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26TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME : WEALTH WE USE

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C Theme: Christian use wealth. 1st Reading Amos 6:1a,4-7 Amos warns the self-indulgent against their false sense of security. 2nd Reading 1 Tim 6:11-16 Timothy is exhorted on the sublimity of his vocation. Gospel Luke 16:19-31 Parable of Dives and Lazarus. Today the 26th Sunday gives us an opportunity to meditate on the progress we have made as human beings. We are Christians. Who live in this world. We are various types of works in the society. We are affected by developments. Natural calamities. The politics of the country makes us aware of the type of society that is formed by certain political decisions. Some times we become prey to the advertisements which are against our faith, we are in a dilemma because these are couched in honey but are sinful. We participate in the progress of the country, some times at the detriment of weaker section of the people, who are deprived of their rights by powerful by manipulation. We also see the many evils that are part and parcel of the countries progress. E.g globalization, secularization etc., Where some live in great comfort, where as some live in abject poverty. There are social activist who struggle for justice peace and righteousness. But just equality is far in coming. We see so much poverty in India. People living in sub-human situations on foot paths, on plat forms, side walks, in the open spaces where large buildings are built, where the children of the poor wallow in the mud and dirt. No one bothers. There may be some NGO or some religious congregations doing little to eliminate the poverty of these people. The poverty of poor people is an area where we Christian cannot close our eyes and move on. We are generous when there are natural tragedies. We do give generously when collections are made. We even volunteer when some one is in need. This Sunday’s readings challenge each one of us. To be aware of our mission as Christians, to care for the poor around us. In the first reading, Amos is warning the rich against their false security, he asks to open their eyes to the reality of time. Paul in the second reading forewarns Timothy of his vocation to strive to live to the call God has invited him in earnest. This may be a reminder to each of us to be honest with our Christian vocation and live it faithfully. In the Gospel we heard the oft repeated story of the poor Lazarus and the rich man. This gives us an inkling of the things that await a person does not bother about the poverty around him. We are people who live in a time where there is tremendous amount of progress in everything. We have better facilities when we compare our own lives and needs some ten years back. How do we use this progress? Do I live as committed Christian missionary? Or allowing the priests and sisters and lay missionaries to slog, only giving our bit when asked? Do we consciously come forward to do our missionary task of taking care of our neighbor? Often we Christians live compromising so many areas of our lives. Closing our eyes to the challenges of the time. How do we face the world of today? Do we realize when God has chosen us as Christians we have a responsibility to be a testimony of truth justice and love? In becoming aware of our vocation let us try to strive to live it faithfully. In union with the divine word, Fr. Juze Vaz svd

