is more frightening than Jesus dead. We have many strategies for keeping him dead.

Friday October 27, 2017

The clarity with which Paul is able to see the Law of God and the Law of Sin working within him is a spiritual gift that is worth thanking God for. Such discernment is a sign of the active presence of the Spirit within him. For, how many people fail to recognize what is evil and what is good, and end up serving the powers of evil that often present themselves under the guise of good (apparent good)! It is not without reason that we find holy men and women shedding continual tears contemplating their sinfulness and God’s mercy—they are ever sensitive to the sinful inclinations of their hearts and perceptive of God’s mercy that helps them overcome sin.
Jesus rebukes people for not reading the signs of the Spirit and not making use of the God-given powers of discernment in spiritual matters.
Let us pray for the grace to put the gift of discernment to good use.

The Listing of the Twelve

Saturday October 28,2017

Introduction
Little is know about these apostles. The nickname "Zealot" probably indicates the Simon had been among the anti-Roman activists before he became an apostle. Jude, brother of James and also called Thaddeus, asked Jesus after the Last Supper how Jesus could show himself to the world as Messiah without using force. Jesus answered him that the believers would accept him because of his love.

Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
as we celebrate your apostles Simon and Jude,
we remember how your Son could build his Church
on weak and fallible people
and make these its firm foundations.
We pray with your Son
that our faith may remain unshaken
in your Church and in those who lead it.
As they struggle and grope,
let your Spirit fill them
with his wisdom and his fire.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

First Reading: Eph 2:19-22
Brothers and sisters:
You are no longer strangers and sojourners,
but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones
and members of the household of God,
built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets,
with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.
Through him the whole structure is held together
and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord;
in him you also are being built together
into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 19:2-3, 4-5
R (5a) Their message goes out through all the earth.
The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R Their message goes out through all the earth.

Gospel: Reading: Lk 6:12-16
At this time Jesus went out into the hills to pray, spending the whole night in prayer with God. When day came, he called his disciples to him and chose twelve of them whom he called apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James and John; Philip and Bartholomew; Matthew and Thomas; James son of Alpheus and Simon called the Zealot; Judas son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who would be the traitor.

Intercessions
• For the pope, that he may lead the Church in faith, wisdom and mercy, we pray:
• For our bishops, that united with the pope they may see and attend to the great needs of the Church in our day, we pray:
• For those who are afraid to answer the call of God to follow Christ to serve the people of God, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in the name of Jesus, your Son,
your ministers and people offer to you
the memorial of his death and resurrection.
Let us, sinful as we are, be your holy people,
that we may bear witness to your name
and be a believable sign to all
that your Son lives
and that you are our mighty God and Father,
now and for ever.

Prayer after Communion
Holy God and Father,
to us, your people on the way,
you have let your Son speak to us
his uplifting, inspiring word
and give us his food of strength.
Renew your Church in its leaders and members,
that we may live as we believe
and raise in our world a prophetic voice
that speaks with credibility
of justice, truth and unity.
May thus the world believe in your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Blessing
Jesus entrusts his own mission to weak and fallible human hand. "Entrusts," for he trusts them enough. With the help of the Holy Spirit we can do God's work. May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Saturday October 28, 2017

Jesus prays all through the night in the hills and then calls his own by name to him. Simon and Jude are chosen among the twelve. We know that Simon was called a zealot-one who was passionate about the coming of the messiah and the kingdom of God in justice for the people. Whether he belonged to the Zealot party (that was sometimes violent in attacking the Romans, engaged in subversive activities) or not, he is remembered for his strength in wanting God's kingdom to come into the world. And then there is Jude, the son of James-really Judas, the same as the one who betrayed Jesus but this one remained faithful. Both died martyrs deaths after they came in the power of the Spirit to know the courage of the cross and allegiance to Jesus. Not much else is known about them except that they were from the beginning two of those who brought the good news to the poor. We too by our baptisms and confirmation have been called by name to walk with Jesus and to share the good news to the poor. Jesus has prayed for our faithfulness, our freedom and our obedience. Let us remember whose company we belong to and pray for one another.

