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How Blessed are we to have the life giving, living word of God speak to our hearts. Transforming those who are attentive from within, filling them to the full.

Filled with His divine grace, we are merciful as He is, loving as He is, holy as He is Holy. The prayer Jesus taught us is not one we simply recite daily but we live it for His glory. Amen


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First reading
Isaiah 55:10-11

The word that goes out from my mouth does not return to me empty

Thus says the Lord: ‘As the rain and the snow come down from the heavens and do not return without watering the earth, making it yield and giving growth to provide seed for the sower and bread for the eating, so the word that goes from my mouth does not return to me empty, without carrying out my will and succeeding in what it was sent to do.’


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Gospel
Matthew 6:7-15

How to pray

Jesus said to his disciples: ‘In your prayers do not babble as the pagans do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:

‘Our Father in heaven,
may your name be held holy,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
And do not put us to the test,
but save us from the evil one.

‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.’

Listen to the promises of our Lord when we repent and turn back to Him. When our hearts are filled with His love and mercy. Then we too shall be loving and merciful.

For He first loved us while we were sinners, He sought us out and beckoned to us to follow Him. Opening the door to our hearts to Him, He enters and dines with us as we dine with Him.

Just as You sought me out Lord, let me seek out those whom You lead me to, so that I may draw them close to Your bosom. Amen

Saint John of God, pray for us…


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First reading
Isaiah 58:9-14

You will be like a spring whose waters never run dry

The Lord says this:

If you do away with the yoke,
the clenched fist, the wicked word, if you give your bread to the hungry, and relief to the oppressed, your light will rise in the darkness, and your shadows become like noon.
The Lord will always guide you,
giving you relief in desert places.

He will give strength to your bones and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water
whose waters never run dry.

You will rebuild the ancient ruins, build up on the old foundations.
You will be called ‘Breach-mender’,
‘Restorer of ruined houses.’

If you refrain from trampling the Sabbath, and doing business on the holy day, if you call the Sabbath ‘Delightful’, and the day sacred to the Lord ‘Honourable’,
if you honour it by abstaining from travel, from doing business and from gossip, then shall you find your happiness in the Lord
and I will lead you triumphant over the heights of the land.
I will feed you on the heritage of Jacob your father.
For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

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Gospel
Luke 5:27-32

Jesus comes not to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance

Jesus noticed a tax collector, Levi by name, sitting by the customs house, and said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And leaving everything he got up and followed him.
    In his honour Levi held a great reception in his house, and with them at table was a large gathering of tax collectors and others. The Pharisees and their scribes complained to his disciples and said, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus said to them in reply, ‘It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the virtuous, but sinners to repentance.’

Today we must make a choice. The Lord our God, or sin. Life and light or death and darkness. Simple enough to choose all that is good? Nay! For the wiles of the world backed by the prince of darkness has set its sights and clutches upon us.

For that is what it means to take up our cross everyday and follow Him. There will be challenges, temptations to give up. But we will be victorious! For yoked to Christ Jesus our Lord who can be against us.


Lord always I choose You just as You have chosen me. Amen

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First reading
Deuteronomy 30:15-20 ·

I set before you today life or death, blessing or curse

Moses said to the people: ‘See, today I set before you life and prosperity, death and disaster. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God that I enjoin on you today, if you love the Lord your God and follow his ways, if you keep his commandments, his laws, his customs, you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you are entering to make your own. But if your heart strays, if you refuse to listen, if you let yourself be drawn into worshipping other gods and serving them, I tell you today, you will most certainly perish; you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today: I set before you life or death, blessing or curse. Choose life, then, so that you and your descendants may live, in the love of the Lord your God, obeying his voice, clinging to him; for in this your life consists, and on this depends your long stay in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob he would give them.’




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Gospel
Luke 9:22-25

Whoever loses his life for my sake will save it

Jesus said to his disciples:
    ‘The Son of Man is destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes and to be put to death, and to be raised up on the third day.’
    Then to all he said:
    ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross every day and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, that man will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to have won the whole world and to have lost or ruined his very self?’

What good is our sacrifices for our Lord if we do not follow His commands to love? If we turn a blind eye to those in need. If we hurl vulgarites or use harsh abrasive words when angered by others, even our own family members. If there is no mercy in our hearts. If we not reflect His patience and kindness.

How is what we do for His sake or for the sake of the Gospel? Finally who’s disciple are we?

Lord I am Yours. Amen

Saint Casimir pray for us…


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First reading
Ecclesiasticus 35:2-15

Give to the Most High as he has given to you


A man multiplies offerings by keeping the Law;
    he offers communion sacrifices by following the commandments.
By showing gratitude he makes an offering of fine flour,
    by giving alms he offers a sacrifice of praise.
Withdraw from wickedness and the Lord will be pleased,
    withdraw from injustice and you make atonement.
Do not appear empty-handed in the Lord’s presence;
    for all these things are due under the commandment.
A virtuous man’s offering graces the altar,
    and its savour rises before the Most High.
A virtuous man’s sacrifice is acceptable,
    its memorial will not be forgotten.
Honour the Lord with generosity,
    do not stint the first-fruits you bring.
Add a smiling face to all your gifts,
    and be cheerful as you dedicate your tithes.
Give to the Most High as he has given to you,
    generously as your means can afford;
for the Lord is a good rewarder,
    he will reward you seven times over.
Offer him no bribe, he will not accept it,
    do not put your faith in an unvirtuous sacrifice;
since the Lord is a judge
    who is no respecter of personages.


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Gospel
Mark 10:28-31

Whoever has left everything for the sake of the gospel will be repaid

At that time Peter began to tell Jesus, ‘What about us? We have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus said, ‘I tell you solemnly, there is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not be repaid a hundred times over, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land – not without persecutions – now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life.
    ‘Many who are first will be last, and the last first.’

It is generally true that those who have experienced hardship in their lives are more generous with others especially the poor, the stranger. They know what it is like to have nothing, and so are more willing to give something to those who have not.  Hence what Jesus said holds true, “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?”

This also holds true when we indulge in sinful desires, the ‘riches’ of the world. Wanton sex, want of honour, all that goes against the commandments!

How then can we hope to enter the kingdom of God? Repent! Return to full union with the Lord our God, and He will make it possible for us to be with Him for all eternity. Amen


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First reading
Ecclesiasticus 17:20-28

Return to the Lord and leave sin behind


To those who repent, God permits return, and he encourages those who were losing hope.
Return to the Lord and leave sin behind, plead before his face and lessen your offence.
Come back to the Most High and turn away from iniquity, and hold in abhorrence all that is foul.
Who will praise the Most High in Sheol, if the living do not do so by giving glory to him?
To the dead, as to those who do not exist, praise is unknown, only those with life and health can praise the Lord.
How great is the mercy of the Lord, his pardon on all those who turn towards him!


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Gospel
Mark 10:17-27

Give everything you own to the poor, and follow me

Jesus was setting out on a journey when a man ran up, knelt before him and put this question to him, ‘Good master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You must not kill; You must not commit adultery; You must not steal; You must not bring false witness; You must not defraud; Honour your father and mother.’ And he said to him, ‘Master, I have kept all these from my earliest days.’ Jesus looked steadily at him and loved him, and he said, ‘There is one thing you lack. Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But his face fell at these words and he went away sad, for he was a man of great wealth.
    Jesus looked round and said to his disciples, ‘How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!’ The disciples were astounded by these words, but Jesus insisted, ‘My children,’ he said to them ‘how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were more astonished than ever. ‘In that case’ they said to one another ‘who can be saved?’ Jesus gazed at them. ‘For men’ he said ‘it is impossible, but not for God: because everything is possible for God.’

One of the most beautiful hymns is “What a friend we have in Jesus” there is indeed no one more loyal, faithful, patient, kind, affirming and loving. He takes all that is said about friendship and elevates it to a whole different level.

What a blessing it is that we should have friends who takes us their cross and follows after Him just as we do.  It is in this community of friends, fellow disciples in Christ that we can truly grow. We shall lead one another and all others who will listen into His Kingdom.