Divine Mercy Sunday 1st Sunday after Easter Year I 01-05-11 I Reading Acts 2:42-47 Spirit helps the Christians aim to live as Caring, Sharing and Loving community. II Reading I Peter 1:3-9 The Resurrection makes us a new generation. Gospel John 20:19-31 Christ’s victory over death gives us a hope in our life. One word of trust in the Lord allows us to be free of all our sins. We known a perfect contrition forgives the gravest sin. We live in this world where every thing is broken. We have so many limitations for example:- 1. Broken life. 2. Illness. 3. Limitations. 4. Cheating. 5. Pride. 6. Using wealth to propagate evil in the world. 7. Thirst for power. 9. Terrorism. 10. Wars. 11. Using the modern methods to limit life. 12. Using development out of selfish motives. When Jesus enters into our lives and transformed the whole of world’s outlook. He showed how to forgive. How to love. How to live for others. How to serve How to share. Today when the whole world celebrates the Divine Mercy Sunday. Spark of Jesus love and mercy becomes visible in our lives. How by our personal experience of finding Jesus has forgiven us. Have we ever encountered the forgiveness of the Lord? Like he forgave the sinful woman caught in adultery. Zachaeus forgiven and enfolded in the Christ’s company. Jesus Eating with the sinners and lost people. Pharisees and Jewish leader never liked Jesus sense of forgiveness. Jesus called he came to call one sinner leaving the 99 for one who is lost. He has given so many examples of this in his public ministry. Today when we see he encounters his own Disciples. He announces peace to them. Peace is sign of unity harmony. Then he gives them the power of the spirit to forgive sins Thomas is asked to come and place his hand in his side his fingers in the holes of the nails in his hand. His proclamation of his faith “My Lord and My God” Jesus can forgive and not even count the reason for forgiveness. He simply came to call us into his kingdom. He even knew his disciples would desert him still he loved them. He knew Peter would disown him, still he made him the head of the team. He knew Judas would betray him , still he never scolded him encouraged him to complete the work. When the human being accepts Jesus, as personal savior the redeeming Lord comes alive in their lives. Yes how often do I remember Jesus as my personal savior? Jesus constantly called the world to repent. Are we aware of the magnitude of our sins???? He would grant forgiveness. Just for asking. In our religion how easy it is to get forgiveness? Just go and accept your fault and confess. God instantly forgives??? What a reward for us. Justice in God’s sight is not reward and punishment. Just acceptance and restoration to the glory for which each one of us created. We lost our dignity due to our own pride and selfishness. Once we surrender and accept our nothingness the glory will shine. When Jesus gives the power of forgiveness to this disciples he gives a great key to them. Yes how much generous he is. He lived and died to save us. Now he continues to give this forgiving grace to us through this sacrament of penance. That is divine mercy of which saint Faustina proclaimed. Her whole life was a life of a missionary of Mercy. She called herself the secretary God’s mercy. She lived and proclaimed that her whole life was a shining example of grace being transmitted. When all over the world when people pray the chaplet of grace surely they accept the situation of sin. Once we accept this grace flows into our hearts. Come let us become aware of God’s grace and live to proclaim the grace we have received through the sacrament of penance of gift of reconciliation. When Pope John Paul II is beatified we can be happy for his glorious union with the Father Son and Holy Spirit. In union with the divine word, Wish you the merciful of God. Fr. Juze Vas svd

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 10-02-13 Theme: qualifying the unqualified!!

<5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 10-02-13 Theme: qualifying the unqualified!! 1st Reading Is. 6:2a, 3-8 Mission. Of an unqualified 2nd Reading 1st Cor. 15:1-11 Core of our belief is Resurrection, which is the source of Paul’s missionary mandate. Gospel Luke 5:1-11 call of the disciples. As Christians called to follow God’s servant Jesus Who came into this world of ours, where there are so many difficulties to be overcome!!!!. If we turn our eyes to our own existence we find we live in a community of people, whom we call parents, relatives, friends etc. This existence extends to the neighborhood. In our own cases we find our faith is surrounded by various types of beliefs, our faith is being tested at every moment. We are challenged to prove our faith saying it belongs to a western culture. First and foremost we have to eke out our living working in such surroundings. We as believers have been selected to live impossible way of life. We cannot live like people around us. We are like salt in the vast cauldron in big container of food. Some times we launch out to into the deep for social uplift, for economic wellbeing for our own families and societies where w belong. We even have launched out into foreign countries where we have no opportunity of publicly to live our faith because we are living in an atmosphere of state religion where we cannot profess our faith publicly. Some of us have left behind our dear and near ones so we lack moral solidarity of the believing community. This existential reality poses many difficulties. Man away from his wife! Woman away from her husband. These are realities we have to face. This may some time even break the family we have been so preciously upholding. Because we are created to be as family to live our lives. In today’s reading this reality is well explained. In the first reading we find that the prophet who was chosen was not competent, but competence was bestowed on him not by simple investiture but by burning his lips. Very expressive crude way of empowering a disciple for a risky job of prophesies to the chosen people as a special mission of bringing them back to the covenant relationship. God knows how to empower his chosen ones. In the second reading we find the preacher Paul who claims his authorship to the preaching material to a tradition which has been handed over to him. A mystery of Jesus reality where God becomes man to save man. We are also part of this mystery not because we are able to comprehend this mystery. We have encountered so many problems in the life we have faced thus far. We might be facing more of these problems later, how shall we get ourselves qualified to this risky business? By participating in celebrations of our Christian belief like the Eucharist!!! This participation should not become a rudimentary act but a devotion which enhances our belief in the Divine. The Gospel where Jesus chooses his disciples. It is a wonderful passage where Jesus Christ is choosing his ministers not from anywhere outside. They were tired fishermen who knew how to fish. A fisherman of the men was demanding from them an action which demanded total trust. Jesus asks them to launch out into the deep to fish, though they are hesitant they trustingly cast their nets and what is the result!!!! We know the miracle of the catch of fish!!!! This event makes Peter the leader of the lot to realize his unworthiness and he cries out to the lord to leave him because he is very sinner!!!! Here is where the perfect man qualifies the imperfect. We have to keep our gaze on Christ. We have to live our vocation as Christians fixing our gaze on Christ. Today when we attend our Eucharistic sacramental reality let it become for us a rallying point. We can live in harmony of love our vocation as Christians. Wishing all of you a happy Christian belief.!!!!!! In union with the divine word, Fr. Juze Vaz svd div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 10-02-13 Theme: qualifying the unqualified!!