Alternative
If we look at the list of the apostles, there is nothing extraordinary about most of them, either before or after their calling. Most of them came from poor or dubious backgrounds. Even after being called by Jesus to be his apostles, there are no reliable records to suggest that all of them became famous people in the world or within the Church during their lifetime. Yet, we consider them saints, and saints they are. It was not any great achievement that merited them sainthood; rather, their holiness was a gift from Christ, a gift to which they remained faithful and grateful.
Today we remember and honor two of them—Simon and Jude. Simon was once a zealot, the equivalent of a modern religious terrorist. Still Jesus called him. There is hardly any significant event that involves Judas in the gospels. Both of them preached the Gospel: in many lands and were martyred in Persia.
God calls and offers us his holiness with no regard for our merits. Blessed are those who accept God’s invitation.

Sunday October 29, 2017

1. God in People
2. You Will Be Known By Your Love

Greeting (see Second Reading)

We have become imitators of the Lord
and it was with the joy of the Spirit
that we accepted the Gospel;
we have become servants of the real, living God.
May Jesus, the Lord we expect, be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

Introduction by the Celebrant

1. God In People
Do we love God? Of course, we say; what a queer question! Is it really so self-evident that we love God with our whole heart and soul and mind? There is a good test of our love of God: How patient are you with your cranky husband or wife? Can you forgive the former friend who cheated you in an important deal? Can you still love the neighbor who unjustly brought you to court about the boundary of your property? Your neighbor is the visible shape of the invisible God. Ask Jesus in this Eucharist to recognize him in your neighbor.

2. You Will Be Known By Your Love
Do people say of our Christian communities today what they said about the first Christians, “See how the love one another”? How different our world would be if we had put into practice a love like that of God and the first Christians! Christian love, the one with which we love God and people and ourselves is a love that has God as its source and force. It is this love which Jesus teaches us and asks of us here in this Eucharist.

Penitential Act
It is difficult to love God in people.
Let us ask the Lord and people
to forgive us where we have failed.
(PAUSE)
The child in the slums was you, Lord,
and we did not love you:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

The shy alien living among us is you, Lord,
and we have not learned to love you:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

The family around the corner
that has failed to repay its debts is you, Lord,
and it is difficult to love them:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

In your great mercy, forgive us, Lord,
and help us to love you in people.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

Opening Prayer
Let us pray that our love of God
may become real and tangible
in our love of our neighbor
(PAUSE)

in loving us without regret.
In the human heart of Jesus your Son
you have shown us how far love can go.
Give us a love that is forgiving,
generous and gentle like his,
that we may recognize and welcome him
in our brothers and sisters.
And may our hearts reach out first
to the poorest and the least lovable,
with the gratuitous love you have given us
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

First Reading: Love the Poor in the Name of the Covenant
In the name of the covenant, God’s people are asked to do the same for the poor as God has done for his people: show love to strangers, widows and orphans, to people with debts.

Reading 1: Ex 22:20-26
Thus says the LORD:
"You shall not molest or oppress an alien,
for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt.
You shall not wrong any widow or orphan.
If ever you wrong them and they cry out to me,
I will surely hear their cry.
My wrath will flare up, and I will kill you with the sword;
then your own wives will be widows, and your children orphans.

"If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people,
you shall not act like an extortioner toward him
by demanding interest from him.
If you take your neighbor's cloak as a pledge,
you shall return it to him before sunset;
for this cloak of his is the only covering he has for his body.
What else has he to sleep in?
If he cries out to me, I will hear him; for I am compassionate."

Responsorial Psalm Ps 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives and blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. I love you, Lord, my strength.

Second Reading: Faith Is Contagious
The faith of the Christians of Saloniki is a model to all who believe and inspires other communities. For genuine faith is contagious.