Most importantly, those of us who are married must make it out mission to not only lead but love our spouse into our Lord’s kingdom. Amen

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First reading
Ecclesiasticus 6:5-17

A faithful friend is a sure shelter


A kindly turn of speech multiplies a man’s friends,
    and a courteous way of speaking invites many a friendly reply.
Let your acquaintances be many,
    but your advisers one in a thousand.
If you want to make a friend, take him on trial,
    and be in no hurry to trust him;
for one kind of friend is only so when it suits him
    but will not stand by you in your day of trouble.
Another kind of friend will fall out with you
    and to your dismay make the quarrel public,
and a third kind of friend will share your table,
    but not stand by you in your day of trouble:
when you are doing well he will be your second self,
    ordering your servants about;
but if ever you are brought low he will turn against you
    and will hide himself from you.
Keep well clear of your enemies,
    and be wary of your friends.
A faithful friend is a sure shelter,
    whoever finds one has found a rare treasure.
A faithful friend is something beyond price,
    there is no measuring his worth.
A faithful friend is the elixir of life,
    and those who fear the Lord will find one.
Whoever fears the Lord makes true friends,
    for as a man is, so is his friend.





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Gospel
Mark 10:1-12

What God has united, man must not divide

Jesus came to the district of Judaea and the far side of the Jordan. And again crowds gathered round him, and again he taught them, as his custom was. Some Pharisees approached him and asked, ‘Is it against the law for a man to divorce his wife?’ They were testing him. He answered them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ ‘Moses allowed us’ they said ‘to draw up a writ of dismissal and so to divorce.’ Then Jesus said to them, ‘It was because you were so unteachable that he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation God made them male and female. This is why a man must leave father and mother, and the two become one body. They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has united, man must not divide.’ Back in the house the disciples questioned him again about this, and he said to them, ‘The man who divorces his wife and marries another is guilty of adultery against her. And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another she is guilty of adultery too.’

The Lord our knows everything and sees into our hearts. There is nothing we can hide from Him. And why should we, if we truly love Him and are following after Him.

If we truly love Him then how can we do or say things that we know will offend Him? How can we allow a second go by without turning back to Him after we’ve sinned! Or allow ourselves to our time as though we have enough time or to be foolish enough to think we can accumulate our sins so as to not go so often for reconciliation?

Our souls already start dying the second we sin! Why allow ourselves to be separated from His presence, love, peace and joy?

Truly sisters and brothers in Christ, if we love our Lord then we must resist sin to the point of shedding our blood. And rush quickly back into His divine embrace having sinned, so that we can be healed, fully restored in His love. So as to minister to our brethren even with little acts of mercy and kindness. Amen



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First reading
Ecclesiasticus 5:1-10

Do not delay your return to the Lord


Do not give your heart to your money,
    or say, ‘With this I am self-sufficient.’
Do not be led by your appetites and energy
    to follow the passions of your heart.
And do not say, ‘Who has authority over me?’
    for the Lord will certainly be avenged on you.
Do not say, ‘I sinned, and what happened to me?’
    for the Lord’s forbearance is long.
Do not be so sure of forgiveness
    that you add sin to sin.
And do not say, ‘His compassion is great,
    he will forgive me my many sins’;
for with him are both mercy and wrath,
    and his rage bears heavy on sinners.
Do not delay your return to the Lord,
    do not put it off day after day;
for suddenly the Lord’s wrath will blaze out,
    and at the time of vengeance you will be utterly destroyed.
Do not set your heart on ill-gotten gains,
    they will be of no use to you on the day of disaster.



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Gospel
Mark 9:41-50

If your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off

Jesus said to his disciples:
    ‘If anyone gives you a cup of water to drink just because you belong to Christ, then I tell you solemnly, he will most certainly not lose his reward.
    ‘But anyone who is an obstacle to bring down one of these little ones who have faith, would be better thrown into the sea with a great millstone round his neck. And if your hand should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life crippled, than to have two hands and go to hell, into the fire that cannot be put out. And if your foot should cause you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter into life lame, than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye should cause you to sin, tear it out; it is better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell where their worm does not die nor their fire go out. For everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is a good thing, but if salt has become insipid, how can you season it again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.’

Are we merely the sum of our existence and experience? Lord knows the mistakes we have made in our lives! Still in our seeking of Him to draw closer, He gives us the grace of His wisdom so that we can learn His ways and become better versions of ourselves. The more we become like Him the closer we are in union with the divinity of Christ Jesus our Lord. Through our trials and challenges, deep draws on deep and we grow exponentially in His wisdom by trusting and remaining faithful.

We will look upon sisters and brothers in Christ from other denominations through the eyes of Jesus, and love them into His kingdom! Just as we will love all of His children who do not yet know Him into His Kingdom. Amen

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First reading

Ecclesiasticus 4:12-22

Whoever loves wisdom loves life

Wisdom brings up her own sons,

    and cares for those who seek her.

Whoever loves her loves life,

    those who wait on her early will be filled with happiness.

Whoever holds her close will inherit honour,

    and wherever he walks the Lord will bless him.

Those who serve her minister to the Holy One,

    and the Lord loves those who love her.

Whoever obeys her judges aright,

    and whoever pays attention to her dwells secure.

If he trusts himself to her he will inherit her,

    and his descendants will remain in possession of her;

for though she takes him at first through winding ways,

    bringing fear and faintness on him,

plaguing him with her discipline until she can trust him,

    and testing him with her ordeals,

in the end she will lead him back to the straight road

    and reveal her secrets to him.

If he wanders away she will abandon him,

    and hand him over to his fate.

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Gospel

Mark 9:38-40

You must not stop anyone from working miracles in my name

John said to Jesus, ‘Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name; and because he was not one of us we tried to stop him.’ But Jesus said, ‘You must not stop him: no one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak evil of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.’

Today’s love message from the Lord is commit yourself to the Lord, trust in Him and He will act.

The first reading is an instruction manual of sorts on authentic discipleship. I cling to the Lord with this passage which I love; for He spoke this to me in a very difficult time.  And I will attest that unless we are tested like gold in fire we cannot fully embrace His cross.

In today’s Gospel we hear what servant leadership is about through the eyes of Jesus. About not being first, but about loving everyone first in servitude. About recognising everyone as fellow sisters and brothers in Christ, God our Heavenly Father’s precious ones. As we welcome them, we not only welcome Jesus but our Heavenly Father. Amen


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FFirst reading
Ecclesiasticus 2:1-11

The chosen are tested like gold in the fire


My son, if you aspire to serve the Lord,  prepare yourself for an ordeal.
Be sincere of heart, be steadfast, and do not be alarmed when disaster comes.
Cling to him and do not leave him, so that you may be honoured at the end of your days.
Whatever happens to you, accept it, and in the uncertainties of your humble state, be patient, since gold is tested in the fire, and chosen men in the furnace of humiliation.
Trust him and he will uphold you, follow a straight path and hope in him.
You who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy; do not turn aside in case you fall.
You who fear the Lord, trust him, and you will not be baulked of your reward.
You who fear the Lord hope for good things,  for everlasting happiness and mercy.
Look at the generations of old and see: who ever trusted in the Lord and was put to shame?
Or who ever feared him steadfastly and was left forsaken? Or who ever called out to him, and was ignored?
For the Lord is compassionate and merciful, he forgives sins, and saves in days of distress.

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Gospel
Mark 9:30-37

Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me

Jesus and his disciples made their way through Galilee; and he did not want anyone to know, because he was instructing his disciples; he was telling them, ‘The Son of Man will be delivered into the hands of men; they will put him to death; and three days after he has been put to death he will rise again.’ But they did not understand what he said and were afraid to ask him.
    They came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ They said nothing because they had been arguing which of them was the greatest. So he sat down, called the Twelve to him and said, ‘If anyone wants to be first, he must make himself last of all and servant of all.’ He then took a little child, set him in front of them, put his arms round him, and said to them, ‘Anyone who welcomes one of these little children in my name, welcomes me; and anyone who welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.’

Shall we rely on our own wisdom? Or seek first His wisdom and His Kingdom!