5th Sunday in Ordinary Time Year C 10-02-13 Theme: qualifying the unqualified!! 1st Reading Is. 6:2a, 3-8 Mission. Of an unqualified 2nd Reading 1st Cor. 15:1-11 Core of our belief is Resurrection, which is the source of Paul’s missionary mandate. Gospel Luke 5:1-11 call of the disciples. As Christians called to follow God’s servant Jesus Who came into this world of ours, where there are so many difficulties to be overcome!!!!. If we turn our eyes to our own existence we find we live in a community of people, whom we call parents, relatives, friends etc. This existence extends to the neighborhood. In our own cases we find our faith is surrounded by various types of beliefs, our faith is being tested at every moment. We are challenged to prove our faith saying it belongs to a western culture. First and foremost we have to eke out our living working in such surroundings. We as believers have been selected to live impossible way of life. We cannot live like people around us. We are like salt in the vast cauldron in big container of food. Some times we launch out to into the deep for social uplift, for economic wellbeing for our own families and societies where w belong. We even have launched out into foreign countries where we have no opportunity of publicly to live our faith because we are living in an atmosphere of state religion where we cannot profess our faith publicly. Some of us have left behind our dear and near ones so we lack moral solidarity of the believing community. This existential reality poses many difficulties. Man away from his wife! Woman away from her husband. These are realities we have to face. This may some time even break the family we have been so preciously upholding. Because we are created to be as family to live our lives. In today’s reading this reality is well explained. In the first reading we find that the prophet who was chosen was not competent, but competence was bestowed on him not by simple investiture but by burning his lips. Very expressive crude way of empowering a disciple for a risky job of prophesies to the chosen people as a special mission of bringing them back to the covenant relationship. God knows how to empower his chosen ones. In the second reading we find the preacher Paul who claims his authorship to the preaching material to a tradition which has been handed over to him. A mystery of Jesus reality where God becomes man to save man. We are also part of this mystery not because we are able to comprehend this mystery. We have encountered so many problems in the life we have faced thus far. We might be facing more of these problems later, how shall we get ourselves qualified to this risky business? By participating in celebrations of our Christian belief like the Eucharist!!! This participation should not become a rudimentary act but a devotion which enhances our belief in the Divine. The Gospel where Jesus chooses his disciples. It is a wonderful passage where Jesus Christ is choosing his ministers not from anywhere outside. They were tired fishermen who knew how to fish. A fisherman of the men was demanding from them an action which demanded total trust. Jesus asks them to launch out into the deep to fish, though they are hesitant they trustingly cast their nets and what is the result!!!! We know the miracle of the catch of fish!!!! This event makes Peter the leader of the lot to realize his unworthiness and he cries out to the lord to leave him because he is very sinner!!!! Here is where the perfect man qualifies the imperfect. We have to keep our gaze on Christ. We have to live our vocation as Christians fixing our gaze on Christ. Today when we attend our Eucharistic sacramental reality let it become for us a rallying point. We can live in harmony of love our vocation as Christians. Wishing all of you a happy Christian belief.!!!!!! In union with the divine word, Fr. Juze Vaz svd div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">