Reading 2: 1 Thes 1:5c-10
Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy to the church of the Thessalonians
in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:
grace to you and peace.
We give thanks to God always for all of you,
remembering you in our prayers,
unceasingly calling to mind your work of faith and labor of love
and endurance in hope of our Lord Jesus Christ,
before our God and Father,
knowing, brothers and sisters loved by God,
how you were chosen.
For our gospel did not come to you in word alone,
but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with much conviction.

Alleluia Jn 14:23
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Whoever loves me will keep my word, says the Lord,
and my Father will love him and we will come to him.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel: Above All: Love
Jesus makes love of neighbor the sign of the love of God. What matters above all is love of God and of people.

Gospel: Mt 22:34-40
When the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees,
they gathered together, and one of them,
a scholar of the law tested him by asking,
"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?"
He said to him,
"You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your soul,
and with all your mind.
This is the greatest and the first commandment.
The second is like it:
You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments."

Intercessions
Let us pray to our kind and merciful God that his love for us may animate all we do and that our love may become contagious. Let us say: R/ Lord, make us instruments of your love.
– That the Church, the People of God, may never cease to proclaim by its teaching, life and liturgy that love of God and neighbor is the heart of the Gospel and that people are God’s gift to us, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us instruments of your love.
– That people may not lose their hearts in today’s economic systems of profit, efficiency, production and competition, but that they may keep giving first place to human relationships of friendship and respect, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us instruments of your love.
– That we may have room in our hearts and homes for refugees and strangers, that we may learn to share our goods and ourselves with the little people loved by God – the poor and the lonely and those who suffer, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us instruments of your love.
– That those who don’t know how to forgive, those who have not experienced much happiness in life or whose longings have not been fulfilled may encounter a bit of God’s goodness in our attention and care, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us instruments of your love.
– That in our Christian communities we may uplift one another rather than tear down, accept each other with trust and affection, forgive one another from the heart and go forward together in hope and love, let us pray: R/ Lord, make us instruments of your love.
Our gentle God, help us to love you and one another with your measure, that is, without measure, in Christ Jesus our Lord. R/ Amen.

Prayer over the Gifts
God our Father,
in this Eucharist we remember
how Jesus your Son gave himself
with a love without measure,
going all the way through suffering and death.
Make our love creative, like his,
that we too may not break the crushed reed
nor put out the smoldering wick
but lift up the weak
and sustain one another in hope.
Let this be our answer to your love,
by the power of Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer
In this Eucharist we remember how Jesus sacrificed himself for us because he loved us without limits. Let us thank the Father for this love and offer him our willingness to live for him and for people.

Introduction to the Lord’s Prayer
We know that the Father loves us
and so we pray to him
Jesus’ prayer of trust. R/ Our Father...

Deliver Us
Deliver us Lord, from the coldness of sin
which refuses to warm up
to you and our neighbor.
Keep us free from pride
which looks down on others.
Banish all envy and hatred from among us,
and bind us together in your love,
that we may prepare in hope and joy
for the full coming among us
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. R/ For the kingdom...

Invitation to Communion
This is Jesus the Lord, who said:
Love the Lord your God
with your whole heart and soul;
love one another as I have loved you.
By this love people will know
that you are my disciples. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

Prayer after Communion
God our Father,
you have satisfied our hunger for love
by giving us your Son Jesus Christ.
Following his example, let us send no one away empty,
exclude no one, classify no one,
build no walls around ourselves or others.
Let our happiness not be complete
as long as our brothers and sisters suffer.
Help us to take all the risks of love,
for it is not so much our love we want to give
but yours, which became visible
in Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

Blessing
In this Eucharist we have experienced
God’s love for us.
Now that he has warmed us with his love,
may we let its glow shine
on those around us,
with the blessing of almighty God:
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.
Go, and love one another
as the Lord has loved you. R/ Thanks be to God.