Hear His word for us in today’s Gospel, “How much longer must I put up with you?”

Because He has already empowered us to minister to His flock with His wisdom, power and grace.

To cast our evil, to heal and lead His flock into His kingdom. Yet many are relying on their own strength, calling out to Him for help when He has already equipped them.

The Lord our God is the God of the impossible! With the Lord our God everything is possible!

Will He find faith in us to minister the impossible for His Glory?

Here I am Lord send me. Amen

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First reading

Ecclesiasticus 1:1-10 ·

Before all other things, wisdom was created

All wisdom is from the Lord,

    and it is his own for ever.

The sand of the sea and the raindrops,

    and the days of eternity, who can assess them?

The height of the sky and the breadth of the earth,

    and the depth of the abyss, who can probe them?

Before all other things wisdom was created,

    shrewd understanding is everlasting.

For whom has the root of wisdom ever been uncovered?

    Her resourceful ways, who knows them?

One only is wise, terrible indeed,

    seated on his throne, the Lord.

He himself has created her, looked on her and assessed her,

    and poured her out on all his works

to be with all mankind as his gift,

    and he conveyed her to those who love him.

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Gospel

Mark 9:14-29

Help the little faith I have!

When Jesus, with Peter, James and John came down from the mountain and rejoined the disciples, they saw a large crowd round them and some scribes arguing with them. The moment they saw him the whole crowd were struck with amazement and ran to greet him. ‘What are you arguing about with them?’ he asked. A man answered him from the crowd, ‘Master, I have brought my son to you; there is a spirit of dumbness in him, and when it takes hold of him it throws him to the ground, and he foams at the mouth and grinds his teeth and goes rigid. And I asked your disciples to cast it out and they were unable to.’ ‘You faithless generation’ he said to them in reply. ‘How much longer must I be with you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me.’ They brought the boy to him, and as soon as the spirit saw Jesus it threw the boy into convulsions, and he fell to the ground and lay writhing there, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ ‘From childhood,’ he replied ‘and it has often thrown him into the fire and into the water, in order to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have pity on us and help us.’ ‘If you can?’ retorted Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for anyone who has faith.’ Immediately the father of the boy cried out, ‘I do have faith. Help the little faith I have!’ And when Jesus saw how many people were pressing round him, he rebuked the unclean spirit. ‘Deaf and dumb spirit,’ he said ‘I command you: come out of him and never enter him again.’ Then throwing the boy into violent convulsions it came out shouting, and the boy lay there so like a corpse that most of them said, ‘He is dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and helped him up, and he was able to stand. When he had gone indoors his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why were we unable to cast it out?’ ‘This is the kind’ he answered ‘that can only be driven out by prayer.’

There are still many leaders in the Church who love to be in the inner circle of the hierarchy. They must be in the know, as knowledge is power! Some will micromanage everything. Their spirituality consists of formulated prayers and recycled templates because their hearts are far from the Lord. That is why they often use social media to declare that Lord is Christ! Using phrases like – “let go and let God!” But they themselves cannot let go of their insecurities.

Christian leadership is about gladly laying one’s life down for the good of another. We must be prepared to die for Him! Die to our sins, wanton desires, want of honour, pride, gluttony, laziness. Only when we empty ourselves off the world can He fill us with the graces necessary to minister to His flock. We face hardship and challenges unafraid, because our Lord walks with us.

Lord I surrender my all to You! Use me…

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First reading
1 Peter 5:1-4 ·

Watch over the flock, not simply as a duty but gladly

Now I have something to tell your elders: I am an elder myself, and a witness to the sufferings of Christ, and with you I have a share in the glory that is to be revealed. Be the shepherds of the flock of God that is entrusted to you: watch over it, not simply as a duty but gladly, because God wants it; not for sordid money, but because you are eager to do it. Never be a dictator over any group that is put in your charge, but be an example that the whole flock can follow. When the chief shepherd appears, you will be given the crown of unfading glory.



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Gospel
Matthew 16:13-19

You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church

When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say the Son of Man is?’ And they said, ‘Some say he is John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he said ‘who do you say I am?’ Then Simon Peter spoke up, ‘You are the Christ,’ he said ‘the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Simon son of Jonah, you are a happy man! Because it was not flesh and blood that revealed this to you but my Father in heaven. So I now say to you: You are Peter and on this rock I will build my Church. And the gates of the underworld can never hold out against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: whatever you bind on earth shall be considered bound in heaven; whatever you loose on earth shall be considered loosed in heaven.’

Today’s first reading may look as though the people who built the tower of Babel were harmless and were just ambitious to build something together as a united people. Unfortunately they were not united for the Lord our God but in a sense against Him for what would have happened if gone unchecked. They were disobedient, self- serving and would eventually alienate everyone outside their circle. The widow, the poor, the weak would be trampled upon. Throughout the centuries we see this behaviour, with leaders such as Hitler, Mussolini!

But when a people are united as One in God the Holy Spirit they become One in the Lord our God. At Pentecost we see how everyone understood the language of the Lord our God spoken through His disciples.

Let us renounce all the works of the enemies and stand united as One in Christ. By carrying our cross and following after Him we are assured that come what may, we will be reunited with Him in paradise.

Jesus remember me when You come into Your kingdom. Amen

Saint Peter Damian, pray for us…

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First reading

Genesis 11:1-9 ·

The tower of Babel

Throughout the earth men spoke the same language, with the same vocabulary. Now as they moved eastwards they found a plain in the land of Shinar where they settled. They said to one another, ‘Come, let us make bricks and bake them in the fire.’ (For stone they used bricks, and for mortar they used bitumen). ‘Come,’ they said ‘let us build ourselves a town and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name for ourselves, so that we may not be scattered about the whole earth.’

    Now the Lord came down to see the town and the tower that the sons of man had built. ‘So they are all a single people with a single language!’ said the Lord. ‘This is but the start of their undertakings! There will be nothing too hard for them to do. Come, let us go down and confuse their language on the spot so that they can no longer understand one another.’ The Lord scattered them thence over the whole face of the earth, and they stopped building the town. It was named Babel therefore, because there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth. It was from there that the Lord scattered them over the whole face of the earth.

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Gospel

Mark 8:34-9:1

Anyone who loses his life for my sake will save it

Jesus called the people and his disciples to him and said:

    ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. What gain, then, is it for a man to win the whole world and ruin his life? And indeed what can a man offer in exchange for his life? For if anyone in this adulterous and sinful generation is ashamed of me and of my words, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.’ And he said to them, ‘I tell you solemnly, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the kingdom of God come with power.’

Life is in the blood! Through the previous blood of Jesus we have life, life to the full! The Lord our willingly chose to lay down His life for us so that we might be saved. Can you now see the travesty of human thinking? “No Lord! God forbid that you suffer and die.” St Peter might have said to Jesus.

We might declare through divine grace, “You O Lord are the Christ!” But are our hearts in sync? This same Lord our ‘Christ’ commanded that we should take up our cross and follow after Him. Have we learned yet? That in suffering for the greater good we have fulfilment in and through Him.

Let Your thoughts be my thoughts Lord. Your words my words. Amen



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First reading
Genesis 9:1-13

The sign of the Covenant


God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Be the terror and the dread of all the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven, of everything that crawls on the ground and all the fish of the sea; they are handed over to you. Every living and crawling thing shall provide food for you, no less than the foliage of plants. I give you everything, with this exception: you must not eat flesh with life, that is to say blood, in it. I will demand an account of your life-blood. I will demand an account from every beast and from man. I will demand an account of every man’s life from his fellow men.

‘He who sheds man’s blood
shall have his blood shed by man,
for in the image of God
man was made.

‘As for you, be fruitful, multiply, teem over the earth and be lord of it.’
    God spoke to Noah and his sons, ‘See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living creature to be found with you, birds, cattle and every wild beast with you: everything that came out of the ark, everything that lives on the earth. I establish my Covenant with you: no thing of flesh shall be swept away again by the waters of the flood. There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.’
    God said, ‘Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth.’




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Gospel
Mark 8:27-33

The way you think is not God’s way, but man’s

Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
    And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

Life is in the blood! Through the previous blood of Jesus we have life, life to the full! The Lord our willingly chose to lay down His life for us so that we might be saved. Can you now see the travesty of human thinking? “No Lord! God forbid that you suffer and die.” St Peter might have said to Jesus.

We might declare through divine grace, “You O Lord are the Christ!” But are our hearts in sync? This same Lord our ‘Christ’ commanded that we should take up our cross and follow after Him. Have we learned yet? That in suffering for the greater good we have fulfilment in and through Him.

Let Your thoughts be my thoughts Lord. Your words my words. Amen



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First reading
Genesis 9:1-13

The sign of the Covenant


God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth. Be the terror and the dread of all the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven, of everything that crawls on the ground and all the fish of the sea; they are handed over to you. Every living and crawling thing shall provide food for you, no less than the foliage of plants. I give you everything, with this exception: you must not eat flesh with life, that is to say blood, in it. I will demand an account of your life-blood. I will demand an account from every beast and from man. I will demand an account of every man’s life from his fellow men.

‘He who sheds man’s blood
shall have his blood shed by man,
for in the image of God
man was made.

‘As for you, be fruitful, multiply, teem over the earth and be lord of it.’
    God spoke to Noah and his sons, ‘See, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; also with every living creature to be found with you, birds, cattle and every wild beast with you: everything that came out of the ark, everything that lives on the earth. I establish my Covenant with you: no thing of flesh shall be swept away again by the waters of the flood. There shall be no flood to destroy the earth again.’
    God said, ‘Here is the sign of the Covenant I make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all generations: I set my bow in the clouds and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between me and the earth.’




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Gospel
Mark 8:27-33

The way you think is not God’s way, but man’s

Jesus and his disciples left for the villages round Caesarea Philippi. On the way he put this question to his disciples, ‘Who do people say I am?’ And they told him. ‘John the Baptist,’ they said ‘others Elijah; others again, one of the prophets.’ ‘But you,’ he asked ‘who do you say I am?’ Peter spoke up and said to him, ‘You are the Christ.’ And he gave them strict orders not to tell anyone about him.
    And he began to teach them that the Son of Man was destined to suffer grievously, to be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and to be put to death, and after three days to rise again; and he said all this quite openly. Then, taking him aside, Peter started to remonstrate with him. But, turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said to him, ‘Get behind me, Satan! Because the way you think is not God’s way but man’s.’

Whether in church, family or at the workplace; are we jealous of one another? Are we starved for attention, affirmation and honour? Who are we jealous of? Have we failed to see that we are all children of God so loved by Him? And that He has no favourites? Are we then jealous of our own sister and brother? Are we upset that another is praised for their good deeds? We should be rejoicing with them! How we react or love reflects our own relationship with our Lord and Saviour Jesus.

Are we seen by our brethren as humble and loving? Are we the sign of God’s love for them?

Lord Jesus come dwell in me, let me be a sign of Your love. Amen


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First reading
Genesis 4:1-15,25

The mark of Cain

The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. ‘I have acquired a man with the help of the Lord’ she said. She gave birth to a second child, Abel, the brother of Cain. Now Abel became a shepherd and kept flocks, while Cain tilled the soil. Time passed and Cain brought some of the produce of the soil as an offering for the Lord, while Abel for his part brought the first-born of his flock and some of their fat as well. The Lord looked with favour on Abel and his offering. But he did not look with favour on Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry and downcast. The Lord asked Cain, ‘Why are you angry and downcast? If you are well disposed, ought you not to lift up your head? But if you are ill disposed, is not sin at the door like a crouching beast hungering for you, which you must master?’ Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘Let us go out’; and while they were in the open country, Cain set on his brother Abel and killed him.
    The Lord asked Cain, ‘Where is your brother Abel?’ ‘I do not know’ he replied. ‘Am I my brother’s guardian?’ ‘What have you done?’ the Lord asked. ‘Listen to the sound of your brother’s blood, crying out to me from the ground. Now be accursed and driven from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood at your hands. When you till the ground it shall no longer yield you any of its produce. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer over the earth.’ Then Cain said to the Lord, ‘My punishment is greater than I can bear. See! Today you drive me from this ground. I must hide from you, and be a fugitive and a wanderer over the earth. Why, whoever comes across me will kill me!’ ‘Very well, then,’ the Lord replied ‘if anyone kills Cain, sevenfold vengeance shall be taken for him.’ So the Lord put a mark on Cain, to prevent whoever might come across him from striking him down.
    Adam had intercourse with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she named Seth, ‘because God has granted me other offspring’ she said ‘in place of Abel, since Cain has killed him.’



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Gospel
Mark 8:11-13

No sign shall be given to this generation

The Pharisees came up and started a discussion with Jesus; they demanded of him a sign from heaven, to test him. And with a sigh that came straight from the heart he said, ‘Why does this generation demand a sign? I tell you solemnly, no sign shall be given to this generation.’ And leaving them again and re-embarking, he went away to the opposite shore.

Our loving Father in Heaven never intended us to be alone or lonely.  He wills good in and for us. In today’s reading we learn that for many of us who follow His will  to be married according to His design, then we are further graced to procreate and be thus fruitful. For others who are chosen to lead a single life, are likewise blessed and graced with beautiful companions on their pilgrim journey.

He loves us His children equally and unconditionally. Even those from another flock! Although not clearly seen based on our cultural differences, the exchange between Jesus and the woman was playful. Yes it must have been extremely difficult for the woman to even muster all the courage and strength to approach a Jew for help, still apart from desperation for her daughter’s well being; she could sense that Jesus was no ordinary Jew. She experienced first hand, being in His presence; the mercy and love of our ever loving God. She approached the throne of grace and received the divine grace of God upon her and her loved one. Amen


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First reading
Genesis 2:18-25

Man and wife become one body

The Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helpmate.’ So from the soil the Lord God fashioned all the wild beasts and all the birds of heaven. These he brought to the man to see what he would call them; each one was to bear the name the man would give it. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of heaven and all the wild beasts. But no helpmate suitable for man was found for him. So the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep. And while he slept, he took one of his ribs and enclosed it in flesh. The Lord God built the rib he had taken from the man into a woman, and brought her to the man. The man exclaimed:

‘This at last is bone from my bones,
and flesh from my flesh!
This is to be called woman,
for this was taken from man.’

This is why a man leaves his father and mother and joins himself to his wife, and they become one body.
    Now both of them were naked, the man and his wife, but they felt no shame in front of each other.



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Gospel
Mark 7:24-30

The astuteness of the Syro-Phoenician woman

Jesus left Gennesaret and set out for the territory of Tyre. There he went into a house and did not want anyone to know he was there, but he could not pass unrecognised. A woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him straightaway and came and fell at his feet. Now the woman was a pagan, by birth a Syrophoenician, and she begged him to cast the devil out of her daughter. And he said to her, ‘The children should be fed first, because it is not fair to take the children’s food and throw it to the house-dogs.’ But she spoke up: ‘Ah yes, sir,’ she replied ‘but the house-dogs under the table can eat the children’s scraps.’ And he said to her, ‘For saying this, you may go home happy: the devil has gone out of your daughter.’ So she went off to her home and found the child lying on the bed and the devil gone.

What is man or woman that You O Lord deigned we should be made in Your image and likeness. Only love! Fashioned in Your love how can we not love one another who are all likewise made in Your image and likeness. Be it Father, mother, sister, brother, friend or stranger! And love one another we must above all laws all traditions. Above all hurts and pains. Only then can we declare our love for the Lord our God.

We shall go forth loving our neighbour into His Kingdom by our works. And we shall rest in Him, so as to continue our pilgrim journey back to Him. Amen

Our Lady of Lourdes  pray for us…

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First reading
Genesis 1:20-2:4

‘Let us make man in our own image’

God said, ‘Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth within the vault of heaven.’ And so it was. God created great sea-serpents and every kind of living creature with which the waters teem, and every kind of winged creature. God saw that it was good. God blessed them, saying, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas; and let the birds multiply upon the earth.’ Evening came and morning came: the fifth day.
    God said, ‘Let the earth produce every kind of living creature: cattle, reptiles, and every kind of wild beast.’ And so it was. God made every kind of wild beast, every kind of cattle, and every kind of land reptile. God saw that it was good.
    God said, ‘Let us make man in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild beasts and all the reptiles that crawl upon the earth.’

God created man in the image of himself,
in the image of God he created him,
male and female he created them.

God blessed them, saying to them, ‘Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and conquer it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all living animals on the earth.’ God said, ‘See, I give you all the seed-bearing plants that are upon the whole earth, and all the trees with seed-bearing fruit; this shall be your food. To all wild beasts, all birds of heaven and all living reptiles on the earth I give all the foliage of plants for food.’ And so it was. God saw all he had made, and indeed it was very good. Evening came and morning came: the sixth day.
    Thus heaven and earth were completed with all their array. On the seventh day God completed the work he had been doing. He rested on the seventh day after all the work he had been doing. God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on that day he had rested after all his work of creating.
    Such were the origins of heaven and earth when they were created.



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Gospel
Mark 7:1-13

You get round the commandment of God to preserve your own tradition

The Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered round Jesus, and they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with unclean hands, that is, without washing them. For the Pharisees, and the Jews in general, follow the tradition of the elders and never eat without washing their arms as far as the elbow; and on returning from the market place they never eat without first sprinkling themselves. There are also many other observances which have been handed down to them concerning the washing of cups and pots and bronze dishes. So these Pharisees and scribes asked him, ‘Why do your disciples not respect the tradition of the elders but eat their food with unclean hands?’ He answered, ‘It was of you hypocrites that Isaiah so rightly prophesied in this passage of scripture:

This people honours me only with lip-service,
while their hearts are far from me.
The worship they offer me is worthless,
the doctrines they teach are only human regulations.

You put aside the commandment of God to cling to human traditions.’ And he said to them, ‘How ingeniously you get round the commandment of God in order to preserve your own tradition! For Moses said: Do your duty to your father and your mother, and, Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death. But you say, “If a man says to his father or mother: Anything I have that I might have used to help you is Corban (that is, dedicated to God), then he is forbidden from that moment to do anything for his father or mother.” In this way you make God’s word null and void for the sake of your tradition which you have handed down. And you do many other things like this.’

Pray and Praise even when you do not feel like praying or praising; for His great love for us in our lives never ceases! So then it is only fitting that we praise and pray unceasingly. A sacrifice on our part worthy of Him.

St Paul reminds us in today’s first reading that we must obey our leaders. Whether we feel they are right or wrong, whether they are likable or not does not matter. So long as they do not lead us against our faith and morals we must obey them. For they are accountable to the Lord for us.

And in all our going and comings we must always come back to Jesus our Shepherd, for in and through Him we have peace and rest. (Prayer is coming to Jesus) Through His word and Holy Eucharist we are renewed, refreshed and ready to go on ministering to His flock.

Lord You are my Shepherd there is nothing I shall want. Amen

Saint Jerome Emilian, Saint Josephine Bakhita, pray for us…

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First reading

Hebrews 13:15-17,20-21 ·

May God turn us all into whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ

Through Christ, let us offer God an unending sacrifice of praise, a verbal sacrifice that is offered every time we acknowledge his name. Keep doing good works and sharing your resources, for these are sacrifices that please God.

    Obey your leaders and do as they tell you, because they must give an account of the way they look after your souls; make this a joy for them to do, and not a grief – you yourselves would be the losers. I pray that the God of peace, who brought our Lord Jesus back from the dead to become the great Shepherd of the sheep by the blood that sealed an eternal covenant, may make you ready to do his will in any kind of good action; and turn us all into whatever is acceptable to himself through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen.

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Gospel

Mark 6:30-34

They were like sheep without a shepherd

The apostles rejoined Jesus and told him all they had done and taught. Then he said to them, ‘You must come away to some lonely place all by yourselves and rest for a while’; for there were so many coming and going that the apostles had no time even to eat. So they went off in a boat to a lonely place where they could be by themselves. But people saw them going, and many could guess where; and from every town they all hurried to the place on foot and reached it before them. So as he stepped ashore he saw a large crowd; and he took pity on them because they were like sheep without a shepherd, and he set himself to teach them at some length.

We have joy in our hearts because we have been saved and no doom or gloom has reign over our hearts. Jesus our saviour has set us free!

And He has empowered us to be His priest, prophet and king! So that we go forth carrying only His grace with us. Bringing His peace, love and healing. Those who listen to the Gospel we share shall rejoice with us. Amen

Saints Paul Miki and his Companions, pray for us…


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First reading
Hebrews 12:18-19,21-24 ·

You have come to Mount Zion and the city of the living God

What you have come to is nothing known to the senses: not a blazing fire, or a gloom turning to total darkness, or a storm; or trumpeting thunder or the great voice speaking which made everyone that heard it beg that no more should be said to them. The whole scene was so terrible that Moses said: I am afraid, and was trembling with fright. But what you have come to is Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem where the millions of angels have gathered for the festival, with the whole Church in which everyone is a ‘first-born son’ and a citizen of heaven. You have come to God himself, the supreme Judge, and been placed with spirits of the saints who have been made perfect; and to Jesus, the mediator who brings a new covenant and a blood for purification which pleads more insistently than Abel’s.




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Gospel
Mark 6:7-13

‘Take nothing with you’

Jesus made a tour round the villages, teaching. Then he summoned the Twelve and began to send them out in pairs giving them authority over the unclean spirits. And he instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no haversack, no coppers for their purses. They were to wear sandals but, he added, ‘Do not take a spare tunic.’ And he said to them, ‘If you enter a house anywhere, stay there until you leave the district. And if any place does not welcome you and people refuse to listen to you, as you walk away shake off the dust from under your feet as a sign to them.’ So they set off to preach repentance; and they cast out many devils, and anointed many sick people with oil and cured them.

We must carry the holiness of Christ in us at all times. Especially in the face of adversity, challenges and when facing insults or dishonour. Only then we walk in the grace of God as His sons and continue to bring the light of Christ to all.

For with Christ’s wisdom and grace we shall lay hands to cure the sick and bring His peace where there is none. We shall not be found with any lack of faith! Amen


Saint Agatha, pray for us…



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First reading
Hebrews 12:4-7,11-15

God is training you as his sons

In the fight against sin, you have not yet had to keep fighting to the point of death.
    Have you forgotten that encouraging text in which you are addressed as sons? My son, when the Lord corrects you, do not treat it lightly; but do not get discouraged when he reprimands you. For the Lord trains the ones that he loves and he punishes all those that he acknowledges as his sons. Suffering is part of your training; God is treating you as his sons. Has there ever been any son whose father did not train him? Of course, any punishment is most painful at the time, and far from pleasant; but later, in those on whom it has been used, it bears fruit in peace and goodness. So hold up your limp arms and steady your trembling knees and smooth out the path you tread; then the injured limb will not be wrenched, it will grow strong again.
    Always be wanting peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one can ever see the Lord. Be careful that no one is deprived of the grace of God and that no root of bitterness should begin to grow and make trouble; this can poison a whole community.





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Gospel
Mark 6:1-6

‘A prophet is only despised in his own country’

Jesus went to his home town and his disciples accompanied him. With the coming of the sabbath he began teaching in the synagogue and most of them were astonished when they heard him. They said, ‘Where did the man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been granted him, and these miracles that are worked through him? This is the carpenter, surely, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joset and Jude and Simon? His sisters, too, are they not here with us?’ And they would not accept him. And Jesus said to them, ‘A prophet is only despised in his own country, among his own relations and in his own house’; and he could work no miracle there, though he cured a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.

Till we all receive our Heavenly inheritance we have the blessed assurance that through the life death and resurrection of Christ Jesus our Lord, even the old testament saints are reunited with Him in Heaven! They together with all the saints and angels in Heaven are praying for us.

Let us remain steadfast with One mind, body and spirit in Christ Jesus our Lord. Waking each day resisting all evil and sin without fear! For we have on our side, the King of the Universe and all are subject to Him. No evil shall we fear.

Jesus my Lord and God I adore thee. Amen

Saint Ansgar (Oscar), Saint Blaise, pray for us… 

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First reading

Hebrews 11:32-40

The example of the Old Testament saints

Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets – these were men who through faith conquered kingdoms, did what is right and earned the promises. They could keep a lion’s mouth shut, put out blazing fires and emerge unscathed from battle. They were weak people who were given strength, to be brave in war and drive back foreign invaders. Some came back to their wives from the dead, by resurrection; and others submitted to torture, refusing release so that they would rise again to a better life. Some had to bear being pilloried and flogged, or even chained up in prison. They were stoned, or sawn in half, or beheaded; they were homeless, and dressed in the skins of sheep and goats; they were penniless and were given nothing but ill-treatment. They were too good for the world and they went out to live in deserts and mountains and in caves and ravines. These are all heroes of faith, but they did not receive what was promised, since God had made provision for us to have something better, and they were not to reach perfection except with us.

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Gospel

Mark 5:1-20

The Gadarene swine

Jesus and his disciples reached the country of the Gerasenes on the other side of the lake, and no sooner had Jesus left the boat than a man with an unclean spirit came out from the tombs towards him. The man lived in the tombs and no one could secure him any more, even with a chain; because he had often been secured with fetters and chains but had snapped the chains and broken the fetters, and no one had the strength to control him. All night and all day, among the tombs and in the mountains, he would howl and gash himself with stones. Catching sight of Jesus from a distance, he ran up and fell at his feet and shouted at the top of his voice, ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, son of the Most High God? Swear by God you will not torture me!’ – for Jesus had been saying to him, ‘Come out of the man, unclean spirit.’ ‘What is your name?’ Jesus asked. ‘My name is legion,’ he answered ‘for there are many of us.’ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the district.

    Now there was there on the mountainside a great herd of pigs feeding, and the unclean spirits begged him, ‘Send us to the pigs, let us go into them.’ So he gave them leave. With that, the unclean spirits came out and went into the pigs, and the herd of about two thousand pigs charged down the cliff into the lake, and there they were drowned. The swineherds ran off and told their story in the town and in the country round about; and the people came to see what had really happened. They came to Jesus and saw the demoniac sitting there, clothed and in his full senses – the very man who had had the legion in him before – and they were afraid. And those who had witnessed it reported what had happened to the demoniac and what had become of the pigs. Then they began to implore Jesus to leave the neighbourhood. As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed begged to be allowed to stay with him. Jesus would not let him but said to him, ‘Go home to your people and tell them all that the Lord in his mercy has done for you.’ So the man went off and proceeded to spread throughout the Decapolis all that Jesus had done for him. And everyone was amazed.

Amidst suffering and pain, we must remain faithful. For the Lord and our God is faithful and will surely come to liberate us from all suffering and pain. All we need do is wait for Him patiently.

Our faithfulness to Him is expressed in our love for one another and for the children not yet of His flock. For we shall be His shade for them, we shall bring His comfort and peace upon them in His Holy name. Then we shall journey as One into His Kingdom. Amen

Saint John Bosco, pray for us…

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First reading

Hebrews 10:32-39 ·

We are the sort who keep faithful

Remember all the sufferings that you had to meet after you received the light, in earlier days; sometimes by being yourselves publicly exposed to insults and violence, and sometimes as associates of others who were treated in the same way. For you not only shared in the sufferings of those who were in prison, but you happily accepted being stripped of your belongings, knowing that you owned something that was better and lasting. Be as confident now, then, since the reward is so great. You will need endurance to do God’s will and gain what he has promised.

Only a little while now, a very little while,

and the one that is coming will have come; he will not delay.

The righteous man will live by faith,

but if he draws back, my soul will take no pleasure in him.

You and I are not the sort of people who draw back, and are lost by it; we are the sort who keep faithful until our souls are saved.

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Gospel

Mark 4:26-34

The kingdom of God is a mustard seed growing into the biggest shrub of all

Jesus said to the crowds: ‘This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man throws seed on the land. Night and day, while he sleeps, when he is awake, the seed is sprouting and growing; how, he does not know. Of its own accord the land produces first the shoot, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when the crop is ready, he loses no time: he starts to reap because the harvest has come.’

    He also said, ‘What can we say the kingdom of God is like? What parable can we find for it? It is like a mustard seed which at the time of its sowing in the soil is the smallest of all the seeds on earth; yet once it is sown it grows into the biggest shrub of them all and puts out big branches so that the birds of the air can shelter in its shade.’

    Using many parables like these, he spoke the word to them, so far as they were capable of understanding it. He would not speak to them except in parables, but he explained everything to his disciples when they were alone.

The One for all Sacrifice by our Lord and Saviour Jesus which we have been reflecting on in the last few days brings us to yet to a greater appreciation of His love for us. For He will never all our offences and our sins to mind!

And in our response to His great love for us, we call to mind before any temptation, His laws written on our hearts. We remember His great love sacrificed for us, and we choose that His Word and Will for us spoken through His Word will fall on to the rich soil we have prepared. Our Body, Mind and Spirit kept holy as our Heavenly Father is Holy.

Only then shall we be fruitful for Him a hundredfold, as we go out into the world sharing the joy of His great love for us through His Gospel. Amen Alleluia!

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First reading

Hebrews 10:11-18 ·

Jesus achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying

All the priests stand at their duties every day, offering over and over again the same sacrifices which are quite incapable of taking sins away. He, on the other hand, has offered one single sacrifice for sins, and then taken his place forever, at the right hand of God, where he is now waiting until his enemies are made into a footstool for him. By virtue of that one single offering, he has achieved the eternal perfection of all whom he is sanctifying. The Holy Spirit assures us of this; for he says, first:

This is the covenant I will make with them

when those days arrive;

and the Lord then goes on to say:

I will put my laws into their hearts

and write them on their minds.

I will never call their sins to mind,

or their offences.

When all sins have been forgiven, there can be no more sin offerings.

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Gospel

Mark 4:1-20

The parable of the sower

Jesus began to teach by the lakeside, but such a huge crowd gathered round him that he got into a boat on the lake and sat there. The people were all along the shore, at the water’s edge. He taught them many things in parables, and in the course of his teaching he said to them, ‘Listen! Imagine a sower going out to sow. Now it happened that, as he sowed, some of the seed fell on the edge of the path, and the birds came and ate it up. Some seed fell on rocky ground where it found little soil and sprang up straightaway, because there was no depth of earth; and when the sun came up it was scorched and, not having any roots, it withered away. Some seed fell into thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked it, and it produced no crop. And some seeds fell into rich soil and, growing tall and strong, produced crop; and yielded thirty, sixty, even a hundredfold.’ And he said, ‘Listen, anyone who has ears to hear!’

    When he was alone, the Twelve, together with the others who formed his company, asked what the parables meant. He told them, ‘The secret of the kingdom of God is given to you, but to those who are outside everything comes in parables, so that they may see and see again, but not perceive; may hear and hear again, but not understand; otherwise they might be converted and be forgiven.’

    He said to them, ‘Do you not understand this parable? Then how will you understand any of the parables? What the sower is sowing is the word. Those on the edge of the path where the word is sown are people who have no sooner heard it than Satan comes and carries away the word that was sown in them. Similarly, those who receive the seed on patches of rock are people who, when first they hear the word, welcome it at once with joy. But they have no root in them, they do not last; should some trial come, or some persecution on account of the word, they fall away at once. Then there are others who receive the seed in thorns. These have heard the word, but the worries of this world, the lure of riches and all the other passions come in to choke the word, and so it produces nothing. And there are those who have received the seed in rich soil: they hear the word and accept it and yield a harvest, thirty and sixty and a hundredfold.’

By the blood of Christ we have been cleansed of all our sins, made pure and have been given life to the full. His one for all time Sacrifice is His salvific love poured out for us!

Let us give Him the highest honour and praise by glorifying Him by our lives. In all that we say or do, careful not to dishonour His Holy name or grief the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.  For One in Holy Communion with Him, our light must shine for Him and for all mankind. Beacons for all who live in darkness, that they may find their way home into the light and be reunited with Him our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen

Saint Angela Merici, pray for us…

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First reading

Hebrews 9:15,24-28 ·

Christ offers himself only once to take on the faults of many

Christ brings a new covenant, as the mediator, only so that the people who were called to an eternal inheritance may actually receive what was promised: his death took place to cancel the sins that infringed the earlier covenant. It is not as though Christ had entered a man-made sanctuary which was only modelled on the real one; but it was heaven itself, so that he could appear in the actual presence of God on our behalf. And he does not have to offer himself again and again, like the high priest going into the sanctuary year after year with the blood that is not his own, or else he would have had to suffer over and over again since the world began. Instead of that, he has made his appearance once and for all, now at the end of the last age, to do away with sin by sacrificing himself. Since men only die once, and after that comes judgement, so Christ, too, offers himself only once to take the faults of many on himself, and when he appears a second time, it will not be to deal with sin but to reward with salvation those who are waiting for him.

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Gospel

Mark 3:22-30

A kingdom divided against itself cannot stand

The scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, ‘Beelzebul is in him’ and, ‘It is through the prince of devils that he casts devils out.’ So he called them to him and spoke to them in parables, ‘How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand. Now if Satan has rebelled against himself and is divided, he cannot stand either – it is the end of him. But no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.

    ‘I tell you solemnly, all men’s sins will be forgiven, and all their blasphemies; but let anyone blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and he will never have forgiveness: he is guilty of an eternal sin.’ This was because they were saying, ‘An unclean spirit is in him.’

Can you not hear the Lord say to you ”<insert your name> <insert your name> why are you persecuting me?” When you treat one another with disrespect? When you dishonor them through gossip? When you are not loving with your words and actions towards another? When you mistreat and abuse them? How then are you leading them closer to Christ? If they are not yet Christian, how will you lead them to baptism into the love of Christ Jesus when your words and actions will scandalize them instead!

We must repent of our sins, turn back to the Lord so that we might see the light once again! Only then can we live in the empowerment of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Who commanded us to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. We will be seen as true believers of Jesus when in His name we will cast out devils; we will have the gift of tongues; we will pick up snakes in our hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; we will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover. Amen

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First reading

Acts 22:3-16 ·

‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’

Paul said to the people, ‘I am a Jew and was born at Tarsus in Cilicia. I was brought up here in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was taught the exact observance of the Law of our ancestors. In fact, I was as full of duty towards God as you are today. I even persecuted this Way to the death, and sent women as well as men to prison in chains as the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify, since they even sent me with letters to their brothers in Damascus. When I set off it was with the intention of bringing prisoners back from there to Jerusalem for punishment.

    ‘I was on that journey and nearly at Damascus when about midday a bright light from heaven suddenly shone round me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” I answered: Who are you, Lord? and he said to me, “I am Jesus the Nazarene, and you are persecuting me.” The people with me saw the light but did not hear his voice as he spoke to me. I said: What am I to do, Lord? The Lord answered, “Stand up and go into Damascus, and there you will be told what you have been appointed to do.” The light had been so dazzling that I was blind and my companions had to take me by the hand; and so I came to Damascus.

    ‘Someone called Ananias, a devout follower of the Law and highly thought of by all the Jews living there, came to see me; he stood beside me and said, “Brother Saul, receive your sight.” Instantly my sight came back and I was able to see him. Then he said, “The God of our ancestors has chosen you to know his will, to see the Just One and hear his own voice speaking, because you are to be his witness before all mankind, testifying to what you have seen and heard. And now why delay? It is time you were baptised and had your sins washed away while invoking his name.”’

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Gospel

Mark 16:15-18

Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News

Jesus showed himself to the Eleven and said to them:

    ‘Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation. He who believes and is baptised will be saved; he who does not believe will be condemned. These are the signs that will be associated with believers: in my name they will cast out devils; they will have the gift of tongues; they will pick up snakes in their hands, and be unharmed should they drink deadly poison; they will lay their hands on the sick, who will recover.’

The Lord our God has always been faithful and have kept His promises to us from the beginning. We on the other hand have been unfaithful by turning away from Him through our sins.

Yet He loved us even while we were sinners. God our Father sent Jesus His only Begotten Son to die for our sins so that we might live life eternal with Him. Jesus conquered death and by His resurrection has set us free from the its sting. Through Jesus we are God our Father’s children, One in Holy Communion. We have a covenantal relationship with Him.

Let us dwell for a moment on His words at Holy Eucharist, “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, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Having partaken of Him and with joy in our hearts, we shall go out to share the joy of the Gospel. Amen

Saint Francis de Sales, pray for us..

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First reading
Hebrews 8:6-13 ·

The first covenant is already old

We have seen that Christ has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises. If that first covenant had been without a fault, there would have been no need for a second one to replace it. And in fact God does find fault with them; he says:

See, the days are coming – it is the Lord who speaks –
when I will establish a new covenant
with the House of Israel and the House of Judah,
but not a covenant like the one I made with their ancestors
on the day I took them by the hand
to bring them out of the land of Egypt.
They abandoned that covenant of mine,
and so I on my side deserted them. It is the Lord who speaks.
No, this is the covenant I will make
with the House of Israel
when those days arrive – it is the Lord who speaks.
I will put my laws into their minds
and write them on their hearts.
Then I will be their God
and they shall be my people.
There will be no further need for neighbour to try to teach neighbour,
or brother to say to brother,
‘Learn to know the Lord.’
No, they will all know me,
the least no less than the greatest,
since I will forgive their iniquities
and never call their sins to mind.

By speaking of a new covenant, he implies that the first one is already old. Now anything old only gets more antiquated until in the end it disappears.




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Gospel
Mark 3:13-19

He appointed twelve to be his companions

Jesus went up into the hills and summoned those he wanted. So they came to him and he appointed twelve; they were to be his companions and to be sent out to preach, with power to cast out devils. And so he appointed the Twelve: Simon to whom he gave the name Peter, James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom he gave the name Boanerges or ‘Sons of Thunder’; then Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the man who was to betray him.

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, paid the debt He did not owe, for us who owed the debt we could not pay. He did so by taking up the Cross, the weight of the sins of world and laid down His life for us; once for all time so that we might have life in Him through the victory over sin and death.

It does not exempt us from sinning again, and again. For if we are repentant and turn back to Him swiftly before our death then we have His promise of mercy and redemption.

And if we remain steadfast, take up our cross and follow after Him, then we shall be empowered to shine the light of His  loving presence in the world. By ministering to His flock, healing, casting out evil, Prophesying and leading them into His Kingdom.

Here I am Lord, I come to do Your will. Amen

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First reading
Hebrews 7:25-8:6

He has offered sacrifice once and for all by offering himself

The power of Jesus to save is utterly certain, since he is living for ever to intercede for all who come to God through him.
    To suit us, the ideal high priest would have to be holy, innocent and uncontaminated, beyond the influence of sinners, and raised up above the heavens; one who would not need to offer sacrifices every day, as the other high priests do for their own sins and then for those of the people, because he has done this once and for all by offering himself. The Law appoints high priests who are men subject to weakness; but the promise on oath, which came after the Law, appointed the Son who is made perfect for ever.
    The great point of all that we have said is that we have a high priest of exactly this kind. He has his place at the right of the throne of divine Majesty in the heavens, and he is the minister of the sanctuary and of the true Tent of Meeting which the Lord, and not any man, set up. It is the duty of every high priest to offer gifts and sacrifices, and so this one too must have something to offer. In fact, if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are others who make the offerings laid down by the Law and these only maintain the service of a model or a reflection of the heavenly realities. For Moses, when he had the Tent to build, was warned by God who said: See that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.
    We have seen that he has been given a ministry of a far higher order, and to the same degree it is a better covenant of which he is the mediator, founded on better promises.



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Gospel
Mark 3:7-12

He warned them not to make him known as the Son of God

Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lakeside, and great crowds from Galilee followed him. From Judaea, Jerusalem, Idumaea, Transjordania and the region of Tyre and Sidon, great numbers who had heard of all he was doing came to him. And he asked his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, to keep him from being crushed. For he had cured so many that all who were afflicted in any way were crowding forward to touch him. And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw him, would fall down before him and shout, ‘You are the Son of God!’ But he warned them strongly not to make him known.

God our Father’s love is enduring, He knows all that we say and do food His glory. And we are Blessed and rewarded to walk in His presence. We should not want or need affirmation from anyone else.

Even then our Lord affirms is by His grace. He is with us in our challenges and trials. Today’s reponsorial Psalm is a testimony to His faithfulness…

The Lord keeps His covenant every in mind. Amen

Saint Agnes, pray for us…

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First reading
Hebrews 6:10-20 ·

In this hope we have an anchor for our soul

God would not be so unjust as to forget all you have done, the love that you have for his name or the services you have done, and are still doing, for the saints. Our one desire is that every one of you should go on showing the same earnestness to the end, to the perfect fulfilment of our hopes, never growing careless, but imitating those who have the faith and the perseverance to inherit the promises.
    When God made the promise to Abraham, he swore by his own self, since it was impossible for him to swear by anyone greater: I will shower blessings on you and give you many descendants. Because of that, Abraham persevered and saw the promise fulfilled. Men, of course, swear an oath by something greater than themselves, and between men, confirmation by an oath puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God wanted to make the heirs to the promise thoroughly realise that his purpose was unalterable, he conveyed this by an oath; so that there would be two unalterable things in which it was impossible for God to be lying, and so that we, now we have found safety, should have a strong encouragement to take a firm grip on the hope that is held out to us. Here we have an anchor for our soul, as sure as it is firm, and reaching right through beyond the veil where Jesus has entered before us and on our behalf, to become a high priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever.


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Gospel
Mark 2:23-28

The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath

One sabbath day, Jesus happened to be taking a walk through the cornfields, and his disciples began to pick ears of corn as they went along. And the Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing something on the sabbath day that is forbidden?’ And he replied, ‘Did you never read what David did in his time of need when he and his followers were hungry – how he went into the house of God when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the loaves of offering which only the priests are allowed to eat, and how he also gave some to the men with him?’
    And he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath; the Son of Man is master even of the sabbath.’

We don’t dwell enough on what our role as priest, prophet and king entails. In today’s first reading we learn just how little we are doing right now today to reconcile all those who sin, especially all who do not yet know Christ Jesus our Lord. High priest who reconciled the world unto Himself. How can we still not live out our empowered, anointed lives to minister to His flock!

We have been baptised to new life in Him, confirmed and anointed to be His light in the world. Let us then turn away from all sin and live renewed lives in the resurrection power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen

Saint Fabian, Saint Sebastian, pray for us… Martyr 

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First reading
Hebrews 5:1-10 ·

Although he was Son, he learned to obey through suffering

Every high priest has been taken out of mankind and is appointed to act for men in their relations with God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins; and so he can sympathise with those who are ignorant or uncertain because he too lives in the limitations of weakness. That is why he has to make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honour on himself, but each one is called by God, as Aaron was. Nor did Christ give himself the glory of becoming high priest, but he had it from the one who said to him: You are my son, today I have become your father, and in another text: You are a priest of the order of Melchizedek, and for ever. During his life on earth, he offered up prayer and entreaty, aloud and in silent tears, to the one who had the power to save him out of death, and he submitted so humbly that his prayer was heard. Although he was Son, he learnt to obey through suffering; but having been made perfect, he became for all who obey him the source of eternal salvation and was acclaimed by God with the title of high priest of the order of Melchizedek.



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Gospel
Mark 2:18-22

‘Why do your disciples not fast?’

One day when John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting, some people came to Jesus and said to him, ‘Why is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not?’ Jesus replied, ‘Surely the bridegroom’s attendants would never think of fasting while the bridegroom is still with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they could not think of fasting. But the time will come for the bridegroom to be taken away from them, and then, on that day, they will fast. No one sews a piece of unshrunken cloth on an old cloak; if he does, the patch pulls away from it, the new from the old, and the tear gets worse. And nobody puts new wine into old wineskins; if he does, the wine will burst the skins, and the wine is lost and the skins too. No! New wine, fresh skins!’

Continuing from yesterday, it would be great if we all could continue our pilgrim journey as One community of disciples. For when some of us sin, are heavily burden even paralysed by what we have done or failed to do. We can rely on one another to carry the other to Jesus. To be fully restored to full communion with Him and one another. As fellow disciples and children of God our Father we help one another from falling into sin and remaining faithful. For our hearts are restless till we rest in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!

Praise and glory be to You O Lord now and forever. Amen

Saint Antony, Abbot pray for us…


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First reading
Hebrews 4:1-5,11 ·

None of you has come too late for God’s promise

Be careful: the promise of reaching the place of rest that God had for the Israelites still holds good, and none of you must think that he has come too late for it. We received the Good News exactly as they did; but hearing the message did them no good because they did not share the faith of those who listened. We, however, who have faith, shall reach a place of rest, as in the text: And so, in anger, I swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them. God’s work was undoubtedly all finished at the beginning of the world; as one text says, referring to the seventh day: After all his work God rested on the seventh day. The text we are considering says: They shall not reach the place of rest I had for them. We must therefore do everything we can to reach this place of rest, or some of you might copy this example of disobedience and be lost.




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Gospel
Mark 2:1-12

The Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins

When Jesus returned to Capernaum, word went round that he was back; and so many people collected that there was no room left, even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them when some people came bringing him a paralytic carried by four men, but as the crowd made it impossible to get the man to him, they stripped the roof over the place where Jesus was; and when they had made an opening, they lowered the stretcher on which the paralytic lay. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, ‘My child, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some scribes were sitting there, and they thought to themselves, ‘How can this man talk like that? He is blaspheming. Who can forgive sins but God?’ Jesus, inwardly aware that this was what they were thinking, said to them, ‘Why do you have these thoughts in your hearts? Which of these is easier: to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven” or to say, “Get up, pick up your stretcher and walk”? But to prove to you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins,’ – he turned to the paralytic – ‘I order you: get up, pick up your stretcher, and go off home.’ And the man got up, picked up his stretcher at once and walked out in front of everyone, so that they were all astounded and praised God saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this.’

Unless we are born without original sin, it will be very, very hard to remain steadfast on our own. That is to resist all sin and temptation. That is why we must belong to a community of disciples. So that we can encourage, affirm when necessary and hold one another accountable for our words and actions.

We are assured in today’s Gospel that our Lord is compassionate, loving and willing to restore us, body, mind and spirit when we turn to Him. Let us not allow sin to eat away at our souls, but be swift to turn to Jesus for full reconciliation. So that we may go on to glorify Him by our lives. Amen


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First reading
Hebrews 3:7-14 ·

Keep encouraging one another

The Holy Spirit says: If only you would listen to him today; do not harden your hearts, as happened in the Rebellion, on the Day of Temptation in the wilderness, when your ancestors challenged me and tested me, though they had seen what I could do for forty years. That was why I was angry with that generation and said: How unreliable these people who refuse to grasp my ways! And so, in anger, I swore that not one would reach the place of rest I had for them. Take care, brothers, that there is not in any one of your community a wicked mind, so unbelieving as to turn away from the living God. Every day, as long as this ‘today’ lasts, keep encouraging one another so that none of you is hardened by the lure of sin, because we shall remain co-heirs with Christ only if we keep a grasp on our first confidence right to the end.

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Gospel
Mark 1:40-45

The leprosy left the man at once, and he was cured

A leper came to Jesus and pleaded on his knees: ‘If you want to’ he said ‘you can cure me.’ Feeling sorry for him, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him. ‘Of course I want to!’ he said. ‘Be cured!’ And the leprosy left him at once and he was cured. Jesus immediately sent him away and sternly ordered him, ‘Mind you say nothing to anyone, but go and show yourself to the priest, and make the offering for your healing prescribed by Moses as evidence of your recovery.’ The man went away, but then started talking about it freely and telling the story everywhere, so that Jesus could no longer go openly into any town, but had to stay outside in places where nobody lived. Even so, people from all around would come to him.